War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

A $8.4 billion oil recovery project mentioned by President Donald Trump is not part of a strategic investment agreement between the US and South Korea, Reuters reports citing South Korean news agency Yonhap, which cites an industry ministry official.

The official says an inquiry has been sent to the US side through communication channels, according to the report.

Mohsen Rezaei, Chairman of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has mocked US President Donald Trump, calling him the worst president in American history and adding that while he keeps talking, “his words have even outrun his own fantasies”.

“You can win every day in your own imagination. But reality is shaped by Iran — by its people, its soldiers, and its missiles,” he writes on X.

China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Sun Lei says, “Iran’s legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy should be respected,” according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed the G7’s decision to release 100 million barrels of oil in coordination with partner states and the International Energy Agency (IEA).

“We welcome the decision of G7 countries not to impose any export bans on allies and the continued solidarity between partners [and] we support an IEA-coordinated release of fuel stocks,” she writes on X. “Our citizens need and deserve affordable energy.”

The hunger crisis in Yemen threatens to become “absolutely devastating” as renewed fighting grips the country, the UN’s World Food Programme has warned, AFP reports.

The WFP said that unless the international community stepped up its efforts to help, the outlook was bleak.

“Hunger in Yemen today is accelerating before our eyes,” said Matthew Hollingworth, WFP’s assistant executive director for programme operations.

The latest flare-up “threatens to be absolutely devastating” for food security in the country, he told a press conference in Geneva, speaking from Rome.

“We are scaling up as the WFP, but we’re doing so with very limited resources and access to areas that we need to get into,” he said, warning that the crisis could compound “far beyond” Yemen’s borders.

Syria has condemned “in the strongest terms” an attack by Yemen’s Houthis on an electricity distribution station in Madina, describing it as a “flagrant violation” of Saudi sovereignty and international law, Al Jazeera reports.

Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, calling for an immediate end to the targeting of civilian sites and holy placea, says Damascus stands “fully” with Riyadh in “all legitimate measures” to protect its security, stability and territorial integrity.

Following a meeting of the G7, French President Emannuel Macron says the group will work together to reduce the prices of petroleum products — particularly diesel — and has agreed to release 100 million barrels within four months, in coordination with partners and the International Energy Agency.

In a post on X, Macron writes that the G7 has also agreed to make production more flexible to produce at the maximum capacity of its refineries, alongside taking no measures to restrict the exchange of energy and petroleum products between partner nations.

US President Donald Trump has announced in a post on Truth Social that Europe has agreed to release a “massive amount” of its diesel oil stocks and that the process “will begin immediately”.

US President Donald Trump says a deal with South Korea includes an $8.4 billion oil recovery programme, amid global shortages caused by the Iran war.

“Producing more oil and gas means American energy dominance and energy security in the world for the future!” Trump writes on his Truth Social platform.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has spoken with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over the telephone and expressed condolences for the death of his sister, the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

“The prime minister expressed his deepest sympathies to Foreign Minister Araghchi and his family and offered prayers for the departed soul, praying that Allah Almighty may grant her eternal peace and give strength and fortitude to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss,” it reads.

The PMO adds that Araghchi thanked PM Shehbaz for the call and for sharing in his grief.

Oil prices have fallen more than $3 after reports of talks in Europe on additional diesel and crude stock releases, easing concerns over tight global energy supplies, Reuters reports.

Brent is down $3.06, or three per cent, at $99.25 a barrel as of 1409 GMT (7:09pm PKT). West Texas Intermediate has dropped $3.95, or 4.25pc, to $88.92 a barrel.

A US energy department electrical engineer has been arrested for allegedly supporting Yemen’s Houthi rebels by purchasing materials for homemade explosives and drones and travelling to Yemen, Anadolu reports citing US local media.

“Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested [on] Thursday and is due to make his first court appearance Friday,” CBS News reports, citing the US Justice Department.

Ellaboudy sought to help the Houthis enhance their communications capabilities and travelled to Yemen last September, CBS News, citing a claim by the FBI.

“Ellaboudy used a passport issued to him when he was working at the US Army Corps of Engineers to make his way to Oman, then bordering Yemen,” CBS News quotes the Justice Department as saying.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto says contributions to an EU naval mission protecting Red Sea shipping remain insufficient, as Rome presses allies to do more to safeguard traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Reuters reports.

In a statement issued after meeting in Rome with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Crosetto welcomes a decision by some member states to contribute additional assets to Aspides, without identifying the countries involved.

“However, those contributions are still not enough to guarantee the safe passage of merchant vessels,” Crosetto said.

The European Union’s Aspides mission was launched in 2024 to protect commercial shipping from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, with diplomats saying six warships are currently deployed.

The 277th Corps Commanders’ Conference in Rawalpindi has condemned Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia.

“It (the forum) strongly resented Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, expressed solidarity with the kingdom and affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the security and sanctity of the Haramain Sharifain,” the Inter-Services Public Relations says in a statement.

Brigadier General Esmaeil Qaani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force unit, says the US has been expelled from Iraq and has suffered a humiliating defeat against Iran, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

Qaani adds that the US “believed they could force Iran to surrender within four days or at most two weeks, but instead faced circumstances completely different from their calculations”, the news agency adds.

On Iraq, he says “This year’s anniversary is being observed at a time when the US, despite possessing vast resources and equipment, has been expelled from Iraq, and the Iraqi people are celebrating this victory, thanks to the resistance of the Iraqi nation and the heroes of the Resistance Front.

“Today we witness the unity of the arenas within the Resistance Front, with each of its components catching the enemy off guard through prudent planning and calculated actions.”

The EU presidency says it will convene a meeting today of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU to discuss the global energy situation, according to Al Jazeera.

“The diesel market is currently very tight, leading to high prices for consumers ⁠across the world,” a spokesperson ‌says. “The Presidency is committed to maintaining close ⁠collaboration and ⁠coordination with all ⁠member states and the Commission.”

Oil prices are down more than two per cent after reports of talks in Europe on additional diesel and crude stock releases, easing concerns over tight global energy supplies, Reuters reports.

Brent is down $2.53, or 2.47pc, at $99.78 a barrel as of 1202 GMT (5:02pm PKT). West Texas Intermediate dropped $3.32, or 3.57pc, to $89.55 a barrel.

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.