The United States is withdrawing some personnel from military bases in the Middle East as a precaution amid escalating regional tensions, a US official told Reuters on Wednesday (January 14th), after a senior Iranian official warned that Tehran would attack US bases if Washington intervened.
The move comes as Iran grapples with the worst domestic unrest in the Islamic republic’s history and seeks to fend off repeated threats by US President Donald Trump to intervene in support of anti-government protesters.
“Change of location”, not complete evacuation
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington had begun withdrawing some personnel from key regional bases as a precautionary measure, according to the news outlet.
Three diplomats told the newspaper that some staff had already been advised to leave the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar by Wednesday evening. But there were no signs of a large-scale evacuation similar to the one that took place before Iran’s missile attack on the base last year.
One diplomat described the move as a “change of attitude” rather than an “ordered evacuation”.
There was also no indication that troops would be moved to nearby civilian areas, as was the case before last June’s Iranian missile attack in retaliation for US airstrikes.
Iran warns against strikes on US bases
A senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighboring countries that US bases in the region would be targeted if Washington attacked Iran.
“Tehran has told regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to Turkey, that US bases in those countries will be attacked” if the United States attacks Iran, the official said on condition of anonymity, Reuters reported.
The official added that direct contacts between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff have been suspended.
Iranian authorities have accused the United States and Israel of fomenting the unrest, which they say is being carried out by terrorists.
Trump threatens to intervene
Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in Iran, citing a crackdown on protests that erupted two weeks ago over dire economic conditions and quickly escalated into nationwide unrest.
Trump has promised strong action if Iran executes protesters. He also called on Iranians to continue their demonstrations and declared that “help is on the way”.
The death toll increases during the intervention
Iranian officials have admitted that more than 2,000 people have been killed in the unrest. Human rights organizations put the death toll at more than 2,600.
“Iran has never faced such an amount of destruction,” Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces 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 modern history”.
US rights group HRANA said it had so far verified the deaths of 2,403 protesters and 147 people affiliated with the government, with more than 18,000 arrested.
Regional bases on alert
The United States maintains a significant military presence in the Middle East, including the U.S. Central Command’s forward headquarters in Al Udeid, Qatar, and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
