US pulls personnel from Qatar air base as India, Germany, others urge citizens to leave Iran

Some US personnel have been advised to leave a major American air base in Qatar as the Trump administration weighs a response to the regime in Tehran for its deadly crackdown on nationwide protests.

Two officials briefed on the matter told Al-Monitor’s Jared Szuba that the US military has begun evacuating some of its personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The move came after Trump convened principals on Tuesday to discuss courses of action, one of the sources said. The president has repeatedly threatened to strike at Iran’s government if its security forces use violence against protesters amid a broad public uprising that has demanded an end to clerical rule.

Iran struck the base in late June following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites. Reuters reported that some personnel were told to depart the base by Wednesday evening. On Wednesday, Iranian state media quoted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Commander Majid Mousavi as saying that Iran’s missile stockpile has increased since June’s 12-day war with Israel. Mousavi said that Iran is “at the peak of our readiness.”

Mousavi’s comments and the advisories to US personnel follow Trump promising on Tuesday that “help is on the way” for the protesters in Iran, without clarifying what that help will look like. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported that as of Tuesday, at least 2,400 people have been killed since the protests erupted on Dec. 28.

A number of countries have urged their nationals to leave Iran, including the US, Australia, Germany and Canada. India joined that list on Wednesday, urging its nationals to leave the country “by available means” and to avoid areas of protest.