American embassies in the Middle East are preparing to send home non-essential staff and families owing to heightened risks in the region.

According to a string of American and local security sources, the embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, is planning what officials called an “ordered evacuation,” withdrawing non-essential staff.

It was already operating at reduced staffing levels.

But facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait are also to send home family members.

The move is being considered as the prospect of the US signing a nuclear deal with Iran appears less and less likely.

‘Trump committed to keeping Americans safe’

Details emerged hours after Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s minister of defence, said that Tehran would strike US bases in the region if nuclear talks failed, and tensions escalated with Washington.

“President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad,” a State Department official told The Telegraph.

“In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our mission in Iraq.”

Mr Trump said he was growing “less confident” in the likelihood of signing a nuclear deal with the country.

Speaking to the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast, Mr Trump said: “I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more and more less confident about it,” when asked by the host if he thought Iran would agree to shut down its nuclear program.

UK issues warning 

The UK maritime agency issued a warning earlier on Wednesday that increased tensions could trigger a military escalation with a knock-on effect on critical waterways.

It advised vessels to use caution while travelling through the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Straits of Hormuz, which all border Iran.

Iraq, a rare regional partner of both the United States and its arch regional foe Iran, hosts 2,500 US troops and has Tehran-backed armed factions linked to its security forces.

Tensions inside Iraq have heightened since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, with Iran-aligned armed groups in the country repeatedly attacking US troops.

Mr Trump has been under pressure from Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, to allow the country to strike Iran. So-far, Mr Trump has blocked strikes.

He told reporters in the Oval Office last month: “I told [Mr Netanyahu] this would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution now.

“That could change at any moment.”

The US president has also threatened to strike Iran if stalled talks over its nuclear programme failed.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations posted on social media that “threats of overwhelming force won’t change the facts”.

“Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability,” it said.