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  "path": "/partner/us-pulling-non-essential-staff-from-embassy-in-beirut-amid-iran-tensions",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-23T16:47:03.000Z",
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  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nThe State Department is evacuating nonessential personnel and eligible family members from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut as concerns mount over a possible military confrontation with Iran, a senior U.S. official said Monday.\n\nThe official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, said the decision followed a fresh assessment of risks in the region.\n\n“We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel,” the official said.\n\nThe embassy will remain open with core staff, the official added, calling the move temporary and aimed at ensuring the safety of U.S. personnel while maintaining services for American citizens.\n\nA source at the embassy said about 50 people were evacuated. An official at Beirut’s airport said 32 embassy staff members and family members departed on Monday.\n\nThe drawdown comes as the United States expands one of its largest military deployments in the Middle East in recent years. President Donald Trump warned last week that “really bad things will happen” if no agreement is reached to resolve the long-running dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program.\n\nIran has threatened to strike U.S. bases in the region if it comes under attack.\n\nAn internal State Department cable seen by Reuters instructed employees in emergency positions who wish to leave to make alternative arrangements and consult with their regional bureau.\n\nLebanon has been the site of deadly attacks against U.S. interests in the past. During the 1975-90 civil war, the United States blamed the Iran-backed Hezbollah group for major bombings, including the 1983 suicide attack on the U.S. Marine barracks that killed 241 American service members and another bombing that killed 49 people at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.\n\n### Talks planned, divisions remain\n\nEven as tensions rise, diplomatic contacts are continuing. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to travel to Israel on Saturday for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though the schedule could change, the U.S. official said.\n\nThe United States has demanded that Iran abandon its nuclear program. Tehran has rejected that demand and insists its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes, denying it is seeking an atomic weapon.\n\nWashington argues that uranium enrichment inside Iran could provide a pathway to developing nuclear arms.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Sunday that he expects to meet with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Geneva on Thursday. He said there remains “a good chance” for a diplomatic solution.\n\nStill, both sides remain deeply divided after two rounds of talks, including over the scope and timing of relief from sweeping U.S. sanctions, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.\n\nOn Friday, Reuters reported that Tehran and Washington were moving closer to military confrontation as prospects for a negotiated settlement appeared to be fading, citing officials and diplomats in the region and Europe.\n\nSpeaking Sunday, Witkoff said Trump was puzzled that Iran had not “capitulated” and agreed to curb its nuclear activities.\n\nThe stakes are high across the region. Any direct clash could draw in U.S. forces stationed in several Middle Eastern countries and potentially involve Israel.\n\nIt would also mark the second time in less than a year that the United States and Israel have launched strikes on Iran, following joint airstrikes last June targeting Iranian military and nuclear facilities.\n\nFor now, U.S. officials say they are balancing pressure with diplomacy, even as military assets flow into the region and embassies adjust their security posture.\n\nWhether talks in Geneva can ease the standoff remains uncertain.",
  "title": "US pulling non-essential staff from embassy in Beirut amid Iran tensions"
}