Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claimed new attacks on neighboring Saudi Arabia over the weekend, as Yemen's Saudi-backed government acknowledged the rebels' swift advance along the Red Sea coast as a “painful” development in a new front in the Iran war.

The Houthis' capture of a key port city and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, in recent days has alarmed markets and Yemeni civilians who fear a return to devastating civil war.

Overnight into Sunday, the Houthis claimed more attacks with missiles and drones on Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's internationally recognized government that's been fighting the rebels.

A Houthi military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed in a statement that they targeted a military base in Sharurah province in Saudi Arabia's Najran region. He didn’t provide evidence or say when the attack occurred.

He said the group had targeted “weapons depots and command and control centers” with ballistic missiles and drones.

The escalation follows a lightning Houthi advance to the Red Sea coast this week, giving the group greater power to attack Saudi ships around the Bab-al Mandeb strait.

James Reynolds14 September 2026 11:40

Catch up: Trump says he could keep Iranian oil ‘like Venezuela’ as Hormuz talks face setback

US president Donald Trump has suggested his forces could stay in Iran and "keep the ‌oil", drawing a parallel with a US push to take control of a fifth of Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

Trump reiterated that ​he still expected the Iran war to end this year even as the gridlock over talks on the Strait of Hormuz continue. Trump ​added that the price of gasoline would "drop like a rock" once the Iran war ended.

On Monday crude oil spiked to $107 a barrel, one of the highest since the US and Israel launched its war on Iran.Trump said that ‌he ⁠would only make the "right deal", before drawing a parallel with the US deal in Venezuela, ​announced in August.

"We'll ultimately get out (of Iran), ​unless ⁠we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela," Trump said, adding that the US revenue from Venezuela has "paid ⁠for ​the war many times".

Meanwhile, Oman said it had to postpone a meeting scheduled for Monday in Muscat with Iran and other regional countries to discuss the Strait of Hormuz “in the interest of consensus”.

James Reynolds14 September 2026 11:00

Saudi crown prince MBS meets with US Centcom chief

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has met the commander of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, state TV reports.

The pair met previously this time last month and discussed defence cooperation between the two countries as well as efforts to reduce regional tensions.

The latest visit comes amid questions over US support for its ally Saudi Arabia as the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels ramp up their attacks on the kingdom and push towards the coast, threatening Saudi shipping.

Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of crude oil in the world.

James Reynolds14 September 2026 10:25

US Air Force officer shot down in Iran recounts his two-day wait for help with a broken back

The American air force colonel whose F-15E fighter jet was downed over Iran in April has shared how survived for two days behind enemy lines with a broken back, arm and shoulder while waiting for help to arrive.

‘Bravo’ was the weapons-system officer in a two-man crew flying over Iran on 3 April, 2026 when the plane was hit by Iranian fire. The pilot in the front - ‘Alpha’ - ejected successfully, but Bravo went down in the mountains.

In his first public account of what happened, he told CBS News how he free-fell to the ground at speeds of up to 100mph with a damaged parachute, torn up by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile.

The officer broke his back, an arm and his shoulder after hitting the ground at speed, CBS reported. He said it was a “modern day miracle” that he survived two days hiding out before his rescue.

Finding himself in a valley with cliffs on either side, the officer concluded he would be safest in the high ground and climbed to a 7,000ft ridgeline despite his injuries.

“Never let a lack of motivation put you on Iranian TV,” he said.

James Reynolds14 September 2026 10:20

South Korea condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

South Korea's foreign ministry on Monday condemned what it said was a Houthi attack on civilian and economic facilities in southern Saudi Arabia that injured multiple civilians, and urged the Iran-aligned group to immediately stop such attacks.

The ministry said in a statement that attacks on civilians, civilian facilities and actions that undermined free and safe navigation could not be justified under any circumstances, and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

James Reynolds14 September 2026 09:40

Houthis claim attack on another Saudi airbase

Yemen’s Houthis have claimed an attack on Saudi Arabia’s Khamis Mushait air base.

More as we have it...

James Reynolds14 September 2026 09:19

Watch: Trump says he could keep Iranian oil ‘like Venezuela’

James Reynolds14 September 2026 09:00

Oman says talks with Iran have been postponed

Oman says that a planned meeting with Iran and regional Gulf states about the future of the Strait of Hormuz has been postponed in the “interests of consensus”.

“It has been decided to postpone to a later date the regional meeting that was to be held on Monday in Salalah, in order to create conditions conducive to a constructive dialogue,” the Oman News Agency said.

Iranian officials had said they would attend that gathering with Gulf Arab states to present an agreement with Oman on governing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of global oil supplies before the war.

James Reynolds14 September 2026 08:25

Analysis: The US has made progress in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but the Iran war is far from over

In recent weeks, the United States has succeeded in loosening Iran's grip over the Strait of Hormuz while virtually shutting down Iran's own oil exports, accelerating its economic free fall.

But the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in February — intended to last a few weeks — is still far from over, and the stalemate is costly for both sides. An agreement reached in June quickly crumbled, with so sign of diplomatic progress since then. Low-level fighting persists, and the U.S. does not seem to have an exit strategy.

“Unfortunately, the US is not winning in the war with Iran despite its limited success in loosening Iran’s grip over the strait and the devastating impact on Iran’s economy,” said Mona Yacoubian, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Read the full analysis:

James Reynolds14 September 2026 08:20

Iran's nuclear chief not expected to attend IAEA General Conference, official says

The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization is not expected to attend the annual gathering of the UN nuclear watchdog’s member nations in Vienna for the first time in years because he is banned from international travel, an official briefed on the matter said.

Mohammad Eslami’s exclusion from the IAEA conference is another sign of rapidly deteriorating relations between Iran and the West. Austria sought a waiver of the travel ban on Eslami with the UN sanctions committee but it was not granted, the official said.

As host of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria can request exemptions from travel bans to enable sanctioned officials to attend international conferences at the UN.

James Reynolds14 September 2026 07:41