By Enes Abuomer, Yashraj Sharma and Usaid Siddiqui

    Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says Tehran does not seek an endless war or prolonged negotiations with the United States but will keep fighting until Washington accepts its demands.

    Two vessels sink near the Strait of Hormuz, one hit by a projectile and the other by a sea mine, as ongoing attacks slow maritime traffic.

    The Yemeni army claims more than 200 Houthi fighters are killed or wounded as heavy fighting continues across multiple fronts in Taiz.

Japan advises against non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia

    Japan has raised its travel warning for parts of Saudi Arabia, bringing the entire kingdom under an advisory against non-essential travel following a surge in Houthi missile and drone attacks.

    In an update issued on Wednesday, Japan’s Foreign Ministry raised the alert for several northern and western regions from Level 1 to Level 2 on its four-tier scale.

    The ministry cited an increase in Houthi attacks since October 5, including strikes on King Khalid International airport in Riyadh that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 others.

    Areas near the Yemeni border remain at Level 3, where Japanese nationals are advised against all travel.

    The ministry also urged travellers to avoid using or approaching Saudi airports unless absolutely necessary, warning that further attacks could take place as fighting in Yemen continues.

    It advised Japanese nationals planning trips to Saudi Arabia to consider postponing their travel.

New UK sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements take effect today

    The UK’s expanded sanction regime targeting individuals and companies involved in building, expanding or financing illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has taken effect.

    The regulations follow an announcement by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband in September.     The measures have already triggered retaliatory moves from Israel, including ordering the closure of the UK consulate in occupied East Jerusalem.

    According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the sanctions can be used against banks and insurance companies financing settlement activity, going beyond previous measures targeting individuals involved in settler pogroms against Palestinians .

    The move comes days before an October 19 deadline for construction bids in the E1 area, between occupied East Jerusalem and the Ma’aleh Adumim settlement. The project has drawn international criticism because it threatens the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.

    The expanded sanctions framework allows the UK to designate additional individuals and entities, but does not automatically impose sanctions on them.

Gaza death toll passes 1,500 since October 2025 ‘ceasefire’

    The death toll in Gaza has reached 1,501 since the October 2025 “ceasefire”, after Gaza’s Health Ministry reported three new deaths on Wednesday, including two Palestinians who died from injuries sustained in earlier Israeli attacks.

    The ministry’s latest report said 17 people were injured in the past 24 hours, adding to the 5,323 hurt since the October 2025 “ceasefire”.

    Nearly 840 bodies were recovered during the same period, the report added.

Strait of Hormuz attacks surge as Iran steps up surveillance, disrupting oil flows

By Priyanka Shankar

    Iran has deployed new naval units to expand surveillance of the Strait of Hormuz as attacks on commercial vessels reach their highest levels since the US-Israeli war began in February.

    The navy said the new deployment would allow “real time surveillance of enemy activities and maritime traffic” across the strait, the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Sea, according to Iranian state media.

    According to maritime tracking firm Kpler, 10 tankers were struck in the strait between September 28 and October 4, followed by another strike on October 5.

    The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre has separately recorded 15 other attacks between October 6 and October 14, with 11 of them occurring in just the past four days.

    The escalation has disrupted oil shipments through the strategic waterway. Kpler data showed that just 2.9 million barrels passed through Hormuz on October 11, down from nearly 20.8 million barrels on October 8.

    Iran maintains its restrictions are a response to the US-Israeli attacks and Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports, while US Central Command insists American forces and regional partners control the strait.

    The competing claims highlight the continuing struggle over the waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed before the war.

Oil prices fall over $1 a barrel

    Oil prices are falling in early trade on Thursday as investors weigh risks to supply from attacks on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz against US efforts to cut petroleum shipping costs by easing sanctions on vessels.

    Brent crude futures fell $1.39, or 1.31 percent, to $104.67 a barrel as of 01:16 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down $1.02, or 1.07 percent, to $94.07, reversing gains from the previous session.

    WTI rose to a three-week high in the prior session after the Houthis attacked Saudi Aramco’s headquarters and Iran said it was deploying new tactics to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz and keep oil prices high.

    A container ship and a dry bulk carrier both sank near the strait in the past 24 hours after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents, maritime officials said on Wednesday.

    Attacks around the waterway have surged over the past 10 days, with Iran saying it is stepping up attacks in response to the US blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions introduced last month.

ICRC warns Yemen’s healthcare system nearing collapse as fighting intensifies

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that Yemen’s already fragile healthcare system is under mounting pressure as intensified fighting sends growing numbers of wounded people to hospitals.

    In a statement, the ICRC said health facilities in Marib, Taiz and along the Red Sea coast were bearing the brunt of the casualties, with some front-line facilities receiving more than 700 patients in a single week.

    “Trauma teams are under immense pressure,” said Feras Abusamra, the ICRC’s health coordinator, warning that few facilities could provide comprehensive trauma care amid shortages of surgical supplies, anaesthetics, oxygen and medicines.

    “Our concern is that the health system’s ability to absorb any massive influx of casualties may be extremely limited,” said Christine Cipolla, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen.

    The warning follows a separate alert from Yemen’s Ministry of Health that hospitals in Taiz risk suspending essential services, including emergency surgery, intensive care and dialysis, because of dwindling medical supplies and fuel.

More than 2,000 Palestinian children detained by Israeli forces since October 2023

    The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society says more than 2,000 Palestinian children have been detained by Israeli forces since October 2023, and that 350 are being held in “harsh conditions”.

    Its report, published on Wednesday, stated that Israeli authorities are targeting Palestinian children through practices that begin with “intimidation and arrest” and extend to “torture, starvation and denial of healthcare”.

    The group said Israel’s policy of detention without charges or a release date constitutes “an additional violation and crime that leaves children facing the unknown and deprives them of family and educational stability”.

    The group called for “real international action” to ensure the release of arbitrarily detained children, enforce investigations and end torture, starvation and the denial of treatment.

X takes down Iranian-linked accounts targeting US politics ahead of midterm elections

    Social media platform X says it has suspended accounts linked to a suspected Iranian influence operation targeting US political discussions ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

    In a post on X, the company’s Global Government Affairs team said it had suspended more than 13,000 accounts across three suspected foreign influence operations linked to Iran, Russia and China.

    According to the statement, the networks used fake accounts to post and amplify political content, targeting candidates and public figures across the political spectrum.

    “Whether it is spam networks or entities engaged in influence operations, we are actively working to identify and stop coordinated inauthentic behavior that undermines the integrity of our platform,” the company said.

    The social media giant did not specify how many accounts were linked to Iran or provide further details about the Iranian operation.

Saudi-led coalition intercepts drone over eastern region

    The Saudi-led coalition intercepts and destroys an incoming drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki says in a post on X.

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Iran vows further crackdown on Starlink as internet restrictions tighten

    Iranian authorities have pledged to intensify their crackdown on Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, describing it as a “tool of war” used by the country’s enemies for espionage and military operations.

    Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Cyberspace Council, said authorities had several systems capable of disrupting Starlink connections.

    “It is a tool used for command and control by the enemy, for espionage and information gathering,” he said.

    Using or possessing Starlink in Iran can carry prison sentences of six months to two years, while importing or distributing terminals can result in up to five years in prison.

    Iran has already imposed two prolonged internet shutdowns this year, including an 88-day blackout following the start of the US-Israel war on Iran in February.

    Government officials have also warned that further restrictions could follow if the war intensifies, despite growing reliance on satellite connections to bypass state censorship.

US bill to stop illegal settlements in Palestinian territories garners support

    US Congressman Joaquin Castro has reported growing support for the proposed Stop the Settlements Act, which would “sanction anyone looking to take Palestinian land” in the occupied West Bank or Gaza.

    In a post on X, Castro said the bill, which was introduced to the House of Representatives on October 1, now has more than 50 co-sponsors.

    “Settlement expansion pushes Palestinians off their land and makes peace harder to achieve. It’s time to use tools like sanctions to stop it,” he wrote.

    According to Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now, there are at least 148 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and 15 in occupied East Jerusalem, making 163 in total, which are now home to some 750,000 Israelis, roughly 10 percent of the country’s Jewish population.

US embassy restricts staff travel in Saudi Arabia after attacks on airports

    The US embassy in Saudi Arabia says American government employees must obtain special authorisation before using any airport in the kingdom following recent missile and drone attacks.

    In a security alert issued on Wednesday, the embassy warned US citizens of potential attacks on airports, airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.

    It urged US citizens to exercise “extreme caution” when using Saudi airports and to check flight statuses directly with airlines.

    US government employees are also prohibited from travelling within 20 miles (32km) of the Yemeni border and require special authorisation to visit Jizan, Asir, Najran, Qatif, Yanbu and Taif.

Trump reiterates claim Iran war will end ‘very soon’ as attacks on ships intensify

    US President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that the war on Iran will end “very soon”, despite an increase in attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

    Speaking at a rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, Trump said Washington had taken “total control” of the strategic waterway and claimed Iran had lost its navy, air force, radar systems and air defences.

    “Their first level leaders are gone. They picked a second level. Their second level leaders have gone. They picked the third level. Half of them are gone, they made me promise not to take out any more. And I did. I promised them,” he said.

    Trump suggested the attacks had complicated negotiations with Tehran: “So I probably went a little too far. I’m sorry, because I don’t know who the hell we’re dealing with anymore.”

    Trump acknowledged that the conflict had pushed up fuel prices, but predicted they would fall once fighting ended.

    “I knew gasoline would go high, but I had no idea. I thought it was going to go much higher, to be honest with you,” he said, adding that when the war ends, prices would drop “very soon”.

A recap of recent developments

    Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said Tehran will continue to fight until the US accepts its demands, despite insisting it does not seek an endless war.

    Fierce clashes rage between government forces and Houthi fighters on multiple fronts in the city of Taiz, according to a Yemeni military source.

    The Yemeni army claims more than 200 Houthi fighters are killed or wounded in ongoing battles in the southwestern governorate of Taiz.

    The EU has demanded an immediate end to the Houthi siege on Taiz to ensure vital humanitarian aid reaches the city.

    Oil prices rise after Houthi strikes hit Saudi Aramco and Tehran deploys new tactics against cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

    One person is injured by falling debris in Riyadh after Saudi forces intercept a Houthi ballistic missile over the capital.

    US CENTCOM has confirmed the destruction of an Iranian-affiliated vessel on October 6 for conducting surveillance and targeting of US Navy ships in the Gulf of Oman.

    Amnesty International has warned that civilians must not pay the price for escalating clashes between Houthi forces and the Saudi-led coalition.