US Preparing to Return Diplomats to Middle East Embassies Evacuated After Iran Conflict

The U.S. government is preparing to return diplomats to its embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated following the conflict with Iran, the New York Times reported on the 25th (local time).

This trend comes alongside a recent strategic shift toward placing greater weight on economically pressuring Iran, leading to observations that the U.S. may have shelved scenarios for a full-scale strike targeting Iran.

According to internal U.S. State Department documents obtained by the New York Times, the return of diplomats who evacuated after the war and the scaling back of emergency measures at embassies could begin as early as this week.

The first embassy to resume operations will be the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon.

All diplomats are scheduled to return to U.S. embassies in Israel, Jordan, and Oman.

However, restrictions on the entry of diplomats' family members will remain in place.

Following the outbreak of the war, as Iran launched counterattacks against neighboring Middle East countries, the U.S. State Department ordered evacuations for diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Iraq.

The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait completely suspended operations in March and only resumed emergency consular services for U.S. citizens in late June.

Experts view the U.S. plan to redeploy diplomatic personnel as a sign of easing tensions, even as ceasefire negotiations with Iran remain deadlocked.

Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, said, "Returning diplomatic personnel to evacuated areas suggests the administration assesses that the war is winding down."

At the same time, some point out that while these measures may demonstrate the Trump administration's intent to avoid resuming combat, they do not guarantee permanent peace.

Robert Danin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, noted, "The return of embassy staff does not mean that the U.S. is precluded from taking action against Iran in the future. Once they've done it, they can do it again."

Regarding the return of embassy staff in the Middle East, the U.S. State Department stated, "We are reviewing the security posture of diplomatic missions worldwide. Based on recent assessments, we are adjusting staffing at certain missions in the Middle East to protect our personnel while continuing to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives."

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※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.