Trump plans new Iran strikes after midterms, Iran negotiators head to Doha

Yemen's foreign minister said on Saturday that Iranian support for the Houthis and their links to armed groups in Iraq and Lebanon pose a threat to regional security and international shipping, calling for action to stop weapons and funding reaching the group.

Afrah al-Zouba, foreign minister of Yemen's internationally recognized government, cited findings by UN experts on foreign assistance to the Houthis during an address at the 22nd IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.

"The UN panel of experts on Yemen has shown that all the support being given to the Houthis from Iran, from Iraqi armed groups and Hezbollah has been proven," she said.

Al-Zouba said the consequences of the conflict in Yemen had spread beyond the country, affecting regional stability and maritime navigation.

Iran-Houthi links and threats to shipping

The foreign minister called for greater international cooperation to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

"Protecting these waterways requires putting an end to the sources of the threat by stopping the flow of weapons and financing to these groups," she said.

She warned that connections between armed groups operating across borders posed wider security risks.

Al-Zouba also pointed to information received in 2025 about cooperation between the Houthis and Somalia's al-Shabab militant group involving weapons and training.

She called for stronger intelligence sharing and efforts to disrupt the groups' financing networks.

Two fishermen are missing and two others were injured after a drone attack struck two fishing boats off Iran's southern Qeshm island on Saturday, the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency reported.

The attack occurred about 14 nautical miles south of the island in the Persian Gulf, according to Fars.

The injured fishermen were transferred to Qeshm for treatment, while search operations were underway for the two missing men, the report said.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani condemned missile and drone attacks on Arab states on Saturday, pledging solidarity with regional governments facing security threats as the US-Iran war continues.

"Syria is standing next to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Jordan in the face of any attack," al-Shaibani told the 22nd IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.

"We condemn the missile attacks and the drone attacks that targeted these countries," he said.

Iran has finalized a comprehensive military response plan and is prepared to launch large-scale retaliation against any new attack, a senior Iranian security official told Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen television, in remarks also published Saturday by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Tasnim news agency.

"The comprehensive operational plan of Iran's armed forces has been completed, and the decision to deliver a decisive, comprehensive and very extensive response to any military aggression is final," the unnamed senior political and security official said.

"Iran's enemies and their regional supporters should be prepared. The scale and intensity of Iran's future response will be beyond their imagination and will certainly be shocking," the official added.

The official also warned that Iran could expand its list of targets if its adversaries carried out what Tehran considers terrorist acts, a term Iranian authorities have previously used to describe targeted killings of senior officials.

"If the enemy carries out terrorist acts, our list of legitimate targets will expand to include all political centers, facilities and headquarters of our enemies and their regional supporters," the official said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty warned on Saturday of the dangers of further military escalation in the Middle East, saying the war involving Iran had exposed the risk of conflicts spreading beyond the control of those who started them.

Speaking at the 22nd IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Abdelatty called for a diplomatic approach to regional security, warning that military power alone could not bring lasting stability.

"A war can begin with a unilateral decision, but no one can unilaterally control its consequences or stop it," he said.

"The wars and the military escalation in our region, along with the continuing and unacceptable attacks against the Gulf states, have exposed a profoundly dangerous strategic reality," he added.

Saudi Arabia condemned renewed Houthi attacks on its territory and threats to commercial shipping on Saturday, calling for international cooperation to secure the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb waterway.

Speaking at the 22nd IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Saudi Vice Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji said the kingdom opposed Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure and efforts to disrupt diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending the conflict in Yemen.

"We condemn the continued escalation by the Houthi terrorist militia against Yemen and its people, and against our kingdom, particularly the targeting of civilian objects and the threats to maritime navigation," Elkhereiji said.

He accused the Houthis of seeking to undermine de-escalation efforts, widen the conflict and obstruct a political settlement in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia calls for security in Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb

Elkhereiji warned that attacks on commercial vessels and disruptions to maritime trade posed risks beyond the region, affecting global energy and food supplies.

"Targeting commercial vessels, disrupting trade, directly impact energy and food security, as well as the interests of the peoples of the region and the world," he said.

"Securing navigation in the Red Sea and the Straits of Bab el Mandeb and Hormuz is a shared responsibility that requires regional and international cooperation based on the respect of international law."

Britain has deployed air defense equipment and personnel to Saudi Arabia to help protect against missiles and drones following renewed Houthi attacks, a senior British minister said on Saturday, pledging continued military support for regional partners facing threats from Iran and its allies.

Stephen Doughty, Britain's minister of state responsible for the Middle East, told the 22nd IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain that British forces had also conducted defensive air missions over Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates during Iranian attacks.

"Currently, today we are working closely with our friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where UK air defense equipment and personnel are helping protect against missiles and drones," Doughty said.

"Further defensive support has been provided rightly following the renewed Houthi attacks," he added.

Britain warns of threats from Iran and its allies

Doughty said Britain remained committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and protecting regional partners, civilians and commercial shipping from attacks.

"We are clear and united in understanding the threat that is posed by Iran and the very serious threats from Iran and its proxies," he said.

He reiterated Britain's position that Iran "cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon" and said Tehran must not attack regional partners, commercial interests or civilians.

Doughty said British forces had flown defensive Royal Air Force missions over Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and the UAE, while air defense support had also been deployed to Bahrain and Kuwait.

UK pledges diplomatic efforts alongside military support

Despite the military measures, Doughty called for diplomacy and de-escalation, praising regional mediation efforts aimed at resolving the conflict.

"We must strain every sinew for peace. And the United Kingdom will certainly not stand by," he said. "We will take part actively in those efforts."

Doughty said Britain would continue to support its partners when their security was threatened.

"When our interests, when the security of our partners and friends are under attack, we will stand and support with actions and not just words," he said.

He also stressed the importance of freedom of navigation and maritime security, amid threats to commercial shipping in the region.

"We will not stand by while civilians are attacked, infrastructure is attacked, or commercial shipping is threatened," Doughty said.

A US delegation is expected to join Iranian officials for direct talks in Doha on Saturday following reported progress in indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, Qatar-based Arabic-language news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported, citing sources close to the mediation efforts.

The outlet said the talks could pave the way for a return to formal US-Iran negotiations after preliminary understandings on Iran's nuclear program, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and financial incentives for Tehran. China and Russia would serve as guarantors of a potential agreement, according to the report.

The development follows more than 12 hours of talks between Qatari mediators and Iranian officials in Tehran on Friday. The Iranian negotiating team accompanied the Qatari delegation back to Doha, where discussions were expected to resume Saturday, Axios reported.

Qatari mediators remained in contact with the White House throughout Friday's discussions, the report said.

US Vice President JD Vance had previously proposed a meeting between US and Iranian officials in a letter sent through Qatar to Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, according to the Washington Post.

Pakistan's military is "cautiously optimistic" about its efforts to mediate between Iran and the United States, its spokesman said on Friday, following a high-level diplomatic visit to Tehran earlier this week.

Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who is leading Pakistan's mediation efforts, visited Tehran twice in October, most recently on Monday alongside Saudi and Turkish officials.

"Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course," military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Reuters when asked whether the visits signaled progress.