Some personnel at US military base in Qatar told to leave ‘in response to regional tensions’
Qatar says some personnel at the US’s military base in the country have been told to leave “in response to the current regional tensions”.
The statement from the Gulf state’s media office provided no further detail on the order but read:
Qatar continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents as a top priority, including actions related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities.”
Key events
Witkoff says this second stage is about establishing a “transitional technocratic Palestinian administration” in Gaza and beginning the “full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel.”
The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.”
These were already the aims set out by the Trump administration months ago – but negotiations in moving t the second phase had stalled, partly because disarming is a red line for Hamas.
There has not been any known progress made on these sticking points in recent weeks – it’s unclear what exactly has prompted Witkoff’s announcement now.
US launching second phase of Gaza peace plan
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy and a key US negotiator on Iran, Gaza and Ukraine says he and the president are moving to phase two of the Gaza peace deal, with the goal of disarming Hamas.
He has written on X:
We are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President’s 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction.”
Iranians warned to hide their Starlink terminals
Aisha Down
Independent media outlets and internet watchers are warning Iranians to camouflage their Starlink terminals, not share their Starlink internet, and be wary of “social engineering against activists,” as Iranian authorities are hunting for Starlink users.
“Clearly, disconnecting these devices is a big priority for the government,” says Doug Madory, director of Internet Analysis at Kentik. He says activists are growing increasingly worried about being tracked by Iranian authorities.
“It goes along with the reports of signal jamming as well as attempting to find dishes by tracing the source of the frequencies.”
This morning, Iranian activists announced that Starlink was providing free internet to users in Iran, who number in the tens of thousands – a sliver of the population – as the country enters its sixth day of internet blackout. However, said Madory, while the free internet will “defray some costs,” it likely will not connect any new users.
Iran’s internet blackout has reached 141 hours, longer than Egypt’s internet shutdown in 2011 during the height of the Tahrir square protests, which lasted for 129 hours. That shutdown was a harbinger of hundreds to come. While there have been longer shutdowns in Libya, and in smaller regions such as Tigray and Kashmir, this one is “one of the most severe in history,” said Madory, both because of the number of people affected and the severity of the disconnection.
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia has told American citizens and its own staff to “exercise increased caution” and limit travel to any military sites in the region.
Reuters also cites two European officials saying the US launching a military intervention appears likely, and could come in the next 24 hours.
Reuters has also confirmed with an unnamed official that the US is withdrawing some personnel from key bases in the region, as a precaution.
The US has troops at the forward headquarters of its Central Command at Al Udeid – which is its largest base in the Middle East – and have people at a naval fleet headquarter in Bahrain.
Three diplomats said some personnel had been told to leave the base, reports Reuters. However there are no immediate signs of troops being bussed out to a soccer stadium and shopping mall as took place hours before the Iranian missile strike in June.
A senior Iranian official brought up that strike in a message today warning the US against intervening.
US troops being evacuated from Qatar base – media outlets
US broadcasters CBS and NBC are also reporting that the US has removed staff from the Al Udeid air base in Qatar.
The administration has started “evacuating hundreds of troops” from Al Udeid reports NBC, citing unnamed US officials.
Trump is said to be weighing up any military action he might take in Iran. NBC reports the source saying that the troops are being taken out of harm’s way in case US action sparks retaliation from Iran.
Tehran did launch strikes at the Al-Udeid base last June, following the US’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear enrichment site. Troops were hastily taken off the base prior to the Iran strikes.
Qatar lies just across the Persian Gulf from Iran.
Some personnel at US military base in Qatar told to leave ‘in response to regional tensions’
Qatar says some personnel at the US’s military base in the country have been told to leave “in response to the current regional tensions”.
The statement from the Gulf state’s media office provided no further detail on the order but read:
Qatar continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents as a top priority, including actions related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities.”
Amid an intense and ongoing communications blackout, France’s foreign minister said the country is considering sending Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran to help provide internet services to locals.
Responding to a question in parliament, Jean-Noel Barrot said: “We are exploring all options, and the one you have mentioned is among them.”
In 2022, the Paris-based satellite operator accused Iran of jamming two of its satellites, something it said was “explicitly prohibited” by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations.
Amid increasing actual and threatened sanctions against Iran, our graphics team have produced this chart, showing the country’s major trading partners
Iranian families and individuals arrived in Turkey’s eastern province of Van through the Kapikoy border gate. Reuters reports that people were pulling luggage and other belongings with them as they made their way through the border gate and got on vehicles heading for nearby towns. Those asked to speak to media declined to do so, expressing fear of repercussions in Iran when they return.
Two diplomats have told Reuters there has been an increase in the numbers of people crossing from Iran to Turkey after several countries advised their citizens to leave.
However, a Turkish security official at the border said that the situation at the gate was not extraordinary, with no notable increase in the numbers arriving, but that developments there were being closely monitored.
UK working with allies on further sanctions
The UK government is working with allies on further sanctions against the Iranian regime, the prime minister has said.
Speaking in parliament at the start of Prime Minister’s Questions, Keir Starmer said: “Can I start by condemning in the strongest possible terms the sickening repression and murder of protesters in Iran.
“The contrast between the courage of the Iranian people and the brutality of their desperate regime has never been clearer.
“We’ve called out this brutality face to face, we’re working with allies on further sanctions and doing all we can to protect UK nationals.”
German police said on Wednesday that two men had climbed over a fence into the Iranian embassy in Berlin grounds and torn down an Iranian flag. Both wanted to hoist two pre-Islamic Republic flags but failed, German news agency dpa reported, according to the Associated Press.
They left the grounds when guards used pepper spray and were detained on the sidewalk outside. The incident happened late on Tuesday.
The Guardian’s graphic team have created a couple of visuals; one that shows where nationwide protests have taken place across Iran between 29 December 2025 and 13 January 2026, and another on Iran’s protest movement and how it has been affected by authorities shutting down the internet.
John Duerden
Mehdi Taremi did what he does best. On Saturday, the Iranian striker turned inside the area and scored for Olympiakos, a well-taken eighth goal of the season for the 33-year-old that clinched a 2-0 win at Atromitos and a place at the top of the Greek Super League. Usually, millions of people in Iran follow every step of Taremi’s European career, one that took off with Porto and has settled in Piraeus via Milan, but not this time.
The ruling regime in Tehran has cut the internet and all communications, which meant that residents of the football-loving nation also missed the non-celebration that followed. “It actually has to do with the conditions in my country,” Taremi said.
There are problems between the people and the government. The people are always with us, and that’s why we are with them. I couldn’t celebrate in solidarity with the Iranian people. I know that Olympiakos fans would like me to be happy, but I don’t celebrate the goals, in solidarity with what the Iranian people are going through.
And what they are going through seems worse than at any time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution deposed the Shah and put Ayatollah Khomeini in power. Surging inflation and a collapsing currency have sparked major anti-government protests and unrest across Iran. The response has been brutal. The ruling regime is clinging on to power by dealing out death, more repression and an internet blackout that has lasted for days. WhatsApp messages remain with one tick, emails are undelivered and websites unreachable. For the millions of people outside the country with loved ones inside, there is fear and worry.
Football has always occupied a central place in Iran, a country where the government, like many authoritarian regimes, is wary of the power of mass gatherings and their potential to turn political but is also ready to use success for its own ends. When Iran qualified for the 1998 World Cup, players were told to delay their return so celebrations could subside, and in a vital 2010 qualifier, several wore green armbands in support of the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi during protests over a disputed election. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the declared winner, visibly tied himself to the team, visiting training sessions and lending his presidential plane for World Cup qualifiers, while at home most clubs remain closely linked, directly or indirectly, to the state.
India’s embassy in Tehran has urged all Indian nationals to leave Iran, citing what it called an “evolving situation” in the Islamic Republic.
The statement, posted on X, also advised Indian citizens to remain highly vigilant and avoid protest areas.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow needed to keep working with Iran to implement their bilateral agreements and that no other country could change the nature of ties between Russia and Iran.
Lavrov was speaking at a news conference in Moscow, reports Reuters. A senior Iranian official told the news agency on Wednesday that Tehran had warned neighbouring countries hosting US troops that it would retaliate against American bases if Washington carries out threats to intervene in protests in Iran.
Iran’s stockpile of missiles has increased since a 12-day war with Israel last year, Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace Cmdr Majid Mousavi said on Wednesday according to state media, after US President Donald Trump’s threats of intervention amid anti-government protests in Iran.
“We are at the peak of our readiness,” Mousavi was quoted as saying by state media, reports Reuters. He added that wartime damages had been repaired and output in various areas by the guards’ aerospace forces was higher than before June 2025.
