Day 203 | Iran war spreads to Yemen, as Trump hopes for an end soon

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Saudi Arabia’s National Early Warning Platform issued an emergency alert in Jeddah warning residents of a potential hazard.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington is in talks with Yemen’s Houthi group and that the Iran-aligned movement is interested in reaching an agreement, as the group’s territorial gains put renewed pressure on key Red Sea shipping routes.

"We’re talking to the Houthis also, and they would like to see if we can make a deal," Trump told NewsNation in a phone interview on Friday. Trump did not provide details about the talks, including where they were taking place, who was participating, or what specific terms were under discussion.

Yemeni government forces have released several videos they say show attacks targeting Houthi fighters and vehicles in multiple areas.

In one post, government forces operating in western Marib governorate claimed they destroyed nine Houthi “combat vehicles,” killing everyone aboard.

In a separate post, the forces said drone strikes targeted Houthi positions in northern Marib.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassim Mohamed al-Budaiwi said the Strait of Hormuz must not be turned into “a bargaining chip.”

Speaking at the University of Utah, al-Budaiwi called on the international community to “assume its responsibilities to restore stability” and ensure the strait remains open to international navigation in accordance with international law.

Al-Budaiwi condemned Iranian attacks on neighboring countries and recent regional escalations.

He said Qatar and Oman continue to keep “communication channels open” during the confrontation between Iran and the United States, seeking solutions that address legitimate security concerns and prevent further suffering across the region.

The fourth planning meeting of the multinational Combined Maritime Forces was held in Jeddah on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said.

The meeting brought together 154 naval leaders, planners, ambassadors and European Union representatives from 41 countries, according to a ministry statement posted on X.

The ministry said the meeting marked the alliance’s transition from its “establishment phase to full operational capability.”

It added that the alliance has entered a “capability integration and operational readiness phase” as it prepares for operational deployment and a physical presence in the maritime operations area.

The ministry said the effort reflects shared international interest in protecting freedom of navigation, maritime routes and strategic straits.

It added that the alliance seeks to strengthen partnerships, integrate diverse capabilities and coordinate a collective response to maritime security challenges.

The ministry said the alliance supports the “security and safety of maritime navigation in accordance with international law.”

Yemen’s government forces said warplanes carried out airstrikes Friday on positions belonging to the Houthi group near Al-Qasr Roundabout, east of Taiz.

The forces said the strikes targeted Houthi positions in the area. No further details on casualties or damage were immediately provided.

Images released by Saudi state TV show what it says is the damage caused by shrapnel from an intercepted Houthi drone that crashed down over Taif governorate, east of Mecca. 

Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency on Thursday said one person was killed in the drone attack.

Iran is rapidly reconstructing a heavily fortified underground facility at the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran that has long been linked to past nuclear weapons research, according to new satellite imagery analyzed by a Washington-based nuclear watchdog.

Vantor Technologies imagery from September 13 shows extensive construction underway at the Taleghan 2 site, roughly 30 kilometers from the capital.

Iran has erected a large tarp over the destroyed hardened buried structure, obscuring activity from satellites and aerial reconnaissance, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said in a report published Thursday.

“Significant activity can be seen throughout the construction site,” the institute reported.

“Construction vehicles, including dump trucks, bulldozers, concrete pump trucks and concrete mixers, and cranes, are actively working to rebuild the facility.”

Repair work began in June 2026 with concrete caps placed over penetration holes from previous strikes, and new blast-reinforcement concrete aprons have been added on both sides of the site to improve protection against aerial attack.

This marks the third reconstruction cycle at Taleghan 2.

‘Israel’ first struck the original building in October 2024. Iran rebuilt it starting in May 2025 as a hardened, buried facility that included what analysts believed may have been a high-explosive containment vessel.

‘Israeli’ forces attacked the site again in early March 2026 with multiple bunker-buster weapons, destroying the internal structure and collapsing surrounding buildings.

Western intelligence has long associated the Parchin complex with high-explosive testing relevant to nuclear detonations more than two decades ago as part of Iran’s alleged AMAD Plan nuclear weapons program.

The ‘Israeli’ military has described the site as one used in recent years “to develop advanced explosives” and advance nuclear weapons capabilities.

Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons.

“Significant questions remain as to Iran’s plans for the facility; not least is why Iran keeps rebuilding it,” the ISIS report stated.

“What is clear is that Iran remains committed to rebuilding this facility, a deeply concerning development considering the long history of nuclear weapons research and development activities that occurred there.”

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Friday that it had received a report of an incident involving a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to UKMTO Warning 138-26, the vessel's company security officer reported that the tanker was hit by an unknown projectile, causing a fire that was later extinguished.

All crew members were reported safe, while any environmental impact remained unconfirmed.

UKMTO advised vessels operating in the area to transit with caution and report suspicious activity as authorities investigate.

Iran claims tanker strike earlier

The warning came hours after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said it had struck a Togo-flagged oil tanker named Trend while it was attempting what Iran described as an "illegal passage" through the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC said the tanker caught fire and was stopped.

It also warned that vessels attempting what it considers unauthorized passage through the waterway could face destruction.

UKMTO did not identify the vessel involved in its warning, and there was no immediate independent confirmation that the Trend was the tanker referenced in the maritime alert.

Shipping under pressure

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks and security incidents involving commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz since the US-‘Israel’ war on Iran began in February.

Shipping traffic has fallen sharply.

Reuters reported Friday, citing Kpler data, that only four commodity vessels transited the Strait on Thursday, compared with a 10-day average of 16.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical route for global energy shipments, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.

Saudi Arabia’s embassy in the United States said the potential sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets reflects the development of Saudi-US defense cooperation and the strength of their strategic partnership.

The US State Department approved the potential $24.3 billion sale, saying the deal would enhance security for a “major non-NATO ally” and support political stability and economic progress in the Gulf region.

The Saudi embassy said decades of security cooperation between the two countries had contributed to regional stability, strengthened collective defense capabilities and advanced shared security interests.

The potential sale would mark a major expansion of Saudi Arabia’s advanced military capabilities if finalized.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Seoul will not deploy military troops to support any US intervention in the war in Iran that could draw South Korea into the conflict, according to Yonhap.

Speaking at a news conference, Lee said the government could take limited measures to protect South Korean merchant ships and secure oil transport routes.

Iranian media have published photos of Mojtaba Khamenei visiting Hezbollah members who were injured in the 2024 pager explosions in Lebanon. The images were reportedly taken during a visit two years ago and were republished on the anniversary of the attack.

The pager explosions took place on September 17, 2024, across several areas of Lebanon, killing and injuring members of Hezbollah and others. A second wave targeting other communication devices followed the next day.

The newly published images show Mojtaba Khamenei visiting injured Hezbollah members following the blasts, according to Iranian reports.

 

 

 

 

 

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The United States is offering up to $15 million for information that could help disrupt the financial mechanisms of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program said the IRGC uses digital asset platforms and other financial channels to move illicit funds, evade sanctions and maintain access to the international financial system.

The offer comes amid a broader US campaign targeting Iran’s financial networks. The Treasury Department has accused Iranian actors of using digital asset exchanges and front companies to launder funds and support the IRGC.

Washington has also recently imposed sanctions on Iranian-linked cryptocurrency networks and sought the forfeiture of about $61 million in cryptocurrency allegedly tied to black-market Iranian oil sales.

The State Department says the $15 million reward is available for information leading to the disruption of the IRGC’s financial mechanisms and those of its affiliated branches.

The United States has formally withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council, ending Washington’s participation in the body and its plans to seek a seat in future elections.

The move follows a broader review by the Trump administration of US participation in international organizations. In January, the White House directed US agencies to withdraw from a range of UN bodies, while an earlier executive order specifically stated that Washington would not participate in the Human Rights Council or seek election to it.

The withdrawal comes as the Human Rights Council holds its 63rd regular session in Geneva. The session began on September 7 and is scheduled to run until October 7, according to the UN council’s official calendar.

The decision is part of a wider restructuring of US engagement with international institutions under the Trump administration, which has announced withdrawals from multiple UN and other multilateral bodies.

The White House has rejected a UN human rights report finding “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran on February 28, including an attack on a school in the southern city of Minab.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the findings, saying the UN Human Rights Council had “accomplished nothing for human rights while spouting unserious nonsense for decades,” according to The Washington Post. She also said the only party in the conflict to have committed war crimes was the Iranian government.

The UN fact-finding mission said the two US airstrikes killed at least 178 civilians. One of the attacks struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, where Iranian authorities reported that 168 people were killed, most of them children.

The mission concluded that the school was “the intended point of impact,” rather than collateral damage. Earlier reporting by The Washington Post also found evidence indicating likely US involvement in the strike.

The Trump administration has not publicly accepted responsibility for the attack or released the findings of a Pentagon investigation into the incident. The Pentagon investigation remained pending months after the strike.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted an oil tanker flying the Togo flag while the vessel was transiting the Strait of Hormuz through what it described as an unauthorized route.

The IRGC has repeatedly warned commercial vessels against using routes it considers unauthorized, saying ships must follow designated passages through the strategic waterway.

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