US scales back personnel in Middle East as Israel-Iran tensions mount

The United States is scaling back the number of personnel in the Middle East as the tensions between longtime foes Israel and Iran mount. 

The U.S. is downsizing its footprint in Iraq, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has greenlighted the departures of military dependents across northeast Africa, the Middle East, and portions of South and Central Asia. 

“President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad. In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies,” a State Department official told The Hill in an emailed statement on Wednesday. “Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq.” 

A defense official told The Hill that “Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the CENTCOM AOR.” 

“CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our Allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time,” the defense official added.

The scale-back of the number of U.S. diplomats in the Middle East comes amid indications that the U.S. negotiations with Iran over Tehran’s rapidly expanding nuclear program are stalled. 

The U.S. military has personnel in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and other countries in the region. 

The administration has not mentioned a direct threat to the U.S. military personnel or diplomats stationed in the Middle East in statements that have emerged from various agencies. 

Trump confirmed that U.S. personnel in the Middle East were being moved out region when asked by reporters on Wednesday evening while walking the red carpet at the Kennedy Center. 

“They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place. We’ll see what happens, Trump said. “We’ve given notice to move out and we’ll see what happens.” 

When asked if something could be done to lower the tension in the region, the president said Iran cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. 

“Very simple, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said with first lady Melania Trump by his side. 

Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned on Wednesday that if Tehran’s talks with the U.S. go nowhere and conflict with Washington emerges, Iran would hit the U.S. military bases in the region. 

“Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us…all U.S. bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries,” Nasirzadeh said during a news briefing on Wednesday. 

Since restarting discussions with Iran over the nuclear program, Trump has warned Tehran that military strikes could take place if diplomacy fails and a new deal is not reached. 

The two sides were discussing holding the sixth round of nuclear talks this week. Iran’s foreign ministry said earlier this week that the meeting is planned to take place on Sunday in Muscat, Oman. The sixth round of talks could take place on Friday or Sunday, The Hill previously reported.

So far, the “timing of the talks remains unconfirmed. Nothing has changed on that since yesterday,” a U.S. official told The Hill on Wednesday evening. 

Trump has said that he wants to pursue a diplomatic solution with Iran and has previously warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from striking Tehran’s nuclear sites, worrying it could derail ongoing negotiations. 

Despite the threat from Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defense minister, the country’s mission to the United Nations said that Tehran is “not seeking a nuclear weapon, and U.S. militarism only fuels instability.”

“CENTCOM’s legacy of fueling regional instability, through arming aggressors and enabling Israeli crimes, strips it of any credibility to speak on peace or non-proliferation,” the mission wrote in a Wednesday post on social media platform X. “Diplomacy—not militarism—is the only path forward.” 

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) head, Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, said during a House hearing on Tuesday that he handed Trump and Hegseth a “wide range” of military options for the administration to take up if nuclear talks with Iran fall apart. 

Kurilla was slated to be the only speaker at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday morning. An update on the committee’s website says the hearing has been postponed. 

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, the British maritime trade agency, issued an advisory earlier on Wednesday, stating that it has been “made aware of increased tensions within the region which could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners.”  

The agency advised the vessel passing through the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Straits of Hormuz to travel with “caution” and report “incidents or suspicious activity to UKMTO iaw BMP.” 

Iran said on Monday that it would send over a counter-proposal, through the Omani mediators, in the coming days, according to Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. 

“We will present our own proposal to the other side via Oman after it is finalised. This proposal is reasonable, logical and balanced,” Baghaei said. 

The U.S. proposal was formed by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, the top American negotiator. Iran is led by Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. The two sides completed five rounds of talks with the most recent meeting being held in Muscat, Oman’s capital. 

Iran and the U.S. still appear far apart, with the main sticking point continuing to be Iran’s ability to enrich on its soil, with many Western officials warning that Tehran could soon obtain a nuclear weapon. 

The president said during a podcast episode, which was released on Wednesday, that he is less confident that Iran would be willing to shut down it’s nuclear program. 

“I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more and more – less confident about it,” Trump said while on the “Pod Force One” podcast. 

Reuters first reported on the scaling back of U.S. diplomats. 

“The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East,” the defense official said on Wednesday.

This story was updated at 9:34 p.m. EDT