State department

Sanctions against PA officials could prevent traveling to UNSC meeting in September, expert says

International Lawyer and expert on sanctions, Marc Zell, tells TML that the aim is to target Palestinian leaders with terror ties for violating the 2002 peace agreement.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi speaks via video during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, June 20, 2025
 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the West Bank, April 23, 2025

US to sanction Palestinian Authority, PLO members, State Dept. confirms

 Indian security force personnel stand guard on the banks of Dal Lake, following a suspected militant attack near south Kashmir's Pahalgam, in Srinagar April 25, 2025.

State Dept. designates Pakistani group behind April's Pahalgam massacre as terrorists

 Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump and and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) react during a campaign event at Dorton Arena, in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. November 4, 2024.

Trump administration tells US diplomats abroad not to opine on foreign elections


US did not support recent Israeli strikes on Syria, State Dept says

Bruce declined to say whether Washington supports Israel carrying out such military operations when it deems necessary.

 State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce speaks during her first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, US, March 6, 2025.

US, Thailand advance nuclear cooperation as 123 Agreement takes effect

The agreement outlines conditions for the peaceful use of nuclear energy and affirms both countries’ commitment to nuclear nonproliferation.

 A Thai flag is seen in front of the city skyline from the top of Wat Saket Buddhist temple in Bangkok on July 8, 2025.

US State Department to fire over 1,300 employees as Trump admin. aims to shrink federal gov't

As part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal government, at least 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers have had their positions terminated, CNN reported.

 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a media briefing during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 10, 2025.

Rubio impersonator uses AI to contact US gov't officials, attempts to steal information

At least five individuals outside the State Department were targeted, including three foreign ministers, a US governor, and a member of Congress.

 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reacts as he testifies at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on US President Donald Trump's State Department budget request for the Department of State, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, May 20, 2025.

State Department approves $30 million for funding of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

"This support is simply the latest iteration of President Trump's and Secretary Rubio's pursuit of peace in the region," State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.

 A Palestinian man carries aid supplies, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, June 16, 2025; illustrative.

US advises citizens not to travel to Israel, UK encourages citizens to register with embassy

The US told its nonessential embassy staff and family members of embassy workers that they can voluntarily leave when they so choose.

 View of the US Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv, May 7, 2024.

US draws back efforts as mediator in Ukraine-Russia War peace talks

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said that America's methodology for the talks "will change in that we will not be the mediators."

Ukrainian police officers seen in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, Ukraine, April 12, 2025

Syria's foreign minister expected to meet with State Dept. officials in New York

This is the first meeting for the US and Shibani that is taking place on US territory. It comes after Syria's response to conditions set by the US for possible partial sanctions relief.

 Syria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hasan al-Shaibani attends a panel discussion, "New Dawn for Damascus: Prospects for Syria's Transition", during the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, February 15, 2025.

Trump admin. to reorganize State Department, cut redundant programs, Rubio says

“This approach will empower the Department from the ground up, from the bureaus to the embassies,” Rubio said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, April 10, 2025

Marco Rubio sits with Michael Benz, Jewish former Trump official with antisemitic online persona

Speaking to Rubio on Wednesday in a talk released by the State Department, Benz quizzed him on how the department would be changing its approach to free-speech issues under Trump.

 Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to Michael Benz, a Jewish former Trump official with a Hitler-praising online alter ego, in a video posted by the US State Department, April 16, 2025.

US sanctions three Iranian spies over role in FBI agent's 2007 disappearance

The US sanctioned the officials for involvement in the "abduction, detention, and probable death of former FBI Special Agent Robert A. Levinson."

Robert Levinson