War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The United Arab Emirates has condemned the attack launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the Najran region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to a statement posted by the foreign ministry on X.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that these attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — a brotherly nation — and a threat to its security and stability,” the statement reads.

“The Ministry reiterated the UAE’s full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its support for all measures taken to safeguard its security and stability.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that his country’s armed forces have “shown their readiness, capability, and might in [the] face of the world’s most expensive military” fielded by the US.

“When Muslims stand together, we can face every challenge by malicious outsiders head-on,” he writes on X. “Time to rely only on ourselves and embrace true brotherhood.”

First used in the 1991 Gulf War, the US Patriot air defence system has seen demand spike sharply this year, with supplies of interceptor missiles depleted by Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion and the widening war in the Middle East.

Patriot, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a mobile surface-to-air missile defence system built by US weapons maker Raytheon Technologies that can be used in all kinds of weather and at long range.

A typical battery includes radar and control systems, a power unit, launchers, and support vehicles. The system can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, depending on the interceptor used.

Specific inventory numbers are classified, but CSIS estimates that about 65 per cent of US Patriot interceptors were expended between February and July, with less than 850 left on hand, down from 2,330 before the Iran war began.

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The US has imposed new sanctions targeting companies, exchange houses and financial facilitators it claims helped Iran secretly move hundreds of millions of dollars through the international financial system, Anadolu reports.

“Teapot refinery purchases of Iranian oil provide the primary economic lifeline for the Iranian regime, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says in a statement.

In a separate statement, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott says the measures are intended to “cut the financial lifelines that sustain Iran’s ruling elite”.

“Through these networks, Tehran accessed oil revenue and evaded sanctions designed to curb its destabilising activities, laundering funds using front companies,” Pigott alleges.​​​​​​​

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) says three of its vessels have come under attack this week, with 15 having come under attack since the US-Israeli war against Iran broke out, according to Al Jazeera.

The company says in a media release that the attacks killed one crew member and injured 20, and that it is taking “all necessary measures to protect our people, assets and operations”.

“Freedom of navigation and the safe, uninterrupted passage of commercial shipping through international waterways must be respected and protected,” says ADNOC.

Naval forces of Yemen’s internationally recognised government claim they thwarted an attempt to target an oil tanker in the Red Sea with an explosive-laden boat, Al Jazeera reports.

Military-linked media reports that naval patrols spotted the boat — which it linked to the Houthi rebels — in waters near the Mocha power plant and “took the necessary measures”, detonating it before it could reach a target.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he discussed the situation in the Middle East during a phone call with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a post on the former’s X account.

Anadolu reports that the belligerents in the Iran War have expanded their targets from conventional military targets to steel mills, petrochemical complexes, transport networks, power plants and digital infrastructure.

For military planners, attacking critical infrastructure can weaken an opponent’s ability to sustain a war. For civilians, it can disrupt electricity, water, transportation, communications and economic activity.

The shift reflects a broader trend in modern warfare, where infrastructure that supports a country’s economy and security is increasingly viewed as strategically important.​​​​​​​

The conflict, which began on February 28, initially focused mainly on military-related targets.

US and Israeli operations focused on nuclear facilities, missile sites, Revolutionary Guard installations, radar systems and command centres, while Iran’s response was towards Israeli military positions and US bases across the region.

By late March, the scope of US-Israeli strikes had expanded to include infrastructure linked to Iran’s industrial and energy sectors, including Mobarakeh Steel Company in Isfahan, Khuzestan Steel Company in Ahvaz and petrochemical facilities in Tabriz, Mahshahr, Bandar Imam, Asaluyeh and Shiraz. Strikes also hit railways, highways and bridges.

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Qatar has condemned attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia’s Najran region, which injured several civilians, terming them “a severe violation of sovereignty and international law, as well as a dangerous escalation that threatens the region’s security and stability”.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the State of Qatar’s complete rejection of the targeting of civilians, civilian infrastructure, and critical facilities, while stressing its complete solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in all measures it would take to maintain the safety of its land as well as its security and stability,” the ministry says on X.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi notes that while diplomacy needs to continue during wartime, messages, positions and language must adapt to the conditions.

In an interview with state news agency IRNA, Gharibabadi says that diplomacy in war should not reflect weakness against the enemy, adding that “unnecessary flexibility emboldens the enemy”.

“It is correct that when a country is at war, the door to diplomacy should not be closed, as most wars have been resolved through diplomacy and negotiation,” he states.

“Diplomacy and the battlefield must be fully coordinated … this coordination has never been as strong as it is now,” the report reads, quoting Gharibabadi.

Additionally, he notes that diplomatic language during war “cannot be expected to be as mild as in peacetime”.

“Our experience in negotiations has shown that whenever we have shown unnecessary flexibility toward the US and the West, their demands have only increased,” he explains.

United States President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that he believes the war on Iran is nearing an end, promising that petrol prices will drop when the conflict is over.

Citing an unnamed lawmaker, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that an Iranian parliamentary committee is reviewing a preliminary bill that would bar US, Israeli and other “hostile” vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

On Thursday, Iran and Oman said they had agreed on coordinates for shipping routes through the strait, whose closure has triggered a global energy crisis. The two are currently engaged in talks to resolve disagreements between the US and Iran over how the strait should be controlled. It is hoped that once these are resolved, broader peace talks between the US and Iran can continue.

Here is the latest.

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An Iranian official says that a framework of understanding with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz has been agreed upon, Al Jazeera reports.

“The general framework of the understanding with Oman has been determined, and the final text and details will be announced soon,” Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, tells the IRNA state news agency. “Of course, the final decision must be made at higher levels.”

Nabil Fahmy, the secretary-general of the League of Arab States, has condemned the Houthi attacks on the Najran region of Saudi Arabia, as well as the attacks on sites belonging to the Yemeni government forces in Marib and Hadramout, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, Fahmy has stressed that targeting Saudi territory and endangering civilian lives, along with the attacks inside Yemen, represented a “very dangerous path that threatens the security and stability of the region and undermines the chances of de-escalation and a political settlement”.

“Fahmy expressed the Arab League’s full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the face of any aggression targeting its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, while stressing the need to stop the Houthi attacks and the ongoing escalation inside Yemen,” the statement reads.

“The Secretary-General stressed that the current stage requires a halt to the escalation and refraining from any actions that would expand the circle of confrontation, and a return to the political track,” it adds.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the ongoing situation in the Gulf and Ukraine during a phone call with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to the Kremlin, Al Jazeera reports.

Kremlin adds that Putin ⁠has expressed his ⁠gratitude to the UAE for ⁠its role ⁠in organising ⁠exchanges of prisoners of war and detainees between ‌Russia and Ukraine.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels shelled residential neighbourhoods and displacement camps in the government-held city of Marib, killing at least two civilians and injuring 14 others, AFP has cited the health minister.

“Shelling by the terrorist Houthi militia today, Friday, targeting residential neighbourhoods and displacement camps in the city of Marib, has resulted — according to an initial toll — in the deaths of two civilians and injuries of varying severity to 14 others,” says Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh in a post on X.

Hizam al-Assad, a member of the political bureau of the Houthi movement, has threatened Saudi Arabia’s army and its “mercenaries”, Al Jazeera reports.

“There is no security for the invading Saudi forces, nor for their mercenaries, nor for their camps on our land,” he has said on X.

He adds: “And whoever condemns the operations of our armed forces should open their country and territory to the establishment of Saudi camps, and allow the recruitment and enlistment of mercenaries from among their own people.”

“Our armed forces are compelled to reclaim our rights, lift the siege on our country, and confront every individual who obstructs our people’s path towards attaining their rights, freedom, and independence, regardless of their nationality,” he has also said in a separate post.

Oil prices edge lower as investors weigh signals that Gulf states and Iran are closing in on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a temporary arrangement aimed at allowing for broader talks to bring the Iran war to a close, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures were down 57 cents, or 0.7 per cent, at $81.92 a barrel at 1014 GMT.

US West Texas Intermediate futures have fallen 33 cents, or 0.4pc, to $76.96.

A Houthi drone attack on Yemen’s Marib province killed three members of government forces and wounded another four, a Yemeni military source told AFP.

“Three killed and four wounded in a preliminary toll from the Houthi drone attack on the Harib area, in the south of Marib,” the source said.

Oil has extended gains amid further concerns around the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran, working with Oman, suggested banning vessels deemed hostile from the strait and heavily fining those which violated the proposed rules, Reuters notes.

Brent crude futures were up 85 cents, or 1.03pc, at $83.34 a barrel by 11:34am PKT. US West Texas Intermediate futures rose 52 cents, or 0.67pc, to $77.81.

Oil futures settled up more than $3 a barrel yesterday as an Iranian lawmaker said a parliamentary committee is reviewing a preliminary bill to ban US, Israeli and other vessels deemed hostile from the Strait of Hormuz, and fine violators of the proposed restrictions up to 20pc of cargo value, according to the Fars news agency.

Analysts said the events that have unfolded this week signalled that the hostilities between Iran and the US are not yet over.

Saudi Arabia expects imminent coordinated attacks from the north and south by Iran-aligned Iraqi militias and Yemen’s Houthis, Reuters reports, citing an unnamed senior Saudi official.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said intelligence reports from Saudi Arabia, the United States and other regional countries indicated civilian and economic sites could be targeted, including energy infrastructure, ports and airports.

Saudi Arabia had also observed drones and missiles being moved, suggesting coordinated operations from both directions, the official said.

The official said the reported threats were particularly alarming as Riyadh continued to pursue de-escalation and a negotiated settlement, adding that contacts with all parties, including Iran, and mediation efforts appeared to be moving “in the right direction”.

The official said the planned attacks could be intended to disrupt those diplomatic efforts.

The official said Saudi-US cooperation remained “very high” at all levels, including operationally with US Central Command.