The U.S. State Department will permanently close its consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, which has been America's closest diplomatic mission to the Afghan border and served as a primary operations and logistics hub before, during, and after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. The department notified Congress this week of its intention to close the consulate, stating that it would save $7.5 million per year without negatively impacting its ability to advance U.S. national interests in Pakistan.
This move has been under consideration for over a year since the Trump administration began downsizing nearly all federal agencies, and it is not related to the Iran war, which has sparked protests in various Pakistani cities, including Karachi and Peshawar, where U.S. consulates temporarily suspended operations. However, the Peshawar consulate is the first overseas diplomatic mission to be completely closed down due to the State Department's reorganization.