War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iran’s security chief says he held “very good discussions” with the three member countries of the Makkah defence pact after their first meeting in Tehran, AFP reports.

“Very good discussions took place between us,” Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, tells state television after the meeting with top officials from the three countries.

“I feel that a new atmosphere is emerging in the region … I sensed a very positive atmosphere in the discussions among the gentlemen.”

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) has reported that a vessel is on fire off the coast of Iraq, without specifying the cause of the incident or the status of the crew, AFP reports.

“UKMTO has received multiple third-party reports of a vessel on fire, 63 nautical miles southeast of Al-Faw, Iraq,” it says. “Crew status, damage assessment, and environmental impact are unknown at time of report.”

Al-Faw is a port town that sits on the Gulf, neighbouring Kuwait and Iran.

Major General Ali Abdollahi, the Chief of Staff of Iran’s armed forces, says Tehran controls the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports citing Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Iran’s army and naval forces “have complete control and oversight of the coasts of the Persian Gulf, the islands, and the Strait of Hormuz”, Abdollahi says, contrary to “propaganda” by US leaders.

“This strategic waterway is completely closed”, he adds, noting that no vessel is allowed to transit this strategic waterway “outside of Iranian regulations”.

Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei has said that Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, during their quadrilateral meeting today, emphasised that Israel must withdraw from southern Lebanon, southern Syria, Gaza, and the West Bank, and put an end to its aggression.

According to remarks shared by Iran’s Press TV, Rezaei said the other three countries expressed their belief that regional problems could be resolved through cooperation among all four countries.

“The Iranian people’s resistance and the strength of the country’s armed forces have created a new, positive atmosphere in the region, as reflected in talks with senior officials from Turkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia,” he was quoted as saying.

Oil prices inch higher after falling more than $2 a barrel, as persistent attacks on key producer Saudi Arabia keep investors wary and prices near six-month highs, even as diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in the Middle East resume, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are up 49 cents, or 0.4 per cent, at $117.21 as of 1637 GMT (9:37pm PKT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures are down 35 cents, or 0.34pc, at $102.92 per barrel.

Adam Baron, a fellow at the Future Security programme at the New America think tank, says that the fight for Yemen’s third-largest city Taiz, is entering a “make or break” stage, according to Al Jazeera.

“The battle for Jabal Sabr is pretty much make or break in order to capture Taiz,” Baron says, referring to a strategic mountain nearby, adding that the fight is, “partially about symbolism but more than anything it’s about simple geography”.

“It’s crucial for maintaining control over the city”, he adds.

Iran and the three countries party to the Makkah defence pact have agreed to continue talks after a “first” meeting in Tehran, AFP reports citing Iranian state television.

The meeting brought Iran together with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye and they “agreed to continue discussions to strengthen cooperation … including on regional peace and security”, the broadcaster says.

The Saudi-led coalition says it has intercepted three hostile drones in the kingdom’s Riyadh and southern regions.

Stocks of crude oil in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 282.6 million barrels last week, the lowest level since October 1982, Reuters reports citing data from the Department of Energy.

The recent drawdowns have been part of a US agreement to release 172 million barrels from the facility.

Additionally, the US Department of Energy says it has authorised an emergency exchange of up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to address a supply disruption affecting Phillips 66’s Lake Charles refinery in Louisiana.

Oil prices are down $2 a barrel amid hopes of easing hostilities between the United States and Iran, but persistent attacks on key producer Saudi Arabia keep investors wary and prices near six-month highs, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are down $2.03, or 1.7 per cent, at $114.70 as of 1437 GMT (7:37 pm PKT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures are down $2.60, or 2.5pc, at $100.71 per barrel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold meetings with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Moscow on Tuesday, Reuters reports citing the Kremlin.

Putin will meet the two leaders after hosting the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Moscow, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov tells reporters.

Al Jazeera reports, citing aviation data, that ballistic missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels have nearly emptied the skies over the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The latest data from aviation ⁠⁠⁠⁠analytics firm Cirium indicates that about 86 per cent of scheduled ⁠⁠⁠⁠flights at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport — or 4,071 out of 4,736 — were cancelled between October 8 and 25.

Explosions have been heard in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa and along the Red Sea coast, according to Al Jazeera.

Residents in western Sanaa report at least four explosions, but what has been hit remains unclear.

A woman, reportedly living near a Houthi base, says a loud blast shattered windows in her home and nearby houses.

In the port city of Mokha, recently seized by the Houthis, a resident claims a rocket struck a four-storey residential building, and that at least 10 other houses and a hospital have been damaged.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed support for any understanding that contributes to unity among Islamic countries, Tehran’s state broadcaster Press TV reports.

“Relying on shared capacities, Islamic states can present the world with a model of justice [and] development,” he is quoted as saying, adding that unity among Muslim nations will also deter Israeli aggression.

“Despite the losses and hardships, Iranians stood firm in defending their country. The belief that Iran can be forced to surrender is misguided,” Pezeshkian adds.

Iran’s acting oil minister Hamid Bovard says US military interventions and unilateral sanctions have negatively impacted investment, security and predictability in global energy markets, state news agency IRNA reports.

While addressing the 28th Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Moscow, Bovard stresses the need to exchange views on strategic developments within the gas industry, challenges facing energy markets, and the forum’s collective responsibility in shaping a stable future underpinned by energy security.

Iran will not discuss its nuclear programme at talks with members of the Makkah Pact, a senior Iranian official tells Reuters, adding that the United States must first meet Tehran’s conditions to end its war against Iran permanently.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says it is “essential to stop any escalation” in the Middle East, as senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan hold talks in Iran.

“The risk to have the combination of an overwhelming military attack on Iran, and an overwhelming military attack by Iran on the countries of the Gulf, needs to be avoided at all costs,” he said at a press conference in Cairo, in response to a question about the possibility of an Iran deal and escalating threats from the US.

Egypt’s parliament has authorised sending military support to Saudi Arabia to defend against Houthi attacks, following a request from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, AFP reports.

The House of Representatives “approved authorising President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take the necessary measures to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, state newspaper Al-Ahram reports.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says it is “essential to stop any escalation” in the Middle East, as senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are due to hold talks in Iran, AFP reports.

“The risk to have the combination of an overwhelming military attack on Iran, and an overwhelming military attack by Iran on the countries of the Gulf, needs to be avoided at all costs,” he says in a press conference in Cairo, in response to a question about the possibility of an Iran deal and escalating threats from the United States.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has emphasised the need for a diplomatic solution to the Middle East war, warning that “sabre-rattling” may cause an uncontrollable situation in the region.

Commending Egypt’s efforts to create room for US-Iran dialogue, Guterres stresses the need for restraint and diplomacy.

“If the sabre-rattling we are witnessing now translates itself into a major mutual escalation, the situation in the region can get out of control,” he writes on X. “Navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law must be fully restored in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.”

Saudi Arabia, which, along with Turkiye and Pakistan, is set to hold talks with Iranian officials in Tehran, has stressed the importance of opening channels for negotiations, Reuters reports.

The Saudi foreign ministry says in a statement that the talks in Tehran aim to prevent escalation and pave the way for an agreement.

According to the statement, the visit “comes within the framework of the ongoing efforts of the states party to the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence to de-escalate between the parties to the current crisis, encourage dialogue and diplomatic solutions, and support the mediation efforts being carried out by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan”.

Iranian Army Deputy Chief for Executive Affairs Brigadier General Alireza Sheikh says that the country is ready to “respond to the enemy’s excessive demands”, in comments carried by state broadcaster Press TV.

“The Iranian nation is the father and mother of the bombs,” he is quoted as saying. “The enemy cannot achieve its goals against such a nation, because a civilisation cannot be destroyed by bombs.”

Sheikh highlights that the army is ready to respond to any threats against Iran, “with its finger on the trigger”.

An oil spill from a damaged tanker off the coast of the UAE has widened, satellite images showed, triggering more beach closures and raising environmental concerns, Reuters reports.

Images from the European Union’s Copernicus satellite observation network dated Oct 24, according to the report, show the oil spill has widened over the last few days and is reaching close to the shores of the northern Umm Al Quwain emirate, with dark layers of oil spreading at sea and along its coastline.