Houthis strike Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia's Jazan
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- Yemen's Houthis claimed they struck an Aramco refinery in Jazan with a drone on Sunday in retaliation for Saudi drones breaching Yemeni airspace over Hajjah and Saada; Saudi Energy Ministry confirmed a fire was extinguished with no casualties.
- The Houthis also fired missiles and drones at Mocha port on the Red Sea, one of the main ports under Yemen's internationally recognized government, renovated to handle shipping bypassing Houthi-held Hodeida.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations with the US "cannot resume" until Washington ends violations of the memorandum of understanding and remedies provisions it violated, though "exchange of messages through intermediaries" continues.
- Iran's Supreme National Security Council — via secretary and Revolutionary Guard commander Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr — demanded the US never threaten Iran again, permanently end the war, lift the naval blockade, withdraw its military, fully compensate Iran for war damage, lift sanctions, and unconditionally release frozen assets before the Strait of Hormuz reopens.
- US Central Command reported the naval blockade has redirected 53 commercial vessels, disabled two, and boarded two through Saturday.
- The Pentagon is actively pushing to accelerate munitions acquisitions to deliver weapons "at the pace the threat demands," part of a broader modernization predating the five-month conflict, spokesman Sean Parnell said Saturday.
- Iran and Oman are finalizing a temporary deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with ships entering through a route near Iran and exiting near Oman, endorsed by the Gulf Cooperation Council and expected to be jointly announced with the US and the International Maritime Organization.
Why it matters: Iran's new demands — ending the war, lifting the naval blockade, withdrawing US forces, and full compensation — go well beyond the June interim deal's framework, meaning even the Iran-Oman strait reopening could collapse. The Houthi strikes on Saudi oil and port infrastructure show the conflict widening as diplomatic channels narrow, while the Pentagon is already scrambling to restock missile interceptors drained by five months of fighting.
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