By Lefteris Papadimas and Idrees AliATHENS/WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants fired on Saudi oil installations in two ports on the Red Sea coast on Saturday, but the United States held back from launching air strikes on Iran itself for the first night in two weeks.There was no immediate explanation from Washington of why it had abruptly halted a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes since an interim deal to end hostilities collapsed, in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Attacks on shipping expand regional conflict as US strikes Iran for a 12th consecutive night.

Houthi militants claimed strikes on two Saudi oil tankers, raising Red Sea shipping risks. The United States launched new strikes on Iran, marking a twelfth successive night of…