Morning recap

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, If you're just joining us, here are key developments: * US President Donald Trump said: “We have a decision that I’ll make about Iran. Iran has been decimated, so the only question is, it’ll either be the easy way or the hard way.” * US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is “ironclad” and that US President Donald Trump has “all the options he needs on the table” if Iran continues to “play games” with the strait, according to an AP report carried by the Times of Israel. * Yemeni military spokesman Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili said the government forces forces have carried out 97 “precision targeting operations” against the Houthis on the Al-Tawwahi front in the Lahij and Taiz provinces. * Yahya Saree, a spokesman for Yemen's Houthi fighters, has said that Houthis targeted a major Saudi Arabian oil facility with ballistic missiles and drones. * By claiming an attack on Riyadh, Houthis were “attempting to divert attention from the scale of the losses and the growing public anger against them”, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has said. * Israeli defence ministry has said that a total of 1,318 Israeli personnel have been killed since Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack. * Iran opened a military training centre in Tehran on Saturday, which is said to be aimed at preparing citizens to confront US and Israeli forces in the event of a ground attack. * Several Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces, while settlers continued attacks on Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank since Saturday evening, according to reports. * At least 31 people linked to four networks backed by the US and Israel have been arrested in Iran on charges of fomenting unrest and carrying out acts of sabotage, Iran's Press TV reported. * Attacks on commercial ships witnessed a surge during the past three days, as at least three tankers were struck by unidentified projectiles in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) warnings. * The United States has expelled two members of the Iranian delegation who attended the recent UN General Assembly after they ignored an order to leave the country, the State Department said Saturday. * Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the government has adopted a “new arrangement to manage these special conditions” amid US sanctions and a naval blockade.