US Cuts Diplomatic Staff in Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and UAE

A US State Department official said on Friday that staffing is being reduced at US diplomatic missions in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan. The official spoke to MBN, according to Alhurra, and said there are currently no changes affecting US government personnel in Kuwait or Bahrain. The outlets differ on the number of countries affected. zalebs.com reported that staffing was cut in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, while Banglanews24 headlined its report on staff cuts at four Middle East embassies.

The Asia Business Daily (아시아경제) also reported four countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the UAE. It said the United States had previously ordered nonessential diplomatic personnel and their families at its embassy in Saudi Arabia to leave. It added that the reductions in the four countries are not mandatory evacuations and that the embassies will remain operational. Alhurra, citing a report by Axios, said an Oct. 23 memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio from Jay Clayton, the director of National Intelligence, stated that Iran "has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel." The memo also states: "The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," Alhurra reported. zalebs.com said the Pentagon has sent the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group to the Middle East, where they join the USS George Washington and USS George H.W. Bush. zalebs.com also reported that the Russian Embassy in Tehran said on Saturday that reports of an evacuation of Russian personnel from Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant were incorrect, and that work there was continuing normally.

How we got here

• February 28, 2026: The Asia Business Daily reported that the United States and Israel attacked Iran on this date, launching the military operation named "Epic Fury."
• October 21: Alhurra reported that the State Department updated a security alert warning Americans to use "extreme caution" when using airports in Saudi Arabia. Alhurra said Iranian-aligned Houthis in neighboring Yemen have targeted airports and other critical infrastructure there.
• October 21: The Asia Business Daily reported that The New York Times said the United States and Israel were considering a short, intensive attack on Iran after the US midterm elections on November 3.
• October 23: Speaking at a midterm election rally in Fort Myers, Florida, President Donald Trump said, "We may do another little 'Epic Fury' operation," according to The Asia Business Daily. Alhurra reported that he hinted at new military operations without giving further details.
• October 23: The Asia Business Daily reported that the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh. It also reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed two supertankers had struck mines in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz.
• October 23: The Asia Business Daily reported that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Türkiye, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy met in Istanbul and called for a diplomatic solution.

zalebs.com reported that Trump declined over the weekend to discuss the intelligence findings in detail. "They are bad people, very bad leadership. They killed 75,000 protesters," he said, according to the outlet. Alhurra quoted the State Department official as saying the department has consistently issued broad warnings to US citizens in the region that ongoing conflicts could spread.