Houthi Rebels Renew Attacks            08/11 06:11

   Iranian-backed Houthi rebels renewed their attacks Tuesday on 
government-controlled areas in Yemen as ongoing violence threatened to reignite 
the country's civil war and raised fears over new threats to shipping lanes.

   (AP) -- Iranian-backed Houthi rebels renewed their attacks Tuesday on 
government-controlled areas in Yemen as ongoing violence threatened to reignite 
the country's civil war and raised fears over new threats to shipping lanes.

   Iran's foreign minister, meanwhile, underscored Tehran's stance against 
reopening the Strait of Hormuz until the U.S. meets its conditions, in comments 
that came after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was now demanding 
compensation from Iran "for all of the people that they have killed" in the 
past.

   Here's a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider 
Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

   Houthis hit targets in central Yemen and Red Sea port city

   Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked the government-held port city 
of Mokha on the Red Sea coast and other areas of the country, deepening fears 
over threats to strategic shipping routes and a potential return to civil war.

   Yemen's military said the rebels targeted both Mokha and the central 
province of Marib with missiles and drones but did not provide further details.

   The Houthis struck Marib and the eastern province of Hadramout last week, 
killing dozens of government troops and civilians. They hit Mokha with missiles 
and drones over the weekend and killed at least seven people, including three 
troops, according to the Yemeni military.

   Mokha is a main port under Yemen's internationally recognized government and 
has been renovated to handle shipping to avoid the Houthi-held port of Hodeida.

   The strikes came as part of a recent escalation by the Houthis against 
government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, 
which supports the internationally recognized Yemeni government, and the 
kingdom's shipping in the Red Sea.

   With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a 
renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait at Yemen's southern tip, 
which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil to open oceans.

   The Houthi attacks could reignite Yemen's civil war after a four-year hiatus 
following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.

   Iranian foreign minister underlines Tehran's demands

   Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Iran that the 
country had "astonished the whole world" in the war against the United States 
and Israel, proving "that it is a tough and invincible power."

   Iran has refused to back down on its demands that the U.S. end its blockade 
of Iranian ports and fulfill other conditions before Tehran will consider 
reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

   Iran shut down the strait after Israel and the U.S. attacked the country on 
Feb. 28. The closure of the key waterway -- through which roughly one-fifth of 
the world's traded oil supplies passed before the war -- has kept energy prices 
a major focus of U.S. politics ahead of November's midterm elections.

   Araghchi said on his Telegram channel that in a call with German Foreign 
Minister Johann Wadephul late Monday, he had "emphasized that making the Strait 
of Hormuz secure requires an end to the United States' aggressive actions and 
unlawful interventions, including the naval blockade and other violations of 
U.S. obligations."

   Wadephul said on X that he had emphasized "the Strait of Hormuz needs to be 
opened unconditionally ensuring free and safe navigation for all."

   Trump said in a social media post he was directing his negotiators to 
include "compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed 
and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts." That was 
after Iran demanded compensation for the devastation caused to the country by 
the U.S. and Israeli bombardment over the past five months.

   The U.S. president also claimed Monday in an Oval Office exchange with 
reporters that the U.S. has "100% control" of the Strait of Hormuz, but that 
the situation remains complex.

   He said the U.S. Navy's blockade of the strait is preventing Iran from 
selling its oil on the international market, a move that is effectively choking 
the Iranian economy.

   "Now, can they make trouble? Yeah, they can make trouble, but they're 
broke," Trump said. "They have no money. You know, Iran is broke, totally 
broke. And they're not paying their soldiers."

   Former Syrian President Assad sentenced to death in absentia

   In Syria, a court sentenced former President Bashar Assad along with his 
younger brother to death for crimes against humanity and war crimes during 
Syria's 14-year conflict that left about half a million people dead.

   Assad and his brother Maher, who fled to Russia after insurgents marched 
into Damascus in December 2014, were sentenced in absentia.