Trump reports evacuation of U.S. personnel in Middle East due to high danger amid escalation with Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place," adding that the United States will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. 

"The State Department regularly reviews American personnel abroad, and this decision was made as a result of a recent review," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the news outlet.

For his part, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned that Iran would retaliate against U.S. bases in the region if the nuclear talks fail.

"Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don't come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us... all US bases are within our reach, and we will boldly target them in host countries."

Trump, hours earlier, expressed a lack of confidence in Tehran agreeing to stop uranium enrichment and about it shutting down its nuclear program. The Republican leader noted, "I don't know. I did think so, and I'm getting less and less confident about it.”

U.S. military presence

The United States maintains a military presence in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.

For his part, the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, authorized the voluntary departure of military family members, mainly from Bahrain, where most of them reside.

In addition, the State Department is planning a "voluntary departure" of non-essential personnel from the embassy in Baghdad, preferably by commercial means, although the military is ready to intervene if necessary.

So far, no changes were reported in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, nor evacuation orders for its embassy, which is operating normally.