Iran reported no strikes overnight in an apparent break of nearly two weeks of consecutive nights of U.S. attacks, though tension remains high following a recent escalation over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iran had a peaceful night,
Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour posted on X. The U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, unlike the previous 13 nights, it did not announce new strikes.
Sirens sounded multiple times on Saturday in Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu and Jizan provinces, which house crucial oil facilities on the Red Sea, according to the Saudi Civil Defense. It said the alert was for a potential danger
that was later lifted, without providing further details. Bahrain also sounded missile alerts, but no casualties have been reported.
A tenuous ceasefire that appeared to halt major operations in the conflict that started with American and Israeli attacks on Iran seemed to unravel early July. Iran was accused of striking three ships in the strait. The U.S. responded by striking dozens of targets in Iran, which retaliated by firing at Arab states in the region.
The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for world energy supplies effectively shut down by Iranian attacks, has been at the center of the conflict. The U.S. military fired Friday on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman that was trying to breach its renewed blockade of Iran’s ports, while Iran targeted U.S.-allied Gulf Arab countries.
Iran reported no new U.S. strikes overnight into Saturday, marking an apparent break from nearly two weeks of consecutive nightly attacks as tensions remain high following recent escalations over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The relative overnight calm followed a tense period that began earlier in July, when a tenuous ceasefire unraveled after Iran was accused of striking three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military responded with strikes on dozens of targets inside Iran, drawing retaliatory fire against U.S.-allied Arab states in the region.
Overnight Quiet in Iran Contrasts With Regional Sirens in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour posted on X on Saturday morning, stating that Iran had a peaceful night without any attacks reported. While the U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment and announced no new strikes—breaking a 13-night streak—the wider region remained on high alert.
Sirens sounded multiple times early Saturday in the Saudi provinces of Yanbu and Jizan, home to critical Red Sea oil facilities, according to Saudi Civil Defense officials. Authorities reported that the alerts were triggered by a potential danger that was later lifted without further details. Bahrain also sounded missile alerts early Saturday, though no casualties were reported across either nation.
Houthi Missile and Drone Attacks Target Saudi Aramco Facilities
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they fired missiles and drones on Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea city of Hodeida, in another escalation over vital shipping routes in the Middle East while the United States and Iran continue to vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, said in a prerecorded statement on Saturday that the attack targeted facilities of Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom’s civil defense said alerts sounded multiple times early Saturday in Yanbu and Jizan. There were no reported strikes overnight in Iran, in an apparent break of nearly two weeks of consecutive nights of U.S. attacks, though tension remains high following a recent escalation between the two countries over Hormuz.
The rising tension in the Red Sea has threatened to further choke global shipping, because the rebels have said they would close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping. That strait, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping chokepoint, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of the world’s trade, including a quarter of global container traffic, passes through the narrows.
The Houthis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea this week. In response, Saudi Arabia struck the port city of Hodeida in Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said earlier.
Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry, reported that two people were injured in those strikes. The Saudi-led coalition maintained that it did not hit the port itself, but rather struck legitimate military targets in Hodeida province linked to threats against commercial vessels.
Diplomatic Appeals and Widening Evacuation Warnings Across the Middle East
Amid the cross-border exchanges, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi advocated for resolution through diplomacy and dialogue rather than military confrontations, according to an interview published Saturday in the state-run newspaper Iran.
Recognizing the deteriorating security environment, U.S. embassies across the Middle East warned American nationals on Friday that departure options could soon become more limited. Concurrently, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard advised residents in neighboring countries to maintain distance from military installations hosting U.S. troops.
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