Von der Leyen condemns the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and describes Iranian proxies as a threat to Gulf security

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen denounced on Monday (September 14, 2026) the “continuous attacks” launched by “Iranian agents” in the Gulf region, following the recent attacks launched by the Yemeni Houthis on Saudi Arabia.

“I condemn the Houthi attack on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” von der Leyen wrote on the X platform.

She added, "We stand in solidarity with our partners in the Gulf in the face of the continuing attacks launched by Iranian agents... We are all concerned."

She stressed, "We will continue to work with our partners to ensure the freedom and security of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and to achieve stability in the Middle East. We are all concerned with this matter."

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Tehran: “Iran does not interfere in Yemeni affairs”

For its part, Iran denied any involvement in the conflict in Yemen, stressing that the Houthis are "completely independent." Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said, "Iran does not interfere in Yemeni affairs," stressing that the Houthis are "completely independent and make their decisions according to their own interests."

On Monday, Houthi rebels again targeted Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis, an essential part of the network of Iranian-backed armed groups in the Middle East known as the “Axis of Resistance,” accused Saudi Arabia of launching more than 50 raids on their areas during the past 24 hours.

Over the past period, the Houthis have repeatedly announced targeting areas in Saudi Arabia, especially oil facilities in the south of the Kingdom bordering Yemen. On Monday, they announced a rare attack with drones and missiles on the King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia.

In July, Yemen returned to the forefront of regional escalation, with the renewed confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia due to the impact of the war between the United States and Iran.

The confrontations began after the Houthis accused Riyadh of bombing Sanaa Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing there, before they announced the imposition of a naval blockade on the Kingdom and resumed targeting its tankers and oil facilities, thus ending a truce with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government concluded in 2022.

US President Donald Trump ignored a report that Iran obtained satellite images of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before an attack that killed three American soldiers there in July. A recent report in the Wall Street Journal cited unnamed US officials regarding the attack in Jordan. When asked whether he would address this issue in his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump did not respond directly, but instead equated China's surveillance activities with those of the United States.

He told reporters on Air Force One, "They are basically doing what we do. And when they say that China is spying on us, I tell them: You are right, and we are spying on them, too." The Chinese and US presidents are expected to meet in the United States on September 24, although China has not yet officially confirmed that the meeting will take place. Yesterday, Sunday, Trump reiterated that he has a good relationship with his Chinese counterpart. The Wall Street Journal report, which Reuters has not yet been able to verify, stated that US officials “refused to reveal the identity of the Chinese entities that provided Iran with the images, and did not claim” direct Beijing involvement.