RIYADH: A suspected Iranian drone attack on Monday struck the CIA’s station at the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia, marking a symbolic victory for Tehran as it escalates retaliation against American targets across the Middle East, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The Washington Post reported the claims, which add significant new detail to an attack that Saudi officials had previously described as causing only minor damage to the embassy compound .
The strike, which involved two drones, hit the diplomatic mission in Riyadh’s heavily secured Diplomatic Quarter early Monday morning . While Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry confirmed a “limited fire and minor material damage to the building,” the compound was empty at the time of the attack and no casualties were reported .
If confirmed, the successful targeting of a CIA facility would represent a significant intelligence and operational achievement for Iran amid its widening retaliatory campaign. The Islamic Republic has launched hundreds of missiles and drones across the Gulf region since Saturday, when U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .
The embassy attack came as part of a broader Iranian offensive that has targeted American bases, energy facilities, and civilian infrastructure across Gulf Arab states . Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately claimed responsibility for a large-scale drone and missile attack on a U.S. airbase in Bahrain .
U.S. officials have not commented on the specific claim regarding the CIA station. The embassy issued a shelter-in-place order for American citizens in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran immediately following the attack and later canceled all services across multiple missions in Saudi Arabia .
President Donald Trump vowed retaliation, telling reporters that Iran would “find out soon” how the U.S. would respond, while suggesting military operations could continue for weeks .
The State Department has urgently ordered all American citizens to depart Middle Eastern countries, citing “serious safety risks” as the conflict expands across the region .
