Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai
Dubai, Jul 26: Fresh signs of the Iran conflict spreading across the region emerged on Saturday as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched attacks on Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast, while Iran accused Ukraine of attacking one of its commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea.
The developments came despite a pause in US strikes on Iran after nearly two weeks of escalating military action. The US military said its naval blockade against Iran remained in effect but did not explain the suspension of airstrikes.
A senior official in President Donald Trump's administration said the president continued to favour diplomacy but had made clear that further military action remained an option if Iran failed to engage in serious negotiations.
According to reports, Trump has decided, for now, not to intensify attacks on Iran amid concerns over the risk of a wider regional conflict, pressure on US defence stockpiles, strained ties with Gulf allies and the potential impact on global energy supplies.
The conflict widened on Saturday after Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for strikes targeting Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu. Social media footage showed smoke rising near the Aramco refinery in Jizan, while reports indicated possible damage to fuel and oil storage facilities.
In Yanbu, two ballistic missiles targeting oil infrastructure were intercepted by a US-made Patriot air defence system operated by Greek forces under a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Yanbu has become an increasingly important export route for Saudi crude as shipments seek to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, while the Jizan refinery has a processing capacity of up to 400,000 barrels of oil per day.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government's air force carried out strikes on Houthi launch sites and weapons depots in Marib and al-Jawf provinces. The Saudi-led coalition also confirmed earlier strikes on Houthi military positions in the Red Sea city of Hodeidah, while stating that port facilities were not targeted.
Yemeni officials said both sides were mobilising forces along the frontlines, raising fears that the country's civil war could intensify after a fragile ceasefire that had largely held since 2022 broke down earlier this month.
Separately, Iran's Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of carrying out an attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying an explosion killed one sailor and injured another. Tehran summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires to lodge a formal protest over what it described as a "hostile and criminal" attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier praised the success of long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea but did not identify the nationality of the vessels targeted.
The latest developments underscore growing concerns that the conflict could expand beyond the Gulf, threatening additional shipping routes and further destabilising the wider West Asia region.