Washington pulls diplomats and Aramco evacuates Dhahran HQ amid escalating strikes

Non-essential US diplomats and their families have been ordered to leave Saudi Arabia for safety and security reasons, US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said on Wednesday. The decision comes as “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,” Pigott said.

The official line is that the move is Saudi-specific, with Pigott denying that the order extends to diplomats across the Gulf, following reports from AFP and Reuters that the State Department plans to pull US embassy staff and their families in the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain.

Aramco also ordered an immediate evacuation of its Dhahran headquarters yesterday, telling remaining essential staff to work from home until further notice, three sources told AFP. Most employees had already gone remote after an attack on the HQ complex last week, leaving only essential personnel on site. Aramco has not commented publicly, and there is no indication of how long the arrangement will last or whether operations are affected. It is the first full evacuation of the company's headquarters since the war began.

The attack that preceded it was the first fatal strike on a Saudi oil field. A drone intercepted over Aramco’s Shaybah field in the Eastern Province on Wednesday killed two contractors and injured two others. The Energy Ministry said there was no impact on operations at the field. The Houthis have since claimed attacks on the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

Turkey is moving toward boots in the Kingdom. Ankara submitted the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement to parliament for ratification this week and is preparing a mandate to deploy military personnel to Saudi Arabia once the bill passes, a ruling AK Party lawmaker told Reuters — a notable shift from Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's line two weeks ago ruling out offensive deployments.

Iran is now threatening US bases directly… The IRGC Navy said it struck seven vessels in the northern Gulf overnight Thursday and blamed the growing US naval escorts running ships through Hormuz. “The US military must know that if this trend continues, the conflict will extend to its bases in the region,” the IRGC said. The claim follows a run of attacks that has already sunk two container ships this month, and US Central Command continues to insist it controls the strait.

… And is simultaneously asking for a way out. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an op-ed for the Financial Times that Tehran would give diplomacy another chance if Washington lifts the naval blockade and returns to June’s Islamabad MoU — releasing frozen oil funds and easing sanctions in exchange for reopening Hormuz. President Masoud Pezeshkian was blunter, saying, “Our nation today does not trust the United States and believes that if we negotiate, they will attack us again.”