“The ordered departure is for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil,” an embassy spokesperson said.
On Wednesday, the US State Department decided to reduce its mission in Iraq and evacuate non-emergency staff, saying the decision was taken in line with measures to keep its diplomatic personnel safe.
Washington later updated its travel advisory for Iraq and called on citizens to avoid traveling to the country “for any reason.”
US President Donald Trump said that American personnel were being moved away from a potentially “dangerous” Middle East after Washington decided to reduce its staff at the Baghdad Embassy, with progress faltering on a new nuclear deal with Iran.
The decision, which sent oil prices rising, came amid ongoing talks between the US and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program. On Wednesday, Trump expressed pessimism over the Islamic republic’s readiness to cease uranium enrichment - a key US demand.
Iran and the US have held five rounds of Oman-mediated nuclear talks to strike a new deal to replace the 2015 nuclear accord – also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that Trump withdrew from during his first term in 2018.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if the two sides fail to reach a deal, and speculation is mounting that Israel could strike Iran’s nuclear facilities - a scenario Washington is looking to avoid.
Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh on Wednesday threatened attacks on American bases in the region if the ongoing nuclear talks fail and Tehran was subjected to military strikes.
On Thursday, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors adopted a resolution declaring Iran in “non-compliance” with nuclear safeguard obligations – the first such decision in 20 years.
Iran slammed the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) resolution as “political,” saying it has no choice but to respond and ordering the launch of a new uranium enrichment plant “in a secure location.”
A new US Consulate General in Erbil - the largest in the world - is under construction and is set to be opened soon.