TAIZ, 14 September 2026 (Nosheen): Gulf Arab states have called off a planned meeting with Iran, while Yemen’s Houthi group launched a new attack on Saudi Arabia, further escalating the Middle East conflict and raising concerns over global oil supplies. The Houthis said they fired dozens of missiles and drones at a military airbase in Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia, targeting aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots, describing the attack as retaliation for Saudi airstrikes on Yemen. Saudi authorities issued emergency alerts in Khamis Mushait and three other southern cities that have previously come under Houthi fire. The developments came after the Houthis made a rapid advance in Yemen and seized an island near the mouth of the Red Sea, while a separate attack blamed by Riyadh on Iran-backed fighters in Iraq damaged Saudi Arabia’s east-west oil pipeline, a key route for transporting Middle Eastern oil while the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked. Oil prices rose by more than 4% when markets reopened, with Brent crude futures trading above $109 a barrel, while traders warned that a prolonged shutdown of the Saudi pipeline could affect up to 4% of global oil supplies. Oman had been scheduled to host talks involving Iran and Gulf states on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi announced that the meeting had been postponed in the interests of consensus, while Iran said the postponement was requested by Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Iran issued a list of 77 ships it said had violated its protocols for operating in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the vessels could face restrictions on future passages, including fines, detention or confiscation.