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The United States is pulling some personnel from military bases in the Middle East as a precautionary step amid escalating regional tensions, a US official told Reuters on Wednesday (January 14), after a senior Iranian official warned that Tehran would target American bases if Washington intervenes.
The move comes as Iran grapples with the most severe domestic unrest in the Islamic Republic’s history and seeks to deter repeated threats by US President Donald Trump to intervene in support of anti-government protesters.
‘Posture change,’ not full evacuation
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, as per he news outlet, said Washington had begun withdrawing some personnel from key regional bases as a precautionary step.
Three diplomats told the news outlet that some personnel had already been advised to leave the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar by Wednesday evening. However, there were no signs of a large-scale evacuation similar to the one that took place ahead of Iran’s missile strike on the base last year.
One diplomat described the move as a “posture change” rather than an “ordered evacuation.”
There was also no indication of troops being relocated to nearby civilian areas, as occurred before last June’s Iranian missile attack in retaliation for US airstrikes.
Iran warns of strikes on US bases
A senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbouring countries that US bases in the region would be targeted if Washington attacks Iran.
“Tehran has told regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and UAE to Turkey, that U.S. bases in those countries will be attacked” if the United States strikes Iran, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, Reuters stated.
The official added that direct contacts between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had been suspended.
Iranian authorities have accused the United States and Israel of fomenting the unrest, which they say is being carried out by what they describe as terrorists.
Trump threatens intervention
Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in Iran, citing the crackdown on protests that erupted two weeks ago over dire economic conditions and escalated rapidly into nationwide unrest.
Trump vowed “very strong action” if Iran executes protesters. He also urged Iranians to continue demonstrating, declaring that “help is on the way.”
Death toll mounts amid crackdown
Iranian officials have acknowledged that more than 2,000 people have been killed in the unrest. A rights group has put the death toll at more than 2,600.
“Iran has never faced this volume of destruction,” Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi said on Wednesday, blaming foreign enemies.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described the crackdown as “the most violent repression in Iran’s contemporary history.”
The US-based HRANA rights group said it had verified the deaths of 2,403 protesters and 147 government-affiliated individuals so far, with arrests exceeding 18,000.
Regional bases on alert
The United States maintains a significant military presence in the Middle East, including the forward headquarters of US Central Command at Al Udeid in Qatar and the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
English (US) ·