War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman says he has discussed the Saudi-US strategic defence partnership and coordination to strengthen regional security and stability in a phone call with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, according to Reuters.

US President Donald Trump claims that though it would take four to six weeks to eliminate the Iran “nuclear threat”, he “did it in one night”.

“The rest of the time is just to make sure it stays that way,” Trump writes in a post on Truth Social of the other seven months of conflict between Washington and Tehran.

The deputy director-general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation has expressed deep concern to AFP about the impact of the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict on agriculture in south Lebanon.

The latest war “puts additional pressure on farmers and rural communities that, frankly, were already facing considerable hardships”, the FAO’s Beth Bechdol warns.

“We’re deeply concerned” about the situation in south Lebanon, where agriculture is “at the heart” of livelihoods, she says in an interview in Beirut.

“It is our best assessment that 56,000 hectares, which is more than 22 per cent of Lebanon’s agricultural land, has been reported as affected or damaged,” including burned or physically damaged.

Israeli forces have been carrying out widespread demolitions affecting villages and farmland.

“Farmers and their families are no longer able to be connected to their agricultural land,” Bechdol says, noting that the conflict has also “disrupted markets and reduced access” to essentials for food production, including fertilisers.

The official spokesperson for a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has vowed to take “necessary measures” against Yemen’s Houthi rebels and ensure the protection of the holy cities of Madina and Makkah, after a power station in the former was attacked by the group.

Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the attack targeted the Taibah electricity distribution station in Madina, according to a coalition statement.

“The findings of investigations and inquiries conducted by the relevant authorities, based on an operational review and the debris of the drone used, established the involvement of the terrorist Houthi militia in planning and carrying out this cowardly terrorist act,” it reads.

Al-Maliki notes that one transformer was taken out of service without affecting the electricity network, adding that this “cowardly terrorist act” reinforces the Houthis’ pattern of “attempting to target the Two Holy Mosques and deliberately provoking the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world by targeting Makkah and Madina”.

“Major General Al-Maliki affirmed that the coalition would continue to take and implement the necessary measures to deter the terrorist Houthi militia, ensuring the protection of the Two Holy Mosques and the safety of the pilgrims and visitors to the holy sites in Makkah and Madina,” the statement reads.

US President Donald Trump has suggested that the pilot of a Flydubai service from Dubai to Tel Aviv, who got into a violent altercation with his co-pilot, may have links to Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Asked by a reporter if he had been briefed on whether the pilot had links to Tehran, Trump responds, “We’re working on it right now; we’re very open with them. I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes, but we’re working on it right now.”

When asked a follow-up question about whether the pilot was put on the flight by the IRGC, or radicalised elsewhere, Trump replies, “Could have been, yeah.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin expresses hope that the Strait of Hormuz will be open to shipping and that sanctions on Iran will eventually be lifted, Reuters reports.

Speaking to a forum of Russia experts, Putin says that Russia’s proposal to receive enriched uranium from Iran, if it is removed from the country, remains on the table.

Israel had warned Britain that Iran was planning an attack on an airbase, AFP reports citing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu, speaking to Fox News late on Wednesday, says Israel tipped off Britain about the plot shortly before Burnham’s government announced sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank on September 8.

“You want to hear how absurd things are there, and how far the anti-Israel propaganda has gone?” Netanyahu says. “We gave the Brits the intel that there was going to be an attack, and it’s an Iranian-sponsored attack. And pretty much the next day, they slapped sanctions on us.”

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic tells reporters that any moves on a US export ban on diesel would be “unexpected for Europeans,” AFP reports citing his comments after he spoke with US counterpart Jamieson Greer.

“It would have very dramatic consequences for our economic performance. And we clearly decided to stay in close touch to avoid any surprises here,” Sefcovic says on the sidelines of G20 talks, adding that both sides did not go into detail on energy exports.

Following a reported US threat to ban diesel exports, a White House official tells Al Jazeera that it is in Europe’s “best interests” to work with Washington as they “pursue multiple pathways to boost the supply of refined products and lowers costs for consumers”.

The official explains that they “work every day for weeks, for months on this issue”, adding, “I think you’ll see them [diesel prices] move meaningfully down in the coming weeks and days, and we’ll have some announcements about that.”

According to the official, the US is “tight on diesel because we’ve lost diesel exports from Russia … some diesel exports from the Middle East, although we’re restoring those, and we’ve lost diesel exports from China.

“So, that’s a lot of interruptions. But American refiners are running at record highs,” they add, stating that announcements from Europe about new supplies will also push prices down.

British counter-terrorism police have arrested a dual UK-Iranian national on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, amid an investigation into suspicious activity near RAF Fairford airbase, which Britain says may have had Iranian involvement, Reuters reports.

The US Treasury Department has issued new Iran-related sanctions on two individuals and over 20 entities, according to the department’s website.

Reuters reports that these new sanctions target Tehran’s rail and automotive sectors.

A Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis says the rebel group targeted a power distribution station in Madina on Tuesday, putting one transformer out of service but without affecting the electricity network, Reuters reports.

There has been no immediate comment from the Houthis on the coalition’s statement.

Iran’s acting Defence Minister Majid ibn Reza has accused the Trump administration of trying to cover up the issues it is facing as a result of waging the war, Al Jazeera reports.

“Don’t hide the confusion in the White House with fanciful war plays; public opinion pressure, troop exhaustion, and rising war costs have thrown your calculations into disarray,” he writes in a post on X, adding that the US’s claims of destroying Iran’s military capabilities “change nothing”.

“You will see Iran’s capability and initiative in the field, and you will taste its political impact,” Reza adds.

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin says Washington was aware Iran might attack a military asset in the UK, prior to the arrests of five men near the RAF Fairford airbase at the weekend, Al Jazeera reports.

“We had already been watching this with our counterparts in London, giving them a heads-up,” Mullin says in an interview with Fox News. “We just didn’t know where it was coming from.”

A US official has told Al Jazeera that the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier has departed with its strike group from its San Diego base, heading for the Middle East.

Additionally, the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Force also departed from San Diego on Monday for the Middle East, with more than 2,000 Marines as part of the landing force.

The official adds that by the end of November, three aircraft carriers and two landing groups will be deployed around Iran, noting that “leaders will have many options for dealing with Iran”.

Brent benchmark oil prices have risen by $3 after China suspended oil products exports, potentially tightening fuel markets already coping with supply shortages globally, while investors continue to assess diplomatic efforts to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, Reuters reports.

The new front-month December Brent crude futures contract has traded at $101.06 per barrel at 1452 GMT (7:52pm PKT), up three per cent, or $3.02, from Wednesday’s close.

The November contract expired on Wednesday, settling at $103.50 per barrel, marking a monthly gain of around 14pc in September for the front-month contract.

Meanwhile, US West Texas Intermediate crude futures are up $1.67, or 1.9pc, at $92.09 a barrel, having traded close to $93 earlier in the session.

Answering a question regarding contact between Pakistan and the US on mediating the Iran war, Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan says both sides “have remained in touch in the recent weeks. That is all I can say.”

Asked about Pakistan’s views on US sanctions on Iran, Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan replied that as a responsible member of the international community, the country will adhere to “all applicable sanctions regimes in accordance with international and domestic laws”.

“Pakistan reaffirms its commitment to a rule-based international system rooted in multilateralism and international law, and we remain in constant and constructive communication with all relevant stakeholders,” he tells a press briefing.

Khan adds that while Islamabad highly values its strategic partnership with Washington and remains fully committed to further strengthening long-standing ties, it stresses its strict adherence to international norms and established frameworks.

“Pakistan, being a mediator in communication between Iran and the United States, believes that it is important to continue urging both sides to exercise restraint, resolve outstanding issues through dialogue and diplomacy, and honour their respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding,” he states.

“Pakistan believes that this is the only viable pathway to resolving the conflict amicably and peacefully, in the larger interest of global peace and security.”

Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan says that during the past fortnight, envoys from Turkiye and the UK called on Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and discussed the situation in the Middle East.

In a press briefing, Khan says Dar met with Turkish Ambassador Irfan Neziroglu on September 18.

“The two sides discussed the evolving regional situation as well as progress under various bilateral institutional mechanisms aimed at advancing cooperation across a range of areas,” the spokesperson said. 

Khan adds that British High Commissioner Jane Marriott also called on Dar, and that “regional and international developments of mutual interest were also discussed”.

In a press conference, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the Makkah Defence Alliance, as well as the protection of Saudi Arabia and the city of Makkah itself.

“There needs to be complete clarity on one thing: Pakistan’s commitment to the Makkah Alliance, Pakistan’s commitment to the security and sanctity of Haramain Sharifain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is absolute. There should be no doubt on it,” he tells reporters, stating that the operationalisation of the alliance is a matter of “operational necessity and confidentiality”.

The US State Department has waived human rights conditions for more than $300 million of military aid to Egypt in light of Cairo’s “helpful role” since the launch of the US war with Iran, according to a letter to US lawmakers obtained by Reuters.

A portion of that aid is subject to human rights and democracy-related conditions which can be waived on national-security grounds. The withholding of funds, including under former US president Joe Biden, has caused friction between Cairo and Washington in the past.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio “has made a determination to waive the certification requirement with respect to $320m in FY 2025 Foreign Military Financing for Egypt”, says a letter addressed to various congressional committees, dated September 21.

That portion of military aid was deemed “necessary for counterterrorism, border security, or nonproliferation programs or is otherwise important to the national security interest of the United States”, according to an accompanying memo justifying the decision.

“Exercising this waiver authority is essential for the US-Egypt relationship and US national security priorities, particularly in light of Egypt’s helpful role following Operation Epic Fury,” the memo reads, dated September 4 and bearing Rubio’s signature.

Iran’s Fars News Agency reports that following British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s claims that Iran was involved in attempted sabotage at the RAF Fairford airbase, the British ambassador to Iran has been summoned by the foreign ministry in Tehran.

“The ambassador of that country in Tehran was summoned to the foreign ministry and Iran’s strong protest regarding this destructive approach of the UK government was conveyed to him,” Fars reports.

Iranian deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad says the United States will never be able to completely stop Iran’s oil exports, according to state news agency IRNA.

Speaking at a ceremony in Iran’s Mazandaran Province, Nikzad says the US and its allies failed in their efforts to gain control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait to pressure Iran and gain greater influence over global oil supplies.

Nikzad further says that the US cannot stop Iran’s oil exports, adding that Iran will continue to export its oil despite US pressure and sanctions, according to IRNA.

President Donald Trump has rejected reports of low US munition stockpiles in an interview with Time magazine, saying that Washington has “a lot of weapons”, and that a report from the Department of War claiming shortages was “mostly fake news”.

“You know, we’ve been stocking up for the last six months,” he says, adding that the country is in “great shape” despite his predecessor Joe Biden sending munitions to Ukraine.

“We’re also now stocking up big and making [munitions] — and we’re keeping it. You know, we’ll get it out to others, you know, our allies,” Trump adds.

Asked about what was true in the Pentagon report, Trump replies that “some forms of ammunition are a little bit lower than others”, and that the US has middle and upper middle grade munitions.

“So now we have Raytheon. We have all of them,” he adds, referring to defence contractors manufacturing ammunition. “They’re going. They’re building plants all over the country, and they’re doing a lot. They’re working 24/7, and we’re stocking up at levels we’ve never done before.”

In response to a question about his claims that the US will “annihilate” Iran, US President Donald Trump has replied that it is possible.

Trump made the remarks about destroying the country during his recent address to the UN General Assembly.

“Yeah, I would do that. It’s possible,” he tells Time magazine in an interview, calling himself the “president of peace” in response to another question.

Asked how a “president of peace” could justify annihilating Iran, Trump says, “Because by annihilating Iran, we’ve created peace in the world. With Iran, I don’t think you could ever have peace.”

He also says that bombing the country is “possible” after the midterms, without providing specific details.

“I can’t tell you that because look, you know, you’re asking, where are you going to bomb?” Trump adds.