State Department Mishandled Suspension of Iran Envoy, Says Watchdog

Malley was able to access sensitive but unclassified information despite State Department employees not being allowed this access when suspended.

Robert Malley, then U.S. special envoy for Iran, testifies during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 25, 2022. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

The State Department mishandled its suspension of Special Envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, according to a report released by the department’s inspector general on Sept. 18.

The department generally followed protocol, as Malley was placed on leave last year, but sidestepped it in how it delivered the suspension news to Malley, according to the report. This delay allowed Malley to partake in an April 21, 2023, classified conference call with White House officials despite the suspension being enacted, though he had not yet been notified of it.