US diplomats gradually return to Middle East embassies
Tehran - BORNA - According to AP, the US State Department began easing staffing restrictions and some rules governing diplomatic personnel at its embassies in the region this week, although most missions have yet to return to the staffing and operational levels they maintained before the war against Iran.
The report said the changes do not necessarily signal a shift in Washington’s hostile policy toward Iran, which has moved from direct military confrontation toward intensified economic pressure.
AP said the decision largely reflects administrative and human-resources considerations, including rules limiting how long diplomats and their families may remain away from their assigned posts while continuing to receive housing and other benefits.
US embassies in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain on Friday authorized the return of diplomats’ family members, according to the report. In Bahrain and Kuwait, however, the authorization applies only to family members over the age of 18.
The return of family members of US government personnel in the Israeli-occupied territories had previously been authorized, as had the return of dependents over the age of 21 in Lebanon.
AP noted that the diplomatic missions had been placed under either “ordered departure” or “authorized departure” status in March as Iran began retaliatory measures against US and Israeli interests.
Under ordered departure, all nonessential personnel and their family members are required to leave the host country, while authorized departure allows nonessential employees and their families to leave voluntarily.
With the legal time limits on those arrangements approaching expiration, and their continuation potentially affecting housing and other benefits, the State Department has introduced a new status known as “limited operations,” the report said.
Under the new arrangement, embassies will be able to gradually resume normal activity, while each mission will separately determine staffing levels, the presence of family members and the payment of salaries and benefits.
AP added that US diplomats and their families in five other countries in the region had also been required to leave their posts during the early stages of the war, and changes in the status of some of those missions are expected to be announced soon.
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