TEL AVIV — The United States on Friday told some embassy staff that they could leave Israel — and that those who want to must do so quickly — as fears of an American attack on Iran fueled alarm throughout the region.
The message, conveyed in an email from Ambassador Mike Huckabee that was sent to the U.S. mission, instructed those wishing to leave to “do so TODAY.” NBC News has seen the email, which was first reported by The New York Times.
The guidance was issued out of “an abundance of caution” after meetings and calls through the night, including conversations with the State Department, Huckabee said in the email.
“There is no need to panic,” the email read. “For those desiring to leave, it’s important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later.”
He also urged anyone intending to leave to go ahead and book flights, citing the likely surge in demand out of Israel after the embassy's move.
Meanwhile, the State Department announced Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel on Monday, to discuss "a range of regional priorities," including Iran.
The latest round of talks between Washington and Tehran on Iran's nuclear program ended Thursday with no sign of a breakthrough. President Donald Trump has overseen a huge military buildup in the Middle East, America’s biggest in decades.
Trump repeated threats to Iran on Friday but said no final decision had been made yet, telling reporters as he left the White House that he'd "love" not to use military force but "sometimes you have to."
"They can't have nuclear weapons, and we're not thrilled with the way they're negotiating, so we'll see how it all works out," Trump said.
At a separate press event in Texas on Friday, Trump said Iran should make a deal.
"They should make a deal, but they don’t want to quite go far enough. And it’s too bad," he said, noting that Iran should have no uranium enrichment.
He added, "They have to say, 'We’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,' and they just can’t quite get there. They want to enrich a little bit. You don’t have to enrich when you have that much oil. So, I’m not happy with the negotiation."
Asked how close he is to making a decision on Iran strikes, Trump replied, "I’d rather not tell you."
Vice President JD Vance met Friday in Washington with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks in Geneva.
Al-Busaidi said in an X post that he had updated Vance on the negotiations that took place this week, adding: "I am grateful for their engagement and look forward to further and decisive progress in the coming days. Peace is within our reach.”
Al-Busaidi said later on Friday that the negotiations should be given more time.
"We just need that bit of extra time to close the deal," he said in an interview with CBS News. "And if I was President Trump, my only advice is just to give those negotiators enough room and enough space to really close these remaining areas that we need to discuss and agree upon."
Iran has threatened to attack American bases in the region if it is attacked, and an escalation could also draw in Israel, which fought a 12-day war with Iran in June.
In a public notice early Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem confirmed that non-emergency government personnel and family members would be allowed to leave Israel, citing “safety risks.” It did not elaborate on the risks leading to the “authorized departure.” The move falls short of the ordered departure instituted this week for some personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
Several countries have begun withdrawing dependents of diplomatic personnel and non-essential staff from some locations in the Middle East, or advising citizens to avoid travel to Iran.
Britain said Friday it had "taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw U.K. staff from Iran," citing the "ongoing security situation."
China on Friday advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran and urged those in the country to evacuate as soon as possible, citing the security situation, state news agency Xinhua reported. Its embassy in Israel asked Chinese citizens living in the country to strengthen their security precautions and emergency preparedness, citing “rising security risks in the Middle East.”
Airlines such as the Netherlands-based KLM have already announced plans to suspend flights out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport.
The third round of talks in Geneva came after Trump made his clearest case yet for a possible attack as he oversees the sweeping military buildup in the region.
The negotiations in Geneva were “positive” from the Trump administration’s perspective, two people familiar with the talks told NBC News. The sources declined to share details of the talks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also had a positive view of the talks, which he said were indirect and lasted about six hours.
Al-Busaidi, the foreign minister of Oman and mediator in Geneva, said on X that the talks wrapped with “significant progress in the negotiation.”
He said the talks “will resume soon after consultation in the respective capitals,” with technical discussions expected next week in Vienna.
