War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility in a televised speech for Saturday’s attack on Riyadh’s international airport that killed 12 people and wounded more than 300 others, according to Reuters.

Two new blasts have been heard in Riyadh, AFP journalists report, more than an hour after the Saudi-led coalition reported a fresh attack on the city’s airport.

AFP journalists heard two explosions in quick succession in central Riyadh.

The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.

The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei says that the US has responded to Iran’s seven conditions to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but the response is “insufficient”, Fars reports.

“Americans have now responded to us; they have accepted some of our conditions while others remain unresolved.

“We are no longer in the process of responding to the Americans; they must clarify the issues that remain ambiguous for us,” Fars quotes Rezaei as saying.

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says Iran is currently considering the establishment of an “Economic War Council”, according to Fars news agency.

“Such a council will likely be formed, and we will show Trump and his administration what economic war truly means and where they stand in this battle,” he said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says he is “deeply saddened” over the injury of six Pakistani nationals as a result of the attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, praying for their speedy recovery.

“Our Embassy in Riyadh is in close contact with the Saudi authorities and is extending all possible assistance to the affected families,” PM Shehbaz said in a post on X.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned in the “strongest possible terms the horrific terrorist attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh”.

“On behalf of the people of Israel, I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those murdered and our wishes for a full recovery to the injured,” he said in a statement released by his office.

“Terrorism targets innocent people and seeks to spread fear and instability. It must be confronted with resolve.”

He added: “Israel looks forward to a strong Middle East — one that stands united against threats, protects its people, and builds a future of security, cooperation, and prosperity for all the peoples of our region.”

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said an “unidentified projectile” targeted terminal 4 at Riyadh’s international airport, Reuters reports.

It did not provide further details, but the statement came a day after an attack on the airport killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300 others.

The International Energy Agency’s Executive Director Fatih Birol suggested that all members assess whether additional diesel releases are necessary and to set out their scale, timing and supplemental nature as governments seek to tackle record fuel prices and supply disruptions caused by the Iran war, Reuters reports.

The agency, which coordinates emergency oil stockpiles among industrialised countries, also suggested that member countries that have not yet fully delivered pledged volumes accelerate their remaining releases prioritising diesel, ahead of a meeting of the IEA’s governing board on October 15.

Two blasts were heard in the Saudi capital Riyadh, AFP journalists and three residents said, a day after an attack on the city’s airport killed 12 people and wounding hundreds.

AFP journalists heard a powerful explosion in central Riyadh, while three residents in the city’s north later reported hearing another blast.

The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.

“The birds went into a frenzy after the sound. The whole house shook,” a resident in Al-Aarid neighbourhood in northern Riyadh told AFP.

Turkiye condemned an attack on Riyadh’s international airport that killed 12 people, slamming the “deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians”, AFP reports.

The attack was “a flagrant violation of international law”, Turkiye’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

It called for “actions threatening regional security and stability” to stop immediately.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed concern at what he called the Houthi attack on the Riyadh airport.

“We pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured, including the six Pakistani nationals,” he said.

“Attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure are totally unacceptable, violate international law and pose a serious threat to regional peace and security. Such acts must cease immediately,” he said.

“We are in touch with the Saudi Authorities and are closely following the situation. I have directed our embassy in Riyadh to coordinate with the concerned authorities to provide all possible assistance to the injured Pakistani nationals,” he said.

“We stand in solidarity with Saudi Arabia’s leadership and brotherly people. Pakistan remains firmly committed to the kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security in accordance with the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” he said.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has commended Oman for its efforts to promote regional peace and emphasised continued regional consultations in a phone call with the Sultan of Oman, state-owned IRNA reports.

According to the agency, Pezeshkian commended the Sultan and the Omani government for their efforts to promote regional peace and stability.

“He stressed the importance of maintaining diplomatic consultations, expanding constructive interactions, and utilising the shared potential of regional nations to foster mutual understanding and cooperation,” IRNA added.

France has condemned the “heinous attack” by Yemen’s Houthis a day earlier on Riyadh’s international airport and stressed “total solidarity” with Saudi Arabia, AFP reports.

France, which is already lending troops and military equipment to Saudi Arabia, “will continue to remain by its side in its defence of its territory and its infrastructure”, a foreign ministry statement said, calling on the Houthis to cease their attacks.

The Saudi embassy in Kuwait has said it was organising buses to transport its citizens back to the kingdom after their flights were cancelled following attacks on Riyadh airport, AFP reports.

“The embassy said it would provide buses to transport Saudi citizens wishing to return to Riyadh whose flights had been cancelled, provided they have proof of a cancelled flight booking,” read a statement posted online by the embassy.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has “unequivocally denounced” the Houthi attack on Riyadh’s main airport.

“There can be no justification for attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he said on X.

The United Arab Emirates has said it stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia after the deadly attack on Riyadh’s airport, and expressed support for “all measures” to safeguard the kingdom’s security, AFP reports.

The UAE foreign ministry in a statement denounced the “flagrant violation” of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty. It “reaffirmed the UAE’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding the kingdom’s security and stability”.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, in an interview with Press TV, has said the country would pursue legal cases in domestic and foreign courts over the US-Israeli aggression against Minab’s elementary school.

Iraq has condemned the deadly attack on Riyadh’s international airport, warning that it endangered “regional security and stability” and calling for an end to hostilities, AFP reports.

“Iraq calls for a comprehensive cessation of military operations, to spare civilians and the peoples of brotherly countries the consequences and repercussions, and to ensure that civilian facilities are protected,” the Iraqi prime minister’s spokesman Sabah al-Numan said in a statement.

UK Defence Minister Wes Streeting has condemned Saturday’s deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh’s airport as a “dangerous escalation” and “contemptible”, AFP reports.

“What we’ve seen overnight is a dangerous escalation and I’m afraid an increasing pattern of behaviour from the Houthis that’s targeting civilian sites in Saudi Arabia. This is completely contemptible action,“ he told Sky News.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said he “firmly condemns” the deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh’s airport, which he described as “a terrorist act against Saudi Arabia and civil aviation”.

“Our thoughts are with the victims and I send my sincere condolences to their loved ones,” he wrote on X.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called the deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh airport a “dangerous escalation” and said the group must halt strikes on civilian targets.

“These attacks by Iran’s proxies are pushing the region into a spiral of violence. They are destabilising crucial global transport and energy nodes with shockwave sent through the world. These murderous attacks at civilians must stop at once,” von der Leyen said, adding the EU stands in “solidarity with Saudi Arabia”.

Operations at Riyadh’s international airport continue to be suspended following fatal attacks on the facility, AFP reports, citing a senior aviation source in the Saudi capital, after authorities announced a temporary closure yesterday.

“Riyadh airport has suspended operations again today. They informed us of this at dawn,” the source said.

A second source working in the aviation sector who helps oversee flights to Riyadh confirmed the halt in operations “until further notice”.

Yemen’s Houthis have warned passengers against using Saudi airports after an attack on the airport in the capital Riyadh left 12 people dead and hundreds wounded.

“The Yemeni armed forces renew their warning to all aviation and navigation companies, experts, staff, workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on X.

“The airports and airspace are exposed to targeting and constitute a theatre of operations for our forces, with the exception of the airports of Makkah and Madina,” he added.

Saudi stocks fell after an attack on Riyadh’s international airport killed at least 12 people and wounded over 300, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, Reuters reports.

Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index .TASI dropped 1 per cent with most of its constituents in negative territory, including top lender Saudi National Bank 1180.SE, which was down 1pc. Oil major Saudi Aramco 2222.SE was down 0.6pc.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has condemned the attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport in a post on X.

“I am deeply shocked by & strongly condemn Saturday’s lethal attack by the Houthis on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which reportedly killed 12 people & injured hundreds of civilians,” he writes.

Guterres adds, “Attacks on civilians & civilian infrastructure are a violation of international law. These attacks must cease immediately.”