War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy has said a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas struck a naval mine and suffered an explosion in the Strait of Hormuz while using what they described was an “unauthorised and dangerous route”, state media reported, according to Reuters.

No details on the tanker were immediately available.

Oil prices inched down and were headed for a second weekly decline as a continued US blockade of Iran eased fears of renewed fighting in the Middle East, though shipping attacks remained a supply risk, Reuters reports.

Brent futures fell 28 cents, or 0.29 per cent, to $95.54 a barrel at 0527 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures declined by 56 cents, or 0.63pc, to $88.18 a barrel.

Friday’s declines reversed two days of gains amid a volatile trading week, with earlier hopes for a rapprochement in the US-Israel war against Iran, now in its ninth month, offset by strikes on Saudi Arabian infrastructure by Yemens Iran-backed Houthis and attacks on tankers shipping crude out of the Gulf.

The UN Security Council unanimously agreed to renew the Yemen sanctions regime for another year, Anadolu reports.

The resolution allows targeted financial and travel sanctions against designated Yemeni individuals until Nov. 14, 2027.

The resolution also added some individuals in Yemen to the sanctions list and condemned the Houthi group’s maritime and cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia as well as their threats to commercial vessels.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they targeted a US early-warning radar in Bahrain, the first such claim of an attack on American military assets in a Gulf country since early September, Reuters reports.

The Guards say the strike was in retaliation for what they described as an air attack on a telecommunications tower in Iran’s southern Sirik county, in Hormozgan province, according to Iranian state media.

The claim comes amid a fragile lull in the conflict between Iran and the US, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and has since spread across the region.

There was no immediate comment from the US or Bahrain.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government has welcomed a UN Security Council resolution condemning Houthi attacks but criticised the council for failing to designate the group as a terrorist organisation, Al Jazeera reports.

Yemen’s ambassador to the UN, Abdullah al-Saadi, says the resolution came at a critical moment as the Houthis intensified military operations and threatened maritime security in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.

“We regret that the council was unable to call things by their names and describe the Houthi militias as terrorist groups,” he says, according to Yemen’s state news agency SABA.

The Security Council has unanimously adopted the resolution, extending financial and travel sanctions related to the conflict in Yemen.

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi has discussed developments in the Yemeni conflict and efforts to achieve peace in the country and the region with China’s envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, Al Jazeera reports.

Al-Alimi expresses appreciation for China’s diplomatic endeavours, saying his government “engaged positively with all de-escalation initiatives and made genuine concessions for the benefit of the Yemeni people”, according to a statement.

“However, the Houthi militias, backed by Iran, have exploited these gestures,” the statement reads, adding that “there can be no peace with a group that claims a divine right to rule and challenges the state’s exclusive authority”.

Several international airlines have extended the suspension of flights to Saudi Arabia as Houthi missile and drone attacks continue to disrupt aviation across the kingdom, Al Jazeera reports.

Indian carrier Akasa Air has announced that all flights to and from Riyadh and Jeddah would remain suspended until November 30, citing ongoing security concerns. Another Indian airline, IndiGo, has extended its suspension of services to Riyadh and Dammam until November 30, while flights to Jeddah and Medina remain cancelled until November 21. Air India and Air India Express have also suspended flights to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam until November 14.

European carriers have announced longer suspensions. KLM has cancelled services to Riyadh and Dammam until November 27, while British Airways has postponed the resumption of its London-Riyadh route until January 11, 2027.

The United Arab Emirates’ Etihad Airways has suspended flights to Riyadh and Dammam until November 19, while Oman’s SalamAir has cancelled services to both cities until November 30.

The disruptions follow repeated Houthi attacks targeting Saudi airports, energy facilities and other infrastructure, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

US President Donald Trump says Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf countries have asked him to hold off on further large-scale attacks against Iran, claiming he could destroy the country’s energy infrastructure, bridges and manufacturing facilities within three days, Al Jazeera reports.

In an interview with Stephen A Smith at the White House, Trump has said he could end the war immediately but was maintaining economic and military pressure at the request of regional allies.

“Saudi Arabia has asked me to please just let it be the way it is now for a while,” he says, adding that Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain prefer the current approach. “I’m not sure I agree with it,” Trump adds.

Asked whether he would have launched further attacks without those requests, Trump replies: “Yes, I would.”

“In one day their energy is gone. In one day their bridges are gone. And in one day their manufacturing capability is gone. It would only take me three days,” he has said.

Trump has also acknowledged that rising petrol prices caused by the war had contributed to the Republicans’ defeat in the midterm elections, but defended his decision to attack Iran.

The United Kingdom says it will work with UN Security Council members to introduce further restrictions on components used by Yemen’s Houthis to manufacture weapons, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking after the council unanimously renewed sanctions on Yemen, British Ambassador Sarah MacIntosh has said the resolution strengthens enforcement of the existing arms embargo.

She says the measures address the Houthis’ reliance on dual-use components and precursor chemicals to support domestic weapons production.

“We look forward to working with Council members in the coming months to agree a list of dual-use items to be subject to measures within the sanctions regime,” MacIntosh says.

The ambassador also warns of Yemen’s worsening humanitarian crisis, saying more than 22.3 million people need assistance and protection, while recent fighting had displaced more than 330,000 people.

She has called for the immediate and unconditional release of UN, humanitarian, civil society and diplomatic personnel detained by the Houthis. The UN said in October that more than 70 of its personnel were in Houthi detention.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government has denied reports of its forces withdrawing from Dhubab in western Taiz governorate, Al Jazeera reports.

The Yemeni information ministry says that pro-Houthi social media accounts circulated a video that allegedly showed government forces withdrawing from the coastal town.

“The media verification centre of the Yemeni ministry of information has investigated the matter and determined that the claim is false and misleading”, adding “there is no truth to what the terrorist Houthi militia is promoting,” the ministry’s statement says.

The Saudi-led coalition says a drone has been intercepted and destroyed in the kingdom’s eastern region.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has emphasised the need for dialogue to maintain regional stability in a conversation with the president of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, according to state media.

IRNA reports that the two exchanged views on the current regional and international developments on the sidelines of COP31 in Antalya.

President Donald Trump’s administration is set to extend a waiver to a US law in the coming days, allowing some foreign-flagged ships to transport oil and other commodities between US ports, Reuters reports citing four industry sources.

The waiver is one of the tools the administration has used to try to lower diesel and gasoline prices, which have been driven higher by the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

The extension will require individual voyages to undergo case-by-case review rather than allowing foreign ships to receive blanket exemptions from the Jones Act, two sources say.

The waiver may come as early as Thursday, one of the sources says.

A White House official says no decision has yet been made on the extension of the Jones Act waiver, adding that any announcements will be made by Trump or his administration.

Yemen’s Houthis have claimed two attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, while also denying targeting Makkah.

In a post on X, the group’s spokesperson, Yahya Saree, says a pumping station on the East-West Pipeline was hit by a drone, while an oil facility in Yanbu was targeted by a missile.

“The criminal Saudi enemy’s claims that two missiles were intercepted over Makkah are a grave falsehood,” Saree adds.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has warned countries that any “direct or indirect involvement in acts of aggression or in inhumane economic terrorism against Iran” will be regarded as a “hostile and unlawful act amounting to participation in the US aggression against Iran”.

Such acts include the deployment of naval forces, military and logistical support equipment, and personnel.

“Invoking seemingly legitimate pretexts such as ‘protecting freedom of navigation’ or ‘countering piracy’ does not alter the unlawful and hostile nature of such actions,” Baqaei said on X.

“Our message is unequivocal: No bilateral agreement or commitment with the United States can constitute legitimate grounds for violating a state’s obligations under international law or for participating in the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran.”

He further warned that any state that would participate in such unlawful aggressions, in “whatever form”, would bear “full responsibility for the resulting repercussions”.

The Iranian military says two “offending” oil tankers, which were travelling through a “prohibited” route in the Strait of Hormuz, have hit sea mines and caught fire, state news agency IRNA reports.

Saudi Arabia is pressing the EU to designate Yemen’s Houthi movement as a terrorist organisation, but has yet to overcome European concerns that this could undermine a future peace process, Reuters reports citing six European officials.

The officials say that European countries worry listing the Houthis as a terrorist group would close off the limited channels they maintain with the group and potentially undermine any European involvement in a future peace process in Yemen.

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Major General Mohsen Rezaei has warned that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force is fully prepared to deliver “new surprises” on the battlefield in the event of another attack by the US-Israeli enemy, Press TV reports.

“The missile industry of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a distinguished symbol of faith, courage, and innovation, which has become one of Iran’s most important deterrence tools and one of the firm pillars safeguarding the independence and security of our dear Iran,” he said.

“Today, the IRGC Aerospace Force has placed the wise commands and directives of the commander-in-chief at the forefront of its actions,“ he added.

A vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 14 nautical miles northwest of the UAE state of Ras Al-Khaimah on Wednesday, causing a fire in its engine room, Reuters reports citing British maritime agencies, which have published reports today.

Firefighting efforts were under way and all crew had been evacuated, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) says.

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the vessel was struck at the stern while leaving the Strait of Hormuz, adding that no injuries or pollution have been reported.

In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump has said that his Vice President JD Vance should turn his focus on corruption within the US rather than pursuing a peace agreement with Iran.

“We don’t need a deal with Iran,” he writes, noting that those days have “long since passed”.

“We’ve got their money, hundreds of billions of dollars and we’ve got their Strait!” he adds, referring to the Strait of Hormuz.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit in Turkiye, with both leaders exchanging views on the latest regional developments.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Shehbaz has highlighted the efforts of regional countries, including members of the Makkah Defence Alliance, to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East.

Both leaders also “underscored the importance of adherence by all parties to their commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding to ensure durable and lasting peace in the wider region”.

Belgian security services have identified possible links between Iranian-linked hacker groups and recent cyberattacks targeting refrigeration systems at supermarkets and retailers across the country, Anadolu reports citing Interior and Security Minister Bernard Quintin.

Speaking to Belgian news agency Belga, Quintin says authorities are examining indications that actors associated with Iran may have been involved in the incidents.

“In Belgium too, the security services speak of indications of possible links to known Iranian actors. The federal prosecutor’s office is investigating these indications further,” he explains. “We take these cyberattacks extremely seriously and are deploying all the resources needed to assess the threat.”

Israeli caretaker defence minister Israel Katz says the outgoing coalition does not need permission from the opposition to decide on fresh military operations, following calls to show restraint, AFP reports.

“We do not need approval from the opposition or any legal authority” for the army to carry out strikes in any of the arenas where it operates, Katz writes on X.

The leader of the opposition bloc, Gadi Eisenkot, has called on caretaker prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint, warning that the use of force without a “direct and immediate threat” could have “disastrous consequences for Israeli democracy and for citizens’ trust”.