After US ambassador to Israel advises staff to leave country, UK now withdraws embassy staff from Iran / “Regional risk information”

The British government has decided to withdraw its embassy staff from Tehran, citing “information about regional risks”. An advisory is also in place for British citizens to avoid any travel to Iran, as there are risks of arrest. The announcement by the British authorities comes after the United States embassy in Israel advised its employees to leave the Israeli territory as soon as possible.

• The information comes in the context of a massive buildup of US military forces in the region, and the world's largest aircraft carrier, the Gerald Ford, is expected to arrive in northern Israel on Friday, after Donald Trump has threatened several times in recent months that he could resort to strikes against Iran. It should also be noted that according to the reputable X OSINTdefender account, which tracks open source information, several aerial refueling aircraft departed from the US last night, bringing the total of such aerial tankers at Ben Gurion Airport to 14. These can serve as support for advanced F-22 Raptors fighter jets that have been sent to Israel's Ovda Air Base.

“Due to information regarding regional risks and the security situation, British staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” said a message posted on the British government's website on Friday.

“The British Government will not be able to help you”

At the same time, the British Foreign Office advises British citizens to avoid any travel to Iran.

“If you are already in Iran, either as a resident or as a visitor, carefully assess your presence there and the risks you are taking by remaining in the country. British or dual British-Iranian nationals are at significant risk of being arrested, questioned or detained. Having a British passport or links to the United Kingdom may be sufficient reason for the Iranian authorities to detain you,” the quoted source said.

In addition, the government in London warns that the support it can give to its citizens in Iran is limited. “In an emergency, face-to-face consular assistance will not be possible and the British government will not be able to help you if you have problems in Iran,” the government in London said.

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, sent an email to employees on Friday morning recommending them to leave Israeli territory as soon as possible.

Those who want to leave “should do so TODAY,” Huckabee wrote in the email sent at 10:24 a.m. local time. According to the NYT, he urged embassy staff to find a flight from Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport to any destination they could book. The embassy move “will likely result in high demand for airline tickets today,” the US ambassador said in the quoted email.

Trump was presented with military options against Iran on Thursday

The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East briefed President Trump on Thursday about options for military action against Iran, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of the meeting, Axios reported Friday morning.

This was the first time US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper briefed Trump since the start of the Iran crisis last December. The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, also attended the briefing, according to the US official.

Cooper and Caine provided Trump with military options as the third round of US-Iran nuclear talks were winding down in Geneva.

This meeting in Switzerland was seen by many in the Trump administration as the last chance for diplomacy before Trump decides whether to start a war.

A senior US official told Axios that the talks were “positive”, but did not immediately provide further details.