CNN reports that the State Department is preparing U.S. embassies across the Middle East to operate with sharply reduced staffing for an extended period as the war with Iran approaches six months, with no clear timeline for diplomats and their families to return.
Posts that cannot resume normal operations after 180 days are expected to shift to “restricted operations,” limiting staffing and likely preventing children and most spouses from returning. Officials are also increasingly allowing displaced personnel to cut their assignments short.
