U.S. State Department Dismisses Iranian-American Official

WANA (Aug 21) – An Iranian-American official at the U.S. State Department has been dismissed after preparing a draft statement related to the war in Gaza.

Shahed Qureshi, who served as the department’s press officer for Israeli and Palestinian affairs, was removed after raising repeated objections within the department over how the Trump administration’s Gaza policy was being presented.

Qureshi was dismissed on Monday, only days after he drafted a statement asserting that the United States does not support the “forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.”

He said the language he used in the draft aligned with recent remarks by President Donald Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff. However, the State Department rejected his recommended wording.

According to media reports, one of Qureshi’s frequent clashes inside the department was with David Milstein, senior adviser to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

Milstein is known for confronting staff across the State Department in defense of Israeli policies. A department official commented, “Milstein is an adviser to an ambassador, that’s it—but he has his hand in everything.”

Reports indicate that Qureshi’s dismissal followed a complaint from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. He had been responsible for drafting Trump administration speeches on U.S. policy toward Israel and Gaza.

Gaza Crisis. Social media/ WANA News Agency