The US embassy in Baghdad carried out a security drill simulating an emergency evacuation, sources told Al Arabiya on Friday.
The exercise coincided with rising regional tensions amid talks between Iran and the US seen as a last-ditch bid to avert war.
The sources added that a number of US citizens left Iraq over the past 24 hours via Baghdad International Airport, departing in significant numbers on commercial flights.
Earlier on Friday, the US embassy in Israel announced that it had authorized some of its staff to depart for security reasons.
Meanwhile, the USS Gerald R. Ford – the world’s largest aircraft carrier – arrived in Israel after the US Navy confirmed it was ready for operations.
Video footage showed the American carrier approaching Israel’s coast.
The developments come a day after a third round of Iran-US talks mediated by Oman was held in Geneva.
Oman said the two sides made notable progress in discussions over Tehran’s nuclear program on Thursday. However, the hours-long negotiations ended without any sign of a breakthrough that could dispel the possibility of US strikes, amid a significant American military buildup in the region.
