Houthis strike Saudi city, vow retaliation as regional tensions soar

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed a missile attack on the southern Saudi city of Jizan on Saturday, vowing retaliation against the kingdom for attacks this week.

In a separate development, Iran reported no strikes overnight on Saturday for the first time after two weeks of US attacks. Iranian health ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said on X that Iran had a peaceful night. However, tensions in the region remain elevated.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the US and Iran in June, intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pause hostilities for 60 days to allow negotiations, appeared to have broken down two weeks ago. The collapse followed Iranian attacks on tankers in the strait, which prompted US strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliation against US allies. The strait is a vital transit point for oil and gas.

US President Donald Trump had threatened expanded strikes on Iran and met with top national security advisers on Friday to decide on escalation. But by Saturday evening, Trump reportedly set aside plans for an escalated assault, according to the New York Times.

Iran warned citizens of Gulf countries hosting US military sites to stay away from bases to protect themselves. On Saturday night, a spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Britain would become a "definite and legitimate target" if it supported the US in a war with Tehran, noting that US bombers recently used British airfields.

Despite the fighting, Trump insisted on Friday that negotiations with Iran were going well, calling them the most serious seen. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the American approach was preventing peace talks and that Iran is neither intimidated nor will yield to pressure.

Tensions at sea continued: the US fired on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman, claiming it violated the blockade of Iranian ports. The UK maritime agency reported an incident between a tanker and military forces on Friday, without specifying those responsible.

Saudi Arabia's air defense intercepted two ballistic missiles from Yemen on Saturday, targeting oil refineries in Yanbu on the Red Sea. Warnings were also issued for the port city of Jizan, near the Yemeni border. Social media footage showed dark smoke over an Aramco refinery in Jizan.

A Yemeni security source said Saudi Arabia targeted a naval base in Hodeida and a military camp on Kamaran island on Friday. The Houthis called the attacks a dangerous escalation.

Last week, the Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after Saudi strikes on Sana'a airport. On Thursday, the Houthis struck two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, prompting Trump to threaten a major military punishment for Tehran and the Houthis.

The blockade threatens global energy markets. Saudi Arabia has been diverting millions of barrels of oil to the Red Sea to avoid the strait's closure. Oil prices exceeded $100 per barrel on Thursday for the first time since May, and shipping insurance costs through the southern Red Sea doubled for some companies.

Araghchi said on Saturday there is no military solution to the Saudi-Houthi conflict, as it is rooted in old disputes, and called for dialogue.

Mediators have tried to keep talks alive. Pakistan and Qatar have delivered messages between the US and Iran. The New York Times reported that Iraq had delivered a ceasefire proposal to Tehran, which was rejected – a report Iraq disputed. Pakistan has also been pushing for fresh talks after a Chinese diplomatic initiative. Iran's interior minister visited Istanbul this week to discuss the issue.