State Department Returns Diplomats to 8 Middle East Embassies as Iran War Emergency Measures Ease
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 25
State Department Returns Diplomats to 8 Middle East Embassies as Iran War Emergency Measures Ease
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 25
Summary
U.S. diplomats could begin returning this week to eight Middle East embassies that were partially evacuated before and during the war with Iran, according to an internal State Department document and three U.S. officials.
The restaffing signals the Trump administration does not expect a renewed slide into all-out hostilities, and the State Department said it was adjusting staffing based on its latest security assessment.
Embassies in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait are slated to restore higher staffing levels as emergency measures at regional missions are scaled back.
The move comes even as U.S.-Iran talks have floundered, leaving the administration to threaten new economic sanctions while reopening a broader diplomatic footprint in the region.