Yemen: clashes between government forces and Houthis; diplomatic tensions between the USA, Iran and Saudi Arabia

Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, said on Monday they had struck Houthi fighters on the country's western coast, a day after the pro-Iranian movement took control of the region.

“The armed forces destroyed vehicles and weapons today and eliminated members of the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militia near the port of Mocha,” the official Saba news agency reported. The forces also targeted the outskirts of the Red Sea city and the road leading to Dhubab, further south, the agency added, citing armed forces spokesman Majid al-Nazili. The Houthis, who until now controlled much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sana'a and Hodeida in the west, advanced south within days, capturing Mocha on Thursday. They then took control of the coast and islands of the Red Sea, consolidating their hold on the strategic Strait of Bab el-Mandeb.

US President Donald Trump said that Yemeni Houthi fighters, allies of Iran - who have conquered a strategic crossing point between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in Yemen - have asked Washington not to intervene. “The Houthis called us and they don't want to fight with us,” Trump told reporters during a visit to Dublin. “They don't want us to attack them,” he added.

Trump, speaking during his meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, also said he had spoken with Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, whom he called a "friend." According to online news site Axios, bin Salman called the US president twice on Thursday to ask him to strike Yemeni fighters, but the request was rejected.

"Everything will be fine," Trump said again, answering a question about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to local media reports. The statements come at a time of renewed concern for Saudi Arabia, following the rapid advances of Houthi rebels in Yemen and attacks on a major oil pipeline in the Kingdom.

Pezeshkian: 'We will not bow to US bullying'

"Today, Iran remains steadfast in the face of the United States and the Zionist regime and will not give in to their bullying." This was stated by the president, Masoud Pezeshkian, meeting representatives of religious and Indian business world late yesterday evening, on the sidelines of the Brics Forum in New Delhi.

"These self-styled champions of human rights are, in reality, malevolent actors who label us as terrorists", he added, quoted by the IRNA agency, underlining: "We are paying the price for this position, yet, as long as we live, we will pursue truth and justice and will not bow to oppression, tyranny or bullying."

The talks between Israel and Lebanon scheduled in Rome have been postponed until October

The new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon in Rome, scheduled for next week in Rome, has been postponed until October. A US official said. The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors will still meet next week at the State Department in Washington "to discuss ongoing developments and further implementation" of a framework agreement agreed in June, said the official, who requested anonymity. The Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, confirmed that "there are currently no new talks with Israel". The local media reported it. The statements, made during the surprise visit to Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, together with the commander of the Lebanese armed forces, came after statements from the US State Department official.

Baghaei attacks Hegseth for statements on Iran during 9/11 anniversary

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on

Baghaei accused Washington of trying to justify "a reckless and illegal war against Iran" by invoking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Reacting to remarks made by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during the commemorative ceremony, he denounced what he called "fundamental contradictions in American foreign policy".

The statement came after Hegseth said on the anniversary of 9/11 that the United States is still "sending terrorists where they deserve to be: to hell" in its war against Iran. “The perpetrators of 9/11 were not Iranians, they were precisely the same people that the US had armed, organized or otherwise supported in previous decades,” Baghaei added.