Live: US refuses visas for Iran UN delegation members

The Houthis said Sunday that Saudi Arabia launched 28 strikes in several areas of Yemen in the past 24 hours, as the group and Yemeni government clash in the revived civil war.

“The Saudi air force carried out 28 strikes targeting the governorates of Taiz, Al-Jawf, and Marib, using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft that took off from the Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement.

This month, the Houthis launched an offensive to take over the country’s entire Red Sea coast, giving them control over the vital Bab al-Mandab strait.

The group insists that navigation of the strait is open and free except for Saudi vessels.

The US State Department on Sunday restricted travel for American government employees to the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu, citing the security situation as the kingdom faces attacks from the Houthi group in Yemen.

"Due to the ongoing security situation in Saudi Arabia, US government employees who work in Saudi Arabia now require special authorisation for all official and personal travel to the cities of Taif and Yanbu," it wrote on X.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque as an "unacceptable provocation," following his entry into the mosque's courtyard on Sunday accompanied by Israeli forces.

Jordanian ministry spokesperson Sufyan al-Momani said the recurring incursions by Israeli ministers and extremist settlers constitute a clear violation of international humanitarian law, warning of consequences if such "provocative practices" continue.

He stressed that Israel holds "no sovereignty" over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and urged the international community to take a firm stance to stop Israel from occupying religious sites and restricting worshippers' access to them.

A large Israeli force raided Biddu, the hometown of the Palestinian accused of carrying out the shooting at the illegal Neveh Tzuf settlement north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to an Al Jazeera report.

Israeli soldiers also besieged worshippers at a mosque during afternoon prayers.

Israel Army Radio identified the shooting suspect as a 37-year-old “Hamas activist” from Biddu who reportedly scouted the site a day earlier before opening fire alone and fleeing the scene.

The suspect had been arrested following a pursuit, apprehended by soldiers after he fled to a hospital near the attack site, Israeli military said.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the attack was the first case meeting the criteria for Israel's "death penalty law for terrorists," calling the sentence "mandatory" since the alleged perpetrator survived, a law passed by parliament that applies only to Palestinians and has drawn international criticism.

Separately, on Sunday, Israeli settlers stoned Palestinian vehicles near a roundabout in a settlement south of Bethlehem, injuring a Palestinian and damaging a car, according to Wafa news agency.

The crisis over the Strait of Hormuz could delay some QatarEnergy expansion projects, as critical equipment is unable to reach Qatar, CEO Saad al-Kaabi said Sunday, adding that the company is currently producing only a "very minute" volume of liquefied natural gas.

Qatari LNG volumes are so large that QatarEnergy will be difficult for buyers to ignore once the Hormuz crisis ends, he said at the Qatar Economic Forum in New York.

Some LNG trains under QatarEnergy's North Field East (NFE) expansion are due to start up in 2027, with the North Field South (NFS) expansion set to begin production in 2028, Kaabi added.

US President Donald Trump called on Tehran "to behave" in an interview with Fox News on the state of the war on Iran.  

When addressing the available options for ending the war, Trump candidly said the United States had three options: "Obliterate Iran, letting it rot economically or reach a deal."

Trump also said he was open to the idea of meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week. 

He did, however, claim it was impossible for the US to reach a deal,  as some Iranian officials are "hiding like rats". 

The US president also confirmed that his administration remained in constant contact with the Houthis who, according to him, agreed not to fight the US military. 

Iran's military issued a threat on Sunday that Arab nations would be "considered complicit" if the United States resumes major strikes on the country from American bases.

The warning comes amid a rise in escalation in the region as Yemen's Houthi forces ramp up their attacks against Saudi Arabia. 

Qatar condemned the Houthi ballistic missile attacks on Riyadh and the targeting of civilians and infrastructure in Bish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu.

In a statement, Qatar's foreign ministry called the attacks a “blatant violation” of Saudi sovereignty and a breach of international law.

The ministry expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and stated it supports the legitimate measures the kingdom takes to protect its security and interests.

The statement added that Qatar rejects assaults on civilians and civilian assets, and it emphasised the need for these actions to halt immediately.

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, accompanied by Israeli forces, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. 

It was the second time in recent weeks that Ben Gvir has entered the courtyard and appeared to perform Talmudic prayers in the eastern section of the compound, according to the report.

Under the longstanding status quo governing the site, non-Muslims are permitted to visit the courtyard but are not permitted to perform prayers there. 

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday said Ankara is studying ways to support Saudi Arabia under a trilateral defence pact with Pakistan, as the kingdom faces "serious attacks on its territorial integrity and sovereignty". 

Fidan, speaking to broadcaster NTV, said the alliance agreement required solidarity and that Turkey could meet Saudi military needs, particularly on technical matters.

“We see there are very serious attacks on Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty. We have an alliance agreement in our pact,” Fidan said. 

“Frankly, we condemn such provocative attacks carried out against Saudi Arabia even though it did not attack anyone. We also do not accept having this situation turned into part of the ongoing dispute and conflict between Iran and the United States,” he added.

“At this stage, as members of the Mecca Alliance, we are closely monitoring the situation. We are engaged in certain discussions and consultations that have not been made public.”

He condemned what he called “provocative attacks” against Saudi Arabia and said Turkey did not want the situation to become part of the wider dispute between Iran and the United States. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with thousands of Israelis, including government officials and ministers, entered the Western Wall area in occupied East Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Governorate of Palestine said on Sunday.

The governorate said the group entered the plaza after passing through Wadi Street in the Old City, as Israeli groups called for prayers and religious rituals near the Gate of Mercy, one of the entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard.

The governorate said large numbers of Palestinians were also in the area to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque and shop in the Old City.
 
Israeli groups had called on supporters to gather near the Gate of Mercy for Selichot prayers ahead of the Jewish holiday. Selichot are communal prayers in the days leading up to Yom Kippur in the autumn. 

The governorate said Israeli police have unilaterally allowed Israeli groups to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard since 2003. 

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday said that Tehran must fight and negotiate as its near seven-month war with the United States drags on.

Addressing the parliament, Ghalibaf said Iran would use its military might to “push the enemy back and deal them devastating blows” at crucial junctures, but would resort to diplomacy when it has the upper hand on the battlefield.

The Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States fulfilled its commitments, according to Ghalibaf, who said Iran's negotiating position was “entirely clear, rational, and non-negotiable”.

His remarks come after Pakistani and Qatari mediators have reportedly been told that Iran has seven conditions which must be met before talks with Washington can begin.

Saudi Arabia has pulled out of a China-led digital currency platform aimed at facilitating cross-border payments outside the US dollar, the Financial Times (FT) reported. 

Riyadh joined the mBridge project in 2024 with China, Hong Kong, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the Bank for International Settlements, but the Saudi Central Bank said that it completed its participation in May 2025.

The mBridge platform uses blockchain technology that allows central banks to make transactions directly via digital currencies, which could reduce transaction costs and the dollar’s intermediary role.

The Saudi Central Bank said it was involved as part of a planned research programme and it was no longer a participating member after completing its proof of concept. 

But the FT reported that a second person familiar with the matter said the Saudi central bank remained quietly involved with the project.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States fulfils its commitments under a June agreement and meets Tehran’s conditions.

Speaking in parliament, Ghalibaf said Iran had “explicitly conveyed its conditions to the opposing side through intermediaries”, according to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB.

Reuters has previously reported that Tehran has tied the reopening of the strait to US commitments under the June memorandum, including lifting its blockade of Iranian ports, oil sanctions and other measures.

“The enemy is well aware that the path of deception and unilateral imposition is closed,” Ghalibaf said, adding that there would be no return to negotiations or reopening of the waterway until Iran’s rights were recognised and US commitments fulfilled.

The Strait of Hormuz is a major route for global oil and gas shipments, and traffic through the waterway has remained sharply below pre-war levels amid the continuing tensions.

Israeli forces have detained at least 27 Palestinians in a raid on the village of al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Local sources told Wafa that Israeli infantry units were deployed throughout the village early on Sunday morning and its only entrance was closed. 

Soldiers then raided several homes, ransacked their contents, and stole cash and gold jewellery, the agency said.

The detainees are being held at the home of Shaher Sari Abu Alia, according to Wafa.

The search and arrest campaign in al-Mughayyir follows an attack by Israeli settlers and forces on Saturday, the agency added.