Saudi Arabia and the Houthis trade fire as the US fires a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz
Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on Houthi targets in the Yemeni port city of Hodeida and a nearby island on Friday, after the Iran-backed group declared a naval blockade and attacked Saudi ships.
Saudi authorities later issued emergency warnings in Jizan province as the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on the city of Jizan.
Early on Saturday, the Houthis’ Ansarollah media said on Telegram that “a Yemeni missile strike” caused fires in the Saudi city of Jizan.
Meanwhile in the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said on Friday it shot down a tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was trying to escape the US blockade of Iranian ports.
The ship attacked by the US is the second merchant ship the US has disabled since it reimposed its blockade earlier this month.
“We turned off the tanker after crews tried to block the road four times before,” said Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, told AFP.
“The crew was warned several times, they didn’t do it, and the American soldiers who were on the scene disabled the ship after firing in its engine room,” he said. “The ship is no longer passing through Iran.”
Earlier, a delegation from Oman arrived in the capital of Iran, Tehran, to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, said the report of the Iranian news agency IRNA. Oman controls the southern coast of the strait.
The US and Iran have traded fire for nearly two weeks, with Iran on Friday saying it had carried out airstrikes on US military facilities and bases in the Middle East in retaliation for the 13th consecutive night of US attacks on the country.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday afternoon, Trump continued to threaten to move forward, saying that negotiations are ongoing.
“We’re talking to them. I think they’re serious. I think … they’re the most serious we’ve seen, but that doesn’t mean we’re getting there,” he said.
Asked about his strategy for getting out of the Iran war, Trump said: “There is a military exit where we continue to go the way we are, and we can even do a heavy dose, and take out everything they have. Or there is a smart strategy for you to make a deal.”
But he added: “We’re locked and loaded. We’re ready to go.”
Growing concern over new threats to shipping in the Red Sea from Yemen’s Houthis helped push the price of crude oil back above $100 (£74.96) a barrel this week – the highest level since May.
But it fell again on Friday afternoon, with Brent futures down more than US$4 (£3.00) to just over $96 (£72.07), according to the Reuters news agency, which reported that the fall occurred after the successful passage of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by two tankers hired by the Chinese.
After the fire broke out early on Saturday, the Houthis’ Ansarollah media wrote on Telegram, “The targeting of the Saudi enemy in public areas in Hodeida and Kamaran Island means a dangerous escalation,” adding: “We guarantee that this latest crime will not be answered.”
Saudi authorities did not immediately respond.
The US and the UK are set to hold a summit in London next week to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, the BBC understands. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine will attend the summit, which was first reported by Axios.
This is happening as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with the American president at the White House on Tuesday.
In June, the US and Iran agreed on a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to halt military operations and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and to reach an agreement to end the war within the next 60 days.
But three weeks after it was signed, Trump declared the ceasefire “over” after Iran attacked ships on the route, and US strikes in response.
