United States government sources have said the country’s non-essential embassy staff and their dependents in Baghdad are to be evacuated from Iraq due to heightened security risks.
Some US officials said this on Wednesday, saying it is following reports that Israel is ready to launch an operation into Iran.
The officials say the US anticipates that Iran could retaliate on certain US sites in Iraq.
This comes as US talks over Iran’s nuclear program appear to have stalled in recent days.