Iran vows ongoing strikes as Houthis target Saudi ships

Iran vowed on Thursday, July 23, 2026, to continue its military strikes across the Middle East for as long as it remains under attack, as the regional conflict expanded to a new front with its Houthi allies targeting Saudi shipping in the Red Sea. The fighting resumed after a ceasefire of only a few weeks, plunging the region and global energy markets back into turmoil amid a struggle between Iran and the United States for control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian army said its retaliatory attacks would persist as long as U.S. assaults on the country's infrastructure and coastal areas continue, according to a statement from spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia carried by state television. The pledge followed a twelfth consecutive night of U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets, which U.S. Central Command said aimed to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial vessels.

In a significant escalation, the Houthi movement in Yemen entered the conflict this week, claiming missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, after declaring a blockade of Saudi ports. Saudi Arabia confirmed the Encelia had been struck. A British naval...