Key facts
- The U.S. State Department is preparing to send diplomats back to Middle East embassies that were evacuated before and during the war with Iran.
- The return of staff and scaling back of emergency measures could begin as early as this week.
- Hundreds of U.S. diplomats were evacuated from embassies in Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., and other countries following the war's start.
- The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait suspended operations entirely in March, resuming only emergency operations in late June.
- The State Department does not expect to return to normal staffing in the region soon.
The U.S. State Department is preparing to send diplomats back to embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated before and during the war with Iran, according to a New York Times report citing an internal document. The return of Foreign Service officers and the scaling back of emergency measures at U.S. missions in the region could begin as early as this week.