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Al Jazeera: Workers clear out of Russian consulate in San Francisco

Published Sept. 2, 2017 at 9:24 am

Black smoke billows from a chimney on top of the Russian consulate on Sept. 1, in San Francisco, California. In response to a Russian government demand for the United States to cut its diplomatic staff in Russia by 455, the Trump administration ordered the closure of three consular offices in the San Francisco, New York and Washington.

Photo by AFP

Workers were seen hurrying to shut Russia’s consulate in San Francisco ahead of a Saturday deadline imposed by Washington, a day after black smoke rose from a chimney at the building.

Russia had been told on Thursday to close its San Francisco consulate, and annexes in New York and Washington, amid escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow.