Main PointsThe Houthis said they attacked two tankers, the ‌Encelia and Layla, saying the vessels had violated a naval blockadeUK withdraws diplomatic staff from Iran as US airstrikes continueKey ReadsIran vows ‘eye for an eye’ after Trump threatens to destroy bridges and power plantsSaudi Arabia to build nuclear reactors using US technology as part of new agreement‘It could trigger global recession’: How new blockade by Iran-backed Houthis may impact energy pricesKuwait, scarred by 1990 Iraqi invasion, becomes Iran’s softest Gulf target0 minutes agoMessage from the EditorIrish Times Editor Ruadhán Mac Cormaic Thanks for reading. If you’re interested in world news, The Irish Times has the largest network of foreign correspondents of any Irish news organisation. Our team provides sharp reporting, in-depth analysis and thought-provoking commentary. Receive our Global Briefing newsletter in your inbox every morning to enjoy Denis Staunton’s guide to understanding world events; what’s happening, why it matters and how it affects you.At The Irish Times, our journalism is free of any personal, political or commercial control. Unlike most publishers, we have no shareholders to satisfy, no media baron owner in the background telling us what we can and cannot publish.We are owned by a Trust that mandates us to uphold a set of public-interest values. Those values describe a worldview that is outward-looking, tolerant, curious, interested in divergent views and attentive to the needs of minorities.Our watchwords are fairness and accuracy. Our goal is to enable you to make informed and independent judgments. And any profit we make goes towards supporting our journalism. Ruadhán Mac CormaicEditor To join Ireland’s biggest community of news subscribers, sign up hereSarah Burns - 33 minutes agoWhy has the US done a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia?US president Donald Trump went to war with Iran in part to force compliance with two long-standing US demands: Iran must stop enriching nuclear fuel for at least two decades, and it must allow international inspectors to go anywhere and see anything to verify the country is not producing a bomb.On Wednesday, Trump took the reverse approach to Saudi Arabia, its close ally in the region. To seal a deal for Westinghouse and other American companies to seize a big piece of the business in building two nuclear reactors on Saudi territory - and more to come - it opened the door to allowing the kingdom to begin enriching its own nuclear fuel after two years.Read more here. US president Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House earlier this month. Photograph: Doug Mills/The New York Times