Unlock the free White House Watch newsletter
Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world
The US, Britain and other powers put diplomats and citizens in the Middle East on alert on Friday, ordering some to leave their posts, amid fears that the Trump administration’s attack on Iran could escalate into a regional conflict.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem told non-emergency staff and family members they could leave Israel, on a day when oil prices rose 3 percent on concerns of an imminent attack on Tehran and container shipping line Maersk said it was rerouting some ships to avoid the Red Sea.
“People may consider leaving Israel when commercial flights become available,” the US Embassy said.
Canada urged its citizens to leave Iran, warning that “hostilities in the region could resume with little or no warning”. China, India and Poland have issued similar directives, while the UK Embassy in Tehran said its “staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran”.
Tensions are rising across the Middle East, with US President Donald Trump ordering the largest US military buildup in the region since the Iraq War in 2003 and threatening to launch attacks on Iran if it does not agree to a deal on its nuclear program.
America’s largest and newest aircraft carrier Gerald R Ford was heading towards Israel on Friday. Its strike group includes three destroyers, thousands of soldiers and dozens of aircraft.
Tehran, which held nuclear talks with the US on Thursday, has threatened to retaliate against US bases across the region if it is attacked, raising fears of a wider confrontation in Israel, which fought a 12-day war with Iran last year.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said “significant progress” was made in US-Iranian talks in Geneva this week and that talks “will resume soon after consultations in the respective capitals”.
But while Trump has said his priority is a diplomatic solution, he has made clear that a military operation is also on the table.
Last Thursday he said the Islamic Republic had a “maximum” of 15 days to reach an agreement otherwise “bad things will happen”. He also said he was considering limited strikes to pressure Tehran into reaching a deal.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday, Washington said on Friday, adding that he would discuss “regional priorities” including Iran.
Trump has cited various reasons for possible intervention, ranging from curbing Tehran’s nuclear program to ending its support for terrorist groups across the region. American officials have expressed concern about Iran’s ballistic missile program.
US negotiators have not yet commented on the outcome of the Geneva talks, although Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described it as “one of the best, most serious and longest rounds of talks” with the US.
“In some areas the situation has come closer to mutual understanding,” he said. “We have made good progress on the nuclear issue and lifting sanctions.”
Tehran considers the removal of US sanctions essential for any durable and mutually acceptable deal.
In a sign of heightened tensions on Friday, international benchmark Brent crude rose nearly 3 percent to $72.58 a barrel.
Traders fear that, in the event of an attack on Iran, Tehran could retaliate by targeting the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which about a fifth of global crude oil shipped by sea passes.
The US Embassy said its communication to staff on Friday was due to “security risks”, following an order earlier this week for non-essential staff to evacuate the US mission in Lebanon, but did not elaborate on what they were.
Trump threatened attacks on “helping” anti-regime protesters in Iran during mass rallies last month, and later threatened to take action if Tehran killed any protesters. Later he claimed to have stopped the hanging of hundreds of people.
Amnesty International warned this week that Iran’s judiciary had sentenced eight people to death and said 22 others, including two children, “are at risk of the death penalty amid increasingly torture-tainted extremely unfair trials”.
Iranian officials have not yet confirmed the figures, but the country’s judiciary has promised to prioritize cases related to last month’s protests and vowed to make no concessions.
With additional reporting by Verity Ratcliffe and Jamie John in London
