Rifts widen in Iran, Houthis expand smuggling network to Africa and the UAE pledges Nepal flood aid

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has been accused by a prominent ultraconservative figure of going soft over his support for negotiations with the US. The public rift highlights growing divisions in Iran over how to approach the next phase of the war. The US military says it has cleared sea mines laid by Tehran in the Strait of Hormuz and helped nearly 1,500 commercial vessels pass through the waterway. A Yemeni security source tells The National that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have turned isolated smuggling operations into a sprawling network across the Horn of Africa. The Houthis have developed links with Al Shabab in Somalia and expanded into Sudan. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Syria form a joint bank to make investment and money transfers between the countries easier. And in response to the devastating floods in Nepal, the UAE has announced a $10 million humanitarian aid package, directed by President Sheikh Mohamed. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans