War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has called on passengers to contact airlines directly before heading to the airport, hours after multiple explosions echoed over the Saudi capital, AFP reports.

“We would like to inform passengers of the necessity to contact their airlines directly and check their flight status before proceeding to the airport,” it says in a statement posted on X.

Yemen’s Houthis claim to have again targeted Riyadh airport, after the Saudi-led coalition fighting the group said it had intercepted two missiles fired at the kingdom’s capital, AFP reports.

“Our armed forces targeted King Khalid Airport in Riyadh at midday with a ballistic missile that hit its target,” says the Houthis’ military spokesman, Yahya Saree.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country is not afraid of threats and is determined to defeat the “economic war” being waged by the US, state news agency IRNA reports.

Pezeshkian says the Iranian people’s determination and unity helped the country withstand US-Israeli aggression, and that the US economic pressure campaign “is less visible but far more arduous and severe than a military war”.

“We are committed to serving the people with all our might and to defeat the enemy’s economic war,” he is quoted as saying.

Saudi-led coalition forces have intercepted a missile which was heading towards the city of Khamis Mushait, in the kingdom’s south, a spokesperson says on X.

A military spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthi rebels has warned workers at Saudi oil facilities to avoid sites the group considers targets and has renewed threats of attacks against airlines and airports, Reuters reports.

Saudi-led coalition forces say they have intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels towards Riyadh, a statement from their spokesperson says.

Smoke has been seen rising from a stationary aircraft at Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia, Reuters reports citing a witness and three people briefed on the matter.

The aircraft was believed to be empty at the time, the three people briefed on the matter say.

There is no immediate official confirmation from Saudi authorities on the reported incident.

Oil prices have jumped on persistent worries about supply from the Middle East, amid an increase in attacks on shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are up $4.55, or 4.54 per cent, at $104.75 a barrel as of 1205 GMT (5:05pm PKT) — the highest in over a week.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude has gained $4, or 4.53pc, to $92.28, its highest since October 2.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas tells AFP that the bloc favours extending the mandate of United Nations peacekeepers in south Lebanon, where Israeli troops invaded during the latest war with Hezbollah.

“Our member states have been saying that there can’t be any security vacuum in southern Lebanon, so everybody is worried about the Unifil mandate ending,” she says in an interview during a visit to Lebanon, adding that “it would be most welcome if this mandate is extended, so that is the position of the member states”.

US President Donald Trump says that his special envoy Steve Witkoff is “doing very well” in negotiations with Iran, though he indicates that a deal is not his preferred outcome, Anadolu reports.

“He’s working on the Iran deal and doing very well. I think the deal isn’t really something that I want to do, but they’re willing to offer us anything to stop,” Trump tells supporters at a campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, adding that Tehran “will never have a nuclear weapon”.

Trump describes Witkoff as “a great negotiator” who has “done some phenomenal things,” citing the ceasefire deal in Gaza, and says that he expects the war with Iran to end soon.

“That war ends — it’s going to be very soon. It’s got to be very soon,” he says, describing Iran as “a failed nation.”

US Central Command (Centcom) has issued a statement rejecting Iranian claims that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and that the country has “full control” over the waterway.

“This is false,” Centcom says in a statement posted on X. “Traffic is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz right now, carrying commercial goods and energy supplies, including 20 million barrels of crude oil.

“The United States and regional partners clearly control the strait,” it adds.

Iran is still reviewing Washington’s response to its proposal — under which the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within seven days — and could reply within days, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says, Reuters reports citing the Tasnim News Agency.

“The diplomatic process is still continuing,” Araghchi adds.

Turkey’s foreign minister has ruled out sending troops to confront Yemen’s Houthi rebels, despite a defence pact with Saudi Arabia, AFP reports.

“This is a defence agreement,” says Hakan Fidan. “This is not an offensive agreement. That is, Turkiye will not send its troops to another country’s territory to launch an attack.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says he discussed the “evolving situation in the Gulf and emphasised the importance of restraint, de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy” with visiting Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.

“We discussed the need to ensure the safety and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab, given their importance to regional and global food and energy security,” Dar says at a joint press conference with the visiting dignitary.

For his part, Al Zayani has expressed Manama’s appreciation for Islamabad’s “principled positions on the ongoing crisis”, including its support in March for a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Iranian attacks on GCC countries.

The minister also praises Pakistan’s “efforts alongside other partners to facilitate US-Iran dialogue and de-escalation, including by hosting the Islamabad Talks” in April.

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Potential Iranian threats are not limiting American military operations across Europe or Nato territory, Anadolu reports quoting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“No. There is nothing we want or need to do against Iran that we can’t still do,” Rubio says in response to a question as he departs Greece for Portugal on the final stop of his European tour.

Oil prices soared more than five per cent following reports that the United States could launch fresh attacks on Iran before next month’s midterm elections, risking further supply disruptions, AFP reports.

International benchmark Brent North Sea crude rallied to $105.46 per barrel and the main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, was up to $92.82 per barrel.

Iran’s armed forces are stronger and more prepared than ever, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Brigadier General Mohammad Hossein Dadras said, state media reports.

He also highlighted the continued presence and resilience of the Iranian people.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has set the November official selling price of its benchmark Murban crude at $11 a barrel against Dubai quotes, it said, Reuters reports.

Iranian intelligence services are targeting US military bases in Germany, including Ramstein and Spangdahlem, amid concerns over potential covert attacks linked to the Iran conflict, German news outlet WirtschaftsWoche reports.

Iraqi Airways resumed direct flights to Iran on Thursday after a seven-month suspension that began amid the US-Israeli war on Iran in early March, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA).

The national carrier said regular daily flights would operate from Najaf International Airport to Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan.

The resumption followed efforts by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Transport Minister Wahab al-Hasani after the necessary regulatory and technical requirements were completed, the airline said.

Syria may deploy troops to help Saudi Arabia fight Yemen’s Houthis, a US official and a Syrian defence official said, as the Iran-aligned group steps up its missile and drone attacks on the kingdom, killing three people at Saudi airports this week, Reuters reports.

The possible entry of Syrian forces into the battle, an overspill of the US-Iran conflict, shows how Yemen’s reignited civil war has added new chaos to a region already aflame, and risks drawing regional states into gruelling mountain fighting.

Saudi Arabia has pushed for support from allied nations, including Turkey and Pakistan, even if only in a logistical or purely defensive capacity, an effort made more urgent by the Houthi strikes on its infrastructure such as this week’s deadly airport attack.

Gulf stock markets fell in early trade as attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz reached their highest levels of the war, cutting traffic through the vital waterway and deepening fears over supply, Reuters reports.

The latest attack came on Wednesday, when a tanker was hit by multiple projectiles 51 nautical miles north of Qatar’s Madinat ash Shamal, causing casualties, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The surge in attacks came just as Gulf producers were pushing to export more.

Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index dropped 0.9 per cent, with the country’s biggest lender by assets, Saudi National Bank, declining 2.6pc.

Shipping traffic quickly took the hit. The number of vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest in more than two months, shipping data showed.

Diplomats have been instructed to shelter in place in their respective embassies in the Saudi capital, diplomats tell AFP, as residents say international schools are also taking precautions, with at least one facility sending children into a basement for safety.

The measures come after repeated blasts were heard in the city, in one of the loudest disturbances since the beginning of the Middle East war.

Two people working in Riyadh’s business hub — the King Abdullah Financial District — tell AFP that some companies are evacuating staff from the area.

Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi says the actual death toll among US soldiers and the destruction of US military assets is “far higher” than publicly disclosed, adding that “CENTCOM won’t let a sitting Senator inspect bases it claims are fine.“