Concerns rippled through diplomatic circles as officials in the United States and Europe indicated that Israel appeared to be preparing for an imminent attack on Iran, the New York Times reported.
Such a move, sources warned, held the potential to severely escalate tensions across the Middle East and jeopardise the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to negotiate a deal aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
The apprehension surrounding a potential Israeli strike and the looming threat of Iranian retaliation prompted swift action from the United States.
Washington has already initiated the withdrawal of diplomats from Iraq and authorised the voluntary departure of US military family members from the broader Middle East region, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
While the precise scope of Israel’s preparations remained undisclosed, the heightened tensions followed months of sustained pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu had reportedly urged President Trump to capitalise on what Israel perceived as a strategic window of Iranian vulnerability for a military intervention, according to NYT.
Meanwhile US President Donald Trump said US personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because “it could be a dangerous place,” adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
This comes as US prepares a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, according to US and Iraqi sources.
The four US and two Iraqi sources did not say what security risks had prompted the decision and reports of the potential evacuation pushed up oil prices by more than 4%.
A US official said the State Department had authorised voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait.