The U.S. started evacuating some troops from al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar and several other bases in the region ahead of a potential military conflict with Iran over the protests in the country, two sources with knowledge tell Axios.
Why it matters: President Trump is weighing the possibility of launching strikes against Iran in response to the mass killing of protesters. Iran has threatened to retaliate by attacking U.S. forces in the region.
Driving the news: Multiple high-level meetings on Iran were held on Tuesday at the White House.
- Trump joined a meeting chaired by Vice President Vance after returning from Detroit on Tuesday evening and was briefed on the latest developments, a source with knowledge said.
- Shortly before that meeting, Trump told reporters he wanted to get "accurate numbers" of the death toll in Iran before making a decision about a possible U.S. response.
- The protests continued on Wednesday in cities across Iran. U.S. based human rights group HRANA said Wednesday it had confirmed 2,571 deaths since the protests began two weeks ago.
- Israel shared an assessment with the U.S. that at least 5,000 protesters had been killed, according to a U.S. official.
The other side: The commander of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace force told state TV his forces are at the "highest level of readiness to respond to any attack."
- Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader who was wounded in an Israeli assassination attempt during the 12-day war last June, wrote on X that Trump needs to remember the Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces at the al-Udeid base after the U.S. bombed Iran's nuclear facilities.
State of play: A U.S. official confirmed that some U.S. troops started being evacuated from al-Udeid, the biggest U.S. base in the region.
- Qatar's International Media Office also confirmed in a statement that the base was being evacuated and said "measures are being taken in response to regional tensions."
- Reuters first reported about the evacuation of troops from the base.
- A source with knowledge told Axios U.S. troops from several other bases in the Gulf are being evacuated.
- The White House, Pentagon and State Department declined to comment.
Behind the scenes: Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the situation in Iran and the possible U.S. response, Israeli and U.S. officials said. Another call in planed for Wednesday.
