President Donald Trump relies heavily on special envoys while ambassadorial posts across the Middle East sit vacant amid the Iran war, leaving foreign governments struggling to communicate with Washington and sparking deep concern among former diplomats and congressional leaders.
Vacant Posts and the Reliance on Special Envoys
As the conflict with Iran ensnares a dozen Middle Eastern countries that have normalized relations with the United States, half of those nations lack a Senate-confirmed U.S. ambassador. Only Egypt currently features an active nominee among close regional partners that host critical military assets, face the threat of Iranian attack, and play central roles in negotiations.
Oman and Bahrain stand as the sole Gulf states with serving ambassadors, though both hold over from the previous administration. Nearly 19 months into his second term, the president has left top diplomatic slots vacant in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq. During this span, the administration submitted just one nominee to those countries, and that pick for Kuwait failed in the Senate.
Instead of traditional ambassadors, the administration channels its diplomatic efforts through direct dialogue with regional leaders, Cabinet members, and special envoys. This small circle includes the president’s longtime friend Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Diplomatic Fallout and Staffing Limbo in the Gulf
Former diplomats warn that centralizing communication among a handful of senior officials creates severe bottlenecks. Barbara Leaf, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates during the Obama and first Trump administrations, described the widespread confusion felt by officials in allied capitals.
“If you take the countries most affected by the war, I’ve heard this repeatedly from officials in all those governments: None of them have ever been confronted with a situation where there were so few people to reach in, both in Washington and certainly in the field, who could tell them what’s going on or through whom they might convey their concerns.”
Barbara Leaf, former U.S. ambassador to the UAE
The diplomatic strain extends beyond high-level policy talks into day-to-day consular operations. Soon after the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran and Tehran retaliated against regional interests, the State Department evacuated hundreds of diplomats from embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other locations.
With housing allowances for evacuated personnel expiring, the State Department is moving Gulf embassies into a restricted operations
category designed for extended uncertainty. Retired career diplomat John Bass, who formerly served as undersecretary of state for management, noted that many families left with a few suitcases and cannot return due to skeletal staffing caps.
“Many of these families left with a few suitcases. And most of their life is still, you know, sort of behind a locked door in one of these Gulf capitals.”
John Bass, former undersecretary of state for management
Friction Between Executive Diplomacy and State Department Operations
The reliance on outside envoys rather than Senate-confirmed ambassadors has triggered pushback from lawmakers and former foreign service officers alike. Joey Hood, a former ambassador to Tunisia who travels extensively through Gulf countries, argued that the current model leaves Washington increasingly blind to ground-level dynamics.
State Department officials maintain that the diplomatic framework remains fully empowered. A spokesperson asserted that sustained engagement from the highest levels of the administration has strengthened regional alliances despite the empty posts.
Yet congressional critics on the Foreign Relations Committee remain skeptical. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., stated that the absence of confirmed envoys has made diplomacy much more difficult during an active war, while Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., echoed frustrations over the missing leadership.
Even within the administration, officials acknowledge the staffing friction. When pressed by Democratic senators, Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted a preference for more confirmations, stating plainly that he would like to have more ambassadors in place.
