Ambassadors of The United States - Nations Without Exchange of Ambassadors

Nations Without Exchange of Ambassadors

Bhutan - According to the United States Department of State, "The United States and the Kingdom of Bhutan have not established formal diplomatic relations; however, the two governments have informal and cordial relations." Informal contact with the nation of Bhutan is maintained through the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.

Cuba - Although the island country of Cuba is a close neighbor to the United States, the U.S. interacts with Cuba only via a U.S. Interests office at the Swiss Embassy in Havana and Washington, D.C. The U.S. broke diplomatic relations with Cuba on January 3, 1961.

Iran - On April 7, 1980, the United States broke diplomatic relations with theocratic Iran. On April 24, 1981, the Swiss government assumed representation of U.S. interests in Tehran, and Algeria assumed representation of Iranian interests in the U.S. Currently, Iranian interests in the United States are represented by the government of Pakistan. The U.S. Department of State named Iran a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" on January 19, 1984.

North Korea - The communist dictatorship of North Korea is not on friendly terms with the U.S. and while talks between the two countries are ongoing, there is no exchange of ambassadors.

Taiwan - With the normalization of relations with the People's Republic of China in 1979, the U.S. does not maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Relations between Taiwan and the United States are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington, D.C., and 12 other U.S. cities. The Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan functions as a de facto embassy, performing most consular functions and staffed by U.S. Foreign Service Officers formally "on leave".