Britain said on Friday it had temporarily withdrawn its staff from Iran citing the security situation in the region.
Britain’s foreign office said its ability to assist British nationals was now extremely limited, with the embassy operating remotely and no in-person consular support available even in emergencies.
Also on Friday, China told its citizens to evacuate from Iran “as soon as possible,” and those in Israel to strengthen preparedness, citing a significant rise in security risks in the Middle East.
The United States on the same day authorized the departure of non-emergency embassy staff from Israel, as it threatened strikes on Iran and pressed its biggest military build-up in the Middle East in decades.
The US military is building up its forces in the region, with the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, due to arrive off the coast of key US-ally Israel.
This came a day after Oman-mediated talks between Iran and the US – which have been seen as a last-ditch bid to avert war – though initial optimism was tempered by Tehran warning Washington must drop “excessive demands” to reach a deal.
