Updated on June 11, 2025, at 9:59 pm EST
The US is on high alert in the Middle East and is anticipating a potential Israeli attack on Iran, The Washington Post has reported. Amid the anticipation, the US is reducing the presence of non-essential personnel in the region.
The report said that “in recent months, US intelligence officials have grown increasingly concerned that Israel may choose to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities without the consent of the United States.”
US officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the military has authorized the “voluntary departure” of the dependents of US troops from locations across the Middle East.
The US is also evacuating personnel from its embassy in Iraq. CBS News reported that Israel has informed the US it’s “fully ready to launch an operation into Iran” and that US officials were concerned that Iran could retaliate by hitting US sites in Iraq.
The State Department has authorized the departure of non-essential personnel at its embassies in Kuwait and Bahrain, providing them with the option to leave rather than a mandatory evacuation.
The news came after Iran’s defense minister warned that Tehran would hit US bases in the region if a “conflict is imposed” on Iran. Iranian officials have previously said that they would hold the US responsible for an Israeli attack due to the US’s significant military support for Israel.
Previous reports have said that Israel was considering attacking Iran to disrupt negotiations between the US and Iran. According to The New York Times, Israeli officials close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believe that the “US would have no choice but to assist Israel militarily if Iran counterattacked.”
The current tensions come as Netanyahu is facing a political crisis as ultra-Orthodox parties are threatening to dissolve the Knesset over the lack of a draft exemption law for Israel’s Haredi Orthodox Jews, although, according to the latest reports, the crisis may be defused.
President Trump has also been threatening to bomb Iran if he fails to reach a nuclear deal, and he continues to publicly demand the elimination of Tehran’s nuclear enrichment program, which is a non-starter for Iranian officials.
Trump said in an interview released Wednesday that he was “less confident” that a deal would be reached with Iran. According to a recent report from Axios, Trump gave Iran a deadline of June 12, this Thursday, to reach an agreement.
In another sign that the US may be preparing to take military action or back an Israeli attack on Iran, Gen. Michael Kurilla, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), postponed testimony he was set to deliver to Congress on Thursday due to tensions in the Middle East.
Amid the news that the US is evacuating its embassy in Baghdad, Iran’s mission to the UN reiterated in a post on X that Tehran is not seeking a nuclear weapon.
“Threats of ‘overwhelming force’ won’t change facts: Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability,” the mission said. “Diplomacy—not militarism—is the only path forward.”
