The US embassy in Iraq has said the State Department has ordered all non-emergency government staff to leave the country.
The move comes amid escalating tensions with Iran, after Washington last week said it had detected new and urgent threats from the country.
The US State Department ordered the pullout of employees from both the embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil, the embassy said in a statement.
It added that normal visa services at both posts will be temporarily suspended.
"The US government has limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in Iraq", it said.
The statement recommended those affected "depart Iraq by commercial transportation as soon as possible, avoid US facilities within Iraq [and] monitor local media for updates".
@StateDept has ordered the departure of non-emergency USG employees from Iraq, both at the Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate in Erbil. Additional information on this alert can be found on the U.S. Embassy website at U.S. Citizen Services. https://t.co/iX96dAkyhT
— U.S. Embassy Baghdad (@USEmbBaghdad) May 15, 2019
On Sunday, the embassy advised Americans to avoid travel to Iraq, citing "heightened tensions".
While on Tuesday, the US military re-affirmed concerns about possible imminent threats from Iran to its troops in Iraq.
US President Donald Trump's administration has stepped up sanctions pressure by ending waivers for some countries to purchase Iranian oil.
Iraq's prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said he was getting indications from talks with both the US and Iran that "things will end well" despite the rhetoric.
A State Department spokesman said the decision to withdraw non-emergency staff was based on a security assessment, but would not give details on how many personnel were leaving.
"Ensuring the safety of US government personnel and citizens is our highest priority and we are confident in the Iraqi security services' (ability) to protect us," he said.
"But this threat is serious and we want to reduce the risk of harm."
Additional reporting: IRN
Main image: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, centre, talks with Charge D'affaires at the US embassy in Baghdad Joey Hood after he arrived in Baghdad on May 7th | Image: Mandel Ngan/AP/Press Association Images
