US Weighs Returning Diplomats to Middle East in Sign of Easing Iran Tensions

The US is weighing the return of some diplomatic personnel to the Middle East after withdrawing them during the US-Iran war, a sign the Trump administration sees a lower risk of a renewed broad military conflict.

Bloomingbit, a digital-asset news outlet, reported on Aug. 25, citing the New York Times, that the State Department plans to begin sending some evacuated personnel back to diplomatic posts in the region as soon as this week.

The US plans to increase staffing at missions in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait. Some embassies aim to restore staffing to normal levels. Restrictions on the return of diplomats' families will remain in place, indicating security risks have not fallen back to prewar levels.

Mediation to restart negotiations between Washington and Tehran is also continuing. Qatar's Foreign Ministry said Qatar and Pakistan are pushing to resume talks between the two sides and are in contact with the relevant parties almost every day. It called diplomacy the "only way out" of the current crisis.

Pakistan's military leadership also recently visited Tehran, where it discussed with senior Iranian officials ways to prevent further escalation, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war. Qatar has urged Iran to restore freedom of navigation through the strait and said it would not reach a separate agreement with Tehran to guarantee energy shipments.