Iran offers terms for US talks as Houthi attacks escalate in Saudi Arabia

Iran has conveyed conditions to the United States for resuming talks aimed at ending the war, while Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed attacks on “sensitive” sites in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh and oil facilities in Yanbu, as the conflict continues to widen across the region.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Al Jazeera that Tehran had communicated its conditions to Washington through Qatar and was awaiting US President Donald Trump’s response.

Rezaei said Iran’s demands include an end to the war “on all fronts”, the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. He also said Tehran wants an end to fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

He warned that Iran was prepared for what he called a “decisive war” if its conditions were rejected, while maintaining that Tehran was working through diplomacy to bring the conflict to an end.

The latest diplomatic initiative comes as fighting has intensified on another front in Yemen.

The Houthis claimed on Saturday that they had launched missiles and drones at what they described as “sensitive” sites in Riyadh and at facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu. The group did not provide evidence for its claims.

Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition also said Houthi attacks targeting civilian and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu had been thwarted.

Residents in Riyadh reported hearing an explosion, while a plume of smoke was seen near King Khalid International Airport. Saudi authorities reported no casualties or damage from the intercepted missile.

The attack marked the first air-raid alert in Riyadh since the latest escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis began in July, according to Al Jazeera. The renewed fighting has been among the most serious since a period of relative calm following a 2022 truce.

The developments underline the growing overlap between the Iran-US conflict and the renewed Saudi-Houthi confrontation. Tehran has denied directly controlling the Houthis, while Rezaei said Iran was prepared to help mediate between the warring sides in Yemen.

Qatar and Pakistan have been involved in efforts to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran after an earlier memorandum of understanding expired last month. Rezaei said Tehran remained in contact with mediators as it sought a diplomatic route to ending the conflict, while simultaneously preparing for further military escalation.

Meanwhile, the United States renewed a broad travel alert for Americans in the West Asia, warning that the conflict could escalate rapidly. The latest developments have also heightened concerns over regional energy infrastructure and shipping routes.