War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says “sustainable security in the region must be ensured based on mutual trust, participation of regional countries, and respect for the legitimate interests of all parties”, according to Al Jazeera.

Iran is “ready to resolve existing issues and challenges through dialogue, understanding, and regional mechanisms”, he tells Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, adding “It is the interventions and divisive policies of the United States that have led to differences in our region.”

Pezeshkian says US military bases in the Middle East have no benefit and are “increasing tensions, intensifying disputes, and creating instability and insecurity”.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has criticised the US and Israel’s “unprovoked war” on the country during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Tehran, Al Jazeera reports.

“The martyrdom of the Leader of the Revolution (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), commanders, scientists, students, and targeting our country’s infrastructure did not comply with any logic or legal or international standards, and these actions were taken while the Islamic Republic of Iran was on the path of dialogue and diplomatic engagement,” the IRNA news agency quotes him as saying.

Pezeshkian says Iran “does not accept a country that relies on power and means of pressure to impose its will and desires on other nations” and calls for a world based on mutual respect and constructivism, saying he believes Russia shares “common views and approaches with Iran in this regard”.

Brent crude futures are up slightly after attacks by the Houthis on a Yemeni military training camp and renewed attacks on Saudi energy, airport and military facilities, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are up 17 cents, or 0.15 per cent, to $110.03 a barrel as of 1708 GMT (10:08pm PKT), after falling more than $3 earlier in the session as investors booked profits following last week’s rally to a five-month high.

US West Texas Intermediate is up $1.68, or 1.66pc, to $103.09 a barrel in relatively thin trade ahead of the October 20 expiry of the front-month contract.

The Iranian navy claims that US forces attacked the Konarak naval base with “two light projectiles” early this morning, Al Jazeera reports.

Two Iranian soldiers were reportedly wounded in the strikes on the facility, located in a military complex in the country’s Sistan-Baluchistan province on the southeastern coast.

“The target of the American forces in the attack on the Iranian navy this morning was a 35mm cannon,” the navy claims.

Iran has summoned Germany’s ambassador to the foreign ministry over what it described as “baseless accusations”, Reuters reports citing Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

Between 20 and 30 commercial aircraft have been destroyed during the US-Israeli war on Iran, the head of the country’s state-owned flag carrier says, Anadolu reports citing the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

Taher Abdolhai, Chief Executive Officer of Iran Air, has said at a news conference that Iran needs approximately 1,000 passenger aircraft, but currently only has around 300.

Of those, between 130 and 140 aircraft were operational before the war, with 20 to 30 destroyed during the conflict, he adds.

Abdolhai also says between 70 and 80 aircraft were targeted during the war.

He claims Israeli attacks caused particularly severe damage to Iran Air aircraft, saying some planes belonging to other operators were struck by single missiles, while one of his carrier’s aircraft was completely destroyed.

The airline chief also says international sanctions and restrictions have gradually weakened Iran Air’s operations, reducing its operational fleet and limiting access to profitable routes. He cites difficulties obtaining spare parts, financial constraints and staffing challenges as major obstacles facing the airline.

More than 45 per cent of flight departures from Saudi Arabian airports have been cancelled since October 8, Reuters reports citing data from aviation analytics company Cirium.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have carried out several attacks against Saudi energy, airport and military targets, including an Aramco site in Yanbu, the Shaybah oilfield, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha airport, Reuters reports.

There was no immediate Saudi confirmation and Reuters could not immediately verify the claims.

Saudi Arabia has decided to postpone its flagship investment conference until next year, organisers confirm in a statement, Reuters reports.

The Future Investment Initiative, or FII, was planned for October 26 to 29, but will now take place in 2027 and a new date will be announced “very soon,” the organisers say.

Reuters reported earlier that the in-person event had been scrapped and organisers were weighing rescheduling.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country has stayed out of regional conflicts by resisting provocations and avoiding traps, crediting his government’s cautious and measured approach with helping the country navigate mounting instability across the region, Anadolu reports.

“We have kept our country away from the conflicts around us. We have not yielded to provocations. We have not fallen into traps or been drawn into provocations,” he says at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.

“We have successfully managed all these difficult processes intelligently, patiently and with common sense.”

Major General Ali Abdollahi, the Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff, says that the US is “no longer the superpower it once claimed to be” since Iran remains united following Washington’s war on Tehran, state broadcaster Press TV reports.

“The US is no longer the superpower it once claimed to be; it has grown old,” he is quoted as saying. “[US President Donald] Trump tried everything but failed because the Iranian government and people remain united.”

He adds that no aggressor will be allowed to threaten Iran or violate its sovereignty.

Oil prices have slipped by more than $1 as investors take profits after prices climbed to multi-month highs last week, while keeping a close watch on conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine and assessing the impact of US waivers on some sanctions and tariffs affecting Russian exports, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are down $1.72, or 1.6 per cent, to $108.14 a barrel as of 1427 GMT (7:27pm PKT), after settling at their highest since May 19 on Friday.

US West Texas Intermediate crude is trading at $100.54 a barrel, down 87 cents, or 0.86pc, after ending last week at its highest since September 17.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has highlighted Pakistan’s mediation efforts between the United States and Iran, affirming that Islamabad “never gave up”.

Addressing the 8th Global Security Forum being held in Qatar’s capital, Doha, he notes, “The last few months have been very difficult for our region. The conflict involving Iran and the United States created serious risks not only for the Middle East, but for the entire world.”

He adds that at such a critical time, Pakistan chose the path of peace and made “every possible effort to reduce tensions”.

Naqvi, who has been involved in Islamabad’s peace efforts and has made several trips to Iran since the war began, says: “There were moments when the situation was extremely tense, but we never gave up.”

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused European nations of being “partners” in the US war on Iran, the Fars News Agency reports.

He adds that the Nato secretary general announced that more than 5,000 flights for operations against Iran have taken off from European air bases, claiming that France has “declared their support” for the war, according to Fars.

Saudi Arabia has decided to scrap in-person attendance at its flagship investment conference this year, four sources familiar with the matter tell Reuters, following deadly attacks which rocked the kingdom in recent weeks as the Middle East conflict widens, disrupting local business.

The Future Investment Initiative, or FII, was planned for October 26 to 29, but will now be held virtually or be postponed, according to the sources, who have spoken on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak publicly.

The conference, set for its 10th edition, has become a must-attend event for some of the world’s top financiers.

Dubbed “Davos in the desert,” in a nod to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Switzerland, the event has showcased the kingdom’s ambitious investment plans in a bid to attract billions of dollars needed to fund its economic transformation plan away from hydrocarbons in a pivot to tourism, sports and technology.

Saudi Arabia’s government media office has not immediately replied to a request for comment.

Saudi authorities have sent alerts to residents of the capital, Riyadh, with AFP journalists receiving phone messages warning of “a hostile aerial threat” weeks into intensified Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

“A warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Riyadh City to alert of a potential danger,” Saudi civil defence says in a statement on X, also reporting the same warning for the neighbouring Kharj area.

However, the civil defence agency has since lifted the warnings, saying “the danger has passed”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, says regional issues should be resolved through diplomacy and blames the United States for insecurity and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.

Calling on regional countries to work toward a joint security arrangement, he says, “We welcome any initiative that leads to security from within without the presence of foreign forces, and consider it the right move.”

Government agencies in Saudi capital Riyadh have told employees to work from home starting Monday, one worker and two consultants tell AFP, as the city comes under repeated attack from Yemen’s Houthis.

The Kingdom Centre, a 99-storey tower in downtown Riyadh that houses the regional office of the International Monetary Fund, has also requested workers in its offices to stay away until further notice.

On Sunday evening, an employee working for a government agency in Riyadh received a message saying “it has been decided to implement remote work from Monday to Thursday this week”.

“We ask everyone to continue their activities as normal,” it adds.

Two consultants working for two Saudi government agencies say they have received the same instructions. One of them tells AFP that he arrived at his workplace as normal this morning only to learn that remote work had been mandated.

“The email was sent internally. We are consultants, so we didn’t receive it. Once on site, we contacted the project manager on the client’s side, who informed us,” he explains.

Two other sources tell AFP that government offices located in skyscrapers in the Al-Olaya district, in central Riyadh, had been evacuated two weeks earlier.

Companies based in the King Abdullah Financial District, which hosts offices of major American firms, have also asked employees to work from home, according to other sources.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has told Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be respected, as the two meet on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Dushanbe, Reuters reports citing China’s state-run media outlet Xinhua.

China is ready to advance exchanges and cooperation across various fields with Iran, Li is quoted as saying, urging “all parties concerned” to opt for peace, resume dialogue and negotiations, and resolve differences through political and diplomatic means so as to help restore peace to the region at an early date, according to Xinhua.

An Egyptian parliamentary vote on whether to authorise the military to help defend Saudi Arabia, should the kingdom request support, has been postponed until October 26, Reuters reports.

The vote had been scheduled to take place this week.

Saudi Arabia’s Directorate of Civil Defence (DCD) has warned that filming, publishing, or sharing information related to missile and drone interception operations and impact sites could expose individuals to legal liability, Anadolu reports.

The warning has been shared on X, while the DCD has lifted a threat warning in the southern Najran region in a separate post, saying the danger has passed. It urges residents to continue following safety instructions and avoid gathering or filming.

The death toll from a Houthi missile strike on a camp in Yemen’s government-controlled Shabwa province has risen to 50, a government official tells AFP.

“The death toll has risen to at least 50, with more than 100 people injured, some of them in critical condition,” says Fahad al-Khalifi, deputy governor of Shabwa.

He adds that hospitals in the province have been overwhelmed and forced to transfer the most seriously wounded to facilities in neighbouring Hadramout and Aden.

Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi has discussed energy cooperation during a meeting with Iran’s acting oil minister, Hamid Bovard, Reuters reports citing a Qatari statement.

Qatar needs to repair damage caused by Iranian attacks on its huge Ras Laffan liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plant, which sharply cut its output amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi says most US bases in the Middle East have been “rendered inactive” and that they are incapable of launching a renewed assault on Iran, state broadcaster Press TV reports.

“The US entered the previous war with its full military might and is certainly not in a position to launch a new conflict that would bring it any additional gains,” he is quoted as saying.

“Most US bases in the region have been rendered inactive. US forces are exhausted and fatigued, and have withdrawn hundreds of kilometres from Iran.

He adds that Tehran has not ruled out the possibility of war, and that Iran’s response to aggression will be “much stronger”.