By Isabella Torregiani
4:31am PDT, Jun 13, 2025
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The United States has expressed safety concerns for Embassy staff currently stationed in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, June 11, officials announced that all nonessential personnel and their families would be returning to the U.S. amid growing fears of regional instability.
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The State Department has formally ordered the departure of all nonessential staff from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, citing a commitment to "keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad."
The department is also requesting the leave of nonessential personnel and family members in both Bahrain and Kuwait.
Additionally, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations" across the region, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.
The agency added that they are currently "monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East."
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President Donald Trump addressed the decision on Wednesday evening, explaining the reason behind the departures: "They are being moved out, because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens," he said while speaking at The Kennedy Center. "We've given notice to move out, and we'll see what happens."
Tensions have reportedly escalated in the past few days as nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran have hit a wall.
The U.S. is attempting to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting some of the sanctions currently in place.
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As negotiations continue, President Donald Trump revealed he's not optimistic about reaching an agreement.
Speaking on the
New York Post's "
Pod Force One" podcast, Trump admitted he was "getting more and more less confident about" reaching a deal.
"They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame. I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them," he said on the episode released on Wednesday, June 11.
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Meanwhile, Iranian Defense Minister Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh reportedly told journalists on Wednesday, June 11, that he remains hopeful to reach an agreement — but warned the country is prepared to strike if instigated.
"If conflict is imposed on us, the opponent's casualties will certainly be more than ours, and in that case, America must leave the region, because all its bases are within our reach," he said.
"We have access to them, and we will target all of them in the host countries without hesitation," he added.
