Houthi control of Perim puts Washington in a tighter Red Sea bind as Trump confirms intelligence help for Riyadh but no direct fight; Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline stays shut after drones from Iraq; and BRICS leaders in New Delhi adopt a joint declaration after Iran and the UAE compromise. Ten stories as of Saturday evening, September 12.
1. Perim / Bab el-Mandeb. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reached Perim (Mayun) Island on Friday, putting them in position to choke Bab el-Mandeb after seizing Mocha, Reuters reported. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked Trump for U.S. military help; Trump told him Washington would share intelligence but not intervene directly for now, three sources told Reuters. Trump confirmed Saturday he had spoken to the crown prince and said the Houthis had also contacted his administration asking Washington not to join the fight. Saudi Arabia has leaned on Red Sea export routes since Hormuz disruptions, Reuters reported.
2. Riyadh / oil markets. Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline remained shut as a precaution after drones launched from Iraq hit sites in the Riyadh and Medina regions, causing injuries and damage, the Saudi energy and foreign ministries said. The line had been moving about 4–5% of global oil supply by routing crude around Hormuz, Reuters reported. Riyadh said it would not retaliate for now at Baghdad’s request; Iraq dismissed the Maysan operations commander and opened an investigation, BBC and Al Jazeera reported. Brent settled Friday at $104.61 and U.S. crude at $100.05, down on the day but finishing the week above $100 with a weekly gain of more than 8%, Reuters reported.
3. New Delhi. BRICS leaders unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration on Saturday after Iran and the UAE agreed a last-minute compromise on West Asia language, The Hindu and wires reported. The text expressed “deep concern” over Middle East escalation and called for maximum restraint without directly naming U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran or Iran’s subsequent attacks on Gulf neighbours; it made no separate mention of the war in Ukraine. Chinese President Xi Jinping, after a bilateral with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said China would take the BRICS chair next year. Member leaders continue Sunday at Bharat Mandapam under India’s chair.
4. Stockholm. Sweden votes Sunday in a general election that could see the hard-right Sweden Democrats enter government if the ruling right holds, the Guardian, BBC, and Reuters reported. Final Friday polls left the centre-left opposition ahead, but bloc gaps ranged from about 0.3 points to more than 5 points depending on the survey; the Liberals cleared the 4% threshold in the last readings. Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson remains favorite to return as prime minister. Polling stations close at 8 p.m. Sunday.
5. Kyiv. Russian air strikes across Ukraine on Saturday killed nine people and injured dozens, damaging homes, a grocery store, and Black Sea port areas, local officials told Reuters. President Zelenskiy said Russia had launched nearly 500 drones against Ukrainian targets since early morning and was expanding attacks on the economy. Separately, Zelenskiy said he would be willing to meet Putin at December’s G20 in Miami; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told AFP that was “impossible” and repeated that any face-to-face meeting would have to be in Moscow, RFE/RL reported. Ukraine said it struck a synthetic-rubber plant in Russia’s Samara region.
6. Wonsan / East Sea. North Korea fired several ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea around 5:20 a.m. Saturday; they flew about 250 kilometers, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, Al Jazeera, AFP, Reuters, and AP reported. The launches came a day after U.S.–South Korea–Japan Freedom Edge drills ended. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the event did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory or allies.
7. Washington. Trump confirmed Saturday he had spoken to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the Houthi advance and said the Houthis had also contacted his administration asking Washington not to become directly involved, Reuters reported. A senior administration official said the U.S. is focused on freedom of navigation in the Red Sea “while empowering our regional partners to take the lead.” Analysts told Reuters the Houthi move complicates Trump’s effort to keep the Iran fight from further driving U.S. energy prices.
8. Brasília. Newly unsealed Supreme Court records show Senator Flávio Bolsonaro — Lula’s leading right-wing challenger ahead of the October 4 election — has been under investigation since July for alleged corruption and money laundering tied to failed lender Banco Master and film financing linked to banker Daniel Vorcaro, Reuters and ABC News reported. Police examined about $12 million routed through a U.S. fund linked to Eduardo Bolsonaro. Flávio denies wrongdoing and says the film financing was legal. A full-court session on related Banco Master disputes is set for Tuesday.
9. Abuja / Johannesburg. Nigeria’s National Assembly suspended official visits to South Africa and ordered lawmakers to boycott South African-hosted legislative events over anti-migrant violence targeting Nigerians and other Africans, parliament spokesman Akin Rotimi said, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. Nigerian officials have cited dozens of Nigerian deaths in related attacks since 2022; South Africa’s foreign minister visited Abuja in July on the issue.
10. Ambae–Santo, Vanuatu. Inter-island ferry MV Matui sank Friday in rough seas between Ambae and Santo with 34 passengers and 11 crew aboard. Seven people were rescued and about 38 remained missing as searches continued Saturday, police told Vanuatu broadcaster VBCTC, ABC News reported. Luganville harbour master Terry Ngwele said two people were rescued Saturday; communities on Ambae were asked to watch for survivors.
Coming up. Sunday 13 September — BRICS summit continues, New Delhi; Sweden general election. Tuesday 15 September — Brazil Supreme Court full session (Banco Master disputes). Tuesday–Wednesday 15–16 September — Federal Open Market Committee with projections. Sept. 20 — Russia State Duma election. UNGA high-level week Sept. 22–26 and 28. The standing calendar is at The Watch.
Sources: Reuters; BBC; Al Jazeera; Associated Press; AFP; ABC News (Australia); The Hindu; The Guardian; RFE/RL.
