The US is pulling back its military footprint across the Middle East and ordering diplomats out of Saudi Arabia after a sharp escalation in Houthi attacks.
The United States has begun scaling back its troop presence at military bases across the Middle East and directed non-emergency government personnel and their families to leave American missions in Saudi Arabia, amid warnings of further attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. The move, confirmed Thursday, marks one of the most significant American pullbacks in the region in months and sent global oil prices sharply higher.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a post on X that the department had ordered the departure of "non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only," citing Houthi attacks on civilian targets. He said the "Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions."
US officials told Reuters that family members would also be withdrawn from several other American diplomatic posts across the Gulf region, underscoring how seriously Washington views the current threat level.
Deadly attacks triggered the decision
The order followed a string of attacks on Wednesday inside Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority reported an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam that killed one person and injured eight others. Earlier in the day, Saudi air defenses intercepted a drone targeting a facility at Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield; the energy ministry said two people were killed in that attack.
The US Embassy in Riyadh had issued a security alert earlier this week warning of possible further Houthi strikes following recent deadly attacks, including one at Riyadh's airport.
Iran front also heating up
Separately, Iranian media reported explosions in Sirik, in southern Iran, on Wednesday, saying the nature and origin of the blasts were unknown. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said four vessels involved in what it called illegal oil transfers in the northern Persian Gulf were hit and caught fire after being tracked by its forces on Wednesday. The IRGC added that three more vessels collided with mines west of the Strait of Hormuz, and warned the US military that continued "provocations" could lead to a wider response against its regional bases.
The escalation in Yemen has opened another front in the broader regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli war with Iran that erupted in late February, which has already snarled global energy trade and hit Gulf economies.
Oil prices jump back above $110
Energy markets reacted quickly. Brent crude futures rose $1.93, or 1.77 percent, to $110.75 a barrel on Thursday morning, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.43, or 1.47 percent, to $98.58. Analysts at ING said in a note that "oil prices remain well bid, with ICE Brent back above $110 per barrel this morning following additional deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia."
The US Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday that American crude stocks fell by 3.06 million barrels last week to 412.5 million barrels, a steeper draw than the 820,000 barrels analysts had expected — adding to the upward pressure on prices. (This is factual reporting, not financial advice.)
Diplomatic backdrop
The drawdown comes as Washington and Tehran exchange warnings. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the US is "not negotiating" with Iran and that "something" will happen "fairly soon." Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told the Financial Times that Iran was fully prepared to defend itself, while President Masoud Pezeshkian said the US could not expect dialogue while blockading and threatening Iran.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, and the Kremlin said Putin agreed to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine as soon as next month.
With US personnel heading out of the Gulf and oil prices climbing, the next few days could determine whether the region edges toward a wider confrontation — or back to the negotiating table.
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, The Japan Times, Arab News, Times Now.
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