US-Iran conflict escalates as Houthis claim missile attack on Saudi city of Jizan
The United States and Iran showed no sign of backing away from their conflict as they continued to trade strikes, with fighting flaring again and diplomacy uncertain. Both sides made moves suggesting an escalation was possible, according to The Hindu.
Saudi Arabia struck the port city of Hodeida in Yemen in response to Iranian-backed Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early Saturday (July 25, 2026). The Houthis said the group would escalate after tensions have been brewing for weeks, breaking a yearslong calm, as The Hindu reported.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed a missile attack on the southern Saudi city of Jizan on Saturday, after vowing retaliation against the kingdom for attacks this week, according to The Guardian.
Iran, meanwhile, reported no strikes overnight on Saturday for the first time after two weeks of US attacks. The Iranian health ministry spokesperson, Hossein Kermanpour, said: "Iran had a peaceful night" in a post on X. Tensions, however, remain high, The Guardian reported.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the US and Iran in June seemed to break down two weeks ago, after Iranian attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz prompted US strikes on Iran, which led to Iranian retaliation against US allies in the region. The MoU was meant to reopen the strait after its closure by Iran during the war and pause hostilities for 60 days to give room for negotiations, but active fighting has prevented progress in talks, as The Guardian detailed.
Much of the current fighting has centred on the strait, a transit point for a fifth of the world's oil and gas prior to the war. At the centre of the fight is the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for world energy supplies that has been effectively shut down by Iranian attacks, sending fuel prices soaring and causing widespread economic turmoil, according to The Hindu.
Trump threatens expanded strikes, warns of 'heavier dose'
US President Donald Trump described negotiations with Iran as "by far the most serious that we've seen" and added that he's "not in a hurry" to end the war, as The Hindu reported. The Guardian reported that Trump threatened expanded strikes on Iran, meeting top national security advisers on Friday to decide whether the administration should escalate attacks. He has warned he could widen the scope of targets in Iran to include civilian infrastructure such as Iranian energy plants and bridges, as well as launch a ground operation to seize Kharg Island, one of Iran's largest oil export terminals.
"There's a military exit where we just keep going just the way we are, and we can even make it a heavier dose, and it's knocking out everything they have. Or there's a smarter strategy that you make a deal," Trump told reporters on Friday, according to The Guardian.
US Embassies in West Asia began alerting Americans in the region that options to leave could become more limited, while Iran's Revolutionary Guard advised residents of neighbouring countries to stay away from bases with US troops, The Hindu reported. Iran issued warnings to citizens of Gulf countries hosting US military sites to stay away from bases to protect themselves from future attacks, according to The Guardian.
Iran's army warns of wider war, Netanyahu to visit Washington
Iran's army warned on Sunday (July 26, 2026) that the war in West Asia would widen if the United States chose to press ahead with attacks on the Islamic republic, ahead of the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, as The Hindu reported.
"I believe that if the Americans once again fall for the Zionists' deception, or move in line with them, and insist on continuing the war, particularly through air strikes, geographically this will expand further," army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia told state television. He said the war had already expanded to the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, referencing the recent military flare-up between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia.
"The scope of our operations now encompasses the entire region, from U.S. bases in Jordan to the countries along the Persian Gulf," he said. Akraminia said the situation in West Asia for the United States is "difficult and unsettled," predicting that Washington was now looking "for a new strategy." "We are prepared for each of the options and scenarios that appear likely," he added, according to The Hindu.
On Friday (July 24, 2026), Israel said Netanyahu will meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday (July 28, 2026), as The Hindu reported.
Houthis claim attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Saturday they carried out operations targeting Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu, according to a statement by the group's military spokesperson Yahya Sare, as reported by The Hindu (via Reuters). This follows the Houthis' claim of a missile attack on Jizan, as The Guardian reported.
Vowing that Iran "will not bow to U.S. bullying," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted ongoing discussions with two global powers often at odds with Americans — China and Russia — and warned in an interview with the semiofficial news outlet Tasnim that the Islamic Republic is "neither intimidated by threats nor will we yield to pressure," The Hindu reported.
On Saturday night, a spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that Britain would become a "definite and legitimate target" if it supported the US in any future action, according to The Guardian.
The US House of Representatives again passed a resolution seeking to halt military action in Iran, as The Hindu noted.