Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs plan to meet on ways to help Saudi Arabia fend off intensifying Houthi attacks, while Iraq widened its suspension of flights to and from Iran under US pressure. Iran's foreign minister says Tehran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington meets a set of conditions.
Allies mobilize as Houthi attacks intensify
Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs are set to discuss how to help Saudi Arabia as Yemen's Houthis step up strikes on the kingdom, Reuters reported. The Houthis have hit the Saudi-backed government in Yemen and repeatedly fired into Saudi Arabia, disrupting oil flows from the world's largest energy exporter.
The fighting is part of a wider Middle East war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. The conflict spread to Lebanon and the Gulf in March before escalating in Yemen in recent weeks, and it has continued despite a push during the UN General Assembly in New York to revive diplomacy.
On Thursday, the Houthis said they fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets, while Saudi authorities said they intercepted six ballistic missiles. Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti called on soldiers to be ready to fight the Houthis until the group was ousted from power. The Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish foreign ministers met Thursday under a defence pact signed in August, condemning attacks on Mecca and other civilian sites while affirming Saudi Arabia's right to defend itself.
Iraq widens Iran flight bans under US pressure
Washington has shifted tactics, extending financial sanctions to target companies from third countries doing business with Iranian firms. Iranian airlines were barred from the United Arab Emirates and Oman on Thursday in response, and on Friday the three other Iraqi airports handling Iran routes joined Baghdad in suspending them. A sustained flight ban could deepen Iran's isolation and worsen its economic crisis, which already includes a US blockade of its seaports. An adviser to Iran's supreme leader accused regional countries of aligning with the United States over the move and warned other countries in the region could lose flight access too.
Turkey's Chief of General Staff was traveling to Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts. According to President Tayyip Erdogan, in written responses to Newsweek: "More advanced military support could also be considered depending on the scale of the threat."
Tehran floats a Hormuz reopening offer
In New York, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran had conveyed a proposal to the US through intermediaries under which the Strait of Hormuz would reopen if its conditions were met: hostilities ending on all fronts, including Lebanon, within seven days, and the US lifting its port blockade, releasing frozen funds and waiving oil sanctions. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran was reviewing Washington's response to its proposals.
Oil prices fell Friday as markets weighed the chance of a truce, even as the number of ships transiting the strait dropped to nine on Thursday, half the 10-day average. The war has killed thousands of people and disrupted global trade and energy supplies, adding to inflationary pressures.
Source: Investing.com (Reuters)
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
