• 
  UK Maritime Trade Operations says it has received reports that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz.
• US Central Command says its forces redirected 130 commercial vessels as of October 5 during the “strict enforcement of the ongoing naval blockade against Iran”.
• US President Donald Trump says he is “always open to direct talks with Iran” and attributes rising fuel prices to Russia’s war in Ukraine rather than the war on Iran.

Iran-US talks

UN chief lands in Pakistan for talks expected to touch on Iran

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Islamabad for three days of meetings with senior government officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Guterres’s arrival in a post on X, saying he was met by Acting Foreign Secretary Nabeel Munir.

Ahead of the secretary-general’s trip, a UN spokesperson said the talks would cover Pakistan’s “diplomatic and mediation efforts” between Iran and the US.

The visit will be a chance to discuss Islamabad’s “constructive role in supporting negotiations between the two countries”, the statement said.

UN’s Guterres calls on all parties in US-Iran war to ‘end conflict, return to diplomacy’

Speaking to reporters in Islamabad about the US-Iran war, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he wants to send a loud message to all parties: “End the conflict, return to diplomacy and restore navigational rights in accordance with international law.”

Guterres, sitting next to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, tied the wider peace in the region to “the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people”.

The UN official also lauded Pakistan’s role in mediating between the US and Iran.

Iranian interior minister meets Qatari counterpart in Doha: Iran media

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni says he held constructive discussions with his counterpart in Doha, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

The two men discussed the fate of three Iranian military pilots Tehran claims are held in Qatar, Tasnim said.

Iran has accused Doha of holding the pilots after their planes crashed, an allegation Qatar has denied.

Discussions also covered organized crime, cooperation between coast guards, security matters and drug trafficking, Tasnim said.

"The two men discussed the fate of three Iranian military pilots Tehran claims are held in Qatar,.."

On August 15, 2026, Doha denied that it is holding these pilots; insisted that they were handed over to Iran.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim meets Iran’s visiting interior minister

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has met Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni in Doha with talks focusing on the reduction of Gulf tensions.

“During the meeting, they reviewed developments in the region and efforts aimed at de-escalation in a manner that enhances regional and international security and stability,” a statement said.

Earlier, Momeni said he held constructive discussions with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Iran boasts large stockpile of new military equipment, army spokesperson says

Iran holds a large stockpile of new military equipment, according to Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia, the spokesperson for the army.

State TV quoted Akraminia as saying the production of new defensive and offensive equipment, including missiles and drones, continues amid the ongoing war.

“New defensive and offensive equipment will be introduced at the appropriate time,” he added.

Iran warns of ‘devastating’ response to any US ‘miscalculation’

The head of the parliament’s National Security Commission has warned that the Iranian military is fully prepared to retaliate against the US and its allies.

“Our armed forces are more prepared than ever, fingers on the trigger, waiting for any miscalculation by the US or the Zionist regime,” Ebrahim Azizi wrote in a post on X.

“The response they face will be even more severe and devastating than anything they have seen before,” he added.

IRGC warns renewed aggression against Iran to have ‘devastating response’

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that any “miscalculation and renewed aggression against Iran will have a painful and devastating response”, according to the Fars news agency.

“The US and the Zionist regime have failed on all fronts and have failed to achieve their key goal of weakening, defeating, and disintegrating Iran as a regional power,” the IRGC said.

Trump says Iran war to end ‘the nice way or the not-so-nice way’

US President Donald Trump has said the only question about ending the Iran war is “which way we want to do it: the nice way or the not-so-nice way”.

“Pretty soon, you’ll find out,” Trump added during a speech announcing the construction of a new shipyard in Maryland.

According to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the new project will be “the largest US shipyard since World War II”.

Hormuz Strait

India says 12 sailors injured in attack on vessel transiting Hormuz Strait

New Delhi has said that at least 11 Indian sailors have been injured in an attack earlier today on a Panama-flagged commercial vessel, MT On Peace, off the coast of Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz.

India’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the vessel had a total crew of 19 people, including 17 Indians, of whom a total of 12 people were injured, including the 11 Indians.

“With the assistance of Omani authorities, the injured crew have since been evacuated and are receiving medical treatment in Khasab, Oman. We thank the Omani authorities for their valuable support,” the ministry said.

“The continuing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region remain a cause of deep concern for India We reiterate our call for an immediate cessation of such attacks in the interests of peace and stability in the region.

“The targeting of commercial shipping, seafarers and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and navigation and commerce through international waterways must be restored at the earliest,” the statement added.

‘Unknown projectile’ hit oil tanker exiting Hormuz Strait, UKMTO says

UK Maritime Trade Operations has said that it has received a late report of an ‘unknown projectile’ hitting a vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The marine agency said that a verified source reported that an oil tanker transiting outbound was struck on Monday, but did not disclose any further details, adding that authorities are investigating.

Oman confirms medical evacuation of crew members from attacked oil tanker in Hormuz

Oman ⁠has confirmed a medical evacuation of 10 crew ⁠members from the Panama-flagged oil tanker ⁠On Peace, which was attacked near the Gulf country, the media office ‌of the sultanate’s armed forces says.

As we have reported earlier, India’s Foreign Ministry said 12 crew ⁠members, mostly Indian, were ⁠wounded after an unknown projectile struck a tanker while ⁠it passed through ⁠the Strait of ⁠Hormuz.

“With the assistance of Omani authorities, the injured crew have since been evacuated and are receiving medical treatment in Khasab, Oman. We thank the Omani authorities for their valuable support,” the ministry said earlier today.

It did not give any details of the ‌condition of those wounded.

Oil markets

Oil prices ease as regional supply fears recede

Crude oil benchmarks are moving slightly lower as steady Middle Eastern shipments and an emergency release of G7 strategic reserves alleviate market anxiety, though persistent Houthi strikes targeting Saudi infrastructure continue to keep traders cautious regarding Gulf transit routes.

Brent crude futures declined 4 cents to $100.28 a barrel as of 00:03 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) contracts dropped 11 cents, or 0.1 percent, to trade at $89.33 a barrel.

The downward pressure followed maritime tracking metrics published on Monday indicating that petroleum shipments originating from the Middle East surpassed pre-conflict volumes during four separate days late last month.

The data highlighted the steady endurance of regional energy transit pathways despite ongoing security disruptions affecting commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz.

Full fuel market recovery out of reach until 2027, despite Hormuz crude rebound: Media

The average volume of crude oil shipments crossing the Strait of Hormuz reached 10.3 million barrels per day up to Saturday, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing data released by market intelligence firm Kpler.

This figure accounts for 76 percent of pre-war baseline flows. However, the report said that while unrefined crude oil is steadily moving through the waterway again, refined products like diesel and petrol remain severely depressed due to regional refinery outages from war-related strikes.

The report added that while the G7 recently agreed to release 100 million barrels of emergency stock, analysts warn that a full recovery for refined fuel markets could take well into 2027 as damaged refineries slowly resume operations.

Oil rises as traders weigh Middle East tensions

Oil prices made slight gains ⁠as security concerns ⁠in the Middle East kept a geopolitical risk premium in the market.

Brent crude futures ⁠were up 27 cents, or 3 percent, at $100.59 a barrel at 03:30 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 30 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $89.73 a barrel.

“Shipping data shows regional ⁠crude exports actually exceeded pre-war levels on several days in late September. Alternative routes and logistical adjustments have somehow allowed producers to keep barrels moving despite the disruption around Hormuz,” said Priyanka Sachdeva, head of market insights at Phillip Nova.

“However, calling this a full normalisation of supply doesn’t look justified quite yet… There have ‌been renewed attacks on tankers around the Strait of Hormuz, and the number of incidents has increased in recent days. This means that while barrels are still moving, the cost, insurance, routing, and security risks of moving them remain elevated.”

Gulf oil flows – excluding Iran – surged to 81 percent of pre-war levels in September, data shows, led by a recovery in Saudi exports despite attacks on the kingdom’s oil infrastructure and escalating Iranian attacks on regional shipping. Iranian exports fell ⁠to zero because of a US blockade.

Gulf oil flows rebound to 81% of pre-US-Israel war on Iran levels

Gulf oil flows excluding Iran rebounded sharply to 81 percent of pre-war levels in September, according to the latest shipping data.

The surge was led by a strong recovery in Saudi Arabia’s exports despite attacks on the kingdom’s oil infrastructure and regional shipping threats, while Iranian exports fell to zero because of the US naval blockade.

Flows of crude, condensate and refined fuels averaged 19.2 million barrels per day (bpd) from key Gulf producers, Vortexa data showed, compared with 23.6 million bpd the year preceding the outbreak of the war on Iran on February 28. Data from Kpler put total September oil exports at 18.6 million bpd.

Oil price hovers below $100 a barrel

Oil prices have fallen in Asian trading as markets continue to weigh the reliability of Middle East crude exports against concerns about supply disruptions amid ongoing fighting.

Brent crude fell 0.75 percent to $99.57 a barrel at the time of reporting.

US West Texas Intermediate crude also fell 1.2 percent to $88.37 a barrel, according to data from Oilprice.com.

UK diesel prices hit record high as fallout from US-Iran war continues

The average UK diesel price has hit a record high of close to £2 a litre (around $10 per US gallon) as the fallout from the US-Iran war continues, government data shows.

The average price reached 199.52 pence a liter in the week to October 5, surpassing the previous record of 199.22 pence in July 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a key energy producer.

 

Vitol CEO warns Middle East oil slow down could push crude prices to $200 per barrel

Russell Hardy, the chief executive of commodities trading giant Vitol, has said that a shutdown of volumes of crude leaving the Middle East might push benchmark crude prices to $200 a barrel.

Around 12 million barrels of crude oil and 2 million barrels of refined products have left the Middle East per day in the last seven to ten days, Hardy told the Energy Intelligence Forum in London on Tuesday.

However, he added that without a steady flow of 10-14 million bpd leaving the region on ships, the energy markets will destabilize going into the winter due to low inventories in the West.

Meanwhile, the European Union’s oil co-ordination group will meet on Wednesday at 8am local time to decide upon the bloc’s latest position, said a European Commission spokesperson.

Oil pumped through East-West pipeline reach 5.8 million barrels, says Saudi minister

Saudi Energy ‌Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has said that oil pumped through the East-West pipeline, which runs to the Saudi Red Sea export hub of Yanbu, reached 5.8 million barrels as of Tuesday morning.

The pipeline was temporarily shut after being hit by drones last month, but has since resumed operations.

 

Diesel, not oil is real consequence of simultaneous Middle East, Russia-Ukraine conflicts

Despite the attention being on oil, diesel is the real consequence of conflict in the Middle East, as well as Russia’s war on Ukraine, according to Mark Rossano, founder and CEO of C6 Capital Holdings, a company that invests in energy infrastructure.

“This is not just the Russian-Ukraine conflict or the Middle Eastern conflict; they’re happening at the same time, which is creating a huge amount of pressure in the global market,” Rossano said.

“After Russia-Ukraine, the Middle East really made up a large part of the missing refined products that were in the market, helping balance things out. Now, you’ve removed a significant amount of that,” he added.

As a result, diesel prices are driven up, which consequently creates significant shortages and increases the price of shipping, Rossano said.

Exporters are also forced to consider alternate trading routes, which can increase sailing time exponentially. “Which is taking additional vessels off the market which would usually be able to turn back around and get back out there, in order to move more product.”

US (global) arbitrary sanctionism

US issues warning to foreign financial institutions doing business with Iran

The US Treasury Department says it has alerted foreign financial institutions doing business with Iran or its financial sector that they may be sanctioned by Washington without notice.

“Foreign financial institutions continuing to transact with sanctioned Iranian financial institutions could be targeted at any time without advance notification and should take immediate action to terminate such activity and relationships,” it said in a statement.

“Foreign financial institutions could also be subject to civil and criminal enforcement penalties should Iran-related transactions cause US financial institutions or other US persons to violate sanctions,” it added.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Outcast” in August in an effort to further restrict Iran’s access to global markets and pressure Tehran to agree on a deal to end the war.

Iran experiencing ‘economic war’ imposed by ‘government of cruelty’, Central Bank chief says

Iran’s Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati has described the US government as a “government of cruelty”, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

“We are confronting an economic superpower. This government, in fact the American government, is a government of cruelty,” Hemmati said. “You see how they martyred our children in Minab, how they martyred our beloved leader and many others.”

“Ten days ago, they announced that Iran would face economic collapse in two weeks. Now, 10 days have passed and we are on the front lines of the economic war, and we will give them the same answer,” he added.

Hemmati spoke to US economic pressure on the country, assuring the Iranian people that the government had a plan for the country’s future.

“Our dear people should also be confident. Yes, we know the conditions, the problems, and the pressures, and we understand that people experience these in their daily lives. But the pressure is heavy, but we also have a plan for it. It is not like we are without a plan,” he said.

 

Iran has ‘no problem providing foreign currency’, Central Bank chief says

Iran’s Central Bank governor says Tehran supplied $2bn in foreign currency to the market to show US President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the country has no shortage of foreign exchange.

“The reason we provided $2bn in foreign currency for the market was to make Trump and his Treasury secretary understand that we have no problem providing foreign currency,” Abdolnaser Hemmati said in remarks carried by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.

Hemmati said Iran had supplied about $24.9bn in foreign currency by early October, down about 12 percent from $28bn during the same period last year.

He said the decline mainly affected the industrial sector and did not extend to essential goods. Foreign currency supplied to fund medicine imports rose by 30 percent compared with the same period last year, he added.

His remarks come after Iran’s rial fell to a new low on Saturday, amid US sanctions aimed at restricting Tehran’s access to foreign exchange.

(delusional) politics

Trump defends removal of US bombers from UK base after threats

The US president has spoken to reporters at the White House about the Pentagon’s decision to remove US bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK, following a security incident near the base on September 27.

• Trump said there were “some threats, and rather than tempting the enemy, we’ll capture the enemy and beat the enemy. But why should we leave them there? So, we moved them around a little bit. Not very far.” He did not specify the nature of the threats, though he has previously linked Iran to the security incident at Fairford.
• He said Washington knows who made the threat and “they’ve gotten themselves into big problems”, without providing further details.

• 20261001 - British Counter Terrorism police say UK-Iranian national arrested during airbase investigation
• 20261003 - UK-Iranian man held over RAF airbase incident released on bail

This means that there is no evidence found that there was a threat.

• The B-1 Lancer bombers were pulled out from Britain not just because of the three white vans, which were discovered near RAF airbase Fairford. The bombers were stationed in the open at the airbase.
• Then, the British "terrorism law" has a different background then those that was introduced in 2002 by George W. Bush.

Trump says US pulled bombers from UK’s RAF Fairford due to threats

President Trump says the US removed its bombers from a British air base due following threats. Earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had called the transfer a normal rotation.

The UK government insists the RAF Fairford airbase, where the bombers were housed, is safe.

Trump claims high pump prices are a ‘small price to pay’ for security

Trump has continued to repeat his assertion that higher gas prices paid by American consumers at the pump are “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe”.

Trump made these comments at an election rally in Grand Island, Nebraska.

While falsely claiming that oil prices are lower now than under the Biden administration, Trump said the cost of petrol would fall below $1.85 per gallon (3.8 litres) “in a very short period of time”. He added, as he has previously, that it may happen before the November 3 midterm elections, or just after.

“Just so you understand, we’re saving this country… and the world from what could be one of the worst tragedies ever,” he said, adding, again, that the US would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

US and allies in the Americas condemn Iran’s ‘terrorist actions’ in region

The US and nine other countries across North, Central and South America say they “condemn the terrorist actions and other malign influence operations in our hemisphere by Iran and its terrorist proxies”.

The joint statement, released by the US State Department and endorsed by Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago, followed the recent Countering Transnational Terrorism Forum in Paraguay, cohosted by Washington and Asuncion, to enhance law enforcement cooperation.

During the meeting, participating nations accused Iran and its proxies of “hostile efforts” ranging from lethal plotting to illicit fundraising, political interference and other operations to support “terrorist” networks, coerce enemies, undermine law enforcement and harm regional security.

“Iran and its proxies must halt these actions now,” they said.

“We are together resolved to undertake further measures to halt them, and pledge to enhance our coordination and cooperation to address this threat,” they added.

It is about the resumption of Netanyahu's 12-day preemptive war from June 2025, which began with the assassination of the Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei on February 28th. Trump joined the resumption after Netanyahu promised him that the war would bring the Iranian regime to a collapse.

More background information

Trump makes ‘extraordinary’ remark while defending Iran war costs at Nebraska rally

US President Donald Trump has consistently argued to Americans that the cost of his Iran war is a small price to pay compared with the threat the US faced from Iran.

But campaigning in Nebraska on Monday, the president went much further, describing the threat from Iran using extraordinary language.

“Remember, with the war, it’s just artificial. It’s a little bit high. It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe. They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles or San Diego. This is a very small price to pay. It’s essentially almost over with,” Trump said at the Republican Party’s midterm campaign event in Grand Island.

It sounds like Donald Trump is suggesting Iran strike California. He is not. What he’s arguing is that the cost of the Iran war is small compared with the price of leaving Iran unchecked.

Still, invoking the destruction of two US cities by an American president is striking language and perhaps a signal of just how much pressure Donald Trump is under ahead of what are expected to be difficult congressional elections in November.

And perhaps [it’s] a signal that he’s increasingly under pressure to convince Americans his war with Iran is worth it.

Trump ‘deranged and dangerous’ for daring Iran to take out LA, California governor says

California Governor Gavin Newsom has denounced Trump’s comments that Iran can “take out Los Angeles or San Diego”.

“He is deranged and dangerous,” Newsom wrote on his personal X account of the remarks, while his official governor page added: “Disgusting and disqualifying.”

During a campaign rally in Nebraska Monday, Trump defended the war on Iran by claiming “it’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe”.

“They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles or San Diego. This is a very small price to pay,” the US president continued.

The remarks drew immediate ire from prominent Californians online.

San Diego mayor to Trump: ‘Keep our city out of your reckless war talk’

The fallout continues after President Trump’s suggestion that Iran is welcome to “take out” the US cities of LA and San Diego.

After California Governor Gavin Newsom called the US president “deranged”, Los ⁠Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also chided Trump for his comments.

“The president of the United States suggested that a foreign government attack Los Angeles. His statements against our ⁠city are dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety,” Bass said in a statement.

San Diego ⁠Mayor Todd Gloria wrote on X: “We are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”

Jim Desmond, a San Diego Republican seeking a US House seat in November’s midterm elections, distanced himself from Trump’s remarks.

“I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s comments. America must stand up to Iran and defend our interests, but the first responsibility of our ‌commander in chief is to protect the American people and our homeland. No American city is expendable and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage.”

Trump, speaking at a political rally on Monday, discussed American wartime economic sacrifices.

“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, for keeping our country safe. They could take out a city. Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego,” he said referring to Iran.

 

Top security chief Rezaei says forecasts by Bessent about Iran are ‘delusional’

The secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei has replied to recent comments on Iran by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying: “Hormuz will not be opened by threats or pressure. Iran will not back down,” in a post on X.

Bessent said on Monday, in a post on X, that Operation Economic Outcast, the plan to isolate Iran’s global streams of income, was delivering results.

In his reply, Rezaei referred to what he described as “Bessent’s delusional forecasts”, stating that “they never had any credibility in the first place”.

He added: “You lost the military war. You will fail in the economic war, too.”

Trump says ‘millions of barrels’ of oil passed through Hormuz

US President Donald Trump has said “millions of barrels” of oil transited through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.

“We’re getting it through at levels that are now even and sometimes exceeding prior to the war,” he said while speaking to reporters before departing for Maryland.

Trump also claimed the Iranian oil minister “just quit”, adding that the official “said, ‘We have no economy, we have no oil, we have nothing.’”

 

‘Nobody knows’ who is running Iran, Trump claims

US President Donald Trump has said “the biggest ⁠⁠problem” for him in dealing with Iran is that “nobody knows ⁠⁠who the ⁠⁠hell ⁠⁠is running the country”.

Trump claimed that he receives “calls all the time from the leaders of the world thanking me very much for the Iran war”.

“I said, ‘Good. When are you going to pay for it?’” he added.

Earlier, we reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the construction of “the largest US shipyard since World War 2” in Baltimore county, a major port and industrial centre in Maryland.

Trump said the US government will ⁠⁠hold a 40 percent stake in the ⁠⁠new shipyard, projected to cost about $3.7bn.

US treasury secretary questions Iran’s oil minister amid Tehran’s crude export halt

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has questioned the new responsibilities of Iran’s new oil minister, claiming that Iran has not shipped crude oil in nearly two months.

“Considering Iran has not loaded a single barrel of crude onto a vessel since 25 August, what is the oil minister managing?” Bessent wrote on X.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday accepted the resignation of Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, who cited personal reasons, and appointed Hamid Bovard, head of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company, as acting minister.

The change came as a US naval blockade of Iranian ports has choked the country’s crude exports.

RAF airbase Fairford, England

UK police arrest person for alleged ‘preparation of terrorist acts’ connected to RAF Fairford

The UK’s Counter Terrorism Police says they have carried out another arrest in connection with “activity that took place close to RAF Fairford,” the airbase used by the US to strike Iran.

In a statement, police said they had arrested a 22-year-old British national in Westminster Borough “on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts”.

Counter Terrorism Policing said the individual arrested on Tuesday was connected with “activity that took place close to RAF [Royal Air Force] Fairford” and the arrest had been made “on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts”.

Trump said the US withdrew B-1 bombers from the site on Sunday because of what he described as “some threats”.

Over the past two weeks, six people have been arrested on suspicion of “terrorism”. They have all been released on bail.