Israel Appears Ready to Attack Iran NYT | Top Stories Michael Crowley, David E. Sanger, Farnaz Fassihi and Eric Schmitt 12 June 2025 at 11:48 Concern about a strike and the prospect of retaliation led the United States to withdraw diplomats from Iraq and authorize the voluntary departure of U.S. military family members from the Middle East. © Khalid Mohammed/Associated PressThe U.S. Embassy complex in Baghdad in 2020. U.S. military family members have been authorized to leave the Middle East.