Houthi gains in Yemen, while Iran and US remain deadlocked over Hormuz

The Houthi military spokesman said on Friday that navigation through the Bab al-Mandab strait is "safe" for all but Saudi Arabia, after the Iran-backed group sealed its takeover of the vital shipping corridor.

"Maritime navigation is safe for all companies except Saudi ships, which have already been banned," Yahya Saree said in a statement.

Hamas' armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said on Friday that Mohammed Abdel Salam al-Yazouri, who served as part of the group's higher leadership council and commander of its Khan Younis Brigade, was killed by Israel on Thursday evening.

The statement said al-Yazouri played a prominent role in planning Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israeli military outposts and settlements around the Gaza envelope.

Iran's Tasnim agency reported the killing of a member of the popular Basij forces, as a result of a US attack targeting Abu Musa Island yesterday morning, Thursday.

An adviser to Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei called the advance in Yemen by Tehran-backed Houthi fighters a "resounding victory" on Friday, after they seized a key island in the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.

"Congratulations on this resounding victory, Ansar Allah," Mohammad Mokhber wrote on X, referring to the Houthis by their formal name.

25 years after 9/11, bin Laden's caliphate may have failed, but he triggered wars that have since weakened US power in the Middle East, writes Hesham Gaafar.

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South Korea's foreign minister told his Iranian counterpart on Friday that no decision had been made on a possible military deployment in the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul said.

Tehran has warned South Korea against any such deployment after Seoul said it was weighing a "contribution" to the waterway's security.

Top South Korean diplomat Cho Hyun spoke by phone with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at Tehran's request, "discussing the recent situation in the Middle East" and the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry in Seoul said in a statement.

A ministry official said Cho "conveyed our position that no decision has been made regarding a possible deployment and stressed the importance of restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz".

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressured ally South Korea to provide help for the war in the Middle East, saying Seoul rejected his request for assistance in securing the waterway that is crucial to global oil supplies.

Friday's phone call followed a warning from Tehran earlier this week that any South Korean military contribution to the conflict would have "serious consequences".

South Korea said it had sent a fact-finding team to assess the situation in the strait.

Ten Iranian fishermen who went missing in August off Iran's southern coast and were later found in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates will return home on Friday, state media reported.

The anglers went missing as fighting raged in the US-Israeli war on Iran, with the Strait of Hormuz a major flashpoint between Tehran and Washington, which are vying for control of the strategic waterway.

Fisherfolk off the coast of Iran are suffering from the war, which began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes, with mines in the strait and bombardment of commercial vessels posing serious risks on the high seas.

"These 10 Iranians left Dubai a few minutes ago," Iranian state news agency IRNA reported, citing the Iranian consulate general in the UAE.

They were returning to Iran by plane to the port city of Bandar Abbas on the other side of the Gulf, IRNA said.

In July, the Iranian embassy in the UAE announced the return of 55 Iranian fishermen stranded in the country.

Iranian media frequently report on fishermen going missing at sea.

In August, IRNA reported the disappearance of 17 fishermen from the southeastern port of Konarak since May.

Their vessel lost contact after US forces fired flares intended to disperse fishing boats off the coast of Oman, it said.

Israel said Friday it was prepared to strike Hezbollah further at new locations after a massive demolition of supposed tunnels built by the Iranian-backed armed group in southern Lebanon.

"We are ready and prepared to continue the campaign, to continue striking Hezbollah and at additional locations," Defence Minister Israel Katz boasted in a statement.

From Lebanon to Yemen and the Gulf, Israel is seeking a wider regional role as tensions with Iran sharpen around key strategic corridors, explains Mounir Rabih.

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At least 46,000 people have been displaced since the fighting resumed between Iran-backed Houthi group and pro-government forces in southwestern Yemen last week, the United Nations said Friday.

"At least 46,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since fighting escalated last week," the UN's International Organisation for Migration said in a statement, warning that "the number is alarmingly rising by the hour".

An Israeli strike has killed one person and injured nine others in southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi area, reported the Wafa news agency.

Iran-aligned Houthi militants reached Yemen's strategic Perim Island at the mouth of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait early on Friday after government forces withdrew, four Yemeni government sources told Reuters.

Saudi Arabia launched two strikes on Friday targeting the airport of the strategic city of Mocha, now under Houthi control, according to the group's Al-Masirah TV channel.

Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthis seized control of the Red Sea port city on Thursday after launching a large-scale offensive last week against Riyadh-backed Yemeni government forces.

"The Saudi enemy launched two strikes on Mocha airport," Al-Masirah said.

Diesel prices in the US hit yet another record on Friday, soaring past $6 a gallon on average as Washington’s war with Iran disrupts the world’s flow of fuel.

The national average of $6.05 is up from $5.85 last week and $3.70 from this time last year, according to motor club AAA.

Higher diesel prices mean more expensive transportation for a long list of everyday goods. That’s because diesel is used for many freight and delivery networks. And some businesses have already passed along steeper costs to consumers in the form of added fees on online orders and packages in the mail.

Shoppers may feel more and more sticker shock, particularly in the grocery aisle. Perishable foods, like meat and produce, face one of the most immediate strains of expensive diesel because they need to be hauled in and restocked frequently—or may be harvested using farm equipment powered by the fuel.

Yemen's Houthis took over a key island in the Red Sea on Friday, completing their push to seize control of the Bab al-Mandab strait area, a local government official and eyewitnesses told AFP.

"Boats carrying armed Houthi fighters reached Mayyun Island after government forces withdrew from it yesterday," the official said, referring to an island also known as Perim that divides the strait into two shipping lanes.

An eyewitness said gunmen were "deploying along the Bab al-Mandeb shore and are driving around in military vehicles".

The top diplomats of Iran and Saudi Arabia spoke by phone to discuss "growing insecurity" in the region, Tehran says, without mentioning recent fighting in Yemen, where the two countries support opposing sides.

Iranian top diplomat Abbas Araghchi spoke with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan last night about "the escalation of tensions and the growing insecurity in the region," according to Tehran’s foreign ministry.

The summary of the call says the two parties "emphasised the need to continue cooperation and diplomatic efforts to prevent the spread of tensions and reestablish stability."

Though the ministry did not specifically mention Yemen in the readout, a separate statement addressing the fighting there insists it is "impossible to resolve the Yemeni crisis through… military intervention."

Israeli Army Radio reports that Israeli forces have withdrawn from the Ali al-Taher Heights and repositioned to rear lines in the Shaqif area.

The Israeli military said they would maintain fire control over the heights and confront any attempt by Hezbollah to return to the position.

This movement occurs, after the Israelis blew up the hill yesterday evening, causing a 4.1 earthquake.

Iran's government on Friday called for an end to Saudi Arabia's blockade of Yemen and the immediate resumption of talks, in its first public statement since Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered a key Yemeni port and intensified their threat to a key global shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, Iran's foreign ministry said Yemen's sovereignty must be respected and its problems cannot be resolved through a blockade or military alliances.

Iran also said it was ready to help support negotiations. Meanwhile, experts say the developments in Yemen could give Tehran more leverage in any negotiations with the United States after over six months of war.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors has referred Iran to the UN Security Council over its alleged failure to comply with nuclear non-proliferation obligations, marking the first such referral in 20 years.

The 35-member board adopted the resolution on Wednesday by 23 votes in favour, with Russia, China and Niger voting against and eight countries abstaining.

Submitted by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, the resolution follows an earlier decision in June 2025 that found Iran to be in "non-compliance" with its obligations.

The latest move represents a significant diplomatic escalation between Tehran and Western powers, but with Russia and China holding veto power at the Security Council, it remains unclear whether it will result in any concrete action against Iran.

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Iran's nuclear file is back at the UN Security Council. What will happen next?

Preliminary data tracking ship movement issued today showed that the number of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz decreased to seven ships yesterday, Thursday, compared to 11 the previous day, a level well below the average of the past ten days of 15 ships.

According to the data, this movement included the exit of two ships and the entry of five ships.
These figures do not include any ships that may have transited the strait after turning off their AIS transmitters to avoid detection.

The Financial Times reported on Friday that the foreign ministers of the Gulf states intend to meet, on Monday, with their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, as part of efforts led by both Oman and Iran to obtain support for a temporary agreement to manage maritime navigation through the vital Strait of Hormuz, in the first meeting between these parties since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on 28 February.

President Donald Trump said he did not regret going to war against Iran despite the impact the conflict may have on the November US midterm elections.

"I don't believe in the word 'regret.' You can always question yourself a little bit," Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham when asked if he regretted the Iran war due to the impact it may have on the elections.

"If I had it do again, I would do exactly as I did," Trump said in the interview broadcast on Thursday on "The Ingraham Angle" show.

Trump dismissed suggestions that some of his supporters were upset and demoralized about the war.

"I don't think they're demoralized. I think they're very proud of the fact that I'm not letting Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.

Trump reiterated his thinking that the war will end immediately after the midterm election.

"It ends right after the election," Trump said in the interview. He made similar comments on Wednesday, alleging Tehran was trying to influence the elections that ‌will ⁠determine whether Trump's Republican Party retains control of Congress.

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Iran discussed the Strait of Hormuz in a phone call on Friday, Seoul said, days after confirming it was weighing a "contribution" to the waterway's security.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressured ally South Korea to provide help for the war in the Middle East, saying Seoul rejected his request for assistance in securing the waterway that is crucial to global oil supplies.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi at Tehran's request, "discussing the recent situation in the Middle East", and the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry in Seoul said in a statement.

The Friday announcement followed a warning from Tehran earlier this week that any South Korean military contribution to the conflict would have "serious consequences".

South Korea sent a fact-finding team to assess the situation in the strait and has repeatedly said it has not decided whether to deploy its military to Hormuz.

Traffic through the vital shipping route has been virtually paralysed since the US-Iran war began on 28 February, disrupting global energy markets.

Negotiations between Iran and the United States have stalled as they vied for control over Hormuz, which normally carries around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Pakistani army chief Asim Munir discussed finding ways to restore diplomatic efforts to de-escalate Tehran's conflict with the US on all fronts, a Pakistani security official told Reuters on Friday.

The two spoke by phone on Thursday and the conversation was focused on the US-Israeli war with Iran, the possibility of getting back to talks, and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the official said.