US quietly reduces diplomatic staffing across the Middle East amid fears of wider war

Image of Tommy Pigott & Marco Rubio- Collected

The United States is moving diplomats and their families out of several Middle Eastern diplomatic posts amid growing fears of a broader regional conflict, with some families facing uncertainty over financial assistance and relocation arrangements, according to CNN.

In a memo sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said intelligence agencies had received information indicating that Iran had significantly intensified efforts to target US personnel.

Many of the families had only recently returned after being evacuated during the Iran war earlier this year. US foreign service officers have described the latest departures as chaotic, while their union says some families have been asked to leave without clear information about financial support.

On Wednesday, October 21, the US State Department ordered non-emergency personnel at the US Embassy in Riyadh and its consulates to leave Saudi Arabia following a series of deadly attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the order applied to personnel and their families in Saudi Arabia only.

Pigott said the Houthis had increased hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure. On the same day, a drone was shot down over Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield, and falling debris killed two people, according to reports.

CNN, citing sources, reported that the State Department had also been quietly adjusting staffing at US diplomatic missions in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. The department has not publicly announced these moves, and says the posts remain under restricted operations.

Pigott described an earlier Reuters report about departures across the Gulf as inaccurate. However, the State Department told the Associated Press that other Gulf embassies would also implement temporary staffing changes.

The moves have raised concerns among diplomatic families about the lack of clear relocation arrangements. One US diplomat told CNN that the support offered so far was insufficient to cover the cost of moving an entire family. Other personnel reportedly learned about the changes through news reports rather than direct communication from their missions.

In a statement on Thursday, the American Foreign Service Association said some families who had recently returned to their posts and re-enrolled their children in school were being told to prepare to leave again.

AFSA spokesperson Nikki Gamer said families outside Saudi Arabia had been instructed to depart without confirmed housing assistance or daily allowances because their diplomatic posts had not formally changed status.

The staffing reductions come as President Donald Trump has suggested he could resume strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections, CNN reported.

Washington had returned some personnel to the region in recent months after withdrawing staff following Iranian attacks on US facilities when the US-Israeli war against Iran began in late February, Reuters reported via the Daily Mirror.

Gamer said diplomatic families should receive clear information about housing costs before being required to leave their posts.