The Japan Times - Houthis say hit Saudi Arabia as Trump weighs harder Iran strikes

The US military broke its daily announcement of fresh strikes on the Islamic republic on Saturday, following 13 nights in a row hitting military targets there.

Trump said he had not yet decided whether to launch major strikes on Iran, hours before the conflict widened across the region with Yemen's Houthi rebels claiming a missile attack on the southern Saudi city of Jizan.

The Houthis had accused US ally Riyadh of a "dangerous escalation" after it struck military targets belonging to the group on Friday, following the rebels announcing a maritime blockade of the top oil producer and hitting its ships in the Red Sea.

The flare-up marks a new front in a war that has engulfed the region following US-Israeli strikes on Tehran in February, and comes on top of Iran's parallel blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Riyadh's only other maritime route.

Riyadh did not immediately comment on the Houthis' Ansarollah media post on Telegram on Saturday that a "Yemeni missile strike" had sparked fires in Jizan.

But Riyadh's civil defence agency issued brief warnings to residents in the city, as well as Yanbu, early on Saturday.

The warning came after the Saudi-led coalition said Friday it had hit Houthi sites and destroyed targets threatening commercial vessels in response to attacks on Red Sea shipping.

A Yemeni security source told AFP a naval base in the port city of Hodeida and a military camp on Kamaran island were among the Saudi targets.

The Houthis claimed attacks on two Saudi ships earlier this week, with Saudi Arabia confirming one of the attacks in the Red Sea.

- 'Tipping point' -

The escalation came after Trump said he would hold off on a major operation as Tehran was now getting "serious" in talks with Washington.

"No I haven't," Trump told journalists in the Oval Office when asked if he had made a decision on hitting Iran hard, for now dialing back reports that he was increasingly frustrated with the war and mulling a large-scale military operation.

"Look, we're talking to them right now. I think they're getting more and more serious as the days go by, for maybe the obvious reason."

Trump said Iran had a choice between making a deal or facing a "much higher level" of strikes, after nearly two weeks of US attacks that have left a ceasefire in tatters.

The war that Trump once predicted would last four or five weeks is now nearing its fifth month, and is weighing on the Republican's approval ratings ahead of crucial US midterm elections in November.

Trump added that he did not know what the "tipping point" would be for a decision, but reiterated that his red line would be if Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon.

The United States says it is carrying out the strikes to stop Iran closing the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has responded with strikes on US bases that have killed four service members.

The Iranian military said Friday it had carried out attacks targeting US military assets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, said they had targeted an Amazon data center in Bahrain, according to state media, though neither the US tech giant nor Bahrain has commented on the claim.

There was also no confirmation from the United States of any targeting of its facilities or personnel.

In Bahrain, sirens sounded again early Saturday, the interior ministry said, urging residents to take shelter.

- 'I trust them' -

Trump also insisted Russia and China were not arming Iran, despite reports both were feeding Tehran intelligence to target US forces.

"President Xi (Jinping) said he will not partake, and President (Vladimir) Putin said the same thing... I trust them," Trump told reporters.

"I don't think they'd want to have me disappointed."

On the diplomatic front, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Kyrgyzstan.

Wang called for a resumption of negotiations and the implementation of a memorandum of understanding aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East and the Gulf region, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

That referred to the preliminary deal aimed at ending the war which has collapsed as the foes fight to break a deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz.

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M.Yamazaki--JT