Trump hints at an endgame
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he hoped the war against Iran was nearing its end, the clearest signal yet that Washington wants to wind down a conflict now in its seventh month. Trump told reporters that diplomacy was moving, but he gave no timetable and no detail on what a settlement would look like.
The remarks came as fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement intensified, with both sides trading long-range attacks across the Arabian Peninsula.
Hundreds of air strikes in Yemen
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi aircraft carried out as many as 450 air strikes on Yemen this week. The Houthis said they launched fresh drone and missile attacks on the Saudi Red Sea oil port of Yanbu and on the southern airbase at Khamis Mushait.
Saudi officials say the Houthi attacks have wounded dozens of people and damaged energy sites. Satellite images published this week showed fire damage at a pumping station on the East-West pipeline, which was hit by a drone on September 11.
The exchange has stalled talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pushed oil prices higher. Brent crude traded above $107 a barrel earlier this week before easing as traders weighed the chance of a ceasefire.
Gulf leaders head to Washington
Trump is expected to meet the leaders of six Gulf Cooperation Council states — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman — as the White House tries to convert military pressure into a deal. The guest list may widen.
The war began on February 28, when Trump announced major combat operations against Iran. A deal signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on June 17 set a 60-day timeline, but the truce has not held. Trump has also blamed diesel shortages in the United States on Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, urging Kyiv to stop hitting fuel infrastructure.