Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes against southern Saudi Arabia on September 15, according to Yemeni officials, while digging into military positions along the Red Sea coast as urgent diplomatic deliberations unfolded in Riyadh. The escalating conflict has heightened fears that regional hostilities could further threaten global oil … Read more
Geopolitical Leverage and the Bab el-Mandeb Chokepoint Middle East analyst Fawaz Gerges described the move to Reuters as a game changer, noting that it alters the balance of power and gives far greater geopolitical and geoeconomic leverage over Saudi Arabia, the Gulf, the United States, and global trade. Diplomatic Shifts and the Omani-Iranian Meetings Riyadh … Read more
U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, including one vessel off the coast of Kharg Island near Iran’s key oil export hub, according to U.S. Central Command. The military action followed a ballistic missile attack launched by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against two U.S. Navy ships, according to statements from Central Command. … Read more
The Trump administration is beginning to send diplomatic personnel back to U.S. missions across the Middle East that were evacuated or downsized during recent tensions with Iran, according to two people familiar with the matter. Posts in Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Baghdad are among those slated for staff returns, with family members also permitted … Read more
Oman has presented Iran with a Gulf-backed proposal to manage the Strait of Hormuz by collecting voluntary service fees from passing commercial vessels, according to a Gulf source and a Western diplomat who spoke to Reuters on Tuesday. The diplomatic push aims to resolve trade disruptions caused by the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, which … Read more
President Donald Trump stated on July 27, 2026, that the United States is having “good talks” with Iran and sees a chance for a deal, while warning that U.S. air strikes will resume if negotiations fail. According to Reuters, the diplomatic opening follows an abrupt U.S. suspension of a two-week bombing campaign, though regional drone … Read more
Iran will halt its own military attacks as long as the United States maintains its latest pause on air strikes, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday. According to the senior Iranian source, Tehran’s position remains attack for attack, meaning that if the U.S. air strikes stop, Iran will also halt its operations, and … Read more
Houthi militants have escalated regional maritime tensions by launching ballistic and cruise missiles at two Saudi-flagged oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, in the Red Sea. According to reports from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the maritime risk management firm Vanguard, the Encelia sustained fire damage after being struck by a … Read more
Transit levels through the Strait of Hormuz have dropped significantly as U.S.-Iran tensions escalate, with vessel crossings hitting a weekend low of four ships on Sunday compared to eight on Saturday, according to LSEG data. The disruption has halted visible liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker traffic since Thursday, leading to a mounting backlog of fuel … Read more
Iran launched a military strike on eastern Syria in July, marking the first known instance of Tehran targeting Syrian territory since the current regional conflict began. Iranian state media and a Syrian military source confirmed the action, which the Revolutionary Guards described as retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr. While the Revolutionary … Read more