Key development: The US and Iran are actually talking again after Trump said talks were off, and US strikes paused for the first time in two weeks.
Regional Actors
(Update) Saudi Arabia bombed Houthi military targets after the rebels blockaded them and hit their ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis are calling it a “dangerous escalation.” (France24)
Context: The Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia last week and started attacking Saudi ships. Now Saudi Arabia has gone from victim to active combatant, striking back at Houthi military sites on Friday. This is a new front opening up in what’s already a messy regional conflict.
Sources: France24
(Update) The Houthis fired a missile at the Saudi city of Jizan. They’ve now escalated from just hitting ships to striking Saudi territory directly. (France24)
Context: After declaring their maritime blockade and going after Saudi vessels, the Iran-backed Houthis launched a missile attack on Jizan, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia. This happened Saturday as the wider US-Iran conflict continues to pull in more regional players.
Sources: France24
(Update) A Greek Patriot battery successfully shot down Houthi attacks aimed at Saudi Arabia. Greece is now actively defending the Saudis as part of a joint air defense initiative. (Euronews)
Context: The battery is part of the “Integrated Air Missile Defense Concept” program, which puts European military hardware on the front lines protecting Gulf allies from Iranian-backed strikes.
Sources: Euronews
(Update) More than 1,000 people have been arrested in Jordan and Gulf states for trying to document Iranian strikes. [UNCONFIRMED] Allied governments are trying to control the narrative and deny the strikes hit their targets. (France24)
Context: Since the US-Iran conflict started on February 28, governments in countries allied with Washington have been arresting anyone attempting to photograph or share evidence of Iranian missile impacts. They’re maintaining an official line that the strikes missed, despite evidence to the contrary.
Sources: France24
Diplomacy
(Update) Both the US and Iran now confirm they’re in active talks to end the conflict. This is a complete reversal from Trump saying talks were off just days ago. (France24, Al Jazeera)
Context: Trump said Friday that the US and Iran are talking, though he repeated Tehran isn’t ready for a deal yet. Meanwhile, Iran reported no new US strikes overnight into Saturday—the first pause in two weeks. Both sides confirming negotiations marks a significant shift from the previous “talks are off” stance.
Sources: France24 | Al Jazeera
US Policy
(Update) The US and Saudi Arabia signed a multi-billion dollar nuclear cooperation deal on Wednesday, but Trump then added a new precondition requiring Saudi-Israeli normalization. [UNCONFIRMED] The deal had been in the works for years but fell apart after October 7th. (France24)
Context: Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman formally signed the civilian nuclear pact and a bilateral safeguards agreement on Wednesday. These talks had been ongoing even under Biden as part of a larger package where the Saudis would normalize relations with Israel. Trump’s new condition announced Thursday essentially revives that linkage, potentially throwing the agreement into turmoil.
International
UN Secretary-General António Guterres landed in Damascus Saturday for the first visit by a UN chief since before Syria’s civil war. [UNCONFIRMED] He’s there to support Syria’s reconstruction efforts after more than a decade of conflict. (France24)
Context: Guterres arrived Saturday for a three-day visit focused on reaffirming UN support for Syria’s multi-confessional rebuilding process. This is a symbolic moment marking how much the situation has changed since the civil war began.
Sources: France24
What to watch: Whether the US-Iran talks produce any concrete de-escalation or if the Saudi-Houthi fight becomes its own separate conflict.