American diplomats and some of their family members are gradually returning to U.S. embassies in the Middle East, as the State Department begins to lift staffing and other restrictions that were put in place early in the conflict with Iran. While most embassies will not immediately return to full staffing levels, the changes began this week.
The adjustments are primarily driven by human resources policies that limit the duration diplomats can serve abroad while maintaining pay and benefits for themselves and their families. The shift does not necessarily signal a change in the U.S. policy toward Iran, which has largely focused on economic sanctions rather than military action.
On Friday, the six-month mark of the conflict, embassies in Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain announced that family members would be permitted to return. In Bahrain and Kuwait, this return is limited to individuals over the age of 18.
Earlier in the week, family members of U.S. government employees in Israel were cleared to return. Additionally, family members over 21 accompanying U.S. government employees in Lebanon were also given approval to return.
These embassies had been placed under "ordered departure" or "authorized departure" status in March. This followed retaliatory actions by Iran against U.S. interests, including embassies and military facilities, which created instability in the region. "Ordered departure" mandates the evacuation of all non-essential personnel and their families, while "authorized departure" allows non-essential staff and their families to leave voluntarily.
Regulations governing these statuses meant that the six-month period was nearing its expiration. Without changes, affected diplomats and their families would have begun losing housing and other benefits, causing significant hardship.
To address this, the State Department established a new designation called "restricted operations." This status is intended to enable embassies to resume normal functions. Each embassy affected will individually assess and determine appropriate staffing levels, the presence of family members, and associated pay and benefits on a case-by-case basis.
Diplomats and their families had been ordered to depart from embassies in five other countries in the region at the start of the conflict, and similar adjustments to their status are expected there soon.
A State Department spokesperson stated, "We remain committed to supporting our workforce and their families throughout this process and will provide updates through appropriate channels as decisions are made."