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
Is Saudi crown prince winning or losing in the Middle East? With Saad Hariri staying on as prime minister in Lebanon, the Saudi crown prince has suffered another setback in his efforts to counter Iran. Saudi Arabia
Defeating IS in Yemen While the Islamic State has faced major defeats in Iraq and Syria, the protracted war in Yemen has provided the terrorist group's branch in that country oxygen to breathe. Saudi Arabia
Yemenis 'trapped in hell' as war escalates With help from the United States and the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia’s blockade and airstrikes on Yemen have created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia
Has Kushner given Riyadh carte blanche? Diplomats and military chiefs worry Jared Kushner's peace play could be giving Saudis and Emiratis a sense of entitlement to take overreaching, hard-line actions that could destabilize the region. Saudi Arabia
Can Lebanon handle truth about Hariri, Saudi Arabia? Saad Hariri faces his own court of conscience; US-Iran relations revert to axis of evil days. Saudi Arabia
US support for Saudi war in Yemen soars under Trump The Defense Department more than doubled US refueling support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen over the past year amid rising congressional opposition. Saudi Arabia
Is US counseling restraint to Saudi crown prince? Saudi Arabia claims two "acts of war" in one week; Israel and Syria both back the Druze. Saudi Arabia
Iran taking Saudi rhetoric, actions seriously The Saudi-Iranian clash that has Lebanon swirling in the middle could spiral out of control. Saudi Arabia
Shock suspension of Iranian hard-line daily over headline Kayhan, the mouthpiece of Iran’s hard-liners, has been suspended for two days after a headline suggesting that Yemen’s Houthi movement will attack Dubai. Saudi Arabia
Controversy in Iran over headline targeting Dubai A headline perceived as belligerent sparks a broad backlash against the hard-line Iranian daily Kayhan. Saudi Arabia
IRGC commander denies Trump claim on Saudi missile attack IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari denied that Iran was involved in the Yemeni missile attack on Riyadh. Saudi Arabia
Sanaa’s green spaces ravaged by war Yemen has lost a lot of its trees, shrubs and flowers since the beginning of the war in 2015, in what could make matters worse for Yemenis haunted by the specter of starvation. Yemen