US-Iran crisis: Germany suspends military training in Iraq and and American government staff withdrawn as fears of conflict escalate

We're bringing you live updates as tensions continue to escalate between the US and Iran, fuelling growing fears of conflict in the Middle East.

Germany has suspended military training operations in Iraq due to the growing regional tensions, a spokesman for the defence ministry has said this afternoon.

It follows the Trump administration's decision to withdraw all non-emergency government staff from Iraq this morning.

The US State Department has ordered all non-emergency government staff to leave Iraq urgently amid escalating tensions with neighbouring Iran. 

An alert published on the website of the US embassy in Iraq today said employees nationwide should depart “as soon as possible” and avoid American facilities in the country.

Here's our full story:

Germany has suspending military training operations in Iraq due to increasing tensions in the Middle East, its defence ministry has said.

A spokesman said there was "no concrete threat" but Germany was "orienting itself toward our partner countries, which have taken this step."

He added training programmes could resume in the coming days.

The German magazine Focus reported the decision had been taken in coordination with partner countries fighting Isis in the region.

The German armed forces had 160 soldiers deployed to train Iraqi soldiers. About 60 of them are currently at a base north of Baghdad.

American secretary of state Mike Pompeo did not offer Vladimir Putin any reassurances or ease Russia's concerns over the US-Iran crisis when the two leaders met yesterday, according to the Kremlin.

Pompeo sought to alleviate some of the concerns about the spiraling tensions but made clear the US would respond to any attacks on American targets. 

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters today that Moscow is concerned over mounting tensions and defended Iran's actions as a legitimate response to the US decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal. 

Iran has given European countries a 60-day deadline to negotiate a new nuclear deal before Tehran resumes enriching uranium to higher levels than outlined in the current agreement. 

A British general has been been rebuked by the Pentagon for stating there is no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq or Syria.

Major General Chris Ghika, deputy commander of US-led coalition fighting Isis, yesterday disputed White House claims that forces in the Middle East are facing an increased threat from Iran or its allies.

In a rare rebuke of an allied officer, US Central Command spokesman Captain Bill Urban said the general's comments "run counter to the identified credible threats available to intelligence".

My colleague Chiara Ciordano has the full story: 

The UK's Ministry of Defence has issued this statement after the Pentagon rebuked a British major general's claims that Iran posed no increased threat:

Major General Ghika speaks as a military officer in the US-led Coalition focused on the fight against Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

His comments are based on the day-to-day military operations and his sole focus is the enduring defeat of Daesh.

He made clear in his Pentagon briefing that 'there are a range of threats to American and coalition forces in this part of the world. There always have been, that is why we have a very robust range of force protection measures'.

The UK has long been clear about our concerns over Iran's destabilising behaviour in the region

The German government has expressed concern about the tensions in the Middle East, warning of a possible military escalation.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said that "obviously, we are watching the increasing tensions in the region with big concern and welcome any measure that is aimed at a peaceful solution." 

Demmer added the government condemns all acts that escalate the situation in the region further. 

Earlier, Germany's military suspended training of Iraqi soldiers due to the tensions, although it said there was no indication of any specific threat to its own troops in Iraq. 

The German government has not followed the US in withdrawing its own staff from embassies in Iraq.

The Netherlands has suspended a mission in Iraq due to a security threat, Dutch news agency ANP reported on Wednesday.

Dutch military personal help train Iraqi forces in Erbil, northern Iraq, along with other foreign troops.

The report gave no details about the nature of the threat.

It comes after a similar move by the German military earlier today.

The US and Iran are in a "dangerous situation that could slip into armed conflict, an American senator has warned,

Chris Coons, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN in an interview today: "I think we are now in a quite dangerous situation where a miscalculation by either side could lead us into conflict.

"When you project force into a very volatile region and you've got real tension between Iran and the Saudis - we have to be careful. We need a strategy."

He echoed a call by US congress for senators to be briefed on the situation by the government.

US embassies in Lebanon, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are warning American citizens of heightened tensions in the region amid escalation with Iran.

In advisories issued today, the embassies told Americans to maintain a "high level of vigilance" and keep a low profile.

The embassy in the central Asian nation of Turkmenistan, on Iran's northeast borders, has issued similar warnings. 

The advisories follow an earlier alert ordering non-essential government staff to leave the Iraq. 

Tensions have been escalating quickly between Iran and the US, which last week said it had detected new and urgent threats from Tehran and its proxy forces in the region targeting Americans.