The clearing of overgrowth and the raising of Syria’s flag in Kalorama highlighted dozens of diplomatic properties in Washington that have been left neglected after abrupt ruptures in international relations. Compounds once used by Afghanistan, Russia and Iran now range from lightly overgrown to partly condemned. The State Department’s Office of Foreign Missions oversees many of these sites, but legal disputes and practical upkeep challenges complicate their futures. These abandoned missions underscore the lasting, physical costs of diplomatic breakdowns.
Abandoned Embassies of Kalorama: How Diplomatic Ruptures Left Washington Properties to Decay
The clearing of overgrowth and the raising of Syria’s flag in Kalorama highlighted dozens of diplomatic properties in Washington that have been left neglected after abrupt ruptures in international relations. Compounds once used by Afghanistan, Russia and Iran now range from lightly overgrown to partly condemned. The State Department’s Office of Foreign Missions oversees many of these sites, but legal disputes and practical upkeep challenges complicate their futures. These abandoned missions underscore the lasting, physical costs of diplomatic breakdowns.
01:35 PM, 11/21/2025Politics
In Washington’s Kalorama neighborhood, a recent clearing of overgrown vegetation and the raising of Syria’s flag drew attention to a quieter consequence of international conflict: dozens of diplomatic properties that sit neglected after abrupt breaks in relations.
Some compounds show only cosmetic neglect — mailboxes piled with yellowing newspapers or hedges trimmed by concerned neighbors — while others are in visible disrepair, with utility notices on doors and weeds reclaiming parking lots. These buildings are reminders that diplomatic ties, once severed, often leave real estate and responsibilities in limbo.
From Afghanistan to Syria
The Afghan mission in Kalorama closed months after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021; by March 2022 then-deputy ambassador Abdul Hadi Nejrabi formally handed the keys back to the U.S. government after his government effectively ceased to exist. Postal worker Trina Thompson, who has delivered in the neighborhood for 25 years, said she remembers the compound being active one day and empty the next.
The Syrian mission was shuttered in 2014 amid the country’s civil war. While there have been recent diplomatic moves that could allow embassies to resume operations, former Syrian diplomat Bassam Barabandi — who left his post in 2013 — says parts of the compound were already partially condemned when he departed, and restoring the property could take years.
Russian and Iranian Properties
Other properties reflect tit-for-tat diplomatic reprisals. Several sites tied to Russia — including consulates on the U.S. West Coast and a large Maryland compound — were closed during a series of retaliatory measures after allegations of interference in U.S. elections. The Russian government has protested those closures, calling restrictions on access a violation of international norms.
Meanwhile, Iran’s former embassy in Kalorama has been vacant since 1980. Once a venue for grand diplomatic receptions, the blue-domed building remains closed as bilateral tensions persist.
Who Looks After These Sites?
The State Department’s Office of Foreign Missions is responsible for overseeing foreign diplomatic properties in the United States when normal bilateral relations are suspended. Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, states are expected to respect and protect the premises of missions whose relations are severed — but in practice, maintenance and security can be uneven, and legal disputes about access and ownership often complicate matters.
According to State Department records, roughly 29 properties are currently on the roster for such oversight, associated with countries including Afghanistan, Venezuela, Iran, China and Russia. The fate of these properties — whether restored, repurposed, or left to deteriorate — is tied to complex diplomatic negotiations and the practical realities of property upkeep.
Bottom line: The quiet streets of Kalorama tell a larger story about how sudden changes in global politics leave behind tangible, long-lasting impacts on the ground in the capitals where diplomacy is enacted.