Protesters, mainly supporters of the Houthis, demonstrate in solidarity with the Palestinians, in Sanaa, Yemen, August 1, 2025.
Khaled Abdallah | Reuters
Yemen’s Houthis launched a missile strike against Israel, the group announced Saturday. It was the first time the Tehran-backed militia intervened in the U.S.-Israeli-led war against Iran, which entered its second month.
“The Yemeni armed forces… carried out the first military operation using a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting sensitive Israeli military sites,” Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement. job on X.
Saree said the strike was aimed at supporting the Iranian regime and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
The Israeli Defense Forces said they “identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel,” adding that its air defenses had intercepted the threat.
This decision by the Houthis marks an escalation of the conflict, which began with American and Israeli airstrikes against Iranian targets on February 28.
Analysts told CNBC that the Houthis could attempt to choke off maritime traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, separating the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa – through which ships must pass to reach the Red Sea and the Suez Canal – adding to pressure on global trade.
On Saturday morning, Danish shipping giant Maersk, widely seen as a barometer of global trade, responded to reports of drone activity and explosions at Oman’s Salalah port.
“We are pleased to confirm that all Maersk crew are safe and sound and that no Maersk vessels or cargo have been affected,” the company said in a statement. a declaration. “Following the incident in which a terminal crane was damaged and a port employee suffered minor injuries, the port was immediately evacuated and operations at the facility were temporarily suspended.”
Maersk said earlier in March that the situation in the Middle East had prompted it to suspend future sailings from Suez via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until further notice.
The Port of Salalah remains in full cooperation with the relevant authorities and Maersk’s current estimate is that operations will be suspended for approximately 48 hours. We will notify customers of any changes to this schedule as soon as information becomes available.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait was estimated to represent 12% of maritime oil trade and 8% of liquefied natural gas trade in the first half of 2023.
Iranian forces have already effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil reserves passed before the war.
Oil price on Friday, they closed at their highest level in more than three years, as President that of Donald Trump The transition to negotiations with Iran has failed to allay market fears over huge supply disruption in the Middle East.
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West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil Price, YoY
American raw Oil prices rose 5.46% to close at $99.64 per barrel. International reference Brent crude prices gained 4.22% to settle at $112.57.
Trump’s decision to grant Iran a 10 day extension to open the strategically vital The strait has failed to allay supply concerns. The president said in a social media post Thursday that negotiations with Iran are “going very well” despite “misrepresentations to the contrary from the fake media and others.”
As part of the announcement, the US president said he would suspend attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure until April 6. Iran has yet to comment on Trump’s latest remarks.
New US troops arrive in the Middle EastU.S. Central Command confirmed that the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, comprised of approximately 3,500 sailors and Marines, arrived in the Middle East on Saturday.
“US Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility on March 27,” according to a statement. posted on.
The U.S.-class amphibious assault ship includes transport and attack fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious and tactical assault assets, CENTCOM said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States “can achieve all of our goals” without ground troops”.
Saudi oil pipeline pumps 7 million barrels per day (Bloomberg)Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, which bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, pumps oil at its full capacity of 7 million barrels per day, Bloomberg News reported Saturday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Crude oil exports from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu now reach 5 million barrels per day, and the country also exports between 700,000 and 900,000 barrels per day of petroleum products, according to the Bloomberg report.
Reuters could not immediately verify this information. Saudi Arabia’s Aramco 2223.SE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Aramco CEO Amin Nasser told reporters earlier in March during an earnings conference call that the East-West Pipeline is expected to reach full capacity of 7 million bpd in the coming days as customers reroute.
US troops suffer losses at Saudi base (AP)More than two dozen U.S. troops were injured in Iranian attacks on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia last week, two people briefed on the matter told The Associated Press. Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at the base Friday, wounding at least 15 soldiers, five of them seriously, according to AP sources, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The base, located about 60 miles (96 kilometers) from the Saudi capital Riyadh, was attacked twice earlier in the week, including a strike that injured 14 U.S. troops, according to people briefed on the matter. The base is managed by the Royal Saudi Air Force but is also used by American troops.
Diplomatic attempts continueThe latest attacks came after Trump claimed negotiations to end the war were going “very well.” Iran says it has not engaged in any negotiations.
As the war’s economic fallout extends far beyond the Middle East, Trump is under increasing pressure to end Iran’s hold on the strait.
Pakistan announced on Saturday that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt would send their top diplomats to Islamabad for negotiations aimed at ending the war.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a statement that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty will arrive on Sunday for a two-day visit to “hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to defuse tensions in the region.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday that he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had “in-depth discussions” on regional hostilities and efforts to end the war.
Separately, on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Turkish counterpart by telephone that Iran was skeptical of recent diplomatic efforts to end the war. Iranian state media reported that Araghchi accused the United States of making “unreasonable demands” and engaging in “contradictory actions,” raising doubts about the prospect of a deal.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington delivered a “List of actions” in 15 points in Iran for a possible ceasefire, with a proposal to restrict Iran’s nuclear program and reopen the strait. Tehran rejected the proposal and presented its own five-point proposal including reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the waterway.
Death toll climbsIranian authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed in the Islamic Republic, while 19 people are believed to have died in Israel.
In Lebanon, where Israel began an invasion in the south, officials said more than 1,100 people had been killed since the war began.
Meanwhile, at least 13 US troops are reported to have been killed, while in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.
In the Gulf states, 20 people were killed and four more in the occupied West Bank.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration also said on Friday that 82,000 civilian buildings in Iran, including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people, had been damaged.
Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilitiesIsrael focused Friday’s attacks on sites “in the heart of Tehran” where ballistic missiles and other weapons are produced, the army said. It said it also hit missile launchers and storage sites in western Iran, while witnesses in eastern Tehran reported a partial power outage following airstrikes.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said the Shahid Khondab heavy water complex in Arak and the Ardakan yellow cake production plant in Yazd province were targeted, IRNA reported. The strikes caused no casualties and there is no risk of contamination, the press release said.
Yellowcake is a concentrated form of uranium after removing impurities from the raw ore. Heavy water is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.
The Israeli military later said that raw materials were being processed for enrichment at the Yazd plant and that the strike was a major blow to Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran has promised to retaliate.
Possible breakthrough to enable agricultural aid and shipmentsIran has agreed to allow humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Strait of Hormuz following a United Nations request. Ali Bahreini, the country’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said Iran agreed to “facilitate and accelerate” such a move.
This vital waterway usually handles a fifth of the world’s oil shipments and nearly a third of the world’s fertilizer trade. While markets and governments have largely focused on blocking oil and natural gas supplies, restrictions on r fertilizer ingredients and trade threaten agriculture and food security worldwide.
—Terri Cullen of CNBC, Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
