The United States is withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a US official said on Wednesday, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbours it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.
With Iran's leadership trying to quell the worst domestic unrest the Islamic Republic has ever faced, Tehran is seeking to deter US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was pulling some personnel from key bases in the region as a precaution given heightened regional tensions.
Britain was also withdrawing some personnel from an air base in Qatar ahead of possible US strikes, the i newspaper reported.
The British defence ministry had no immediate comment.
"All the signals are that a US attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy," a Western military official told the Reuters news agency late on Wednesday.
Two European officials said US military intervention could come in the next 24 hours.
An Israeli official also said it appeared Trump had decided to intervene, though the scope and timing remained unclear.
Qatar said drawdowns from its Al Udeid air base, the biggest US base in the Middle East, were "being undertaken in response to the current regional tensions".
Three diplomats said some personnel had been told to leave the base, though there were no immediate signs of large numbers of troops being bussed out to a soccer stadium and shopping mall as took place hours before an Iranian missile strike last year.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where thousands of people have been reported killed in a crackdown on the unrest against clerical rule.
Iran and its Western foes have both described the unrest, which began two weeks ago as demonstrations against dire economic conditions and rapidly escalated in recent days, as the most violent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that installed Iran's system of Shi'ite clerical rule.
The protests began in response to soaring prices that have worsened daily hardships, before turning against the clerical rulers who have governed for more than 45 years. Source: AP / AP
Iran has "never faced this volume of destruction", Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi said on Wednesday, blaming foreign enemies.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described "the most violent repression in Iran's contemporary history".
Iranian authorities have accused the US and Israel of fomenting the unrest, carried out by people it calls armed terrorists.
Iran asks regional states to prevent a US attack
Trump has openly threatened to intervene in Iran for days, without giving specifics.
In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, he vowed "very strong action" if Iran executes protesters.
The senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tehran had asked US allies in the region to prevent Washington from attacking Iran.
"Tehran has told regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and UAE to Turkey, that US bases in those countries will be attacked" if the US targets Iran, the official said.
Direct contacts between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have been suspended, the official added.
The United States has forces across the region including the forward headquarters of its Central Command at Al Udeid in Qatar and the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
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