War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi says the actual death toll among US soldiers and the destruction of US military assets is “far higher” than publicly disclosed, adding that “CENTCOM won’t let a sitting Senator inspect bases it claims are fine.“

Several explosions echoed across the Saudi capital Riyadh, AFP journalists heard, during the war between the kingdom and Houthi fighters in Yemen.

The Iran-backed group has claimed repeated attacks targeting Riyadh airport in recent days along with salvos aimed at critical infrastructure and military sites elsewhere in Saudi Arabia.

The first commercial flight operated by a foreign airline to fly into Iran since the outbreak of the Middle East war landed, state media reported, after the United States granted a sanctions waiver for Iraq’s national carrier to fly to the Islamic republic, AFP reports.

State TV broadcast a short video of the Iraqi Airways flight landing in capital Tehran from Iraq’s Najaf, a city holy to Shia Muslims, adding that it was a round-trip service.

“Operated by Iraqi Airways, the flight took off from Najaf Airport and landed successfully at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran at 6:50 am (0320 GMT),” state TV said.

Crude prices soared more than three per cent after a report said the White House has asked the Pentagon to draw up options to hit sites in Iran ahead of the US midterm elections.

Global benchmark Brent surged 3.6pc to $130.80 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was up 3.4pc at $91.27, fuelling fresh fears about a spike in inflation.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy’s political deputy Ali Mohammadi has said the oil market also understands that US President Donald Trump is “lying” about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Press Tv reports.

“If oil and ships are really passing through the Strait of Hormuz, why isn’t the oil market reacting accordingly?” Mohammadi said. “Because the market also understands that you are lying.”

Saudi authorities said three people were killed in attacks on two of the kingdom’s international airports, including in the capital Riyadh, after Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have fired on both transport hubs, AFP reports.

The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed a wave of attacks on Saudi civilian infrastructure in recent weeks, which came as Riyadh-backed forces pressed a counter-offensive against the group’s territorial gains.

Since Yemen’s civil war reignited in July, more than 200,000 people have been displaced within the country, the United Nations said Wednesday.

The Yemeni army said that 1,860 Houthis were “neutralized” in 2,103 targeting operations across multiple fronts as part of Operation “Dawn of Yemen,” Anadolu reports.

Armed forces spokesman Col. Majid al-Nuzaili said the military carried out 2,103 “precision targeting operations” against Houthi positions and movements on various fronts.

He said the operations destroyed hundreds of pieces of military equipment and Houthi positions.

Al-Nuzaili did not specify how many of the 1,860 Houthis were killed or wounded.

President Donald Trump was repeatedly interrupted by protesters at a rally in Texas, with media reporting about a dozen people were escorted from the rally, Reuters reports.

The 80-year-old Republican brushed off the interlopers as “paid protesters,” and the crowd repeatedly broke into chants of “U-S-A!” and booed them.

The cost of living has become a central issue in the run-up to the elections, with fuel prices hitting record highs as Trump’s unpopular war in Iran drags into its eighth month.

Oil prices rose on persistent worries about supply from the key Middle East producing region amid an increase in attacks on shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, while the US cut output as a hurricane menaced offshore production, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures rose $2.28, or 2.28 per cent, to $102.28 a barrel by 0427 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained $1.66, or 1.88pc, to $89.94.

Prices settled lower on Wednesday after the International Energy Agency agreed to accelerate the release of oil stocks and to prioritize diesel supplies under a plan launched in March, as governments seek to tackle record fuel prices and supply disruptions caused by the Iran war.

The Houthi militia claimed down a Saudi-operated Akinci drone over Yemen’s Taiz area.

Yemen’s Houthis have said that they struck the Saudi capital’s main international airport with a ballistic missile, in another attack on the kingdom claimed by the group, AFP reports.

The claim came a day after the anti-government fighters said they launched a series of attacks in Saudi Arabia that killed three people, and after the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government announced a major counter-offensive against the Houthis.

“Our armed forces successfully targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile, which accurately struck its target and disrupted airport operations,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on X.

This marks the third time this week that the group has claimed responsibility for an attack on the airport.

“We reiterate our call and warning – for the last time – to all international airlines against continuing to operate flights through Saudi airspace,” Saree added.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has said one of its posts was targeted near the border with Israel by small-arms fire, but there were no casualties, AFP reports.

“This morning, several rounds of small arms fire impacted a UNIFIL position near Kfar Shouba along the Blue Line in Sector East,” the UN force said in a statement, referring to the de facto border between Israel and Lebanon.

The blue helmets described the shooting as “unacceptable”.

“Such deliberate attacks gravely endanger the lives of peacekeepers,” it said, adding that it was investigating the incident.

A tanker sailing off the north coast of Qatar reported being struck “by multiple projectiles”, causing an unspecified number of casualties, the UKMTO maritime agency says, Reuters reports.

The incident took place 51 nautical miles (94 kilometres) off the coast of the tiny Gulf state, the British agency said, adding that authorities were investigating. It did not specify the origin of the ship.

The reported attack was around 500 kilometres from the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani says US President Donald Trump’s claims about the resignation of Iran’s oil minister due to pressure from the war are “a futile effort to hide his own failures”, Al Jazeera reports.

She says the oil minister’s resignation is “not a sign of weakness”, but flexibility in a stable political system.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that the country’s officials are serious about using diplomacy to secure national interests and security, noting that Iran is still determined to defend itself, Al Jazeera reports.

In a meeting with Iranian officials, Araghchi says Tehran’s delegation to the UN General Assembly presented the proposed seven-day peace plan to the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to a message on his Telegram channel.

Oil prices have fallen in choppy trade after the International Energy Agency agreed to speed up the release of oil stocks and prioritise diesel to curb record-high fuel prices as the Iran war squeezes global supplies, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are down 50 cents, or 0.5 per cent, to $100.08 a barrel as of 1:18pm Eastern Time (10:18pm PKT). US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures are down $1.18, or 1.32pc, to $88.26.

The US embassy in Riyadh has issued an advisory urging American nationals in the region to “exercise heightened vigilance” amid attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

“The Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including against civilian airports, and the military conflict has the potential to escalate,” the department warns.

US nationals have been advised to be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions, and to check flight departure status directly with the airline and with the airport.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), in a statement, says three people have been killed in attacks on the kingdom’s Abha and King Khalid airports on Oct 6 and 7.

Noting that the airports were targeted in two separate attacks, GACA says emergency teams and authorities responded to the incidents immediately and in accordance with established protocols.

“At Abha International Airport, the attack resulted in two fatalities, both female residents of Moroccan and Algerian nationalities … as well as 28 injuries involving Saudi citizens, a Bangladeshi resident, and a Filipino resident, ranging from minor to critical,” the statement reads.

“At King Khalid International Airport, the attack resulted in one fatality, a resident of Sudanese nationality,” GACA says, adding that eight injuries were reported, ranging from minor to critical.

GACA adds that all of the injured were transported to a hospital for appropriate medical care and that the attacks also caused some property damage.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu says he will make 10 million barrels of diesel available to distributors in France, in a bid to help ease pressure on fuel prices, AFP reports.

The diesel, which was purchased before the recent price surge and would be made available at cost price, would “automatically lower prices at the pump by an estimated 12 to 18 cents per litre”, he says during a televised address.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for regional peace and stability, as well as its role as a mediator in the Iran war during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) says.

During the UN chief’s visit to Pakistan, PM Shehbaz highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to promote dialogue and de-escalation, particularly as a mediator between the US and Iran.

“He reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy remains the only viable path to resolving disputes and preventing escalation,” the PMO says.

Guterres “particularly appreciated Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to promote dialogue, mediation and de-escalation, and welcomed its continued commitment to multilateralism and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter”, the statement added.

Switzerland has announced nearly $2 million in humanitarian aid to Yemen, with $1.2m in emergency aid to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and nearly $780,000 to the World Food Programme in support of Yemen, Al Jazeera reports citing the Swiss Foreign Ministry.

The ministry calls on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and encourage dialogue.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call that Moscow is ready to help efforts to mediate the Middle East war, AFP reports citing Iranian state media.

The Russian leader and Pezeshkian, in their call, have spoken of the “positive and expanding trajectory of relations” between the two allies, stressing the need to further deepen ties, state news agency IRNA reports.

On the war, Putin “referred to efforts by some countries to mediate and help reduce tensions, saying that Russia supports” them, the agency reports, adding that Putin said that Iran “can be assured that Moscow is also ready to play a role and provide assistance in this regard”.

Oil prices have risen, with Brent futures holding above $100 a barrel on supply concerns as investors weigh a surprise drop in US crude stocks, global war-driven bottlenecks, and a storm heading for US oil-producing regions, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are up $1.29, or 1.28 per cent, to $101.87 a barrel as of 1452 GMT (7:52pm PKT). US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 22 cents, or 0.25pc, to $89.66.

The Royal Saudi Navy’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Muhammad al-Ghurairi, has received the commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, Vice Admiral Curt Renshaw, and his team for talks in Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera reports citing a statement from Riyadh’s defence ministry.

Both commanders have discussed cooperation between Riyadh and Washington to enhance maritime security and promote freedom of navigation in the region, a post on X by the defence ministry says.