Fighting between Saudis and Houthis escalates as Trump weighs a major military strike on Iran

As the Iran war continues to reshape the Middle East, the economic fallout is spreading far beyond the battlefield and into American wallets.

Renewed fighting and concerns about disruptions to global energy supplies have pushed gasoline prices higher, renewing worries about inflation just as many Americans hit the road for summer travel. According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped 15 cents in just one week to $4.09.

That's nearly 95 cents higher than a year ago, when the national average stood at $3.15 per gallon.

AAA says rising oil prices fueled by the conflict in the Middle East are the primary driver behind the recent surge.

The takeaway is straightforward. Even if the fighting remains thousands of miles away, its economic effects can quickly reach American households through higher prices at the pump and increased costs for everyday goods.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released dramatic new video Saturday showing American forces descending from a helicopter to board the Comoros-flagged motor tanker Charminar in the Arabian Sea as the U.S. continued enforcing its naval blockade against Iran.

CENTCOM said the boarding was a verification operation and that the Charminar was cleared to continue its voyage after U.S. forces completed the inspection.

The command also announced that U.S. forces disabled the Mozambique-flagged motor tanker Lavine in the Gulf of Oman on Friday after its crew allegedly attempted to violate the blockade multiple times and ignored repeated warnings.

According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces have redirected 12 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled two that failed to comply and boarded two others to ensure compliance.

“The U.S. naval blockade against Iran remains in full effect,” CENTCOM said, adding that American forces remain “highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready.”

Ukraine will help manufacture battle-tested sea drones for the U.S. military under the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Initiative, marking a new phase in defense cooperation as Washington looks to incorporate lessons from the war with Russia.

The agreement calls for Ukraine’s U-Force to partner with Oregon-based ReconCraft to produce the Magura sea drone, an uncrewed vessel capable of carrying a 1,700-pound payload over more than 350 miles and launching aerial drones from the sea near enemy shores.

The Magura has been credited with helping cripple Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, sinking 19 Russian naval vessels, while Ukrainian long-range drones have also struck oil refineries deep inside Russia, taking an estimated 40% of the country’s refining capacity offline.

The partnership comes as the Pentagon increasingly looks to asymmetric, lower-cost technologies demonstrated on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine recently said the U.S. must adopt elements of the fighting seen in Ukraine for future conflicts.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this reporting.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the suspect behind a terror attack that wounded several Israeli civilians in the Tell area of the West Bank was killed shortly after carrying out the assault.

In a statement posted to X, the IDF said the attacker was “eliminated immediately after executing the attack” and that Israeli forces recovered the weapon allegedly used in the incident.

The military did not immediately identify the suspect or provide additional details about the victims’ conditions.

The Department of War on Saturday officially identified the U.S. soldier killed in last week’s enemy attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan as Staff Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York.

Rampersad died July 17 while supporting overseas operations, the department said, after her identity was confirmed by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.

She was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany.

The Department of War had previously said Rampersad was believed to be among those killed pending positive identification. The incident remains under investigation.

Former National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director Michael Allen said Saturday that President Donald Trump ’s latest warning to Iran signals the administration is increasing pressure on the regime by threatening financial consequences for attacks on commercial shipping.

Speaking on "Fox News Live," Allen reacted after Trump said any damage to ships or cargo would be paid for using frozen Iranian assets under U.S. control.

“He’s trying to up the ante on the Iranians to let them know that there’s no easy way through this,” Allen said. “This is not a cost-free exercise for the Iranians to try and annihilate ships as they go through the straits.”

Earlier Saturday, Trump wrote that “any and all damages done to ships, cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian money that the United States has in its possession and controls,” adding that the damages “may be very substantial.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged Saturday that Russia has been providing satellite intelligence to Iran that was used to support recent strikes targeting Gulf states and U.S. military facilities in the region.

In his nightly address shared to X, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence has documented “active Russian satellite surveillance” of Gulf states and U.S. bases since the beginning of July, claiming the imagery later appeared in Iran.

“At the same time, there is a clear correlation between Russia’s satellite imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes – both before the attacks, in preparation for them, and afterward, to assess the damage inflicted,” Zelenskyy said.

He claimed Russian satellites monitored four air bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait on July 19 and 20, and said Ukraine would share the intelligence with its international partners.

Fox News Digital has not independently verified Zelenskyy’s claims.

The allegations come after President Donald Trump on Friday said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have not significantly aided Iran during the conflict.

Asked about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s comments that Russia and China have been “enabling” Iran, Trump said, “Thus far, at least, it has not been major,” adding, “I don't think they'd want to have me disappointed.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of fueling hostility toward Israel and the Jewish community, warning his rhetoric could lead to further unrest.

“Maybe Mamdani is inciting against Jews,” Danon said Saturday on "Fox News Live," criticizing the mayor over comments targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“It is shameful what he is doing. It is dangerous what he is doing,” Danon said, urging Mamdani to focus on problems facing New York City rather than foreign policy.

Danon also said he was concerned about possible riots and demonstrations surrounding the U.N. General Assembly in September, where Netanyahu is expected to speak.

“Deal with your responsibilities, deal with the garbage of New York, deal with the problems of New York,” Danon said. “Leave foreign affairs to the president, secretary of state. They know what they’re doing.”

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Darin Gaub told Fox News on Saturday afternoon that Iran's strategy remains focused on expanding the conflict between itself and the United States to the rest of the Middle East.

In a sign that the fighting is spreading, the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen opened a new front against Saudi Arabia this week, attacking Saudi-flagged oil tankers in the Red Sea and claiming missile and drone strikes against targets on the Saudi mainland.

"It looks like it is expanding a little bit, and that's no surprise. I think it's also right to be concerned about that," Gaub said. "There's a part of this that Iran wanted because they want to expand this conflict beyond their borders. They want to inflame a greater part of the Middle East potentially."

The conflict’s potential expansion also carries a possible upside: other U.S.-allied Gulf nations could be drawn in and help Washington counter Iranian aggression across the region, Gaub said.

"When it comes to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, they were planted there basically as an influence means not only over the Suez Canal region but to counter Saudi Arabia, who Iran eventually wanted to dominate as well," Gaub said.

Gaub praised Saudi Arabia for conducting strikes against the Houthis but said the U.S. should make sure that "the expansion doesn't turn into something advantageous to the Iranians."

Qatar's Ministry of Transport announced that all types of maritime vessels may resume activities starting on Sunday.

The agency urged everyone to "abide by the maritime regulations & instructions in effect, to ensure highest levels of safety & security for all trips."

Qatar imposed widespread restrictions on boating after the U.S. and Iran began trading strikes in early July.

Israel has resumed targeting areas in southern Lebanon , according to multiple reports from Lebanese state media.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted a water project in the town of Markaba on Saturday afternoon local time, according to an alert from Lebanon's National News Agency.

Another alert claimed Israeli drones were circling over Beirut and the city's southern suburbs, which is considered a Hezbollah stronghold, according to Reuters.

The IDF has not acknowledged this military activity.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement U.S.-brokered ceasefire in early June that required Hezbollah to stop firing at Israel and withdraw its operatives from southern Lebanon.

The two countries later signed a broader framework on June 26 under which the Lebanese military is expected to take control of areas held by Israel and disarm Hezbollah.

Israel has said it will maintain military operations and a presence in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah disarms.

Reuters contributed to this report.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shared a new photo on Saturday morning of a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter taking off for a "routine flight" in the Middle East.

"A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter takes off in the Middle East for a routine flight. The Apache helicopter is designed to support reconnaissance and security missions," CENTCOM wrote.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi terrorists said Saturday that they targeted two Saudi Arabian oil facilities.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, said in a prerecorded statement on Saturday that the attack targeted facilities of Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan.

The Yemeni Armed Forces, which is considered under de facto control of the Houthis, also announced on Telegram "the execution of two qualitative military operations targeting sensitive Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu, using dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones."

"The operations successfully achieved their objectives, thanks be to God," Yemeni military spokesman Yahya Saree Qasim Saree wrote.

Aramco is the Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil and natural gas company.

Saree added that the operations were in response to Saudi strikes on Hodeidah and Karaman Island on Friday. Sources in the region have told Fox News that explosions were heard Friday on Houthi naval targets in Hodeidah.

Saudi Arabia has not confirmed any attacks on the Aramco facilities.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization issued a warning to vessels that there was a report of an incident between a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman.

The advisory did not specify which forces were involved or which country the tanker is affiliated with.

The timing of the advisory coincides with a report by The Associated Press that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) disabled the motor tanker "Lavine" in the Gulf of Oman after it tried to get around the U.S. naval blockade of Iran.

The UKMTO said investigations into the incident are ongoing, while telling vessels in the area to "consider the latest maritime security information and maintain awareness of the evolving operational environment."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Saudi Arabia intercepted more ballistic missiles coming from Yemen on Saturday, per a Reuters report citing Greek security sources.

The Saudi government issued several warnings for Yanbu, a coastal city further north of Jizan, where the Houthis attacked. Later, Saudi officials said Yanbu was no longer in danger.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

The Houthi strikes on Jizan come after the Iran-backed terrorist group hit two Saudi-flagged oil tankers on the Red Sea this week. The Houthis said they were enforcing a blockade on the country, further constricting oil exports at a time when another all-important chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, is facing similar war-time constraints.

Saudi Arabia has hit back at the Houthis with "a firm, resolute, and proportionate military response," Saudi Major General Turki Al-Malki announced Saturday.

"The targets focused solely on legitimate military targets that the terrorist Houthi militia uses to threaten commercial vessels in the Red Sea," he added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

American intelligence agencies believe Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is more willing than his father, and predecessor, to develop a nuclear weapon, according to media reports.

Iran's previous Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei maintained that nuclear weapons were forbidden under his religious fatwa, Iran International reported.

A New York Times report said U.S. officials believe Iran has not resumed nuclear enrichment despite moving some equipment to the heavily fortified underground facility known as Pickaxe Mountain.