US Embassy urges Americans in Iraq to leave immediately

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The US Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert on Wednesday, urging all American citizens present in Iraq to depart the country immediately in light of recent regional developments.

The embassy emphasized that Iraq remains under a Level 4 travel advisory —its highest designation— which carries the directive: do not travel to Iraq for any reason. For those already in the country, the embassy's guidance was: leave now.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the United States would launch new strikes on Iran, declaring that US Central Command would be "busy tonight" after President Donald Trump vowed to hit Tehran "hard" unless it agreed to a deal with Washington.

Trump also convened his national security team to discuss the next phase of the US response. According to two US sources cited by Axios, one option under consideration is a military operation that would be “big in scale but short in duration,” aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran “to change its position in the negotiations.”

Air defense systems were activated in Fars and western Tehran, according to Mehr News Agency, which reported no explosions at that location.

Israel's Channel 12 reported that the Israeli military raised its alert level in preparation for a possible resumption of hostilities with Iran.