Key facts
- U.S. President Donald Trump expressed hope for an end to the war against Iran.
- Saudi aircraft pounded Yemen, and Houthi fighters launched drones and missiles at Saudi cities.
- The Houthis' advance and attacks have extended Iran's influence and heightened global oil-supply risks.
- The U.S. tightened its travel warning for Saudi Arabia, banning government employees from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border.
- Trump said Iran wants to make a deal and that he had heard from Iran directly.
- The conflict threatens to worsen the global energy-supply shortage caused by the war, which has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Traders say a prolonged closure of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline could cut off as much as 4% of global oil supply.
- Brent crude futures dropped to $104.59 a barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down at $101.29.
- The Houthis released battlefield video of fighters seizing armored vehicles from Saudi-backed forces.
- Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had launched fresh drone and missile strikes on the Saudi Red Sea oil port of Yanbu and a southern Saudi airbase.
- Saudi Arabia has led a coalition battling the Houthis since 2015.
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed hope that the war against Iran was nearing its end, even as the conflict escalated with Saudi airstrikes in Yemen and Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi cities. The Houthis' advance along the Red Sea and their attacks on Saudi Arabia, including damage to the East-West oil pipeline, have extended Iran's reach and heightened global oil-supply risks.
The U.S. has tightened its travel warning for Saudi Arabia, banning government employees from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border. Trump stated that Iran wants to make a deal and that he had heard from Iran directly.
The war, which began on February 28, threatens to worsen the global energy-supply shortage caused by disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about 20% of global oil and LNG before the conflict. Traders estimate that a prolonged closure of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline could cut off as much as 4% of global oil supply.