TEHRAN (Web Desk) – Conflict in the Middle East expanded over the weekend as Yemen’s Houthi movement launched attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure while Iran accused Ukraine of targeting one of its commercial vessels, highlighting growing regional instability despite a temporary pause in direct US strikes.
Although the United States suspended its aerial attacks on Iran after nearly two weeks of continuous military operations, fighting continued on multiple fronts, raising fresh concerns about the possibility of a wider regional conflict.
The US military confirmed that its naval blockade against Iran remained fully operational, even though no new American airstrikes were reported during the weekend. Officials did not provide detailed reasons for the temporary halt in military operations.
A senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration said Washington still preferred a diplomatic solution but maintained that military pressure would continue if Iran failed to engage in meaningful negotiations.
According to reports, President Trump decided to delay plans for expanded military operations after discussions with senior advisers, who expressed concern about the potential consequences of a broader conflict.
Officials reportedly warned that prolonged military operations could reduce US weapons stockpiles, strain relations with Gulf allies, disrupt global energy supplies and negatively affect the international economy.
While direct confrontation between the United States and Iran temporarily eased, the conflict spread elsewhere in the region.
Yemen’s Houthi movement announced that it had carried out attacks against facilities belonging to Saudi state-owned energy company Aramco in the cities of Jizan and Yanbu along the Red Sea coast.
The Houthis claimed the strikes were part of their ongoing campaign against Saudi Arabia in support of Iran.
Witnesses reported seeing large plumes of smoke rising near the Aramco refinery in Jizan, one of Saudi Arabia’s major oil processing facilities located close to the Yemeni border.
Industry sources also indicated that fuel storage sites may have suffered damage, although Saudi authorities did not immediately provide an official assessment.
In Yanbu, Saudi air defence systems reportedly intercepted missiles targeting oil installations before they reached their intended targets.
Yanbu has become increasingly important for Saudi oil exports because it provides an alternative route that reduces reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, where tensions have remained high in recent weeks.
The attacks have heightened concerns that the conflict could threaten another major international shipping corridor after already disrupting maritime traffic in the Gulf region.
Meanwhile, Iran accused Ukraine of attacking one of its commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea, claiming one sailor was killed while another sustained injuries.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires to lodge an official protest, describing the reported attack as hostile and unacceptable.
The accusation came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Russia had been providing Iran with satellite intelligence related to military activities in the Middle East.
Separately, military operations intensified inside Yemen, where forces aligned with the internationally recognised government reportedly carried out airstrikes against Houthi positions in Marib and Al-Jawf provinces.
Officials said both sides have increased troop deployments along front lines, raising fears that Yemen’s long-running civil war could once again intensify after several years of relative calm.
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Iran-backed Houthis since 2015.
Although a ceasefire significantly reduced violence in recent years, the latest escalation has renewed concerns about regional security and the stability of global energy markets.
Analysts warn that continued attacks on energy infrastructure and shipping routes could further increase geopolitical tensions and affect international oil supplies if diplomatic efforts fail to ease the crisis.
