Iran reports first night without new US strikes as Houthis attack Saudi Arabian city

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper told Fox News on Saturday that he believes President Donald Trump is 'on the cusp' of escalating attacks in Iran. Esper, who led the Pentagon from 2019 to 2020 under the first Trump administration, said it is possible American forces did not strike Iran overnight so they could 'reposition, prepare, reload, et cetera, for something much bigger that looks like the beginning of the war.' 'This may be a 24- or 48-hour respite,' Esper said. 'At the same time, of course, [Trump has] maintained the blockade. I'd like to see him, frankly, expand it to every type of entry and exit point around the country, whether it's air, sea or ground.'

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released dramatic new video Saturday showing American forces descending from a helicopter to board the Comoros-flagged motor tanker Charminar in the Arabian Sea as the U.S. continued enforcing its naval blockade against Iran. CENTCOM said the boarding was a verification operation and that the Charminar was cleared to continue its voyage after U.S. forces completed the inspection. The command also announced that U.S. forces disabled the Mozambique-flagged motor tanker Lavine in the Gulf of Oman on Friday after its crew allegedly attempted to violate the blockade multiple times and ignored repeated warnings. According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces have redirected 12 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled two that failed to comply and boarded two others to ensure compliance. 'The U.S. naval blockade against Iran remains in full effect,' CENTCOM said.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi terrorists said Saturday that they targeted two Saudi Arabian oil facilities. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesman, said in a prerecorded statement on Saturday that the attack targeted facilities of Aramco, the world's largest oil company, in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan. The Yemeni Armed Forces also announced on Telegram 'the execution of two qualitative military operations targeting sensitive Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu, using dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.'

Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen argued Saturday that the United States should build on its military campaign against Iran by further degrading the regime's military capabilities while avoiding the deployment of ground troops. 'We stopped at the 20-yard line,' Thiessen said. He argued the U.S. had already destroyed much of Iran's defense industrial base, navy and air force but should finish dismantling its remaining military infrastructure, enforce the naval blockade and reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force.