Trump Declares Major Combat Operations Against Iran as Saudi Arabia Intercepts Houthi Missiles President Donald Trump announced major combat operations against Iran on Feb. 28, while Saudi Arabia intercepted six Houthi missiles and Iran's president vowed at the UN to never bow to U.S. threats. President Donald Trump announced major combat operations against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites. The strikes marked a sharp escalation in hostilities between Washington and Tehran, which have since exchanged repeated attacks with the strategic Strait of Hormuz as the primary flashpoint. On Thursday, Saudi Arabia intercepted six Houthi ballistic missiles, a military spokesperson said, following safety alerts issued for five regions of the country. Col. Turki Al-Malki, spokesperson for Saudi-led coalition forces supporting the internationally-backed Yemeni government, said in posts to X that air defenses thwarted an attempt to target Taif and Yanbu, two of the five regions placed under alert.Al-Malki added that escalations and violations by the terrorist Houthi militia will be dealt with firmly. The Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defence earlier issued safety alerts for Yanbu, Tabuk, Taif, Mecca and Jeddah amid continued cross-border hostilities with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. All warnings were lifted soon after, with the directorate saying the danger had passed.US-Iran Negotiations and Military EscalationDelegations from the United States and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries. Those talks broke down as the two sides continued to exchange strikes, with the Strait of Hormuz emerging as the central point of contention.Trump then said in August that the United States would launch a crushing economic operation to force Tehran into submission. The president had also said he was mulling a big decision on whether to make a deal with Tehran or quickly annihilate the country.The breakdown of negotiations and the subsequent military exchanges have heightened tensions across the region, drawing in allied forces and prompting security alerts in neighboring countries. Saudi Arabia's interception of Houthi missiles underscores the widening scope of the conflict.Iranian Leaders Respond at United NationsSenior Iranian figures praised Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's Wednesday address to the United Nations General Assembly, in which he said Tehran will never bow to U.S. threats. Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, wrote in a post on X that Pezeshkian's speech constituted a slap in the face to the United States.Abdollahi added that as long as Iran's waters, land and skies remain under threat, no aggressor nation nor any supporter of such aggressors shall enjoy security. Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament and Tehran's chief negotiator, said in a post to X that Pezeshkian spoke not just for a government, but for a 3,000-year-old civilization, calling him the powerful voice of courage, resilience and strength for the Islamic Republic of Iran.In his UN speech, Pezeshkian responded to Trump's threats, criticizing both the United States and Israel. He held up photos of children in a classroom and memorial sites, referencing strikes on the Minab school and a sports hall in Lamerd, which he said could amount to war crimes committed by the United States. The lone American diplomat in the audience walked out as he spoke.Nuclear Program and Strait of Hormuz TensionsPezeshkian dismissed concerns about Iran's nuclear program, insisting it was for purely peaceful purposes. He said Iran will not bow its head and give up rights that are inherently its own, stating clearly that there are no nuclear weapons and no limitations to peaceful nuclear technology. He added that peace will not come in the field of battle, but that needed security must be given to the people and nation of Iran.He also addressed the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming Iran wanted good relationships with other countries in the region but that it cannot let some have free access to the waterway if they were using it to impose aggression. The strait remains a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments, and any disruption there could have far-reaching economic consequences.Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in an interview on Iranian state TV Wednesday that the country is in no hurry to negotiate with the United States. He noted that Iran's conditions are in the hands of Pakistan, Qatar and other intermediaries, and it was agreed that the president would convey these conditions to the intermediaries in New York.