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Saudi Arabia

September 13, 2026

Riyadh 7:14 am

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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

Iranian worshippers chant anti-Saudi and anti-U.S. slogans during Friday prayers in Tehran January 8, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX21JDM

Iranians launch boycott of Saudi businesses

Following Saudi Arabia’s move to cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Iran, some Iranians have joined forces to launch a campaign against Saudi firms in the country — but is the boycott having any impact?

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (R) walks with Iraq's President Fuad Masum during a welcoming ceremony upon Masum's arrival to attend the Summit of South American-Arab Countries, in Riyadh November 10, 2015. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RTS6BLS

Could Iraq mediate Iran, Saudi strife?

Utilizing Iraq as a mediator to address its dispute with Iran would allow Saudi Arabia to both improve relations with Tehran and build important relations with Iraqi Shiites. Why, then, is Riyadh not seizing this opportunity?

Who was behind Saudi Embassy attack in Iran?

Iranian officials have announced the name of the main culprits behind the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Iran.

Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) is welcomed by Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he arrives for a meeting in Ankara February 28, 2012. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ENVIRONMENT) - RTR2YKVT

How Turkey is losing a top trade partner

Turkey is experiencing a serious but underreported crisis with its biggest export market in the Gulf.

Gas price hike, subsidy cuts shake up Saudis

The Saudi government's new year is off to a shaky start financially — a burden it's sharing with its citizens, leaving them to wonder just how bad things will get.

The truth about the Saudi executions

Why the executions of cleric Nimr al-Nimr and three other Shiites in Saudi Arabia are not the result of Sunni-Shiite sectarianism as many have claimed.

Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh delivers a sermon during Friday prayers in Gaza City October 9, 2015. Haniyeh called on Palestinians to step up their fight against Israel, describing the recent surge in violence in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank as the beginning of a new uprising, or intifada. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTS3QIL

Why Hamas hopes to keep low profile in Saudi-Iranian tensions

In light of the escalating dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Hamas has remained silent to maintain good ties with each party, as both have provided it with financial or military support.

Widespread Iraqi anger threatens Saudi ties

The Iraqi government has distanced itself from the Saudi-Iranian dispute and adopted a neutral position despite the Iraqi street’s angry reaction to the Saudi execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

Is Iran prepared for more Saudi surprises?

The Iranian-Saudi rivalry has turned into a direct strategic conflict. With the crisis surrounding the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran contained, it is unclear whether the next crisis can be managed.

Members from Hashid Shaabi hold portraits of lawmaker and paramilitary commander Hadi al-Amiri (C), Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) and Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (L) during a demonstration to show support for Yemen's Shi'ite Houthis and in protest of an air campaign in Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition, in Baghdad March 31, 2015. Saudi troops clashed with Yemeni Houthi fighters on Tuesday in the heaviest exchange of cross-border fire since the start of a Saudi-le

Are Shiites divided over what to do about Saudi Arabia?

Over the years, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani of Iraq have encouraged Shiites to take opposing approaches toward Sunnis, with ramifications for Saudi Arabia.

Khamenei condemns attack on Saudi Embassy

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls the attack on the Saudi Embassy "very bad and wrong" and says thanking the United States for releasing Iranian funds would be like thanking a bully.

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire at a foodstuff storage facility destroyed by a Saudi-led air strike in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Houdieda January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RTX2177D

How long can Saudi Arabia afford Yemen war?

The war in Yemen may prove just as dangerously costly for Saudi Arabia, where an economic downturn threatens its political system, as for Yemen, whose economy can only start to be revived when it ends.