The United States is withdrawing some personnel from its bases in the Middle East, a US official told the Reuters news agency, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbours it would hit US bases if Washington launches strikes on Iran.
As Iran’s leadership battles widescale antigovernment protests, Tehran is seeking to deter US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to intervene on behalf of the protesters.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was pulling some personnel from key bases in the region as a precaution given heightened regional tensions, Reuters reported.
Some personnel have been advised to leave the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar by Wednesday evening, Reuters reported, quoting three unnamed diplomats.
“It’s a posture change and not an ordered evacuation,” one diplomat said, adding that they were not aware that a specific reason had been given for the posture change.
Qatar said the drawdown of some personnel from the Al Udeid airbase comes in response to “current regional tensions”.
Qatar’s International Media Office said Doha “continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents as a top priority” and said that actions are under way for the “protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities”.
There has been no comment from the US Embassy in Doha.
The UK is also reducing the number of its personnel at the airbase in Qatar, the BBC and The i newspaper reported.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said that the department did not comment on details of basing and deployments due to security.
“The UK always puts precautionary measures in place to ensure the security and safety of our personnel, including, where necessary, withdrawing personnel,” the spokesperson was cited as saying by Reuters.
Al Udeid houses about 10,000 troops. Last year, more than a week before the US launched air strikes on Iran, some personnel and families were moved off US bases in the Middle East. After the US attacks in June, Iran launched a missile attack on the base in Qatar.
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia also told its personnel to act with caution and avoid military installations.
“Given ongoing regional tensions, the US mission to Saudi Arabia has advised its personnel to exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to any military installations in the region. We recommend American citizens in the Kingdom do the same,” the embassy said in a statement on its website.
Iran’s ‘warning’ to regional countries
Reuters quoted a senior Iranian official as saying that Tehran had warned regional countries it would strike US military bases in case of an attack by Washington.
“Tehran has told regional countries – from Saudi Arabia and UAE to Turkiye – that US bases in those countries will be attacked if US targets Iran … asking these countries to prevent Washington from attacking Iran,” the unnamed senior Iranian official said.
The comments follow US President Donald Trump’s threats to intervene militarily in Iran over the bloodshed during nationwide protests. Trump called on Iranians to take over state institutions, promising that “help is on the way”.
The 24-hectare (59-acre) Al Udeid base, in the desert outside the capital Doha, is the forward headquarters for US Central Command, which directs US military operations in a huge swath of territory stretching from Egypt in the west to Kazakhstan in the east.
In January, US Central Command said it had opened a new coordination cell (MEAD-CDOC) at Al Udeid, in coordination with regional partners, to enhance integrated air and missile defence. The new cell would improve how regional forces coordinate and share air and missile responsibilities across the Middle East. (Al Jazeera)