







Mokha's capture brings the Iran-backed group closer to controlling a key international shipping route.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels seize strategic Red Sea port in Yemen
The rebel group took over Yemen's port of Mokha, an area vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea, Houthi and Yemeni officials said. Mokha is about 50 miles from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Isolated by Iran and Yemeni Houthi rebels, Saudi Arabia seeks US backing
With Tehran-allied rebels seizing control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean on Thursday, and Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the kingdom is at risk of losing all maritime access for its oil tankers.
Houthis seize 2 strategic Red Sea islands, and other Mideast developments
This move strengthens their control over a key maritime shipping route.

Saudi Arabia confirms Yemen's Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile
Saudi Arabia has confirmed that Yemen's Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile.

The Missile Reached Riyadh. The Oil Market Didn't Blink.
Sixth piece in a series that started with Mokha falling on 09-11. Previous: The Strait Fell, and Riyadh Called Washington → Both Banks, and Now Iran's Own...

Seven Months In, Iran and the US Actually Talked. The Oil Market Believed It.
Seventh piece in a series that started with Mokha falling on 09-11. Previous: The Strait Fell, and Riyadh Called Washington → Both Banks, and Now Iran's Own...

The Ceasefire's Gone, the Talks Are Gone, and Nobody Agrees on the Tanker
Fifth piece in a series that started with Mokha falling on 09-11. Previous: The Strait Fell, and Riyadh Called Washington → Both Banks, and Now Iran's Own...


Saudi crown prince sought US military help with Houthis, sources say
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly sought assistance from President Donald Trump on Thursday to help fight Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.

Missiles of Iran | Missile Threat
Iran possesses the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East, with thousands of ballistic and cruise missiles, some capable of striking as far as Israel and eastern Europe. For the past decade, Iran has invested significantly to improve these weapons’ precision and lethality. Such developments have made Iran’s missile forces a potent...

Saudi's MBS dialled Trump, warplanes were readied to hit Houthis. Then, a U-turn
Donald Trump held back from joining Saudi-led strikes on Yemen's Houthis after a personal appeal from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and days of internal wavering. The pause exposed the tension between avoiding a wider Iran-linked conflict and preserving Saudi support for Washington's regional strategy.

Miscellanea: The War in Iran
This post is a set of my observations on the current war in Iran and my thoughts on the broader strategic implications. I am not, of course, an expert on the region nor do I have access to any spec…

US rejects Iranian claim that tanker hit mine near Hormuz
Panama-flagged El Gaia was struck by Iranian missile last month, hit again by drone this weekend, says US Central Command | Anadolu
Trump gifts Saudi Arabia a nuclear win | Politics Weekly America
Donald Trump has announced a landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia while pressing ahead with efforts to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. What’s driving Trump’s new agreement with Riyadh? And how is it likely to be received at home and across the Gulf?

Straitsweeper
A tanker is transiting a mined strait. Sweep the route and mark the mines before it arrives.

U.S. fires a new wave of strikes on Iran and hits a tanker trying to skirt its blockade
The U.S. and Iran traded fire for the sixth consecutive day on Thursday with U.S. strikes targeting Iranian command centers and missile sites, and Iran targeting U.S. military bases in Gulf countries, as both sides intensified attacks over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
