U.S. will permanently close consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, its closest mission to Afghanistan

The U.S. permanently closes its Peshawar consulate, shifting operations to Islamabad while saving $7.5 million annually.

The State Department will permanently close the U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, which has been America's closest diplomatic mission to the Afghan border and was a primary operations and logistics point before, during and after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.

The department notified Congress this week of its intent to close the consulate and said it would save $7.5 million per year, while not adversely affecting its ability to advance U.S. national interests in Pakistan, according to a copy of the notification obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday (March 11, 2026).

The move has been under consideration for more than a year since the Trump administration began downsizing nearly all federal agencies and is not related to the Iran war, which has sparked protests in various Pakistani cities, including Karachi and Peshawar, where the U.S. consulates temporarily suspended operations.

The administration's cuts to the State Department last year included the dismissal of several thousand diplomatic personnel and the near wholesale firing of staffers with the U.S. Agency for International Development, which it entirely dismantled.

The Peshawar consulate, however, is the first overseas diplomatic mission to be closed down entirely because of the State Department's reorganisation.

The Peshawar consulate employs 18 American diplomats and other government personnel and 89 local staff, according to the notice, which is dated Tuesday (March 10) and said the department would spend $3 million to close it down. More than half of that amount, $1.8 million, would pay for the relocation of armoured trailers that had served as temporary office space, it said.