From rising tensions with Iran to the still-growing Democratic presidential field, it’s been a busy week in American politics. Here are some of the biggest stories you might have missed (and some links if you’d like to read further).

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White House warnings of a threat from Iran

The State Department on Wednesday ordered “nonemergency United States government employees” to leave Iraq, responding to what the Trump administration said was a threat linked to Iran. To people on Baghdad’s streets, the warnings paralleled those heard before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The intelligence behind the Trump administration’s warnings came from photographs of missiles aboard small boats in the Persian Gulf, some of which were loaded by Iranian paramilitary forces.

President Trump told the acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, that he did not want war with Iran, sending his hawkish aides a message that the administration’s pressure campaign must not escalate into open conflict.