Pakistan hosts the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April; the talks end without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown
US, Iran hold high-level talks in Switzerland on June 20 after signingpreliminary agreement to end the war; hold talks in Doha on July 1, with mediators citing “positive progress”
US launches strikes on Iran on July 8 in response to attacks on ships in Hormuz, Tehran retaliates as strait heats up again
Yemen’s civil war flares up after Saudi-backed government attacks Sanaa airport
British energy giant Shell has said that its net profit more than doubled to $12.1 billion in the third quarter as the ongoing war disrupted supplies and sent oil and gas prices soaring, AFP reports.
The company had posted profit after tax of $5.3bn in the third quarter of 2025.
“Shell’s relentless focus on operational performance enabled very strong results in a quarter with continued severe disruption to the global energy system,” chief executive Wael Sawan said in a statement.
New footage from US-Israeli attack on Minab school reportedly shows a second strike while rescue workers and local residents were “clearing rubble, searching for victims and helping the wounded,” according to Press TV.
The United States has fired its top military planner, The Atlantic reported, in a surprise shake-up as President Donald Trump appears to be preparing to resume large-scale strikes against Iran, AFP reports.
Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia was removed this week from his role as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the magazine reported, citing unidentified Defence Department officials.
Sylvia’s ouster would be the latest in a series of high-profile departures from the military since Trump returned to power a year ago.
No reason was given for Sylvia’s departure and no replacement has been named, The Atlantic said.
China raised its retail transportation fuel prices for the domestic market, the state planner said in a statement on Thursday, though it limited the increases to mitigate the impact of rising oil prices because of the Iran war, Reuters reports.
Retail prices for gasoline will rise by 345 yuan ($51.76) per metric ton and diesel by 335 yuan per metric ton, effective October 30, the National Development and Reform Commission said.
Under China’s scheduled pricing mechanism, gasoline should have increased by 440 yuan and diesel by 420 yuan, the statement said.
A ship on fire has been reported in the Strait of Hormuz, British maritime agency UKMTO said, without providing details of the cause of the blaze or any casualties, AFP reports.
The agency said it received the report from the master of another ship, with the vessel spotted nine nautical miles (17 kilometres) north of Oman’s Khasab, which sits just off the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key transit point for global oil and natural gas supplies. Since the start of the Middle East war in February, Iran has sought to control the waterway and has attacked ships it accuses of passing through the strait unauthorised.
The Israeli army said late Wednesday that it launched an interceptor at a suspected aerial target detected near its troops in southern Lebanon amid Israeli airstrikes and shelling across the region.
In a statement, the army said no warning sirens were activated, in line with its policy. It provided no further details about the target or whether it had been intercepted.
The announcement came amid a series of Israeli attacks reported by Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem rejected a US-sponsored framework agreement between Beirut and Israel as illegitimate and ruled out disarmament while Israeli occupation and aggression against Lebanon continue, state media reports.
In a statement addressing political developments in Lebanon and the region, Sheikh Qassem said the agreement violated Lebanon’s constitution.
“There is no room for discussion about disarming the resistance as long as the occupation exists and its aggression continues,” he said, adding that Hezbollah would confront any aggression against the resistance group and Lebanon.
The proposed arrangement calls for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and Hezbollah’s disarmament before the withdrawal is completed.
IRGC says it has intercepted and shut down another US MQ-1 drone using an advanced air defense system east of the Strait of Hormuz, state media reports.
US media reports Washington has warned Gulf allies to prepare for possible renewed strikes on Iran after the November midterm elections, with officials warning of a short, intense campaign and potential Iranian retaliation, according to Al Jazeera.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the group at the kingdom’s eastern region, AFP reports.
“Air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the Eastern Province,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said.
Oil prices fell, paring gains made a day earlier, as hopes for peace talks took the edge off renewed concerns over Middle East supply disruptions from escalating regional conflict, reports Reuters.
Brent crude futures declined $1.22, or 1.1 per cent, to $114.10 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down $1.33, or 1.3pc, at $101.45.
Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman and Kuwait’s Defence Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah have “reviewed the fraternal relations between our two countries in the defence field”, the Saudi minister says in a post on X.
In a phone call, the two “discussed the latest developments in the region, and reaffirmed our solidarity in the face of all challenges and threats to preserve our security and stability”, the Saudi minister says.
Former US president Barrack Obama has slammed President Donald Trump’s rationale for launching the war against Iran, saying Tehran did not have any nuclear weapons, Al Jazeera reports. He notes that the 2015 agreement his administration had signed with Tehran had curbed the country’s nuclear programme.
“I didn’t have to fire any missiles. I engaged in diplomacy.”
He has also criticised the war’s toll. “Our allies and bases have been attacked. Americans have been killed. Hundreds of Americans have been wounded. We have run down our stock of missiles, making us more vulnerable, and Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz,” he says.
Obama adds, “This is the reason why the price of oil is up.”
Trump has defended his decision to wage war against Iran, speaking at a campaign rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, Al Jazeera reports.
He says Iran still has missiles but “much less” of them, and claims its drone manufacturers are struggling because they “can’t get electricity anymore”.
Trump has also claimed “we didn’t start this war” and added that the conflict “should have been taken care of long before I came here”.
The US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28, even as Oman-brokered talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme were under way. It was the second time they had attacked Iran mid-negotiations. Last year, they bombed its nuclear facilities while talks were also ongoing.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis says it has intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the group at the kingdom’s eastern region, reports AFP.
“Air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the Eastern Province,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki posted on X.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his US counterpart that as a member of the Makkah Joint Defence Alliance, Turkiye closely follow the developments in the Strait of Hormuz and Yemen, and strive for the resolution of the problem on the basis of diplomacy.
He conveyed this to US President Donald Trump in a phone call, a statement by Erdogan’s office said.
Iran’s Acting Oil Minister Hamid Bovard has said Iran’s energy diplomacy is advancing dynamically and with strong resolve, despite challenges stemming from the hostile actions of its adversaries.
Speaking to IRNA after accompanying President Pezeshkian to the 8th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Moscow, Bovard noted the prospect of attracting new Russian investment.
Referring to Pezeshkian’s meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at the Kremlin, as well as his own bilateral discussions with the Russian Energy Minister, Bovard described the interactions between the two sides as positive and constructive.
UN rights chief Volker Turk has expressed hope that a new Israeli government will “change course massively” and respect international law, as the country’s political future hangs in the balance after hard-fought elections, AFP reports.
“The message is: don’t continue the current course of warfare where you think you are above international law, because I think that’s what we have frankly seen in the current environment,” he tells reporters in New York.
“Israel has its obligations under international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and they need to respect them, and I hope that the next government will do precisely that and change course massively,” the Austrian diplomat adds.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran is in “close and ongoing contact with intermediaries” regarding the potential implementation of its seven-day plan regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
“While our brave armed forces are fully prepared to defend the homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed,” Araghchi wrote on X.
“We remain in close and ongoing contact with intermediaries to review ideas that can ensure implementation of our 7-Day Plan in even less than a week,” he added.
Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman has discussed the latest regional developments during a phone call with his Malaysian counterpart, Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin, according to a post on social media.
“We reviewed the developments of the regional situation, and we condemned the sinful attacks launched by the terrorist Houthi militia against the kingdom and the Holy Places,” he writes on X.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says only Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump know if there will be a renewed military operation against Iran, according to Al Jazeera.
Speaking to Newsmax TV, Huckabee was asked whether political uncertainty in Israel could lead to striking Iran.
“I think the US and Israel will make the decision based on what’s best for the two countries,” he said. “President Trump will make it based on what’s best for America, and the [Israeli] Prime Minister will make that decision based on what’s best for Israel and its security.”
“Frankly, there are only two people on the planet who know if something is going to happen and, if so, when,” he said, referring to Trump and Netanyahu.
The Israeli army has instructed residents of the Deir Mimas municipality in southern Lebanon to open their windows, Al Jazeera reports citing Lebanese national media.
The army warned of a massive explosion in the town’s vicinity.
Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to face more constraints as Israel’s caretaker prime minister after the election, but experts say his government could still retain significant powers, including when it comes to waging war on Iran, Reuters reports.
If you look at the letter of the law, a caretaker government has the same authority, has the same powers as a regular government, said Guy Lurie, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, adding, however, that a caretaker government has a duty of restraint and more limited discretion to act in some areas.
A caretaker government faces limitations when it comes to issues such as appointments, but has leeway to act in matters where there is a public interest, analysts say.
In general, security issues are the clearest exception to this duty of restraint, said Or Asher, a researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Tachlith Institute, noting that Israel’s supreme court has previously held that a caretaker government must avoid far-reaching decisions unless they are justified by a pressing necessity.
An aide speaks to Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu as he gives a statement following exit polls for Israel’s national election, at Likud’s election headquarters in Jerusalem, on Oct 28, 2026. — Reuters
Oil prices have climbed about two per cent as continued fighting in Yemen and an attack on a refinery in Saudi Arabia renew concerns about additional supply disruptions from the Middle East, Reuters reports.
Brent futures were up $1.81, or 1.6pc, to $115.69 per barrel at 1442 GMT (7:42pm PKT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $2.52, or 2.5pc, to $102.42.
