The U.S. Department of State notified Congress the week of March 9 of its intent to close the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, claiming it would save $7.5 million a year and have limited impact on the United States' diplomatic influence in Pakistan, AP reported on March 11.

The U.S. Department of State has reportedly been considering the closure of the Peshawar consulate for over a year, at least in part to support the Trump administration's wider effort to downsize the federal government. The decision to close the consulate comes as security conditions around the outpost have severely deteriorated in recent weeks, especially following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. In response to the war, violent anti-U.S. protests targeted other U.S. diplomatic outposts in Pakistan, with demonstrators in Karachi breaching the perimeter of the local U.S. Consulate there.