Description: The US State Department in coordination with the Department of Defense has ordered all non – essential embassy staff and their dependents to evacuate from US embassies across the Middle East. Countries like Kuwait, Bahrein and Iraq where mentioned to have been informed that they could evacuate from the embassies following a dramatic upsurge in military tensions between the US and Iran. Latest developments surrounding the nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran have distanced both countries from a potential solution to Iran’s nuclear enrichment ambitions. US President Donald Trump speaking on the New York Post’s podcast Pod Force One, stated he no longer had the previous confidence that the negotiations would result in a solution. Israel also has their trigger finger itching, as Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly overstated Iran’s current state of stripped defenses and highlighted that there was no better time than now to strike Iran’s nuclear sites. Iranian Defense Minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, stated that Iran is prepared to answer military strikes with its full offensive arsenal and reiterated that all regional US bases and Israeli tactical targets were within reach of Iran’s ballistic missiles. US Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are set to meet in Oman on Sunday, 15 Jun, on a sixth and crucial round of nuclear talks.
Impact: Recent developments have further catalyzed tensions between Iran and the US ahead of an existentially important sixth round of nuclear talks. The US embassy staff withdrawal from the Middle East could be perceived as an aggressive, calculative and gambling negotiations tactic aimed at enforcing the previously submitted nuclear proposal resolution into acceptance on the Iranian side. The military buildup in the region has been constant over the past couple of months, as both countries continued their military and diplomatic posturing, reinforcing their positions in the negotiations. Russia and China haven’t publicly reacted to the immediate upsurge in tensions which further supports the underlying narrative that Trump’s inflammatory statements of distrust and the embassy evacuations are aimed at pressuring Iran towards severe concessions. The sixth round of nuclear talks is expected to deliver concrete steps moving forward as both countries have restated their military preparedness to plunge the Middle East into a war with global implications. The situation remains fluid, as a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran remains highly probable for the time being.