Tehran, Iran. The conflict involving Iran broadened over the weekend despite a pause in U.S. strikes, with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis attacking Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast and Tehran accusing Ukraine of targeting an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea.
The U.S. military said on Saturday that its naval blockade against Iran remained in effect, while reports indicated that U.S. operations had been put on hold.
U.S. operations paused
The U.S. military said it had halted a run of 13 nights of escalating strikes, without explaining the reason for the pause.
A senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration said Trump preferred diplomacy but had demonstrated the consequences if Iran did not enter serious negotiations.
The New York Times reported on Saturday, citing two people briefed on the discussions, that Trump had decided for now not to intensify attacks on Iran.
According to the report, Trump and his advisers were concerned about widening the conflict, reducing defence stockpiles, alienating Gulf allies, disrupting energy supplies and affecting the global economy.
Vice President JD Vance and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, raised concerns about U.S. munitions stocks during a White House meeting on Friday, a U.S. official told CNN.
A Department of Defense source told the broadcaster on Saturday that operations were on hold.
Regional risks
There were no reported Iranian attacks on neighbouring countries over the weekend similar to its daily responses to U.S. attacks.
However, fighting on Saturday between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia highlighted the risk that the conflict could affect a second major shipping route after disrupting energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. The developments also raised the prospect of renewed conflict in Yemen.
Iran alleges Caspian Sea attack
Iran’s Foreign Ministry separately accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea.
The ministry said one sailor was killed and another was injured in the alleged attack.