US pulls some staff from military bases amid Iran's threat of strikes

The US has started pulling some personnel from its military bases in West Asia as tensions with Iran grow and diplomatic contacts between both nations collapse, sparking fears of a wider conflict

Protest-hit Iran remained on edge after reports emerged that Tehran had warned neighbouring countries it would strike American bases if the United States launched military action against it in support of anti-regime protesters.

 

In response, the US started pulling out some personnel from bases across the Middle East, particularly the Al Udeid base in Qatar, after statements from a senior Iranian official that Tehran had issued warnings to regional neighbours of potential retaliation.

 

The development comes amid Trump’s repeated threats to take military action over the killing of protesters, only months after US forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day conflict launched by Israel in June.

 

 

Complicating matters further is a communications breakdown between Washington DC and Tehran, Reuters said in a separate report. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that communications between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff have been suspended.

Iran protests intensify amid warnings to the US

Iran’s leadership, facing the most severe domestic unrest ever, has sought to deter Donald Trump from intervening on behalf of anti-government protesters, the report said. Since protests began on January 8, Iranian authorities have cut internet services across the country, severely restricting the flow of information.

 

An official estimate released on Tuesday put the death toll from the protests at 2,000, including security personnel. However, other sources have suggested this figure is vastly underreported, with a rights group estimating it at over 2,600. 

At the same time, tens of thousands of mourners filled streets near Tehran University to attend mass funerals for security personnel killed during the unrest.

 

Many carried Iranian flags and photographs of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and their deceased relatives. Flag-draped coffins were stacked on large trucks, decorated with flowers and framed portraits.

India urges its citizens to leave Iran

The Indian Mission in Iran on Wednesday also asked all Indian citizens to leave the country by any means of transport available, including commercial flights, despite many carriers suspending operations in and out of Iran.

 

In a statement posted on X, India’s embassy in Tehran urged citizens to remain highly vigilant and avoid areas where protests were underway.

 

“All Indian nationals in Iran are requested to also have their travel and immigration documents, including passports and IDs, readily available with them,” it said.

 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also advised Indian nationals to avoid travelling to Iran.

US advises evacuation from Al Udeid base

Given the increase in threat perception, some personnel were advised to leave the US military’s Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, Washington’s largest base in the Middle East, by Wednesday evening, the International Media Office (IMO) of Qatar comfirmed later.  In a statement, IMO said, "With reference to circulating media reports regarding the departure of certain personnel from Al Udeid Air Base, the International Media Office (IMO) of the State of Qatar states that such measures are being undertaken in response to the current regional tensions." 

 

According to a Reuters report, the drawdown highlighted growing concern within the US administration over the risk of escalation beyond Iran’s borders.

Iran blames Israel for escalating tensions

Meanwhile, Iranian officials continued to point fingers at Israel for the recent conflagration within its borders. Foreign Minister Araghchi accused Israel of seeking to draw Washington into a wider conflict.

 

“Israel has always tried to drag the US into fighting wars on its behalf,” he said in a post on the messaging app Telegram.

 

“Now that our streets have been bloodied, Israel openly and proudly says that it ‘armed the protesters with weapons of war’, and this is the reason for the hundreds of deaths,” he claimed, adding that Trump “should now know where to turn to stop the bloodshed”.

UK condemns Iran crackdown, considers new sanctions

The United Kingdom condemned what it described as a violent crackdown on protesters in Iran and said it was working with allies on additional sanctions.

 

Speaking in Parliament, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he condemned “in the strongest possible terms the sickening repression and murder of protesters in Iran”.

 

“The contrast between the courage of the Iranian people and the brutality of their desperate regime has never been clearer,” the British premier said.

 

He added that Britain was coordinating with partners on additional punitive measures. “We’ve called out this brutality face to face, we’re working with allies on further sanctions and doing all we can to protect UK nationals,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, France has said it is exploring options to help restore internet access in Iran amid the nationwide communications blackout there.

Russia vows to maintain ties with Tehran

Iran’s long-time ally Russia has, however, insisted it will continue trading with the Islamic Republic despite threats of attacks and tariffs that the US has threatened to impose on nations that continue to do business with Iran.

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday maintained Moscow would honour its bilateral agreements with Tehran and that no external power could alter the nature of their bilateral relationship.

 

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Lavrov said US actions were contributing to the fragmentation of the global order and undermining Washington’s credibility.

 

“Our American colleagues look unreliable when they act in this way,” he said, adding that by abandoning principles it once promoted, the US was weakening the global order built over decades.