War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Pakistan hopes an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz will lead to the United States and Iran resuming talks under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the Foreign Office (FO) says, AFP reports.

“We hope that the agreement on the Strait will pave the way for continuing dialogue, particularly the resumption of technical-level talks between Iran and the United States,” foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters.

Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, have discussed preparations for upcoming visits to the kingdom by an Iraqi security delegation, Al Jazeera reports.

The talks took place on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting on Jerusalem in the Jordanian capital, Amman, the Iraqi News Agency reported, citing a Foreign Ministry statement.

The two ministers reviewed arrangements for the security delegation’s visit and discussed reciprocal visits at various levels aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation and coordination.

Hussein later posted details of the meeting on X, saying the discussions also covered preparations for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s planned visit to Saudi Arabia, without specifying a date.

The trip would be al-Zaidi’s first visit to the kingdom since taking office as Iraq’s premier in May.

The meeting came a week after US and Saudi forces carried out deadly strikes on targets linked to Iranian-aligned groups in Iraq.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, the key maritime chokepoints in the Gulf, has reduced significantly from the previous day, Reuters reports, citing shipping data.

Just two vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz, including a Panama-flagged coal-laden carrier entering the waterway and another commodity Marshall Islands-flagged vessel exiting, shipping data from Kpler showed, down from eight vessels a day earlier.

In the Bab el-Mandeb, only one commodity vessel, a Bahamas-flagged dry bulk carrier, crossed the strait on Wednesday, Kpler data showed, down from 20 the previous day.

China’s state-owned Sinopec Corp, the world’s biggest refiner, has ramped up purchases of Far East Russian oil to compensate for Middle East supplies diminished by the Iran war, Reuters reports, citing multiple trade sources and ship tracking data.

Sinopec’s purchases of Russian oil, which is cheaper than rival grades from sources such as Brazil and West Africa, have helped it maintain relatively stable throughput and ship surplus fuel on strong export margins, despite China limiting overseas sales of fuel products from March to protect domestic supply amid the war-related trade disruptions.

Sinopec has bought a total of 30 to 40 shipments, or about 241,000 to 320,000 barrels per day (bpd), of Russia’s Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) blend for July to September deliveries, according to several of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. That equates to 5pc to 6pc of the refiner’s processing capacity of 5.2 million bpd.

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Israeli forces have escalated attacks across the district of Tyre in southern Lebanon, wounding at least four people and forcing many residents to flee their homes, Al Jazeera reports, citing the official National News Agency (NNA).

Israeli forces launched three drone attacks on the town of Burj Shemali, followed by a fourth strike by a jet on the same location, causing the injuries, NNA reported.

The victims were transferred to hospital, while many residents fled towards the city of Tyre.

Israeli jets also struck the town of al-Mansouri and the open land between al-Mansouri and Majdal Zoun three times, alongside artillery and tank fire, NNA added.

The agency also reported continuous Israeli artillery shelling from Wednesday evening into this morning, targeting al-Mansouri, Majdal Zoun, and nearby valleys, and expanding at dawn to the outskirts of Haddatha.

Additionally, Israeli forces fired machine guns towards the coastal al-Hamra area in Biyout al-Siyad, NNA said.

Several people have been wounded in overnight Israeli air strikes on the towns of Burj Shemali and al-Mansouri in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports, citing the National News Agency.

The wounded in Burj Shemali were taken to hospitals in the city, the agency reported.

Israeli artillery shelling also continued until this morning, targeting Majdal Zoun, al-Mansouri and surrounding valleys. The outskirts of Haddatha were also shelled, while machinegun fire was directed towards the coastal al-Hamra area in Bayt al-Sayyad.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has denied a Washington Post report of a clash between US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and US President Donald Trump over the war in Iran, saying that the president “loves the secretary and thinks he’s doing a tremendous job”.

Responding to a Washington Post journalist sharing the story, Leavitt said, “I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. This literally never happened, and we told the Washington Post that repeatedly”.

She said many outlets were out to “disparage the Secretary, for whatever reason”.

“Unfortunately for them, the President loves the Secretary and thinks he’s doing a tremendous job. FAKE NEWS!”

US President Donald Trump has said that the USA has “massive amounts” of munitions amid reports of dwindling defence supplies as the war with Iran continues.

In a post on Truth Social, the president said, “The US has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types. Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed. Defence companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”

He warned that the “leakers” of “treasonous statements” will be “hunted down”.

“Long-term jail sentences will be sought,” he added.

Two Israeli reserve soldiers were killed during combat in southern Lebanon, the military said, where Israel has been fighting Hezbollah, AFP reports.

The army identified them as Major Harel Birenstock, 34, a company commander in the 2855th Battalion of the 55th Brigade, and Sergeant Major Tamir Vaknin, 33, in the same battalion.

US President Donald Trump said talks with Tehran seemed “to be working out quite well,” reiterating his positive portrayal of the negotiations on the Iran war without elaborating on the specifics of the discussions, Reuters reports.

“I hear they are doing very well,” Trump said in an interview on the “FOX5 1-ON-1” show with FOX5 Las Vegas journalist Tom Durian.

“I am not looking to kill people and totally obliterate everything, and that’s where we were headed. And they wanted to negotiate and we’re doing that, and it seems to be working out quite well,” Trump said in the interview.

An oil tanker reported hearing explosions while transiting the Hormuz strait near Oman, a British maritime agency said, as Tehran and Muscat hold talks to jointly manage the key waterway.

“The Master of a tanker has reported hearing two explosions whilst transiting in the Strait of Hormuz,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on X, an incident that occurred about ten miles (16 kilometres) southeast of Kumzar, Oman.

“The report confirms that crew and vessel are safe. No environmental damage has been reported,” UKMTO said.

AFP journalist Christina Assi, who lost a leg in an Israeli strike while reporting from the Lebanese border, will be honoured at the International Press Freedom Awards, the Committee to Protect Journalists says.

In October 2023, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed and six others were wounded, including AFP journalists Assi and Dylan Collins, while covering the conflict near the Israeli border. An independent AFP investigation concluded that two Israeli 120mm tank shells were fired from the Jordeikh area inside Israel.

“Despite being the most well-documented attack on journalists by Israel on record, nearly three years on, no one has been held accountable,” the CPJ says in a statement announcing the honorees ahead of the November 19 event in New York.

“Since the attack, Assi has campaigned for justice for Abdallah’s killing, advocated for journalist safety, and supported a rehabilitation program for people with similar life-altering injuries.”

A small group of Israeli women affiliated with a far-right settler movement illegally crossed into southern Lebanon today, Al Jazeera reports citing The Times of Israel, which cited the Israeli military.

The military has since located most of the group and escorted them back into Israeli territory, while efforts continue to locate remaining members, the report says.

The women are part of the Uri Tzafon Movement, a group that advocates establishing Israeli settlements in southern Lebanon, The Times of Israel reports.

Several far-right Israeli officials, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have expressed support for Israeli settlements in southern Lebanon.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said in an interview aired by state TV on Wednesday that interaction with the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is currently “very difficult”, Reuters reports.

Yemen’s Houthis claim they attacked another Saudi oil tanker, the second in a day, as the rebels press on with their declared maritime blockade of the kingdom, AFP reports.

In a statement, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claims the rebels targeted the “Saudi oil tanker Daisy in the Gulf of Aden with a ballistic missile”.

US Central Command (Centcom) says that as part of the naval blockade of Iranian ports, American forces have redirected 48 commercial vessels, disabled two and boarded two others.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, says his country is working on a “new model” for managing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as part of an understanding with Oman, Al Jazeera reports.

He says that under the planned arrangement, ’large parts of the designated shipping route will go through Iran’s territorial waters, while some parts will also pass through Omani territorial waters.

Existing temporary routes — including a northern route near Iran’s Larak Island and a southern route in Omani waters — will be closed.

The new route in Hormuz will be used for a period of two to four months or potentially longer.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has said that an understanding has been reached between the two countries on almost all issues, including the location of entry and exit routes for maritime traffic, Al Jazeera reports.

In comments shared by Iran’s IRNA news agency, Gharibabadi says a final understanding between the two countries is “on the verge of being finalised”.

Iranian Deputy Minister of Oil Mohammad-Sadegh Azimifar says that the country’s fuel production and distribution has continued without interruption despite damage to oil infrastructure in Tehran and Alborz provinces due to attacks by the US and Israel, state news agency IRNA reports.

He has made the remarks during a visit by a parliamentary delegation to the Tehran Oil Refining Company and Rey Energy Town.

He says that despite damage to oil infrastructure, including pipelines and storage tanks, in Tehran and Alborz provinces, the production and distribution of fuel, particularly gasoline, have continued uninterrupted.

Azimifar also notes that reconstruction work at the facilities is underway, with a strong emphasis on passive defence.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country will do “whatever it takes” to ensure its security, “with or without a deal”, Al Jazeera reports.

Though Netanyahu has praised US President Donald Trump as “the greatest friend we have had in the White House”, he says, “Israel’s existence is not negotiable.”

Netanyahu is speaking at a state service for the reburial of Shimon Leib and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of Theodore Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, according to Ynet.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has had a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, amid ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Muscat over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.

Tajani says on X that Araghchi briefed him on negotiations between Iran and Oman aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic.

“I reiterated the importance of continuing the dialogue to swiftly reach a political solution to the crisis, including with the United States, and to avoid further escalations,” the Italian minister writes.

“It is essential to ensure full freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, without tolls or restrictions, in the interest of regional stability and the global economy.”

Tajani adds that he also discussed Lebanon with Araghchi.

“I hope that the ongoing negotiations in Rome will yield concrete results to consolidate the ceasefire and reach a general agreement,” he says.