Response to Defense Pact: Iran Threatens Saudi Arabia, Strikes Continue in Hormuz

Iran warns Saudi Arabia that its defense pact with Pakistan and Turkey will not ensure its security, while the Houthis claim they do not receive orders from Tehran. Meanwhile, an ADNOC tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, drawing international condemnation. Iran's president accuses the US of violating understandings, and the foreign minister speaks of a new route in the strait. The US military seeks an exit path from the war.

Amid the exchange of blows with the Houthis, Iran's proxies in Yemen, the ayatollah regime conveyed a threatening message to Saudi Arabia that its defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan would not be able to ensure its security. This was reported today (Saturday) on CNN, where it was noted that a senior Houthi official said they are not waiting for instructions from Tehran regarding escalation against Saudi Arabia. "The instructions against Saudi Arabia do not come from Iran," the Houthi official said. According to him, "the economic and aerial siege imposed by Saudi Arabia on the territory under Houthi control has created the worst man-made humanitarian crisis in the world. This reason alone is enough to oblige us to act with great determination." He further said that the Houthi strikes this week against the Saudis were preemptive, as Riyadh, he claimed, was preparing for a ground invasion of the rebels' territory. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates news agency reported today that a vessel of the ADNOC company was hit by a missile while crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, stating it is a blatant violation of "the UN Security Council resolution that emphasizes freedom of navigation and rejects attacks on commercial vessels or disruption of international sea lanes." The UAE stressed that "attacks on commercial vessels and use of the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of pressure or economic blackmail constitute an act of piracy by the Revolutionary Guards and a direct threat to regional stability and global energy security." The UAE added that Iran must stop the attacks and commit to ceasing all hostile actions and fully and unconditionally reopening the strait. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan also condemned the attack. In parallel, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian accused that "the American side violated the Strait of Hormuz clause in the memorandum of understanding - and we responded accordingly." Iran's Mehr news agency reported that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that negotiations with Oman on managing and determining a new route in the Strait of Hormuz are close to an agreement, but opening the strait "depends on other conditions." Araghchi also accused the US of violating the memorandum of understanding with Pakistan and stressed that Iran's management of the strait must not be compromised. The Iranian foreign minister also said that "the previous traffic separation scheme in the Strait of Hormuz is no longer acceptable to Tehran, and a new route is needed." According to him, "this involves, of course, technical and legal complexities. Due to the complexities, we are currently discussing a temporary route. Before a new route is determined, a temporary route will be adopted." Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Pakistan's Defense Minister, came out against Israel, calling on the Islamic world "to unite to confront the common threat posed by Israel." After the joint defense agreement signed with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, he added: "Israel poses a threat to all of us. Islamic countries must adopt a coordinated approach to confront this threat." Last night, CNN reported that the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, is seeking an "exit path" from the war with Iran - which is already in its sixth month despite declared ceasefires that collapsed, a memorandum of understanding signed and violated, and renewed negotiations on managing the Strait of Hormuz. Three sources familiar with the details told CNN that in recent weeks, Caine has made clear in closed conversations with senior officials on President Donald Trump's team that the US needs to find an exit path from the war - because the military options on the table for escalating the fighting could achieve the opposite result, and air power is not expected to achieve the president's stated war goals. Among those stated goals are dismantling Iran's nuclear program and opening free movement in the Strait of Hormuz, as it was before the war that began on February 28. "Caine is looking for a way out," one source told CNN directly. According to a comprehensive report published last night, Caine is not the only one holding the position that the war has reached a central crossroads: two sources said he discussed concerns about military options for escalation and raised with senior cabinet officials the possibility of finding a way out - including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance. One source told CNN that when Trump threatened at the end of July to resume full-scale bombing, Caine and others in the administration feared the possible consequences of escalation. That source declined to elaborate on operational details but noted that "the only ones who supported the operation were elements in CENTCOM." According to him, Israel also generally supported the operation to escalate the war. As is known, Trump canceled the strikes, according to him, following conversations with leaders in the Middle East who expressed concern about Iranian retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure. However, a senior Trump administration official told CNN that Trump has not taken future strikes off the table.