US-Iran standoff: Trump says Houthis agree not to fight US amid attacks on Saudi Arabia

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Oil prices edged lower in early Asian trading on Monday (Sept. 21), but remained at historically elevated levels as markets balanced signs of recovering Saudi supplies against continuing disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.

A snapshot from OilPrice.com at 10am Tokyo time showed: WTI crude: $99.22 a barrel, down $1.08, or 1.08%; Brent crude: $103.00, down $0.92, or 0.89%; Murban crude: $117.90, down $3.47, or 2.86%.

The retreat follows an earlier decline in crude prices as traders responded to signs that Saudi Arabia could restore some disrupted exports. Reuters reported that Saudi exports had risen above 4 million barrels per day in September, compared with 2.4 million bpd in August.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was due for talks in Qatar, a key mediator in the US-Iran war, before travelling to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, state media reported Sunday.

The minister "left Tehran on Sunday evening bound for New York... and will make a brief stop in Doha to hold consultations on the latest developments in the region," state news agency IRNA reported.

The stop in Doha comes as Iranian officials say they have once again stated through mediators Tehran's conditions for ending its blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump has signalled he is open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York this week, even as Washington weighs its next military move and Tehran presents conditions for ending the nearly seven-month-old war.

Asked by Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst whether he would meet Pezeshkian during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Trump said he would “probably be open” to it.

The potential encounter would come at a striking moment: Iran has sent Washington a list of conditions for renewed negotiations while Iranian military leaders warn that any new US attack would trigger retaliation against American bases and interests across the region.

The United States warned that fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis could "escalate rapidly" after a missile attack targeted Riyadh for the first time since the Yemen conflict resumed.

US President Donald Trump cut short a weekend at Camp David, a secluded presidential complex in rural Maryland, to return unexpectedly to the White House.

The White House gave no explanation for the early return, which comes as a new threshold was crossed in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who control a large part of Yemen and are fighting government forces backed by a coalition led by Riyadh.

Iran's economy contracted by more than 10 percent during the Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli attacks in late February that unleashed turmoil and battered the Islamic republic's economy.

The country's gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 10.1 percent year-on-year from late March to late June, a period known in Iran as the first quarter of the Persian calendar, according to the Statistical Center of Iran on Sunday.

The Houthis said that Saudi Arabia launched 28 strikes in several areas of Yemen in the past 24 hours, as the pro-Iran group and the country's Riyadh-backed government clash in the revived civil war.

"The Saudi air force carried out 28 strikes targeting the governorates of Taiz, Al-Jawf, and Marib, using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft that took off from the Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said, in a statement.

This month, the Houthis, who already held most of Yemen's populated areas, launched a lightning offensive to take over the country's entire Red Sea coast, giving them control over the vital Bab al-Mandab strait.

The Houthis insist that navigation of the strait is open and free except for Saudi vessels.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Saturday the Iran-backed group fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh at dawn, after a fire broke out near the Saudi capital's international airport.

Iran’s military claims it has shot down a drone over the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian news agency Fars.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has warned that lasting security in the region cannot be achieved through “repeated cycles of escalation and retaliation”.

“Permanent security cannot be built through arrangements that leave any state vulnerable to the absence of security,” he said.

The region needs a framework in which sovereignty is respected and no state can pose a “threat to another”, Sheikh Mohammed said.

Qatar has worked with regiaonal and international partners to keep channels of communication open and reduce tensions, he said.

He called for greater trust and efforts to address the underlying sources of tension.

The US Mission in Saudi Arabia said US government employees now require special authorisation for all official and personal travel to Taif and Yanbu due to the ongoing security situation.

Regular and emergency consular services remain available for US citizens. The mission urged Americans to remain vigilant, avoid demonstrations and large gatherings, follow local authorities’ instructions, monitor official updates and contact airlines directly if flights are affected.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces have redirected 109 commercial vessels as of September 20 to ensure full compliance with maritime requirements, CENTCOM said.

The move comes as US forces continue monitoring commercial maritime traffic and enforcing compliance in the region.

President Donald Trump said that Yemen's Houthis have agreed not to attack the United States, despite the Iran-allied group stepping up its war against US ally Saudi Arabia, Fox News reported.

The network's reporter Trey Yingst, who often talks to Trump, cited the president saying that Washington is "in constant communication with the Houthis and that they've agreed not to fight the United States."

Trump has made the claim before that the Houthis are holding back from attacking US forces in the region.

"The Houthis called us and they don't want to fight with us," Trump said during a visit to Ireland on September 12. "They don't want us to go after them."

But the latest comments to Fox News came as close US ally Saudi Arabia is under growing pressure, with a missile targeting the capital Riyadh on Saturday.

Fox News reported that Trump is in "deciding mode" on Iran, where US and Israeli forces launched a massive aerial bombing campaign on February 28 before settling into a now almost-seven-month standoff.

Yingst said Trump told him that "big things will be happening in the not so distant future" and that "Iranians better behave, and he is making this decision as to whether or not to blow up their nation."

An explosion sounded Sunday near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.

The cause on the explosion remained unclear, and an AFP journalist reported seeing grey smoke rising from near the airport area.

Iranian authorities have sealed a French language centre affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran following a judicial order, the Tehran prosecutor’s office said, according to semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Authorities accused the centre of operating for years under the guise of foreign-language teaching despite repeated warnings to obtain a licence, Reuters reported.

Iranian officials also alleged that the centre had engaged in activities against Iranian culture and national security, including identifying and building networks and facilitating the departure of skilled Iranians from the country.

The authorities did not provide further details about the alleged activities.

Iran’s military headquarters has warned Middle East countries they could be considered “complicit” if they support renewed major US strikes against Iran.

The Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters said countries that align with US military action against Iran would no longer be able to expect restraint from Iranian forces.

The warning came as tensions between Iran, the US and regional countries continue to escalate.

Iran has warned that any US attack would trigger retaliation against American bases and interests across the Middle East, state media reported.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters said any US “mistake” would lead to “painful attacks”, warning that retaliation would come “without any limitations or considerations”.

The statement accused Washington of seeking to conceal its alleged failures in the conflict and claimed the US had decided to resume military action against Iran with the backing of some regional countries.

Iran also alleged that the decision was discussed at a meeting in a European country, without providing further details.

The US Mission to the UAE has urged Americans outside the Middle East to "seriously reconsider" travel to and through the region, warning that heightened tensions could lead to rapid and unforeseen escalation, flight cancellations and airspace closures.

In a security alert issued on September 20, the mission said Americans already in the Middle East should exercise heightened vigilance and remain alert to possible disruptions to flights and other travel. It advised passengers to check the status of their flights directly with airlines and airports.

The warning comes as fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis has intensified. The US alert said that Iranian-supported Houthis had engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports, and warned that the conflict "has the potential to escalate rapidly".

The United States has urged Americans in the Middle East to remain highly vigilant, warning that the regional security situation remains complex and could deteriorate rapidly.

It said travellers should be prepared for possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and wider travel disruptions amid ongoing hostilities involving Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia, including attacks that have affected civilian airports.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said there would be no opening of the Strait of Hormuz until Iran's seven conditions were met, adding that Tehran must pursue both military action and negotiations at the appropriate time.

While addressing the Iranian Parliament, Ghalibaf said, "We believe that the duality of war or negotiation is not real, but that we must both fight and negotiate. We must fight sensibly and decisively and negotiate with authority and rationality at the right time."

Ghalibaf said Iran must use its military power to push back its adversary and consolidate battlefield gains through diplomacy.

"That is, at the right moment, with all the military power we have, we must push back the enemy and deal him fatal blows. But when we have achieved a significant field victory, and the enemy is weak, we must consolidate these advantages with the tools of diplomacy until we reach the stage of deterrence by imposing defeat on the enemy and also strengthening the components of our power," he said.

He said Iran's positions in the diplomatic arena were "completely clear, rational, and non-negotiable", adding that its conditions had been conveyed to the other side through mediators.

"Today, in the diplomatic arena, our positions are completely clear, rational, and non-negotiable. The transmission of messages and explanation of our conditions through mediators has been done explicitly to the other side, and the enemy knows very well that the path of deception and unilateral imposition is closed," Ghalibaf said.

He further said the Strait of Hormuz would not be reopened until Iran's conditions were fulfilled, including recognition of what he called the legitimate rights of the Iranian people and implementation of US commitments.

"And until these conditions are fulfilled, the legitimate rights of the Iranian people are recognised, and the commitments of the Americans are implemented, there will be no opening for returning to the previous conditions of negotiation and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz," the Parliament Speaker added.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that participation in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York is Iran's "legal right."

"Being present in New York holds absolutely no appeal for Iran's representatives. However, it is a stronghold that must not be abandoned. Iran's participation in the UNGA's session is a legal right, not a favor to be granted to us by someone. Iran is one of the UN's 50 founding members," Baghaei said in an interview with state-run IRIB TV.

"It is our duty as the Iranian nation's representatives to attend this major international event to make the world hear the Iranian people's rightfulness," he said, accusing "the other side" of employing every available tool to prevent the Iranian delegation's participation, Xinhua news agency reported.

Such "obstructionism and negative propaganda" will never make Iran back down from its legitimate right to participate in the session and articulate its positions, he said.

The United States said it would issue visas to Iran's "core delegation" for the UNGA "consistent with our host country obligations," according to a statement by the US State Department on Thursday.

"The delegation is smaller than last year," the statement said.

Yemen’s Foreign Affairs Ministry on Sunday condemned Houthi strikes on Saudi cities and civilian infrastructure, including an attempt to target Riyadh, as Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said they carried out two military operations targeting sites in Riyadh and an 'Aramco' facility in Yanbu.

In a statement issued on Sunday, a copy of which was received by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), Yemen’s Foreign Ministry condemned the launch of a ballistic missile towards Riyadh and attempts to target civilians and civilian objects in Bish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu in Saudi Arabia.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates strongly condemned the launch of a ballistic missile by the terrorist Houthi militias, supported by the Iranian regime, towards the city of Riyadh, and their attempts to target civilians and civilian objects in Bish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu in the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the statement said.

The ministry affirmed Yemen’s “full solidarity with the Kingdom, its leadership, government and people” and its support for measures taken by Saudi Arabia and the Coalition to Support Legitimacy to deter strikes and protect the Kingdom’s security, sovereignty and the safety of its lands, citizens and residents.

The ministry said the strikes and those that preceded them in recent days represented “a blatant violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and a threat to the safety of civilians” and were an extension of the Houthi escalation in Yemen and a threat to international navigation.

It held the Houthi rebels responsible for the strikes and their repercussions, and also held Iran responsible for continuing its military support for the group and enabling it to continue its strikes.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that supporting the Yemeni state and its legitimate institutions and enabling them to extend their authority over all its lands, coasts and ports is a cornerstone for protecting Yemen and preserving its sovereignty,” the statement said.

It called on the international community to unite efforts and take effective measures to enforce relevant Security Council resolutions and disrupt networks supporting the Houthis.

Senior spokesman for Iran's armed forces Abolfazl Shekarchi rejected a claim by US Central Command (CENTCOM) that US forces had supported the transport of over 1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz "in the last couple of months."

In a statement carried by Iranian media, Shekarchi described the claim, made earlier in the day by CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, as "false and ridiculous."

He added that Cooper's remarks constituted a "projection and a failed psychological operation to boost the morale of the terrorist US Army's exhausted and worn-out forces in the region and justify the exorbitant financial costs and casualties incurred by the United States in the region," Xinhua news agency reported.

Shekarchi noted that such claims could not change the reality of the expulsion of the "aggressive" US Army from the region, stressing that the initiative in the Strait of Hormuz remained in the hands of Iran's armed forces.

The ongoing US conflict with Iran has cost the Trump Administration an estimated $45.1 billion, according to a Pentagon estimate provided to the US Congress on Friday, CNN reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

According to CNN, citing the sources, the latest figure includes $43.6 billion in war-related costs through September 3, along with an additional $1.5 billion for extra fuel.

However, the Pentagon's estimate does not represent a complete accounting of the financial cost of the conflict.

According to one of the sources cited by CNN, the figure does not include the cost of repairing damaged US military bases and buildings and does not provide the US Congress with a detailed assessment of indirect military-operation costs.

The latest estimate is higher than the $8 billion cost projected by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) through August 1 and also exceeds the Pentagon's earlier estimate of $37.5 billion in July.

The CBO, in its September 15 report titled Estimating the Cost of Combat Operations Against Iran, estimated that the Department of Defense had incurred approximately $38 billion in costs as of August 1.

The agency said the estimate covered operational, logistical and sustainment costs, including replacing expended munitions and equipment lost in battle, increased flying hours, other military operations and higher fuel costs.

The CBO cautioned that its estimate was subject to "considerable uncertainty", as it relied on government databases and public reports after the Department of Defense did not respond to its requests for information.

There are indications that a new front is likely to open in the restive Middle East with the American adminstration studying its options against the Houthis in Yemen after an attack on the Saudi capital Riyadh.

US President Donald Trump returned to the White House early from Camp David after an overnight stay, amid reports that his meeting at the presidential retreat was focused on deliberating and reviewing options for possible strikes in Yemen, CNN reported.

CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas said in a post on X that he had been told Trump’s meeting at Camp David was intended to “deliberate and review Yemen strike options”, adding that US embassies across Middle Eastern countries were likely to face retaliatory strikes and had subsequently issued warnings.

"As I said last night, was told that the POTUS meeting at Camp David was to deliberate and review Yemen strike options. Today, US embassies in Middle Eastern countries that are likely to be targets of retaliatory strikes issued warnings. Now POTUS head to the White House early," Plitsas said in the post.

Trump's early return to Washington comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions across the Middle East, with concerns over possible retaliatory attacks and further military escalation involving Iran, Yemen and US interests in the region.

CNN has previously reported on US military preparations and discussions over possible further strikes, while noting that the scope and timing of any potential action could change.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has said that there were currently "no signs of a message or proposal" from the United States being conveyed through the Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is set to visit Tehran on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera. 

Addressing the media, Baghaei said, "It is natural for Pakistan, as a mediator in the region, to find opportunities to discuss regional issues. However, there are currently no signs of a message or proposal from the United States being conveyed."

"The main goal of this visit is to follow up on previous agreements between the two countries, especially those made at the leadership level," he added, as per Al Jazeera, citing Iranian state TV.

Naqvi is due to meet senior Iranian officials in Tehran to discuss bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries. 

A senior Iranian security official said Iran has not yet decided whether to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), adding that any decision on the issue will depend on Washington's behavior.

In an interview on Saturday, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei said the country is still committed to a religious decree issued by its late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which prohibits developing atomic weapons.

"However, we do not know what will happen in the future," he noted, stressing that it is in Washington's interest to accept Iran's conditions for ending the war, which include ending hostilities on all fronts, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and lifting the anti-Iran naval blockade, Xinhua news agency reported.

He added that consultations with Qatari and Pakistani mediators are continuing, and Iran has informed them of its conditions for negotiations with the United States.

US President Donald Trump cut short a weekend at Camp David to return unexpectedly to the White House on Saturday, as tensions rose in the Middle East.

There was no explanation from the administration why Trump was no longer returning on Sunday from Camp David, a secluded presidential complex in rural Maryland, as had been previously announced.

The change in plan came as the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Saturday that the Iran-backed group fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh at dawn, after a fire broke out near the Saudi capital's international airport.

The State Department and a string of US embassies issued security alerts to Americans.

The alerts cited "the potential for unforeseen escalation" and noted that "Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports."

"This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly," the State Department warning said. "Americans outside the Middle East should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region."

Saudi Arabia on Saturday said that Yemen's Houthi rebels tried to attack Riyadh with a ballistic missile, the first time the Saudi capital has been targeted since the escalation in fighting with the Iran-backed rebels opened a new front in the Iran war.

The statement said the attack was intercepted. Some residents in Riyadh heard an explosion, and later some saw a plume of smoke near the airport. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

The statement also said the Houthis tried to attack civilian infrastructure in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu - where a key Saudi pipeline ends - and in Taif, Baysh and Farasan but they were thwarted, giving no further details.

The Houthis earlier claimed, without providing evidence, that they had targeted "sensitive sites" in Riyadh and facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, causing "massive fires." Aramco, the world's largest oil company, did not respond to a request for comment.

The head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, told Al Jazeera in an interview that Iran has conveyed its conditions for ending the war to the US via Qatar and it is waiting for President Donald Trump's response.

It was not clear when the conditions were shared. Rezaei said they include ending the war on all fronts, releasing assets seized from Iran and ending the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Earlier US-Iran negotiations fell apart.

He also said Iran wants the fighting involving Yemen and Saudi Arabia to end.

The US State Department on Saturday renewed a blanket travel alert for Americans in or traveling to the Middle East, warning that the conflict with Iran "has the potential to escalate rapidly."

Meanwhile, at least 11 US embassies in the region issued a warning that travel disruptions are possible.

The head of US Central Command said the military has supported the transit of 1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months and claimed that Iran has "exported zero barrels" because of a US blockade.

Adm. Brad Cooper said the strait's primary transit lanes have been cleared of mines, and the volume of oil, natural gas and cargo transiting over the past two weeks is the highest it has been in six months - or shortly after the war began with US and Israeli strikes.

But monitors say shipping traffic remains well below prewar levels. Iran continues to attack ships as it asserts control over the waterway through which about one-fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas passed before the war.

Iran's state TV said a man identified as Hossein Pedram was executed after being convicted on charges of spying for Israel's intelligence agency Mossad.

The report said Pedram shared classified information on "sensitive military sites" in Iran's Isfahan province. It didn't say how he accessed the information. He was reportedly arrested after those sites, which included missile bases, were targeted in last year's 12-day air war by the US and Israel.

A recent surge of executions in Iran has prompted an international outcry by rights groups.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed uninterrupted energy supplies and safe passage for commercial ships during a telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Dar cited the potential effects of disruptions on developing countries and global supply chains.

Rising energy prices have increased pressure on Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government. An Islamist party has threatened to march on the capital, Islamabad, unless the government lowers fuel prices.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested Turkey could provide military support to Saudi Arabia under a recently signed defense pact.

Asked in a TV interview about the possibility of the three-member alliance, which also includes Pakistan, engaging in military action against Yemen's Houthis, Fidan said Turkey would "face no difficulty in meeting" any military needs.

"We observe very serious attacks on Saudi Arabia's territorial integrity and sovereignty," he told broadcaster NTV. "We have an alliance agreement in place and we stand by our word."

Gaza's Health Ministry and Shifa Hospital officials say three men were killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza City and the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp.

The Israeli military said it struck "military operatives."

The heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas has subsided since a ceasefire last October, but Israeli fire has killed more than 13,780 Palestinians in Gaza since then, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

Israel's military also said it struck targets in southern Lebanon associated with the Hezbollah militant group after two soldiers were wounded when their vehicle drove over an explosive device in an area occupied by Israeli troops.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported three Israeli airstrikes on the southern town of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, adding that the third strike almost hit paramedics heading to the area, but no one was hurt.

Day 204: Trump signs Russia-Iran sanctions law; Saudi Arabia on alert

Day 203: Oil prices ease as Trump signals possible path to talks

Day 202: Iran wants to make a deal, Tehran 'not ready': Trump

Day 201: Houthis: Saudi Arabia launched 40 strikes in Yemen

Day 200: Houthi attacks injure Saudi civilians