The conflict involving Iran has expanded to new fronts despite the United States temporarily suspending its airstrikes against Iran for the first time in the past two weeks. Yemen’s Houthi allies attacked Saudi Arabian oil facilities along the Red Sea coast, while Iran accused Ukraine of attacking one of its vessels in the Caspian Sea.
The developments were reported by Reuters on Saturday, July 26, 2026.
U.S. Pauses Airstrikes
According to Reuters, the U.S. military stated that its naval blockade against Iran “remains fully in effect,” but did not explain why it had halted its airstrike campaign after 13 consecutive nights of attacks.
A senior official in the Trump administration said that President Donald Trump “has always been clear that his preference is diplomacy, but he has shown Iran what will happen if they fail to come to the negotiating table seriously.”
The New York Times reported that Trump decided to put plans for escalating military strikes against Iran on hold, citing two people who were briefed on the discussions.
The report said the president and his advisers were concerned about the potential expansion of the conflict, the depletion of U.S. defense stockpiles, strained relations with Gulf allies, and the possible impact on energy supplies and the global economy.
Vice President JD Vance and General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, both expressed concerns to Trump during a White House meeting on Friday regarding U.S. ammunition stockpiles.
Iran Accuses Ukraine of Attack in the Caspian Sea
Meanwhile, the fighting in the Red Sea has become increasingly alarming.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group attacked facilities belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco in the cities of Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday.
Videos circulating on social media and verified by Reuters showed large plumes of smoke rising from the direction of the Aramco refinery in Jizan, near the Yemeni border.
The refinery has the capacity to process up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Two Asia-based trading sources said they had received reports of possible damage to fuel and oil storage tanks in Jizan.
Aramco did not respond to requests for comment.
A separate Houthi attack targeting Yanbu—Saudi Arabia’s principal Red Sea oil export terminal and an alternative export route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz—was intercepted by air defense systems.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said all Saudi oil facilities could become potential targets.
The Houthis’ involvement indicates that the conflict could affect a second major global shipping route besides the Strait of Hormuz, while also raising the risk of reigniting Yemen’s civil war.
The Yemen ceasefire, which had been in place since 2022, collapsed this month after the Houthis effectively joined their Iranian allies in the conflict against the United States and Israel.
Separately, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, killing one sailor and injuring another.
The ministry summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to formally protest the incident.
Iran’s accusation coincided with a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who claimed that Russia had been providing Iran with Middle East satellite surveillance data to help guide attacks in the region.***
