Escalating Tensions in the Middle East: Emergency Evacuation of U.S. Military and Diplomats, Decline in U.S. Stock Market and Cryptocurrencies

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U.S.-Iran Nuclear Agreement Stalemate; Urgent Evacuation of Relevant Personnel

Uncertainty Triggers Market Pullback

U.S.-Iran Nuclear Agreement Stalemate; Urgent Evacuation of Relevant Personnel

According to a statement from the Department of Defense, the Central Command is “closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved voluntary departure for military families. Central Commander Michael Kurilla even canceled his scheduled testimony in the Senate on Thursday due to this situation. Meanwhile, the State Department announced that non-emergency personnel at U.S. embassies in Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the Kurdish region of Erbil would be withdrawn to reduce potential risks.

Although the U.S. did not specify whether the evacuated personnel were related to a specific security incident, there is widespread belief that this is closely tied to recent U.S.-Iran negotiations and Israeli military movements.

This evacuation comes at a time when negotiations regarding the U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement have reached a standstill. In a recent interview, President Trump candidly expressed that his confidence in reaching an agreement with Iran is “decreasing” and questioned whether Tehran is intentionally stalling. CNN cited U.S. intelligence indicating that Israel has recently conducted military deployments targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, including the mobilization of aerial munitions and completion of air force drills, suggesting that they may be preparing for military strikes. However, there is still disagreement within the U.S. regarding whether Israel will actually take action.

Currently, global markets and geopolitical observers are closely watching the next developments, especially whether a new round of conflict may erupt in the Middle East. Due to the heightened risks in the region, news has spurred a rise in international oil prices, with U.S. crude futures up over 4%. At the same time, major U.S. indices turned negative during trading yesterday, closing in the red.

Similarly, the cryptocurrency market has also been impacted. Bitcoin briefly touched $110,000 after the CPI announcement last night, but subsequently entered a correction, and as of this writing, it has fallen back to the $108,500 level, with most altcoins also experiencing declines.