This is CONCERNING. The US is pulling some troops and diplomats out of its Middle East posts as Trump weighs new military action in Iran, per NBC. We've seen this before. In January and February, the US pulled troops from its Middle East bases as Trump weighed strikes on Iran. On February 28, the US and Israel struck Iran. Here's how markets reacted: 1. Brent crude jumped 27% in a week, from $73 to $93 a barrel 2. Brent closed as high as $114 on May 4, up 57% from before the strikes 3. Bitcoin fell to about $63,000 on the day of the strikes, then rallied nearly 18% in four days Brent is still up 49% since the war began. Meanwhile, Trump has said the US "will not be attacking Iran" before the November 3 midterms.