Saudi Arabia's air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on Wednesday.
The coalition claimed that the drone intercepted on Tuesday evening was the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017.
The Iran-backed group strongly denied targeting "Mecca or any other holy sites", calling it a "worn-out lie that has been used before".
Meanwhile, the US House has voted to end the war in Iran for the third time late on Tuesday, approving a war powers resolution that would halt president Donald Trump's ability to continue military action without congressional approval.
The roll call, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining most Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict. None of the resolutions have made it to the president's desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto the measure.
Read MoreUS defense chiefs warn of munitions shortfall over Iran war
What the escalating war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis means for Trump in Iran
Oil and gas prices climb after Saudi Arabia closes east-west pipeline
Key Points
- US facing weapons shortages after dozens of aircraft destroyed - as cost of war hits $33bn
- Saudi coalition says Houthi drone destroyed near Mecca
- Houthis deny targeting Mecca
- Israel carried out a strike on aid convoy in Gaza, Doctors Without Borders say
- Saudi-led coalition says 13 civilians injured in Houthi attacks on three Saudi cities
House votes for a third time to end the Iran war
04:20 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe US House has voted to end the war in Iran for the third time, approving a war powers resolution that would halt president Donald Trump's ability to continue military action without congressional approval.
The roll call, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining most Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict. None of the resolutions have made it to the president's desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto the measure.
"Remember when Donald Trump said that this war would last just a few weeks?" said Rep Seth Moulton, who served as a Marine during the Iraq war and pushed the resolution forward.
He said it's time for Congress to "actually ask tough questions, as the Constitution directs us to do, rather than be subservient to another warmongering administration".
The action is likely the last House vote on the Iran war ahead of the midterm elections, where the conflict overseas is playing a substantial role in the political campaigns.
Houthis deny targeting Mecca
04:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIran-backed Houthis have denied attacking the holy city of Mecca as the group escalates its conflict with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the US war on Iran.
Saudi Arabia's air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said this morning.
The Houthis, in a statement to Yemen’s SABA news agency, rejected the claim that their forces pose a threat to the city of Mecca or other Islamic holy sites.
“We categorically deny that there is any threat from Yemen directed at the city of Mecca or any other holy sites,” a Houthi source said.
“The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone,” Hazem al-Assad, from the Houthis’ politburo, wrote on X.
Saudi coalition says Houthi drone destroyed near Mecca
03:59 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarSaudi Arabia's air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said this morning.
The drone, intercepted yesterday evening, was the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017, spokesperson Turki al-Malki said in a statement, and follows a week of attacks from Iran-aligned Houthi fighters that have drawn Saudi Arabia deeper into the war.
Mecca is home to some of the holiest sites in Islam and the focal point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, and its security was a "red line," the coalition spokesperson al-Malki said in the statement.
Full report: US watchdog tallies Iran war's hit to weapons stockpiles, military bases and more
03:00 , Alex CroftA U.S. government watchdog released its first report on the impact of the Iran war on Monday, acknowledging the military's advanced weapons shortfalls and offering the first public look at the damage to American aircraft, bases and diplomatic outposts in the Middle East.
Much of the information has been previously reported over the past six months, but the Pentagon inspector general's report offered the fullest official accounting so far of the conflict's costs in American lives, taxpayer dollars and physical damage. It included information from the watchdogs for the Defense and State departments as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Read our full report here:
US watchdog tallies Iran war's hit to weapons stockpiles, military bases and more
Oil prices rise over fears of Saudi supply disruptions
02:00 , Shweta SharmaUS crude rose 1.82 per cent to $103.24 a barrel while Brent gained 1.6 per cent to $107.37.
Markets are unsettled after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launched a new wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia on Monday, after Riyadh blamed Iran-backed fighters in Iraq for an attack on the kingdom's east-west pipeline.
It is likely to disrupt as much as 4 per cent of global oil supply. Gulf Arab states also postponed planned talks with Iran.
"Markets are likely to remain focused on the risk that higher crude oil prices could add to inflationary pressures and, in turn, push interest rates higher," Yokoo Akihiko, an analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, said in a note.
US military rejects Iran's claim that mines blew up tanker
Wednesday 16 September 2026 00:30 , Shweta SharmaThe US military has rejected an Iranian claim that a Panama-flagged oil tanker struck naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the vessel was instead attacked by an Iranian drone.
US Central Command said the El Gaia was struck by an Iranian missile last month, which rendered the tanker “inoperable”, before it was hit again by an Iranian drone over the weekend while it was in waters off Oman.
The vessel is now being towed by a regional partner.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had claimed the tanker struck naval mines and caught fire in Hormuz.
Saudi crown prince to meet Egypt's leader
Tuesday 15 September 2026 23:00 , Alex CroftEgypt's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is set to roll out the red carpet for Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, the Egyptian presidency said.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of intensified fighting between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Yemen's Saudi-backed government.
The two leaders will hold a bilateral meeting to discuss the Houthi offensive and developments in Iran.
The Houthi rebels’ weeklong offensive has culminated in the capture of Yemen's Red Sea coast, cementing their hold on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which Saudi oil transits.
Earlier, Cairo rejected a proposal from the Houthis for direct talks to coordinate maritime traffic through the waterway and the Red Sea, according to Qatari media outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
Trump: Countries must reimburse us for securing Strait of Hormuz
Tuesday 15 September 2026 23:00 , Alex CroftDonald Trump has demanded that the “Countries of the World” pay the US for its military action to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
"The Countries of the World, which have been no help to us whatsoever, should, and will, reimburse the United States of America when this SCAM Confligration is all over,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The US president was repeating his claim that Tehran “wants to make a deal, quickly and badly”.
He added: "I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage - The concept of which we are open to."
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanese town kill 13 as fears of escalation mount - ICYMI
Tuesday 15 September 2026 22:00 , Alex CroftIsraeli strikes on a southern Lebanese town killed at least 13 people including six children on Monday, Lebanon's health ministry said, in one of the deadliest days of Israeli bombardment in recent weeks.
Fears of a renewed Israeli military campaign are mounting in Lebanon after days of escalating strikes despite a June ceasefire that was meant to halt fighting between the Israeli military and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
A woman who said she was related to at least three of the dead said one attack hit a residential building as children were getting ready for school. The Israeli military said it struck people seen transferring weapons in the area of the town, Kfar Rumman.
At the site, Reuters reporters saw children's schoolbooks strewn between chunks of concrete where the building once stood. Rescue workers with heavy machinery had worked throughout the morning to pull bodies out from underneath the rubble.
Eight-year-old Mustafa Farhat lost his grandparents and his mother in the strike, locals said. Rescue workers were still searching for his father's body on Monday morning while the boy lay in the hospital being treated for his wounds, they added.
EU condemns Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia
Tuesday 15 September 2026 21:01 , James ReynoldsThe EU commission president condemned the Houthi attack against Saudi Arabia on Monday.
In comments on social media, Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc stands “in solidarity with our Gulf partners in the face of relentless attacks by Iran’s proxies”.
“We will continue working with our partners for safe, free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and for stability in the Middle East,” she said.
Explained: What the escalating war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis means for Trump in Iran
Tuesday 15 September 2026 20:00 , James ReynoldsYemen’s Houthi rebels have forced a lightning offensive to the Red Sea coast, assuming control over another vital waterway in the region and threatening to expand the frozen US-Israeli conflict with Iran to the east.
By securing a position overlooking the narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Iran-aligned group has opened a second pressure point, further squeezing Saudi Arabia’s oil exports already diverted from the Strait of Hormuz.
The sudden land grab over the last week has been accompanied by an aerial campaign against military instalments in southern Saudi Arabia, shifting the balance of power after more than a decade at war.
The Independent looks at what the Houthi advance means for regional stability:
What the escalating war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis means for Trump in Iran
US imposes fresh sanctions on Russia's VTB Bank over alleged Iran ties
Tuesday 15 September 2026 19:00 , Alex CroftThe United States imposed new sanctions on Russia's VTB Bank on Monday, accusing the lender of helping Iran evade Western sanctions and warning that foreign institutions that continue doing business with Russia's second-largest bank could face additional penalties.
Already cut off from the dollar system over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, VTB now faces Iran-related sanctions that Treasury officials said could expose foreign banks and businesses that continue to deal with it to additional penalties.
Treasury said VTB had opened offices in Iran, established banking relationships with sanctioned Iranian lenders and helped build financial channels designed to facilitate trade and financial coordination between Moscow and Tehran.
The action, taken under an executive order aimed at increasing pressure on the Iranian economy, adds to US sanctions already in place against VTB Bank that were imposed in February 2022.
The Treasury said in a statement that state-controlled VTB was now "among the most comprehensively sanctioned financial institutions in the world." The Iran-related penalties would increase the risk of secondary sanctions against foreign institutions that continue to do business with VTB, the Treasury added.
"Under Operation Economic Outcast, Treasury will continue to target and disrupt those who provide material, technological, or financial support that allows the Iranian regime to sustain its terrorist enterprise,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement.
"Treasury will not tolerate any support to the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s enablers," it quoted him as saying.
Turkey: Gulf attacks are harming peace efforts
Tuesday 15 September 2026 18:00 , Alex CroftTurkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan has said reciprocal attacks in the Gulf are impacting peace efforts to end the US war in Iran.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart in Baku, Fidan called for all attacks to stop.
Freedom of passage should be allowed in the Strait of Hormuz and the pre-war status quo shoud be re-instated, he added.
Fidan said Ankara was speaking to both Washington and Tehran in a bid to resolve the issue.
Two missing after Oman oil tanker attacked off coast
Tuesday 15 September 2026 17:00 , Alex CroftA Panama-flagged oil tanker has been towed to an Omani port after a fire broke out in its engine room after an attack, the Oman's Maritime Security Centre.
The tanker was about 103 nautical miles northeast of Musandam when it was attacked, the centre said.
An Omani naval vessel evacuated 23 crew members, while two remain missing.
Israel carried out a strike on aid convoy in Gaza, Doctors Without Borders say
Tuesday 15 September 2026 16:09 , Alex CroftDoctors Without Borders (MSF) said Israeli forces launched a strike on a clearly identified aid convoy in besieged Gaza, injuring at least one humanitarian worker on Monday.
“An MSF bus carrying 10 humanitarian staff in Gaza City was damaged by an Israeli airstrike on a targeted vehicle just two metres away. One of our colleagues was injured in the strike,” the NGO said in a statement.
“The bus was clearly identified as an MSF vehicle, with a large MSF sticker visible on its roof. Once again, Israeli forces have shown a blatant disregard for the safety of humanitarian and medical personnel,” Doctors Without Borders added.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe warns new envoy for detained Brits must not be an ‘excuse for government inaction’
Tuesday 15 September 2026 15:00 , Alex CroftNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has welcomed the appointment of the first ever dedicated envoy to help Britons detained abroad but warned it must not be an “excuse for the government’s inaction”.
The British-Iranian mother, who was imprisoned in Iran for six years until Britain settled a £400 million arms debt, has long called for the government to appoint a specialist to help families battling to get their loved ones home.
She said Alistair Burt’s new role was crucial to ensure families, such as those of Craig and Lindsay Foreman who are currently held in Iran, do not feel “invisible”, adding that it should not be up to relatives to be the “political force” driving efforts to secure their freedom.
Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, led a six-year campaign - including staging a hunger strike outside the Foreign Office - to get Britain to repay the debt which led to her release.
“This is not the job of families,” she said. “This is the job of the government. They have to protect the citizens.”
Read more here:
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe warns new envoy must not be an ‘excuse’ for inaction
Oil prices rise over fears of Saudi supply disruptions
Tuesday 15 September 2026 14:29 , Alex CroftUS crude rose 1.82 per cent to $103.24 a barrel while Brent gained 1.6 per cent to $107.37.
Markets are unsettled after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launched a new wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia on Monday, after Riyadh blamed Iran-backed fighters in Iraq for an attack on the kingdom's east-west pipeline.
It is likely to disrupt as much as 4 per cent of global oil supply. Gulf Arab states also postponed planned talks with Iran.
Watch: US Air Force officer recalls 'free-falling' to ground with damaged parachute after plane was shot down over Iran
Tuesday 15 September 2026 14:01 , Alex CroftIran should not be distracted by mixed signals from Trump, Rezaei says
Tuesday 15 September 2026 13:31 , Alex CroftMohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Iran should not be distracted by mixed signals from Donald Trump.
“Don’t get distracted by the US president’s mixed signals—from ‘no negotiations’ to ‘we’re ready to talk,’” Rezaei wrote in a post on X.
“The stakes around oil and the straits have changed. Damage control won’t stop what’s coming,” he added.
“No talks until Iran’s conditions are met. Period!”
It comes after Trump said the US was “open” to “concept” of negotiating deal with Iran
"The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage -- The concept of which we are open to,” Trump said on his social media platform on Monday.
Saudi-led coalition says 13 civilians injured in Houthi attacks on three Saudi cities
Tuesday 15 September 2026 13:18 , Alex CroftThe Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday that 13 civilians were injured in attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis on the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Monday.
In a statement posted on X, coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said the injuries ranged from minor to moderate and that seven houses and two vehicles were damaged.
He added the coalition would respond “responsibly and firmly” and take what it called necessary operational measures to deter further attacks.
IEA slashes global oil demand and supply forecast again as Iran war intensifies
Tuesday 15 September 2026 12:30 , Alex CroftThe global oil demand outlook has been slashed once again by the International Energy Agency (IEA) as it warned the ongoing Iran war would not see supplies return to normal until 2027.
The Paris-based agency said in its monthly report that the “impasse in negotiations between the United States and Iran” and renewed attacks in the region would “hamper the normalisation of oil flows”.
It is now predicting 2026 worldwide oil consumption dropping by 2.5 million barrels a day versus 2025, which is far greater than the 1.6 million barrels decline forecast in August.
The prediction comes as oil prices have surged back above 100 US dollars this week because of attacks on Iranian oil tankers and concerns about further disruptions to supply amid ongoing fighting in the Middle East.
UK gas prices also reached a near four-year high, sparking fears over soaring energy costs over the winter months.
The IEA alerted over soaring diesel costs in particular over the months ahead, because of refining issues.
It said: “The rise in both crude futures and physical prices pales in comparison with those for refined products, where market tightness is now most acute.
“Diesel/gasoil, which accounts for nearly 30% of global demand, saw prices in the US surpass the 200 dollars a barrel mark in early September, 94% above pre-war levels, with Europe and Asia not far behind.”
Saudi authorities warn of danger in Mecca amid Houthi escalation
Tuesday 15 September 2026 12:01 , Alex CroftSaudi authorities have warned of a potential danger in Mecca, home to Islam’s holiest site, amid an escalation with Yemen’s Houthis.
Minutes later, Saudi civil defence said the danger had cleared.
The brief alerts had also covered the provinces of Taif and Jeddah, state TV reported.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have launched a new wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia and are seizing positions on the western coast of Yemen along the Red Sea, Yemeni officials said, with discussions ongoing in Riyadh over how to respond to their lightning advance.
Vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz, says UKMTO
Tuesday 15 September 2026 11:36 , Alex CroftA vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, a verified source has told the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
No damage or environmental impact was reported after the Tuesday strike, the UKMTO said, and authorities are investigating.
We’ll bring you more as it comes in.
Oil tanker exploded after colliding with mines in Hormuz, reports say
Monday 14 September 2026 20:13 , Rebeca WhittakerAn oil tanker exploded and caught fire after colliding with mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's IRGC said, according to Fars, without saying when the incident occurred.
Trend of oil shipments through Strait of Hormuz rising, says US energy sec
Monday 14 September 2026 20:00 , James ReynoldsThe seven-day rolling average of covert oil shipments accompanied by the US Navy through the Strait of Hormuz is rising and will continue to rise, Donald Trump’s energy secretary Chris Wright said at a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog on Monday.
"The trend in that seven-day rolling average has been going up and will continue to go up," he told a press conference, adding that a peak of 17 million barrels in one day he cited on Sept. 1 was in fact higher.
“There was one ship not counted. It turned out it was almost spot on 18 million barrels that day,” he claimed.
Analysis: Why are the Houthis escalating now?
Monday 14 September 2026 19:00 , James ReynoldsYemen’s Houthi rebels have ramped up attacks on Saudi Arabia and pushed west towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Being closer to the Red Sea will make it easier to launch strikes on Saudi oil tankers, which are reliant on the strait with the Strait of Hormuz out of action thanks to Iran.
Edmund Fitton-Brown, former British ambassador to Yemen, told The Independent that after months of attacks at sea, the Houthis “think the moment has come to call the Saudi bluff”.
“They think the Saudis have lost the stomach for the fight. They think that they showed themselves to be weak and frightened in the face of the Iranians,” he said.
“And the Houthis think that this is the moment where they can effectively raise their demands and get the Saudis to concede even more advantageous terms than they were previously willing to do.”
The risk for the Houthis, said Mr Fitton-Brown, is that the Saudis “seem inclined to fight back” - although so far their allies in Turkey, Pakistan and the United States are yet to join the cause.
