Trump Says Gulf Allies Asked Him to Pause New Strikes on Iran

US President Donald Trump said at the White House on 13 November that he held off on additional strikes against Iran because Gulf allies asked him to. The statement came just hours after he said he would not hesitate to launch new military strikes on Tehran, which suggests the question of further military action in the conflict with Iran remains open.

Saudi-China talks

The situation in the region was also addressed diplomatically. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud held talks with Zhai Jun, China's special envoy for the Middle East. They discussed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, as well as efforts to ease tensions across the region.

Houthi claims

Yemen's Houthis, the armed movement in Yemen, have claimed attacks on Saudi energy and military infrastructure. The claims came as Riyadh and Beijing discussed ways to reduce tensions. The source gives no further details on the scale or consequences of the attacks.