Saudi officials say for the first time in the war against Iran, Yemen’s Houthi rebels attempted to hit the Saudi capital. The missile was brought down, according to the statement. Residents of the city heard an explosion and saw smoke near the airport as it was stopped. No casualties or damage have been reported.
The attack came as the Houthis, backed by Iran, pushed into Saudi infrastructure with renewed force. The U.S. military says it has supported the transit of 1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months. But Iran’s Supreme National Security Council head Mohsen Rezaei told Al Jazeera that Iran has conveyed its conditions for ending the war to the U.S. via Qatar and is waiting for President Donald Trump’s response.
The Missile Over Riyadh
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia laid out its account of the attack in clear terms: the Houthis attempted to strike Riyadh, which was described as the first such effort against the capital since the fighting with the Iran-backed rebels intensified, opening up a new front in the Iran war.
Residents in Riyadh heard an explosion and saw a plume of smoke near the airport after the attack was intercepted. No one was hurt and there was no damage reported.
The statement indicated that the Houthis struck civilian infrastructure in Yanbu, a Red Sea port city where a major Saudi pipeline ends, alongside attacks in Taif, Baysh and Farasan. The statement did not provide any further details on the foiled attacks.
The Houthis earlier claimed they had targeted “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, causing “massive fires.” Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, did not respond to a request for comment.
Rezaei’s Iran Conditions
Iran has laid out its terms for ending the war, and those terms have been shared with the US through Qatar, according to Rezaei, who spoke to Al Jazeera. The demands include an end to the fighting on every front, the return of Iranian assets that have been seized, and an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Rezaei added that Iran hopes the fighting between Yemen and Saudi Arabia will come to an end. His remark came at a point when the Houthis increased their attacks on Saudi infrastructure, and the U.S. has stepped up its military presence in the Strait of Hormuz.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, stated that the military has assisted in transporting 1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz during the past two months. He also asserted that Iran has lost “exported zero barrels” as a result of a U.S. blockade.
The strait’s main transit channels have been freed of mines, Cooper says. He adds that the flow of oil, natural gas and cargo has reached its highest level in six months — or shortly after the war began following U.S. and Israeli strikes — over the last two weeks.
The Strait of Hormuz Traffic
Observers note that shipping traffic lingers well below prewar levels. Iran keeps striking vessels as it seeks to establish control over the waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas moved before the war.
The contrast between Cooper’s claims and the monitors’ figures is stark. The U.S. says transit is at its highest in six months; the monitors say traffic is still well below where it was before the war.
The report offers no explanation for the gap. It may come down to a difference in how the same thing gets measured, or it may come down to the plain fact that different data sets were used. In any case, the picture of the strait remains unsettled.
Pakistan’s Energy Concerns
Iran’s attacks on ships have consequences that reach beyond the region. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed uninterrupted energy supplies and safe passage for commercial ships during a telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, faces a growing energy bill that is adding strain on his government, while Dar cited the possible effects of disruptions on developing countries and global supply chains.
The Islamist party has warned that it will march on the capital, Islamabad, unless the government lowers fuel prices. The warning increases the pressure on Sharif to secure stable energy supplies.
| Conflict | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh missile | Capital | Intercepted |
| Yanbu pipeline | Red Sea port | Thwarted |
| Baysh and Farasan | Saudi locations | Thwarted |
| Aramco facilities | Oil giant | Claimed damage |
As shown in the table, the Houthis have shifted their attack pattern, moving on from targeting the capital to striking infrastructure in cities such as Yanbu, where the pipeline ends.
The Women’s Race in Tehran
The report also carries a separate story from Iran’s state TV. The Tehran prosecutor’s office filed charges against race organizers after women participated without covering their hair because “legal and Islamic Sharia” wasn’t observed.
Online footage shows women taking part in the 10-kilometer (6-mile) race without the required hair covering. Habib Sotoudehnejad, who leads Tehran’s sports department, estimated that about 5% of the runners broke the rules.
Organizers held the race separately for men and women. The allegations against them arrive as Iran faces examination over its treatment of women.
Turkey’s Defense Pact
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested Turkey could provide military support to Saudi Arabia under a recently signed defense pact. Fidan said Turkey would “face no difficulty in meeting” any military needs.
Fidan made the statement, putting “We observe very serious attacks on Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty” and “We have an alliance agreement in place and we stand by our word.” together.
The proposal arrives amid a surge in Houthi strikes against Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure, with Yanbu, the city at the end of the pipeline, among the targets.
The War’s New Front
For the first time, the Houthis have struck the Saudi capital. The missile was stopped, and no casualties or damage were reported.
Saudi installations including Yanbu are still under attack. The Houthis are striking both military and economic targets, and the Saudis are countering by shooting down missiles and protecting their ports.
Mine-clearance work’s presence in the Strait of Hormuz is part of that response. Cooper said the strait’ has opened up the U.S. military’s main shipping routes, and the amount of oil, natural gas and goods moving through them over the past two weeks has climbed to its highest level in six months.
The numbers from the monitors show a different picture. Ship traffic throughout the region remains well below prewar levels, and at the same time Iran continues to attack vessels.
The report does not reconcile the two sets of figures. The discrepancy could arise from how each measures the same thing, or it could stem from distinct data sets. In either case, an unsettled picture of the strait remains.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the citizens and local groups pushing back against mass surveillance of ordinary people by governments or companies, and is against camera networks, data dragnets and the vendors lobbying to keep them. It is also against foreign entanglements that cut off diplomacy and compromise, and backs the deal over the standoff.
The Houthis’ strike on Riyadh was intercepted, and no casualties or damage were reported. The claim of “massive fires” at Aramco facilities in Yanbu is not verified; Aramco did not respond to a request for comment. The paper would rather see the channels kept open for trade, diplomacy and compromise than a war of missiles and mined straits.
The two sets of figures on Hormuz transit tell different stories: the U.S. says traffic is at its highest in six months, while monitors say it remains well below prewar levels. The discrepancy may come down to measurement methods or data sets, but the picture of the strait remains unsettled.
Key Facts
- Houthis tried to attack Riyadh with a ballistic missile, first attempt on the capital since the war escalated
- 1 billion barrels of oil transited through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months, per U.S. Central Command
- Iran’s Supreme National Security Council head Rezaei says conditions for ending the war have been conveyed to the U.S. via Qatar
- Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, did not respond to a request for comment
- Monitors say shipping traffic remains well below prewar levels
The fighting continues without stopping. The Houthis are striking the capital, the ports and the pipelines. Iran is pressing its own peace terms through Qatar. And the shipping lanes remain the scene of conflict.
The U.S. military’s contribution includes supporting transit, clearing mines and tracking the flow of oil. According to the monitors, shipping traffic remains depressed, while Iran continues to attack vessels.
The fighting in Yemen is putting the region’s stability under pressure. The Houthis, backed by Iran, have stepped up their attacks on Saudi infrastructure. The Saudis have been shooting down missiles and protecting their ports. The U.S. is helping keep shipping lanes open and clearing mines. The monitors, however, report that maritime traffic remains down.
Source material: “Saudi Arabia says Houthis tried to attack its capital,” NPR.
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