The State Department ordered Wednesday the departure of non-emergency US government employees from Iraq amid increasing tensions with Iran and warned US citizens not to travel to the country, citing a “high risk for violence and kidnapping.”

The department said in a statement that employees working in the US embassy in Baghdad and the US consulate in Erbil were instructed to leave Iraq, and that “normal visa services will be temporarily suspended at both posts.”

It added that American Citizens Services employees who were working in the embassy in Baghdad “will continue to provide consular services to U.S. citizens in Basrah.”

The department said the sudden changes were because the US government’s “ability to provide routine and emergency services to US citizens in Iraq is extremely limited” and that as a result, the threat of “terrorism, kidnapping, and armed conflict” aimed at Americans in the country was too great a risk.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced visit to Iraq last week amid escalating tensions with Iran.

While there, Pompeo said he spoke to Iraqi officials “about the importance of Iraq ensuring that it’s able to adequately protect Americans in their country.”

US officials have told CNN the US had “specific and credible” intelligence that suggested Iranian forces and proxies were planning to target US forces in locations including Iraq. That intelligence led the Pentagon to recommend a carrier strike group be moved to the region.

The State Department also said Wednesday that Americans “should not travel through Iraq to Syria to engage in armed conflict” as they may face similar threats in Syria and face “legal risks” from both the US and Syria.

The orders from the State Department come a day after US Central Command, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, said in a statement that the Pentagon has increased the threat risk for US troops in Iraq and Syria.

“US Central Command, in coordination with Operation Inherent Resolve, has increased the force posture level for all service members assigned to OIR in Iraq and Syria. As a result, OIR is now at a high level of alert as we continue to closely monitor credible and possibly imminent threats to US forces in Iraq,” US Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for Central Command, said in a statement Tuesday.

Urban’s statement also pushed back against comments made earlier Tuesday by the deputy commander of the US-led military coalition against ISIS, UK Major Gen. Chris Ghika, who said “there has been no increased threat from Iranian backed forces in Iraq and Syria.” </s> Jonathan Lemire, Lisa Mascaro and Deb Riechmann, The Associated Press 

 



WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he's still considering military action against Iran after it downed an unmanned U.S. military aircraft, saying the use of force is "always on the table until we get this solved."

Days after initially saying he found it "hard to believe" the shoot-down was intentional, Trump accused Iran of "knowingly" targeting the plane. He reiterated that he aborted a planned military strike set for Thursday after learning approximately 150 Iranians would be killed.

"I don't want to kill 150 Iranians. I don't want to kill 150 of anything or anybody unless it's absolutely necessary," he told reporters as he left the White House for the Camp David presidential retreat. Meetings about Iran were on the agenda, Trump said.

Trump said "we very much appreciate" a decision by Iran's Revolutionary Guard not to shoot down a U.S. spy plane carrying more than 30 people, though he said the downing of the drone was "probably intentional."

"But regardless, they targeted something without a person in it, without a man or woman, and certainly without anybody from the United States in it. So, we want to be proportionate," Trump said.

The president's comments came as Iran summoned the United Arab Emirates' top envoy to Tehran to protest the neighbouring Arab nation's decision to allow the U.S. to use a base there to launch the drone that Iran says entered its airspace, state media reported Saturday.

Iran issued a "strong protest" to the UAE diplomat, saying Iran does not tolerate the facilitation of foreign forces that violate its territory, the report by the official IRNA news agency said.

The U.S. said its RQ-4A Global Hawk was shot down Thursday over international waters in the Strait of Hormuz, not inside Iranian airspace.

The shoot-down by elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces marked the first time the Islamic Republic directly attacked the American military amid mounting tensions over Tehran's unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.

The two countries disputed the circumstances leading up to an Iranian surface-to-air missile bringing down the drone, an unmanned aircraft with a wingspan larger than a Boeing 737 jetliner and costing over $100 million.

British diplomat Andrew Murrison planned to visit Iran on Sunday and call for the "urgent de-escalation in the region and raise U.K. and international concerns about Iran's regional conduct" during talks with Tehran's government, Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement Saturday.

"At this time of increased regional tensions and at a crucial period for the future of the nuclear deal, this visit is an opportunity for further open, frank and constructive engagement with the government of Iran," the statement said.

The announcement came a day after Trump said he had called off military strikes on Iran minutes before they were to be carried out Thursday because it would have been out of proportion to the shoot-down of an unmanned American surveillance drone.

"I didn't like the idea of them knowingly shooting down an unmanned drone and then we kill 150 people. I didn't like it," Trump said Saturday.

Trump said U.S. sanctions on Iran have turned the country into an "economic mess." He said Iran will never be a wealthy nation again if its leadership remains intent on having nuclear weapons.

"The fact is we're not going to have Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. "And when they agree to that, they are going to have a wealthy country, they're going to be so happy and I'm going to be their best friend."

The drone incident immediately heightened the crisis already gripping the wider region, which is rooted in Trump withdrawing the U.S. a year ago from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal and imposing crippling new sanctions on Tehran.

Recently, Iran quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium to be on pace to break one of the deal's terms by next week, while threatening to raise enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels on July 7 if Europe doesn't offer it a new deal.

In Iraq, security measures were increased at one of the country's largest air bases, which houses American trainers, a top Iraqi air force commander said Saturday. The U.S. military said operations at the base were going on as usual and there were currently no plans to evacuate personnel.

The stepped-up Iraqi security measures at Balad air base, just north of the capital of Baghdad, come amid the sharply rising tensions in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.

On Friday, Iran summoned Swiss Ambassador Markus Leitner to hear Iran's protest over the alleged violation. Switzerland looks after U.S. interests in Iran. Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic relations since 1979.

Iran said the U.S. drone was a "very dangerous provocation." </s> President Donald Trump declared Thursday that "Iran made a very big mistake" in shooting down a U.S. drone, increasing tensions and talk of possible open conflict in a test of wills over America's pullout from an international nuclear agreement and its economic sanctions that are crippling Tehran's economy.

Iran and its proxies have been pushing back against the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign, raising fears that a miscalculation could trigger armed conflict. Iran has been blamed by the U.S. for recent attacks on other nations' shipping vessels, but the downing of the huge drone was the first direct Iranian assault against the United States.

RELATED: Iran shoots down US drone in latest incident of increasing tensions

American and Iranian officials are disputing the circumstances of the incident. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace. The U.S. military is calling the downing an "unprovoked attack" and said it occurred over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has said repeatedly that the U.S. does not want war in the Mideast, yet members of Congress reacted quickly with that possibility as background.

The Senate's top Democrat called the downing of the American drone "deeply concerning" and accused the administration of not having an Iran strategy and keeping Congress and the American people in the dark.

"The president needs to explain to the American people why he's driving us toward another endless conflict in the Middle East," said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she doesn't think Trump wants war with Iran and the American people have "no appetite" for it either.

She said the U.S. needs to be "strong and strategic" about protecting its interests and "cannot be reckless."

Talking tougher, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called Iran a "murderous regime" and blamed Tehran for the current tension. Graham, who spoke with Trump by telephone Thursday morning, said the Iranians have rebuffed the president's willingness to negotiate by refusing to respond to a letter from Trump that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently hand-delivered.

"Not only did the Iranians give a provocative oral response, but they also attacked a Japanese oil tanker at the same time," Graham said, referring to the attack on Kokuka Courageous, a Japanese tanker carrying Saudi methanol that was traveling in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has denied involvement.

As for the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons, Graham said it's imperative that the U.S. clearly tell the Iranians that any attempt to increase uranium enrichment will be seen as a "hostile act against the United States and our allies in Israel and will not go unanswered." Graham added that if a U.S. military response is necessary, it should be focused on Iranian naval assets and oil refineries, which are the economic lifeblood of the country.

Iran has quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium and threatened to boost its enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels, trying to pressure Europe for new terms to the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran struck with the U.S. and other world powers.

In recent weeks, the U.S. has sped an aircraft carrier to the Mideast and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already in the region. From Yemen, the Houthis have launched bomb-laden drones into neighboring Saudi Arabia. The administration insists those steps were taken as a deterrent to intelligence reports of Iranian plots to attack the U.S. and its allies in the region.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump was briefed Wednesday night and again Thursday morning about the new incident. She said the administration also would keep in touch with lawmakers on Capitol Hill where lawmakers have demanded briefings on the U.S. conflict with Iran. </s> June 21 (UPI) -- Thousands of Iranian Americans rallied outside the U.S. State Department and White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday to push for a regime change and increased sanctions on Tehran.

The event, organized by the Organization of Iranian American Communities, included appearances by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Gen. Jack Keane, former Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., and Adam Ereli, former deputy spokesman for the State Department ambassador.

Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, spoke from Europe by video feed. She presented a 10-point plan to push democracy in Iran.

"Yes, the disgraceful demonization campaign against the Iranian Resistance in the pro-appeasement media seeks to perpetuate the narrative that the people of Iran are better off with the theocratic rule of the mullahs; There is no alternative, and don't even think or talk about it," she said.

"Their conclusion is: The religious fascism must be appeased and there are no other options."

In addition for increased sanctions on the Iranian regime, demonstrators called for the United States to designate the Ministry of Intelligence and Security as a foreign terrorist organization. </s> Madrid -- The United States moved on Thursday to seize an Iranian supertanker detained in Gibraltar for breaching international sanctions on oil shipments. The last minute intervention by Washington could thwart efforts by authorities in London and the British overseas territory to defuse tensions with Tehran.

The Gibraltar government confirmed earlier media reports that the U.S. Department of Justice had sought to extend the detention of the oil tanker Grace 1, prompting the Supreme Court in the territory to adjourn a scheduled decision on whether to release the ship until later in the day.

"The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations which are now being considered," the government said in a statement sent to CBS News and other media, adding that the matter would be reviewed by the court at 4 p.m. local time.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement that the "investigations conducted around the Grace 1 are a matter for the government of Gibraltar" and that it could not comment further as the investigation was ongoing.

While there was no immediate reaction from Iran, the U.S. move likely will further stir tensions in the Persian Gulf.
• None Iran warns of increasing "risk of combustion" in Gulf

The detention of the Grace 1 saw Iran seize the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which remains held by the Islamic Republic. Analysts had hoped the release of the Grace 1 by Gibraltar would see the Stena Impero similarly released.

Reports by media in Gibraltar and Iran suggested earlier Thursday that the Grace was likely to have been released by authorities in Gibraltar prior to the U.S. government's request. The vessel's captain and senior officers were reportedly released from custody.

"The ship would have sailed"

The Grace 1 was seized last month in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. The vessel was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria, and its seizure deepened international tensions in the Persian Gulf.

The Gibraltar government had said it was seeking to "de-escalate" the situation over the Grace 1.

Speculation on the impending released had mounted around Thursday's hearing at the Gibraltar Supreme Court. But a lawyer representing the territory's General Attorney Michael Llamas said the U.S. had moved at the eleventh hour.

The Gibraltar Chronicle reported that the captain and three officers of the Grace 1 had been released from arrest on Thursday, but the report could not be confirmed. A Gibraltar government spokesman declined to comment.

Speaking in court, Chief Justice Anthony Dudley said that were it not for the U.S. move, "the ship would have sailed," the Chronicle reported.

Tensions have escalated in the region since President Donald Trump over a year ago unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The decision stopped billions of dollars' worth of business deals, largely halted the sale of Iran's crude oil internationally and sharply depreciated Iran's currency, the rial.

In recent weeks, Iran has begun to step away from the nuclear deal by increasing its production and enrichment of uranium. It has threatened to take further steps in early September if Europe can't help it sell its oil abroad.

As CBS News correspondent Imtiaz Tyab reported from the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas on Wednesday, the Trump administration has sent mixed signals following a series of defiant actions by Tehran since the U.S. re-imposed harsh sanctions following its withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

In mid-June, Mr. Trump approved but then suddenly called off targeted airstrikes against Iran to retaliate for the Islamic Republic downing an American surveillance drone.

A month later the president was muted in his response to Iranian commandos seizing the British-flagged Stena Imperio.

The uncertainty over U.S. intentions isn't making life any easier for Iranians hit hard by the harsh economic sanctions, reported Tyab, and although some residents in Bandar Abbas told CBS News they're worried about a possible war, they all said it was the economy they're most concerned about. </s> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates >> Iran today announced the arrest of 17 Iranians it accused of spying on the country’s nuclear and military sites for the CIA and said some of them have been sentenced to death. President Donald Trump said there was “zero truth” to the claims.

The arrests happened over the past months, an Iranian intelligence official said at a news conference in Tehran. He said those taken into custody worked on “sensitive sites” in military and nuclear installations. The official did not say how many were given death sentences.

The announcement came amid weeks of rising tensions between Washington and Tehran over Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers last year and impose sweeping sanctions on the country.

The official said the 17 were recruited by the CIA and had “sophisticated training” but did not succeed in their sabotage missions. Their spying missions included collecting information at the facilities where they worked and installing monitoring devices, he said.

He said some were staff members at the targeted facilities, and the rest were working as consultant and contractors. The official said the CIA had promised them U.S. visas or jobs in America.

“The Report of Iran capturing CIA spies is totally false. Zero truth. Just more lies and propaganda,” Trump tweeted, noting Iran’s denials that a U.S. warship in the Strait of Hormuz had destroyed an Iranian drone last week.

“Their Economy is dead, and will get much worse. Iran is a total mess!” he added.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a former CIA director, declined to address specifics of the arrests but said: “The Iranian regime has a long history of lying.”

“I think everyone should take with a grain of salt everything that the Islamic Republic of Iran asserts today,” he added.

With tensions rising recently, the U.S. has increased its military presence in the region and is sending at least 500 U.S. soldiers to Saudi Arabia, Iran’s rival.

Last month, U.S. officials said American military cyberforces struck Iranian Revolutionary Guard computers, disabling systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers. The cyberattack came after Trump backed away from an airstrike in response to Iran’s downing of a U.S. surveillance drone.

The Iranian official did not give his name but was identified as the director of the counterespionage department of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry. It is rare in Iran for intelligence officials to appear before media, or for any official to give a news conference without identifying himself.

The official said some of the agents recruited by the CIA had turned and are now working with his department against the United States.

He also handed out a CD with video of what Iran said was a foreign female spy working for the CIA. The disc also included the names of several U.S. Embassy staff members in Turkey, India, Zimbabwe and Austria who Iran said were in touch with the recruited Iranian spies.

Iran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are spying for foreign countries, including the U.S. and Israel. In June, Iran said it executed a former Defense Ministry employee convicted of spying for the CIA. In April, it said it uncovered 290 CIA spies inside and outside the country over the past several years. </s> Great Britain also issued security alert for its personnel in Iraq. The threat leveal was raised for UK troops and diplomats in Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia as well.

Earlier this week the US State Department ordered the departure of "non-emergency government employees" from Baghdad and Erbil after US Central Command spokesman Bill Urban that the US-led coalition was on high alert because it saw credible threats to American forces in Iraq.

READ MORE: Iran Reminds of US Lies Before Iraq War, Hints US Official Behind Scaremongering

However, British Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, who is a deputy commander of the coalition forces, stated that the threat level by Iranian-backed groups against the troops in Iraq and Syria has not risen.

The news comes after the US increased its military presence in the Middle East amid growing tensions with Tehran, sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the Persian Gulf.

READ MORE: Russian FM: Iran Had the Right to Partially Suspend Nuclear Deal Commitments

According to White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, Washington is fully prepared to "respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces".

In the meantime, the Islamic Republic has suspended certain obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, giving five remaining signatories — France, the UK, Russia, China, and Germany — a 60-day deadline to take measures towards ensuring the country's interests amid US sanctions. </s> Trump says Iran made 'big mistake' in downing US drone

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Thursday that "Iran made a very big mistake" in shooting down a U.S. drone, increasing tensions and talk of possible open conflict in a test of wills over America's pullout from an international nuclear agreement and its economic sanctions that are crippling Tehran's economy.

Iran and its proxies have been pushing back against the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign, raising fears that a miscalculation could trigger armed conflict. Iran has been blamed by the U.S. for recent attacks on other nations' shipping vessels, but the downing of the huge drone was the first direct Iranian assault against the United States.

American and Iranian officials are disputing the circumstances of the incident. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace . The U.S. military is calling the downing an "unprovoked attack" and said it occurred over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has said repeatedly that the U.S. does not want war in the Mideast, yet members of Congress reacted quickly with that possibility as background.

The Senate's top Democrat called the downing of the American drone "deeply concerning" and accused the administration of not having an Iran strategy and keeping Congress and the American people in the dark.

"The president needs to explain to the American people why he's driving us toward another endless conflict in the Middle East," said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she doesn't think Trump wants war with Iran and the American people have "no appetite" for it either.

She said the U.S. needs to be "strong and strategic" about protecting its interests and "cannot be reckless."

Talking tougher, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called Iran a "murderous regime" and blamed Tehran for the current tension. Graham, who spoke with Trump by telephone Thursday morning, said the Iranians have rebuffed the president's willingness to negotiate by refusing to respond to a letter from Trump that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently hand-delivered.

"Not only did the Iranians give a provocative oral response, but they also attacked a Japanese oil tanker at the same time," Graham said, referring to the attack on Kokuka Courageous, a Japanese tanker carrying Saudi methanol that was traveling in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has denied involvement.

As for the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons, Graham said it's imperative that the U.S. clearly tell the Iranians that any attempt to increase uranium enrichment will be seen as a "hostile act against the United States and our allies in Israel and will not go unanswered." Graham added that if a U.S. military response is necessary, it should be focused on Iranian naval assets and oil refineries, which are the economic lifeblood of the country.

Iran has quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium and threatened to boost its enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels, trying to pressure Europe for new terms to the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran struck with the U.S. and other world powers.

In recent weeks, the U.S. has sped an aircraft carrier to the Mideast and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already in the region. From Yemen, the Houthis have launched bomb-laden drones into neighboring Saudi Arabia. The administration insists those steps were taken as a deterrent to intelligence reports of Iranian plots to attack the U.S. and its allies in the region.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump was briefed Wednesday night and again Thursday morning about the new incident. She said the administration also would keep in touch with lawmakers on Capitol Hill where lawmakers have demanded briefings on the U.S. conflict with Iran. </s> President Donald Trump has said “Iran made a very big mistake” in shooting down a US drone, increasing tensions and talk of possible open conflict.

Iran and its proxies have been pushing back against the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign, raising fears that a miscalculation could trigger armed conflict.

Iran has been blamed by the US for recent attacks on other nations’ shipping vessels, but the downing of the huge drone was the first direct Iranian assault against the United States.

American and Iranian officials are disputing the circumstances of the incident.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it shot the drone down over Iranian airspace.

The US military is calling the downing an “unprovoked attack” and said it occurred over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.

A senior US military official said Iran shot the unmanned aircraft down over international waters in an attempt to disrupt American efforts to monitor the Persian Gulf area.

Air Force Lieutenant General Joseph Guastella said the downing of the drone followed recent threats to international shipping commerce in the region that the US had blamed on Iran.

The commander of US Central Command air forces in the region disputed Iranian claims that the drone was over Iranian air space.

He told reporters on Thursday that the aircraft was at high altitude and at least 34 kilometres from Iranian territory when it was shot over the Gulf of Oman.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump later sought to play down Iran’s actions, saying it might have been a mistake executed by someone just being “loose and stupid”.

Mr Trump told reporters that the downing of the drone was a “new wrinkle” in escalating tensions between the US and Iran, a “fly in the ointment”.

He was coy about whether the US would respond, saying only that “you’ll find out”.

He said he had a feeling that it was a mistake, that a “general or somebody” made a mistake in shooting the drone down.

But he added that Iran had made a “big mistake” and that the US “will not stand for it”.

Mr Trump’s words appear to signal that there may not be an immediate US response to the incident.

The president has said repeatedly that the US does not want war in the Middle East, yet members of Congress reacted quickly with that possibility as background.

The Senate’s top Democrat called the downing of the American drone “deeply concerning” and accused the administration of not having an Iran strategy and keeping Congress and the American people in the dark.

“The president needs to explain to the American people why he’s driving us toward another endless conflict in the Middle East,” Senator Chuck Schumer said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she did not think Mr Trump wanted war with Iran and the American people had “no appetite” for it either.

She said the US needed to be “strong and strategic” about protecting its interests and “cannot be reckless”.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called Iran a “murderous regime” and blamed Tehran for the current tension.

Mr Graham, who spoke with Mr Trump by telephone on Thursday morning, said the Iranians had rebuffed the president’s willingness to negotiate by refusing to respond to a letter from Mr Trump recently hand-delivered by Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.

“Not only did the Iranians give a provocative oral response, but they also attacked a Japanese oil tanker at the same time,” Mr Graham said, referring to the attack on Kokuka Courageous, a Japanese tanker carrying Saudi methanol that was travelling in the Gulf of Oman.

In recent weeks, the US has sent an aircraft carrier to the Middle East and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already in the region.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Mr Trump was briefed Wednesday night and again Thursday morning about the new incident.

She said the administration would also keep in touch with lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have demanded briefings on the US conflict with Iran.
Iranian Americans protest outside the State Department as tensions increase.