The Trump administration Wednesday ordered the departure of nonemergency American employees from its diplomatic missions in Iraq over what it called threats from Iran.

Helicopters took off throughout the day from the embassy compound in Baghdad, carrying staff out, according to an Iraqi source.

The source said the Americans were headed for a military base at Baghdad airport.

The State Department said employees at both the embassy and the US consulate in Erbil, capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, were being pulled out.

Wires