The chiefs of staff of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey held talks in Riyadh on Friday to discuss enhanced military coordination, intelligence sharing and implementation of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. The meeting comes amid escalating Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia.
Ship-to-ship transfer operations in the Gulf of Oman have reached their operational limits after Saudi Arabia redirected crude oil exports away from the Red Sea through the Strait of Hormuz. The surge in Saudi exports, which have hit their highest levels since the Iran conflict began, is straining the existing transfer infrastructure used to move oil from inside the strait to tankers bound for international markets.
Saudi-led coalition forces intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis targeting the Red Sea port of Yanbu and the city of Taif, with Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti calling on troops to be ready to sacrifice their lives.
The foreign ministers of G7 nations issued a joint statement condemning Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and calling on Iran to end its arming and support for the Yemen-based group. The statement comes ahead of the UN General Assembly and addresses concerns about maritime shipping attacks and regional escalation.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to provide defensive air-to-air refueling for Saudi jets for a limited time period to help counter Iran-backed Houthi attacks, marking closer UK-Saudi military cooperation amid escalating regional tensions.
Houthi fighters are pushing to seize strategic heights in Yemen's Kahboub Mountains to cut off the Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed forces, following reports that President Trump called off American airstrikes at the last minute even as troops were loading bombs onto aircraft.
The United States has lifted sanctions targeting Eritrea's ruling party and military that were imposed during the Biden administration, ending a five-year national emergency over the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia. The State Department cited advancing US regional interests in the Red Sea as a reason for the decision.
Italy's defence minister announced plans to deploy naval forces to safeguard Italian merchant shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, citing mounting security concerns and potential severe economic fallout from the vital waterway being threatened by the widening Middle East conflict.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have seized the strategic Hanish islands and Perim Island in the Red Sea, completing their takeover of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline and tightening control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital shipping route for global oil supplies. The advance has raised concerns about potential disruptions to energy corridors and increased pressure on Saudi oil exports.
Iran-backed Houthis have captured a key port city and island along Yemen's Red Sea coast, causing security concerns around the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Strait of Hormuz. The offensive has displaced thousands of Yemenis to Djibouti and forced Somali businesses to rethink shipping routes, while the rebels claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Anthropic disclosed that a group in northern Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi militants operate, used its Claude AI model to support development of missile and rocket navigation, control, and guidance software. The company blocked the attempts and released a threat intelligence report detailing the incident.
Saudi Arabia is confronting a multi-front security crisis as Houthi rebels advance toward Red Sea shipping routes, Iraqi militias force the closure of a major oil pipeline through drone attacks, and Iran continues disrupting the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation is testing the kingdom's national security and economic resilience.
Armed Somali pirates seized the Seamull tanker off Yemen's coast, kidnapping 20 sailors in the latest attack of a piracy resurgence that has seen six commercial vessels hijacked since April. The wave of attacks comes as U.S.-Iran conflict and regional chaos have diverted enforcement resources from anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
Yemen's Mocha port has halted all commercial and maritime operations after being struck by more than 25 missiles in recent Houthi attacks. The closure of this strategic port raises concerns about escalating conflict in Yemen despite previous truce efforts.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants attacked Saudi Aramco's oil refinery in Jazan with two drones on Thursday, marking the second assault on the Red Sea coastal facility within a week. The attack caused negligible damage to a tank at the refinery, which has a processing capacity of approximately 400,000 barrels per day.
Saudi crude oil tankers are switching off tracking signals to avoid attacks by Yemen's Houthis, with all recent Yanbu loadings conducted without transponders. The escalation follows a Houthi strike that killed six people on a Red Sea ship and fresh missile attacks on Yemeni provinces.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a cargo vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, killing at least four crew members including three Pakistanis and one Indonesian. Some reports indicate the death toll may be as high as six, including rescue personnel.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi forces launched multiple waves of missile and drone attacks on the government-held port city of Mokha (al-Makha) on the Red Sea coast, killing at least 7-11 people and injuring 30-35 others. The Houthis also claimed attacks on Saudi Arabia's Jazan Aramco oil refinery, raising fears of renewed civil war and threats to strategic shipping routes.
Yemen's Houthi rebels conducted large-scale attacks on government military camps in Hadramout and Marib governorates, killing between 30-45 soldiers in what marks the fiercest military escalation in Yemen since 2022. The attacks raise concerns about the conflict broadening amid wider US-Iran tensions in the region.
Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen launched missile attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, prompting at least six Saudi-flagged supertankers to divert toward southern Africa. The attacks mark a resumption of Houthi targeting of Saudi vessels after a nine-month pause.
Indian oil refiners are increasingly purchasing crude from West African sources, including Nigerian grades, while some seek to avoid Gulf routes through the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea amid ongoing regional tensions. Mangalore Refinery bought 1 million barrels of Oman crude while Hindustan Petroleum purchased 2 million barrels of Nigerian crude for its Rajasthan refinery.
An Indian-flagged cargo vessel, MSV Faize Noore Oliya, capsized and sank after being struck by a projectile in the Red Sea near Yemeni waters. All 14 crew members, including 13 Indian nationals, were safely rescued following the attack.
Saudi Arabia is working to form an international coalition to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea as Houthi strikes on energy tankers intensify, driving oil prices higher and threatening critical maritime trade routes.
Yemen's Houthi group is weighing the implementation of fees on commercial vessels transiting the southern Red Sea, according to regional sources, coming one week after the group declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia conducted airstrikes on the strategic Yemeni port city of Hodeida, prompting Iran-backed Houthi rebels to retaliate with missiles and drones targeting Saudi territory, including reported strikes on Aramco facilities. The escalation comes amid broader tensions over vital shipping routes in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump said Iranian money in the possession or control of the United States would be used to pay for damage to ships, cargo or related property. Trump did not specify the amount of money involved, the legal authority for using it, or how claims would be assessed and compensation distributed.
President Donald Trump vowed major retaliation against Iran and the Houthis after the group said it had attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, threatening to extend the Middle East conflict to another critical shipping chokepoint. Oil prices surged above $100 per barrel amid fears of wider shipping disruption, while the U.S. military carried out another round of strikes on Iran.
Brent crude oil climbed above $100 per barrel for the first time in 45 days after Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and President Trump's warning of infrastructure strikes against Iran for each attack in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States and Pakistan separately condemned Yemen's Houthi rebels for threatening commercial shipping in the Red Sea after the group announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia. Pakistan warned it could use force to protect its maritime interests if its vessels come under attack.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militia sent emails to shipping companies warning them not to load or discharge cargo at Saudi Arabian ports or risk being targeted "in any location." The warning follows a maritime embargo announced against Saudi Arabia in retaliation for what the Houthis described as a blockade on Yemen and a Saudi attack on Sanaa International Airport.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, causing at least two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to China and India to make U-turns in the Red Sea. The move opens a new front in the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict and threatens shipping through critical energy chokepoints.
Iran has reportedly asked Yemen's Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, according to three sources cited by Reuters. The Houthis have reportedly deployed missiles and drones near the strategic waterway in preparation.
A leading Houthi official warned of potential attacks on Saudi Arabia following an incident at Sanaa International Airport involving an Iranian Mahan Air flight. Yemen's UN-recognized government condemned Iranian flights to Yemen as violations of sovereignty, raising fears of renewed conflict.
Qatar's Ministry of Defence reported a cargo vessel was struck by a drone off its waters, causing a fire with no injuries. Kuwait separately detected multiple 'hostile drones' in its airspace. A bulk carrier was also struck by an unknown projectile near Qatari waters.
France moved its aircraft carrier through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, positioning for a potential multinational mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz. President Macron emphasized any operation would only occur after the conflict's hottest phase subsides.
Senior Iranian lawmaker warned, that "the importance of Bab el-Mandeb may be no less than that of the Strait of Hormuz" and that Iran's Yemeni allies were "waiting to block it and deliver another blow to America", threatening to extend the global shipping crisis to a second critical chokepoint.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated, that Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz "has already been acknowledged by the United States" and that Tehran will never relinquish its jurisdiction over the waterway, while describing the US naval blockade as an "ill-considered and ignorant decision." A senior Iranian lawmaker also warned that Iran's Yemeni allies are "waiting to block" the Bab el-Mandeb strait if the blockade continues.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels fired a missile toward Israel that was intercepted, marking their first direct involvement in the month-old US-Israeli war against Iran. The entry of the Houthis threatens to further expand the regional conflict and disrupt global shipping.
