Embassies evacuating staff in the Middle East with Trump ‘not happy’ over Iran

JERUSALEM - Countries including the United States, Britain and China evacuated embassy staff in the Middle East and issued travel advisories amid concerns about a regional conflict, as US President Donald Trump on Feb 27 sounded downbeat over diplomatic talks meant to avert air strikes on Iran.

“I’m not happy with the negotiation,” Mr Trump told reporters in Texas on Feb 27. “We’re negotiating right now, but they’re not getting to the right answer.”

Asked how close he was to deciding on military strikes, he said: “I’d rather not tell you.” 

Earlier in the day, the US told non-emergency staff at its embassy in Jerusalem that they are allowed to leave Israel – with the country being vulnerable to Iranian retaliation if it participates in a US attack.

Washington issued a similar evacuation order for its diplomatic mission in Beirut on Feb 23. Britain, China, India and others have also advised citizens or diplomats to leave some parts of the Middle East. 

Australia, Poland, Finland and Sweden are among the nations advising citizens to leave the region.

Britain said it is temporarily withdrawing diplomatic staff from Iran. Canada is also relocating some diplomatic staff from Tel Aviv, reported AFP.

The flurry of evacuations and warnings comes as the US continues to assemble a vast array of military forces in the region following Mr Trump’s repeated threats to attack Iran and as diplomatic talks continue over Tehran’s nuclear programme.  

The latest round of US-Iran negotiations took place on Feb 26 in Geneva, Switzerland. The two sides had agreed to reconvene as soon as next week, with technical talks potentially happening on March 2 in Vienna. 

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi also met US Vice-President J.D. Vance at the White House on Feb 27, and afterwards said “peace is within our reach”. Oman is a mediator in the talks involving the US and Iran.

But while Iran and Oman sounded upbeat about making progress, Mr Trump’s comments on the same day suggested otherwise. “We haven’t made a final decision,” Mr Trump said of air strikes. “They cannot have nuclear weapons, and we’re not thrilled with the way they’re negotiating.”

A person familiar with the US position said the Americans negotiators – led by Mr Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner – had left Geneva disappointed. 

Amid the continued possibility of US strikes in the energy-rich region, oil prices are rising. Brent crude went up as much as 3.2 per cent to US$73 per barrel in London on Feb 27, the highest intra-day price since July. 

Mr Trump on Feb 27 downplayed concerns about the likelihood that oil prices will spike if he attacks Iran, saying: “I’m concerned about people’s lives. I’m concerned about long-term health for this country.”

Given the possibility of Israeli involvement in any conflict, the stand-off is weighing on the country’s financial markets, with the shekel having its worst two-day streak since June’s 12-day war with Iran. 

In its diplomatic update on Feb 27, Washington advised non-essential workers and family members to consider leaving while commercial flights are available in Israel. Many airlines have suspended connections with Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial capital.

The US embassy said it may prohibit travel to certain areas, such as Jerusalem’s Old City and the West Bank, for staff.

Even with the US saying the door to further diplomacy remains open, Mr Trump continues to gather forces in the Middle East. 

A second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has entered the region and is now in Israeli waters, according to local media. It could join in any attack of Iran or help defend Israel and US assets against Iranian counter-strikes.

The tensions have also prompted two of the world’s five top container carriers to reroute a number of vessels away from the the Red Sea, an area in which Iran-backed Houthi militants are active.

A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S said that “unforeseen constraints” led the Danish company to divert some vessels and make them sail south of Africa instead of through the Suez Canal. 

That move was mirrored by Hamburg, Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd AG, Maersk’s partner in a vessel-sharing alliance, which cited “unforeseen constraints to the available security assistance in the Red Sea region”. BLOOMBERG