Houthi Strike on Riyadh Airport Kills an American as Trump Weighs Joining Saudi Strikes and Iran Calls the US Hormuz Offer Inadequate

A Houthi strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 10 October killed 13 people, including a US citizen, and wounded more than 300, according to CBS News. A second projectile hit the domestic terminal on 11 October. At least 20 people have been killed in a week of Houthi attacks on Saudi airports.

Asked on 10 October whether the US would join Saudi strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, the President said: “We may. We’re gonna look at it… we move very quickly.” Asked whether the attack changes his pledge not to strike Iran before the 3 November midterms, he said: “Well, we’re gonna take a look.”

The US Embassy urged “extreme caution” at all major Saudi airports.

Hormuz talks stall

Iran rejected Washington’s response to its seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, wrote: “The U.S. has agreed to some of Iran’s seven conditions, but we consider its response INADEQUATE.” Which conditions the US accepted hasn’t been disclosed.

Shipping through the strait is still well below normal. Kpler, a data firm, estimated crude transit at 8.5 million barrels a day in the week to 7 October, about 40% below usual levels. Brent crude rose above $105 a barrel on 12 October, a two-week high.

The blockade

The US naval blockade of Iranian ports continues. On 11 October Central Command disabled a second ship trying to run it, a day after the Ocean Molica, covered in our earlier post. Since mid-July the blockade has disabled four ships, turned back 135 and destroyed ten tankers. The President said on 10 October that 159 Iranian ships had been sunk since February.

Why it matters

A US citizen killed by a group armed by Iran puts pressure on the President’s pre-election pledge. Joining Saudi strikes in Yemen would widen the war to a front the US last fought in 2024 and 2025, and it would need either a new legal justification or reliance on the President’s own constitutional power, which Congress has repeatedly challenged in war powers votes.

It also puts more strain on interceptor stocks. CBO estimated in September that the US has used half to two-thirds of its inventory since June 2025. Saudi airports are now targets those stocks are asked to defend.

What to watch

Whether US forces strike in Yemen before 3 November, what Washington offers next on Iran’s conditions, and oil prices. Brent above $100 feeds straight into the diesel prices that drove the administration’s deal to buy Russian fuel.