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US-Iran conflict and Strait of Hormuz crisisPage 8 of 11

A military and diplomatic confrontation between the United States and Iran has escalated following US strikes and threats, with fighting affecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the strait, which Trump has rejected, while both sides continue talks. The conflict has drawn in regional players including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq, and has disrupted oil markets and aviation.

World· Verified

Iran slips fuel shipments past American naval blockade, tracking shows

By Feras Dalatey and Jonathan Saul DAMASCUS/LONDON, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Iran has managed to export some liquefied petroleum gas and jet fuel since July, despite a USnaval blockade, shipping intelligence showed and people involved in security said. Tehran has in recent weeks been concealing such cargoes among a growing volume of ship-to-ship transfers by other Gulf producers off Oman, four people in maritime security who track Gulf oil movements told Reuters.

World· Developing

Donald Trump forecasts quick conclusion to Iran conflict and lower oil costs

• Pezeshkian decries US blockade, insists ‘military force’ will not compel Tehran into submission • Washington weighs using ‘Mother Of All Bombs’ against Iranian energy sites, CNN reports WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump once again predicted a swift end to the war with Iran, and a sharp drop in oil prices once the conflict concludes, even as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that military action cannot force them into submission. “The Iran war will end very soon … Soon, as they want it to end,” Trump told reporters in Montana. “They’ll never have a nuclear weapon, and oil prices will drop like a rock.” According to Anadolu Agency, Trump also expressed uncertainty over which Iranian officials the US was negotiating with. “They don’t have a navy. They don’t have an air force. Their army is decimated. Their leaders are gone,” Trump said. “I should have probably left their leaders because I don’t know who the hell we’re negotiating with.” “Iran was the bully of the Middle East,” he said, adding that the country was no longer as powerful as it had been. Trump also claimed that US strikes had destroyed Iran’s naval fleet and rendered its military aircraft unusable. He said Iran had 159 ships and asserted that none remained operational, while also claiming that its fighter jets had been destroyed on the country’s runways. ‘Iran won’t submit to force’ Meanwhile in Tehran, President Pezeshkian warned that military action cannot force a country into submission, adding that his country “must find a way to strengthen national cohesion and unity”, Al Jazeera reported. He said that the country was facing its most intense blockade since the 1979 Revolution, accusing the United States of seeking to provoke public protests. “Over the 48 years since the Revolution, we have never faced such intense blockade, war and difficulties as we are facing now,” Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast by state television. He accused Washington of seeking to make life difficult for Iranians to fuel public anger and trigger unrest. Pezeshkian said the US was focusing its efforts on making “the people become upset and face difficulties, and then for social protests to emerge so that they can achieve their sinister objectives”. ‘Mother Of All Bombs’ Meanwhile, the US is considering using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb — better known by its nickname, the “Mother Of All Bombs” — against Iran if Trump decides to renew combat in the deadlocked war, CNN reported on Thursday. The military is planning for the potential use of the weapon to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites, according to the news outlet, which quoted officials familiar with the matter. “The MOAB is a massive information operation type weapon that is great for huge area clearance but not much else,” a source familiar with the plans told CNN. “It is definitely not designed as a deep penetration warhead.” Trump is trying to boost his low approval ratings ahead of November’s midterm elections, with polls showing the unpopular war in Iran and the fuel and other price rises it has caused are hurting his Republican Party. Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have been at an impasse since the summer, and Washington has in recent weeks dialled back military operations in favour of economic pressure. However, officials have raised doubts over the efficacy of the bomb if deployed, particularly its ability to destroy suspected underground nuclear sites in Iran, as well as concerns over possible civilian casualties from such a huge weapon. Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2026

Sports· Verified

Saudi Arabia delays major sports fixtures following repeated Houthi strikes

Several major sporting events in Saudi Arabia have been cancelled or postponed as a result of repeated deadly attacks from Iran-backed Houthi rebels against the Kingdom's airports and infrastructure. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with Guy Barton, Visiting Fellow at Lancaster University and co-creator and co-host of The FootPol Podcast.

Business· Developing

Brazil and China trade hits record 143 billion dollars on surging oil flows

Trade between Brazil and China reached a record US$143 billion in the first nine months of the year, driven by Brazilian oil sales that surged after the war on Iran disrupted Gulf supply, according to a report by the Brazil-China Business Council. Brazilian exports to China rose 12 per cent to US$84.7 billion between January and September, while imports from China grew 9.9 per cent to US$58.6 billion, the council said in its quarterly analysis of government data. The resulting US$26.1 billion...

World· Verified

Saudi Arabia blames Iran for backing intensified Houthi offensive

A Saudi foreign ministry official on Thursday accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis in the latest escalation of their fight with the kingdom, adding that it continues to arm and train the group. “Iran continues to arm, train and support the Houthi militia in violation of UN security council resolutions,” Dr Rayed Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry, said during a virtual briefing with reporters. “We think that the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran,” he later said. The official said the kingdom however remained in communication with Iran, even if Tehran appeared unwilling to offer concessions. “We continue to have direct communications with Iran,” Krimly told reporters. “Overall, it doesn’t seem yet that the Iranians are able to provide the necessary concessions for a solution.” The official went on to accuse the Houthis of refusing to meet in Oman in recent weeks as fighting ramped up between the two sides. “At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them to meet in Muscat, Oman and they refused,” he added. “This was the last communication which happened a few weeks ago.” The world’s top crude oil exporter has in recent days come under sustained attack, including a strike on Riyadh’s international airport that was the deadliest in years, as the war with the Houthis dramatically escalates. Yemen’s civil war reignited in July after a UN-brokered truce collapsed, months into a wider Middle East war that has rocked the region and roiled energy supplies and markets. The conflict in the country has caused what the United Nations calls one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving most of the nation’s population dependent on aid. The Saudi-led coalition has fought the Houthis since 2015 after they seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa and forced out the internationally recognised government from the city, until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. Saudi-led coalition says Houthis attempted to attack dozens of Saudi facilities Meanwhile, the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that the Houthis had attempted to attack dozens of Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said at a press conference that the Houthis had launched 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh this month, killing 17 people and wounding 333 others. The coalition also said Houthi attacks on Abha airport, in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border, had killed three people and wounded 28. Maliki said the Houthis had acquired advanced military technology with the help of “regional actors,” including ballistic missiles, drones and explosive-laden fast boats. The spokesperson also said the coalition had destroyed 127 weapons storage facilities and launch platforms in Yemen’s mountainous areas. He called on the Houthis to immediately halt operations targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, and said the group should read the coalition’s statement carefully and “between the lines”. Shortly after the coalition’s statement, the Houthi military spokesperson said Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe, renewing a warning to airlines while excluding airspace over the holy cities of Makkah and Madina.

World· Verified

US military prepares strike plans for Iran featuring massive air blast bomb

The US military has developed new strike plans that include potentially using the so-called “mother of all bombs” to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites should President Donald Trump give the order to resume combat operations either before or after the midterm elections, according to multiple US officials familiar with the matter. Using the … The post Exclusive: US considering using ‘mother of all bombs’ against Iran, sources say appeared first on Egypt Independent.

World· Developing

Benjamin Netanyahu rules out preemptive strike on Iran before upcoming election

JERUSALEM, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he was not in favour of a preemptive strike against Iran before Israel's October 27 election but also warned Tehran and its proxies against striking Israel. "It is not convenient for us, it's no good," Netanyahu said in an interview on Israel's Army Radio, when asked about the possibility of a preemptive strike and allegations by his political rivals that he was seeking a military confrontation ahead of the election.

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