Is the war with Iran behind us? The US is returning power to the Middle East

The US is preparing to return diplomats to embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated during the war with Iran, a move that signals in Washington that the chance of a renewed wide-scale conflict has diminished. The return of foreign service personnel could begin as early as this week, and includes missions in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq, and Kuwait.

The US is preparing to return diplomats to embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated during the war with Iran, a move that signals in Washington that the chance of a renewed wide-scale conflict has diminished. According to a document obtained by news agencies, the return of foreign service personnel and the reduction of emergency measures taken at embassies in the region could begin as early as this week. Three American officials confirmed the move but requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The embassies expected to return to higher activity levels include missions in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq, and Kuwait. The move comes after at the start of the conflict, near the beginning of American and Israeli strikes against Iran, non-essential embassy staff in Jerusalem and their families were given the option to leave Israel with government funding. Subsequently, the Americans ordered the evacuation of additional missions across the region, after Iran and its regional allies attacked American diplomatic targets in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and other countries using drones and missiles. Dan Shapiro, former US ambassador to Israel, said the return of staff to partially evacuated missions indicates that the administration assesses the war is weakening.