War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iran’s foreign ministry has rejected Saudi Arabia’s accusation that Tehran is involved in Houthi attacks on the kingdom, offering to mediate between the two sides, AFP reports.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran rejects any claim that Iran has played a role in Yemeni (Houthi) operations,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei says in a statement.

He adds that Tehran “has always been ready to use its good offices to help end the hostilities” and remains prepared to use “all its capacities for this purpose at the request of both sides”.

The US embassy in Riyadh has urged citizens to follow national alerts released by Saudi Arabia’s Directorate of Civil Defence and to be aware of potential attacks on airports.

“US government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorisation from [the] Chief of Mission to use any airport in Saudi Arabia following recent missile and UAV attacks on airports in the kingdom,” the embassy says in an advisory.

“US citizens should be aware of potential attacks on airports, airspace closures, flight cancellations, and travel disruptions,” it adds. “Please take extreme caution if you choose to use airports in Saudi Arabia.  We recommend checking your flight departure status directly with the airline and with the airport.”

A crude oil tanker carrying 15 Indian seafarers was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on October 16, Reuters reports citing India’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Iranian Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia says that Iran’s new “operational plans” will force US warships to retreat further away from the Middle East, according to state broadcaster Press TV.

“US military vessels had been forced to remain more than 500 kilometres from Iran’s shores,” he says, adding that no American warships are currently present in the Sea of Oman, nor have they been able to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

“American forces have been compelled to retreat to distances of more than 500 kilometres due to the capabilities and intelligence and operational superiority of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces,” Akraminia asserts.

Australia’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Miles Armitage has urged Australian nationals against travelling to the kingdom due to the volatile security situation.

In a statement posted on X, Armitage says the “do not travel” restriction also applies to those travelling to the kingdom for religious purposes.

“Australians in Saudi Arabia who wish to leave should do so while commercial options remain available. If you remain in Saudi Arabia, be prepared to shelter in place at short notice and have sufficient food, water and essential supplies,” he adds.

Armitage urges Australian nationals to consider private car, train or bus options and strongly advises against travelling to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh due to recent Houthi attacks.

“Exercise extreme caution travelling to any other airports. The Houthis have threatened to target Saudi airports and airspace. Air travel is significantly disrupted at all major airports, with regular airspace closures, flight cancellations and delays,” he adds.

“If you choose to fly, reconfirm your flight before leaving for the airport and minimise your time at the airport. Further flight cancellations and disruptions could occur with little or no notice.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denies that Tehran sought nuclear weapons, has expressed readiness for dialogue and condemned US sanctions during talks with Georgia’s prime minister, AFP reports.

Pezeshkian and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze have met on the sidelines of a UN biodiversity summit in Armenia’s capital Yerevan.

“Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons, and we consider the malicious propaganda against our country to be lies,” Pezeshkian says, according to a statement from his office.

“We have always been ready for dialogue. They think they can force us to surrender, but we will not bow to coercion,” he adds, calling US sanctions against Tehran “unjustifiable and inhumane”.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has welcomed a statement by members of the UN Security Council condemning attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the kingdom, Al Jazeera reports.

In remarks carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the ministry stressed the importance of the UN statement’s provisions, including its emphasis on the importance of fully implementing Security Council resolutions against Houthi attacks on civilians and infrastructure.

It also welcomes the Security Council’s calls for practical cooperation to prevent the Houthis from acquiring weapons and other support.

The Saudi-led coalition says in separate statements that it has intercepted a salvo of missiles and drones fired at Saudi Arabia.

According to coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki, a ballistic missile bound for the Red Sea city of Yanbu was intercepted.

Similarly, two cruise missiles were intercepted over the Red Sea, he adds.

Separately, Al-Maliki says three drones have been intercepted in the kingdom’s southern and Riyadh regions.

Yemeni government media outlets report that armed forces have repelled two Houthi attacks on the Dhahih and Hisn Kahlan fronts in Taiz, according to Al Jazeera.

The reports add that government forces have been engaged in clashes with the Houthis on the Jabal al-Dahhih front in the Taiz governorate’s al-Masrakh district.

Qatar will help revive Lebanon’s ailing energy sector and solve its chronic problems in providing reliable electricity, the Lebanese and Qatari prime ministers have said, AFP reports.

“We have agreed to establish a comprehensive framework for cooperation in the energy sector and to present viable solutions,” gas-rich Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said during a visit to Lebanon.

This is an “old project that Qatar had discussed with Lebanon… for years,” he added, saying it was now “about to see the light of day”.

Oil prices have steadied and are heading for weekly gains on uncertainty over Middle East supplies and a larger-than-expected draw from US crude stockpiles, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are flat at $105.92 a barrel as of 1311 GMT (6:11pm PKT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures are down 22 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to $97.75.

Europe is in Iran’s sights and Germany will not tolerate Iran’s hostile activities, Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul says, according to Reuters.

Iran’s acting oil minister Hamid Bovard says Tehran will respond “immediately and appropriately to any US threat to Iranian energy facilities”, Al Jazeera reports.

“The war that the United States started by ignoring international norms has affected the energy sector globally,” he states. “We will take precise and appropriate retaliatory measures at the right time to counter enemy threats.”

President Donald Trump says the US may have to target Pickaxe Mountain, a site linked to Iran’s nuclear program, as he aims to ensure Tehran does not get a nuclear weapon, Reuters reports.

In an interview with Newsmax, Trump says the US wanted to make sure Iran would never have a nuclear weapon “because if they had it, they would use it”.

“Their nuclear is buried under millions of tons of mountain. Now we’re looking at Pickaxe Mountain. We may have to go there. We’ll take a shot at that one. We’ll knock it out fast,” Trump tells the news outlet.

Pickaxe Mountain is a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Tehran’s main nuclear sites.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani says that during his visit to Lebanon, continuing Israeli escalation in Lebanon “was largely part of our discussion — in addition to the assault on the peacekeeping forces, as well as the Israeli violations within the Lebanese territories,” Al Jazeera reports.

Al-Thani says the meetings have given him an “opportunity to discuss the means to bolster mutual cooperation and opportunities looming in the future, in addition to global and regional developments”.

“We reiterate and emphasise the importance of the implementation of UN Security Council’s resolution 1701, as well as the implementation of all the agreements made in coordination with the UN,” he adds

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has thanked Qatar for its “continuous” cooperation and support amid ongoing attacks by Israeli forces, Al Jazeera reports.

“This is nothing new, of course,” he says, speaking alongside Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani. “We can never forget Qatar’s support in some of our darkest hours, namely after the 2006 war [with Israel].”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he has been assured that “Armenia will not take any action against the security of Iran”, though Tehran is concerned about US influence in the region, referring to the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a US-backed transport and trade corridor through southern Armenia, Al Jazeera reports.

“We are in direct contact with our Armenian friends and we know that they will not take any action against the security of Iran,” he is quoted as saying by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency. “We will continue our consultations with Armenian officials.”

Iraq has lost around $60 billion during the Middle East war, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein says, with Iran blockading the Strait of Hormuz, which is crucial to global energy flows, AFP reports.

“Iraq has suffered losses estimated at around $60bn during the recent war between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Hussein tells his Italian counterpart in Rome, according to a statement from the Iraqi foreign ministry.

Iranian Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia says that collective security will be established in the region, with the participation of regional nations, and the global economy will improve if the US leaves the Middle East, according to state broadcaster Press TV.

“If it doesn’t leave, we’ll expel it,” Akraminia says of the US.

The Iranian Navy says that an oil tanker “violating maritime restrictions” in the Strait of Hormuz caught fire, state broadcaster Press TV reports.

The navy adds that the vessel attempted to navigate the waters after switching off its tracking systems.

Iran has managed to export some liquefied petroleum gas and jet fuel since July, despite a US naval blockade, Reuters reports, citing shipping intelligence and people involved in security.

Tehran has in recent weeks been concealing such cargoes among a growing volume of ship-to-ship transfers by other Gulf producers off Oman, four people in maritime security who track Gulf oil movements told Reuters.

The Iranian exports and methodology are reported for the first time here. While a fraction of its former energy exports, the cargoes are rare evidence of petroleum products getting through a blockade that has halted Iran’s crude exports.

Oil prices eased but were heading for weekly gains on uncertainty over Middle East supplies and a larger-than-expected draw from US crude stockpiles, while European diesel margins dropped following the IEA’s decision to release more diesel, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures were down 47 cents, or 0.44 per cent, at $105.45 a barrel by 0747 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 62 cents, or 0.63pc, to $97.35.

WTI settled up more than 3pc on Thursday after a big US crude stock draw on hurricane production shut-ins.