Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at escalating Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia, a Russian drone narrowly missing a diplomatic train, and a parliamentary election setback for Sweden’s far right.

Insecurity in the Straits

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Iran wants to make a deal to end the war. “The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the White House is “open” to the concept. But regional powers appear to be on a different page, as Gulf Arab states postponed scheduled negotiations with Tehran the same day following fresh Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at escalating Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia, a Russian drone narrowly missing a diplomatic train, and a parliamentary election setback for Sweden’s far right.

Insecurity in the Straits

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Iran wants to make a deal to end the war. “The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the White House is “open” to the concept. But regional powers appear to be on a different page, as Gulf Arab states postponed scheduled negotiations with Tehran the same day following fresh Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia.

In recent days, Yemen’s Iranian-backed proxy group has launched a lightning offensive against the Saudi-led military coalition that supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government. After first seizing the Yemeni port city of Mokha on Thursday, Houthi forces took control of Perim Island, the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish, and Zuqar Island as well as the coastal town of Dhubab—solidifying the rebels’ grip on the critical Bab el-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and serves as a vital alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis have also doubled down on strikes against Saudi Arabia itself, firing dozens of missiles and drones on Monday at a military airbase in the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait. Riyadh issued emergency alerts in response, and oil prices briefly jumped around 4 percent, with Brent crude briefly hitting a nearly four-month high at $108 per barrel.

At the same time, Riyadh continued to struggle on Monday to repair its critical East-West pipeline, which shut down last week following drone strikes........

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