DUBAI | Iran on Sunday warned the United States and its allies against launching another major attack, saying any new assault would trigger sustained retaliation against American bases and interests and potentially draw Washington’s regional partners deeper into the conflict. The warning came as Saudi Arabia confirmed that Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement had launched a ballistic missile toward Riyadh, raising concerns that the widening conflict could spread further across the Middle East.
Iran’s military central command said on state media that it had information indicating a new attack was being prepared. It warned that U.S. bases and interests, as well as those of regional countries supporting Washington, could become targets if another offensive begins. Reuters reported that the warning came nearly seven months into the U.S.-Iran war, with efforts to restore a ceasefire having so far failed.
The Iranian warning followed a major escalation in Yemen, where the Houthi rebels have intensified attacks against Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition said a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh early Saturday was intercepted and destroyed by Saudi air defenses. Saudi authorities said the Houthis also attempted to target civilian infrastructure in other locations, including Taif, Bisha, Farasan and the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
The attack was accompanied by a fire near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. An AFP journalist at the scene reported seeing firefighters extinguish a blaze involving a fuel tank bearing the logo of Saudi oil giant Aramco, while photographs and video showed a large column of black smoke near the airport. Saudi authorities reported no casualties from the intercepted missile.
The Houthis claimed they had targeted “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and Saudi oil facilities in Yanbu, but those claims could not be independently verified. Saudi officials said the attacks had been thwarted by the kingdom’s air defenses.
The United States has warned that the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis could escalate rapidly. The latest developments come as Saudi Arabia faces growing pressure from Houthi advances inside Yemen and attacks on energy and transport infrastructure. Reuters reported that Gulf financial markets fell on Sunday following the Riyadh attacks, reflecting concerns over the potential impact on regional security and energy supplies.
The escalation is also significant because of the Houthis’ recent territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Reuters reported earlier this month that the group had captured the coastal city of Mokha and reached the Hanish islands, putting it closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The Yemen conflict has its roots in the Houthi seizure of Sana’a in 2014 after years of political instability. According to the United Nations, Houthi forces and allied units seized control of the capital and other areas in September 2014. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily at the request of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, turning the conflict into a major regional confrontation.
A UN-brokered nationwide truce in April 2022 halted many offensive operations and cross-border attacks, while allowing additional fuel shipments into Hudaydah and commercial flights from Sana’a. Although the truce significantly reduced fighting for a period, it did not produce a final political settlement.
The Houthis later expanded their regional military role, launching attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea beginning in late 2023, which Reuters reported disrupted one of the world’s major trade routes. The group has said those attacks were linked to the Gaza war. U.S. and allied military operations against the Houthis followed.
The latest confrontation therefore connects several overlapping conflicts involving Iran, the United States, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. With fighting also affecting the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb, developments in Yemen and the Gulf are increasingly tied to global energy supplies and maritime trade, adding to concerns that a new military escalation could have consequences well beyond the region.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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