Azernews.Az

Akbar Novruz

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Some personnel at the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar have been advised to leave by Wednesday evening, three diplomats told Reuters, amid heightened warnings from Washington over potential unrest in Iran, Azernews reports via Jerusalem Post.

Officials emphasized that this is a posture change, not an ordered evacuation, and no specific reason was publicly cited. Al Udeid, the largest US base in the Middle East, hosts around 10,000 troops. The US embassy in Doha had no immediate comment, and Qatar’s Foreign Affairs Ministry did not respond to requests for confirmation.

The development comes after a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran had warned regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Türkiye, that US military bases in their territories would be targeted if Washington attacks Iran. The official said Iran urged these countries to prevent such an attack.

US President Donald Trump has issued repeated threats of military action against Iran, warning that any retaliation by Tehran would be met with force “never seen before.”

The Iranian official also confirmed that direct communications between Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have been suspended, citing that US threats undermine diplomatic efforts. Meetings intended to address the longstanding nuclear dispute and ongoing unrest in Iran have reportedly been canceled.

These comments follow Trump’s Tuesday post on Truth Social, in which he confirmed that all meetings with Iranian officials had been canceled. They also come in the wake of an Axios report stating that Araghchi had reached out to Witkoff over the previous weekend to discuss the ongoing protests in Iran.