Yemeni authorities say six people were killed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war<\/a> and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4 crew members and 2 allied fighters killed, Yemen says <\/p>\n Six people were killed Tuesday by Houthis<\/a> firing missiles on a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Yemeni authorities said.<\/p>\n Yemen\u2019s coast guard said the dead included four crew members and two members of the government-allied National Resistance Forces. Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the Yemeni commercial vessel, according to the Transportation Ministry of Yemen\u2019s internationally recognized government.<\/p>\n They are the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest bout of fighting<\/a> in the Arab country.<\/p>\n With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb strait at Yemen\u2019s southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.<\/p>\n The deadly vessel strike came amid Houthi attacks on the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea and other areas of the country. Dozens of government troops and civilians have been killed in attacks since last week, according to the Yemeni military.<\/p>\n The strikes are part of an escalation by the Houthis against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom\u2019s shipping in the Red Sea.<\/p>\n The Houthi attacks could reignite Yemen\u2019s civil war following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.<\/p>\n Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis\u2019 chief negotiator and spokesperson, accused Saudi Arabia in a social media post of exploiting the ceasefire to tighten an air and sea blockade it imposed in 2015.<\/p>\n He said the Houthis are open for negotiations but any settlement must include lifting the blockade.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Sign up for Morning Wire:<\/strong> Iranian foreign minister underlines Tehran\u2019s demands<\/p>\n Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters that the country had \u201castonished the whole world\u201d in the war against the United States and Israel, proving \u201cthat it is a tough and invincible power.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran has refused to back down on demands that the U.S. end its blockade of Iranian ports, lift sanctions on the Islamic Republic<\/a> and fulfill other conditions before Tehran will consider reopening the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>.<\/p>\n Iran effectively closed the strait after Israel and the U.S. attacked the country on Feb. 28. Attacks on the key waterway \u2014 through which roughly one-fifth of the world\u2019s traded oil supplies passed before the war \u2014 and uncertainty around its future have kept energy prices a major focus of U.S. politics ahead of November\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n
\n Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day.\n <\/p>\n