A column at Power Line reporting that non-essential US embassy employees and likely all dependents have been told by Ambassador Huckabee to leave the country today. Implication: things are about to turn violent, likely by Monday, perhaps sooner.
Authorized departure is the second-to-last step on the State Department’s crisis escalation ladder. The only step above it is ordered departure, which is mandatory evacuation. The United States has not reached ordered departure. But at 10:24 this morning it reached the step directly below it, and the ambassador personally urged speed.
It’s time to keep a weather eye on the headlines, Trump’s short, sharp action is about to kick off.
Later ... Bloomberg reports many nations with embassies in the region are doing likewise, as the talks with Iran seem deadlocked. At least one source believes Iran would rather take a beating than give in to US demands.
