The United States has begun evacuating hundreds of troops from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East—ahead of potential military action against Iran ordered by President Donald J. Trump. According to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the matter cited by NBC News, personnel are being relocated to other regional facilities and hotels to reduce risk in the event an attack prompts Iranian retaliation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that when the United States acts while disregarding the very norms it once promoted, it leads to the conclusion that American counterparts are unreliable.

Politico reports that the European Union may appoint a separate negotiator to manage contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The proposal is backed by France and Italy, along with parts of the European Commission and several other member states. The discussions come amid a stall in the White House’s peace efforts and growing concern in Europe that the United States could strike an agreement with Russia without European involvement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that when the United States turns to unfair competitive practices, it signals that America’s competitive position is weakening.

Reza Pahlavi said: “We’ve seen more casualties in just the past two days—four times the number of people killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. More than 12,000 so far, and the number could be higher.”

Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez plans to send an envoy to Washington to meet with senior U.S. officials on the same day that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will be in town for her own talks in the wake of Nicolas Maduro’s ouster. - Bloomberg

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, saying, “He’s been a lousy Fed chairman. He’s kept interest rates too high, and I call him ‘Too Late.’ He’s overseeing a construction situation that’s costing billions and billions of dollars, and it looks like it won’t open for a long time. He’s either corrupt or incompetent.”

The United States is studying ways to help fund the massive task of rebuilding Venezuela’s infrastructure, possibly including the use of government agencies like the International Development Finance Corp., according to a White House official. - Bloomberg

According to officials and individuals close to the White House who spoke anonymously to The Washington Post, arguments within the Trump administration against striking Iran include the risk of accidents or operational failures during high-risk military and intelligence activities, as well as concerns that the collapse of Iran’s government could result in an even more militant regime or create another failed state in the Middle East.

The Venezuela government has started releasing prisoners with U.S. citizenship, people with knowledge of the situation said. - Bloomberg

Justice Department official says there's 'currently no basis' for criminal civil rights probe in Minnesota ICE shooting. - AP

Reza Pahlavi said: “My fellow compatriots, as I stated in my previous message, the world has not only seen and heard your courage and your voices—it is now taking action. By now, you have surely heard the message from the President of the United States. Help is on the way. Continue your struggle. Do not allow this regime to present the situation as normal. After all the bloodshed, there is now an ocean of blood between us and this regime. Record the names of these criminals. One day, they will be held accountable for their actions. And I have a direct message for members of the military: You are Iran’s national army, not the army of the Islamic Republic. Your duty is to protect the lives of your fellow citizens. Time is running out. Join the people as soon as possible.”

In his recent best-selling book, Republican Senator John N. Kennedy offers a colorful portrayal of Lindsey Graham, writing, “If you want to stump Lindsey, just ask him to name a country he wouldn’t bomb.” Kennedy goes on to describe the South Carolina senator as unpredictable, adding, “Invite him to dinner, and you don’t know whether he’ll sit down for an intelligent conversation or get drunk and vomit in the fish tank. But that’s why I like him.”

ISRAEL: This week in Hebron, Israeli Arab Bedouins posing as IDF soldiers robbed an Arab-owned jewelry store. The suspects wore IDF uniforms and carried military-issued weapons, and filmed themselves while traveling to carry out the robbery. One suspect was detained by Palestinian Authority security forces and later transferred to Israeli custody. The remaining suspects were captured by Israeli security forces. All stolen jewelry, along with the stolen IDF weapons, uniforms, and tactical gear, was recovered.

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) said the Iranian regime has reportedly killed 12,000 of its own citizens for demanding freedom and shut down the internet to conceal the truth, calling it the behavior of a repressive government desperate to cling to power. He said the United States cannot look the other way and must hold the Iranian regime accountable for its atrocities while standing with the Iranian people in their fight to live free.

According to Arab Gulf officials cited by The Wall Street Journal, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar have been privately urging the Trump administration not to strike Tehran after the United States warned them to prepare for the possibility of an attack. The officials said the Gulf states are concerned that an effort to topple the Iranian regime would unsettle oil markets and ultimately harm the U.S. economy. Gulf leaders fear that military action against Iran could disrupt oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments. Saudi officials have reportedly assured Tehran that they would not take part in any potential conflict or allow U.S. forces to use Saudi airspace for strikes, as part of an effort to distance themselves from and discourage American military action.

Tehran, Thursday night.

U.S. President Donald Trump, when asked whether he had a message for Iran’s leaders, said: “The message is that they’ve got to show humanity. They’ve got a big problem, and I hope they’re not killing people. It would seem to me that they’ve been badly misbehaving, but that’s not confirmed.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that it would be a “big problem” for Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen to choose Denmark over the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump said, “I’m heading back to the White House now. We’re going to take a look at the whole situation unfolding in Iran—really bad stuff. We’ll get more accurate numbers on what’s happening with regard to the killings.”