The Iran war broadened over the weekend as Houthi fighters struck Saudi oil installations on the Red Sea and Iran accused Ukraine of attacking one of its vessels in the Caspian Sea.
The U.S. military said Saturday that its naval blockade "remains in full effect" but did not explain why it halted a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told Meet the Press that a pause in strikes reflected ongoing talks and said, "What the president is doing right now, as we’ve seen all along, is giving some talks some space." He added there was "internal fighting" on the Iranian side and that "Some are seeking the guidance of the supreme leader" while "Others want to move into a different direction, and that makes it hugely challenging."
A senior Iranian source said Iran "will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes" and added, "Iran’s position remains 'attack for attack': if the attacks stop, Iran will also halt its operations. That message has already been conveyed to the United States." The source added, "There is more skepticism than optimism about the halt in attacks. The prevailing view is that the pause is tactical rather than genuine."
Trump has decided, for now, to back away from plans to ramp up attacks on Iran, citing concerns about expanding the conflict, depleting defense stockpiles, alienating Middle East Gulf allies and affecting energy supplies and the global economy.
Vice President JD Vance and Gen. Dan Caine both raised concerns about the U.S. munitions stockpile with Trump during a White House meeting on Friday, a U.S. official said.
"Operations are 'on a hold,'" a Department of Defense source said.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group struck sites belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco in the cities of Jizan and Yanbu. Video verified by news agencies showed a large column of smoke near the Aramco refinery in Jizan. The refinery can process up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil daily. Two Asia-based trading sources said they had been informed of potential damage to fuel and oil storage sites at Jizan, and Aramco did not respond to requests for comment. In Yanbu, two missiles aimed at oil installations were intercepted, and Yanbu was described as Saudi Arabia’s main Red Sea oil port and a key route for Saudi oil skirting the Strait of Hormuz.
In Yemen, officials said the air force of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government struck Houthi sites in the Marib and al-Jawf provinces and that both sides in Yemen’s civil war were mobilizing forces along the front. Saudi Arabia has led an Arab coalition battling the Houthis since the fighters captured Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. The civil war had been paused by a ceasefire since 2022, but that truce broke down this month, and the Houthis have effectively joined the wider war their Iranian allies have waged since being attacked by the United States and Israel five months ago.
The Houthis have declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia over the past week, and Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said all Saudi oil facilities "could be targets."