War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Two blasts have been heard in Aden, the seat of the country’s internationally recognised Yemeni government, residents and an AFP journalist reported.

The Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa, most recently struck the perimeter of Aden’s airport on Wednesday after saying they had targeted a naval base and a military camp last week amid the country’s revived civil war.

The US embassy in Riyadh has issued a security alert for its missions in Saudi Arabia, ordering all non-emergency American government staff and the families of employees to leave the country due to Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

“Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” the advisory reads. “The hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area.”

It adds that US government personnel must request permission from the chief of mission to use Saudi airports following Houthi attacks, and to exercise extreme caution.

Oil prices have risen to their highest levels since the end of April, putting them on track for a fourth straight month of gains, as traders braced for a potential escalation in the Iran war after the US midterm elections, with an attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz highlighting supply risks.

Brent crude futures for December, which expire on Friday, are up $2.287, or 2.5 per cent, at $117.75 a barrel as of 1707 GMT (10:07pm PKT), after touching a high of $118. The more active January contract has gained $3.23 to $114.03.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed $2.74, or 2.7pc, to $104.79.

The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East are expected to slow European air traffic growth, leading to a loss of around 110,000 flights in 2026, Anadolu reports citing forecasts from aviation agency Eurocontrol.

The number of flights in the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) region is expected to grow by 1.7 per cent this year to 11.2 million, below the previously projected 2.7pc growth, marking a 1-percentage-point downward revision.

Saudi Arabia’s crude exports have risen in October compared with September, according to two of three ship-tracking companies, despite Iranian attacks on shipping in the Gulf and claims by Yemen’s Houthis of attacks on Saudi oil facilities, Reuters reports.

Kpler, the third ship tracker, showed a fall in exports, and many tankers have switched off their tracking signals, which makes the true volumes hard to pin down.

Saudi crude exports averaged about 7.9 million barrels per day (bpd) for the first 29 days of the month, says TankerTrackers.com, up from 5.8m bpd in September. This comprises 3.32m bpd from the western coast and 4.55m bpd from the east, the preliminary data shows.

Exports from Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port are higher following a dip in September, said tanker tracker Petro-Logistics.

“Total volumes coming out of the Strait [of Hormuz] have fallen by 2-3m bpd from the peak levels seen earlier in October,” says Virginie Bahnik of Petro-Logistics. But Saudi exports overall are still strong and will end the month higher than in September.

Data from Kpler shows total Saudi crude exports at 5.72m bpd so far in October, compared to 6.70m bpd in September.

The Saudi-led coalition says in a statement that it has intercepted a drone targeting the kingdom’s Riyadh area.

In a separate statement, it says that a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis towards the southern region has been intercepted.

An early warning alert placed by Saudi Arabia’s Directorate of Civil Defence in Khamis Mushait has been lifted, according to Al Jazeera.

Yemen’s foreign ministry has called on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to take urgent action and prevent the Houthis from carrying out mine operations in civilian areas, Al Jazeera reports.

The ministry of the internationally recognised government has strongly condemned the group’s “continued intensive and indiscriminate planting of mines, particularly in villages and populated areas” in a post on X, saying it is “fully responsible for the humanitarian repercussions arising from these practices”.

German inflation slowed more than expected in October, following the government’s introduction of fuel subsidies to ease the energy price surge triggered by the Iran war, Reuters reports citing official data.

Annual consumer prices have risen by 2.8 per cent across the month, with energy costs up around 12pc, according to preliminary data from statistics agency Destatis.

Inflation is down from 3.3pc in September, when energy price rises had been running at nearly 15pc.

Saudi Arabia’s Directorate of Civil Defence has issued an early warning in the kingdom’s Jizan area to alert of a “potential danger”, a statement says.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to strengthen strategic cooperation in oil storage, refinery upgrades, crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) procurement, and the minerals sector to promote bilateral economic ties, according to a statement issued by the Petroleum Division.

Pakistan has been planning to boost domestic storage for crude oil and refined products to increase its energy security. With no strategic petroleum reserves, the country has been left exposed to oil supply shocks resulting from the US-Iran war that has choked supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Under this framework, Saudi companies can establish commercial oil reserves in Pakistan without local tax liabilities, offering an opportunity to diversify maritime transit risks associated with the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab while facilitating access to Asian markets,” the statement reads.

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The Iranian navy says it has destroyed an enemy unmanned surface vehicle in the eastern Strait of Hormuz, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reports that a supertanker laden with over 2 million barrels of oil has exploded after striking a sea mine in the Strait of Hormuz.

The tanker, still ablaze, is the third to strike mines in the “unauthorised route” within the key waterway, IRIB adds.

The Royal Oman Navy has carried out an evacuation operation for 25 crew members aboard the commercial vessel RITI in cooperation and coordination with the Maritime Security Centre, after the Panama-flagged vessel was targeted, resulting in a fire breaking out on board.

“The incident occurred approximately 106 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam Governorate. The crew members were provided with the necessary medical care,” the Maritime Security Centre says in a statement.

US President Donald Trump, speaking ahead of the November 3 midterm congressional elections, has said he believes the war with Iran will end soon, but did not say how that would happen, Reuters reports.

“It’s going to get wrapped up soon,” Trump said in an interview with Kansas City radio station KCMO. “We need a guarantee there’ll never be a nuclear weapon.”

Trump has said the US would not strike Iran before the elections.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have said two oil tankers had been halted after encountering unspecified “incidents” while attempting to transit what Tehran considers an unauthorised route in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

“Two offending oil tankers, one in the eastern part and the other in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz, which were attempting to pass through the unauthorised route, encountered incidents and were brought to a halt in the waters south of the strait,” the IRGC said in a statement.

A Qatari delegation has arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials, AFP reports, citing state media, as mediators try to revive peace talks with the US.

According to the IRNA state news agency, the delegation, headed by a senior adviser to Qatar’s prime minister, came to meet senior Iranian officials and discuss “bilateral relations… as well as regional developments”.

Iran’s representative to the UN Security Council has fiercely condemned the US and Israel for their ongoing military aggression and naval blockade, stating that Washington’s actions are the true root cause of maritime insecurity in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, according to Press TV.

Oil prices are continuing their upward trajectory on Friday and are on track for a fourth consecutive monthly gain, Al Jazeera reports.

The increase came after a number of tankers were reported to have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting ongoing supply risks as the US-Israel conflict with Iran enters its eighth month.

Brent crude futures for December gained $1.20, or 1.04 per cent, to reach $116.08 a barrel as of 03:23 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures went up $1.37, or 1.34pc, to $103.37 a barrel.

For the month, Brent was on course to finish nearly 11pc higher, while WTI was heading for a 14pc jump.

Iranian lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian says he has called for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to authorise the development of an atomic bomb, Al Jazeera reports.

In a post on X, Nabavian says he had raised the proposal during a gathering in the city of Qom, reporting that it was met with expressions of approval from the crowd.

His remarks come amid growing calls from several Iranian lawmakers to reconsider the country’s longstanding position against developing nuclear weapons.

Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree prohibiting nuclear weapons, while Tehran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is intended purely for peaceful purposes.

However, during a September interview with Al Jazeera, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran remained committed to the ruling and had not changed its nuclear doctrine, before adding: “But we do not know what will happen in the future.”

Qatari mediators return to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the US and Iran, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters.

The mediation talks have been coordinated with the US, the official says.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree has denied a Saudi-led coalition claim that it intercepted a Houthi drone over the Makkah region, saying the group “has not carried out any operation today targeting Saudi territory” and emphasising that its operations target “oil facilities and military bases”, Al Jazeera reports.

Earlier, the Saudi coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone in the Makkah region.