The United States and United Kingdom have evacuated some personnel from a military base in Qatar amid concerns that Washington might launch military action against Iran. A US official described the withdrawal as a precaution, while diplomats confirmed that some forces had been advised to leave al-Udeid base. The UK is also withdrawing staff from the facility.
In the early hours of Thursday, Iran closed its airspace to all flights except authorised international services for a little over two hours. Earlier, Lufthansa announced it would avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace “until further notice” due to the situation in the Middle East, potentially causing some cancellations. The group, which includes several European airlines, will also operate flights to Israel and Jordan as daytime services until next Monday.
President Donald Trump said he had been told on “good authority” that plans for executions in Iran had stopped, despite contrary evidence. He indicated that military action remained an option and would wait for Iran’s next steps. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted the situation was “under control” and urged the US to engage in diplomacy, warning that high tension would be “catastrophic for everyone”.
Iranian officials have warned regional countries hosting US bases, such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, that those bases would be attacked in the event of a US strike. Israeli assessments reportedly suggest Trump has decided to intervene, though the scale and form of military action remain unclear. Neighbouring countries including Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have discouraged US intervention, warning it could ignite a full-scale war.
Iran’s judicial chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, signalled that detained protesters would face speedy trials and executions, stating that action must be taken quickly to have effect. Human rights groups have warned that executions of protesters could take place soon. A 26-year-old protester, Erfan Soltani, was slated for execution on Wednesday but his family said prison authorities had postponed it without explanation. Trump had previously warned of “very strong action” if executions began.
