56 entries, newest first, by day in U.S. Mountain Time.
Al Jazeera reports that President Donald Trump ruled out strikes on Iran “today.” The statement narrows the immediate prospect of U.S. military action after his earlier comments that an attack or a deal were both possible.
France 24, citing Israeli media, reports that Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir demanded written authorisation over government instructions he feared could trigger immediate escalation with Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies any confrontation.
OilPrice.com, citing Kpler data, reported that oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have averaged 11.7 million barrels a day in October, up from 9.8 million barrels a day in September and nearing the 14.5 million-barrel pre-war February average.
Al Jazeera reported that Israeli attacks killed at least seven Palestinians across Gaza on Sunday. An air strike on the Islamic University in Gaza City killed three security guards after an earlier drone strike injured seven female students. Separately, Nasser Medical Complex reported that Israeli shelling killed two people in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, and wounded others, including a child.
The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile heading towards Riyadh, a drone in the Riyadh region and a cruise missile aimed at Khamis Mushait on Sunday. It subsequently reported intercepting 10 ballistic missiles targeting southern Saudi Arabia. Explosions were heard in Riyadh.
Israeli forces took over Palestinian homes in Hebron’s Khallat Manna and Dahiyat al-Zaytoun areas for use as barracks, Wafa reported, citing sources. Troops also forced residents from homes in other neighbourhoods to establish observation posts during the ongoing military operation.
The Israeli military announced that all West Bank land crossings will close for Tuesday’s election and Palestinian workers will be barred from settlements, including industrial zones. Most workers will also be barred from settlements starting Sunday, with exceptions for industrial zones and a limited number of other areas.
President Donald Trump said the United States was considering an attack on Iran as soon as Sunday, October 25, or could reach a major deal with Tehran, Al Jazeera reported.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Washington caused the collapse of the interim arrangement intended to end the war with the United States and Israel, while calling for both sides to return and conclude the deal. Separately, Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi said U.S. forces would not be allowed into the Gulf, and the IRGC warned that limited strikes would draw a response “several times greater,” Al Jazeera reported.
Houthi forces launched attacks on Aden, including strikes that Yemeni authorities said hit the coastguard headquarters and another building. Yemen’s Transport Ministry said two ballistic missiles targeted Aden International Airport. Saudi civil defence said the group also launched two ballistic missiles toward Mecca and Medina and warned of falling interception debris.
Thousands demonstrated in Tel Aviv at a rally organised by the October Council, a group founded by families of victims and hostages from the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack. Protesters demanded accountability for the failure to prevent the attack and a state commission of inquiry.
Israeli troops flattened residential blocks in Hebron’s Ein Deir Baha district, according to the Guardian and local Palestinian authorities. The municipality estimated that 35 hectares had been destroyed or marked for destruction and about 1,500 people evicted by Saturday afternoon. Resident-supplied videos showed flattened houses, soldiers marking homes and a bulldozer demolishing a wall. The demolitions followed Friday’s checkpoint attack that killed two Israeli soldiers.
Israeli forces raided at least 15 towns in the northern occupied West Bank on Saturday, detaining dozens of Palestinians, Al Jazeera correspondents reported. Raids and arrests affected Nablus, Jenin, Tubas and Qalqilya, including the villages of Jalud, Qaryut, Arrabeh and Burqin.
The Israeli army said it launched a “targeted” operation in Hebron after a shooting killed two soldiers, according to Al Jazeera.
The UN said more than 800,000 people in Yemen's Taiz have been cut off from aid after Houthi forces encircled the city in early October and blocked its road link to Aden. OCHA said fighting was preventing aid deliveries and departures, while fuel, food and cooking gas supplies dwindled.
Israel’s high court issued a temporary order stopping demolitions near Hebron after authorities began destroying a Palestinian structure following the shooting that killed two Israeli soldiers, the Guardian reported.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael Selig said the agency’s enforcement division is examining oil trading during the Iran war, including a rapid sale of crude futures before Trump withdrew a threat to strike Iranian power plants.
Brent crude rose about 3.5% and passed $117 a barrel, its highest level since April, as traders reacted to fears that the United States could renew military strikes on Iran.
Foreign ministers from the UK, France, Germany, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Italy met in Istanbul and called for restraint and diplomacy rather than further U.S. attacks on Iran. They also backed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and protect navigation.
Israeli security forces killed two suspected Palestinian gunmen after a shooting at a military checkpoint near Hebron wounded five Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered forces to cordon off Hebron and prepare a full closure of the occupied West Bank later Friday.
OilPrice.com reported Brent crude trading at $114.00 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate at $100.40. The report attributed market pressure to Houthi attacks threatening Saudi energy infrastructure, Libyan supply disruptions and fears of renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities.
Al Jazeera reports that President Donald Trump indicated further air strikes on Iran and said the United States had knocked the “hell out” of the country.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Iran would target oil facilities, undersea cables, data centres and AI facilities across up to seven Gulf countries if the United States and Israel launch renewed attacks, according to the Guardian.
Brent crude rose 3% to $112 a barrel, its highest level since May 18, as attacks affecting Saudi Arabia and vessels near the Strait of Hormuz raised concerns about further supply disruption.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy warned on Thursday that continued U.S. provocations could lead to a wider response against American bases in the region, OilPrice.com reported.
Yemen’s government defence ministry warned civilians on Thursday to avoid Houthi rallies and “cultural courses”, saying those gatherings would be considered legitimate military targets. The government alleged that the Houthis use the events to recruit children into combat.
OilPrice.com reported Brent crude trading at $111.10 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate at $98.98, both up about 2% from Wednesday. The outlet linked the gains to reports of Houthi attacks on Saudi targets and stalled diplomatic efforts with Iran.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to invade any country that attacks Iran under a new doctrine described as “offensive and asymmetrical,” Al Jazeera reported.
The U.S. State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to depart Saudi Arabia, citing an uptick in attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants. CBS News reported that several other U.S. embassies in the region shifted to restricted operations but were not placed under ordered departure.
French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Riyadh for an unannounced meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The French presidency said the added stop was intended to demonstrate solidarity with Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks on its territory.
Israeli soldiers and police detained about 80 Palestinian, Israeli and international volunteers near Nahalin outside Bethlehem while they accompanied Palestinian farmers harvesting olives. U.S. congressional candidate Brad Lander said he was released with a warning, while several dozen others remained detained.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia will send a 40,000-tonne diesel tanker to the United States on Thursday under the Trump-Putin supply agreement, with further shipments planned.
The UK government approved production from the North Sea's Jackdaw gas field, OilPrice.com reported. The Adura-led project is expected to begin supplying British homes and businesses by the end of October after undergoing renewed environmental and regulatory reviews.
Goldman Sachs said average global oil shipping costs had risen above $20 per barrel from $3 last year, with Middle East routes reaching $35 per barrel, according to OilPrice.com citing a bank note carried by Bloomberg. The bank warned that sustained freight costs could push Brent above its year-end baseline forecast of $90 per barrel.
An Al Jazeera journalist and a police official reported a powerful explosion in Aden, with smoke rising near the international airport. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed a ballistic missile struck a Saudi-led coalition operations room at Badr camp. Neither Yemen's government nor the coalition immediately confirmed the claimed target or damage.
Brent crude traded at $110.30 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate at $99.12, both up more than 1% from Tuesday, OilPrice.com reported. Concerns over Middle East oil flows and an estimated draw in U.S. crude inventories supported the gains despite reports of recovering Gulf exports.
Marco Rubio told US media that reaching a peace deal with Tehran is extremely difficult, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet reported his assessment amid continuing attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, without providing details of a new negotiating proposal.
British counterterrorism police rearrested a 24-year-old British man and a 25-year-old British-Iranian man on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service in connection with an alleged plot near RAF Fairford. Police said no one has been charged.
France said President Emmanuel Macron secured an additional 100,000 tonnes of diesel a month from Bahrain, alongside the previously announced UAE commitment. The French presidency said Gulf commitments now total 295,000 tonnes monthly when Saudi deliveries are included.
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for meetings with Iranian officials. Iran’s IRNA said Munir was expected to meet Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi first.
The UK government said it will deploy RAF Typhoon jets for defensive counter-air operations over Saudi Arabia to help protect cities, civilians and critical infrastructure from Houthi missiles and drones. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the aircraft will not conduct offensive strikes in Yemen.
US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack told the Global Security Forum in Doha that Washington was reassessing its traditional security-for-oil relationship with the Middle East, but was not leaving the region. He also questioned the effectiveness of past US regime-change interventions.
France's presidency said Emmanuel Macron obtained commitments for approximately 100,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates during his Gulf tour. Another 100,000 tonnes monthly was expected to be secured during a Bahrain stop later Tuesday; that portion remained prospective in the report.
Asian spot liquefied natural gas prices topped $30 per million British thermal units for the first time since December 2022, OilPrice.com reported, citing Bloomberg. Buyers in Asia and Europe are competing for winter supplies while threats to Middle Eastern shipping constrain expectations for normal energy flows.
OilPrice.com reported that Brent crude exceeded $110 a barrel and WTI exceeded $100 during October 20 trading. At the time of writing, prices had retreated to $109.68 and $98.55 respectively. Brent was trading at its highest level in five months as traders assessed disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia postponed its Future Investment Initiative conference, scheduled for October 26–29, until 2027 as Houthi strikes against the kingdom continued. The FII Institute announced the postponement in a Tuesday statement and said a replacement date would be announced soon.
A draft program seen by Reuters proposes that Qatar build two 825-megawatt gas-fired power plants in Lebanon and that QatarEnergy supply gas under a 20-year contract. The privately financed proposal includes gas deliveries through a floating regasification unit and the Arab Gas Pipeline via Syria. Payment obligations and guarantees remain subject to negotiation; both governments must approve the program.
Former army chief and defence minister Benny Gantz announced that his Blue and White party would not contest Israel’s October 27 election. Polls had consistently placed the party below the 3.25 percent threshold needed to enter the Knesset.
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data released Monday showed that the economy grew 2.0% in April–June, below economists’ 3.5% forecast and the preceding quarter’s 4.42% growth. Industry contracted 4.7%. OilPrice.com linked the slowdown to higher energy costs and disrupted LNG supplies from Qatar.
Statistics Canada said Monday that annual inflation rose to 3.1% in September from 3.0% in August. Gasoline prices increased 27.8% year over year and fuel oil and other fuels rose 57.8%. OilPrice.com attributed persistently high fuel prices to the Middle East war.
Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair told Iraq's state news agency INA on Monday that oil exports have averaged more than 3.4 million barrels per day so far in October, up from 2.65 million in September and close to pre-war volumes. He said Iraq is exporting through Hormuz, the pipeline to Turkey's Ceyhan port and tanker trucks through Syria. Most Iraqi crude still crosses Hormuz from southern terminals.
A tanker carrying Qatari LNG is moving north through the Red Sea toward Poland via the Suez Canal, OilPrice.com reported, citing vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The shipment uses the shorter route to Europe despite Houthi threats in the southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the al-Alam military camp in Shabwa during a training exercise, a Yemeni government forces spokesperson said. Government officials and medical sources reported at least 18 people killed and more than 30 wounded. Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi said those killed were new recruits and promised a firm response.
Israeli police said they detained 10 suspects at several West Bank locations following last week's attacks on American photojournalist Heidi Levine and European diplomats. Police cited suspected violence, violation of a closed military zone order and illegal construction, and said they seized potential evidence and vehicles.
Russia’s foreign minister said he is visiting Tehran for talks aimed at averting a return to large-scale hostilities. CBS News described the visit as his first since the United States launched its war with Iran.
The World Food Programme says funding shortages are forcing it to reduce assistance in Gaza from 1.6 million people to 1.1 million. Daily hot meals supplied through community kitchens will fall from 250,000 to 150,000. Families in hard-to-reach areas, including near the Yellow Line, will receive meals every other day instead of daily.