Saudi Aramco orders evacuation of Dhahran headquarters as Houthi clashes intensify

Saudi Arabia’s state‑owned oil giant Aramco has directed employees to evacuate its main office in Dhahran and to operate remotely, according to six sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters. The move comes as hostilities between the world’s largest crude exporter and Yemen’s Iran‑aligned Houthi movement have intensified.

The clashes, which have been ongoing since the Houthis advanced toward the Bab el‑Mandeb strait – a critical Red Sea shipping chokepoint – have recently included a series of attacks aimed at Saudi infrastructure. The evacuation order follows a wave of Houthi strikes that have targeted the company’s facilities as well as Saudi airports.

Aramco did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the precise trigger for the evacuation remains unclear. However, the company’s decision marks the first such evacuation since the start of the broader Iran‑related conflict in the region.

Financial markets reacted swiftly to the news. Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index, the TASI, fell by 2.5% on the day the evacuation was reported, according to data from LSEG. At the same time, global oil prices rose to their highest level since May, reflecting concerns that the escalating conflict could disrupt crude supplies from the region.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced in a televised address that the group had carried out attacks on Aramco facilities in the Red Sea city of Yanbu and on the Saudi defence ministry in Riyadh, although Saudi authorities have not confirmed those specific incidents. The Saudi‑led coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said it had intercepted drones over Riyadh and the holy city of Medina, locations near Yanbu.

The renewed fighting breaks a 2022 United Nations‑brokered truce that had largely halted cross‑border attacks. The escalation also opens another front in the wider US‑Israeli‑Iranian conflict dynamics. Earlier in the month, the Houthis caused extensive damage to Aramco’s headquarters, underscoring the heightened risk to the company’s core operations.

The evacuation underscores the vulnerability of critical energy infrastructure in the Gulf to regional conflicts and highlights the potential for further market volatility should the hostilities continue to expand.