As the war in Iran intensifies, the US State Department’s capacity to manage the crisis has been weakened by staffing cuts and leadership changes within its key Middle East bureau, according to current and former officials.
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs — typically central to coordinating US foreign policy across an 18-country region — is now operating with significantly reduced resources, even as tensions escalate across a region increasingly affected by drone and missile strikes linked to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
The bureau, usually led by a seasoned diplomat, was for a period headed by Mora Namdar, a lawyer of Iranian descent with limited management experience. She was later reassigned. Her predecessor, confirmed by the Senate, was a veteran Middle East expert who had served in the State Department since 1984 and was formerly the US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
The Trump administration had proposed a 40% budget cut for the bureau, though Congress ultimately approved smaller reductions. It also eliminated the dedicated Iran office, merging it with the Iraq office as part of broader restructuring.
Officials say these personnel and management decisions — alongside President Donald Trump’s broader efforts to reduce the size of government and centralise decision-making — have limited the US government’s ability to respond effectively to a major international crisis.
Interviews with more than a dozen current and former US officials indicate that many experienced diplomats with decades of expertise in Middle East affairs have been dismissed, retired or reassigned. In their place, more junior officials and political appointees have taken on key roles.
More than 80 staff members in the Near Eastern Affairs bureau were cut, according to figures compiled by a State Department employee who was dismissed last year based on internal surveys. The State Department does not publicly release official staffing figures but has not disputed the estimate.
The changes come at a time when diplomatic coordination and regional expertise are seen as critical to managing the rapidly evolving Iran conflict.