loading . . . U.S. Evacuates Some Personnel From Qatar Air Base as Trump Weighs Iran Strike A U.S. Air Force transport aircraft at Al Udeid Air Base. giuseppe cacace/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images The U.S. military is evacuating some personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a precaution, as President Trump considers ordering military action in Iran. The U.S. has begun to move some personnel out of the base, where the U.S. military has a major presence, given the escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, a U.S. official and another person familiar with the matter said. Trump on Tuesday told Iranians demonstrating against their government that “help is on its way,” a sign he may soon intervene to support the protests. He also told reporters Tuesday that Americans in Iran should consider evacuating the country. Trump has been leaning toward ordering military strikes in recent days, The Wall Street Journal previously reported, but has received briefings on a range of options. The president ordered a strike on key Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at Al Udeid, but did little damage, with most intercepted by air defenses. Iran warned Sunday it could strike U.S. bases in the Middle East, shipping lanes or Israel in the event of a U.S. attack. Trump’s stepped up warnings to Iran come as the death toll grows in protests that are now in their third week. The group Human Rights Activists in Iran said Wednesday the toll had surpassed 2,400, as the regime has moved to crush demonstrations. It said more than 140 members of the government security forces had been killed and that more than 18,000 people had been detained. Other rights groups have put the toll even higher, though a six-day continuing internet blackout and phone service disruptions have made it difficult to verify them. Iran signaled Wednesday it was preparing to conduct swift trials and the execution of antigovernment protesters, further defying Trump. Trump to Iranian Protestors: ‘Help Is on the Way’President Trump was speaking at the Detroit Economic Club. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, the president told reporters he was expecting a report on the latest situation in Iran and dismissed a threat by the country’s leaders to retaliate to any U.S. attack. Trump for days has received briefings from top members of his team, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have presented him with a suite of options. Many of the options don’t involve force of arms, including cyberattacks, sanctions or supporting antiregime messaging online, officials said. Trump for now has ruled out negotiations with Iran, he said Tuesday on Truth Social: “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS.” If he does decide to authorize an attack, his options to do so are limited by the shift of military personnel and equipment to the Caribbean. There are currently only six U.S. Navy warships in the Middle East—three littoral combat ships and three destroyers—versus 12 in the Caribbean, according to a Navy official. There is no aircraft carrier strike group nearby either, since Trump ordered the Gerald R. Ford carrier group from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean in October. The Pentagon could still order Tomahawk missile strikes from destroyers in the Middle East, as well as send bombers and jet fighters stationed in the region equipped with long-range weapons. In contrast, during the June war launched by Israel, the U.S. was flush with military assets in the region. While Iran proved helpless against Israeli and U.S. airstrikes, it did launch barrages of ballistic missiles that got through Israeli defenses and depleted inventories of interceptors. Protecting American troops stationed in the region becomes more precarious without an aircraft carrier and its accompanying destroyers, which are equipped with the Aegis combat system that provides the ability to shoot down incoming missiles. But officials and experts say the U.S. still has the ability to defend its forces in the area by other means, including using Patriot batteries and air defense systems from regional partners across the Middle East. Write to Lara Seligman at [email protected] and Benoit Faucon at [email protected] https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-evacuates-some-personnel-from-qatar-air-base-as-trump-weighs-iran-strike-662b1e8e?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=bluesky
