Matthew H. Tueller


Matthew H. Tueller is an American diplomat who currently serves as the United States Ambassador to Iraq. He is a career foreign service officer. He first achieved the rank of ambassador under the presidency of Barack Obama. He has served as the United States Ambassador to Kuwait, Yemen, and Iraq.

Career

Early career

Matthew H. Tueller, of the state of Utah, is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and his other overseas assignments have included Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy Cairo; Political Minister Counselor at Embassy Baghdad; Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy Kuwait; Political Counselor at Embassy Riyadh; Chief of the U.S. Office in Aden, Yemen; Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy Doha; Political Officer at Embassy London; and Political Officer and Consular Officer at Embassy Amman. His Washington assignments have included Deputy Director in the Office of Northern Gulf Affairs and Egypt Desk Officer.

Ambassador To Kuwait

Matthew H. Tueller arrived in Kuwait on September 23, 2011. He was nominated as the U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait by President Barack Obama on May 4, 2011. His nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 30, 2011, and he was sworn in by Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns on September 8.

Ambassador To Yemen

Tueller was the United States Ambassador to Yemen from 2014 to 2019.
He has been involved in negotiations between Yemen's Houthi forces and partners of the Saudi-led coalition during the course of the present civil war. His impartiality has been questioned by both Houthi negotiators and others within the State Department, leading to criticism over the United States' role in the prolonged state of the conflict and the resulting humanitarian crisis.

Ambassador To Iraq

On November 7, 2018, the White House announced the president’s intent to nominate Ambassador Matthew H. Tueller to be the next United States Ambassador to Iraq. On May 16, 2019, the United States Senate confirmed the nomination of Matthew Tueller to be United States Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq.

Personal life

Tueller is married to DeNeece Gurney and has five children. Tueller holds a B.A. from Brigham Young University and a M.P.P. from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having served a two year mission in Spain. His father, Blaine Carlson Tueller, was a Foreign Service officer and as a result Tueller grew up in Europe, North Africa, and Latin America, including four years in Tangier, Morocco where he learned Arabic.