Iran increases threat to Strait of Hormuz shipping, and other Middle East developments

Iran appears to be targeting vessels conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers around the Strait of Hormuz, according to a military institute. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition launched new airstrikes on Tuesday on Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, according to Houthi-run broadcaster Al Masirah and residents.

The strikes followed a coalition spokesman’s warning urging residents to evacuate the area. A spokesman for the Iran-backed rebels warned that any attack on Sanaa would draw a “harsh and painful” response against the Saudi capital.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. Read our full coverage here.

Ship-to-ship oil transfers at risk, military institute says

Iran appears to be targeting commercial vessels conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers in and near the Strait of Hormuz in order to try to undermine vessels’ ability to move energy through the strait, the Institute for the Study of War said Tuesday.

Iran may be developing its anti-ship missile capabilities, the U.S.-based think tank said in a post on X.

The U.K.’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre posted on X Monday that at least three vessels had been attacked by unknown projectiles in the strait a day earlier. There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

But Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s top security body, told state TV on Saturday that Iranian forces were striking an average of five “smuggling ships” every night.

Rezaei appeared to be referring to U.S. efforts to guide oil shipments through the strait before the oil is transferred to larger tankers waiting in the Gulf of Oman.

Iran demands evidence from U.K. on alleged airbase plot

Iran told British Ambassador Hugo Shorter on Tuesday that it could “seriously reconsider” bilateral relations unless the U.K. provides evidence linking Tehran to an alleged plot at the U.S.-run military air base RAF Fairford, Iran’s state broadcaster reported.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that the apparent plot was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, said the ambassador was informed of Tehran’s protest over what it called Britain’s “irresponsible and destructive approach.”

“The British government must provide documents and evidence supporting its accusations against Iran,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said.

The move came as MI5 chief Ken McCallum said Tuesday that Iran was seeking to target military sites in Britain and that the suspected September plot at RAF Fairford was “not unique.”

McCallum, who leads the U.K.’s domestic security service, said Tehran is seeking to intensify its attacks in Britain beyond its traditional targets, Iranian opponents of the Islamic authorities. That has included arson attacks on Jewish sites that Britain says were carried out by Iranian proxies.

Police have arrested seven men in the investigation into the alleged plot on the airbase, which has been used by American bombers to strike Iran, but all have been released on bail and no one has been charged.

Israel raids civil society offices in West Bank

Dozens of Israeli soldiers spilled from armored vehicles onto the streets of the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday, raiding the offices of Palestinian charities and civil society organizations that Israel has long suspected of maintaining ties to militants and political factions.

The Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association were both among the groups targeted, officials with the organizations said. Soldiers could be seen carrying files from one office, and they fired tear gas to disperse Palestinian journalists filming them.

Ramallah is the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority, and the raids underscored its shrinking autonomy under Israeli occupation, despite being the internationally recognized government of the occupied territory. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported two injuries, including a 14-year-old boy wounded in the upper thigh by Israeli gunfire. Several other people were treated for tear gas inhalation, the ministry said. The Israeli military did not respond to questions about the raid.

Farther north in the occupied territory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops would remain in the Tulkarem refugee camp and rejected calls to allow its residents to return. Palestinians fled the camp in 2025 as the Israeli military carried out a widespread crackdown against West Bank militants.

“These are not residents, these are terrorists,” Netanyahu said in a video released Tuesday by his office during a visit to the nearby camp.

Saudi-led coalition strikes Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital

The Saudi-led coalition carried out new airstrikes Tuesday on Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, according to Houthi-run broadcaster Al Masirah and local residents.

The strikes came shortly after a coalition spokesman urged residents to evacuate the area for their safety. Witnesses in Sanaa reported hearing explosions, but it was not immediately clear what was hit.

Earlier, Gen. Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Iran-backed rebels, warned that any attack on Sanaa would draw a “harsh and painful” response against the Saudi capital.

The exchange of threats comes as Saudi Arabia
investigates why its air defenses failed to intercept a barrage of missiles and drones fired by the Houthis. An attack on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300.

Trump declines to say if he’ll endorse anyone in Israeli election

Two weeks out from Israeli national elections, U.S. President Donald Trump again declined to say if he would endorse a candidate.

“We haven’t even thought about it,” he said. “Well, we may, I may be doing something,” he added, but provided no details.

The elections are the first since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack, and the war in Gaza. The outcome threatens to end the career of Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. He is the only senior figure from Oct. 7 still in power, making the Oct. 27 election in many ways a referendum on his leadership.

Trump sidestepped a question earlier this month on Netanyahu’s reelection bid. The lack of an endorsement is a setback for the Israeli leader, who has touted his close relationship with Trump as one reason voters should choose him to once again lead the governing coalition. ___

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.