LONDON – The Foreign Office has “temporarily” withdrawn its staff from Iran amid the threat of US strikes against the country.
An update to official travel advice on Friday said: “Due to the ongoing security situation, we have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw UK staff from Iran.”
It added that the British embassy “continues to operate remotely” after it was closed in mid-January.
The decision to withdraw UK staff comes a day after talks between the US and Iran over its nuclear programme ended without agreement, PA Media reported.
President Donald Trump has previously threatened to take military action against Iran if it does not reach a deal on its nuclear programme, and the US has spent the last month amassing a fleet of aircraft and warships in the region.
Iran has in turn threatened to attack Israel, raising the risk that military action could trigger another regional war.
On Friday, US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told his staff they could leave the country if they wanted to, warning that flights might not be available “over the coming days”.
The UK later announced that it had moved some diplomatic staff and their dependents from Tel Aviv to another location in Israel “as a precautionary measure” and advised against all but essential travel to Israel and Palestine.
In an update to its travel advice, the Foreign Office added: “Out embassy continues to operate as normal. The situation could escalate quickly and poses significant risks.”
On Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was focused on “supporting the political process” between Washington and Tehran.
The UK is reported to have blocked a request from Trump to use the Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands in the event that he decides to launch a military campaign against Iran, due to concerns it would breach international law.
