Trump says no regrets about Iran war; Saudi Arabia strikes Red Sea port city airport held by Houthis

Iran's Foreign Ministry said Friday that Tehran is seeking to strengthen coordination and expand cooperation with China as regional tensions continue to rise.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iranian and Chinese leaders want their strategic partnership to advance the national interests of both countries, according to remarks carried by Iranian state television.

Baghaei also accused the United States of pursuing what he called "belligerent unilateralism," saying Iran and China share an interest in expanding cooperation through multilateral organizations.

The comments come ahead of this weekend's BRICS summit in New Delhi, where Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders from the bloc.

China has remained one of Iran's closest diplomatic and economic partners as Tehran faces increasing military and economic pressure from the United States and its allies.

The head of Britain's MI5 security service warned Friday that the next major terrorist attack could already be taking shape in places intelligence agencies are not yet watching.

Writing in The Independent on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said security services must avoid preparing "to fight yesterday's enemy, using yesterday's methods, against yesterday's target."

"We know that the next strategic shock will, by definition, not resemble the last one," McCallum wrote. "The uncomfortable truth is that the next strategic shock may already be taking shape somewhere we are not yet looking."

McCallum said al-Qaeda remains a threat despite being diminished and warned that terrorist organizations still aspire to carry out mass-casualty attacks. He also pointed to rising state-backed threats, including sabotage and cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure.

The comments came as governments around the world marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and reflected on evolving security threats since al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners in 2001.

U.S. Central Command on Friday said American forces have redirected 99 commercial vessels as part of efforts to enforce the U.S. blockade against Iran.

In a post on X, CENTCOM said the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit continue operations in the region. The command also released a photo showing a U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopter preparing to land aboard the USS Boxer.

"As of Sept. 11, U.S. forces have redirected 99 commercial vessels to ensure total compliance," CENTCOM said.

The latest update comes as the U.S. military continues operations aimed at disrupting Iran's ability to move goods and oil by sea while regional tensions remain high.

Oil markets and global shipping have remained on edge as fighting involving Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen threatens key maritime routes, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said the country's recent military operations against Iran and Hezbollah have helped restore Israel's international standing, even as public criticism at the U.N. remains.

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Danon said diplomats from several countries have privately expressed admiration for Israel's military capabilities following its operations against Iran, despite continuing to criticize the country publicly.

Danon said those private conversations have led to stronger intelligence cooperation, trade and interest in Israeli defense technology, though he acknowledged the shift has yet to translate into broader support in multilateral forums.

The envoy also said he expects little progress toward expanding the Abraham Accords in the near term, arguing Hamas' Oct. 7 attack derailed efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Danon's comments come ahead of this month's U.N. General Assembly meeting, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address world leaders following months of conflict with Iran and its regional proxies.

Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said Friday that the kingdom's East-West Pipeline was shut down as a precaution after sustaining multiple attacks.

In a statement posted on X, the ministry said the pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions was targeted Thursday and that emergency and technical teams responded immediately after the attacks.

The ministry said the pipeline was shut down as a precautionary measure while officials assessed the damage and implemented emergency response procedures. It added that several people were injured and received medical treatment.

The announcement comes after satellite imagery showed smoke rising from the East-West Pipeline, a critical piece of Saudi energy infrastructure that allows crude oil to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

The pipeline has become increasingly important as fighting involving Iran-backed Houthis has threatened regional shipping and heightened concerns over global oil supplies.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stressed the need to protect freedom of navigation, global commerce and the safety of seafarers during talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to India's foreign ministry.

The meeting in New Delhi comes as tensions continue to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, two of the world's most important maritime trade routes.

Modi also emphasized the need for continued efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability in the region, the ministry said.

The leaders met ahead of this weekend's BRICS summit, which is expected to bring together Iran, Russia, China and other member nations as the conflict in the Middle East continues.

Growing concerns over maritime security have helped push oil prices to three-month highs this week as traders monitor the risk of further disruptions to global energy supplies.

Combined crude oil exports from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman have climbed above 10 million barrels a day for the first time in two months, according to tanker tracking firm TankerTrackers.com.

Iranian crude oil exports, however, remain at zero, according to the tracking firm, as the Trump administration continues its campaign to cut off Tehran's oil revenue.

The latest figures come as oil markets continue to watch fighting involving Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and threats to shipping through two of the world's most important energy chokepoints — the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate prices have climbed to three-month highs this week as traders weigh the risk of further disruptions to global energy supplies amid the widening regional conflict.

TankerTrackers.com said the increase in Gulf exports comes roughly two months after what Iran International described as the collapse of the memorandum of understanding governing the conflict, with the six producers shipping more crude across what the tracking firm called the "U.S. blockade line."

Saudi Arabia is urging Washington to take direct military action against Iran-backed Houthis, Fox News Digital learned after the terrorist group seized key positions along Yemen’s Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Friday.

The dramatic strengthening of Houthi's positioning along the coastline of Yemen is in one of the world's most important shipping chokepoints — a narrow passage that links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, which has been used a bypass as the Iran war continues to severely disrupt shipping, especially of oil, through the Strait of Hormuz.

The rapid advance on Friday triggered urgent discussions at the highest levels in Riyadh and Washington, and a source familiar with the matter tells Fox News Digital that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged President Donald Trump to take military action against the Houthis.

This is an excerpt from a story by Efrat Lachter.

All eyes will be on New Delhi this weekend, as the presidents of Iran, Russia and China gather in India for the 18th BRICS summit. The meeting comes at a critical time as conflicts roil the Middle East and Europe, putting the bloc to one of its biggest tests since its founding 20 years ago.

The Sept. 12-13 summit comes more than six months after the Middle East war broke out between the U.S. and Iran, and at a time when regional tensions are again spiking. It follows the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit earlier this month, where several of the same leaders met.

The BRICS alliance was established in 2006 by founding members Brazil, Russia, India and China, and has since expanded to include nations such as Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

This is an excerpt from a story by Kyra Colah.

Satellite imagery of the East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia showed smoke pouring out of the key oil infrastructure on Friday.

Saudi Arabian authorities have not confirmed any attacks, but the black smoke rising from the pipeline comes as Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists escalate attacks on Saudi targets in Yemen and in Saudi Arabia.

Satelite imagery from NASA and other open source mapping software confirm the black smoke continuing to rise from the pipeline as of Thursday, Sept. 10.

The pipeline, located near Medina in Saudi Arabia, has been a crucial node for Saudi state oil giant Aramco to move oil internationally after Iranian blockades in the Strait of Hormuz.

Reuters contributed to this post.

President Donald Trump, during remarks at the Pentagon to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, reiterated that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.

"In the generation since 9/11, American sons and daughters have traveled to the darkest corners of the earth and done battle with a shadowy enemy so that our children might once again know carefree days and cloudless skies. For 25 years, our best and bravest have kept America safe. And today we salute every member of the United States military who served in the war on terror," Trump said.

"It is a war on sick, horrible terror. We salute our first responders and law enforcement, and we love them. And we salute the service members working right now to ensure the world's number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never, ever have a nuclear weapon," the president said firmly.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who spoke before the president did, also delivered a similar message.

"Our only answer here on earth is eternal vigilance. That indeed is the price of freedom. There are still enemies who hate us. Every day, enemies plot to curb our power and kill our citizens, including from Islamic terrorists abroad and at home. But we are ever vigilant, especially this place, especially these people," Hegseth said.

"Over the past six months, we have laid waste to the world's most prolific state sponsor of terrorism. Our warriors have fought an Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century. The cheered on 9/11, a regime that has sponsored terrorist attacks against Americans for decades, killing thousands, including our comrades in Iraq, in Afghanistan," he continued.

"But they did not factor in this president. The United States has killed their leaders, destroyed their air force, and their navy rests at the bottom of the sea. Their defenses are gone. We're still sending terrorists where they belong to hell and tankers to the bottom of the ocean where they belong. And we are ensuring that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon," Hegseth resolved.

Saudi Arabia's supply of crude oil fell 2.3 million barrels per day (bpd) on the month to 6 million bpd in August, the lowest level in more than 30 years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, told the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that it produced 6.238 million bpd in August, concurring with IEA's assessment.

The drop off comes as Yemen's Houthi terrorists escalate attacks on Saudi-backed forces in Yemen and move to seize key port chokepoints in the Red Sea.

Reuters contributed to this post.

At least 46,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since Iran-backed Houthi terrorists escalated attacks on Saudi Arabian-backed forces in the country last week, the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) wrote in a Friday report.

The figure continues to rise at a rapid pace, the report notes, as the Houthis capture cities across Yemen’s south and Red Sea coast, most recently the port town of Mokha.

“Families are being forced to flee for the second or third time in this conflict, with almost nothing left,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said in the report.

“As fighting spreads, reaching people with lifesaving assistance is becoming harder. We urgently need safe, unimpeded access. All parties must protect civilians and humanitarian workers, and safeguard the supplies, vehicles and facilities we depend on to deliver help,” Pope added.

After capturing the Red Sea port of Mokha from Saudi Arabian-backed forces in Yemen, Houthi terrorists are nearing a capture of Dhubab, which sits across from Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb ⁠Strait.

Perim Island could be a key launching point for Houthis to launch attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea, choking off another key energy supply route as Houthi allies in Iran do the same in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthi offensive comes as Yemeni and Iranian government sources tell Reuters that officials from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) encouraged the Houthis to launch offensives on Red Sea ports and to drag Saudi Arabia into a conflict.

Reuters contributed to this post

The war in Yemen has entered "a new and more dangerous phase," the United Nations special envoy for the country warned the U.N. Security Council on Thursday and amid reports that Iranian military officers are now operating alongside Houthi forces on the ground.

Hans Grundberg’s comments followed reports that Houthi rebels had seized the Red Sea port city of Mocha, which sits roughly 45 miles north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources also told Reuters that the Houthi advance down the coast this week had direct guidance from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

U.S. officials believe hundreds of IRGC officers are currently inside Yemen, working alongside the Houthis to help close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, CNN reported Thursday.

Officials also told the network that more than 100 U.S. military advisers are said to be on the ground in Saudi Arabia assisting the kingdom as Tehran steps up efforts to support Houthi attacks.