War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Pakistan has strongly condemned a Houthi attack on a Saudi Aramco administrative facility in Riyadh, noting that there have been no casualties, according to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO).

“The targeting of civilian facilities demonstrates a reckless disregard for human life and regional security,” the FO says, demanding the unconditional cessation of Houthi attacks Saudi Arabia.

It adds that Pakistan commends the “vigilance and swift response” of Saudi to the attack and reaffirms that Islamabad will “stand resolutely” with Riyadh and support all measures necessary to safeguard the kingdom’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The security of Saudi Arabia is of paramount importance to Pakistan. Our commitment to the safety and well-being of our Saudi brothers and sisters remains steadfast,” the FO says.

Oil prices have sharply fallen on hopes for diplomatic talks aimed at ending the US-Iran war, with the main international contract, Brent North Sea crude, shedding more than five per cent, AFP reports.

Brent has dropped as low as $93.32 a barrel, while the main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, has retreated 4.5pc to $86.75 a barrel.

US strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island last week caused no damage to residential or commercial areas or vital infrastructure, Anadolu reports citing an Iranian provincial official.

Ahmad Nafisi, the deputy governor of the southern Hormozgan province for political, security and social affairs, says the targeted sites were located away from residential and commercial areas, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.

“The targeted sites were outside residential and commercial areas and public service infrastructure, and no damage was caused to the island’s vital infrastructure or essential services,” Nafisi says, adding that the situation on Qeshm Island is under control, with emergency services, public utilities and administrative agencies remaining on high alert.

Nafisi has not identified the targeted sites or provided details on possible casualties.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has said that “South Korea’s best help is to keep themselves out of this matter,” in response to a question about whether Seoul will carry out a military deployment in the Strait of Hormuz, state broadcaster IRIB reports.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has announced that it is halting “oil smuggling through an illegal passage” in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state broadcaster Press TV.

Citing a report by the Fars News Agency — which cites an IRGC source — Press TV says the IRGC has achieved this by destroying “enemy navigation aid systems on the key waterway’s southern rocks”.

“No unauthorised vessels managed to enter the illegal passage overnight following the destruction of the navigation systems,” Press TV says.

Syria’s foreign minister has said that his country has no troops deployed in Yemen and was not planning on sending any, after Yemeni sources told AFP that Syrian soldiers were in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

“There is no deployment of troops to Yemen nor is there a plan for such deployment in the near future,” Asaad al-Shaibani said during a press conference.

Oil prices have fallen sharply after US President Donald Trump downplayed the likelihood of renewed strikes on Iran, though attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz keep supply concerns in focus, Reuters.

Brent crude has slid by $3.49, or 3.6 per cent, to $94.83 a barrel by 1219 GMT (5:19pm PKT), while US West Texas Intermediate has lost $2.66, or 2.9pc, to $88.17.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reports that four tankers have been “halted and brought to a standstill” in the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours.

European top diplomats are set to press US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to steer clear of any new escalation with Iran, at talks of the G7 group in Paris.

The meeting of ministers from the leading industrialised nations of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States will provide Europe and its allies with a chance to air preoccupations with their US counterpart.

Europeans are eager to see a resolution and shipping traffic return to normal in the Strait of Hormuz energy transit hub.

“We certainly cannot afford any military escalation at this point,” says German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, adding the G7 talks would “focus on identifying ways to ensure it is indeed avoided”.

Turkey does not want to see a new wave of attacks against Iran, President Tayyip Erdogan says, adding that he conveyed his concerns to US President Donald Trump in a recent phone call, Reuters reports.

“We emphasise at every opportunity that it is possible to resolve these issues through dialogue and diplomacy.

“Unfortunately, we see a negative shift once again. We are doing our utmost to prevent this,” Erdogan told reporters on a return flight from Azerbaijan, according to a transcript shared by his office on Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days remains the most logical plan for restoring security to the strategic waterway and the Persian Gulf region, IRNA reports.

“Iran’s proposal remains the most rational option on the table. By ‘most rational,’ we mean a proposal that can pave the way for restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, while also laying the groundwork for a process to move forward,” Baqaei has said at his weekly press conference in Tehran.

“The Americans must make a genuine decision, if they have properly understood the message of their own people,” he added, referring to last week’s midterm elections, in which President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans lost control of Congress to the Democrats, with the war on Iran playing a key role in shaping voters’ choices.

Baqaei also said that Iran’s proposal demonstrated its goodwill, dismissing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s claims that Tehran’s demands were irrational.

Senior Emirati official Anwar Gargash has warned that the region could face a prolonged period of uncertainty, saying a comprehensive political settlement between the United States and Iran to end the more than eight-month war appears to be difficult, reports Reuters.

“We should … prepare for a long period of uncertainty in which neither a decisive resolution nor stable regional order can be taken for granted ,” Gargash said in an address to a geopolitical conference in Abu Dhabi.

He added the consequences of the US war on Iran “may persist for a long time”, requiring the UAE to invest in its “defensive capabilities, the maintenance of credible deterrence, and stronger international security partners”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said the US president “clearly recognises that the vast majority of Americans are disgusted with Israel.”

“Americans are evidently sick and tired of Israel bamboozling US administrations into forever wars,” Araghchi said on X. “They had enough. So has our region.”

The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned Houthis’ attempt to target several areas in Saudi Arabia, a statement by the UAE’s foreign ministry says.

US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on renewed fighting with Iran, telling CNN it was “highly unlikely,” ahead of a meeting with mediator Qatar’s prime minister, AFP reports.

The president told CNN in an interview that renewed fighting was “highly unlikely,” but warned that his decision “depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement.”

“I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don’t know how hard I hit them,” he said.

Saudi authorities, earlier in the day, sent a text message to residents of the capital Riyadh briefly warning of an aerial threat, before lifting the alert minutes later.

“Warning. The area is under a hostile aerial threat. Please remain calm, stay indoors or in a safe place away from windows and doors, and follow the instructions of Civil Defense,” the message said.

US President Donald Trump has said he is not “looking to” escalate the war with Iran. “I don’t think there’s any reason to.”

Oil prices were steadyy after US President Donald Trump downplayed the likelihood of new strikes on Iran, though attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz kept supply concerns in focus.

Brent inched up 3 cents to $98.35 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate rose 0.5 per cent to $91.30 a barrel.

Brent fell 16pc last week, the steepest weekly drop since the start of the COVID pandemic.

“Despite the recent optimism surrounding a potential diplomatic breakthrough, the underlying geopolitical risks remain elevated, and the possibility of renewed military escalation cannot be ruled out,” said Sugandha Sachdeva, founder of SS WealthStreet, a New Delhi-based research firm.

“The market appears to be pricing in a relatively optimistic scenario of de-escalation, even though a comprehensive agreement between Washington and Tehran has yet to materialise,” she said.

US President Donald Trump will meet with Qatar’s prime minister at the White House on Monday, according to the White House schedule, as the conflict with Iran drags on and diplomatic efforts to end it face significant obstacles.

Trump is due to meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who also serves as Qatar’s foreign minister, in a closed-door meeting, reports Reuters.

US Vice President JD Vance is also scheduled to meet with the Qatari leader, according to a US official quoted by Reuters.

The US Treasury has asked Iraq to close all but two border crossings with Iran as part of Washington’s policy of increasing economic pressure on Tehran, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein says in an interview with Al Jazeera.

One of the exceptions is in the Kurdistan region.

“There are many official and unofficial border crossings with Iran, and closing all of them would be difficult and would affect our economy. The Americans are still demanding the closure of the crossings, and we are currently in discussions with them,” Hussein said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that mediators striving for a peace deal between the US and Iran had not travelled at all since the “shock” of the US midterm elections, AFP reports.

“We now have to see how long it will take for them to digest these results, in order to determine how we are going to move forward,” the top Iranian diplomat told state TV following the elections in which Trump’s party suffered heavy losses.

“For the past few days, there has been no more travel (by mediators), and the reason for this is the shock that the election results in the United States have caused to everyone,” Araghchi said.

He said it would “take some time before the atmosphere is favourable for the resumption of mediator travel” and called for patience.

US President Donald Trump says he is highly unlikely to order fresh attacks on Iran as long as talks to end the conflict progress, CNN reports according to Reuters.

“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” CNN cited Trump as saying in a phone interview. “The answer is, highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary.”

CNN did not specify exactly what it had asked Trump, who also said the US had identified potential infrastructure targets. These included 38 bridges “that we can knock down in literally one hour”, he said.

Iran’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Nikzad says the Iranian Armed Forces are “fully prepared to confront any enemy threats or hostile acts, with new and more advanced weapons”, state media reports.

In an interview with IRNA, Nikzad emphasised the combat readiness of the armed forces and said they are ready to defend Iran and maintain a powerful presence in the field.

“American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own,” says Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a post on X.

Reiterating Tehran’s offer to the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if it agrees to its terms, Araghchi said: “Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirements, including end to war on all fronts, and you will see results.

“Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell.”