Iran Conflict: Houthi attacks and shipping threats widen regional tensions

Iran Conflict expanded over the weekend despite a pause in US military strikes, as Yemen’s Houthi movement attacked Saudi oil facilities and Iran accused Ukraine of targeting one of its commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea.

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The US military said its naval blockade against Iran remained fully in place on Saturday. However, it did not explain why it halted a 13-night campaign of escalating airstrikes.

Meanwhile, there were no reports of Iranian attacks on neighbouring countries over the weekend, marking a pause after days of reciprocal strikes.

A senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration said Trump still preferred diplomacy but had demonstrated the consequences if Iran refused serious negotiations.

The New York Times reported that Trump had decided, for now, not to expand military operations. The report said the president and his advisers were concerned about widening the conflict, reducing US weapons stockpiles, straining relations with Gulf allies and disrupting global energy supplies.

CNN also reported that Vice President JD Vance and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine raised concerns about US munitions stockpiles during a White House meeting. A Defence Department source later told the broadcaster that operations were currently on hold.

Houthis target Saudi oil facilities

Despite the pause in direct US-Iran hostilities, fighting intensified in the Red Sea region.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group launched attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu.

Verified videos showed a large column of smoke rising near the Aramco refinery in Jizan, which processes up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Two Asia-based trading sources said fuel and oil storage facilities may have suffered damage. However, Saudi Aramco did not immediately comment.

Saudi authorities intercepted two missiles targeting oil facilities in Yanbu, the kingdom’s main Red Sea export hub and an important alternative route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran accuses Ukraine of vessel attack

Separately, Iran accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the attack killed one sailor and injured another. The ministry summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to lodge a formal protest.

The accusation came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Russia had shared satellite intelligence with Iran to support military operations in the Middle East.

Yemen conflict risks further escalation

Officials in Yemen said aircraft belonging to the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government struck Houthi positions in Marib and Al-Jawf provinces.

They also reported that both sides had begun mobilising forces along the front lines.

The Houthis have declared a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and warned that Saudi oil infrastructure could remain a military target, raising concerns that the conflict could further disrupt global energy supplies and deepen instability across the region.