Ammon News - The State Department is preparing to send U.S. diplomats back to embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated before and during the war with Iran, suggesting that the Trump administration does not anticipate a return to all-out hostilities.

The return of foreign service officers and the scaling back of emergency measures taken at U.S. missions in the Middle East could begin this week, according to an internal State Department document obtained by The Times.

The changes were also described by three U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk with the press.

The restaffing is set to proceed even though talks between the United States and Iran have floundered, leaving the Trump administration to threaten new economic sanctions.

Embassies slated to restore higher levels of staffing include those in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait, the document says.

In a statement, the State Department said it “continuously reviews the security posture at our diplomatic missions around the world. 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.”

In late February, a day before the United States and Israel struck Iran, nonessential embassy workers in Jerusalem and their family members were given the option to leave Israel at government expense. Over the following weeks, the State Department issued orders to evacuate missions across the Middle East as Iran and its regional allies targeted U.S. diplomatic outposts in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and elsewhere in the region with explosive drones and rockets.

Diplomats assigned to some of those countries worked from their homes rather than at embassies as a precaution.

Current and former State Department officials said that redeploying staff signaled an easing of tensions, despite stalled talks between the United States and Iran over extending a 60-day cease-fire that expired last week.

The document says the first diplomats to return will be at the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, though it would not reach full staffing under the plan. Ultimately, the documents say, staff will completely return to three embassies, in Israel, Jordan and Oman.

Posts in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Lebanon will initially cap staffing at 85 percent, and posts in Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain at 75 percent. In the six Gulf countries and Lebanon, the State Department will enforce restrictions on bringing family members, the document added.


NYT