The US State Department has named William Grant as Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim of the US Embassy in Doha, Qatar, said a statement on the Embassy website.

In this capacity, Grant will represent the US government and lead the embassy in its diplomatic engagement with Qatar until the appointment and arrival of a new ambassador.

USA’s Ambassador to Qatar Dana Shell Smith had stepped down from her post last month after serving for almost three years. 

Although not directly leading to her stepping down, Shell Smith had been in the eye of the storm for posting tweets about ‘increasingly difficult’ news from home. 

Grant, who is a senior career US diplomat with extensive experience in the region, arrives in Doha having spent an academic year as a visiting professor of national security at the National Defense University in Washington.

From 2013 to 2016, Grant was Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Israel, the second highest ranking official at the embassy, reported Qatar Tribune. 

He helped manage the US-Israel relationship during a period that included terrorism concerns in Syria and Egypt, agreement on a nuclear accord with Iran and negotiations on Israeli-Palestinian peace.

He served two tours in Iraq, most recently as the Consul General at the US Consulate General in Basrah, Iraq, one of largest consulates in the world with more than 1,000 employees and contract personnel.

He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Lebanon from 2007 to ’09, a time of tension with Syrian-backed forces.  He also was Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in the Republic of Malta from 2004 to ’07.

He has also served in Italy, Argentina, Poland, and Washington, and has worked extensively on economic affairs.  He holds a degree in sociology and joined the Foreign Service in 1984.