What escalating Saudi-Houthi war means for Trump in Iran
Washington has largely ignored the lingering disruption created by the Houthis around the Red Sea. But a wider conflict with Saudi Arabia could force them to intervene:
James Reynolds21 September 2026 10:00
Trump planning sanctions against International Criminal Court over Netanyahu arrest warrant: report
Donald Trump is reportedly preparing sanctions against the International Criminal Court after the global tribunal issued an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sweeping sanctions could prohibit the court from carrying out transactions in dollars, cutting it off from the global financial system and drastically undermining its work, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Trump administration has made no secret of its disdain for the court, which prosecutes war crimes and genocide worldwide. U.S. officials want the court to drop its arrest warrants against Israeli leaders as well as a past probe into American troops in Afghanistan.
James Reynolds21 September 2026 09:34
Watch: Trump threatens to ‘blow entire nation up’ after Iran warns of ‘painful strikes’
Trump threatens to ‘blow entire nation up’ after Iran warns of ‘painful strikes’
James Reynolds21 September 2026 09:30
Iran says it has new targets, weapons ready if U.S. attacks
Iran would use new weapons and target locations not previously attacked if the United States launched a new offensive against it, Iran’s IRGC said on Monday.
“If a new aggression occurs, we will certainly change the weaponry and the geography of the war,” spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said, adding that Tehran was prepared for a prolonged conflict.
James Reynolds21 September 2026 09:00
Iran’s president to fly to New York for UN General Assembly, his office says
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will fly to New York for the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, the director general of public relations at the President’s Office, Habibollah Abbasi, told the IRNA news agency on Monday.
James Reynolds21 September 2026 08:45
Iran war’s cost grows to $43.6 billion in new US military estimate
The U.S. military’s price tag for the Iran war has grown to $43.6 billion as of Sept. 3, according to a new estimate provided this week to lawmakers.
The figure from U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, offers the most up-to-date cost for the conflict since it was launched by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28.
A Congressional Budget Office report released Tuesday said the war had cost $38 billion through Aug. 1 and will continue to rack up expenses of around $3 billion a month depending on the conflict’s intensity.
Stuti Mishra21 September 2026 08:30
CIA chief visits Egypt and meets with its president
Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe was in Egypt meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the president’s office said.
The statement said el-Sissi expressed support for a deal to resolve the Iranian crisis and ensure the freedom of shipping navigation.
He also rejected any aggression against Arab countries.
Last week, Egypt’s president hosted Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, who was seeking support against attacks by neighboring Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Stuti Mishra21 September 2026 08:10
Smoke rises near Riyadh airport after Houthi missile and drone attack
Flames and a large plume of black smoke were seen rising above Riyadh airport on Saturday, after Yemen’s Houthis said they had attacked “sensitive” sites in the Saudi capital with missiles and drones.
Saudi authorities sent air raid alerts to residents overnight on Friday, the first such warnings issued for Riyadh since fighting with the Iran-backed Houthis escalated in July.
Firefighters battled to extinguish a burning fuel tank bearing the logo of Saudi oil company Aramco near King Khalid international airport, with explosions heard across the city.
“In the direction of the airport, we saw black smoke and fire,” one resident told Agence France-Presse.
The military coalition fighting the Houthis said its air defences had destroyed a missile fired towards Riyadh. The all-clear was given shortly afterwards.
Stuti Mishra21 September 2026 07:50
Oil falls as crude flows from Middle East remain ‘surprisingly strong’
Oil prices fell today with traders watching for a fuller recovery in shipments from Saudi Arabia after Iran-backed Houthi attacks with missiles and drones on Saturday.
Brent crude futures for November delivery dropped 2.22 per cent to $101.56 (£80) a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate futures for October fell 2.23 per cent to $98.06 (£77) a barrel.
“Middle East oil flows remain surprisingly strong despite the disruption to Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline,” JPMorgan analysts said in a note on 18 September, adding that total oil flows had averaged 17.1 million barrels per day over the past 10 days, just 6.1 million bpd below the 2025 average.
Saudi crude exports have recovered to more than 4 million barrels per day so far in September, up from a low of 2.4 million bpd in August, the weakest level since at least 2013, according to provisional data from analytics firm Kpler.
A dozen commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, down from 35 the previous weekend, shipping data showed, as tension in the Gulf persisted with the US and Iran at a stalemate. Before the US-Israeli war with Iran began on 28 February, the strait typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels a day.
Stuti Mishra21 September 2026 07:30
Oil falls as crude flows from Middle East remain ‘surprisingly strong’
Oil prices fell today with traders watching for a fuller recovery in shipments from Saudi Arabia after Iran-backed Houthi attacks with missiles and drones on Saturday.
Brent crude futures for November delivery dropped 2.22 per cent to $101.56 (£80) a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate futures for October fell 2.23 per cent to $98.06 (£77) a barrel.
“Middle East oil flows remain surprisingly strong despite the disruption to Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline,” JPMorgan analysts said in a note on 18 September, adding that total oil flows had averaged 17.1 million barrels per day over the past 10 days, just 6.1 million bpd below the 2025 average.
Saudi crude exports have recovered to more than 4 million barrels per day so far in September, up from a low of 2.4 million bpd in August, the weakest level since at least 2013, according to provisional data from analytics firm Kpler.
A dozen commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, down from 35 the previous weekend, shipping data showed, as tension in the Gulf persisted with the US and Iran at a stalemate. Before the US-Israeli war with Iran began on 28 February, the strait typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels a day.
Stuti Mishra21 September 2026 07:30
