The Trump administration is sending diplomats back to embassies that were evacuated for the Iran war, despite peace talks floundering, as the White House’s approach to the conflict changes.
The State Department is sending staff back to a stream of embassies in Middle Eastern countries that have been hit by Iranian fire, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq, and Kuwait, according to the New York Times. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also reportedly sending diplomats back to the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon. The development captures an unusual dynamic, signaling an easing of tensions at a time when expectations for a U.S.-Iran peace deal have sunk to a new low. It comes as President Donald Trump has signaled a preference for economically isolating Iran, among other strategies, over military escalation, as the war has nearly stretched to the six-month mark.
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“The Department continuously reviews the security posture at our diplomatic missions around the world,” a State Department spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “Based on our latest assessment, we are adjusting our staffing posture at certain posts in the Middle East to ensure we can continue advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives while protecting the safety and security of our personnel.”
The return of foreign service officers and the scaling back of emergency measures taken at U.S. missions are expected to start as soon as this week. The first diplomats to return will be at the Embassy in Lebanon, whose powerful Hezbollah organization is allied with Iran and has not suffered the missile attacks faced by the other countries.
Restrictions on bringing family members back to the embassies will still be enforced.
Washington began evacuating embassies in countries that were hit by retaliatory Iranian strikes after launching the war on Iran in late February. At the time, the Trump administration ordered nonemergency personnel and family members to leave posts in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Before the war started, Israel and Lebanon had already been operating under departure and ordered arrangements, respectively. Authorized departure means nonemergency personnel and family members could choose to leave, but they were not required to.
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The State Department’s move to boost staffing levels at those embassies comes after an economic escalation in the conflict with Iran. The Treasury Department is in the midst of rolling out an “Economic D-Day” campaign targeting the country, and Trump has backed away from negotiations to iron out a deal ending the war.
“The world should understand that our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote over the weekend. “As a great wave of American resolve comes ashore, are Iran’s enablers willing to wager their future against it?”
