Houthis fire on Saudi oil sites; no US strike on Iran for first time in two weeks
Houthi militants attacked Saudi oil facilities while the U.S. paused its retaliatory strikes against Iran for the first time in two weeks. President Trump has signaled a preference for diplomatic negotiations despite the ongoing regional instability.
Why it matters
The escalation of conflict into new shipping routes threatens global energy supplies and complicates ongoing U.S.-Iran diplomatic efforts.
A boat is targetted, at an unknown location, during what the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on July 23, 2026. U.S. Central Command/Handout via REUTERS — U.S. Central Command By Lefteris Papadimas and Idrees Ali
ATHENS/WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants fired on Saudi oil installations in two ports on the Red Sea coast on Saturday, but the U.S. held back from launching air strikes on Iran for the first night in two weeks.
Washington gave no immediate explanation of why it had abruptly halted a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz since an interim deal to end hostilities collapsed.
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