US Appoints Veteran Diplomat Robert Silverman as Acting Envoy in Cairo

The United States has recalled veteran diplomat Robert Silverman to the diplomatic corps to serve as Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, according to a statement issued by the embassy.

Silverman’s appointment, made in February, places him at the head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Egypt at a time of heightened regional tensions, as the United States and Israel continue military strikes against Iran.

The move follows the recall of former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Herro Mustafa Garg in December, part of a broader reshuffle by the Trump administration that ended the overseas assignments of around 30 senior diplomats, many of whom had been appointed during the Biden administration.

Whether Silverman will emerge as a key political representative for the Trump administration in Cairo remains uncertain. On paper, his appointment appears rooted more in his extensive diplomatic and policy experience than in political loyalty, unlike some other diplomatic appointments made by the current administration.

Silverman speaks Arabic, Hebrew, and Turkish and has built a 27-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service. During that time, he held senior positions at American diplomatic missions in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, and several other countries.

After leaving the diplomatic service, Silverman co-founded the Jewish–Islamic Alliance, served as editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, and taught university courses on U.S. foreign policy at a college in Israel.