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Saudi Arabia

September 12, 2026

Riyadh 10:50 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

Protesters and family members of 9/11 victims protest in front of the White House regarding President Barack Obama's threatened veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) in Washington, U.S., September 20, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron - RTSOMWI

Has JASTA pushed Saudi Arabia and Israel closer?

Riyadh has become convinced more than ever that the closer it gets to Tel Aviv, which it believes has influence in US decision-making circles, the stronger and safer it will become in the face of JASTA.

Moroccan King Mohammed VI (L) meets with his Saudi counterpart, King Abdullah, at the former's palace in Bouskoura on the outskirts of Casablanca on September 11, 2012 AFP / PHOTO / AZZOUZ BOUKALLOUCH (Photo credit should read AZZOUZ BOUKALLOUCH/AFP/GettyImages)

Will warming ties with Iran impact Morocco’s relationship with Saudi Arabia?

Morocco announced the appointment of an ambassador to Tehran, ending a seven-year break in diplomatic ties. But concerns are emerging about the reaction of Saudi Arabia, an ally to the kingdom and enemy of Iran.

Iranian soldiers participate in military manoeuvres on the outskirts of the northeastern Iranian town of Torbat-E-Jam, near Mashhad, on November 17, 2015. Iran started military manoeuvres to respond to possible attacks by armed groups, such as the Islamic State (IS) group, a military commander said according to ISNA. AFP PHOTO / ISNA / HOSSEIN HOSSEINZADEH (Photo credit should read HOSSEIN HOSSEINZADEH/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran’s new challenge: The Islamic State in Persia?

Though Iran has announced that it has killed the Islamic State’s "emir" in the country, it continues to face serious security threats from a variety of militants.

(From L-R), Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Staffan de Mistura, UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, Turkey's Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, speak togethe

Are Egyptian-Saudi disputes just a passing crisis or a decisive storm?

Egyptian-Saudi squabbles over Syria and Yemen have gone viral, and some worry that this will have a lasting negative effect on the relationship between Cairo and Riyadh.

Assistant Treasury Secretary for Terrorist Financing Daniel Glaser testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the situation in Ukraine on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 6, 2014. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

US Treasury official praises Saudi cooperation against terror funding

Assistant Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser says there has been substantial progress reducing funds amassed by the Islamic State, but warns that IS could seek external financing if it loses its "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria.

Smoke rises from the community hall where Saudi-led warplanes struck a funeral in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen on October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo - RTSRJA4

Will Obama push for Yemen cease-fire?

The United States, which fired cruise missiles at rebel radar sites in Yemen on Oct. 13 after missiles were fired at a US warship, needs to push for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Yemen before things get even more out of hand.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shake hands following a joint press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on August 12, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Is Turkey ditching Saudi Arabia for Iran?

The recent string of high-level meetings between Iranian and Turkish officials suggests that the two regional powerhouses may be moving closer on Syria.

King Salman of Saudi Arabia (front L) is pictured with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (front R) during a family photo session at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Istanbul Summit in Istanbul, Turkey April 14, 2016. Picture taken April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Onur Coban/Pool - RTX2A4TB

Is Iran shifting its policy toward Saudi Arabia?

The increasingly tough rhetoric by the administration of President Hassan Rouhani toward Saudi Arabia may herald the beginning of a paradigm shift.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 9: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) speaks with an aide after a vote at the U.S. Capitol, May 9, 2016, in Washington, DC. Senate Democrats defeated a procedural vote on an energy bill, which increases funding for the Department of Energy and Army Corps of Engineers. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Congress sends Riyadh 'signal' with vote to allow terror lawsuits

Congress defeated President Barack Obama's effort to shield the US ally from terrorism-related lawsuits.

A Palestinian salesperson holds Apple's new iPhone 5 at a mobile phone store in Gaza City October 16, 2012. Apple's new iPhone 5 is selling well in the Gaza Strip despite inflated prices, reaching the Palestinian enclave via smuggling tunnels even before high-tech hub Israel next door. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS SOCIETY TELECOMS) - RTR3970R

Gazans aren't spared from iPhone frenzy

Despite the 10-year siege, iPhone mobile devices still make it into the Gaza Strip, where there is a high demand among the citizens who pay large amounts of money to own smartphones and keep up with technology.

A man looks from the roof of a house destroyed by a Saudi-led air strike in old Sanaa city, Yemen, September 24, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi - RTSP8QJ

Will next US president shift Washington's Yemen policy?

To be seen as a legitimate peace broker, the United States must urge all sides in the Yemeni civil war to make necessary compromises.

A man walks inside a building destroyed by a Saudi-led air strike in the Red Sea port city of Houdieda, Yemen, September 5, 2016. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RTX2O5W7

Senate tacitly endorses US role in Yemen war

The upper chamber overwhelmingly defeated a bill to block US arms sales to Saudi Arabia.