US-Iran conflict: Iran conflict: White House denies Trump urged US city attacks as Houthis claim Riyadh airport strike
Pakistan, Turkey agree rapid Saudi deployment under Mecca defence pact.
US President Donald Trump has signed an order allowing drivers to use tax-exempt red-dyed diesel on public roads amid rising fuel prices linked to the Iran war, while saying the US withdrew B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford over unspecified Iran-linked threats. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called negotiations with Washington “meaningless” following US attacks during talks. In Yemen, government forces recaptured the strategic port city of Mocha and launched a counteroffensive against the Houthis near the Bab Al Mandeb Strait. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey agreed to activate collective defence commitments and swiftly deploy military forces and capabilities under the Mecca defence pact. Follow all the latest developments here:
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei has responded to recent comments on Iran by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a post on X.
Rezaei dismissed Bessent’s remarks as “delusional forecasts” and said they had no credibility.
“You lost the military war. You will fail in the economic war, too,” Rezaei wrote. He added that the Strait of Hormuz would not be opened through threats or pressure and said Iran would not back down.
The White House pushed back Tuesday after Democrats accused President Donald Trump of suggesting Iran should "take out" the major US cities of Los Angeles and San Diego.
Viral footage showed comments by Trump at a midterm elections rally in Nebraska on Monday, where he said high oil prices from the Iran war were justified by the need to stop Tehran getting nuclear weapons.
"It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," Trump said.
"They can take out a city. Let them take, let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay, and it's going to be over with very soon."
Democrats - who control the state of California where both Los Angeles and San Diego are located - accused the 80-year-old Republican president of encouraging Iran to hit the two urban centers.
"Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego. He is deranged and dangerous," California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X.
"The nuclear annihilation of an American city is no laughing matter," Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader in the US House of Representatives, said on X.
But the White House insisted Trump was talking about the threat posed by Iran, branding it a "media freakout" that was "not rooted in reality."
"He was clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said on X.
The White House's Rapid Response account on X took issue with a Los Angeles Times headline saying Trump had suggested "letting Iran 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego."
"No, he didn't, you buffoons. He was saying the US is fighting to STOP Iran from having the ability to take out LA and San Diego with a nuclear weapon - which they would if they had the chance," it said.
Trump is hitting the road in the last month before the midterms amid Republican fears that voter anger over the Iran war and high prices could cost them control of Congress.
US Central Command has dismissed reports circulating in Iranian state media that a US Navy MH-60R helicopter crashed in the Red Sea after declaring an emergency.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said the reports of a downed US Navy helicopter were false and confirmed that all US military aircraft and personnel across the Middle East are safe and accounted for.
Yemen's Houthis on Tuesday said a Saudi airstrike killed six members of the same family as fighting intensifies in the impoverished country's resurgent civil war.
The bombing of a village in Hajjah governorate, bordering Saudi Arabia, "caused the deaths of six people from the same family" including the mother, father and four children aged three to eight, the Houthis' health ministry said, according to the group's official press agency.
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The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a time-late report of an incident in the Strait of Hormuz on October 5.
According to a verified source, an oil tanker transiting outbound was struck by an unknown projectile. Authorities are investigating the incident.
UKMTO advised vessels transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.
Mediator Qatar on Tuesday said the United States and Iran were still engaged in talks to end the Middle East war, despite an apparent deadlock seven months into the conflict.
The indirect negotiations take account of "the concerns of the various parties", foreign ministry official Ibrahim Al-Hashmi told a regular press briefing.
"I can confirm that the talks are continuing and the exchange of messages between different parties are continuing via Qatar and its regional partners," he said.
"As you know, the scale of this conflict and the magnitude of the price that the whole world is paying require us to put our best efforts to end this immediately through a negotiable solution on the negotiation table," the official added.
Despite a ceasefire in April, a memorandum of understanding in June and talks at the UN General Assembly last month, Washington and Tehran remain at odds over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
On Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said talks with the US were "meaningless" and only resulted in renewed attacks, according to state media.
Gulf oil is flowing again. So why is Brent crude still above $100 a barrel?
Middle East crude exports rose above pre-war levels on four days in the final week of September, reaching between 19.5 million and 22.5 million barrels per day, according to provisional data from ship-tracking firm Kpler.
The seven-day average stood at 18.5 million barrels per day on October 1 — slightly above the pre-war average of about 18 million, according to media reports.
But the recovery in exports has not translated into the sharp fall in oil prices consumers might expect.
The reason is increasingly simple: Getting oil out is only part of the problem. Getting it safely and cheaply to where it is needed has become much more difficult.
Yemen's Houthis claimed an attack on the Saudi capital's main airport and on Tuesday denied being pushed back by government forces, who have launched a major operation to recapture lost territory.
The Houthi statements come as Yemen's military said it had removed the pro-Iran group from areas around the Bab Al Mandab strait, a Red Sea chokepoint, and the port city of Mocha.
Claims by both sides in Yemen have been impossible to independently verify, with the situation on the ground moving fast and access for journalists difficult.
After a four-year ceasefire, Yemen's long-running conflict has reignited during the Middle East war, which has roiled world energy markets and snarled trade routes.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group still held all territory seized last month when they swept through coastal areas along the Red Sea oil-and-cargo route.
Houthi fighters "have full control over all their advances on the ground", he posted on Telegram.
Saree said they had carried out dozens of strikes in the past few hours targeting government forces in Yemen's Al-Jawf and Marib regions, while also attacking Taiz governorate.
On Monday, the Houthis said they had struck Riyadh airport and a refinery belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco.
Loud explosions rattled the Saudi capital on Monday evening. They were followed by another explosion on Tuesday that echoed through northern parts of the city, residents told AFP.
Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport is facing frequent temporary closures of its airspace, according to tracking website Flightradar24.
Saudi authorities have not publicly acknowledged the closures or confirmed any strikes targeting the facility.
But on Tuesday the civil aviation authority said at least three people were wounded in attacks on Jazan and Najran airports near the Yemen border a day earlier.
Saudi Arabia, the main backer of the Yemeni government, has been providing air support for the counter-offensive launched by government forces.
The average UK diesel price has hit a record high of close to 2 pounds ($2.62) a litre on the fallout from the US-Iran war, government data showed Tuesday.
The average reached 199.52 pence a litre in the week to October 5, official figures showed.
That surpassed the previous record of 199.22 pence in July 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a key energy producer.
Having started the year at around 140 pence a litre, UK diesel has shot higher since the start of the US-Iran conflict at the end of February.
Diesel prices are on the up also as a result of export restrictions imposed by Russia after Ukrainian attacks on its fuel facilities.
Costs are jumping across the globe. The average US diesel price reached a record of almost $6.53 a US gallon (3.78 litres) in late September, according to the motorists' association AAA.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday Pakistan had acted as a crucial mediator between the United States and Iran, and urged an end to the Middle East war.
The UN chief said Islamabad's mediation between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the war showed "Pakistan is trusted and is trusted even by countries that are at odds with each other".
"We can only wish that the efforts of Pakistan will go on and that they will be successful and will finally see peace in the Middle East," Guterres told reporters in Islamabad.
"I want to send a loud and clear message to all parties: end the conflict, return to diplomacy, fully restore navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law," he said.
The average UK diesel price has hit a record high of close to GBP2 a litre (around $10 per US gallon) on the fallout from the US-Iran war, government data showed Tuesday.
The average reached 199.52 pence a litre in the week to October 5, official figures showed, surpassing the previous record of 199.22 pence in July 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a key energy producer.
Iran’s parliamentary National Security Commission chairman Ebrahim Azizi has warned that the country’s armed forces are prepared to respond to any US or Israeli action.
“Our armed forces are more prepared than ever, fingers on the trigger, waiting for any miscalculation by the US or the Zionist regime,” Azizi wrote on X.
He warned that any such action would trigger a stronger response from Iran.
“The response they face will be even more severe and devastating than anything they have seen before,” he added.
Saudi Arabia's civilian aviation authority on Tuesday said at least three people were wounded in attacks on Jazan and Najran airports near the Yemen border a day earlier, as fighting with Yemen's Houthis intensifies.
"The attacks resulted in three minor injuries and material damage," the General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a statement posted online.
Late Monday, the Houthis said their forces targeted sites across southern Saudi Arabia including airports and military sites.
The US Treasury Department has warned foreign financial institutions that continue doing business with Iran or its financial sector that they could face sanctions without advance notice.
The warning targets institutions that continue transactions with Iranian financial institutions already under US sanctions.
“Foreign financial institutions continuing to transact with sanctioned Iranian financial institutions could be targeted at any time without advance notification and should take immediate action to terminate such activity and relationships,” the Treasury said in a statement.
It also warned that foreign financial institutions could face civil or criminal enforcement penalties if Iran-related transactions cause US banks or other US persons to breach American sanctions.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Operation Economic Outcast in August as part of efforts to further restrict Iran’s access to global markets.
The campaign is aimed at increasing economic pressure on Tehran as the US seeks an agreement to end the war.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Islamabad for three days of talks with senior Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed his arrival in a post on X, saying Acting Foreign Secretary Nabeel Munir received him.
Guterres’ visit is expected to include discussions on Pakistan’s diplomatic and mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.
A UN spokesperson said the trip would provide an opportunity to discuss Islamabad’s “constructive role in supporting negotiations between the two countries”.
The secretary-general is also expected to hold talks on broader regional and international issues during his visit.
Trump has defended the Pentagon’s decision to move American bombers away from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK, following threats linked to a security incident near the base on September 27.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the US had received “some threats” and decided to move the aircraft rather than “tempting the enemy”.
“Why should we leave them there?” Trump said, adding that the bombers had been moved “around a little bit” but “not very far”.
Trump did not specify the nature of the threats. He has previously linked Iran to the security incident at the British airbase.
The US president also said Washington knows who made the threat and warned that those responsible had “gotten themselves into big problems”, without providing further details.
The US and nine other governments in the Americas have issued a joint pledge to step up action against what they describe as Iran-backed terrorist activity and influence operations across the Western Hemisphere.
In a statement released Monday, the countries said “the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies must halt these actions now,” accusing Tehran and allied networks of planning lethal plots, conducting illicit fundraising, interfering in politics and running foreign influence campaigns aimed at strengthening terrorist networks, coercing perceived enemies, undermining legal processes and damaging regional security.
The declaration was signed by the United States, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago. The signatories said they would take additional measures against such activity and deepen coordination among law-enforcement, intelligence and judicial authorities to address the threat.
The statement followed a Countering Transnational Terrorism Forum co-hosted last month by the US and Paraguay, which brought together regional partners to boost cooperation against Iran-linked operations in the hemisphere.
US President Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order late on Monday to immediately cut diesel costs by temporarily allowing highway use of tax-free dyed diesel and deferring the federal diesel tax on that fuel through the end of the year — with no interest, no penalties.
The move provides a cost relief at the pump for diesel users.
Red-dyed diesel is typically about 24 cents per gallon cheaper than clear on-road diesel because it avoids the federal highway tax. At current prices above $6/gallon in many areas, that’s a modest but meaningful discount for high-volume users like farmers and fleets.
The newly-formed Mecca Defence Alliance could develop into a “NATO of the Middle East” as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan activate their collective-defence commitments amid escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces, US Representative Joe Wilson said.
“The Mecca Defence Alliance has the potential to be the NATO of the Middle East,” Wilson said Monday on X, thanking Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for activating the pact in response to what he described as Houthi “Iranian-backed aggression.”
The comments came after the three countries agreed in Riyadh to immediately implement their collective-defence commitments and take steps toward the rapid deployment of agreed military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia.
The decision followed an emergency meeting of the alliance’s Strategic Political and Defence Committee as fighting intensified in Yemen. Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have launched a major operation against the Houthis, who have claimed attacks targeting Saudi oil facilities and airports.
US Central Command says its warships have now redirected 130 commercial vessels since resuming a naval blockade of Iranian ports in mid-July, as part of a sustained campaign to choke off maritime trade with Iran amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
In a statement issued Monday, CentCom said the latest ship was turned away on October 5, bringing the total to 130 since the operation restarted on July 14 at the direction of President Donald Trump.
The command also said it has disabled three vessels that refused to comply with orders and destroyed 13 ships over the past 12 weeks that it says either violated the blockade or were linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “shadow network.”
President Donald Trump said the US war with Iran was “essentially almost over” while defending higher gasoline prices as a temporary cost of preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Speaking during his campaign stop in Nebraska on Monday, Trump said the US was “saving the world from what could be one of the worst tragedies ever” and insisted Iran would not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.
“They will not have a nuclear weapon. They understand. That’s decided.”
Trump characterised the increase in fuel prices as an “artificial” and temporary consequence of the conflict, arguing that the cost was small compared with the potential consequences of an Iranian nuclear weapon.
“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe,” he said.
Trump also predicted gasoline prices would fall sharply once the conflict ends, recalling seeing US gasoline prices at $1.85 a gallon before the war.
“We will have it lower than that in a very short period of time,” he said. Trump's comments come as oil markets show signs of recovery but remain under severe logistical pressure. Brent crude remains above $100 a barrel because of higher tanker, insurance and refining costs.
British officials have warned Israel it will expel 27 Israeli diplomats and their families from London if Israel proceeds with closing the UK consulate in East Jerusalem and expelling its 27 British diplomats.
British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters delivered the message to Israeli officials, saying London would expel one Israeli diplomat for each of the 27 British diplomats whose status would end if the consulate closes.
The figure of 27 corresponds to the number of British diplomats reported to work at the East Jerusalem consulate, whose diplomatic credentials Israel plans to revoke as part of the closure. The closure is due to take effect around October 8, 2026, following a 30-day notice issued by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar after the UK announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The dispute stems from UK sanctions on goods and entities linked to Israeli settlements, which Israel says are one-sided and hostile. In response, Sa’ar announced a package of countermeasures, including the consulate closure, removal of British representatives from a Gaza coordination centre, ending British involvement in training Palestinian security forces, and barring several British politicians and public figures from entering Israel or the occupied territories.
Turkey and Pakistan will undertake a "rapid deployment" of troops to Saudi Arabia as part of a new mutual defence alliance, the three countries said Monday, as the Gulf kingdom faces escalating attacks from Yemen's Houthis.
Following a meeting in Riyadh, the trio agreed "to move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defence commitments and to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the Kingdom", according to a joint statement.
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