Exclusive Senior Houthi official says Bab el Mandab closure an option if any Gulf states join war Houthi Deputy Information Minister Mohammed Mansour also said the strait could be closed “should the aggression against Iran and Lebanon escalate.” By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Analysis Alternative supply routes emerge as Iran war tests Gulf food security Roughly 61 million people in the Gulf rely on established food supply chains, many of which have been upended since the United States and Israel launched their attack against Iran on Feb. 28. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Analysis In Saudi Arabia, Erdogan fosters security alignment, $30B trade push The Turkish president’s visit cemented Ankara and Riyadh’s accelerating convergence as regional crises mount and Gulf rivalries sharpen. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Yemen’s Houthis hint at Red Sea attacks as US-Iran tensions rise: What to know The Houthi warnings come as a US aircraft carrier accompanied by several guided missile destroyers entered Gulf waters amid tensions with Iran. Iran
Yemen’s Houthis seek regional role as part of Axis of Resistance Iran-backed Ansar Allah may have ambitions well beyond Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Will Iran back UN-Saudi initiative for cease-fire in Yemen? For Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, Yemen is too big to fail; for Iran, it’s a penny stock investment to keep the kingdom bogged down in a quagmire. Yemen
War-ravaged Yemen reports first case of COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has officially struck Yemen, which war and poverty have left with a health care system in shambles. Yemen
Intel: Key Democrat says Yemen war restrictions 'on the table' in major defense bill House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., told Al-Monitor today that Democrats are considering renewing last year’s push to cut off US support to the Saudi-led coalition that is fighting Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels as part of Congress’ annual defense authorization bill. Saudi Arabia
Riyadh Agreement at risk of collapse in southern Yemen Tensions flare between Saudi and UAE aligned forces. Saudi Arabia
How the pandemic, plummeting oil prices could reshape Middle East COVID-19 will weaken fragile states, raising risk of failure but creating openings for diplomacy. Saudi Arabia
Airstrikes on Yemen intensify, shatter hope for peace The latest Saudi-led airstrikes against Houthi positions in the Yemeni capital Sanaa have ended all hopes for peace as the war-torn country braces for the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia
Saudis risk losing last Republican defenders with oil price war The oil price war places the Saudis at risk of losing their previously stalwart defenders on Capitol Hill, the last line of defense against legislation targeting the kingdom. Saudi Arabia
Will Baha'is be released from Yemeni prisons as ordered? At the end of March, Houthi leaders ordered the release of all Baha'is currently detained in Yemeni prisons, including their leader, but there have been no signs of progress in that direction in the ensuing weeks. Yemen
Hamas, Houthis hope for deal with Saudi Arabia Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group is suggesting the release of Saudi captives in exchange for the release of Palestinians detained in Saudi jails, an unprecedented proposal that was widely welcomed by the Palestinian Hamas movement. Saudi Arabia
US slashes millions in Yemen aid despite pandemic As Yemen stares down a coronavirus crisis, the United States is set to slash $73 million in humanitarian assistance because of worsening Houthi aid restrictions. Saudi Arabia
Intel: US touts nearly $40 million in coronavirus aid to Middle East The United States today touted nearly $40 million in aid to the Middle East and North Africa as part of a $274 million emergency health and humanitarian assistance package to help afflicted countries deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Yemen