Morning update

Morning update, Middle East Eye readers. Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher, has warned the nation must prepare for war despite ongoing negotiations with the United States. The U.S. President, Donald Trump, has reiterated his belief that the war on Iran will conclude "very soon," and claims Washington holds total control over the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen successfully intercepted and destroyed a drone over the Eastern Province. The Yemeni army reported that over 200 Houthi fighters were killed or injured during recent fighting in Taiz. The U.S. military destroyed an Iranian-affiliated vessel last week, alleging it was surveilling and targeting U.S. Navy ships in the Gulf of Oman.

Palestinian officials confirmed that Israeli strikes resulted in four deaths in Gaza, following the declaration of a U.S.-mediated ceasefire. Australia and New Zealand updated their travel advisories for Saudi Arabia, while Japan advised against non-essential travel to the kingdom. The UK's recent sanctions against Israeli settlements in the West Bank took effect on Thursday.

Israeli forces have reportedly killed 1,501 Palestinians since the "ceasefire" in October 2025, according to Gaza's health ministry. The UN's deputy spokesperson mentioned that partner organizations have called for Israel to cease its crackdown on Palestinian civil society organizations and a medical complex in Ramallah. The Houthis claimed they shot down a Saudi military aircraft with an air-to-air missile over Yemen's Saada governorate.

The European Union urged the Iran-aligned Houthi forces to lift their siege on the southwestern city of Taiz to allow humanitarian aid entry. Social media platform X suspended more than 13,000 accounts linked to suspected foreign influence operations from Iran, Russia, and China targeting U.S. political conversation. Irish author Sally Rooney is no longer able to sell her books in the UK due to her support for the activist group Palestine Action, as per her publisher Faber.