Non-essential American embassy staff and their dependents in Baghdad are evacuating from Iraq due to heightened security risks, US government sources said on Wednesday.Officials did not say exactly what prompted the removal,

U.S. missions in Baghdad and Erbil are evacuating most diplomats in response to unspecified security threats, according to one former and two current U.S. officials.

The United States is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, U.

Iran's Minister of Defence Aziz Nasirzadeh said earlier in the day that Tehran will strike US bases in the region if nuclear talks fail and conflict arises with Washington.

BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States is preparing to evacuate its Iraqi embassy due to heightened security risks in the region, three U.S. and two Iraqi sources said on Wednesday while a U.S. official said military dependents could also leave Bahrain.

The US is to evacuate non-essential embassy staff and their dependants in Iraq over heightened security risks, US government sources have said.