 "US mobilising forces for Iran strike? Some military staff asked to leave Qatar airbase, Tehran on alert")
Amid President Donald Trump’s continuing threats about attacking Iran, some military personnel have been asked to leave the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar by Wednesday evening, according to Reuters.
The report about personnel being asked to leave the base has led to speculation that a US attack could be imminent.
Such concerns are further bolstered by Reuter’s report that formal contacts between the Trump administration and Iran have been suspended.
An official told the news agency that direct contacts between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had been suspended.
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But it was not clear if the movement at the base in Qatar was related to any imminent attack.
A diplomat told Reuters that the move was a “posture change” rather than an “ordered evacuation”.
The news agency further noted that there was no sign of a large-scale movement of troops off the base to a nearby stadium and shopping mall. Such movement took place last year hours ahead of Iran’s strikes on the base that it had telegraphed previously.
Iran promises retaliation to any US attack
On their part, Iranian officials have said their readiness is at its peak. They have also reportedly warned US partners in the region that they would be targeted in any retaliation if the US military would use their soil to launch any attack.
Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned countries providing support for any US strike on Iran that they “will be legitimate targets”, according to Press TV.
Separately, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that the regime had asked US allies in the region to “prevent Washington from attacking Iran”.
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View All“Tehran has told regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and UAE to Turkey, that US bases in those countries will be attacked” if the U.S. targets Iran, the official said.
The United States has several bases in West Asia in Iran’s vicinity. These bases include the forward headquarters of Central Command at Al Udeid near Qatar’s capital Doha and the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
Nasirzadeh further said that if Trump’s threats “turned into action, we will defend the country with full force and until the last drop of blood, and our defence would be painful to them”, according to Press TV.
Separately, Sardar Mousavi, the head of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) air force, said that Iran’s military was at its “peak of defensive readiness” and prepared to “confront any aggression”, according to Fars news agency.
Mousavi further said that missile reserves “have increased compared to before the 12-day war [with Israel], and all damage during this period has been repaired, keeping the force at peak readiness”.
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