U.S. Pulls Diplomats From Saudi Arabia as Iran Strike Plans Reportedly Advance

The State Department has directed non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia, a move spokesman Tommy Pigott announced on X and tied to mounting attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on civilian targets. Pigott said the order covers only Saudi Arabia. Reuters reported that Washington also intends to pull family members from other regional missions.

The departure order follows a deadly week for Saudi infrastructure. A strike Wednesday on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed at least one person and wounded eight, while the Saudi Press Agency reported that two people died in a drone attack on Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oil field, adding that operations there were unaffected.

According to The New York Times, citing unnamed U.S. officials, American and Israeli militaries have drawn up specific plans for a renewed campaign against Iran once next month's midterm elections are over, describing a potential operation as short but intensive. The Times said likely targets include Iranian energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone stockpiles, and that President Donald Trump has not signed off after repeatedly blocking a return to major combat this year.

The reporting said the two militaries have increased exercises in recent days, including flights over Iraq to rehearse strike maneuvers, and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel this week to discuss possible new strikes. The activity comes as the war approaches its eighth month and negotiators from Washington and Tehran continue talks covering Iran's nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian officials have threatened to broaden their attacks to data centers and undersea internet cables while refusing concessions on the nuclear file. Oil markets have taken notice: Brent crude topped $110 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate rose 1% to $98.12, with Kpler noting Middle East flows through Hormuz have returned to near pre-war levels.

Kpler senior crude analyst Muyu Xu said China's import demand looks set to keep recovering on higher refinery throughput and shrinking stockpiles, which fell at a record 1.6 million barrels a day in September. China still holds about 1.1 billion barrels in reserve, roughly 80 days of refinery needs, and with nearly all Iranian cargoes outside the U.S. blockade already discharged, large new arrivals appear unlikely, Xu said.