Saudi stocks extended Monday's sharp losses as attacks on the kingdom's energy infrastructure and shipping hit sentiment. The benchmark index fell as much as 0.3%; ARAMCO shares slipped about 0.5%. A drone strike temporarily halted flows on the East–West pipeline — a key Strait of Hormuz bypass that carries roughly 4% of global oil — and sources said prolonged transport disruption could leave Yanbu inventories covering only 5–7 days of exports. Reports of Houthi strikes in southern Saudi Arabia

Sultan Barakat said Iran appeared to avoid turning the Red Sea into a major front in the first six months of the war, preferring Saudi Arabia and Egypt remain outside a US-led military coalition. Tehran likely initially urged the Houthis not to provoke Saudi Arabia, but Saudi strikes on Sanaa international airport in July altered calculations. Iran may not seek direct Saudi–Houthi confrontation, yet once the Houthis respond Tehran is unlikely to demand continued passivity without undermining its alliance credibility. Escalation can align with Iranian interests but does not imply Tehran ordered Houthi attacks. With US fuel prices and inflation rising, the Trump administration is watching Yemen closely; a sustained Red Sea threat could prompt Saudi Arabia and Egypt to move closer to Washington and enable informal coordination with Israel and European naval forces. By threatening the Bab al‑Mandeb strait, the Houthis may therefore produce results contrary to Iran’s initial intent.

The Guangzhou municipal government office issued a marine-economy "15th Five-Year" development plan directing integration of maritime and low-altitude aerospace industries. The plan pushes scale-up of drones for maritime monitoring, offshore logistics, marine tourism and emergency rescue, and prioritises offshore commercial space activities—launch, recovery, testing and operations—to extend the industry chain. It calls for leveraging LEO satellite constellations to develop marine communications, precise ship navigation/positioning and deep-sea environmental monitoring services. The plan targets concentrated R&D and supply-chain buildout for new materials—heavy anti-corrosion coatings, magnesium-alloy anti-corrosion conductive coatings, marine-biodegradable and extreme-environment materials—plus a deep-sea and polar materials supply system and accelerated deployment of these materials in offshore wind, cross-sea bridges, large ships and deep-sea aquaculture equipment.