Middle East War: Attempted strikes on US ships 'unsuccessful', Hegseth visits region

The main US oil contract soared more than five percent in trading Tuesday on increased concerns over tight supplies as a result of the Middle East conflict. 

West Texas Intermediate surged 5.7 percent to $109.60 per barrel. 

The main international benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, jumped 2.0 percent to $111.69 per barrel.

British fighter planes will be deployed to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against increasing attacks from Houthi rebels, the UK government announced on Tuesday.

"The UK will fly defensive counter air missions to support the protection of Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure against aerial attack, using RAF Typhoon fighter jets," the defence ministry said in a statement.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that their naval mines halted two tankers attempting to circumnavigate through the strategic Strait of Hormuz via routes considered illegal by Tehran.

"Two violating oil tankers were set ablaze and halted due to the explosion of mines planted by the brave sailors of the IRGC Navy at an illegal crossing point in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz," the Guards said in a statement published on their official Sepah News website.

The Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militia towards Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defence issued an emergency alert through the National Early Warning Platform in Riyadh on Tuesday, warning residents of a danger in the city and directing them to follow safety instructions.

About eight minutes later, the directorate announced on X that the danger had passed, urging residents to keep following its instructions, avoid gathering and refrain entirely from filming. It said anyone facing an emergency should call 911.

In a separate post, the directorate warned that filming, publishing or circulating information about the interception of missiles and drones, or the sites where they fall, would expose people to legal accountability.

Flight disruptions continued to affect UAE travellers on Tuesday, October 20, with Saudi Arabia cancellations and delays at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports. DXB reported cancellations to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, while SpiceJet flights to India were delayed.

At Zayed International Airport, delays affected departures to Delhi, Tel Aviv, Bahrain, Bangkok and New York. Etihad has cancelled flights between Abu Dhabi and Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah through October 24. Passengers should check with their airlines before travelling. 

Read more...

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Russia and Iran have "never" worked so closely, as Moscow seeks to play a mediating role in the Middle East war.

Araghchi hosted his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Iran on Monday, in his first visit since the outbreak of the conflict.

"We covered everything from Europe to West Asia, including Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine and Yemen. Also focused on expansion of economic and nuclear cooperation," Araghchi wrote on X.

"Never in our history have Iran and Russia worked as closely as now."

The United States has advised its citizens in Saudi Arabia to follow Civil Defence alerts and exercise extreme caution amid heightened security concerns following reported missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks on airports in the Kingdom.

In a security alert issued on October 19, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia urged American citizens to remain vigilant and follow safety instructions issued by Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence through cellular broadcasts.

“U.S. citizens are reminded to follow the guidance of national alerts released by Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence via cellular broadcast,” the embassy stated.

The advisory warned of potential further attacks on airports, airspace closures, flight cancellations and travel disruptions, urging Americans to exercise extreme caution while using airports in the Kingdom.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran is willing to resolve tensions through dialogue, blaming U.S. interference for divisions in the region, state-run IRNA reported.

Pezeshkian said during Monday's meeting with Lavrov that U.S. military bases in neighboring countries increased tensions, instability and insecurity.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made an unannounced trip to the Middle East.

Hegseth announced on social media that he was in the Middle East visiting troops that were on an unspecified, "historic mission." However, the post also came several hours after Axios reported that Hegseth was in Israel visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

When asked about the visit and the reports, the Pentagon declined to comment.

Iran's top security official called for stronger cooperation after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Tehran on Monday, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said.

Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said that cooperation could include joint economic projects, such as the completion of transportation corridors. Lavrov, meanwhile, condemned the U.S.-Israeli military attacks on Iran as illegal.

Also in Tehran on Monday, Iran summoned Germany's ambassador over what the Iranian Foreign Ministry called baseless accusations. Germany had summoned Iran's ambassador in Berlin after a ​court sentenced two men with ties to Iran's intelligence ​service for plotting to kill the leader of a Jewish organization in Germany.

Capt. Nicholas DeLeo, commanding officer of the forward-deployed USS George Washington, told reporters during a recent media visit in the US Fifth Fleet area that Iran had attempted to strike “a variety of ships” near the Strait of Hormuz, but none had succeeded.

“Those have all been unsuccessful, and I can tell you that reason is 100% due to our sailors on this ship,” DeLeo said, according to the carrier’s commanding officer’s remarks reported during the visit.

He said the carrier and its crew use both offensive and defensive measures to protect Navy vessels, and that crews continuously train for missile and drone threats.

The Nimitz-class carrier is operating in the Arabian Sea near the Strait of Hormuz, supporting the US maritime blockade of Iran, escorting commercial tankers and defending shipping lanes.

DeLeo’s statement indicates that Iranian attacks are not limited to a single vessel type or target, suggesting threats against military ships, commercial vessels, or both, near one of the world’s most strategically sensitive energy chokepoints.

His claim that all attempts were unsuccessful is a morale and deterrence message, but it also implies an ongoing campaign of missile, drone, or other maritime threats requiring constant defensive operations.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang condemned US and Israeli attacks on Iran and renewed China’s opposition to unilateral US sanctions in a Monday meeting with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported. According to IRNA, Li said the strikes were “blatant aggression” that came during negotiations and without UN Security Council approval. He also backed reviving the Islamabad Agreement and said Beijing would keep defending Iran’s legitimate rights in international forums. Aref was in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, for a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) prime ministers.

Russia pledged to sustain political and economic cooperation with Iran during Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to Tehran on Monday, even as US President Donald Trump welcomed what he called "limited" Russian and Chinese backing for Tehran.

Lavrov met Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian, reaffirming Moscow’s 20-year strategic partnership and saying Russia would not abandon economic and investment agreements despite the war.

He called Iran’s cause “just,” accused Washington and Israel of an unprovoked campaign, and urged diplomacy, restored Gulf navigation and guarantees against renewed strikes.

Trump, meanwhile, said Russia and China were doing “very little” to help Iran, calling their limited support “a very positive thing.”

Iran’s has placed 122 vessels on its latest “non-compliance list,” saying it has acted against more than 40, according to a statement published by Iranian state media. The Gulf Strait Authority said 19 vessels are negotiating to avoid listing or secure removal if already included. Two vessels have agreed to meet their obligations and be removed, while about 30 others have received warnings and will be listed if they fail to respond. The statement said the authority would assist vessels that voluntarily address violations and seek removal from the list.

Iranian officials are now openly declaring that the time for nuclear weapons has come, with a growing faction demanding Tehran weaponise its enrichment program and withdraw from the NPT to establish a complete deterrent against future US-Israeli attacks, per the Financial Times.

Iranian officials now argue that negotiations alone have failed to prevent repeated attacks.

Hassan Ghashghavi, a spokesperson for parliament’s National Security Committee, said Iran’s new Supreme Leader could issue a new ruling on nuclear weapons and “nobody can stop him from doing so.” One insider estimates support for acquiring a bomb has surged from “almost zero to over 50%.”

German Ambassador Axel Dittmann was called to Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday over what Tehran described as repeated baseless accusations by German officials, state-affiliated media reported.

The move followed Germany's decision to summon Iran's ambassador in Berlin after a Hamburg court last week sentenced two men to lengthy prison terms over plots to attack prominent Jewish and pro-Israel figures in Germany. The men were convicted of spying for Iran and identifying potential targets.

Alireza Yousefi, a senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official, rejected the allegations, describing them as a longstanding tactic used by Israel and some Western countries against Iran.

Yousefi also accused Berlin of attempting to conceal its alleged involvement in American and Israeli military strikes against Iran, saying Tehran would continue pursuing international accountability for what it called “Germany's participation in war crimes.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tehran on Monday to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments, according to state-affiliated news agencies.

The two officials also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, the country’s presidency said, without providing further details.

Yemeni government forces said they had launched 13 air strikes targeting Houthi positions, weapons sites and vehicles across Taiz governorate.

The strikes targeted several locations, including 60th Street north of Taiz city, Taiz Airport, Al Rabiei in the northwest, Dhubab district in the west, and Al Maafir and Al Masrakh districts in the south.

US President Donald Trump told Benjamin Netanyahu he expects him to win a "tremendous" election victory next week, in a telephone call aired by the Israeli prime minister on Monday.

In the call on speakerphone that Netanyahu released a day after Trump endorsed him, the right-wing prime minister in turn called Trump "by far, the greatest friend Israel has ever had".

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday received French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in the UAE on an official visit.

An official reception ceremony was held for Macron upon his arrival at the airport. The national anthems of the UAE and the French Republic were played, while an honour guard lined up in salute.

Day 233: Iran officials ramp up calls for nuclear weapons

Day 232: 7-day Hormuz reopening plan still on the table: Iran

Day 231: Saudi Arabia intercepts four drones in Riyadh and east

Day 230: Iran faces cash shortages, military strain: CENTCOM

Day 230: Saudi-led coalition shows cruise missile interception