US embassy warns of imminent attack in eastern Saudi Arabia

The United States embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday warned of an imminent attack in the eastern Saudi city of Dhahran, home to much of the kingdom's energy installations along the Gulf coast.

"There is a threat of imminent missile and UAV attacks over Dhahran. Do not come to the US Consulate," the embassy wrote on its official X account.

The warning came just hours after the US mission in Riyadh was attacked by two drones that sparked a small fire on the embassy grounds, as Iran pressed on with retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.

Earlier in a day, drones hit the US embassy in Riyadh as Iran hit back at industrial and diplomatic targets across the Middle East and Washington warned its citizens to evacuate the entire region.

Four days after US and Israeli strikes killed Iran's supreme leader and triggered a regional war, AFP reporters in the Saudi capital saw smoke damage on the walls and roof of the embassy.

Saudi police were swarming over the diplomatic quarter and checking IDs of everyone who entered. Several roads were blocked, including approaches to the US embassy.

On Monday, the massive Ras Tanura refinery on Saudi Arabia's Gulf coast went into partial shutdown after a strike by drones.

The complex run by the Saudi state oil giant Aramco is home to one of the largest refineries in the entire Middle East and a cornerstone of the kingdom's energy sector.

Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest oil exporter, with most of its oil fields and petroleum infrastructure located along its eastern coast, across the Gulf from Iran.