British military personnel and their families in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar are also on an increased state of alert. There are up to 1,400 UK military and civilian personnel deployed to counter-ISIS operations in Iraq.
The source told Sky News that Iran’s goal could be to send a message to the United States about sanctions that have left Iran's economy reeling, without doing something Iran could be seen as directly complicit for, potentially triggering a hard military response from the US.
The UK Ministry of Defence on May 15 reiterated long-running concerns over Iran's “destabilising behaviour in the region." The statement was issued as clarification after Major General Chris Ghika told reporters during a video conference from coalition headquarters in Baghdad on Tuesday that there “has been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria."
The UK’s travel advisory for Iraq has remained unchanged since March 12.
The US State Department says it has credible information of an “imminent” threat emanating from Iranian-backed Iraqi militias. The US on Wednesday ordered the withdrawal of all non-emergency government staff from Iraq and has warned its citizens of a kidnapping risk.
Iran’s mission at the United Nations, in a statement in response to the US pulling some of its diplomatic staff out of Iraq, said they pose no threat to anyone, anywhere. “Iran is not preparing for any attacks anywhere,” spokesperson Alireza Miryousefi said on Thursday. “This is just the latest escalation in the propaganda warfare the US waged against Iran, using ‘fake intelligence’ perhaps hoping to initiate a conflict.”
US President Donald Trump hosted Swiss President Ueli Maurer at the White House on Thursday after reports Washington had asked Switzerland to help establish a channel of communication with Tehran.
Asked by a reporter if the US is going to war with Iran, Trump replied, “I hope not.”
US President Trump hosted Swiss President Maurer at the White House after reports Washington had asked Switzerland to help establish a channel of communication with Tehran.
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) May 16, 2019
Asked by a reporter if the US is going to war with Iran, Trump replied, “I hope not.”
Video: AP pic.twitter.com/abIo1eC0Ju
Washington’s escalated warnings were based on photographs of missiles loaded onto small boats in the Persian Gulf by militias, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Recent attacks on vessels in these waters have been attributed to Iran. Tehran vehemently denied any involvement and called for an investigation.
On the advice of the global coalition against ISIS, Germany and the Netherlands have temporarily suspended their missions training Iraqi and Peshmerga soldiers, though neither country has ordered an evacuation as of yet.
Civilian targets like oil infrastructure could be potential targets, the source told Sky News. ExxonMobil, Chevron, and BP have not pulled their staff out of the country, but they said on Wednesday they are "monitoring" the situation.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said on Tuesday he sees no evidence of a threat against US personnel in the country.
Two of the Iranian-backed elements within the Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) denied they pose a threat to American citizens.
Nasr al-Shomari, a military commander in the Harakat al-Nujaba, told AFP the US "is trying to create an uproar in Iraq and in the region under any pretext."
"If we put out a statement concerning the United States, they consider it a threat, but if the United States carries out an attack, isn't that a threat?" he added.
Layth al-Azari, a leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq group, made similar comments to AFP. Recent US statements and activities in the region are "a provocation aimed at escalating a psychological war," he said.
The US designated Harakat al-Nujaba a terror organization in March.
Tensions between Iran and the US are ratcheting up daily, a year after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the landmark nuclear deal and began re-imposing sanctions as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign to force Iran back to the negotiation table and contain its regional activities and missile programme. The Pentagon dispatched an aircraft carrier group, B-52 bombers, and Patriot missiles to the Middle East. Tehran announced it would scale back its commitments under the nuclear accord if it did not get some relief from sanctions. The two also slapped terror labels on branches of each other’s armed forces.
Despite the aggressive posturing, both sides say they do not want a war. Analysts warn though that, without a clear diplomatic channel between Tehran and Washington, a collision could occur.
