houthi

Bloomberg reported that the US paused its almost two-week run of strikes against Iran for a second night as skirmishes between Yemen's Houthi militants and Saudi Arabia ratcheted up tensions near a global energy chokepoint in the southern Red Sea.

The Iran-backed Houthis fired missiles and drones at facilities linked to Saudi Aramco in the port towns of Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday. Saudi authorities briefly issued emergency warnings before saying the danger had passed. A Saudi-led coalition responded by striking Houthi military positions later Saturday.

After attacking Iran for 13 days, the US has apparently held off since Friday night without explanation or announcement, raising questions over President Donald Trump's war strategy. Iran's media and government have not reported any incoming attacks either.

Iranian and Omani officials met over the weekend to discuss navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the flashpoint that caused the collapse of a ceasefire agreed in mid-June. Islamic Republic Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the talks were constructive and some progress was made.

The Red Sea escalation compounds a severe squeeze on regional energy flows caused by the near-total stoppage of traffic via Hormuz, previously the conduit for a fifth of global crude supplies. Brent crude has soared around 27% in the past two weeks, closing Friday at $96.78 a barrel.

Trump said late Friday the US is "locked and loaded" for major strikes on Iran but has not made a decision on whether to go ahead. White House spokesman Steven Cheung said Trump prefers a diplomatic solution but continues to retain all options.

One ally described the president as being in revenge mode against Iran, while others said he is looking to exact a cost from Tehran for the war, which has driven up energy prices and put Republicans in a tough spot politically ahead of November midterms.