Senior national security officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration held a closed-door, unannounced meeting at Camp David on Friday to discuss the next steps in the war with Iran and the military escalation in Yemen, as Washington considers resuming large-scale combat operations against Tehran and weighs its position on a possible operation by Yemeni forces against the Houthis with Saudi backing.
Vice-President JD Vance chaired the meeting, which lasted several hours. It was attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, special envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine. The session was held without prior announcement from the White House.
A US official said some matters were “decided, or at least discussed in depth” during the meeting, indicating the options before the US administration over the escalating crises in the Middle East. Another account from a US official said several issues were discussed in detail and that some matters were settled during the session, without specifying the nature of the decisions or the files covered.
Two tracks at the Camp David meeting on the regional crisis
The discussions focused on two interconnected tracks: the future of the war with Iran amid stalled diplomatic efforts, and military developments in Yemen and Saudi and Yemeni preparations for a major operation against the Houthis. Discussing both files in a single session puts maritime security and energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb within the US administration’s calculations.
Trump is considering resuming large-scale US combat operations against Iran after the latest attempts to reach a diplomatic settlement failed. He rejected the latest Iranian proposal to end the war and said during the week that the offer was insufficient, while keeping the option of resuming US strikes open if political efforts fail to produce an agreement.
Trump keeps resuming strikes against Iran on the table
Trump has previously indicated that he may consider launching new strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections scheduled for November if diplomatic efforts fail. Tehran, meanwhile, says it is preparing a stronger military response if the United States resumes its large-scale attacks, while Iranian leaders are considering expanding the list of potential targets in any new round of confrontation.
The deliberations coincided with reports of US preparations to send additional military reinforcements to the Middle East. The Pentagon is expected to deploy another carrier strike group, along with additional Marine Corps ships and up to 10,000 personnel, according to The Wall Street Journal. The forces are expected to be able to arrive by the end of November.
Yemeni and Saudi preparations to secure the Bab el-Mandeb
In Yemen, preparations are under way for a military operation aimed at retaking control of areas linked to the Bab el-Mandeb and securing navigation in the Red Sea.
Reuters reported that the possible operation could involve more than 100,000 Yemeni forces and receive Saudi air support, while the United States is providing intelligence and advisers to support Saudi operations, without announcing direct US offensive involvement. Saudi Arabia is seeking, according to reports, to expand the US role in possible air operations against the Houthis.
Trump has so far shown reluctance to participate directly, but US officials said the administration could reconsider its position. These moves follow the spread of tensions to sites inside Saudi Arabia and disruptions to air traffic at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh after reported missile attacks, alongside reports of explosions in the Asir region.
Saudi authorities said a projectile launched by the Houthis hit a school in Najran, causing material damage, and that civil defence teams dealt with the incident under established emergency procedures. In an earlier incident, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles after they were launched towards Khamis Mushait in the south of the kingdom.
The coalition has been conducting operations since 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its conflict with the Houthis. Including the Yemeni front in the same Camp David meeting that discussed the confrontation with Iran gives added weight to the preparations under way, particularly as the escalation is linked to the security of the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, commercial shipping and energy supplies.
Tensions spread to shipping near Oman
Security developments extended to waters near Oman, where the master of a crude oil tanker reported that the vessel had been struck by an unidentified projectile about four nautical miles east of Oman, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations authority. The authority said all crew members were safe and that the incident had caused no environmental damage.
At the regional level, Iraqi cleric and politician Ammar al-Hakim called for airports to reopen flights between Iraq and Iran and expressed his support for the Iranian people amid mounting economic pressure. His call came as the repercussions linked to the confrontation and restrictions affecting regional air travel and communications continued to widen.
The military escalation coincided with a diplomatic dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme. Russia’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mikhail Ulyanov, said Iran had what he described as an “inalienable right” to continue its nuclear programme, criticising Washington’s demand that Tehran abandon it.
He also accused the US administration of relying on what he described as incorrect assumptions about nuclear non-proliferation and the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Ulyanov’s remarks were a response to US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who accused Iran of violating international rules and enriching uranium to 60 per cent without a credible civilian purpose.
The statements reflect the continuing divergence between Washington and Moscow over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear programme, as the diplomatic track stalls. The last comparable US meeting of this nature was held in June 2025, days before the war between Israel and Iran broke out.
This context highlights the significance of Friday’s meeting and the level of officials who attended it, but does not in itself mean that the US administration has made a final decision to launch a new military operation against Iran or to take direct offensive action in Yemen.
