War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

President Donald Trump says that Washington will not strike Iran prior to the US midterm elections on November 3, calling talks with Tehran “productive”.

“I want to make it clear to everybody that, while Iran is in very bad condition … we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd,” he writes on Truth Social.

Trump reiterates his claim that Iran has been defeated “economically and militarily” and says the US naval blockade will remain in place.

He further claims that oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz in “record numbers” with 22 million barrels only last night.

At least one plane has been severely damaged at Riyadh airport, two sources briefed on the matter tell AFP, hours after multiple explosions were heard across the Saudi capital.

The first source says at least one plane had suffered catastrophic damage, while the second says three planes were struck.

Yemen’s Houthis claim to have targeted Riyadh’s airport for a third time, hours after the Saudi-led military coalition announced it had intercepted missiles in a previous attack, AFP reports.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree says the rebel group launched two missiles at Riyadh’s airport, as well as one at an airport in Najran and another at an airbase in Khamis Mushait.

Major General Ahmad Vahidi, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief, warns that the army and naval forces are ready “with crushing weapons to deliver a decisive response to any attempt at unauthorised passage in the Strait of Hormuz,” the Fars News Agency reports.

“No extraregional power has the right to threaten, maintain a domineering presence, or interfere in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf,” he is quoted as saying.

Lufthansa Group airlines will suspend flights to Riyadh through October 16 due to current developments in the Middle East, a spokesperson for the German company tells Reuters.

Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium, Reuters reports citing state media, which quotes the head of the country’s Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Eslami.

Dismissing renewed US threats against Iran’s nuclear facilities as “nothing new”, Eslami says enrichment is “an inseparable part” of the nuclear process.

Air India says it has cancelled flights to and from Riyadh until Saturday due to the situation in the region, amid an escalation in Houthi missile attacks against Saudi Arabia’s airports and other infrastructure, Reuters reports.

The Indian embassy in Riyadh has urged Indian nationals to maintain vigilance and stay indoors as necessary, according to an advisory on X.

Urging Indian citizens to follow instructions from local authorities’ official channels, it strongly advises them to “refrain from circulating or reposting any videos or news related to the ongoing events”.

“The Embassy of India, Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah and its outsourced services through VFS are continuing to function normally and will issue updates and advisories as and when necessary,” the statement adds.

US Central Command (Centcom) has briefed international shipping companies on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, with emphasis on “building momentum for freedom of navigation as commercial traffic flow increases”.

According to a statement, Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper thanked industry leaders and US government agencies for their support, acknowledging the “sacrifices made by civilian crews due to unwarranted Iranian attacks”.

Iranian Finance Minister Seyed Ali Madani-Zadehsays worsening “inflation and rising prices have caused significant hardship for the people, and the decrease in purchasing power has put a lot of pressure on them”, according to Al Jazeera.

“Measures are being taken, and I hope they will show positive results,” he says without divulging more details, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reports.

Saudi Arabia’s Directorate of Civil Defence (DCD) says that debris from a missile intercepted over Riyadh has caused damage to a medical clinic and a kindergarten.

“Civil Defence teams in Riyadh responded to the fall of ballistic missile shrapnel following the missile’s interception and destruction,” the statement reads. “Standard procedures for such incidents were implemented.”

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has called on passengers to contact airlines directly before heading to the airport, hours after multiple explosions echoed over the Saudi capital, AFP reports.

“We would like to inform passengers of the necessity to contact their airlines directly and check their flight status before proceeding to the airport,” it says in a statement posted on X.

Yemen’s Houthis claim to have again targeted Riyadh airport, after the Saudi-led coalition fighting the group said it had intercepted two missiles fired at the kingdom’s capital, AFP reports.

“Our armed forces targeted King Khalid Airport in Riyadh at midday with a ballistic missile that hit its target,” says the Houthis’ military spokesman, Yahya Saree.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country is not afraid of threats and is determined to defeat the “economic war” being waged by the US, state news agency IRNA reports.

Pezeshkian says the Iranian people’s determination and unity helped the country withstand US-Israeli aggression, and that the US economic pressure campaign “is less visible but far more arduous and severe than a military war”.

“We are committed to serving the people with all our might and to defeat the enemy’s economic war,” he is quoted as saying.

Saudi-led coalition forces have intercepted a missile which was heading towards the city of Khamis Mushait, in the kingdom’s south, a spokesperson says on X.

A military spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthi rebels has warned workers at Saudi oil facilities to avoid sites the group considers targets and has renewed threats of attacks against airlines and airports, Reuters reports.

Saudi-led coalition forces say they have intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels towards Riyadh, a statement from their spokesperson says.

Smoke has been seen rising from a stationary aircraft at Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia, Reuters reports citing a witness and three people briefed on the matter.

The aircraft was believed to be empty at the time, the three people briefed on the matter say.

There is no immediate official confirmation from Saudi authorities on the reported incident.

Oil prices have jumped on persistent worries about supply from the Middle East, amid an increase in attacks on shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are up $4.55, or 4.54 per cent, at $104.75 a barrel as of 1205 GMT (5:05pm PKT) — the highest in over a week.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude has gained $4, or 4.53pc, to $92.28, its highest since October 2.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas tells AFP that the bloc favours extending the mandate of United Nations peacekeepers in south Lebanon, where Israeli troops invaded during the latest war with Hezbollah.

“Our member states have been saying that there can’t be any security vacuum in southern Lebanon, so everybody is worried about the Unifil mandate ending,” she says in an interview during a visit to Lebanon, adding that “it would be most welcome if this mandate is extended, so that is the position of the member states”.

US President Donald Trump says that his special envoy Steve Witkoff is “doing very well” in negotiations with Iran, though he indicates that a deal is not his preferred outcome, Anadolu reports.

“He’s working on the Iran deal and doing very well. I think the deal isn’t really something that I want to do, but they’re willing to offer us anything to stop,” Trump tells supporters at a campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, adding that Tehran “will never have a nuclear weapon”.

Trump describes Witkoff as “a great negotiator” who has “done some phenomenal things,” citing the ceasefire deal in Gaza, and says that he expects the war with Iran to end soon.

“That war ends — it’s going to be very soon. It’s got to be very soon,” he says, describing Iran as “a failed nation.”

US Central Command (Centcom) has issued a statement rejecting Iranian claims that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and that the country has “full control” over the waterway.

“This is false,” Centcom says in a statement posted on X. “Traffic is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz right now, carrying commercial goods and energy supplies, including 20 million barrels of crude oil.

“The United States and regional partners clearly control the strait,” it adds.