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September 12, 2026

Riyadh 10:15 pm

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boats and a container ship near the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb

Analysis

Houthi gains in Yemen are testing Saudi Arabia’s security strategy

The advance toward Bab al-Mandeb threatens a vital Saudi oil route and risks drawing Riyadh back into a Yemen war it has spent years trying to leave.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement, arrive with their weapons to rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon, in Sanaa on April 8, 2026, following the announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East war.

Iran, misreading Trump’s resolve, escalates conflict in Yemen ahead of US midterms

On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Trump links Iran to the war on terror, vowing it will “never, ever have a nuclear weapon.”

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather during a rally to recruit more fighters in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia's Houthi crisis tests alliances with Trump, Turkey and Pakistan

As the Houthis tighten their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb, Saudi Arabia is turning to new regional alliances while Washington resists calls to intervene.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Strait

Explainer

How Houthi gains near Bab al-Mandeb raise threat to Saudi oil flows

The Iran-linked militants are advancing on the Red Sea coast following the capture of the strategic port of Mokha, bringing the group closer to full control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Latest News

CENTCOM chief in Saudi Arabia as Yemen's Houthis seize Bab al-Mandeb

Admiral Charles Bradford "Brad" Cooper II, Commander of US Central Command speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, at US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, on March 5, 2026. (Photo by Octavio JONES / AFP via Getty Images)

Houthis seize Red Sea city, tighten grip near strategic Bab al-Mandeb: What to know

The navigation bridge of a sunken vessel is all that is seen at the surface of the water in the Port of Mocha the day after an attack by the Houthis on the city Mocha, held by Yemen's internationally recognized, Aden-based government, on Aug. 10, 2026.

Saudi Arabia’s oil production slumps to lowest in 36 years as war bites

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton finish their third and final 2016 presidential campaign debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2PMHB

Arabs seek new partnership with next US president

A new poll shows widespread distrust but reliance on the United States.

Newly elected Lebanese President Michel Aoun reviews the honour guards upon arrival to the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, Lebanon October 31, 2016. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RTX2R7BA

Iranian politicians hail election of Lebanon’s new president

Iranian politicians across the political spectrum have hailed the election of Michel Aoun as Lebanon’s new president.

Houthi followers watch as their leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi delivers a speech during a rally commemorating the death of Imam Zaid bin Ali in Sanaa, Yemen October 26, 2016. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RTX2QLC8

Is Yemen headed for partition?

An open-ended cease-fire is needed for Yemen, but a de facto partition of the country is more likely.

A gas flare on an oil production platform is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Gulf July 25, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/File Photo - RTX2OBC0

Why OPEC still can’t get Iran to cut oil production

Despite the agreement in principle on output cuts at its September meeting in Algeria, OPEC still has a long way to go in getting Iran to stop its drive to regain market share.

Christian politician and FPM founder Michel Aoun (L) walks next to Lebanon's former prime minister Saad al-Hariri after he said he will back Aoun to become president in Beirut, Lebanon October 20, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2PSCO

Hariri reverses political slide by backing Aoun presidency

Saad Hariri’s success as prime minister will depend on new compact with Michel Aoun and Hezbollah, less so on Saudi Arabia; Al-Monitor breaks news of Russian draft plan for Syrian Kurdish autonomy; United States seeks ground force to isolate Raqqa.

A member from the Iraqi security forces stands guard at a checkpoint during a patrol at the border between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, February 17, 2016. Picture taken February 17, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RTX27OUC

Execution of Saudi prisoners widens gap between Baghdad, Riyadh

Iraq has executed three Saudi prisoners and nine others are on death row, raising the objections of Saudi Arabia that wants Baghdad to transfer the prisoners to the kingdom.

Saudi warships are seen during “Gulf Shield 1” exercise by members of Royal Saudi Navy, east of Saudi Arabia, October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RTSRHDY

Iran unfazed by Saudi flexing in Persian Gulf

Saudi Arabia's large-scale military exercises may be cause for some concern in Iran, but Saudi capabilities in the Persian Gulf can't compare to those of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Flames emerge from a pipeline at the oil fields in Basra, southeast of Baghdad, Iraq October 14, 2016. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani - RTSS8IG

How oil is bringing Iraq, Egypt closer

Iraq is planning to supply Egypt with a million barrels of oil as both countries face a deteriorating relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Christian politician and FPM founder Michel Aoun (L) talks during a news conference next to Lebanon's former prime minister Saad al-Hariri after he said he will back Aoun to become president in Beirut, Lebanon October 20, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX2PR3I

How Lebanon’s presidential problem turned into opportunity

Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his support for former chief of the army and Hezbollah ally Gen. Michel Aoun as president, which may have been Hariri's last resort as his relationship with Saudi Arabia has been tense.

Egyptian lawyer and leftist opposition figure Khaled Ali (C) stands among people outside the State Council's building, Egypt's highest administrative court, in Cairo on June 26, 2016, after the court postponed to July 3 the hearing of the government's appeal against the decision to block the controversial handover of two uninhabited Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.
The deal over the islands of Tiran and Sanafir prompted some of the largest public protests in two years when it was signed in April. The countr

Will Cairo reverse decision to transfer islands to Riyadh?

As the Egyptian government defends in court its maritime border agreement with Saudi Arabia that transferred two Red Sea islands to Riyadh, a lawyer for the state provoked controversy after admitting the "islands are still Egyptian."

A view of a municipal board building after it was destroyed by Saudi-led air strikes in the northwestern city of Saada, Yemen, October 2, 2016. REUTERS/Naif Rahma TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSQEFL

Have Turkey's neo-Ottomans abandoned Yemen?

Turkish media ignores Yemen despite mounting civilian casualties, but hard-core Islamists and secular groups blame the neo-Ottoman government for being a pawn of Western and Saudi interests.

Smoke rises at a community hall where Saudi-led warplanes struck a funeral in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSRFSR

Is US reconsidering its support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen war?

The recent missile attacks on US vessels off Yemen’s coast as well as the limited US response suggest that Washington may be disengaging from the war in Yemen and putting pressure on Saudi Arabia to follow suit.