The United States is reducing the number of people deemed nonessential to operations in the Middle East, the State Department has announced.
The U.S. is also authorizing nonessential personnel and family members to leave Bahrain and Tje Kuwait, which will give them a choice on whether to leave those countries.
The State Department said it made the orders after evaluating recent tensions, which are on the rise in the region as high-stakes nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran appear to have hit an impasse.
"President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad," ABC News quoted an unnamed State Department official explaining the move. "In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce our Mission in Iraq."
Speaking with Newsmax's Alana Austin on Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, where he was attending a show, Trump reiterated that his administration will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has been pressing for a way to continue its nuclear enrichment program.
"Iran cannot have nuclear weapon," Trump said. "We are not going to allow that."
Information from The Associated Press was used in preparing this report.
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