While the United States denies that it is seeking a military confrontation with Iran, the State Department ordered the evacuation of non-essential personnel from the US embassy in Baghdad and the consulate in Erbil, Iraq; later, the Netherlands and Germany suspended their mission to train Iraqi servicemen to handle security threats.
Two US guided-missile destroyers fitted with Tomahawk cruise missiles have entered the Persian Gulf, according to US two defence officials, US Naval Institute News reports.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated recently, as the United States has boosted its military presence in the Persian Gulf with the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and a bomber task force, to send “a clear and unmistakable message” to Iran. Washington also approved the additional deployment of the Patriot missile defence system and an Arlington amphibious warship to the region. Iran has condemned US sabre-rattling as “psychological warfare” and repeatedly expressed its readiness to retaliate in the event of a military conflict.