Topline
The number of U.S. embassies reportedly evacuated in the Middle East grew to four Thursday, after President Donald Trump confirmed reports of U.S. personnel pulling out from the region as the likelihood of an Israeli strike in Iran and potential retaliation grows.
The U.S. embassy is seen from across the Tigris river in Baghdad, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP ... More
Unnamed U.S. officials told Reuters that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the Middle East, including Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait — Al Jazeera reports the list also includes the United Arab Emirates.
At the Kennedy Center’s opening-night performance of “Les Misérables,” Trump told reporters that personnel are being “moved out” because “it could be a dangerous place,” and that the United States is “not going to allow” Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
Israel is preparing an attack on Iran, according to U.S. and European officials, and Tehran has reportedly planned an immediate counterstrike with hundreds of ballistic missiles.
Forbes has reached out to the State Department for comment.
Iran’s nuclear program has advanced in the last decade, according to The New York Times. Since the start of Israel’s ongoing siege in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Iran’s vulnerability after killing Hezbollah and Hamas leaders “will not last long.” Trump has warned Netanyahu against attacking Iran to avoid a major conflict in the Middle East, and is trying to get Iran to agree to stop uranium enrichment, according to Reuters.
Iran’s defense minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, said at a weekly press briefing on Wednesday his country would target U.S. military bases in the region if nuclear negotiations fail and “a conflict is imposed on us.” Trump threatened Iran with bombing if it does not reach a nuclear deal. Negotiations are expected to resume this week, with Trump saying talks would take place on Thursday while Tehran says they will take place Sunday. Trump said on Tuesday that Iran is becoming “much more aggressive” in nuclear talks. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said in a post on X an agreement that can “ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program is within reach,” and the outcome “relies on” Iran’s ability to maintain its uranium enrichment program under the International Atomic Energy Agency — which has found Iran noncompliant with “nuclear nonproliferation obligations.”
After the State Department ordered the departure of non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad, Brent crude oil went up nearly 4% at $69.44 and WTI oil spiked nearly 5% at $67.81. Iraq’s crude exports, which average about 4 million barrels a day, and an escalation of conflict could affect the country’s economic stability.
What An Israeli Strike On Iran’s Nuclear Sites Might Look Like (Forbes)