Washington– Some personnel at a major US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate by Wednesday evening, a US official said. The decision came as a senior official in Iran raised a previous Iranian attack there.
The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive plans, described the move at the base as a precaution. The official did not provide any further details about the move, including whether the evacuation was voluntary or mandatory, if it affected troops or civilian personnel, or how many people were advised to leave, citing the need for operational security.
In response, Qatar said on Wednesday that such measures were “taken in response to current regional tensions.”
The Qatari Media Office said in a post on the
This comes as anti-government protests continue in neighboring Iran, and President Donald Trump has stated that he is ready to conduct military operations in the country if the government continues to retaliate against protesters.
Iran targeted the base, which hosts thousands of American soldiers, in June in response to US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
“The American president, who repeatedly talks about senseless aggression against Iranian nuclear facilities, would do well to also mention the destruction of the American base in Al Udeid by Iranian missiles,” Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wrote on the social media platform X.
He added: “This will certainly help in creating a true understanding of Iran’s will and ability to respond to any aggression.”
Iranian and Qatari officials spoke Tuesday amid a deadly crackdown in Iran and America’s escalating threats to intervene if protesters are not rescued.
Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, held a phone call with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar.
Al Thani said, in a statement on the X website, that he “reaffirmed the State of Qatar’s support for all efforts to reduce escalation, as well as peaceful solutions to enhance security and stability in the region.”
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Amiri reported from New York.
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Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.