The Houthis open a second front in the war with Iran, increasing pressure on global markets

The Houthis are advancing along the Red Sea and effectively opening a second front in the war with Iran, widening the conflict and further increasing pressure on global energy and financial markets. The new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon in Rome, scheduled for next week, has been postponed until October. Brics countries: "We urge maximum containment in the Middle East". Pezeshkian: "We are not at war with Saudi Arabia"

The Houthis are advancing along the Red Sea and effectively opening a second front in the war with Iran, widening the conflict and further increasing pressure on global energy and financial markets, with oil remaining above $100. The pro-Iranian movement also denied having contacted the United States to ask not to be attacked, as claimed by President Donald Trump. In the Gulf, meanwhile, pro-Iranian militias in Iraq have struck the East-West oil pipeline, a key infrastructure for Riyadh with a capacity of 7 million barrels per day.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian distanced himself, on behalf of his government, from the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis: "We are not at war with Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have their own issues." The BRICS countries have expressed "concern about the situation. We urge maximum containment in the Middle East". Xi Jinping: "China ready to work with Brics to broker peace".

The new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon, initially scheduled for next week in Rome, has been postponed to October. A US official reported this. However, the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors will meet next week at the State Department in Washington.

Insights: Strait of Hormuz, from transit to mine clearance: what the Iran-Oman agreement provides What does the new Israel-Lebanon agreement that Hezbollah rejects provide? Iran, how mines work in the Strait of Hormuz and why it is difficult to remove them War in Iran, how much have the US and Israel spent so far? War in Iran and inflation, who risks being most affected by the increase in prices Pasdaran, who are the Guardians of the Iranian Revolution War in Iran, the history of crises and conflicts in the Gulf from 1979 to today

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Yemen, Houthis: "Over 200 militiamen freed, they were in prisons controlled by pro-government forces"

Yemen's Houthis have freed more than 200 of their members detained by Saudi Arabia-backed pro-government forces in areas they captured in recent days. Houthi official Abdelkader al-Murtada said they were prisoners of war, some of whom had been in prison for up to eight years. "We have freed 210 of our people who were in prisons of the Saudi enemy on the west coast," Murtada stressed during a conference in the capital Sanaa. On board the large buses that were taking them to the capital, the freed prisoners celebrated their newfound freedom by chanting "Death to America, death to Israel", before being welcomed by their supporters. In May, the UN announced an agreement between the internationally recognized government and the Houthis to exchange more than 1,600 prisoners between the two sides, but the agreement was never implemented. A successful prisoner swap was carried out in April 2023, when around 900 detainees were freed, the largest swap since the previous deal involving 1,000 prisoners in October 2020. The war in Yemen, largely frozen since 2022, flared up again in July.

Iran: "Agreement with Oman does not provide for immediate reopening of Hormuz"

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi held a telephone conversation to discuss the latest developments in the region. According to a statement released on Araghchi's Telegram channel, the two top diplomats discussed "the latest regional developments and issues of common interest." No further details about the discussions were provided. The call comes as Oman prepares to host Iran and Gulf states for talks on the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, following weeks of negotiations between Tehran and Muscat to restore safe navigation through this strategic waterway.

Yemen, government forces attempt counterattack in Mocha

Yemen's government forces, supported by Riyadh, reported attacking Houthi fighters in the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha. After a week-long offensive, the Houthis seized Yemen's Red Sea coast yesterday, consolidating their control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. “The armed forces destroyed vehicles, weapons and killed members of the Iranian regime-backed Houthi terrorist militia” near the port of Mocha, the government-run Saba news agency reported on Saturday. The spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, Majed Abdulah al Nazili, said they had also attacked vehicles and Houthi fighters on the Mocha-Dhubab road, just outside the city, according to Saba. Al Nazili reported that government forces began shelling areas in Mocha. The Houthis' control of the city has led many residents to flee to Aden, where the internationally recognized government is based. On Friday, Houthi media reported that two Saudi strikes hit Mocha airport, while a local official said the city's seaport was hit by six missiles of unknown origin. According to the American digital channel Axios, Bin Salman called Trump twice on Thursday to ask the United States to attack the Houthis, but the idea was rejected by Washington. Trump said Saturday that Houthi rebels have asked Washington not to intervene in the Yemeni conflict.

Lebanon, attacks in the south of the country

Lebanon reported attacks in the village of Tabnit and in the areas of Al-Dabsha and Ali al-Taher, in the southern part of the country.

Iran: "Agreement with Oman does not provide for immediate reopening of Hormuz"

An Iranian official told the Tasnim news agency that the agreements between Iran and Oman do not provide for an immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz, but lay the foundations for its possible opening in the future. According to the official, the agreement will represent a step forward towards realizing Iranian sovereignty over the strait and its reopening will depend entirely on the United States respecting the conditions posed by Tehran.

Iran, Tehran scheduled to meet on Monday in Oman: "Regional security must be guaranteed by the countries in the area"

Iran and Oman will inform countries in the region on the results of their consultations regarding the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, during a meeting scheduled for Monday. This was stated by the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei in an interview with 'Al Jazeera'. The foreign ministers of the Gulf countries, as well as those of Iran and Iraq, should participate in the meeting, he confirmed. "Among the agenda items will be informing delegations about the results of the consultations between Iran and Oman regarding the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz," he explained. Baghaei stressed that Iran and Oman carried out these consultations as "the two coastal countries of the Strait of Hormuz" and that they will share the results with other countries in the region. The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Tehran believes that regional security should be guaranteed by the countries of the region "without the intervention of foreigners, of external powers": "We believe that, as neighboring countries, we must talk to each other and build trust, so as to create regional security based on the common will and interests of all the countries in the region", he added.

Iran, Tehran: "US military aggression continues and we defend ourselves"

US military aggression against Iran continues. This was stated in an interview with 'Al Jazeera' by the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ismail Baghaei. "We are defending ourselves. We are defending Iran from US military aggression, which, by the way, continues to this day," he said. Baghaei said Iran has the right to defend itself under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. “As long as their military aggression continues, we will have no choice but to defend our territorial integrity and national sovereignty,” he explained, adding that Tehran remains willing to resort to “every possible means, including diplomacy,” to protect its national security and interests.

Iran, clashes in Sistan and Baluchistan province: 8 dead including 3 members of the security forces

Three members of the Iranian security forces and five armed men defined as "terrorists" were killed today during clashes in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan, in south-eastern Iran. "During a joint operation by the Guardians of the Revolution, the General Directorate of Intelligence and the police, four terrorists were killed," state television reported, citing a Pasdaran statement. The toll was later raised to five "terrorists" by a spokesman for the Guardians of the Revolution. The initial statement, which does not specify the group's affiliation, indicates that the latter "was planning a terrorist operation" in the city of Saravan, located over 1,300 kilometers from Tehran. Iranian forces seized "weapons, ammunition and explosives". "During this operation, which continued until the early hours of the morning, three members of the security forces were killed," the statement said. The incident occurred in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan, one of the poorest regions of Iran, on the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, where clashes regularly occur between security forces and armed groups, jihadists or traffickers. On Tuesday, a commander of the Basij, the paramilitary force affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, was killed during an attack in the same province. The region is home to an important population belonging to the Baluchi ethnic minority, who practice Sunni Islam, distinct from the Shiite Islam predominant in the Islamic Republic.

Pezeshkian: "We are not at war with Saudi Arabia"

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian distanced himself, on behalf of his government, from the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, supported by Iran. "We are not at war with Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have their own issues," Pezeshkian told India Today TV on the sidelines of the Brics summit in New Delhi, which was covered by international media. “I have repeatedly said that all countries in the region should sit at the same table to establish peace and security in the area,” he added. “There is no logic or reason why we should be at war or in conflict with each other.” His statements come at a time of growing tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, following Houthi attacks on Saudi territory and a separate drone attack on the Kingdom's East-West oil pipeline.

The Houthis deny having asked Trump not to intervene

The Houthis have denied Donald Trump's claim that the group had asked Washington not to intervene in the ongoing conflict in Yemen. In a post on "As usual, with his habit of talking nonsense and telling ridiculous lies, the criminal Trump weaves baseless narratives. But reality describes him well with the old proverb: 'The hand you cannot break, kiss it and pray for it to break,'" Assad wrote on X.

Iran, Centcom on US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz: 100 ships diverted in the last 60 days

In the last 60 days, i.e. since Washington reinstated the naval blockade against Iran, the US military has diverted 100 commercial ships. This is what the Central Command of the US Armed Forces underlines in a post on 'X': "Zero ships have crossed the blockade without the authorization of US forces. The US military remains totally focused on this mission".

Yemen, Houthis: "In the last 2 days 73 ships have passed through the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb, regular flow"

73 ships passed through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean, on 10 and 11 September: 36 on Thursday and 37 on Friday. This is what a source from the Houthi Ministry of Transport stated to Yemeni Al-Masirah television. The source said Yemen's ban on Saudi vessels had not affected the smooth flow of international maritime traffic through the strait, stressing that the volume of transits in 48 hours represented 98.6% of the average transits recorded before the ban was introduced. According to the source, this data refutes claims that international shipping through Bab al-Mandeb is at risk after the Houthis took control of Yemen's Red Sea coast.

Brics, Pezeshkian meets the Indian Murmu

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met his Indian counterpart in New Delhi, where he urged the two countries to tap their potential to expand economic relations. Pezeshkian told Droupadi Murmu that Iran "has witnessed the criminal actions of America and Israel" in recent months, but added that the Iranian people "resisted with all their strength and opposed their bullying." Iran was not "the aggressor, but rather we opposed the enemy's aggression", he added. During the discussion, Murmu reiterated India's commitment to pursuing "lasting peace through dialogue and diplomacy," according to a statement on the President's Instagram account. The two leaders have also