Saudi Arabia and Houthis exchange fire as US attacks tanker in Hormuz Strait

The US and Iran have traded fire for almost two weeks, with Iran on Friday saying it had carried out drone strikes on US military facilities and bases across the Middle East in retaliation for the 13th consecutive night of American attacks on the country.Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday afternoon, Trump continued to threaten further attacks while saying that negotiations were continuing. "We are talking to them. I think they're being serious. I think ... they are being by far the most serious that we've seen them, but that doesn't mean we get there," he said.Asked about his exit strategy for the Iran war, Trump said: "There's a military exit where we just keep going just the way we are, and we can even make it a heavier dose, and it's knocking out everything they have. Or there's a smarter strategy that you make a deal."But he added: "We're locked and loaded. We're ready to go."Growing concern over new threats to shipping in the Red Sea from Yemen's Houthis helped push the price of crude oil back over $100 (£74.96) a barrel this week - the highest level since May.But it dropped again on Friday afternoon, with Brent futures down more than US$4 (£3.00) to a little over $96 (£72.07), according to the Reuters news agency, which reported the fall occurred after the successful passage through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by two Chinese-chartered supertankers.Following the exchange of fire early on Saturday, the Houthis' Ansarollah media posted on Telegram, "The Saudi enemy's targeting of civilian facilities in Hodeida and Kamaran island constitutes a dangerous escalation," adding: "We affirm that these recent crimes will not go unanswered."