The Ministry of Defence (MoD) deployed around 20 military planners and liaison officers to the British embassy in Baghdad over the weekend, The Times reports. It is understood defence officials are concerned the threat of retaliation will increase at the conclusion of the three days of mourning to mark the death of General Qassem Soleimani, 62. Tensions between the Iran and the US has soared since Friday, after air strikes ordered by US President Donald Trump, killed General Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds force.
According to a report by the Iranian Tasnim news agency, Tehran has worked up 13 sets of plans for revenge for General Soleimani’s killing.
The report quoted Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as saying that even the weakest among them would be a “historic nightmare” for the US.
Mr Shamkhani said: ”If the US troops do not leave our region voluntarily and upright, we will do something to carry their bodies horizontally out.”
The UK has around 400 troops based in Iraq working with Iraqi forces in the battle against Islamic State.
The British forces are located across three main bases – Camp Taji near Baghdad, Union III in Baghdad, and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The service personnel are not currently in a combat role in Iraq and are on the ground providing training to Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Kurdish Security Forces (KSF).
The US has more than 10 times the amount of troops in the region, with an estimated 5,200 personnel.
The presence of British and American forces are under-threat after the Iraqi parliament voted in favour of a resolution to “end the presence” of foreign troops in the region.
The bill, although not legally binding, prohibits foreign troops from using “its land, airspace or water”.
The US has denied it is about to withdraw its military forces from the region after a leaked signed letter by a US military official indicated an evacuation was imminent.
The letter signed by a senior US Marine Corps officer, had referred to “repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement”.
US defence secretary Mark Esper said no decision had been made about withdrawing troops from Iraq.
He said: “There’s been no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq.”
Following a cabinet meeting this afternoon the Prime Minister’s spokesman said the security of personnel in Iraq is “paramount” and UK will keep its plans under constant review.
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Mr Johnson called for de-escalation from all sides and warned that calls for reprisals “will simply lead to more violence in the region and they are in no one’s interest”.
The Prime Minister added he would speaking to Iraq “to support peace and stability”.