Explosions Heard on Iran’s Sirik Island Iranian state media has reported several explosions heard on Iran’s Sirik Island. Bryony GoochSeptember 13, 2026 11:08 PM Analysis: Why are the Houthis rising now? Yemen’s Houthi rebels have intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia and advanced westward toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Being closer to the Red Sea will make it easier to launch attacks against Saudi oil tankers, which depend on the strait with the Strait of Hormuz out of commission thanks to Iran. Edmund Fitton-Brown, former British ambassador to Yemen, told The Independent that after months of attacks at sea, the Houthis “believe the time has come to call the Saudi bluff.” “This is the moment when they can effectively raise their demands and get the Saudis to grant even more advantageous terms than they were willing to accept.” The risk for the Houthis, Fitton-Brown said, is that the Saudis “seem inclined to fight back,” although so far their allies in Turkey, Pakistan and the United States have yet to join the cause. James Reynolds September 13, 2026 11:00 PM The UN Security Council has been warned that the international community must act to address “a new and more dangerous phase” in the Yemen war. Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, told the U.N. that the Houthis gaining control of Mocha gave them “a direct presence on the approaches to one of the most vital straits in the world.” the 2022 truce. That risk has now become a harsh reality. “This new war should alarm us all. In practice, it marks the end of the relative calm that Yemen has experienced for more than four years since the UN-brokered truce. “Not only does it threaten to plunge Yemen into a protracted and expanding war, it also risks dragging the country once again into a broader and unresolved regional confrontation, with global repercussions.” Iran and the Gulf Arab states, scheduled to discuss possible agreements over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, were postponed at the request of some regional countries in a decision made jointly by Tehran and Muscat, the Fars news agency reported, citing an Iranian Foreign Ministry official.Bryony GoochSeptember 13, 2026 21:36Main article: Houthis claim to have attacked Saudi base with drones as military advance in Yemen intensifies Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed on Sunday to have attacked facilities at a military base. in Saudi Arabia as the escalating conflict threatens to throw the region back into chaos. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the Iran-backed group had attacked “weapons depots and command and control “centres” at the southern base of Sharurah. Saree claimed that a joint strike with ballistic missiles and drones hit its targets and warned of broader measures if Saudi attacks on Yemen continue. The escalation follows a lightning advance by the Houthis towards the Red Sea coast this week, giving the group greater power to attack Saudi ships around the Bab-al Mandeb Strait. six-month conflict with Iran to the east.James ReynoldsSeptember 13, 2026 9:00 PMTrump says Iran war could end before midterms Speaking earlier in Doonbeg, on his final day of a two-day non-state visit to Ireland, President Trump tells reporters that the war with Iran could end “maybe before or right after the midterms.” “Iran will be over right after, maybe before, but it will be over right after the midterm elections. Gas is going to go down like a rock,” Trump told reporters at the Irish Open golf championship. He insisted, again, that Iran “want to make a deal so badly.” “They’re constantly calling,” he said. “They want to make a deal. They have to make the right deal. “I’m not going to make a deal that’s not a good deal,” citing two U.S. officials. Trump rejected the request, with U.S. officials saying the administration currently has no intention of taking direct military action against the Houthis. Neither the White House nor the Saudi embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment outside normal business hours, and the details could not be independently verified. James Reynolds September 13, 2026 7:00 PM Trump says the U.S. could stay in Iran and keep the oil, such as the Venezuela deal to “keep the oil,” drawing a parallel with a U.S. attempt to take control of a fifth of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. On a trip to Ireland to meet and watch golf, he reiterated that he still expected the Iran war to end this year, possibly just after the planned U.S. midterm elections in November, Trump added that the price of gasoline would “drop like a rock” once the U.S. war ended. Iran The turmoil in the Middle East “has roiled oil markets, and oil traders expect prices to rise again on Monday after an attack on a Saudi oil pipeline. Trump said he would only make the “right deal” and would not make one that was “not good,” adding that Iran was “constantly calling” for peace talks, a claim Tehran has dismissed in the past. But the president also introduced another option: remain engaged with Iran. He drew a parallel with the United States agreement in Venezuela, announced in August. “Ultimately, we will get out (of Iran), unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela,” Trump said, adding that US revenue from Venezuela has “paid for the war many times over.” midterm electionsTrump says Iran war will end ‘immediately’ after November midterm electionsJames ReynoldsSeptember 13, 2026 18:00Burnham to cut energy bills by up to £200; see if you’re eligibleAndy Burnham could cut up to £200 on energy bills as Britons can expect a rise in gas and fuel prices this winter due to the Iran war.Ofgem’s energy price cap will rise by four per cent in October. due to an increase in wholesale gas prices as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has raised the cost of energy supply in the UK. This means the annual figure will rise from £1,663 to £1,723 – equivalent to around £5 more per month, or £60 per year, but analysts are already predicting a bigger rise in the top price in the new year.James Reynolds13 September 2026 17:00
