Pakistan vows to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthis by ‘whatever means’
Pakistan will use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the country’s defence minister said, in one of Islamabad’s clearest signals yet that it could become directly involved in the widening regional conflict.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif declined to say whether Pakistani forces had already taken part in airstrikes, but said Pakistan’s military capabilities would be available to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defence pact between the two countries and Turkey.
“I’m not going into detail, but obviously when I say that we are bound by this arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, that means whatever means are available at our disposal, they’ll be available to Saudi Arabia also. I think that’s a categoric statement,” Mr Asif told reporters during a visit to Rome, when asked whether Pakistan had been involved in airstrikes against Iranian operators in Yemen.
Stuti Mishra30 September 2026 08:46
US sanctions 10 entities in China, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia over alleged Iran military support
The Trump administration has sanctioned 10 individuals and companies over alleged ties to Iran’s military, targeting entities based in China, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The US Treasury said in a statement on Tuesday that representatives and technology firms in those countries had procured weapons and parts for Iran’s military. Three of the sanctioned entities were based in Iran itself.
“Today’s action further degrades the Iranian regime’s ability to reconstitute its weapons programs and increases the costs for those who choose to aid Tehran’s military procurement efforts,” the Treasury said.
The sanctions form part of Operation Economic Outcast, a Treasury campaign aimed at further restricting Iran’s access to global markets. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the operation in August, aiming to pressure Tehran into agreeing a deal to end its war with the US and Israel, which has been under way since 28 February after the two allies launched a series of attacks targeting Iran’s leadership and military.
President Donald Trump said the operation would usher in “economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale” and warned that any country trading with Iran would face “tremendous” consequences.
The campaign’s initial round of sanctions targeted China-based firms and business leaders.
Stuti Mishra30 September 2026 08:16
Iran receives formal US response to seven-day plan
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi met Qatari mediators in Doha on Tuesday night and received US feedback on a proposed seven-day trust-building plan, which he will discuss in Tehran on Wednesday, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters.
The main disagreement is over the sequencing of the plan, which aims to build trust and return to an enhanced version of a US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed in June, the official said.
Adam Withnall30 September 2026 08:02
Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline resumes operations after drone attack
A crucial oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia that was shut down earlier this month after coming under attack is operating again, Reuters reported.
The official, who was not authorised to speak publicly told Reuters on condition of anonymity, the operations were near pre-attack levels and that the East-West pipeline should reach full capacity within a few weeks. The kingdom relies on the 1,200km (745-mile) pipeline to move crude from processing facilities on the Gulf to ports on its Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia blamed an Iran-backed militia in Iraq for the drone attack that forced the pipeline’s temporary shutdown. Satellite imagery showed tankers loaded around 12.5 million barrels of oil on Sunday at the Yanbu export terminal, which the pipeline supplies, and the nearby Al Muajjiz terminal, according to the data and analytics firm Kpler.
Stuti Mishra30 September 2026 07:46
US and Iranian officials hold separate talks with Qatari mediators
US and Iranian officials spoke separately with Qatari mediators this week, as Qatar continued its efforts to end the seven-month war between the two countries.
“We are exchanging messages between the parties, and we’re working towards establishing a common ground in order to get into a deal that would save all of us from the repercussions of the conflict,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told reporters.
Qatar has again emerged as a would-be peacemaker, having previously played a supporting role in producing a June memorandum of understanding that led to a brief ceasefire. Negotiations appeared to intensify during last week’s UN General Assembly meeting in New York, but have so far not yielded any agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the war started in February.
Stuti Mishra30 September 2026 06:46
Oil prices rise after Trump denies he would ease Iran sanctions
Oil prices rose today after President Donald Trump denied he would ease sanctions on Iran, having fallen in the previous session as crude supply from the Middle East recovered.
Brent crude futures rose $1.14, or 1.11 per cent, to $103.73 (£82) a barrel by 01.31am GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 34 cents, or 0.38 per cent, to $89.72 (£71). Brent is on course for a monthly gain of around 14 per cent, its biggest since July, while WTI is set for a 4 per cent rise after breaching $106 for the first time since May.
Mr Trump denied an Axios report that cited US officials as saying he was willing to offer Iran sanctions relief and release frozen Iranian funds in exchange for “concrete” steps by Tehran on its nuclear programme.
“This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Stuti Mishra30 September 2026 06:19
US forces complete withdrawal from Iraq after 23 years
US forces have withdrawn from their remaining bases in Iraq, in a departure Tehran has celebrated as a win for its allied armed groups across the region.
The withdrawal, which took effect today, was agreed in 2024 under former president Joe Biden and comes 23 years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Stuti Mishra30 September 2026 05:46
Iran calls on Americans to remove Trump allies as US troops leave Iraq
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has urged Americans to vote out president Donald Trump’s allies in Congress in November’s elections.
The 26-page letter asks Americans to use their political power to remove current leaders from office and reject US support for Israel and military intervention abroad.
“Remove from power the evil, deceitful, and violent politicians who are responsible for America’s current state,” it said. “Make sure your politicians understand that the world has changed.”
Stuti Mishra30 September 2026 04:46
Analysis: Trump and Rubio don’t know as much as they think they do
Despite Andy Burnham’s recent charm offensive, America’s leaders will be among the last to know genuine secrets held by British intelligence because the White House is not trusted not to leak, explains world affairs editor Sam Kiley
Stuti Mishra30 September 2026 03:59
US likely committed war crimes with strike on Iran school, UN report finds
The US is believed to have committed war crimes during two military strikes in Iran this year, including a devastating attack on a primary school which killed more than 120 children, a damning UN report says.
The deadly incident took place in February this year, soon after the US-Israeli war on Iran started, and alongside another strike on a sports centre resulted in the deaths of at least 178 civilians.
The report by humans rights experts also documented the killings of thousands of anti-regime protestors across Iran, in which at least 221 children were reportedly killed, some as young as two years-old. The crackdown by Tehran amounted to crimes against humanity, the report said.
Nicole Wootton-Cane30 September 2026 03:00