Strikes close key Saudi oil pipeline after Houthis ask Trump not to bomb them

A strike from militants in Iraq has knocked out Saudi Arabia’s vital East-West oil pipeline, as Donald Trump reveals Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels called him asking the US not to get militarily involved. On today’s episode of Iran: The Latest, Roland Oliphant talks to chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair to break down how Saudi Arabia has been left in a tricky place amid a lack of allies to help it deal with the lightning Houthi offensive to seize control of the Red Sea. As oil prices continue to rise and Houthis bomb a Saudi air base, the latest news suggests the war is escalating across the Middle East with unintended consequences. Plus, a deadly IRGC gun battle with Baluchi militants, a rogue Iranian hardline faction reportedly launched strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz to sabotage summer peace talks, and a US Air Force pilot describes how he was downed behind enemy lines back in April.HighlightsIraq-based strikes close key Saudi East-West oil pipelineTrump says Houthis ‘asked US not to bomb them’CONTRIBUTORS:Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst @RolandOliphantDavid Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdtWATCH US ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dkCONTENT REFERENCED:IRGC soldiers gunned down in street clashes in Iranhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/14/irgc-soldiers-gunned-down-in-street-clashes-in-iran/Houthis give Trump yet another Middle East headachehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/12/houthis-give-trump-yet-another-middle-east-headache/Tom Sharpe: The Houthis are back and it’s a problem for everyone, not just the UShttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/12/houthis-red-sea-perim-chokepoint-oil-shipping-war/The shock Houthi mission to strangle global oilhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/12/the-shock-houthi-mission-to-strangle-global-oil/How Iran’s hard-liners blew us the US peace deal https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/world/middleeast/iran-hard-liners-sabotaged-peace-deal.htmlUS airman tells of 50 hours behind enemy lines with broken backhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/14/us-airman-tells-of-50-hours-behind-enemy-lines-broken-back/Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026Audio Producer: Max BowerVideo Producer: Peter ShevlinResearcher and Social Producer: Anna HindmarshStudio Operator: Andy WatsonExecutive Producer: Venetia Rainey ► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor► EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk► GET THE LATEST HEADLINES: Find all our latest Iran coverage here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.