In early August a senior Saudi official, speaking anonymously, said intelligence indicated that the Houthis and Iraqi armed groups might launch new attacks under the supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The claim is plausible, unverifiable from open sources, and useful to the party making it. All three of those things are true at once, and separating them is … [Read more...] about Riyadh Says the IRGC Is Coordinating Houthi and Iraqi Militia Attacks: Assessing the Claim
Iran
Iran’s Hormuz Conditions Make the Oman Corridor a Technical Deal, Not a Reopening
Two descriptions of the Strait of Hormuz are in circulation. Washington says the waterway is open, that mines have been cleared, and that oil is moving. Tehran says the strait stays shut until the United States corrects its conduct. Both statements are being made by people with access to the same hydrographic reality, which means the disagreement is about definitions and … [Read more...] about Iran’s Hormuz Conditions Make the Oman Corridor a Technical Deal, Not a Reopening
The Bab al-Mandeb Transit Fee the Houthis Say They Are Not Charging
A week after declaring the blockade of Saudi Arabia, the Houthis were reported to be weighing transit fees on ships passing the Bab al-Mandeb. The reporting placed the origin of the idea in Tehran, raised during a Houthi delegation's visit in July, with Iranian advisers said to be helping stand up an authority to administer the charges. The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations … [Read more...] about The Bab al-Mandeb Transit Fee the Houthis Say They Are Not Charging