War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Pakistan has strongly condemned an attack on a power station in Saudi Arabia’s Madina, calling the “reprehensible attack” a provocation against Muslims.

“This reprehensible attack against civilian infrastructure supplying electricity to the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) Mosque is a grave provocation and a matter of deep concern and anguish for millions of Muslims worldwide,” the Foreign Office has said in a statement. “The sanctity of the Two Holy Mosques and the safety of worshippers and pilgrims must be respected under all circumstances.”

Islamabad has called for an “immediate and unconditional end of such reckless actions” which pose a grave threat to regional peace and security, and reaffirmed its solidarity with Riyadh.

“We stand firmly with Saudi Arabia in its efforts to safeguard the Two Holy Mosques, protect its people and ensure the safety of pilgrims,” the FO adds. “Pakistan has been and will continue to make all efforts for achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.”

The US military has deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to protect energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, amid preparations for possible renewed military operations against Iran, Anadolu reports citing Axios, which cites two US officials and a regional source.

One battery was sent to Saudi Arabia last month to protect a key oil facility, while another was deployed to Qatar to defend a natural gas facility, according to the report.

The deployments intend to reassure both countries that Washington would protect their critical energy infrastructure if US President Donald Trump resumes major combat operations against Iran.

US Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins has declined to comment.

Kuwait’s crude oil production fell by about 200,000 barrels per day in September from the previous month to average 1.77 million bpd, a person with knowledge of the matter tells Reuters, as rising attacks in the Gulf and tight tanker availability weigh on exports.

A spokesperson for state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has not immediately responded to a Reuters request for comment.

The decline comes despite signs of a broader recovery in Gulf oil shipments after disruptions caused by the Iran conflict.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says that Lebanon thanked Pakistan for its efforts to broker the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

“If you recall the ceasefire in the US-Iran conflict, Pakistan played a pivotal role in making sure that the ceasefire did not just apply to the US and Iran, but to Lebanon as well,” he says during a press conference at the Foreign Office.

Finland’s government survived a parliamentary vote of confidence called over the government’s Middle East policy following a criticised visit to Israel by the defence minister, AFP reports.

Opposition parties have accused the right-wing government of internal policy differences and inconsistency on the Middle East, leading the Social Democratic Party to call for a motion of no confidence against the government.

A motion of no confidence had also been tabled against Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen. Hakkanen won the confidence vote by 114 votes to 61, while the government survived by 93 votes to 62.

The United Nations has warned of growing risks of disease spreading among displaced people amid continuing military escalation in Yemen, calling for increased humanitarian support and funding, Anadolu reports.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Thursday on US social media company X that humanitarian teams were continuing to provide vital assistance to civilians displaced and affected by the fighting.

“But with tens of thousands displaced and disease risks rising, humanitarians require urgent support, including funding and unhindered safe access,” it said.

French leader Emmanuel Macron urged G7 nations to work together to bring down fuel prices in a call with President Donald Trump on Friday, as Washington pressures Europe to tap its strategic diesel reserves and threatens curbs on US exports, AFP reports.

The US war in Iran has sent energy prices skyrocketing, coming back to bite Trump at home with high fuel costs a key issue in the run-up to midterm elections next month.

“The president stressed that G7 countries had a common interest in acting in a coordinated way, without export restrictions,” the French leader’s office said after his exchange with Trump.

Israeli flag carrier El Al announced that it had cancelled flights scheduled to bring Israelis home from Dubai after the United Arab Emirates withdrew landing permits for Israeli carriers, TRT reports.

“Due to the cancellation of approval for Israeli companies to land in Dubai, as was reported by the authorities in Israel, we are forced to cancel, at this stage, our rescue flights … for tomorrow, Friday, October 2,” the airline said on Facebook.

Women and girls account for 53 per cent of the projected 22 million additional people who could face food insecurity by the end of this year due to the Middle East escalation and disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, according to a UN Women analysis released, Anadolu reports.

That amounts to an additional 11.7 million women and girls across the 28 countries analyzed, on top of an estimated 208 million who were already food insecure or undernourished, it said.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has said that rebuilding regions destroyed in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war was beyond the state’s capacity, calling for funding as he visited the heavily damaged south, AFP reports.

“I am aware of the magnitude of the crisis” including the destruction, displacement and loss of livelihoods, Salam said in Nabatieh, a major southern city hit hard by Israeli airstrikes.

“But the scale of the needs exceeds the capacities of the Lebanese state and its ability to bear these burdens alone,” Salam added. “We still need significant funding” for reconstruction, the prime minister said.

Yemen’s armed forces spokesperson has said that air force warplanes carried out 20 precision strikes over the past three hours targeting Houthi movements, reinforcements, gatherings, personnel, vehicles and military equipment in Taiz province, Reuters reports.

The strikes hit hostile targets directly and inflicted losses on Houthi militia personnel, equipment and military movements, the spokesperson said in a post on X.

The US military has deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to protect energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar amid preparations for possible renewed military attacks on Iran, the Axios news site reported, citing two US officials and a regional source.

One battery was sent to Saudi Arabia last month to protect a key oil facility, while another was deployed to Qatar to defend a natural gas facility, according to the report.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) has said that three United Arab Emirates-linked tankers attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in the past week were on the PGSA’s non-compliance list, IRNA reports.

Several oil tankers have been hit in the strait in the recent days.

Iran has called on Iraq to lift remaining flight restrictions caused by US sanctions and fully restore normal air travel between the two countries after services partially resumed at one Iraqi airport this week, Al Jazeera reports.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Washington’s “illegal and inhumane” efforts to disrupt Iran’s trade and air transport through the “extraterritorial enforcement” of US sanctions and urged Baghdad to remove the restrictions.

It says the movement of millions of Iranian and Iraqi citizens required “an independent and responsible approach” to disagreements between the two governments.

Egypt has strongly condemned a Houthi attack targeting an electricity station in the Saudi city of Madina, describing it as a “blatant violation” and a dangerous escalation that threatens the kingdom’s security and stability, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry says it firmly rejects attempts to undermine Saudi sovereignty and expressed full solidarity with the kingdom and any measures it takes to protect its security and stability.

Cairo has added that Saudi Arabia’s security is an “inseparable part” of Arab national security and closely linked to Egypt’s own national security.

President Trump has said Iran will be “ending” very soon “one way or the other” and that when it does, oil prices will decline. He cited the country’s high rate of inflation among other factors.

Oil prices tick higher as traders weigh renewed tensions over Iran against signs of improving regional supply and efforts to ease a global diesel shortage, Al Jazeera reports.

Brent crude has risen 29 cents to $102.60 a barrel as of 00:22 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) has gained 27 cents to $93.14 in early trading.

Prices had jumped sharply on Thursday after reports that the US was sending a third aircraft carrier and up to 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East as President Donald Trump weighs renewed strikes on Iran after the November midterm elections.

“Now I have to make a decision. They’ll either sign a very fair deal, or they won’t exist any longer,” Trump has told reporters at the White House, according to Reuters.

Market concerns were also fuelled by China’s decision to halt most fuel exports for October. But those pressures were partly offset by recovering Saudi oil exports and a US push for European countries to release emergency diesel reserves.

US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran will be “hit very hard” if it is found to be linked to a pilot’s attack on a flydubai flight to Israel, AFP reports.

The dramatic events a day earlier saw passengers help stop the plane from crashing, making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before the flight’s mostly Israeli passengers were flown home to a hero’s welcome.

On whether the United States would retaliate against Iran if it was found responsible, Trump has replied: “Oh, they’ll be hit very hard, don’t worry.”

Trump’s threat coincides with a wider US military buildup in the region.

A tanker has been attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a British maritime agency said, according to AFP.

The vessel was hit by an “unknown projectile” in the strategic waterway, “resulting in a fire,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said.

The crew were reported safe, but the damage was as yet unknown, UKMTO added.

The agency did not specify which flag the tanker was flying, nor did it offer its planned route. It also did not say if it was carrying crude or liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The Pentagon has announced the award of a $24.4 billion contract for Raytheon to accelerate production of SM-6 missiles as Washington works to replace the large amount of munitions expended during the Iran war, AFP reports.

The missiles are “critical anti-air and anti-surface warfare munition. This five-year agreement, with two additional option years, will drive faster production,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

The deal “provides the defence industry with the long-term predictability needed to expand workforce capacity and secure critical supply chains,” the Pentagon added.

Raytheon confirmed in a statement Wednesday that their SM-6 “has been successfully fired from various US Navy ship-based platforms and launchers on land,” calling it a “combat-proven weapon.”

The weapons-maker also acknowledged increased efforts to meet demand.

“By continuously investing in our operations and facilities, we are removing constraints and boosting capacity to ensure we deliver this critical capability our sailors depend on,” Raytheon President Phil Jasper said in the statement.

Loud explosions were heard in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is controlled by Houthi forces, an AFP correspondent said.

The Saba agency, which is affiliated with the anti-government fighters, spoke of “Saudi aggression” on X.

AFP footage showed large plumes of smoke rising above the city.

The Saudi-led coalition says that it is continuing to take “operational measures” to deter Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Saudi-led coalition forces say that two ballistic missiles have been intercepted in the cities of Khamis Mushait and Jizan.

In a separate statement, the coalition says four drones have been intercepted and destroyed in Khamis Mushait.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has told Fox News that he is “highly confident” Europe can help ease soaring global fuel prices by drawing down emergency diesel inventories to help ease soaring global fuel prices, adding, “I think we have some positive news coming,” Reuters reports.