Pakistan hosts the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April; the talks end without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown
US, Iran hold high-level talks in Switzerland on June 20 after signingpreliminary agreement to end the war; hold talks in Doha on July 1, with mediators citing “positive progress”
US launches strikes on Iran on July 8 in response to attacks on ships in Hormuz, Tehran retaliates as strait heats up again
Yemen’s civil war flares up after Saudi-backed government attacks Sanaa airport
Billionaire technology investor Peter Thiel has voiced strong scepticism about the US war on Iran, saying Washington should never have launched the conflict, Anadolu reports citing Politico.
“I’m sceptical of [the war], I think we should not have done it,” Thiel has said at a private event on Oct 12, according to audio obtained by Politico. “There were a lot of mistakes that were made.”
Thiel, a major Republican donor and longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, also questioned whether the US had the means to sustain its position in the conflict.
“Maybe we don’t have the hard power. Maybe we’re going to lose the soft power war,” he says.
In the lecture, part of a series held in Nashville, Thiel has also reportedly expressed opposition to neoconservative foreign policy and US military intervention in the Middle East. His comments reportedly suggest concern that the war could have consequences beyond the battlefield, particularly for Washington’s international standing.
Anti-American propaganda is a common sight on the streets of the Iranian capital, but authorities have gone a step further with their latest effort — a life-size jail cell with an actor playing US President Donald Trump languishing inside.
The 3D art installation is proving a hit with locals, who have been stopping to take selfies as well as hurl abuse at Trump, who is accused by Tehran of war crimes during the Middle East war.
A prison cell is suspended several stories high in Tajrish Square in an upscale neighbourhood of north Tehran. Inside is an actor dressed in a dark suit and red tie and wearing a prosthetic mask to look like the US president, as he paces around the cell or clutches its bars.
A screen set up nearby shows messages denouncing US “war crimes”.
Some locals are having fun with the installation, with one passerby jokingly telling Trump, “Don’t worry, we’ll pay your bail and get you out!”
Others have used it as a target for their anger, with one teenager shouting, “Trump, this time we’re going to kill you!”
Tehran’s municipal authorities, which are behind the campaign, say they want to remind the capital’s residents of Iran’s demands for justice.
Pedestrians take pictures of an Iranian actor wearing a mask depicting US President Donald Trump as he poses inside a mock prison cell installed onto a street billboard at Tajrish Square in Tehran, Iran on October 21, 2026. — AFP
At least 1,574 people have been killed and 6,939 others injured in Yemen since the latest military escalation began in August, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In a report seen by Anadolu, the UN health agency says it has recorded 8,513 casualties since the beginning of August, including 1,574 deaths and 6,939 injuries as of Oct 19, without specifying whether the casualties are civilians, military personnel, or both.
The agency adds that 292 people were killed and 1,048 others injured during the latest eight-day reporting period.
Essential staff at the headquarters of Saudi oil giant Aramco in the country’s east have been told to evacuate, two sources briefed on the matter tell AFP, after their non-essential colleagues were told to work from home since last week.
Most staff had already been working remotely since Yemen’s Houthis hit the Dhahran facility last week, three sources say, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, with only essential staff on site.
Those essential employees have now also been told to work from home until further notice, two of the sources add.
Yemen’s Houthis said they had launched attacks on Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry in Riyadh, Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, where Saudi authorities said two people were killed, Reuters reports.
There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of attacks in Riyadh and Yanbu.
Brent prices have risen to their highest since May after more Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoke concerns over an escalation of the Middle East conflict and further disruptions to crude oil supplies from the world’s key exporting region, Reuters reports.
Brent crude futures have climbed $3.06, or 2.81 per cent, to $111.88 a barrel as of 1104 GMT (4:04pm PKT). They hit $112.55 a barrel earlier in the session, the highest since May 18.
US West Texas Intermediate crude has gained $2.04, or 2.1pc, to $99.19, after hitting $100.07 a barrel earlier.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty says all options must be explored to find a political solution between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, AFP reports.
At a press conference where he reiterates solidarity with Saudi Arabia, he stresses “the necessity of exploring all avenues for reaching political solutions”.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will host meetings of the top diplomats of the R4 mechanism — Turkiye, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia — and Europe’s E3 mechanism — UK, Germany, and France — including an unprecedented combined format in Istanbul on Friday, Anadolu reports.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan will attend, according to Turkish foreign ministry sources.
The meetings are set to address regional issues, such as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and developments related to Yemen, among others.
Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, warns that any action against Iran comes at a cost, IRNA reports.
“If diplomacy can create this understanding, we prefer diplomacy; but if the war continues, Iran has the necessary means to sustain its response,” he said.
Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, says that the negotiations with the United States have been halted, and if a war breaks out, undersea internet cables, data centres, and AI facilities could be among Iran’s targets, IRNA reports.
Saudi Aramco has instructed staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran and work remotely, Reuters reports, citing six anonymous sources “with knowledge of the matter”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have threatened to strike American bases across the Middle East if the US military continues to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.
“The US military must know that if this trend continues, the conflict will extend to its bases in the region,” the Guards have said in a statement on their Sepah News website.
The Greek finance ministry says it is implementing sanctions in place linked to Iran and that it backs efforts to effectively combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, Reuters reports.
The statement comes after the US Treasury Department said that the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an administrative subpoena to advance an investigation into a Greek bank, which it did not name.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it had targeted four ships in the northern part of the Arabian Gulf that it said were transferring oil cargoes from one vessel to another, Reuters reports.
The IRGC’s naval forces said in a statement that “fires were still burning on the targeted ships.”
It added that the four vessels had been spotted transferring oil between ships and were targeted simultaneously for sailing along “unauthorised routes.”
Oil prices rallied over $2 a barrel after more Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked concerns over a broader escalation of conflict and further disruptions to crude supplies from the world’s key exporting region, Reuters reports.
Brent crude futures climbed$2.82, or 2.59 per cent, to $111.64 a barrel at 0626 GMT, close to a five-month high. US West Texas Intermediate crude gained $2.24, or 2.31pc, to $99.39.
“Oil prices remain well bid, with ICE Brent back above $110 per barrel this morning following additional deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia,” ING analysts said in a note on Thursday.
The US and Israeli militaries have developed plans for renewed strikes against Iran after the US midterm elections, with preparations advancing for a potential short but intensive campaign, The New York Times reports.
Citing US officials and other people briefed on the deliberations, the newspaper reported that the two militaries have stepped up exercises, including flights over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers.
Potential targets could include Iran’s nuclear facilities, missile and drone arsenal, and energy infrastructure, according to the report.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss possible new strikes, the newspaper reported.
India’s imports of Middle Eastern crude oil surged in September, returning to pre-war levels, while its refiners cut back purchases of Russian oil amid stiff competition with China, ship tracking data showed, Reuters reports.
Refiners snapped up spot cargoes as Middle Eastern producers and traders cranked up shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, easing supply constraints caused by the Iran war.
The world’s third-biggest oil importer initially raised Russian crude imports to compensate for reduced Middle Eastern supplies at the onset of the war.
US President Donald Trump says Washington is doing “very well militarily and financially” against Tehran, describing the war as “a little conflict against Iran,” Al Jazeera reports.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Trump was asked whether he had given up on negotiating with the Iranians. “No, I think we’re not negotiating with – we are going to have something one way or the other. It’ll happen fairly soon,” he said.
“Most people seem to think it’s after the election, and we’re going to see what happens,” he added, referring to the upcoming US midterm elections.
“But I will say this, what we’ve done with Iran is amazing,” Trump said.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has said its forces spotted and struck four vessels involved in ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Gulf, Al Jazeera reports.
The vessels caught fire, the report added.
The IRGC said that three other vessels collided with mines west of the Strait of Hormuz, and warned that further escalation by the US military could lead to direct action against its regional bases.
