Saudi-Houthi clashes intensify, Trump claims Iran war near end

Clashes between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea region have intensified, with fresh attacks and counter-strikes raising fears of a wider conflict. On the deadliest day in recent years between the two sides, 11 civilians were injured in a Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia's border region of Najran. The attack came two days after the Houthis said they had carried out a drone strike on Najran airport. In central Yemen, Houthi attacks reportedly killed at least 30 Yemeni government troops who are backed by Saudi Arabia. The escalation follows the Iranian-backed group's announcement of a naval blockade in the Red Sea and its attacks on Saudi tankers and oil facilities. Riyadh has responded with strikes on military sites in Yemen.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most important shipping routes. Since the war with Iran began, Saudi Arabia had been using the Red Sea to export oil, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. But the Houthi threat now makes that route dangerous. The Houthis, who control the poorest Arab country, sit next to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the choke point at the southern end of the Red Sea. They have said they targeted eight Saudi tankers, making it very difficult for Saudi Arabia to get its oil to market. This is likely to impact the global economy as well as Saudi Arabia's own interests.

In response to the growing threat, Saudi Arabia has signed a defence agreement with Turkey and Pakistan, stating that an attack on one would be seen as an attack on all three. The pact was signed in Mecca and is seen as largely symbolic, with no clear obligation for the other countries to intervene militarily. Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state, had already signed a defence pact with Saudi Arabia last year, but there is no suggestion that it would make its nuclear warheads available. Turkey has the second largest army in NATO, but the pact does not compel it to act. The test of this alliance will be whether it leads to any concrete action if Saudi Arabia is attacked again.

Meanwhile, proposals for shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz have been put forward. Iran and Oman said days ago that they had reached an agreement on the exact routes commercial ships could use to transit the vital waterway, but the details have not been published. Three distinct routes have been proposed: a Northern Corridor approved by Iran, mostly within its territorial waters; a Southern Corridor approved by Oman and the International Maritime Organization, backed by the United States, which would keep ships away from Iranian waters; and the two pre-war shipping lanes, with inbound traffic closer to Iran's coast and outbound traffic closer to the UAE and Oman. Early reports in Iranian media suggest the pre-war lanes could be the basis of the new agreement.

President Donald Trump has again insisted that the war with Iran is close to being over. He dismissed reports of dwindling US munitions stockpiles, saying the US has an unlimited supply of certain powerful munitions and is in great shape. He also repeated his claim that the war would end soon, saying, "I think it's going to end pretty soon. I don't think they can go much longer." His comments come just days after he called off a planned attack that he said would have been greater than anything seen since World War II. The situation remains fluid, with the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz both critical flashpoints in the wider US-Iran conflict.