US troops and diplomats evacuated from Middle East as Trump 'considers major strikes'

US troops have been evacuated from bases in the Middle East as reports suggest Trump is planning major strikes on Iran. The State Department is also reducing its staff at diplomatic posts across the region, including in Saudi Arabia where Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to launch attacks. A US official and two people familiar with the orders told NBC News that troops stationed at bases in Jordan , Qatar and Kuwait have been ordered to move in recent days.

Sources claimed the move is part of the military's planning as Trump considers restarting major combat operations in Iran – potentially before next month's midterm elections. The 21,000lb 'Mother of all Bombs' is among the weapons being considered for potential strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure, according to reports. One US official said the administration believes further military strikes could push Iran towards negotiating the end of the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The State Department has also placed the US Embassy in Riyadh under "ordered departure," meaning only emergency personnel will remain on site. Announcing the decision on X on Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the Houthis had stepped up attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian airports and crucial infrastructure that had caused casualties and severe disruption. He added: "The safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and support them."

It comes after the Houthis fired missiles at the presidential palace in Yemen last week, killing four and wounding 10. In the days before, several attacks were carried out on Riyadh's King Khalid international airport in Saudi. Seventeen people were killed and 300 more were injured. Saudi Arabia has been a target of the Houthis due to its support for Yemen's government forces in the country's civil war. Conflict reignited in July after a 2022 truce collapsed following the outbreak of the US-Iran war in earlier this year.

The US and Israel carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites in February. Iran retaliated by attacking US allies across the region, closing the Strait of Hormuz waterway and choking the global supply route. The Houthis used the conflict as an opportunity to seize stretches of the Red Sea coast last month, an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz, ramping up fighting with Saudi Arabia. Washington returned some personnel to the region after some were removed when Tehran launched retaliatory attacks.

However, security alerts swept across the Middle East on Sunday, warning US citizens that fighting with the Houthis could spread beyond its current borders. Embassies in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries issued coordinated warnings, according to ABC News. If deployed, the GBU-43/B ssive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB), dubbed the 'Mother of All Bombs' could devastate an area equivalent to nine city blocks.

However, the weapon is designed to unleash a massive surface-level blast rather than penatrate deep underground, raising doubts about its ability to destroy Iran's heavily fortified nuclear facilities. One potential target is the Pickaxe Mountain Complex, where US and Israeli officials believe Tehran has stored components of its nuclear programme. Military experts have warned the bomb could cause catastrophic destruction above ground while leaving buried installations largely intact.

It comes as the naval blockade has already cost Iran $25 billion in crude oil exports, according to Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of the US Central Command, who said the Iranian regime was "clearly feeling the economic pain". Trump is facing growing frustration over a war that has dragged on for more than six months without a negotiated settlement, with Republicans bracing for a potential voter backlash ahead of November's midterm elections, reports CNN.

The president has stopped short of declaring victory in the conflict and has reportedly resisted calls from allies to withdraw US forces, fearing such a move would be seen as defeat. In a post on Truth Social platform on October 8, Trump vowed the US would not be attacking Iran before the November 3 Midterm Elections.