Washington announces the return of its diplomats to Iraq after tensions with Iran eased.
Washington announces the return of its diplomats to Iraq after tensions with Iran eased.
2025-07-18
The United States has announced that it will allow its diplomats to return to Iraq, nearly a month after ordering them to leave as a precautionary measure following US strikes on Iran. While the State Department did not provide a direct explanation for this decision, shifts in diplomatic staff numbers often reflect US assessments of a reduced threat level or the potential for military escalation. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters that “staff who were temporarily relocated out of Iraq will begin gradually returning to the US Embassy in Baghdad and the Consulate” in Erbil, located in the northern Kurdistan region of the country.
Bruce added that the State Department continues to advise American citizens against travel to Iraq.
On June 22, Washington ordered its employees to leave Iraq after former US President Donald Trump ordered strikes on nuclear sites inside Iran, as part of a military campaign led by Israel.
Tehran then responded by launching missiles towards a major US base located in Qatar.
This move to ease travel restrictions comes despite a series of drone attacks targeting oil fields in the Kurdistan Region.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which came amid a dispute between Kurdish authorities and the central government in Baghdad over oil revenues, a dispute that was resolved on Thursday.
The State Department spokeswoman condemned the attacks, saying they “threaten Iraq’s stability and economic future,” stressing that “the Iraqi government bears the responsibility to protect its territory and all its citizens.”
burathanews.com
