WASHINGTON — Updated March 22, 2026, 11: 20 AM ET — The department of state is confronting widening operational gaps as the war tied to Iran escalates and demands surge across diplomacy, crisis coordination, and regional engagement. The strain is hitting hardest in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, which would normally sit at the center of U. S. policy across an 18-country region now marked by drone and missile strikes. At the same time, former officials describe recent staffing cuts and a reorganization that removed or sidelined key energy expertise just as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have intensified pressure on global oil markets.
Middle East bureau stretched as the conflict expands
In the escalating war in Iran, the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs would ordinarily be at the center of the geopolitical fray, typically led by a veteran diplomat coordinating U. S. foreign policy across a region that has become a chaotic battlefield.
The widening war tied to Iran is exposing gaps inside the State Department, with the bureau that handles the Middle East under particular pressure as U. S. and Israel remain locked in conflict with Iran. The growing demands on diplomacy, messaging, and intergovernmental coordination are colliding with what the context describes as “big gaps” inside the institution.
Staff cuts and reorganizations leave missing energy expertise
Months before President Donald Trump launched strikes on Iran, the administration carried out Department of Government Efficiency cuts that eliminated key energy expertise from the State Department, former. In July 2025, under a reduction-in-force initiative, the department led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid off staff responsible for modeling worst-case scenarios tied to oil markets, including disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Former assistant secretary of state for energy resources Geoffrey Pyatt said the loss of experience is now acute: “I’m sure Secretary Rubio wishes he had that expertise available today. ” Pyatt added, “Most of that institutional knowledge was lost with the elimination of the bureau and RIFs last fall. ”
Former officials also described the removal of specialists with ties to Middle Eastern energy firms, diplomats managing relationships with foreign energy ministries, and the bureau’s sole tracker of sanctioned oil tankers. One former staffer said, “Before any of this should have happened, there should have been discussion about what are the implications of this, and what happens when the Strait of Hormuz turns off. ” Another former official described a breakdown in continuity: “There was never any handover or transition. There was no formal handover of contacts or anything like that. We were all just let go. ”
A Department of State spokesperson called the changes a “results-driven reorganization, ” and said the Bureau of Energy Resources’ “critical capabilities were moved back to their original bureau, ” the Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs (EEB).
Immediate reactions as the Strait of Hormuz disruption bites
The conflict has stretched into its third week, and former a scenario once modeled internally has now unfolded: the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, with consequences coming into focus.
President Donald Trump acknowledged that Iran’s retaliatory strikes extended beyond initial expectations. “They weren’t supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East… Nobody expected that, ” Trump said, referencing attacks on Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
On the energy response, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said 172 million barrels would be released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as supplies tightened. The administration has also floated the idea of using U. S. forces to guide tankers through the strait, despite repeated battering by Iranian strikes.
Quick context: why expertise matters now
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs is designed to coordinate U. S. foreign policy across a wide Middle East footprint, a mission that becomes more complex as conflicts widen and regional actors are drawn in. Energy-market modeling and diplomatic liaison work become crucial when a major chokepoint like the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.
What’s next as the department of state tries to close the gaps
In the days ahead, attention will focus on whether the department of state can reassemble functional points of contact for oil and gas companies and foreign energy ministries while sustaining near-constant crisis coordination on the diplomatic track. With the conflict still expanding and the Strait of Hormuz disruption unresolved, the next tests will be whether reorganized teams can restore continuity, rebuild institutional knowledge, and operate at the tempo this moment demands.
