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State Department ends "ordered departure" for U.S. mission in Iraq; travel advisory remains at Level 4
Summary
Secretary Rubio announced the State Department has ended the ordered departure status for U.S. mission personnel in Iraq and said temporarily relocated staff will begin a gradual return to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil; the travel advisory for Iraq remains at Level 4 (do not travel).
Secretary Rubio announced that the State Department ended the ordered departure status for U.S. mission personnel in Iraq and said personnel who were temporarily relocated outside the country will begin a gradual return to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil. The statement said the State Department’s travel advisory for Iraq remains at Level 4 — “do not travel.”
The announcement matters because it changes the operational posture of U.S. diplomatic missions in Iraq without lifting the department’s travel warning. “The State Department’s travel advisory for Iraq remains at a level 4, which, of course, translates to do not travel,” Secretary Rubio said, and he added that the department will continue close monitoring of security conditions.
According to the statement, the department and the missions “will continue to closely monitor and assess … the security situation across Iraq and the region.” Secretary Rubio also said, “We remain strongly committed to advancing our policy priorities in Iraq, strengthening Iraq’s sovereignty, advancing U.S. business interests, and engaging with Iraqi leaders and the Iraqi people.”
The change described in the statement applies to personnel assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil. The statement did not specify a timeline for the phased return, the number of staff involved, or whether any positions would remain temporarily relocated. It also did not specify operational changes at the missions beyond the staffing posture.
The action described was an administrative determination by the department; the statement did not list any legal authority beyond the existing travel-advisory framework. The department said it will continue security assessments and did not announce additional policy changes or new travel guidance.
The shift in personnel posture came with an explicit caveat from the department that the travel advisory remains at its highest level. Local or regional security developments could affect the planned returns, the statement said.
