War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The US has told several Gulf Arab countries to prepare for a “short, intense military campaign” against Iran after the Nov 3 midterm elections, Anadolu reports citing The Wall Street Journal, which cited people briefed on the conversations.

The messages, conveyed through diplomatic and military channels, are among growing signs that the US and Israel are preparing a new round of heavy combat operations to weaken Iran and push it toward negotiations, according to the report.

Washington is moving a Patriot missile defense system from Texas to the region and has moved troops from bases where they were vulnerable, while US forces are restocking munitions and preparing bombers and fighter jets for strikes, the newspaper says, citing officials.

An additional aircraft carrier strike group and a Marine expeditionary unit are expected to join roughly 20 US warships in the Middle East next month, it adds.

US President Donald Trump has not made a final decision but is leaning toward a “large postelection attack” that could target Iranian infrastructure and nuclear sites, the report says, citing people familiar with his thinking.

German chemicals giant BASF raised its 2026 profit outlook for the second time this year after increasing prices to clients following the outbreak of the ongoing war, AFP reports.

The maker of products ranging from automotive paints to sunscreen ingredients now expects a core profit of 7.4 billion to 7.8bn euros ($8.2 to $8.7bn) this year, up from a previous forecast of 6.9bn to 7.7bn euros.

Oil prices have risen by one per cent after an attack on a refinery in Saudi Arabia, the world’s top crude exporter, renews concerns about supply risks due to the conflicts in the Middle East, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are up $1.31, or 1.2pc, to $115.19 a barrel as of 1115 GMT (4:15pm PKT). US West Texas Intermediate crude has gained $1.75, or 1.8pc, at $101.65.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has exchanged views on regional developments in a phone call with his Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi, with the pair reaffirming their “shared commitment to regional peace and stability”, the Foreign Office says.

Yemen’s Houthis have called for the immediate evacuation of the airport in Aden, seat of the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government, a city that has been targeted several times by the Houthis in recent weeks, AFP reports.

“Our armed forces call on those present at Aden airport to immediately evacuate due to the presence of a military cargo plane belonging to the Saudi enemy transporting weapons to kill the sons of the Yemeni people,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a post on Telegram.

A Houthi missile fell inside the perimeter of the airport in Aden, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, shortly before the group had issued a call to evacuate the area, AFP reports, citing a police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Wednesday that any Israeli-instigated attack in the Gulf region would have a “devastating impact” on global markets.

“Devastating impact on int’l markets of any Israel-instigated military misadventure in Persian Gulf region remains major concern for both gas suppliers and consumers,” Araghchi said in a post on X.

The United States and Israel have in recent days raised the prospect of renewed attacks on Iran in the Middle East war which began in February with strikes on the Islamic republic.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called the recent meeting between Iranian, Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish military officials in Tehran a “valuable opportunity” to advance dialogue on regional peace and security, Al Jazeera reports.

In comments shared on Araghchi’s Telegram account, he said there was an opportunity for “enduring cooperation,” but the nations would need to agree on core principles, build trust, and display mutual respect for national sovereignty.

Sustainable security, he said, must be created by nations of the region, without foreign military interference, he added.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has hailed the advancement of the country’s energy diplomacy at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit in Moscow, Russia.

In a post on X, he wrote, “Iran’s energy diplomacy advanced at the GECF Summit. Discussions focused on global gas markets and energy security.”

“Devastating impact on [international] markets of any Israel-instigated military misadventure in the Persian Gulf region remains a major concern for both gas suppliers and consumers,” he said.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says a quadrilateral meeting in Tehran provided an important opportunity to advance dialogue on regional peace and security, stressing that sustained cooperation would require confidence-building, mutual respect for sovereignty and practical commitments, IRNA reports.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Araghchi referred to the recent meeting involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkiye, describing their agreement to continue consultations as a significant step.

He said turning the diplomatic opportunity into lasting cooperation would depend on agreement on common principles, confidence-building measures, respect for countries’ sovereignty and concrete commitments.

Yemeni government forces say they struck Houthi positions in Taiz and Lahij, targeting fighters and vehicles as part of their “Dawn of Yemen” operation aimed at recapturing Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa, Al Jazeera reports.

Qatari mediators presented Iran with a new draft deal on Sunday to end the US-Israeli war on the country, which Tehran is considering and expected to send a response to by the end of the week, an official briefed on the negotiations said, Reuters reports.

There were concerns ahead of Sunday’s meeting in Tehran that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu could resume attacks on the Islamic Republic this week, the official added.

Yair Golan, the head of Israel’s main left-wing party, called on Wednesday for his opposition allies to work with Arab parties to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as partial election results showed their support would be crucial to reaching a governing coalition, Reuters reports.

“We must no longer accept Netanyahu’s racist division between Jewish votes and Arab votes,” he said on X. “We have a responsibility. And we have an opportunity to form a government of change in partnership with Israel’s Arab citizens”.

Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran’s ambassador and chargé d’affaires to the United Nations, has described sanctions as a form of economic terrorism, saying they constitute acts of aggression under international law, IRNA reports.

“Sanctions are examples of economic terrorism, while blockades enforced by armed force constitute acts of aggression under international law,” Darzi said while addressing the United Nations General Assembly on the “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial, and Financial Embargo Imposed by the United States of America Against Cuba”.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has urged Qatar to exercise greater caution in its media statements and uphold the principles of mediation, citing Doha’s role in ongoing diplomatic efforts, IRNA reports.

Mahmoud Maleki, head of the Public Relations Department of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, made the remarks on Wednesday in response to comments by Ibrahim bin Sultan Al-Hashmi, director of the Media and Communication Department at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding the visit of senior Pakistani, Turkish, and Saudi officials to Tehran.

On Tuesday, al-Hashmi said, “The ball was in Iran’s court to demonstrate its commitment to regional security principles and prove its goodwill by ending threats against regional countries and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking to form a new government after close elections, said on Wednesday he could work with US President Donald Trump to eliminate the “existential threat” posed by Iran, Reuters reports.

“Israel has a unique opportunity with our partner President Trump to forever eliminate the existential threat of Iran,” Netanyahu told reporters, after days of brandishing threats of a new bombing campaign against the cleric-run nation.

Israeli artillery fire targeted several areas of southern Lebanon this morning, including Mansouri, Majdal Zoun and Haddatha, Al Jazeera reports.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, says there is no evidence Iran has rebuilt nuclear sites damaged by US-Israeli strikes, but warns restricted access prevents verification, Al Jazeera reports.

THE fact that high officials from the Makkah defence pact partner states — Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye — were in Tehran on Monday made global headlines, and with good reason.

At a time when the clouds of war are once again hovering over the Gulf, the meeting sent a strong message that regional states with often competing agendas can come together and discuss their issues at the negotiating table. The event was also significant as the Makkah alliance has been seen as an alternative defence arrangement vis-à-vis Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’.

Pakistan was represented by the chief of defence forces, while significantly, Saudi Arabia sent its defence minister, a brother of the crown prince. This shows that Riyadh accorded the highest priority to the meeting. The official Iranian readout said the participants pledged to “continue the dialogue … for peace and security in the region.”

The event is also further proof of Pakistan’s constructive efforts in the diplomatic arena, as the meet-up was held after the CDF — who was in Tehran last week — suggested it.

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Saudi Arabian counterpart Faisal bin Farhan discussed efforts to contain the current regional crisis and prevent a wider escalation in a phone call on Tuesday, Egypt’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday, adding that the ministers agreed to maintain close bilateral coordination, Reuters reports.

Egypt’s parliament authorised President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday to take “all necessary measures” to help Saudi Arabia defend itself, as fighting between the kingdom and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis intensified.

The US military has spent over $47 billion so far to prosecute the war in Iran, more than 25 per cent higher than the Defense Department’s estimate in July, according to Pentagon data obtained by Reuters.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its estimate, which has not been shared publicly.

The disclosure about the rising cost of the Iran war comes as Republicans wrestle with the political fallout of the unpopular conflict ahead of the November 3 election that will determine control of Congress for the next two years.

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Oil prices rose after an attack on a refinery in Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, renewed concerns around the risks to supply in the Middle East stemming from the conflict with Iran and its proxies.

Brent crude futures rose $1.48, or 1.3 per cent, to $115.36 a barrel as of 0140 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.22 or 1.22pc to $101.12.

Prices were swinging back after dropping nearly $2 on Tuesday as talks in the Middle East helped ease supply worries.

That was despite data expected to show a rise in crude inventories in the US. Crude oil stockpiles rose by about 15,000 barrels in the week ended October 23, according to a poll of eight analysts by Reuters.

The Saudi-led coalition has said that air defences have intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Taif.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, has said that US President Donald Trump’s “admission that he never believed in the Islamabad MoU and considered it a waste of time exposes the hollowness of their diplomatic commitments”.

“Washington’s contempt for diplomacy is once again laid bare,” Baqaei said in a post on X, adding that for Iran, this was nothing new.

“Washington has a long record of reneging on its commitments and treating international obligations as disposable whenever they become inconvenient.

“There is absolutely no justification for European states and other apologists for Washington to continue whitewashing US misconduct and shielding it from accountability. Broken commitments cannot be excused, international law cannot be applied selectively, and no amount of political spin can absolve Washington of accountability,” he said.

Trump had said during a recent rally in Mississippi, ““We did a little ceasefire, which I never liked very much. I considered it sort of a waste of time. But you know, you like to listen to professionals.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking to form a new government after close elections, has said he could work with US President Donald Trump to eliminate the “existential threat” posed by Iran, reports AFP.

“Israel has a unique opportunity with our partner President Trump to forever eliminate the existential threat of Iran,” Netanyahu told reporters, after days of brandishing threats of a new bombing campaign against the cleric-run nation.