Some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate by Wednesday evening, according to a U.S. official and the Gulf country, as President Donald Trump warned of possible action after a deadly crackdown on protesters in Iran.
The decision came as a senior Iranian official raised the country’s retaliatory attack in June at Al Udeid Air Base outside Doha, Qatar. A U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive plans, characterized the move at the base as precautionary and said similar measures were also being taken across the region.
The U.S. official said the steps were linked to operational security and declined to provide more details, including whether the evacuation was optional or mandatory, whether it involved troops or civilian personnel, or how many people were advised to leave.
In a notice early Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Qatar said it had advised its personnel to “exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel” to Al Udeid and recommended that U.S. citizens in Qatar do the same. In Kuwait, the U.S. Embassy ordered a “temporary halt” to its personnel going to multiple military bases as tensions rose. Kuwait is home to U.S. Army Central, the service’s Middle East command.
Anti-government demonstrations in nearby Iran began in late December, and Trump has said he is willing to conduct military operations against Iran if Tehran continues to kill and arrest protesters. A day after Trump said he believed the killing was “significant ” and that the administration would “act accordingly,” the president told reporters that he had been told that targeting protesters and plans for executions in Iran have stopped, without providing many details.
The mixed nature of Trump’s public comments left unclear what U.S. action, if any, would take place against Iran as of Wednesday night. Qatar, for its part, said the measures at Al Udeid were being undertaken in response to “the current regional tensions,” and said it was implementing steps to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents, including actions related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities.
In separate posts on X, Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Trump to mention the destruction of the U.S. base in Al Udeid by Iranian missiles, saying it would help create a better understanding of Iran’s will and ability to respond. In recent weeks, officials in Tehran and Doha have also stayed in touch through calls and messages, including a phone call Tuesday between Ali Larijani and Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
In a statement on X after that call, Al Thani said he “reaffirmed the State of Qatar’s backing of all de-escalation efforts” and of “peaceful solutions” meant to enhance security and stability in the region. The June decision by Iran to retaliate against U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities by targeting the sprawling desert base at Al Udeid had created a rare strain between the two maritime neighbors, with Qatari officials saying it caught them by surprise.
At the time of Iran’s June attack, the U.S. military’s Central Command said no American or Qatari personnel was harmed. A Qatari military officer later said one of 19 missiles fired by Iran was not intercepted and hit the base, and Trump said in a social media post that “hardly any damage was done.”
The base hosts thousands of American service members, and the Pentagon declined to comment on questions about changes at Al Udeid. The State Department also had no immediate comment on whether any security alerts would be issued for American diplomats or other civilians in Qatar.