War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Fitch Ratings expects a “sustainable agreement” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in the first quarter of 2027, according to Al Jazeera, though it has not specified what form the agreement might take, which countries will participate, or what terms it may include.

Higher oil prices, recovering oil exports and large financial buffers have supported sovereign credit profiles, the rating agency says as part of its credit analysis.

“Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Iraq have borne the brunt of the fallout” from the US-Israel war on Iran, Fitch says, “facing sporadic attacks from Iran and regional proxies, alongside disruptions to the main route for their hydrocarbon exports”.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) has received a late-time report of a container ship being struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, with the incident under investigation.

The spokesperson of the coalition forces has reported the interception and destruction of a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh.

The statement, posted on X, did not provide further details.

Several powerful explosions have rattled the Saudi capital Riyadh, just moments after a text message sent to residents’ mobile phones warning of an aerial threat, AFP reports.

“The area is under a hostile aerial threat. Please remain calm, stay indoors or in a safe place away from windows and doors,” the message reads.

Saudi Arabia’s Directorate of Civil Defence says a warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Riyadh over “a potential danger”.

Delta Airlines has announced it will delay the launch of direct flights from the US to Saudi Arabia as air safety regulators warn of continued safety risks, Al Jazeera reports.

The US airline had planned to launch direct service from its Atlanta hub to Riyadh on October 23, but postponed the route to March 2027 following deadly Houthi attacks on the Saudi capital’s King Khalid International Airport.

“Delta will delay the planned launch of its nonstop service between Atlanta and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, amid evolving developments in the region,” the US carrier says.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a notice to air missions cautioning against a “potentially hazardous situation” in the airspace around Jeddah in the western part of the Gulf kingdom.

“Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight,” the notice says.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk has urged all sides to “avert further catastrophe” following the Riyadh airport attacks by the Houthis, saying continued fighting would only unleash more misery, according to Al Jazeera.

“I am appalled by the repeated attacks over the past few days by the Houthis on airports in Saudi Arabia, which have killed and injured dozens of Saudis and foreign nationals, notably yesterday’s horrific attack on Riyadh’s main airport,” he says in a statement, noting that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law.

“The disastrous toll of this conflict on civilians, both in Yemen and in Saudi Arabia, is a reminder to all parties that continued fighting will only unleash further misery with no end in sight,” Turk adds. “I urge them to de-escalate and avert further catastrophe.”

The US embassy in Riyadh says American citizens have been detained for filming “recent events” in Saudi Arabia, which has suffered a string of deadly attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, AFP reports.

The US mission says “American citizens have been detained for taking photos of recent events”, without specifying how many were arrested or whether they have been released.

It notes that Saudi authorities warn that “filming, publishing, or sharing information related to counter missiles and drones and their impact sites exposes you to legal liability”.

Several foreign residents in Riyadh have told AFP that acquaintances were detained for filming recent events and sharing the footage on social media.

The US embassy in Saudi Arabia says US government employees must obtain authorisation before using any airport in the kingdom following a series of deadly attacks, AFP reports.

“US government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorisation to use any airport in Saudi Arabia,” the mission says in a statement, urging US citizens to “take extreme caution” if they choose to use Saudi airports.

Iran’s Ambassador to the UK Seyed Ali Mousavi has denied any Iranian role in a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford air base in Britain, saying Tehran is willing to cooperate with British authorities in investigating the issue, Reuters reports citing Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

A senior Houthi official has warned the United States that it will receive a “swift and painful response” if it enters the war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has reportedly requested its help in dealing with the group.

“If the US becomes involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate over the decision to respond; rather, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region,” Houthi political bureau member Mohammed Al Bukhaiti tells AFP in an interview.

He also warned “all employees and workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away from these sites, as they have become legitimate targets”.

The United States and its allies, including Britain, Australia, Canada, France and Germany, have warned Iran against hostile acts after a major scare at a UK airbase was deemed almost certainly directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, AFP reports.

“Any attempt by Iran to threaten, silence, intimidate, harass, harm, or coerce people on our territories through proxies or any other means is unacceptable,” says a joint statement by 29 parties, published by the US State Department.

Oil prices have risen by two per cent to near two-week highs as attacks on Saudi Arabia overshadow the prospect of increased supplies after US President Donald Trump hails fresh Russian diesel exports and a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire on energy targets, Reuters reports.

Rebounding from earlier losses, Brent crude futures were up $2.04, or 2pc, to $106.76 a barrel at 1507 GMT (8:07pm PKT), their highest since September 29. US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $93.69 a barrel, up $1.84, or 2pc.

The United Kingdom has announced sanctions against two Iranian nationals, including Ruhollah Bazghandi, whom the government claims have been involved in activities by Iran to threaten, plan or conduct attacks against Britain or a third country, Reuters reports.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “almost certainly directed” a major scare at a UK airbase used by the US military for its war in Iran, AFP reports quoting British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

“I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard. We will not tolerate these threats on our soil,” Burnham tells MPs, saying new sanctions will be unveiled.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says Tehran is finalising its response to US considerations on a proposal submitted by Iran during the UN General Assembly, state news agency IRNA reports.

However, he says Iran remains prepared for both diplomacy and military confrontation.

In an interview with Al Araby television, Gharibabadi says Tehran will continue participating in talks with Washington while maintaining its readiness to defend the country under any scenario.

According to Al Jazeera, Jordan and Libya have condemned last week’s Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has reiterated the country’s condemnation of attacks on Saudi Arabia in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Meanwhile, Libya has also affirmed its full solidarity with the kingdom, its leadership, government, and people, in the face of all that targets its security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, according to Saudi Arabia’s official SPA news agency.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it struck a vessel attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

Iran has, since the start of the war, frequently targeted vessels crossing the key waterway without its permission.

The IRGC Navy says in a statement published on the force’s news platform, Sepah News, that “a supertanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz and caught fire”.

The ship targeted tried to sail through the area “by disabling its transponders” and “by ignoring warnings from the Guards’ Navy”, the statement adds.

Deputy Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Faramarz Bemani says the US has “made a wide retreat from Iran’s borders in the seas and has now moved the furthest away from Iran’s borders” compared to previous conflicts in the region, according to Al Jazeera.

“If they try to repeat a new miscalculation, the navy will respond in such a way that they will again move further away from our borders than before,” Bemani says in an interview with Iran’s state IRIB broadcaster, adding that the country has been busy producing new weapons, after having “examined and studied the enemy’s weaknesses”.

“In response to the new tactics the enemy is adopting, Iran is also adopting new tactics,” Bemani adds.

Abu Dhabi-based carrier Etihad Airways has announced it is cancelling all flights to and from Riyadh until next week due to “regional disruption”, AFP reports.

“All flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh have been cancelled until Monday, October 19,” a post on the airline’s official website reads, adding that several upcoming flights to Dammam and Jeddah this week are also cancelled.

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport will remain closed until 2100 GMT (1am PKT) on October 17, Reuters reports citing a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM).

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman says the country has been tested but will mount a “serious” response after a string of attacks on Riyadh’s international airport by Yemen’s Houthis that left 18 people dead, AFP reports.

“The events of recent weeks are serious; our response must be equally serious,” he says.

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia has renewed its security alert for the third consecutive day following a series of Houthi attacks targeting airports in the kingdom, Anadolu reports.

The latest security alert cites additional attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and a targeted attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam in the country’s east a day prior.

The mission says US government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorisation to use King Khalid International Airport, as well as airports in Jeddah and Dammam.

It urges US citizens to exercise “extreme caution” when using major airports across Saudi Arabia and warns of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and other travel disruptions.

Additionally, the embassy has advised travellers to check their flight status directly with airlines and airports and said private cars, trains and buses could provide alternatives to air travel.

Saudi authorities have extended the suspension of operations at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport following a series of deadly Houthi attacks, AFP reports.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation has “announced the extension of the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport” in a statement, adding that the extension is necessary to “complete the necessary procedures to verify the safety of the facilities and their operational readiness”.

The authority has not specified when operations will resume.

Bahraini national carrier Gulf Air has cancelled its flights to and from Riyadh from October 12 to October 17, amid renewed attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.

Affected travellers were instructed to contact the airline’s Global Contact Centre for assistance with rebooking.