The United States has begun evacuating some troops from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and other regional bases as President Donald Trump considers whether to launch strikes against Iran, Axios reports.
The precautionary drawdown comes as tensions escalate over Iran’s violent crackdown on protests, with Tehran warning that any US attack would be met with retaliation against American forces in the region.
Multiple high-level meetings on Iran took place at the White House on Tuesday. Trump joined a session chaired by Vice President JD Vance after returning from a trip, where he was briefed on the latest developments, according to sources cited by Axios.
Trump told reporters he wanted “accurate numbers” on the death toll before deciding what response to take. Axios noted that the US-based rights group HRANA said it had confirmed 2,571 deaths since the protests began roughly two weeks ago, while Israel reportedly shared an assessment with Washington claiming the number of protesters killed could be significantly higher.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also signaled it is prepared for escalation, with a senior commander saying its forces were on the highest level of readiness. An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader pointed to Iran’s previous retaliation against Al Udeid following US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last year, implying Tehran could respond again if attacked.
Qatar confirmed that evacuation measures were underway as a response to “regional tensions,” while US officials declined to comment publicly. Axios said additional evacuations may also be happening at other Gulf bases.
Behind the scenes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been in contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation and potential next steps.