• Depleted Munitions Stockpiles: Commanders provided a blunt reality check, warning Vance that ammunition levels—particularly Patriot interceptor missiles, Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), and Precision Strike Missiles—had plummeted to the lowest levels they had ever seen. [1, 2]
• Compromised Global Deterrence: Leaders warned that shifting massive amounts of weaponry to the Middle East was dangerously compromising the U.S. military’s ability to deter adversaries like China, Russia, and North Korea. [1, 2]
• Iranian Resilience: Commanders offered sobering estimates regarding the tactics, casualties, and adaptability of Iranian forces, noting that the regime was dug in for a long fight and willing to endure heavy losses. [1, 2, 3]
• Intelligence and Logistics Access: Beyond the military commanders, CIA Director John Ratcliffe gave Vance direct access to desk analysts to review raw intelligence, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Office of Naval Intelligence to prepare daily unvarnished reports on cargo and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. [1]

Diesel hits record $6 a gallon as, reports say, Iran-backed Houthis take key Red Sea territory

Lightning Houthi advance in Yemen may bring dangerous new dimension to Iran war

The Houthis' lightning advance across the southern reaches of the Tihamah – Yemen's arid coastal plain – appears to have taken most observers by surprise.

Until recently, the anti-Houthi coalition known as the National Resistance held significant territory along Yemen's Red Sea coast. In a matter of days, much of this has fallen to the Houthis.

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis seize an island in a key strait, opening a new front in the Iran war