Iran evacuation measures are underway as the U.S. military begins withdrawing select personnel and equipment from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar amid rising tensions with Tehran. The precautions come as President Donald Trump openly weighs military action while unrest inside the Islamic Republic intensifies.
The pullback follows renewed threats from Iran, which previously targeted Al Udeid with missiles last summer after U.S. strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities. Most of that attack was intercepted, but Iran has warned it could retaliate against U.S. bases, shipping lanes, or Israel if Washington launches new strikes. According to the Wall Street Journal, President Trump has leaned toward ordering military action in recent days.
Trump issued a direct message Tuesday to Iranians protesting their government and urged Americans inside Iran to leave. “Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have canceled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!” Trump wrote.
The warning comes as protests inside Iran enter their third week. The regime’s response has been severe, with estimates ranging from at least 12,000 to as many as 20,000 deaths, according to CBS News, amid an ongoing nationwide internet blackout. Trump has repeatedly warned that U.S. intervention would follow if the regime continued killing civilians.
At a regime-backed counter protest, Iranian officials dismissed Trump’s threats. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, claimed Trump “talks too much and should not be taken seriously,” while another official labeled him a “delusional gambler.”
Former National Security Council official Richard Goldberg said the rhetoric signals weakness. “Khamenei is fighting for the survival of the Islamic Republic at this point,” Goldberg told the Washington Free Beacon. “The old tricks aren’t working,” he added, calling the moment decisive.
