US plans phased return of diplomats to Middle East embassies: NYT

The Trump administration plans to return diplomats to embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated before and during the US-Israel war against Iran, with some personnel potentially returning as early as this week, The New York Times (NYT) has reported.

US embassies in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait are among the missions expected to increase staffing, the report said Tuesday, citing an internal US State Department document and three US officials.

According to the document obtained by the NYT, the first diplomats to return will be those stationed at the US embassy in Lebanon, though the embassy would not reach full staffing under the plan.

Posts in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Lebanon will initially cap staffing at 85%, and posts in Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain at 75%.

In the six Gulf countries and Lebanon, the State Department will enforce restrictions on bringing family members, the document added.

The restaffing is set to proceed as the Trump administration threatens new economic sanctions on Iran after talks between Washington and Tehran floundered, suggesting that the United States does not expect an imminent renewal of full-scale conflict, said the report.