Iran War Spreads Beyond Gulf Amid US Strike Pause
The Iran war has spread to the Red Sea and Caspian Sea, despite a pause in US strikes. The Yemeni Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast, while Iran accused Ukraine of targeting an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea.
No reports emerged on Saturday of attacks from Iran on neighboring countries, unlike daily responses to US attacks. This lull in Gulf activity comes as Trump has decided to back away from earlier plans to ramp up attacks on Iran, citing concerns about expanding the conflict and depleting defense stockpiles.
The war's spread is evident in Yemen, where fighting between Iran's Houthi allies and Saudi Arabia indicates the conflict could affect a second major shipping route and reignite Yemen's civil war. The Houthis struck sites belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco in Jizan and Yanbu, with two ballistic missiles aimed at oil installations intercepted by a US-made Patriot battery operated in Saudi Arabia by the Greek military.