End of the military confrontation with Iran? Report: The step the USA is considering in the Middle East
According to The New York Times, the US State Department is preparing to return personnel to embassies across the Middle East. Embassies in Israel, Jordan, and Oman are expected to return to full staffing. American officials note that the move signals a decrease in tensions, but does not guarantee a lasting peace.
The US State Department is preparing to return diplomats to US embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated before and during the war with Iran, according to a report published today, Tuesday, in The New York Times. Foreign Service personnel may begin returning to their posts as early as this week — a move that may indicate that the Donald Trump administration does not foresee a return to full-scale fighting at this stage.
According to an internal State Department document obtained by the newspaper, the USA also plans to reduce the emergency measures taken at American missions in the region. Three American officials confirmed the details. The embassies where an increase in staffing levels is planned include the missions in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq, and Kuwait.
The US State Department stated that the department "continuously reviews the security situation at our diplomatic missions around the world." They emphasized that the USA is adjusting the number of personnel at some missions in the Middle East with the goal of continuing to advance US foreign policy goals while maintaining the safety of employees.
The move comes even though talks between the USA and Iran have reached a stalemate, and at the same time, the Donald Trump administration is threatening to impose new economic sanctions on Tehran.
At the end of February, one day before the American and Israeli strike in Iran, non-essential embassy staff in Jerusalem and their family members were given the option to leave Israel at the expense of the US government. In the weeks that followed, the State Department ordered the evacuation of missions across the Middle East after Iran and its allies in the region attacked American diplomatic posts in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and other locations using drones and rockets.
Former and current US State Department officials said that the return of staff signals a decrease in tensions, even though talks between Washington and Tehran on extending the 60-day ceasefire, which expired last week, have stalled. "Returning staff to missions that were partially evacuated suggests that the administration believes the war is nearing its end," said Dan Shapiro, who served as US Ambassador to Israel during the Barack Obama administration and as a senior official at the Department of Defense dealing with the Middle East during the Joe Biden administration.
According to the document, the first diplomats to return will be at the US Embassy in Lebanon, but it will not return to full staffing in the first phase. Later, personnel are expected to return fully to the embassies in Israel, Jordan, and Oman.
At the missions in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Lebanon, staffing levels will initially be limited to 85%. In Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain, it will be limited to 75%. In the six Gulf states and Lebanon, restrictions will also be imposed on the return of diplomats' family members.
"The restrictions on family members in the Gulf states indicate that the government still believes there is an increased risk," said John R. Bass, who served as Under Secretary of State for Management during the Joe Biden administration. According to him, the security situation is better than it was 30, 60, or 90 days ago, but still more dangerous than it was before the start of the war.
Some diplomats who were evacuated during the war requested certainty regarding where they would be reassigned, especially employees with children who needed to make decisions ahead of the start of the school year. According to two American officials, it is unclear if this pressure influenced the decision.
Former senior State Department officials warned that the return of diplomats and some of their family members to the region might indicate the Donald Trump administration's desire to avoid resuming fighting, but it does not guarantee a lasting peace.
"Returning embassy staff does not tie their hands regarding future action against Iran," said Robert Danin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. "They did it once," he said, referring to the evacuation of embassies earlier this year. "They can do it again."
Meanwhile, the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which recently left the Middle East after being stationed in the region as part of the US war with Iran, is expected to finish the current rotation and dock after 250 days at sea. According to the plan, the Lincoln will arrive in Thailand in early September, upon the conclusion of the extended deployment.
