War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

A Houthi official says that the Egyptian parliament’s decision to authorise military support for Saudi Arabia to defend against the group’s attacks was a declaration of war, AFP reports.

“Egypt and its parliament declared support for what is called the defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in doing so, it declares war against the Republic of Yemen,” said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, in a Telegram post.

Oil prices fell sharply, with Brent crude dropping more than 6 per cent after reaching its highest closing level since March, as diplomatic efforts to ease US-Iran tensions raised hopes of a deal, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures for December delivery stood at $109.68 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate fell to $101.02. However, reports of further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia kept concerns over regional oil supplies in focus.

An Israeli drone bombed a home in southern Lebanon on Monday as Israeli forces shelled several areas, carried out an airstrike and detonated explosives in fresh violations of a ceasefire, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reports.

The drone dropped two bombs on a house between Shoukin and Mayfadoun in Nabatieh district, with no injuries reported.

Israeli artillery also shelled the al-Sawwan area on the outskirts of Mayfadoun intermittently and struck Mansouri in Tyre district, according to the agency.

Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Ali Abdollahi has warned that any vessel violating Iranian security protocols in the southern waters “will put itself at risk and face serious damage,” IRNA reports.

General Abdollahi made the remarks during a visit to the coast of the Sea of Oman on Monday.

“Any vessel that attempts to deviate from the designated route or disregard Iranian procedures, for any reason, will put itself at risk and face serious damage.”

General Abdollahi said the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) maintains full control over the Persian Gulf coastline, its islands, and the Strait of Hormuz, with all maritime traffic in the area under their close surveillance.

The deputy secretary of Iran’s top security body, Ali Bagheri Kani, has said noted that the meeting in Tehran with Makkah pact officials took place amid major strategic developments in the region over recent months, which he attributed to the “brutal aggression” by Israel and the US.

According to Iran’s IRNA news agency, Kani said after the meeting all four countries had emphasised self-reliance and the development of domestic capabilities during the moot.

KLM, the Dutch arm of airline group Air France KLM, will not operate flights to various destinations in the Middle East for the entire 2026/2027 winter season, reports Reuters.

Flights to the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Dammam are cancelled through November 27, 2026. Passengers whose flights have been cancelled will be notified, the airline said.

Oil prices edged lower as the potential for a resolution in the US-Israeli war on Iran kept supply fears at bay, but Brent stayed close to six-month highs as attacks on Saudi Arabia lowered hopes of immediate stability in the region, reports Reuters.

Brent crude futures were down 66 cents, or 0.57 per cent, at $115.15 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was down 44 cents, or 0.43pc, at $101.32.

Last week, Brent prices surged to more than $117 a barrel, the highest level since April, after a wave of Iranian attacks on tankers around the strait. Brent prices touched $117 on Monday as well.

The Saudi-led coalition says air defences have intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched towards the kingdom’s eastern region by the Houthis.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says that no country in the Middle East can achieve lasting security at the expense of another.

“The region needs a new security architecture. One in which the future is shaped by the peoples and countries of the region, rather than by war after war after war – many times fuelled by external actors,” he stated in a post on X.

A Saudi-led coalition and says four drones launched by Houthis towards Saudi Arabia’s southern region have been intercepted and destroyed.

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.