Iran-US war latest: Houthis claim attack on major Saudi oil refinery as ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz

Trump now claims Operation Midnight Hammer was bombing 'drug factories' in IranYemen's Houthis have claimed responsibility for carrying out a ballistic missile attack on the Aramco oil refinery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.The Houthis said the attack was carried out in ​retaliation for Saudi attacks on Yemen's ​Sanaa and other provinces.Smoke and fire was seen emerging from on Saturday, a witness told Reuters. The Armaco fire comes amid escalating hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Houthis, who have stepped up attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure.Last week, the Houthis said they had attacked Saudi’s Aramco facilities in Yanbu with missiles and drones.It comes as a crude oil tanker was reportedly struck by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, the UKMTO said on Saturday. All crew were reported safe and no environmental impact was recorded.On Friday the UKMTO said a tanker was struck by a projectile while transiting the waterway, causing a small fire, which was extinguished. Axios reported on Saturday that members of Donald Trump’s administration met in secret at Camp David to discuss the next steps of the war and the conflict between the Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia. Houthis claim missile and drone attack on Aramco facility in RiyadhYemen's Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a coordinated missile and drone strike targeting a Saudi Aramco facility in the capital city of Riyadh.Witnesses reported seeing a large plume of smoke and fire rising near an Aramco installation in Riyadh earlier in the day. The Houthi military has stated the assault was launched in direct retaliation for recent Saudi coalition airstrikes against Sanaa and other Yemeni provinces.The reported strike marks a sharp escalation in cross-border targeting following claims last week of Houthi strikes against Aramco assets in Yanbu.Suha Kidwai4 October 2026 00:00Yemeni forces claim 97 'precision' attacks against HouthisYemeni government-aligned forces claim they conducted 97 “precision targeting operations” against the Houthis using aircraft, drones, artillery, missiles and snipers.The attacks led to “neutralising (260) elements of the militia”, Yemeni military spokesperson Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili said in a post on X.Earlier in the day, the Houthi military said it launched coordinated attacks targeting a Saudi Aramco facility in Riyadh in retaliation for recent Saudi coalition airstrikes against Sanaa and other Yemeni provinces.Vishwam Sankaran4 October 2026 04:00Iran says Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until conditions are met, Nournews reportsThe Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until conditions set out in a June interim agreement with the US are met, Nournews reported Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bager Ghalibaf as saying on Sunday, a few days after Tehran received Washington's reply to its diplomatic proposal.“The Americans, who say something different in the media, have recently put forward proposals through a mediator. But they must understand that the period of dragging out the process and dictating one-sided demands is over,” he was quoted as saying.“The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is completely clear and firm, and the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until our seven conditions, based on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, are met.”Ships are anchored off the coast of Khasab in Oman's Musandam Governorate, near the Strait of Hormuz, on October 2, 2026. (AFP/Getty)Maira Butt4 October 2026 07:47Iranian diplomats 'kicked out' of US after UN General Assembly – reportTwo Iranian diplomats who were part of the delegation to the UN General Assembly in New York were “kicked out” of the US yesterday, Axios reported, citing a US official.They were found still in New York “long after the UN General Assembly had passed,” despite the US State Department demanding that the entire Iranian delegation leave immediately after the session.One of the Iranian diplomats left on Friday night and the second left on Saturday, according to the US official.Vishwam Sankaran4 October 2026 07:30Yemen says it carried out attacks against Houthis in SanaaYemen's armed forces said ‌today that it was conducting strikes against the Iran-aligned Houthis in the capital, Sanaa.A Yemeni armed forces spokesperson said forces were targeting what he described ​as "vital targets", without providing further details.Yemen's Houthi-run Al ​Masirah TV reported earlier an attack that it said was carried out by Saudi Arabia on Sanaa.Vishwam Sankaran4 October 2026 06:30Trump says Iran has 'virtually given up' nuclear weapon plansUS president Donald Trump said yesterday that Iran has been “decimated” and has “virtually given up any plans for a nuclear weapon”.Trump claimed that oil prices were currently decreasing.“Oil is coming down. Oil is right now lower, and it's been lower than it was under the Biden administration, and they did nothing about the fact that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House to attend a rally in Ohio.“By the way, Iran, as you know, has virtually given up any plans of a nuclear weapon,” he said.Vishwam Sankaran4 October 2026 06:00Iran executes man detained in January protestsIran has executed a detainee over the protests in January for ​allegedly firing at police, the judiciary said yesterday.The man, Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi, fired at least three shots at ​police on 8 January and ​was arrested two days later in Shahrekord in southwestern ​Iran, it said.He was accused of contacting people online ​to organise "anti-security" activities and seeking payment for a "mission".Vishwam Sankaran4 October 2026 05:00Portuguese investigate US military access to base during Iran conflictPortuguese prosecutors have opened a formal inquiry into the government's decision to allow US military flights to use Lajes Air Base in the Azores during the ongoing conflict with Iran.The prosecutor general's office confirmed the probe following a legal complaint filed by the opposition Left Bloc party, which claims allowing US transit operations violates international law. Under a 1951 bilateral treaty, Washington can utilise the strategic Atlantic hub freely during peacetime, but must secure explicit Portuguese approval once active hostilities begin.Foreign minister Paulo Rangel defended the authorisation, stating Lisbon received firm assurances from Washington that US operations would remain defensive, necessary, and proportionate. Unlike neighboring Spain, which restricted US access, Portugal's approval has ignited fierce political debate over the nation's indirect involvement in the conflict.Suha Kidwai4 October 2026 03:00Iranian rial plunges to record low despite $2B central bank interventionIran’s rial has plummeted to a historic low, with the US dollar now trading above 2.68 million rials in spite of emergency central bank intervention.State banks began selling up to $2 billion in foreign reserves to stabilise the currency, which has lost more than half its value over the past year. However, severe sanctions and a naval blockade on Iranian oil exports continue to choke off the regime's primary source of foreign revenue, pushing domestic inflation past 70 percent.Central bank officials dismissed the market crash as a temporary panic, accusing Washington of spreading false economic predictions to induce capital flight. Suha Kidwai4 October 2026 02:00Two Iranian nationals charged over Manchester synagogue chlorine bomb plotTwo Iranian men appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday accused of planning a chemical bomb attack on Jewish targets in Manchester, including a synagogue targeted in a fatal attack last year.Salam Ahmadyan, 36, and Rahman Salehi, 34, conducted "hostile reconnaissance" at Heaton Park Synagogue and the Manchester Jewish Museum, according to prosecutors. The court heard the men were allegedly directed by a handler in Iran who provided instructions on building an improvised explosive device using household chemicals and brake fluid.The alleged plot directly targeted the Heaton Park Synagogue on the anniversary of the October 2025 Yom Kippur attack, in which a gunman killed two worshipers before being shot dead by police. Both suspects were remanded in custody ahead of an October 23 hearing at the Old Bailey.Suha Kidwai4 October 2026 01:00