War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran supports a “political process” to resolve the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, AFP reports.

“We support an inclusive and comprehensive political process as the only practical and sustainable way to resolve the issue,” Araghchi says in a speech at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Baghdad.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the country’s defence and missile capabilities are “indebted to the role” played by schools and universities, state news agency IRNA reports.

Thanking education officials and school-building benefactors, the president says, “If we are capable of defending our country today, building missiles and standing against threats, it is because our education system and universities have played a role in this path and laid the groundwork for such capabilities.”

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have announced the release of 159 pro-government fighters under an amnesty announced after they seized swathes of land in a major offensive last month, AFP reports.

The prisoners had “voluntarily surrendered themselves without fighting” as the Iran-backed group captured strategic positions along the Red Sea, Houthi official Abdelqader al-Murtada told a press conference in Sanaa.

The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the unilateral release of 159 prisoners and said it had given support by organising interviews and health checks, contacting families and helping arrange transport.

Murtada said 323 prisoners were released under the amnesty last month after surrendering in Hodeidah governorate.

Iran will emphasise regional security arrangements free from foreign interference, opposition to Israeli military acts of aggression, and stronger economic cooperation among Islamic countries at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting, Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadegh, told IRNA.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said that an oil tanker is on fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a mine in the waterway at the heart of the Middle East war, AFP reports.

“A supertanker in violation of regulations, carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil and attempting to pass illegally through the Strait of Hormuz, struck a mine, triggering an explosion and a fierce fire,” the Revolutionary Guards said.

The statement did not specify the exact location of the incident.

“The tanker attempted to cross the strait with US support… by deactivating all its tracking systems,” the IRGC added.

Saudi Arabia has executed five Saudi nationals convicted of “terrorism-related offences” including joining a foreign organisation designated as terrorist, attacking security forces and supporting attacks inside the kingdom, the interior ministry said, according to Reuters.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh says ending the war on all fronts is a key condition for peace, stressing that continued fighting in any part of the region would mean the war persists across the region, IRNA reports.

In an interview with Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television network on Friday, Khatibzadeh – who arrived in Beirut on Wednesday for talks with Lebanese officials – said Iran remained committed to ending the Israeli war on Lebanon and had secured this objective in the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, which Iran and the United States signed in mid-June this year.

He said Lebanon was among the key issues discussed between Iran and the US, adding that he sought to bring the two sides closer during his visit to Beirut. Khatibzadeh said that he held “good” talks with Lebanese officials, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and officials at the Foreign Ministry.  

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says Iran is well-prepared to help resolve issues between Saudi Arabia and Yemen through peaceful means, stressing that the Islamic Republic remains steadfast in its principled position on the Yemen issue, IRNA reports.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Baqaei outlined Iran’s position on the Saudi-Yemen conflict, calling for dialogue between the two sides to resolve their differences through diplomacy.

The spokesperson said Iran has always been ready to leverage its good offices to help end the conflict and remains prepared to use all its capabilities for this purpose if requested by the two sides.

A second tanker attack was reported in the same area off Saudi Arabia, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said, Anadolu reports.

The latest incident occurred at 1922GMT Friday around 78 nautical miles (144 kilometers) northeast of Al Jubayl, according to a UKMTO advisory.

The tanker’s master reported that the vessel was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat, damaging its aft port quarter.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and warned of consequences for ships violating Iranian regulations in the strategic waterway, ISNA reports.

In a statement, the IRGC said the “fate of ships violating Iranian regulations in the Strait of Hormuz is burning in the fire of the trust of the American terrorist army”.

Iran’s acting Defence Minister Majid ibn Reza says that the Iranian missiles, not US bombs, will determine the equation, the Press TV reports.

“Your bombs will explode elsewhere: in your global reputation, the US economy, and even your electoral calculations!”

National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) chief Saeid Tavakoli says that recent wars launched by the United States and the Israeli regime are contributing to the global energy crisis, calling for stronger regional cooperation to safeguard energy supplies, IRNA reports.

On recent US-Israeli strikes on facilities at South Pars, he described the attack as the largest against gas infrastructure worldwide but said Iran’s energy network had experienced no disruption.

He attributed its resilience to diversified fuel sources, varied infrastructure, experienced specialists and timely emergency responses.

Iran’s ambassador and chargé d’affaires to the United Nations in New York, Gholamhossein Darzi, says Israel’s continued aggression and destabilising activities across West Asia pose a grave threat to regional and international peace and security, IRNA reports.

Darzi urged the Security Council to act decisively to compel the regime to fully comply with its obligations under international law.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that an oil tanker had exploded and caught fire after hitting a naval mine while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reports.

The report said the tanker was carrying over 2 million barrels of crude oil and was attempting to illegally transit the strategic waterway through a route unauthorised by Iran.

Two missiles landed Friday within the perimeter of the airport in the Yemeni city of Aden, the interim capital of the Saudi-backed government, authorities said, with the Houthis claiming the attack.

In a statement attributed to a military source, the Houthis said an attack targeted “the Saudi forces’ command headquarters in the Badr camp in Aden province” as well as a weapons depot.

The Yemeni army announced that it made new advances on the eastern front in Marib governorate after expanding its penetration of Houthi positions and taking control of several strategic sites, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the army said its forces continued to exert military pressure on the Houthis and wear down their capabilities on the southern and western fronts, without specifying any newly captured positions in those areas.

The military added that it also neutralised more than 430 Houthi fighters and destroyed or disabled more than 100 military vehicles and assets within 24 hours.

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”.