The United States (US) has announced plans to permanently close its consulate in Peshawar, according to a report by The Independent. The consulate is the US’ closest diplomatic mission to the Afghan border and served as a primary operations and logistics hub during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.

The US State Department informed Congress of its intention to close the consulate, stating that the move would save $7.5 million annually without affecting US national interests in Pakistan. 

“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,” the report said.

The joint US-Israeli war against Iran, which began on February 28, led to protests in multiple cities. Following an incident in Karachi that resulted in 11 deaths, the US Consulate in Karachi temporarily suspended operations.

According to the notification, the State Department will spend $3 million on closing the Peshawar consulate. More than half of this amount will cover the relocation of armoured trailers that had served as temporary office space, while the rest will go toward moving equipment, furniture, and the consulate’s motor pool fleet to the US Embassy in Islamabad and the consulates in Karachi and Lahore.

The Independent noted that the consulate had been a key point for overland travel into Afghanistan and a contact location for American citizens in northwestern Pakistan, as well as Afghan nationals seeking US assistance. 

The notification also stated that consular services would be handled by the embassy in Islamabad, roughly 184 kilometres from Peshawar.

“The closure would not adversely affect the mission’s ability to advance core US national interests, assist US citizens, or to conduct adequate oversight of foreign assistance programs because all of those functions would continue to be performed by US Embassy Islamabad,” the report said.

Earlier this month, the US State Department had ordered non-emergency personnel and their families to leave consulates in Karachi and Lahore due to security concerns following the protests. The consulate in Peshawar had temporarily suspended operations in line with the advisory.