Vice President JD Vance chaired an unannounced gathering of top security officials at Camp David on Friday to determine if the US should resume major combat operations in Iran and join a Saudi counteroffensive in Yemen. Participants including Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, General Dan Caine, and Steve Witkoff discussed targeting Houthis to retake the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Yemen's Red Sea coast. President Trump told reporters a "major story" was forthcoming and that the Iran war would likely end shortly after the midterms, while one official told Axios that decisions were reached during the hours long session.

The meeting is the first undisclosed retreat of this nature since June 2025, an event that preceded the start of military hostilities between Israel and Iran by several days. The talks occur as Saudi Arabia pressures the Trump administration to authorize airstrikes against Houthi forces amid stalled diplomacy with Tehran. The White House declined to comment on the meeting's specific outcomes.