U.S. orders non-emergency staff and families out of Saudi Arabia, State Department says

As of 3:45 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

Correction (Oct. 21, 2026, 3:45 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article, based on a Reuters report, said the U.S. was preparing to order departures from several Gulf embassies. The State Department has since said it ordered departures from Saudi Arabia only.

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that it had ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia. In a post on X at 3:24 p.m. ET, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the department "issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only."

The post said: "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."

It 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."

Earlier Wednesday, three U.S. officials told Reuters that the State Department was preparing to issue an ordered departure of some personnel and family members from U.S. embassies across the Gulf region.

Two of the officials said the move was due to a possible resumption of hostilities, particularly with the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen, according to Reuters.

Reuters first reported the officials' account at about 2:48 p.m. ET. Pigott's post quoted a Reuters correspondent's post relaying that report and called it "inaccurate."

Agence France-Presse, citing a diplomatic source, reported at 3:20 p.m. ET that U.S. embassy staff and families had been ordered to leave Saudi Arabia, and that families of embassy staff in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain had also been ordered to leave. The State Department said its order covered Saudi Arabia only.

What is not yet known

The spokesperson's post did not say when the order was issued or how many employees and family members it covers.