UK and US staff withdrawn from embassies in Iran and Israel

The UK government has withdrawn its staff from Iran as the US advised embassy officials in Israel they can leave while “commercial flights are available”.

The British government said on Friday the temporary precautionary measure has been taken due to the ongoing security situation in the Middle East. Meanwhile, US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told embassy employees in an email that discussions had led to a decision authorising departures for non-essential personnel who wished to leave.

Mr Huckabee said in the email that staff who wish to leave should do so that day, adding "there may be outbound flights over the coming days, there may not be". "Persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available," the US embassy said.

The travel warnings are one of the strongest indications yet that a regional conflict could be imminent, as the threat of US military strikes on Iran looms. In a travel advice update on Friday, Britain's foreign office said the temporary and precautionary measure had been taken because of the "ongoing security situation" in the region.

"We have temporarily closed the British Embassy in Tehran, this will now operate remotely," a government spokesperson said. "Foreign Office travel advice has now been updated to reflect this change." The UK does not appear to have withdrawn any staff from Israel, but continues to advise against travel to parts of the country over security concerns.

The warnings come a day after talks between the US and Iran over its nuclear programme ended without an agreement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel early next week to "discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon, and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump's 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza".

Donald Trump set ​out his case for a possible attack on ​Iran in ⁠his State ⁠of the Union speech on Tuesday. The US president said while he preferred a diplomatic ‌solution, he would not allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

Mr Trump has previously threatened to take military action against Iran if a deal is not reached. The US has spent the last month amassing a fleet of aircraft and warships in the region.

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