War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

In a press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan has called reports of PAF jets striking Houthi targets in Yemen “speculative news which has been refuted by the Ministry of Information”.

A Yemeni military source says government forces backed by Saudi Arabia have launched an operation to recapture the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, AFP reports.

While a Saudi diplomat said that Riyadh-backed forces successfully captured the strait, a military source on the ground, speaking before the diplomat’s statement, contradicted that account, saying fighting was ongoing.

The military source within the government confirms to AFP that government forces launched a “major operation” in the strait region, supported by Saudi air power, noting that “fighting is fierce and advances are limited”.

Britain says Kuwait has agreed to buy a £370 million ($489 million) air defence system from a UK-based company, which will help protect the Gulf state from drone attacks at a time of escalating conflict in the region, Reuters reports.

Kuwait is buying the system, which will incorporate jammers, radars and interceptors with an AI-enabled control centre, from London-headquartered MARSS, a company owned by Australia’s EOS.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) reports that a vessel has been struck off the coast of the United Arab Emirates by an “unknown projectile”.

“Status of the crew, damage assessment and environmental impact are unknown at present,” it says in an advisory, noting that the incident is under investigation.

The US embassy in Jordan has instructed American nationals in the region to exercise caution amid the escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Al Jazeera reports.

“Be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions,” the embassy says in an advisory.

Iran and aligned groups “may target other US interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including US businesses and other institutions”, it warns.

“US citizens should continue to monitor information from the Jordanian government about specific threats and follow instructions, including sirens and other warnings. Please also monitor all US embassy travel advisories and guidance,” the embassy adds.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed regret that efforts to end the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz have not yielded fruit, according to Al Jazeera.

He says that international agreements are increasingly being disregarded and rulings by international courts are not being enforced.

“International agreements have lost their effectiveness. Likewise, decisions issued by international courts are no longer being enforced,” he tells the International Justice Summit in Istanbul.

Erdogan has also criticised the current international system, saying the UN cannot be considered “legitimate and equitable” if it fails to reflect the will of the international community.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Iran-aligned groups must stop what she described as reckless and violent acts, following attacks on Riyadh airport, which she attributes to the Houthi movement in Yemen, Reuters reports.

The European Union stands in full solidarity with the people of Saudi Arabia and Gulf partners, von der Leyen says, adding that attacks on civilian infrastructure are “unacceptable”.

Italian energy minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said he will not fly to Riyadh for the International Energy Forum Ministerial Meeting in person next week but will participate via a video link, Reuters reports.

Pichetto Fratin said he held a video call with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, expressing Italy’s solidarity following recent attacks on Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed his intention to visit the kingdom at the earliest opportunity

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has held a phone conversation with his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, IRNA reports.

During a phone call late Thursday, Araghchi and Mirzoyan discussed bilateral issues and the latest regional developments.

US diesel prices remain at near record highs, up 70 per cent since the US-Israeli war on Iran began despite two high-profile recent moves by President Donald Trump to boost supplies of the fuel, pressuring allies to release emergency reserves and expanding access to tax-exempt red-dyed diesel, Reuters reports.

The wars in Iran and Ukraine have triggered an unprecedented global fuel supply crunch, pushing average US diesel prices to $6.28 a gallon on Thursday according to AAA.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says at a regional summit in Turkmenistan that peace negotiations will only succeed without “pressure and threats”, with the months-long Middle East war locked in a stalemate, AFP reports.

“Dialogue holds meaning and a chance of success only when based on mutual respect and mutual commitments, and when devoid of pressure and threat,” he said during his speech at the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit.

UN forecasts global growth to slow to 2.6 per cent in 2026 from 2.9pc in 2025 as Middle East war drives up energy prices, Anadolu reports.

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority has said that three of the kingdom’s nationals were killed in attacks the day before at Riyadh’s international airport, with Yemen’s Houthis claiming a series of attacks targeting the facility, AFP reports.

“The attacks resulted in the martyrdom of three Saudi citizens,” the agency said, adding the attacks targeted the airport’s facilities and a plane belonging to national flag carrier Saudia

A Saudia Airlines pilot was killed, and an aircraft was damaged at Riyadh airport, the company said on Friday, following strikes targeting the facility that were claimed by Yemen’s Houthis, AFP reports.

“It is with profound sadness that Saudia announces the passing of Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami,” the Saudi flag-carrier said in a statement, citing an “incident” at King Khalid International Airport.

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 17 vessels linked to Iran’s “shadow fleet,” stepping up pressure on Tehran’s petroleum exports, Anadolu reports.

The department said the vessels had transported millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil, petroleum and petrochemical products to South and East Asian markets.

The sanctions also targeted companies involved in the shipping network.

“No enabler of Iranian sanctions evasion is safe from the full force of Treasury’s authorities,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

Deputy Justice Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs, Askar Jalalian, announces that efforts are being made to seek justice for the victims of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school attack in Minab at both national and international levels, IRNA reports.

Jalalian made the remarks during his visit to the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, Hormozgan Province, southern Iran, on Thursday evening.

During his visit, he announced that the Presidential Legal Affairs Office is pursuing legal and judicial proceedings for the victims of the school attack, with all national resources mobilised.

Iran’s armed forces remain fully equipped and combat-ready against the enemy, with weapons production not only continuing but sharply increasing despite recent aggression, the Defense Ministry spokesman has said, state media reports.

Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik, speaking in a special interview on Thursday, declared that “the hands of the armed forces are full” in terms of equipment, weapons, and a continuous, resilient supply chain, stressing that there is no shortage facing the enemy.

He said production in the seven months following the imposed 40-day war of aggression rose 2.5 times compared with the equivalent period before the conflict.

The Israeli army said that one of its soldiers was killed and three others wounded in southern Lebanon as Tel Aviv continues to attack southern Lebanese towns despite a framework deal with Beirut, Anadolu reports.

Those wounded were taken to the hospital, the army said in a statement.

Israel has continued attacks on Lebanon since March 2, killing more than 4,380 victims and injuring over 12,410, according to Lebanese authorities.

France is willing to help protect Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure in a “strictly defensive” capacity, the Foreign Ministry said amid heightened regional security tensions, Anadolu reports.

“We assure Saudi Arabia of our full solidarity in the face of these attacks,” a ministry spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said France was willing to participate in protecting energy infrastructure, particularly facilities in Yanbu and the East-West pipeline.

“Our willingness to participate, in a strictly defensive manner, in the protection of energy infrastructure, particularly Yanbu and the East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia,” the spokesperson said.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier returned Thursday to its home port of San Diego, ending a record-setting 321-day deployment in which it took part in the US-Israeli war against Iran, according to USNI News.

The carrier pulled into Naval Air Station North Island after a deployment that included 265 consecutive days at sea without a port call, a Navy record.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the ship at sea Wednesday and presented the crew with the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest decoration awarded to military units, for its role in Operation Epic Fury.

US President Donald Trump has said comments he made that Iran could “take out” California cities had been misinterpreted and that he was instead referring to the need for people to tolerate higher gas prices, Reuters reports.

Trump made the remarks at a political rally in Nebraska earlier this week as he spoke about Americans’ wartime economic sacrifices.

“Remember, with the war, it’s just artificial, it’s a little bit high, it’s a small price to pay,” he said then. “It’s a small price to ​pay for keeping the world safe, for keeping our country safe. They could take out a city. Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ‘em take out San Diego. This is a ​very small price to pay, and it’s going to be over with very soon.”

California’s Democratic leaders and some fellow Republicans quickly rebuked the remarks.

“What I was talking about was that a temporary increase in the price of Gasoline is a small price to pay for Iran not having a nuclear weapon,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday.

“If you want to see a big price, can you imagine what it would be like if they bombed San Diego and/or Los Angeles?” he continued, saying he loved both cities.

Oil prices have fallen as Middle East supply concerns eased somewhat after US President Donald Trump said the country will not attack Iran before US elections next month amid productive talks to end their war that has disrupted the market, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell 72 cents, or 0.7 per cent, to $103.53 a barrel by 0220 GMT (07:20am PKT). US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 fell 52 cents, or 0.6pc, to $90.97.

Still, Brent prices are set for weekly gains after settling 4pc higher on Thursday because of an increase in attacks on shipping carrying crude out of the Middle East earlier this week. WTI is set for a slight weekly decline even amid supply disruptions due to a hurricane approaching the Gulf of Mexico coast in the US, the world’s biggest oil producer.