More US diplomats leave Middle East amid fears of Iranian retaliation

The United States has ordered the evacuation of several more diplomats and their families from Turkey and Saudi Arabia due to security risks in the face of possible retaliation by Iran and its allies in the Middle East.

The information was given in an urgent message issued by the US State Department on Monday (March 9).

The Trump administration has ordered non-essential employees of the US Consulate in Adana, southern Turkey, and their family members to leave the area immediately. A day earlier, a similar instruction was issued for employees of the US diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia on Sunday (March 8).

The precautionary measure was taken due to the threat of major retaliatory attacks from Iran due to the ongoing conflict for the past week, according to relevant sources.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended a State Department event on Monday (March 9) but did not make any official comment on the situation. However, the administration's sudden decision has received mixed reactions among American citizens. Many see this move by the State Department as unplanned and a cause of uncertainty for Americans stationed in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said that about $ 5.6 billion worth of ammunition and military equipment has been spent so far to counter Iran's initial attacks. This huge amount of military spending and the evacuation of diplomats proves that the regional situation is becoming increasingly unstable.

Due to this emerging crisis, it is expected that similar warnings may be issued to other missions in the Middle East in the coming days.

Source: Washington Post.