By M.ABubakar
Published September 09, 2026
The Middle East war intensified on Tuesday with Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen launching dramatic strikes on several Saudi cities, further embroiling a key US ally in the conflict. Simultaneously, US forces engaged multiple Iranian oil tankers, and Iran retaliated by targeting a US base in Jordan.
Houthi forces attacked four cities in southern Saudi Arabia, leaving 73 people wounded and setting vital oil installations ablaze, representing a major escalation in the six-month-old war.
Global oil markets were pricing in the Saudi attacks even as the US military’s Central Command announced it destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on Tuesday. Central Command stated this was in direct response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeting a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the previous two days.
“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia.
Iran then retaliated with a ballistic missile attack on a US base near Al Azraq town in eastern Jordan, according to an IRGC statement carried on state media. Confirmation was not immediately available from Jordan or the US military.
Following a calm period in August, recent exchanges of fire between Iran and the US have driven the price of benchmark Brent crude oil to its highest level since July 23. However, despite the disruptions, prices remained below $100 per barrel.
The war is characterized by a cycle of pauses followed by periodic flare-ups. Despite sustained US attacks that have significantly degraded much of its conventional forces and severely impacted its economy, Iran retains the ability to launch missile and drone strikes on its neighbors and to threaten oil shipping in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis, who control most of Yemen’s populated areas including the capital, are putting further pressure on US allies by periodically disrupting shipping on the other side of the Arabian peninsula at the entrance to the Red Sea.
On Tuesday, the Houthis confirmed a broad operation deep into Saudi territory, utilizing drones and missiles to strike a Saudi airbase in the southern city of Khamis Mushait, alongside Saudi state oil company assets in the cities of Abha, Najran, and Jazan.
Nasa satellite images revealed a thick cloud of black smoke over the Jazan refinery and a separate column of white smoke rising from an oil distribution center in Abha.
Saudi authorities confirmed blazes at the sites and stated that women and children were among the 73 individuals hurt. The reports of such a high number of wounded suggest these attacks are among the largest carried out against Saudi Arabia since the United States and Israel launched their offensive against Iran in February.
Iranian Tankers Targeted
Simultaneously, Iranian tankers came under assault, marking a resumption of US attacks on Iran after a two-day pause.
The US announced it destroyed four IRGC crude oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and a fifth near the oil hub of Kharg Island, confirming reports earlier carried in Iranian media.
“American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable,” the Central Command statement said.
In retaliation, Iran threatened to target oil tankers in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports, according to state media. A maritime security source reported that a liquefied natural gas tanker was damaged in the Emirati port of Khor Fakkan, although it was not immediately clear who was responsible.
Houthi attacks on southwestern Saudi Arabia have the potential to worsen the war’s global economic impact by disrupting Middle East energy supplies beyond the already blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia has led an Arab coalition battling against the Houthis in Yemen for more than a decade. While that conflict had calmed in recent years, the previous ceasefire has broken down completely.
In recent days, Saudi-backed Yemeni forces associated with a government based in the south have launched a multi-pronged offensive on Houthi-held areas after the Houthis tried to advance on government-held positions. The government, driven from the capital by the Houthis 12 years ago, now states its goal is to recapture all Houthi-held territory.
Economic Pressure
The broader war in the Gulf has transformed into a test of wills between the US and Iran, with each side hoping that economic pressure from competing blockades will force the other to yield.
The US Treasury announced new aviation-related sanctions on Tuesday, aimed specifically at grounding Iran’s airlines. Washington is attempting to increase the flow of oil to world markets by guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz while simultaneously cutting off Iran’s exports via a blockade.
Central Command identified the tankers destroyed on Tuesday as part of a shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies. Iran has long supported what it calls an “Axis of Resistance”, comprising Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iraqi Shi’ite militias, and the Houthis.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed they had captured a US submersible near the strait. A US official told Reuters on Tuesday that an underwater military drone had malfunctioned more than a day ago, adding that it did not carry classified sonar or radar equipment.
