Houthis reached Perim Island at Bab el-Mandeb; U.S. diesel cleared $6 as oil stayed on track for a weekly finish above $100; and Trump said he does not regret the Iran war. Ten stories as of Friday morning, September 11.
1. Perim / Bab el-Mandeb. YemReuters, a day after seizing Mocha. Witnesses and a local official told AFP the Houthis had taken the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayun; Houthi confirmation was not immediate. Saudi Arabia has leaned on Red Sea shipping since Hormuz disruptions, BBC, Reuters, and Al Jazeera reported.
2. London / New York. Brent fell to about $104.35 and U.S. crude to about $99.07 on Friday but remained on track for a weekly gain of more than 8% and a close above $100 for the first time since mid-May, Reuters reported. U.S. diesel cleared $6 a gallon for the first time (GasBuddy); the IEA said Saudi crude supply fell to 6 million bpd in August, the lowest in more than three decades. Prices eased after the Financial Times reported Gulf ministers were seeking a temporary Hormuz shipping deal with Iran.
3. Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its navy struck a U.S. “Saildrone-type” unmanned vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, and the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre reported projectiles hitting two vessels off Oman, Al Jazeera reported. Vessel transits at Hormuz fell to seven on Thursday from 11 the day before, Reuters ship-tracking data showed.
4. Washington. President Trump told Fox News he does not regret the Iran war despite midterm risk — “If I had it to do again, I would do exactly as I did” — and again said the war “ends right after the election,” framing Tehran as trying to influence November, Reuters reported.
5. Islamabad / Dubai. Pakistan’s dual role as Riyadh’s defence partner and a backchannel to Tehran is under strain as Saudi–Houthi fighting escalates; Islamabad delivered a Saudi warning urging Iran to rein in the Houthis, Saudi, Pakistani, and Iranian sources told Reuters. Field Marshal Asim Munir spoke with Iran’s foreign minister on de-escalation; the foreign ministry said no military response to Houthi attacks was under discussion.
6. Kyiv. Russia attacked two Kyiv petrol stations with jet-powered drones early Friday, killing two people; Mayor Vitali Klitschko said twelve others including a child were injured, and President Zelenskiy said the jet-powered Shahed campaign was becoming “increasingly terrorist in nature,” Reuters reported. Ukraine said it struck Russian energy and logistics targets; Russian officials reported deaths in Tula and Kursk from Ukrainian drones.
7. Brasília. Chief Justice Edson Fachin ordered thousands of Banco Master fraud-probe pages unsealed; records show Senator Flávio Bolsonaro — Lula’s leading runoff rival — is under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering tied to banker Daniel Vorcaro’s film financing, Reuters reported. A full-court session is set for Tuesday on the Moraes–Mendonça clash; Lula backed full disclosure.
8. Kampala / Tooro. Uganda’s government is mediating last-ditch talks so King Oyo Nyimba can be buried Saturday after a succession fight: a royal-clan committee named cousin Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, while the late king’s sister says his will points to a biological son, Reuters reported. A new king is required to perform burial rituals.
9. Sydney. A controller shortage cancelled about 14 inbound flights and caused hour-plus delays at Sydney Airport Friday morning, Airservices Australia told a Senate committee, Reuters reported. Eight of 49 Sydney controllers are on long-term absence; flow measures lifted at 8:15 a.m. local after unplanned absenteeism. The ATSB is probing a recent string of near-misses.
10. Gaza. Israel’s military said Friday it killed senior Hamas commander Mohammed Abdel Salam al-Yazouri in a Thursday Gaza airstrike, and Hamas’s armed wing confirmed his death, saying he helped plan the October 7, 2023 attacks, Reuters reported. The military said two other commanders were also killed in the strike.
Coming up. Saturday–Sunday 12–13 September — BRICS summit, New Delhi. Sunday 13 September — Sweden general election. Tuesday 15 September — Brazil Supreme Court full session. 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; AFP.
