The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem restricted the movement of employees on Thursday as American diplomats and soldiers in the Middle East scrambled ahead of a possible Israeli attack on Iran.
The embassy’s directive to employees and their families reflected growing concern about potential Iranian retaliation if Israel were to go ahead with a strike. The restrictions bar travel outside the greater Tel Aviv area, Jerusalem and Beersheba, with some exceptions, the embassy said on its website.
A day earlier, the United States withdrew diplomats from Iraq and authorized the voluntary departure of U.S. military family members from the Middle East.
On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that officials in the United States and Europe said Israel seemed to be gearing up for an attack on Iran soon, a move that could undermine the Trump administration’s effort to strike a deal with Tehran to curb its nuclear program.
A few months ago, President Trump waved off an Israeli plan to attack Iran, favoring negotiations with Tehran to try to stop activities that could be geared toward producing a nuclear weapon.
More recently, however, Mr. Trump has said that he was less convinced that talks with Iran would yield a new nuclear deal.
“I’m getting more and more less confident about it,” he told The New York Post in a podcast broadcast on Wednesday. “They seem to be delaying and I think that’s a shame.”
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday about the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran. The Israeli military declined to comment.
Mr. Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed that Iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon. At an April conference in Jerusalem, he said that Mr. Trump told him he was committed to preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
Michael Crowley and David E. Sanger contributed reporting to this article.
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
Natan Odenheimer is a Times reporter in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
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