Fresh Houthi Strikes Inject New Uncertainty Into Iran War

Houthi Strikes on Saudi Arabia Upset Planned Talks With Iran

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World Brief:

Fresh Houthi Strikes Inject New Uncertainty Into Iran War

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Fresh Houthi Strikes Inject New Uncertainty Into Iran War

As oil prices rise, planned regional talks hit a snag.

!An illustration of Alexandra Sharp, World Brief newsletter writer

*An illustration of Alexandra Sharp, World Brief newsletter writer*

*Alexandra Sharp*

By **Alexandra Sharp**, the World Brief writer at *Foreign Policy*.

!A commercial vessel is anchored off Yemen’s coast at Bab el-Mandeb strait.

*A commercial vessel is anchored off Yemen’s coast at Bab el-Mandeb strait.*

A commercial vessel is anchored off Yemen’s coast at Bab el-Mandeb strait on Sept. 12. AFP via Getty Images

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September 14, 2026, 5:11 PM

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at escalating **Houthi** strikes on **Saudi Arabia**, a **Russian** drone narrowly missing a diplomatic train, and a parliamentary election setback for **Sweden**’s far right.

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**Insecurity in the Straits**

Iran War

Analysis and news.

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Iran wants to make a deal to end the war. “The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the White House is “open” to the concept. But regional powers appear to be on a different page, as Gulf Arab states postponed scheduled negotiations with Tehran the same day following fresh Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at escalating **Houthi** strikes on **Saudi Arabia**, a **Russian** drone narrowly missing a diplomatic train, and a parliamentary election setback for **Sweden**’s far right.

Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.

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**Insecurity in the Straits**

Iran War

Analysis and news.

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Iran wants to make a deal to end the war. “The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the White House is “open” to the concept. But regional powers appear to be on a different page, as Gulf Arab states postponed scheduled negotiations with Tehran the same day following fresh Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia.

In recent days, Yemen’s Iranian-backed proxy group has launched a lightning offensive against the Saudi-led military coalition that supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government. After first seizing the Yemeni port city of Mokha on Thursday, Houthi forces took control of Perim Island, the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish, and Zuqar Island as well as the coastal town of Dhubab—solidifying the rebels’ grip on the critical Bab el-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and serves as a vital alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis have also doubled down on strikes against Saudi Arabia itself, firing dozens of missiles and drones on Monday at a military airbase in the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait. Riyadh issued emergency alerts in response, and oil prices briefly jumped around 4 percent, with Brent crude briefly hitting a nearly four-month high at $108 per barrel.

At the same time, Riyadh continued to struggle on Monday to repair its critical East-West pipeline, which shut down last week following drone strikes that Saudi officials allege were traced to Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The nearly 750-mile-long pipeline has been vital during the Iran war, allowing Saudi Arabia—one of the world’s largest oil exporters—to get its product to market without having to traverse the Strait of Hormuz.

If the pipeline remains shuttered, then Saudi exports will be significantly curtailed, and the country could be forced to cut oil production. That would put additional strain on an already overtaxed global energy market.

The White House tried on Monday to downplay international concerns that the recent slew of fighting has worsened the global energy crisis. “Oil is flowing through the Hormuz Strait,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, while in a separate post, he assured that “Oil will drop like a rock as soon as the Military Conflict with Iran is over.” Trump also suggested this weekend that the United States could “stay and keep the oil” in Iran as part of a similar deal to the one made with Venezuela following Washington’s military operation there early this year.

But the markets remain pessimistic. According to Oman, a meeting with Iranian representatives and other regional officials in Muscat on Monday was postponed “in the interests of consensus.” Although specific reasons were not cited, the cancellation’s timing—coming in tandem with fresh Houthi attacks as well as a deadly strike on an Iranian commercial vessel—suggests that Gulf Arab states remain divided on how to stabilize the region’s maritime lanes.

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