NEWS ARCHIVE

Lebanese security sources told the Emirati site Erem News that Iran had instructed Hezbollah to raise its military readiness and decentralise its command in anticipation of a regional war, Israel Hayom reported. The claim was not independently confirmed.

CNN, citing US officials, reported the Pentagon had prepared strike packages that could use the 9-ton GBU-43/B MOAB against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites such as Pickaxe Mountain if combat resumes. Some officials doubted the airburst weapon could reach deeply buried targets, and the Pentagon said it plans for a wide range of scenarios; Reuters and CNBC could not independently confirm the report.

Hezbollah confirmed that a 500-kilogram explosives package found by Lebanese authorities the previous week belonged to the group, saying it was intended only for use against Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon and denying assassination plans.

Brokers said additional war-risk premiums for Gulf tankers had reached 6–10% of hull value, up to $20 million for a single supertanker voyage, against about 0.25% before the war. The IMO counted 106 confirmed incidents and 24 seafarer deaths since 28 February, and UKMTO said more than 20 vessels had been attacked since 1 October.

Kpler's Homayoun Falakshahi said only eight million barrels of Iranian crude remained afloat outside the blockade, down from nearly 90 million in mid-July, and would be discharged by about 18 October, with final payments from Chinese refiners arriving by mid-December. Iran loaded no crude in September, the first full month without loadings since the 1979 revolution, potentially costing $3-6 billion a month.

Three people were injured in an attack on a fishing vessel in the port area of Sirik County, Hormozgan. The US said it had destroyed an Iranian-connected surveillance boat the previous week, and on 10 October said it disabled a cargo ship trying to breach the naval blockade.

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh, while the Houthis said they targeted Aramco facilities in Dhahran, an Aramco refinery in Riyadh and the airport. On 11 October Riyadh airport's Terminal 4 had been hit again, killing a Pakistani resident and injuring 11.

China imported 9.03 million barrels per day of crude in September, down 21.5% year on year, while Vortexa put Iranian imports at 0.5 million b/d. Vortexa and Kpler recorded onshore inventory draws of 57 million and 47.5 million barrels, the largest in their data series.

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority said GFS Pride was struck by an unknown projectile on 13 October, caught fire and sank, with all 21 crew evacuated, while GFS Giselle was hit on 14 October and reached anchorage with its 22 crew safe. The IRGC claimed the ship hit a mine on an 'unauthorized route'; Singapore called the attacks 'unprovoked, unjustifiable and a breach of international law.' More than 20 vessels had been attacked in the region that month.

Moody's Analytics estimated the conflict had cost US consumers about $265 billion since late February, roughly $2,000 per household, mainly through higher oil, gasoline and broader inflation, CNN reported.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon had chosen negotiations over continued conflict to secure an Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction, acknowledging the agreement was not ideal but had limited the expansion of Israeli attacks.

The European Union established a new mission to support Lebanon, Reuters reported, as UNIFIL's mandate approaches its end-of-year expiry and Beirut seeks a force to prevent a security vacuum in the south.

The UAE condemned the Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport, saying they killed 12 people of Saudi, Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian, Palestinian, Sudanese, American and Bangladeshi nationalities and injured hundreds of civilians. Türkiye's Foreign Ministry (No. 195) also condemned the repeated targeting of the airport.

South Korea raised its travel advisory for all of Saudi Arabia to Level 3 from 10 p.m. on 11 October 2026, urging Korean citizens to leave and travellers to cancel trips after escalating Saudi-Houthi clashes and strikes on civilian infrastructure. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met representatives of 15 Korean missions in the region.

Pakistan condemned the latest Houthi attack on King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, the deadliest in a series that killed at least 12 people. On 5 October an emergency meeting of the strategic, political and defence committee of the Makkah Alliance for Defense, which includes Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, had been held in Riyadh.

Foreign Minister Motegi issued a statement on Houthi attacks on Saudi international airports from 7 to 10 October 2026, noting reports that the 10 October attack on King Khalid International Airport caused 12 deaths and over 300 injuries. Japan renewed its strong denunciation of the Houthis and pledged to protect Japanese nationals in the Middle East.

Air pollution from oil refineries in Haifa forced schoolchildren to be evacuated for 24 hours. The same day the UK maritime agency reported a ship damaged in an attack in Hormuz, and two Indian crew members went missing after an assault on a ship near Oman.

In a telephone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan amid Saudi–Houthi fighting, Iran's foreign minister urged a political solution, according to a statement from Tehran.

Seventy-four House Democrats, led by Rep. Jason Crow, released a letter sent on 8 October to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth describing 'an alarming pattern of civilian casualty incidents' in the Iran war, including the 1 September strike on a wedding in Kuhestak. CENTCOM had not confirmed a formal investigation into that strike.

A Houthi drone and missile attack on Riyadh's main airport killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300, according to officials cited by CNBC, suggesting waves of projectiles could overwhelm Saudi air defenses. At least 291 flights were cancelled in 24 hours, and Western governments advised against travel to Riyadh. NPR reported Trump was weighing joining the fight against the Houthis.

Al Arabiya reported that government-aligned forces, including the Southern Giants Brigades, had taken full control of Bab el-Mandeb and Perim Island after clashes in Dhubab, a month after the Houthis seized it. The Houthis sent reinforcements by sea and stepped up missile and drone attacks toward the strait.

Trump announced a deal under which Russia would release 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately, 500,000 tonnes in November and 1,000,000 tonnes after that, to ease fuel shortages worsened by the Iran war. Ukrainian President Zelensky, who was not consulted, called it 'not fair and not honest' and a 'birthday gift' to Putin.

The Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System raised the official US toll to 21 killed and 865 wounded, adding Army National Guard Maj. Sorffly Davius, who died in Kuwait on 6 March, and a Navy suicide in September. The tally splits into Operation Epic Fury (15 dead, 417 wounded) and 'overseas operations' since 7 July (six dead, 448 wounded). Hegseth had called earlier reports of a higher toll 'a complete lie.'

December gold futures opened at $4,159.70 an ounce as investors weighed Trump's talk of 'productive discussions' with Iran and his pledge not to attack before the midterms, with Brent still above $100. Gold has fallen during the war as rising yields, a strong dollar and oil-driven inflation outweighed safe-haven demand.

Windward's third-quarter figures showed an average of 5,131 GPS jamming incidents per day, broadly unchanged from Q2, while vessels affected rose 11.7% to 124,235. The peak came on 1 September during US strikes on Iran, with 1,699 incidents in the Gulf and 6,838 globally.

UNHCR said 581,600 Afghans returned from Iran between 1 January and 3 October 2026, of whom 492,300 (85%) were forcibly deported. Some 475,400 returned after the war began on 28 February, including 398,100 deportees.

Trump posted on Truth Social that the US 'will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections,' citing 'productive discussions,' and said the blockade would remain in full force. The statement came less than a day after reports the Pentagon had told CENTCOM to finish preparations for resuming major combat. Axios later reported Trump and Netanyahu had discussed a strike before Israel's 27 October election, which a White House official called false.

Following Houthi attacks on Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport that Saudi aviation authorities said killed three civilians and injured 36, Qatar's Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as a direct threat to civilians and air navigation.

A Times of Israel/Zman Yisrael poll gave the four Jewish-led anti-Netanyahu parties 55 seats against 51 for Netanyahu's bloc, with neither reaching a 61-seat majority. Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party came first with 24 seats and Likud second with 20.

Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said Iran would 'under no circumstances' give up enrichment and that handing over its enriched uranium stockpile was out of the question. He said inspections of facilities damaged by US-Israeli strikes remained impossible due to security threats. Vance had said Iran must make meaningful cuts to its enrichment capacity for talks to progress.

IEA member governments backed accelerating the remaining releases under the March 2026 collective action, the largest ever at 400 million barrels, of which about 325 million had been released, prioritizing diesel. The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve had fallen to 331.2 million barrels, its lowest since 1983. Brent rose to $101.53 around the same time.

Two attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport destroyed a Saudia Airbus A320, killing an airline pilot and two other Saudi citizens, according to Saudi aviation authorities. The Houthis also claimed strikes on Najran Airport and King Khalid Air Base, and their leader warned Saudi Arabia to prepare for a long conflict. Ten airlines suspended Riyadh flights.

Saudi Arabia's index fell 1.6% to 10,376, its biggest one-day decline since March and sixth straight weekly loss; Abu Dhabi dropped 1.6% to 9,801, Dubai 1.7% to 5,799 and Qatar 2.2% to 9,006. Between 28 February and 7 October Dubai's index fell 9% and Qatar's 16%, AGBI reported.

In a speech in Athens invoking the Greco-Persian wars, the US secretary of state said threats facing Western civilisation were "every bit as real as they were on the dramatic stage of antiquity", drawing pushback from Iranian officials.

The rial hit another record low, with a Tehran resident citing 258,000 tomans (about 2.58 million rials) per dollar. The free-market rate was more than double the official rate, and the IMF forecast Iran's GDP would contract by more than 5%. Domestic output of refrigerators fell 25% year on year, televisions 36% and washing machines 42%.

Two sources told Reuters Hezbollah received $200 million in cash from Iran in September to aid Lebanese displaced by the war, with intermediaries charging a 20% fee. The State Department said the money 'is not there'; on 13 October Hezbollah announced payments of up to $14,000 per family whose home was destroyed.

The Reserve Bank of India raised its repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50%, its first increase since February 2023, after September consumer inflation rose to 5.54% amid the Iran war energy shock.

At least 12 IRGC attacks on oil, LNG and LPG tankers were recorded between 28 September and 5 October, the highest weekly count of the war, and the UK maritime agency reported a tanker hit by multiple projectiles near Qatar. On 12 October maritime AI firm Windward said at least 15 vessels had been targeted in October in Iran's campaign to disrupt the US-protected oil shuttle.

Iraq set a new official exchange rate of 1,500 dinars per US dollar after the finance ministry told parliament the 2026 budget, which includes 100,000 new public jobs, could not be funded without adjustment. The deficit had reached about $22 billion in the first seven months of 2026, and Baghdad had delayed salaries and payments to wheat farmers.

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said three civilians were killed and 36 injured in Houthi-claimed attacks on two airports. In Abha a Moroccan and an Algerian woman were killed and 28 injured; in Riyadh a Sudanese citizen was killed and eight residents injured. The attacks escalated after the Saudi-backed offensive began.

At least 50 tankers carrying mainly Iranian crude were stranded along China's coast because of the US blockade, and some Shandong independent refineries could run out of inventory by the end of October, Kpler said. Teapots bought Basrah crude for November at premiums up to $18 a barrel over Brent, while Russian ESPO traded near $30 over Brent.

Yemeni government forces said they took Dhubab airport, cut the Dhubab–Mokha road and secured the Bab el-Mandeb area, with coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki saying 100 fighter jets were supporting them. The Houthis called the claims baseless and Reuters could not verify the gains.

Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raisi, detained over the January protests, were executed at dawn at Isfahan's Dastgerd prison, as reported by Hengaw and HRANA and later confirmed by the judiciary's Mizan agency. Sepahi married his fiancée in prison a day earlier; UN rapporteur Mai Sato had raised fair-trial concerns.

At a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, Trump said Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego, prompting condemnation from California Governor Gavin Newsom. He also said he remained 'always open' to direct talks with Tehran.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi told tribal sheikhs in Baghdad that five armed factions had agreed to surrender their weapons and three had done so, with talks continuing with others. On 9 October Iran International, citing Erem News, said a PMF unit was created to take control of faction drones, while Kataib Hezbollah and Nujaba still refused to disarm.

Indian carrier IndiGo said it would raise fuel charges on domestic and international flights from 6 October, citing a rise of more than 14% in aviation fuel prices over the previous month.

Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi announced a full-scale counteroffensive from Saudi Arabia, saying 'we have exhausted all opportunities for deescalation with the Houthi militias.' Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said 100 fighter jets took part and 324 high-value targets were destroyed; the US provided intelligence and targeting support but not direct combat. The PLC claimed much of Dhubab district while Houthis cut a supply route to Taiz.

All US bombers deployed to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, believed to be at least a dozen B-1Bs, returned to the United States after intelligence, partly from Israel, pointed to a possible Iranian drone attack. US and British officials told the Irish Times the plot involved a multipronged plan to strike aircraft and kill personnel; a British-Iranian dual national was later arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Trump said, 'There were some threats... Why should we leave them there?'

Syria's foreign ministry condemned Israel's extension of control to a fortified line called 'Sufa 53' east of the Golan Heights, with Qatar and Jordan issuing statements the same day and Turkey on 5 October. On 6 October Syria's UN envoy Ibrahim Olabi called for Israel to be held accountable, as President al-Sharaa met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, quoted by Nournews, said the Strait of Hormuz would stay closed until the US met Iran's conditions, days after Washington replied to an Iranian proposal.

Iran's foreign minister said Tehran was open to diplomacy but warned that if the US took military action again, Iran was "more prepared than before".

OFAC issued a determination under Executive Order 13902 adding Iran's automotive and rail sectors and designated Iran Khodro and SAIPA, which make nearly 1.5 million vehicles a year and hold over 90% of the passenger car market, plus the Islamic Republic of Iran Railway Company and Raja Passenger Trains. Treasury said Iran was using rail to move oil under the maritime blockade; suppliers in Indonesia, the UAE, Türkiye, Hong Kong and Germany were also named.

Iraq set 30 June 2027 as the deadline for Iran-backed armed factions to hand over weapons, after a 90-day halt to attacks beginning 30 September. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said its factions were not bound by government deadlines.

Houthi media said Saudi forces launched 26 strikes on Sanaa, the first Saudi attacks on the capital in years; the next day the group said Saudi Arabia had carried out 94 strikes in areas under its control in 24 hours. On 3 October the Yemeni army claimed over 1,500 Houthi casualties in a day.

The US began sending about 9,000 soldiers to the Middle East on naval ships, including the USS Makin Island amphibious group and the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group. The same day a cleric at a Tehran rally claimed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had twice visited it in person, though no image, video or audio of him has been released since his March elevation.

US forces completed their withdrawal from their final bases in Iraq, ending the US-led coalition's military mission against Islamic State; Iraq marked the date as Sovereignty Day. Reuters said the exit risked emboldening Iran's proxies and Islamic State.

Hengaw reported at least 68 executions in September 2026, including four women and four political prisoners, two of them carried out in public, a 23.5% drop from August. That brought its 2026 total to 604.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a Doha press conference that 'we are currently relaying messages between the American and Iranian sides' to reach a deal, with some exchanges held during the UN General Assembly. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed indirect communication through Qatar. On 7 October the ministry said talks were still continuing.

In a lengthy open letter addressed to "the honorable people of the United States of America" ahead of the midterm elections, the IRGC accused the Trump administration of misleading Americans about the war.

Iraq began importing gasoline via Syria's Mediterranean port of Baniyas as the Strait of Hormuz crisis disrupted its usual supply routes, AP reported.

Brent rose more than 3% in Asian trading to near $108 a barrel, with November futures at $107.35, after Trump rejected Iran's proposal to reopen Hormuz within seven days in exchange for released funds, sanctions relief and an end to the blockade.

In a phone interview with Axios after rejecting Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said he still expected more talks that week.

Tehran's Criminal Court One sentenced journalist and analyst Abbas Abdi to one year in prison over a 6 May column criticising hard-liners' wartime claims, and ordered the daily Etemad to suspend publication for two months. The same day Bartarinha editor Siamak Rahmani was fined 80 million tomans for 'propaganda against the state'.

A strike on a market at Mawiya junction in Taiz governorate killed seven people and wounded 40, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. Government forces had claimed Mount Qarfan in Taiz on 23 September.

National Security Committee member Mohammad Mehdi Shahriari said the NPT withdrawal measure could secure no more than 70 votes, noting the Supreme National Security Council and the late Ali Khamenei had opposed leaving the treaty and that Mojtaba Khamenei had stressed Iran should not build nuclear weapons.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Iran retains a significant amount of uranium enriched to 60% and that inspections could resume quickly if there is political will for a new agreement. Days earlier President Pezeshkian told CBS Iran would allow UN inspectors as part of a long-term ceasefire deal.

British police arrested five men driving white vans near RAF Fairford, home to deployed US bombers; they were bailed a day later after no explosives were found. The same day the IRGC claimed it seized a US 'Remus 600' autonomous submarine in Hormuz, which the US denied, and Trump said Iran had 'overplayed their hand.'

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reportedly ordered the country's security chiefs not to attend the memorial ceremony for late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the Times of Israel reported.

The Wall Street Journal reported Trump declined Tehran's proposal under which Iran would reopen Hormuz on day six and begin final talks on day seven in exchange for lifting the blockade, oil sanctions waivers, frozen assets and a ceasefire extending to Lebanon. Trump confirmed: 'I'm rejecting their deal.' The WSJ said he was reluctant to restart major combat partly to conserve dwindling munitions.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Iran's president said the US had "closed the routes before us" and that regional security did not need a "regional policeman".

Airports in Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah suspended Iranian flights after US Treasury sanctions on Iran-linked aviation entities, Hawar News reported. On 2 October the US granted an exemption allowing Iranian airlines other than Mahan Air to operate 40 daily flights to Najaf.

Türkiye agreed to gradually hand its Bashiqa base in northern Iraq to Iraqi control, and the US transferred its diplomatic and logistics hub at Baghdad International Airport to Iraq ahead of its troop withdrawal.

The Senate failed to adopt a House-passed Iran war powers resolution 49-50. Republicans Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Rand Paul and Thom Tillis voted in favor, with Tillis backing it for the first time over a lack of information on how the war would end; Democrat John Fetterman voted against. It was the 14th time the Senate had taken up such a measure, two days after Trump told the UN he could 'annihilate the Islamic Republic.'

In his address to the General Assembly's high-level debate, Israel's prime minister defended the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Addressing the General Assembly's high-level debate, Iran's president described the killing of the Supreme Leader, scientists and civilians and said Iran had been attacked while at the negotiating table.

An Indian crew member was killed in an attack on the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship Cape Dao in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the US must accept a 'safe shipping route' set by Iran and Oman before negotiations could begin. Attacks on 20-21 September had hit the Liberia-flagged Al Maryah and injured two tanker crew.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks with Abbas Araghchi's delegation through Pakistani and Qatari mediators, the first such contacts since the interim deal collapsed in July. Witkoff said mediators 'shuttled between the two sides throughout the day'; Iranian state TV said Araghchi set three conditions for reopening Hormuz: ending the blockade, releasing frozen assets and halting fighting across the region. Trump said the meeting lasted three hours.

In his UN General Assembly address, Trump said he faced a 'big decision' between a deal letting Iran rebuild 'or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic, and do it quickly?' He predicted a deal after the midterms, claimed Iran was stalling 'to see how I do in the midterm election,' and said the only thing on his mind was that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. The IRGC said Washington would gain 'nothing but failure' from new attacks.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency said a Saudi strike killed six civilians in Mokha, as G7 states urged the Iran-backed group to stop its attacks.

In her address to the 81st UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Takaichi said free and safe navigation through Hormuz was increasingly challenged and called for all vessels to transit without additional costs. She announced Japan was drawing up a comprehensive plan to strengthen the economic and energy resilience of Gulf countries.

Iranian lawmakers submitted a bill with triple urgency, the fastest procedural track, to parliament's presiding board to withdraw from the NPT; it requires Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's approval before debate. The filing came as President Pezeshkian travelled to New York for the UN General Assembly.

The Houthis targeted the Saudi capital Riyadh with a ballistic missile and attempted strikes on civilians and civilian assets in Bish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu. Qatar called the attacks a reprehensible hostile act and a breach of the rules-based international order.

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said US forces had enabled more than one billion barrels of crude to leave the Gulf through Hormuz in recent months. Iran gave mediators conditions for talks including an end to wars against its non-state allies, unfreezing of funds and lifting of the naval blockade. On 12 September the US had limited air-defense cover for Hormuz transits to two daily windows.

A US-backed Security Council resolution to extend for a year the expert panel monitoring UN sanctions reimposed on Iran under snapback failed 11-2, vetoed by Russia and China, with Somalia and Pakistan abstaining. The sanctions remain in force; France said it would study a monitoring team with Germany, the UK and the US, while Iran's mission thanked Moscow and Beijing.

Under Operation Economic Outcast, OFAC designated BitBank, a digital-asset venture controlled by sanctioned financier Babak Zanjani, its developer Pishtaz Simorgh and three associates. Treasury said Zanjani used BitBank in June and July 2026 to move hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to the IRGC, and that the Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority used it to route payments to Tehran.

Maritime analytics firm Windward said 393 of 642 transits logged through the Strait of Hormuz in August (61.2%) were false transits attributable to GPS jamming. It also counted 3.35 million false ship-to-ship meetings worldwide since 28 February caused by injected positioning data.

An Israeli court sentenced an Israeli man to 13 years in prison for spying for Iran, part of a series of espionage prosecutions during the war.

Yemen's Houthis claimed they shot down a Saudi fighter jet, an F-15, over Marib governorate. The claim was not independently confirmed.

A Houthi drone attack targeted the holy city of Makkah, home to the Masjid al-Haram. Qatar called it a 'shameful' act of aggression, and Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said it gravely offended the religious sentiments of Muslims worldwide.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated US spending on the Iran war at more than $38 billion from 28 February to 1 August. A Defense Department estimate later put the cost at $43.6 billion as of September.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told AFP he wanted a security agreement with Israel once it withdraws from the south and was determined to disarm Hezbollah without confrontation. He called for a new European or other force to prevent a vacuum when UNIFIL's mandate ends at year-end.

The Houthis attacked civilian areas in the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif with ballistic missiles and drones, injuring several civilians and damaging homes and vehicles. Qatar called the attacks 'disgraceful acts of aggression'.

The FBI, Britain's NCSC and the Netherlands' AIVD published a joint advisory on Telegram-controlled malware, called HEAVYGRAM by the FBI and CHOSEN BRICK by the NCSC, attributed to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence. It can copy emails and chats, take screenshots and record audio, and has been used against dissidents and journalists; researchers tied it to the Handala persona.

A total of 130 members of Iran's parliament signed a statement urging the legislature to begin the legal process of withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, after the IAEA board referred Iran to the UN Security Council.

Oil stocks in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to their lowest level since 1982 as emergency drawdowns continued during the Iran war, Reuters reported.

Missiles targeted three camps of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq's Sulaymaniyah province. The same day Fars, citing the IRGC, reported a vessel exploded after hitting mines in Hormuz, and a Pentagon report put the war's cost at about $33.4 billion through late June.

A State Department official said the next round of US-mediated Israel-Lebanon talks, planned for Rome the following week, was postponed to October, though ambassadors would still meet in Washington. Israel keeps a roughly 10-km security zone in south Lebanon and says it will not withdraw further until Hezbollah is disarmed.

After drones launched from Iraq hit Saudi Arabia's East-West crude pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions, causing casualties and prompting its shutdown, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks and reaffirmed its unwavering support for the Kingdom.

The IRGC and Iranian police clashed with militants of the Baloch separatist PFF in Saravan, Sistan-Baluchestan; four militants and several IRGC soldiers were killed. Further clashes followed in Zahedan on 17 September and Jihadabad on 23 September, where Tasnim reported the deaths of IRGC commander Hossein Zarifi and intelligence chief Ahmad Herati Zeraati.

In his sixth wartime call with Abbas Araghchi, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Seoul had not decided on a possible military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had warned against. Seoul's defence ministry had sent a fact-finding team to the UAE earlier that week.

Saudi Arabia closed its East-West Crude Oil Pipeline, its main Hormuz bypass to the Red Sea, after drone attacks on 10 September in Riyadh and Medina provinces; satellite imagery showed fires at pumping stations. The foreign ministry blamed 'several drones originating from Iraq,' and Iraq dismissed a Maysan operations commander. Capital Economics said up to 4% of world oil supply could be affected; Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the outage would be 'measured in days.'

Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters the Houthis took Perim Island, leaving them in control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast and about 20 km from Africa. The group said navigation was safe 'for all companies except for Saudi vessels.' By 14 September they had moved onto the Hanish Islands, and more than 80,000 people had been displaced in two weeks.

Under 'Operation Economic Outcast', OFAC designated senior KH commander Ali Hasan Farhan al-Lami and other KH members, Iraqi PMF-linked firms, a Dubai trading company, and Lebanese money exchangers including Hussein Ibrahim and Abdallah Hamieh, whom it said moved IRGC-QF oil proceeds to Hezbollah. OFAC also shifted its Iran licensing policy to a presumption of denial.

The Houthis took the government-held port city of Mokha, which had been under attack since early August, and the Hays and Al Khawkhah districts of Hodeidah, with the Presidential Leadership Council's forces pulling back toward Dhubab. Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea said the operation launched on 3 September had succeeded.

Freelance photojournalist Majid Saeedi was arrested at his Tehran home on 9 September; nearly three weeks later CPJ said his whereabouts and the reason for his arrest remained unknown. On 20 September intelligence ministry forces also detained journalist Amanj Mohammadpour at his home in Bukan.

The US said it destroyed five Iranian tankers, one of which sank, in retaliation for missile attacks on a Navy warship; the IRGC claimed it hit two US vessels and eight tankers, which the US denied. Jordan intercepted 18 of 20 Iranian ballistic missiles, and an Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base tore a wing off an A-10 and lightly damaged about eight F-15s. A crew member on the tanker Hercules Star near Dubai was killed.

Jordan's armed forces said 20 ballistic missiles launched from Iran targeted Jordanian territory, of which 18 were intercepted; the IRGC said it struck US aircraft sites at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. Qatar condemned the renewed attacks on Jordan as a breach of international law and good-neighbourliness.

Iranian strikes overnight on Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base hit a US A-10, which lost a wing, and lightly damaged about eight F-15s that were returned to service, sources told CBS; US forces fired more than 30 Patriot interceptors and no US deaths were reported. A US official contradicted Trump's account that no aircraft were damaged.

The IAEA Board of Governors adopted a US-UK-French-German resolution 23-3, with eight abstentions and Russia, China and Niger opposed, asking Director General Grossi to report Iran's non-compliance to the UN Security Council and General Assembly. Iran's envoy Reza Najafi said it was passed 'under political pressure' and had no basis. The International Crisis Group's Ali Vaez called it 'an exercise in futility' given likely Russian and Chinese vetoes.

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sanctions on the Hezbollah-affiliated financial association Al-Qard Al-Hassan, alongside other punitive measures announced the same day.

Iranian security forces deployed around fuel stations and on streets across the country as the gasoline price increase took effect, Iran International reported. A 2019 fuel price hike sparked nationwide protests and a deadly crackdown.

Iranian authorities said a Basij force commander was killed in a 'terrorist attack' in Parud district in the country's southeast. The next day officials said a Sunni cleric who was also a Basij member was killed in the northwest, blaming 'Zionist-American separatist groups'.

Iranian air defenses shot down a General Atomics MQ-1 Predator drone over Bandar Abbas, and the IRGC said it seized a US-made Dive-LD unmanned submarine at the entrance to Hormuz. The US later confirmed Iran had shot down at least two MQ-1s in recent days.

Houthi missile and drone attacks hit Abha, Jizan, Najran and Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia, wounding 73 people and starting fires at oil facilities, AP reported. The same day Yemeni government forces launched a counteroffensive vowing to retake Sanaa.

Lebanon's health ministry reported at least 4,362 people killed in Israeli attacks since 2 March 2026, including 11 in the previous 24 hours, despite the June framework agreement. The same day Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned of a faster, heavier response to US attacks.

Israeli strikes killed four people, including two women, in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel retaliated for what it said were Hezbollah drone attacks inside areas held by its troops. Israel continues to operate in a self-declared security zone despite the June ceasefire.

The Israeli government expanded its fortification programme to 89 communities along the Lebanon border, citing missile and drone fire from Lebanon.

Iran said the third-tier gasoline price for purchases above the 110-litre monthly quota would double to 100,000 rials (10,000 tomans) per litre from 8 September, the second such increase since December. Subsidised quotas were unchanged; officials cited a daily gasoline deficit of 14–15 million litres.

Nearly a week into renewed fighting, Iran's parliament speaker said on state media that Americans must understand "before it is too late" that the "rules of the game have changed".

At a White House briefing after days of intense US–Iran fire, the vice president declined to give a timeline for ending the conflict and said the US was protecting commercial shipping.