Iranian missile hits U.S. naval base in Bahrain during an earlier phase of the U.S./Iranian conflict in July 2026
Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire – Oct 21, 2026
“The U.S. military has quietly been scaling back its troop presence at bases across the Middle East in recent days, and the State Department is ordering a further reduction in staff at multiple diplomatic posts in the region,” NBC News reports.
“The reduction of American forces and diplomatic personnel is similar to drawdowns at bases and embassies that the Pentagon and State Department initiated around the start of the war with Iran in February, the sources said. They said the moves are in response to ongoing threats in the region, including from Iran.”
Trump to Order Families Home From Gulf Embassies Amid War Worries
Sean James – Mediaite Oct 21, 2026
The State Department is preparing to order some personnel and family members to evacuate American embassies in the Persian Gulf, according to a Wednesday report from Reuters.
Multiple U.S. officials told the outlet “the move was due to a possible resumption of hostilities, particularly with Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen.” It would also come as the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert earlier on Wednesday, which was potentially tied to more Houthi attacks.
The decision is being made as President Donald Trump has said multiple times in the last week the Iran war — which launched 235 days ago at the end of February — is coming to an end “very soon.”
It would also come less than two weeks after the Iran-backed Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia’s busiest airport, injuring more than 300 people and killing twelve people, including one American; it was the biggest attack since the start of the war.
Houthi rebels continued the carnage this week with an attack on a military camp in Yemen that killed 73 people, as well as an attack on a residential area that killed two teenage girls, per the Associated Press.