appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Bloomberg

Skirmishes between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia intensified, as a pause in the nearly two-week run of nightly US strikes on Iran raised fresh questions about President Donald Trump’s strategy in the war.
The Houthis, Islamist militants based in Yemen and backed by Iran, said they fired missiles and drones at facilities linked to oil giant Saudi Aramco in the Red Sea port towns of Jizan and Yanbu.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Saudi government or Aramco. Saudi authorities briefly issued emergency warnings but retracted them and said the danger had passed.
A Saudi-led coalition responded by striking Houthi military positions later on Saturday, according to Yemen TV, a channel affiliated with the internationally recognised Yemeni government.
The day before, the coalition struck the port from which the Houthis’ maritime attacks normally originate. The Houthis also announced they would blockade Saudi ports and attacked two Saudi-linked oil tankers in the Red Sea.

After attacking Iran for 13 days, the US apparently paused strikes on Friday night into Saturday with no explanation or announcement. Iranian media and the government also did not announce any incoming attacks.
Even so, the escalation in the Red Sea – on top of the nightly US strikes on Iranian military facilities and infrastructure, as well as retaliatory attacks by Tehran – compounds an already severe squeeze on regional energy flows.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, normally the conduit for a fifth of global crude supplies, remains largely paralysed by the hostilities. Any sustained disruption to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea export routes, through which it is sending millions of barrels of oil a day, mainly from Yanbu, would probably push up crude prices even more.
Trump, who is increasingly frustrated with Iran for refusing to reopen Hormuz, said late on Friday that the US was “locked and loaded” for major strikes on Iran. He added he had not made a decision on whether to go ahead with them, after telling Axios a few days ago he was mulling a “massive attack”.
One ally described the president as being in revenge mode against Iran while others said he is looking to exact a cost from Tehran for the war, which has driven up energy prices and put Republicans in a tough spot politically ahead of the November midterms.
Speaking at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump said Iran would “love to make a deal” but he does not think “it’s time yet”.
He also said on Friday that the warring sides were talking, though his administration is offering few details.


A delegation from Oman has arrived in Tehran for talks over operations in the strait, Axios reported, citing two regional sources. It was unclear whether the US would abide by any outcome.
Brent crude has soared around 27 per cent in the past two weeks as US-Iran clashes worsened and the Houthis effectively opened a second front in the war. The global benchmark closed on Friday at US$96.78 a barrel.
The new apparent Houthi aggression in the Red Sea came despite a shaky truce between the Saudi kingdom and Yemen, which has been in a civil war for 12 years.
The Houthis survived a roughly seven-year bombing campaign led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and still control areas containing most of Yemen’s population.
Iran is the main funder and sponsor of the Houthis, though the group is more autonomous than other proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.


Risk of unrest in Asia as Iran war, El Nino threaten food supplies

Saudis turn to Western, regional allies as missile defences run low

Who is Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the elusive Yemeni commander behind Red Sea-Saudi blitz?

China affirms support for Iran, but warns against Yemen spillover

US-Israel war on Iran

US pauses nightly Iran strikes, as Houthis clash with Saudis

A couple rides past Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles displayed at Azadi Square in Tehran on Friday. Photo: TNS

People sit in a fishing boat sailing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen’s southern Taiz province on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Trump says US ‘locked and loaded’, vows more Iran strikes while hinting at talks

Smoke rises from an explosion at an unknown location during what the US military said were strikes on Iranian military targets earlier this week. Photo: US Central Command/Reuters

A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, in February 25. Photo: 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Reuters

A billboard depicting US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a building in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday. Photo: West Asia News Agency/Reuters

Smoke and flames rise following explosions in Chabahar, Iran, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on July 15. Photo: Reuters

Flags of the GCC, the US, Kuwait and Qatar are seen as foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Bahrain last month. Photo Reuters

Saudi strikes Houthi sites in Yemen as conflict flares

Armed members of the Iran-backed Houthi militia take part in a demonstration against US and Israel in Sanaa, Yemen, in January 2024. Photo: dpa

Iran war: Chinese tanker passes Red Sea choke point despite Houthi blockade

A satellite image shows the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key shipping waterway and the gateway to the Red Sea. Image: Nasa Worldview via Reuters

The tanker Encelia is pictured at sea in July 2024. Photo: Shine Samuel Abraham via Reuters

Houthis target Saudi tankers in Red Sea, threatening another Iran war chokepoint

A rally in Sanaa, Yemen, supporting the Houthi-imposed naval blockade against Saudi Arabia. Photo: EPA

Scattered debris and smoke at an unknown location during what the US military says are strikes on Iran. Photo: US Central Command via Reuters

US President Donald Trump at a ceremony for four US service members killed in Iranian attacks. Photo: Reuters

News

World

Middle East

The halt came without any announcement or explanation after 13 consecutive days of attacks


The halt came without any announcement or explanation after 13 consecutive days of attacks.


US pauses nightly Iran strikes, as Houthis clash with Saudis

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The halt came without any announcement or explanation after 13 consecutive days of attacks

The halt came without any announcement or explanation after 13 consecutive days of attacks