Houthi seizure of Red Sea port threatens global energy flow
Iran-aligned Houthi militants seized control of Yemen's port city of Mocha on Thursday, military sources said, posing a further threat to global energy supplies.
Four Yemeni government military sources said the Houthis had gained further leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern outlet of the Red Sea and one of the world's most important shipping routes, and were launching attacks on the strategic islands of Hanish.
Two arrested in London for suspected offences relating to Iran, UK police say
Two people have been arrested in London as part of an investigation into suspected National Security Act offences linked to Iran, British police said on Thursday.
London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "The investigation is not connected to any of the incidents or attacks earlier this year that have been targeted at various venues and buildings linked to Jewish and Iranian communities across London."
Fighters from Saudi-backed Nation’s Shield Forces deployed in Yemen in offensive against Houthis
Fighters from the Saudi-backed Nation's Shield Forces deployed in Yemen's Al-Kadha area on September 10, 2026. © AFPTV
The Houthis, who control large parts of northwest Yemen, launched a large-scale offensive last week against Yemeni government forces, who are backed by Saudi Arabia. © AFPTV
A fighter from the Saudi-backed Nation's Shield Forces stands on the back of a truck. © AFPTV
European Central Bank raises key interest rate to 2.5 percent as war fuels inflation fears
The European Central Bank raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to 2.5 percent on Thursday as the Middle East war pushes up energy costs and threatens to send prices higher.
"The conflict in the Middle East continues to generate inflation pressures, and inflation is set to remain well above target for an extended period," said the central bank.
Iran's government opposes parliamentary bill to expand definition of 'enemy infiltration'
Iran's government opposes a parliamentary bill that would impose tougher criminal penalties for activities deemed to constitute foreign influence or infiltration, state news agency IRNA reported on Thursday.
The bill, backed by parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, would restrict contacts with foreign media and institutions, the sharing of information, scientific cooperation and other activities that authorities deem to facilitate foreign influence.
The elected government's opposition to the measure appears to signal pushback towards hardliners, who have supported enacting tougher security laws during the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Iran suspends freight charge on foreign vessels carrying energy products to or from Iran, Fars news reports
Iran has suspended a 10 percent charge on freight fees for foreign vessels carrying imported or exported oil, gas and liquid petroleum products to and from Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
A US naval blockade has sharply disrupted the country's seaborne oil exports.
Pakistan says no military response discussed under Mecca pact over Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
Pakistan said that there were no discussions about a military reaction from Islamabad under the Mecca agreement in response to the Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia, but added that Pakistan will "act" when the "time comes".
The comments by Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson came in response to a question on how Islamabad plans to fulfill its obligations under a joint defence accord it signed with Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The joint defence agreement signed last month stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack on all of them.
"There is no such thing under discussion right now... When time comes (we) will act under the agreement," foreign ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said at a weekly media briefing.
Iran-backed Houthis take control of Yemeni Red Sea city of Mocha, sources say
The Iran-backed Houthi militants have taken control of the Yemeni Red Sea city of Mocha, closing in on the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, three Yemeni government sources told Reuters.
Pakistan insists Mecca alliance is 'defensive'
The Mecca agreement, signed between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia last month, is a "defensive alliance" and there are no plans to expand it at the moment, Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson said.
The statement came in response to a question at a weekly briefing on how Pakistan plans to fulfill its obligations under the accord after Saudi Arabia was attacked by the Houthis.
Yemen's Houthis report about 40 strikes in fresh Saudi attack
Yemen's Houthi rebels reported about 40 airstrikes launched by Saudi forces on Thursday in a fresh salvo following attacks by the Iran-backed group against the kingdom.
"The Saudi enemy's air force conducted around 40 strikes in recent hours in the governorates of Taiz, Hodeida, Al-Jawf and Marib," Houthi news agency Saba said.
Israeli strike in Gaza kills family of four, hospital and Palestinian security officials report
An Israeli strike in Gaza on killed a family of four including two children, Palestinian hospital and security sources said.
"The bodies of four members of the Ahmad family were recovered in pieces after an Israeli strike hit a house in the Beit Lahia Project area in the northern Gaza Strip," an official at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said, identifying the children as aged 12 and eight.
The Israeli military told reporters it was checking the reports.
A Palestinian security source in Gaza, which is under the control of Hamas, said that Israeli warplanes struck after midnight in Beit Lahia and separately in the heart of the Jabalia refugee camp, with Israeli forces also firing on tents of displaced people and ambulances.
- US military aircraft damaged in strikes on Jordan air base
- Trump warns Iran against activity at Pickaxe Mountain fortified site
- Israeli strike in Gaza kills family of four, hospital and Palestinian security officials report
- Yemen's Houthis report about 40 strikes in fresh Saudi attack
- Iran-backed Houthis take control of Yemeni Red Sea city of Mocha, sources say
Hormuz shipping traffic appears to fall to single digits
Vessel transits at the Strait of Hormuz fell slightly on Wednesday to seven, compared with the previous day's 12, preliminary shiptracking data showed on Thursday, with levels also lower than the 10-day average of 14.
Out of these seven, four vessels exited and three entered, according to the data.
Some vessels could be sailing through the waterway with their transponders turned off and these are not considered in the counts.
Trump says oil prices may not fall until after midterm elections
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that oil prices that have surged because of the Iran war likely won’t come down until after US midterm elections.
Oil prices on Wednesday jumped more than 3 percent, pushing international Brent crude past the $100 threshold for the first time since July as salvos between the US and Iran escalated.
“Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterm.”
US military aircraft damaged in strikes on Jordan air base
Multiple American military aircraft suffered damage in strikes overnight on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, CBS reporter Jennifer Jacobs said on Wednesday on X.
One A-10 Thunderbolt, known as the Warthog, was struck and left with a missing wing, while roughly eight F-15s sustained light damage and were placed back into service, she added.
Trump warns Iran against activity at Pickaxe Mountain fortified site
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States may hit Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, urging Tehran to be cautious.
"We notice there's a little activity at Pickaxe. I would advise Iran not to get cute because we will have to hit them very hard," Trump said in a speech at the midterm Republican convention.
Pickaxe Mountain, located near Iran's heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a fortified site that hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes.
Trump has been threatening strikes on Pickaxe Mountain since at least mid-July.
The rise in oil and gas prices due to the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began in February, has become a major issue for Trump and his Republican Party in the lead-up to the midterm US elections in November.
Welcome to the the broadcaster liveblog covering events in the Middle East. You can catch up on yesterday's key developments here.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Iran said it had captured a US submarine drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
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Israel told the British consulate in east Jerusalem that it must close and that diplomats assigned there would lose their accreditation within 30 days in a reprisal for London-led Western sanctions over settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
- The US military denied reports of Iranian strikes on its warships.
- Syria condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Israeli troops occupying a swath of Syrian territory, calling his entry "illegal". Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the troops would not be leaving anytime soon.
- US President Donald Trump said the Iran war would end after the US midterm elections in November.
(the broadcaster with Reuters, AP and AFP)
