(Kyle Anzalone, Antiwar.com) Staffers have begun returning to US diplomatic facilities across the Middle East. US embassies in the region have been at a minimal operational level for several months due to the ongoing war against Iran.
On Tuesday, the New York Times reported obtaining an internal State Department memo that ordered the return of some diplomatic officers to their posts in the Middle East and rescinded some emergency measures put in place during the war against Iran.
The memo said some staff would return to embassies in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait. The US embassies in Iraq and Saudi Arabia were hit by Iran during the war.
The return of staff to embassies in the region is a sharp reversal for the State Department. Earlier this month, US diplomatic facilities across the Middle East were preparing for an extended period of reduced operations because of the ongoing war against Iran.
CNN reported speaking with sources who said that the State Department is preparing to operate with minimal staff in the Middle East for the foreseeable future. Washington has asked embassies in the region to draft plans for continued minimal operations and is offering diplomats curtailed assignments.
The outlet notes that “the developments underscore that the State Department does not expect to return to normal staffing in the region soon amid the looming threat of a full-scale return to war.”
The reversal followed a shift in President Donald Trump’s approach to the war against Iran. Axios reported speaking with US officials who said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allies that the US was not planning any new attacks on Iran. The US will focus its efforts on enforcing sanctions and a blockade against Iran.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
