US embassies in the Middle East prepare for extended period with reduced staff amid Iran war

The State Department is asking US embassies in the Middle East to create plans to continue operating with a small number of staff on the ground, sources told CNN, as the war with Iran shows no signs of resolution.

Additionally, personnel who have been displaced from their posts in the Middle East are increasingly being given the option to curtail their assignments, the sources said. The plans have not been finalized, the sources said, and it is unclear if they will be implemented at all of the embassies that are currently on reduced staffing. Still, 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.A State Department spokesperson told CNN that they “do not discuss internal deliberations or post-specific contingency planning,” but noted that the department “continually reviews the security and staffing posture at every diplomatic mission based on conditions on the ground and adjusts personnel levels as appropriate.” “The safety and security of our personnel and their families remains the Department’s top priority as we continue to assess conditions across the region,” the spokesperson said. “Decisions regarding the status of any post are made based on a range of security and operational factors, in close coordination between posts and Washington.” “Personnel matters, including individual curtailment requests, are handled on a case-by-case basis,” they added. The State Department ordered nonemergency personnel and family members to leave almost every diplomatic post in the region shortly after the war began in late February. That has led to nearly six months of uncertainty about whether the posts would be able to return to normal and all diplomats could return. The plans for “reduced operations,” once finalized, could provide some clarity to US diplomats and their families who have been displaced.