MILAN, Italy – The US Department of State on Wednesday told The New Region that they have decided to reduce their mission in Iraq in line with Washington’s commitment to keep its personnel safe.

“President [Donald] Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad. In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce our mission in Iraq,” a spokesperson for the State Department told The New Region.

Reuters earlier in the day reported that the US was preparing to evacuate its embassy in Baghdad due to “heightened security risks in the region.”

An Iraqi government source told state media that Washington's decision to reduce its diplomatic mission applies to several countries in the Middle East, not just Iraq, adding that “the Iraqi side has not recorded any security indicators that warrant an evacuation.”

“All Arab and foreign diplomatic missions operating in Iraq enjoy the widest possible range of safe operations, freedom of communication, and effectiveness,” the source added.

Associated Press earlier in the day reported that the State Department has ordered “the departure of all nonessential personnel” from the US embassy in Baghdad, noting that the diplomatic mission “already had been on limited staffing, and the order will not affect a large number of personnel.”

AP added that similar authorizations were issued for nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait.

Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh on Wednesday threatened that the US “will be forced to leave the region” if it decides to pursue any “aggression” against Tehran in the event of a breakdown in the nuclear talks.

“If the negotiations do not reach a conclusion and a conflict is imposed on us, the casualties of the other side will certainly be far greater than ours, and in that case, America will be forced to leave the region because all of its bases are within our reach and we have access to them, and we will target them all in the host countries without consideration,” said Nasirzadeh.

Iraq’s proximity and close ties to Iran have rendered the country unable to strike a balance between the US and Iran in terms of international relations, with Baghdad facing mounting pressure from the US to limit its ties to Tehran, including the disarming of Iran-backed militia groups.

Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups claimed hundreds of attacks against Israeli and American targets between October 2023 and October 2024 in response to the war in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if the two sides cannot reach a deal on the nuclear issue.