Middle East war: Hormuz tensions rise as Iran reports tanker incidents, Saudi Arabia intercepts drone near Mecca

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened a two-day G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta on Friday, bringing together counterparts including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov amid deep divisions over the wars in Ukraine and Iran and rising energy costs.

The talks are expected to be tense, with little prospect of major breakthroughs. A planned traditional group photograph was cancelled shortly before the meeting began, amid uncertainty over whether Lavrov would appear alongside Western officials.

Rubio urged G20 members to work together to address interconnected economic and geopolitical crises, highlighting threats to global energy and food supply chains and the need to protect freedom of navigation.

The meeting also comes as Washington seeks Russian cooperation on fuel prices while pursuing diplomacy over Ukraine. The US is expected to issue a chair's summary rather than a joint declaration, reflecting divisions among members.

The talks will help set the stage for the December G20 leaders' summit in Miami, hosted by US President Donald Trump. The United States will then hand over the group's rotating leadership to Britain.

Trump has reinstated campaign rallies in Kansas and Iowa for Sunday - two days before the midterm elections - after abruptly canceling both appearances, a Republican Party source told AFP Friday.

"The rallies are back on. President Trump loves his supporters, and in addition to nearly 20 tele-rallies, he will hold back-to-back rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday," a Republican Party source familiar with Trump's weekend campaign schedule told AFP.

Trump had originally been scheduled to campaign in Salina, Kansas, on Saturday and Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, but both appearances were scrapped on Thursday, with Republicans saying he would instead concentrate on telephone rallies.

The sudden changes raised questions about the 80-year-old president's health and stamina, prompting an angry response when a reporter asked whether he was feeling well.

"I feel perfect," Trump snapped, saying he no longer needed to visit Kansas because Republican Senator Roger Marshall was "doing very well."

Marshall faces an unexpectedly competitive challenge from Democrat Adam Hamilton in Kansas, which has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932.

In Iowa, Republican congresswoman Ashley Hinson is fighting a close race against Democrat Josh Turek.

Both states voted comfortably for Trump in 2024, but have emerged as battlegrounds in the fight for control of the Senate.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence has lifted the alerts issued earlier in Jazan Province, confirming that the danger has passed.

The agency did not provide further details about the warning or the circumstances surrounding it.

Oman's Royal Navy has evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged commercial vessel after it was targeted and caught fire off Musandam.

The Oman Maritime Security Centre said the incident occurred about 1.6 nautical miles from the coast. The evacuation was carried out in coordination with the centre, and the crew received the necessary medical care.

No further details were disclosed.

US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper said US forces had cleared the Strait of Hormuz's primary international shipping routes of Iranian sea mines and continued patrols to protect commercial traffic. During a visit on October 25, he said he saw dozens of commercial vessels but no Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces.

CENTCOM said more than 3,000 commercial vessels had transited the strait with US support over six months, while US forces had helped Gulf partners export more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude oil since the summer. Read more

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers had been halted after encountering unspecified "incidents" while attempting to transit what Tehran considers an unauthorised route in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Two offending oil tankers, one in the eastern part and the other in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz, which were attempting to pass through the unauthorised route, encountered incidents and were brought to a halt in the waters south of the strait," the IRGC said in a statement.

The tankers had "switched off all their navigation and positioning systems and, with the support of the terrorist US military, were attempting to exit through the unauthorised route," the statement added.

The Guards did not specify the nature of the incidents, which came a day after Iran's armed forces said at least four tankers had stopped in the area after hitting mines.

They said Friday's incidents occurred after the vessels received several radio warnings but disregarded them.

Iranian forces have demanded that vessels use a designated route through the strait and coordinate their passage with the country's armed forces, labelling a southern corridor closer to Oman's shores as unauthorised.

Portugal and Morocco will host the 2027 Dakar Rally the organisers announced on Friday after it was moved from Saudi Arabia following repeated attacks on the kingdom by Yemen's Houthis.

The drivers, motorcyclists and truck drivers will tackle the prologue and first special stage in Portugal followed by 11 stages of the gruelling rally - covering almost 8,000 kilometres with 4,341km of specials - in Morocco.

It is the first time since 2007 that the gruelling multi-stage rally, created in 1978, returns to Africa.

"Although it has been moved, the 49th edition of the Dakar will still meet the sporting standards which has always made the event the most demanding of endurance rallies," said race director David Castera.

"Despite the short amount of time we have had we have put together a real Dakar.

"The competitors will discover the kingdom (Morocco) from one end to the other.

"We are going to explore all its unique features on a route whose size we haven't seen before."

The race, formerly called the Paris-Dakar, used to be follow a route from the French capital to the Senegalese capital Dakar. But security threats along its route in North Africa meant that from 2009 it was held in South America, and from 2020 in Saudi Arabia.

Air India and Air India Express have extended the suspension of flights to and from Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam until November 14, 2026, citing the prevailing regional situation.

Passengers with confirmed bookings issued on or before October 30 for travel up to November 14 can opt for one-time complimentary rebooking, subject to availability, for travel until November 29, or request a full refund.

Air India passengers can rebook to any operational station in Saudi Arabia, while Air India Express passengers can also choose operational stations in Bahrain.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has cancelled its SQ494 and SQ495 services between Singapore and Dubai until February 28, 2027, citing the geopolitical situation in the Middle East. The airline said other flights could also be affected as the situation remains fluid, and advised passengers to check its Flight Status page for the latest updates. Affected customers can get a full refund for the unused portion of their tickets. Those who booked directly with SIA can apply through its Assistance Request Form, while passengers who booked through travel agents or partner airlines should contact them directly.

Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday to push for a deal between the US and Iran, in talks coordinated with Washington, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters. Doha had presented a draft peace plan to Iran on Sunday, but a senior Iranian official rejected the proposals as unacceptable and said Tehran would not change its nuclear stance.

The two sides remain divided on how talks should begin: Washington wants nuclear issues on the table from the outset, while Tehran is demanding that the US first lift its port blockade and oil export sanctions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday that Tehran was in close contact with intermediaries to review ideas for implementing its own seven-day proposal to end the war.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump said Vice President JD Vance’s outreach to Iran concerned medical supplies, after US media reports linked it to efforts to revive peace talks.

Gold slipped on Friday as higher oil prices spurred inflation concerns and robust US inflation data strengthened the case for another Federal Reserve rate hike later this year, according to Reuters.

Spot gold ​was down 0.6 percent at $3,997.39 per ounce by 0255 GMT, while US gold ​futures for December delivery dropped 0.6 percent to $4,007.80. Bullion was on track for a ⁠second consecutive monthly decline.

Spot ⁠silver ​slid 2.1 percent to $51.27 per ounce, platinum dropped 1.9 percent to $1,458.85 ​and palladium fell 2 percent to $986.08. All three metals were headed for weekly and monthly declines.

Saudi Civil Defence said overnight that falling shrapnel from the interception of two ballistic missiles over Riyadh caused a minor injury to a Saudi citizen, as well as material damage to a house and a vehicle. The Saudi-led coalition said on Thursday that its air defences had intercepted and destroyed the two missiles, which it said were launched by Yemen’s Houthis towards the Saudi capital. Authorities later confirmed that the danger had passed in Riyadh, Al-Kharj and Najran.

The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthis in the Makkah Al-Mukarramah region, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The interception came hours after the coalition said it had shot down two Houthi ballistic missiles fired towards Riyadh on Thursday.

Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s former military planner, admitted disclosing classified information about Iran and Ukraine to two journalists over a year, according to an internal investigation report reviewed by Axios.

The October 29 report supports the substance of the claim, but the alleged admissions remain attributed to investigative records and unnamed officials, not a public guilty plea or court judgment.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed Sylvia as director of strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the position known as "J5".

Axios reported that contacts began as early as June 2025 and included Signal communications and a meeting at a diner in Arlington, Virginia.

The investigation report alleged that Sylvia used notes from a classified document to discuss US assistance to Ukraine without obtaining public affairs coordination or clearance.

Axios said Sylvia cooperated with questioning and provided his personal telephone for forensic examination. He did not immediately respond to its requests for comment.

Separately, CBS News and The Associated Press reported that the case had been referred to the Justice Department.

The dismissal comes amid Hegseth’s campaign against unauthorised disclosures, including a Pentagon-Justice Department task force announced in July and restrictive rules governing reporters’ access.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy claimed that three oil tankers exploded and caught fire after striking naval mines while attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz through what Tehran described as an "unauthorised" southern route.

The IRGC alleged that the vessels had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from Iranian forces.

However, the three-tanker mine-strike claim has not been independently verified. The Associated Press reported that it could not confirm Iran's account.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), on the other hand, reported that a tanker was hit by a projectile at around 1600 GMT (8pm UAE time) on Thursday (Oct. 29).

Iran's description of the route as unauthorised is also its own position, not an independently established determination of the vessels' legal status.

A tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile while leaving the Strait of Hormuz on October 29, prompting renewed maritime security concerns as Iran reported multiple vessels catching fire in the strategic waterway.

The main tanker incident is confirmed by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The agency said it received a report that a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile at around 1600 GMT (8pm UAE time) while completing an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz.

There were no reported crew injuries or environmental impact at the time of the initial report. Authorities are investigating.

The incident was reported near Khasab, Oman, although the precise position of the vessel was not publicly specified in the initial account.

UKMTO advised ships operating in the area to exercise caution and report suspicious activity.

UKMTO confirmed the tanker was struck, but did not identify the weapon, establish who fired it or attribute responsibility to Iran.

US envoy Tom Barrack has credited Qatar and Pakistan with helping bring the United States and Iran closer to renewed diplomacy, urging both sides to pause hostilities before tensions escalate further.

Speaking to CNN on Thursday, October 29, Barrack said regional allies had helped create an opening for Washington and Tehran to agree on a process for de-escalation.

“Let’s have a time out. Let’s have a time out, bring temperatures down,” he said, describing the two sides as “very close” to reaching that initial understanding.

Barrack cautioned that a pause would not immediately resolve the conflict but could give the region room to establish its own pace towards a broader settlement.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran’s seven conditions must be agreed upon before progress can be made, adding that a “carrot-and-stick approach” would have no effect on Iran.

In a post on X, Ghalibaf said Iran’s conditions had been repeatedly and clearly communicated to mediators.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Thursday it had downed two ballistic missiles launched by the Iran-backed group towards Riyadh, soon after AFP correspondents heard explosions in the capital.

"Air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards Riyadh," coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a post on X.

Day 243: US fires senior army general in latest ouster: reports

Day 242: Iran discusses plan to end war and reopen Hormuz

Day 241: Iran says supreme leader met with security chief

Day 240: 'Entering new path could be considered': Iran tells US

Day 239: Trump warns Iran would trigger ‘death problems’

Day 238: Houthis deny targeting Saudi holy cities Mecca, Medina

Day 237: Iran threatens Gulf internet links if US, Israel attack

Day 236: Iran's Guards threaten to hit US bases