Iran summons Norway envoy over ‘unauthorised’ Starlink operations
Iran has summoned the Norwegian ambassador in Tehran to lodge a diplomatic protest over Oslo’s “continued inaction” over “unauthorised” Starlink satellite internet operations within Iranian territory.
Director general at Iran’s foreign ministy Mohammad Hassannejad Pirkoohi accused the US and Israel of systematically “abusing” Starlink – the network owned by billionaire Elon Musk.
He said the network was used to “advance interventionist agendas” against Iran.
Pirkoohi accused Norway of failing to meet its legal obligations as the registering state for Starlink services at the UN’s International Telecommunication Union.
“Based on the decisions of the ITU’s Radio Regulations Board in recent years, the Norwegian government is obligated to take the necessary measures to prevent unauthorized Starlink transmissions within Iran’s territory,” he said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar5 October 2026 09:00
Saudi Arabia unexpectedly cuts oil prices to Asia
Saudi Arabia has unexpectedly cut November crude oil prices for Asia while it raised those for northwest Europe and the Mediterranean regions, a pricing document showed today.
The largest Middle Eastern crude exporter set the November Arab Light crude oil official selling price to Asia at $5 a barrel below the average of Oman and Dubai prices, down $3 from the previous month. The discount for November is the widest since June 2020, Reuters reported.
This was against expectations of a $3 a barrel hike for its November Official Selling Price (OSP), in a Reuters survey in line with gains seen in the Middle Eastern benchmarks.
State oil company Saudi Aramco made deeper cuts of $5 a barrel for the November OSPs of heavier grades – Arab Medium and Arab Heavy – sold to Asia.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar5 October 2026 08:00
Middle East crude oil exports exceed pre-war levels
Crude oil exports from the Middle East rose above pre-war levels in four of the seven days of the final week of September, shipping data showed today, despite attacks on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Crude exports from the region exceeded pre-war levels on 24 September and between 27 and 29 September, rising to between 19.5 million barrels per day and 22.5 million bpd, provisional data from ship-tracking firm Kpler showed.
Exports averaged 18 million bpd between March 2025 and February this year before the US-Israeli war with Iran began.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar5 October 2026 07:00
Guards says US forces ‘fled 1000km from Iran’s border’
A top Revolutionary Guards commander has claimed that US forces have had to pull back some 1,000km from Iran’s borders.
Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said: “The Americans fled and moved more than 1,000km away from our borders. This was not their choice, it was due to the authority of the Islamic Republic and the authority of the IRGC Ground Force.”
He added that for the first time there were no US vessels were present in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman or even the northern Indian Ocean.
Fadavi claimed that the US warships are “100 percent vulnerable” to Iran’s attacks.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar5 October 2026 06:00
Oil slips to $101 as Middle East crude exports rise
Oil prices edged lower today as rising Middle East crude exports and a release of oil stocks by the Group of Seven nations boosted supplies, offsetting concerns about further damage to Gulf oil infrastructure amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Brent crude futures fell 66 cents, or 0.65 per cent, to $101.59 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $90.12 a barrel, down 95 cents, or 1.03 per cent.
“The G7 decision to tap strategic reserves is taking some of the immediate supply anxiety out of the price, while there’s a growing view that Saudi export volumes are moving back toward pre-war levels, even if those barrels are still moving at higher cost and via less efficient routes,” said Tim Waterer, chief analyst at KCM Trade.
“That combination is enough to subdue prices for now even though the risks of further damage to energy infrastructure around the Gulf region haven’t gone away.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar5 October 2026 05:00
Trump adds eyebrow-raising new rationale for US war in Iran
Donald Trump has added Iran “doing drugs” to the list of reasons for starting his unpopular war eight months ago.
The president has long said the ongoing conflict with the Islamic Republic, which began at the end of February, was launched to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
He has also previously hinted at the possibility of regime change in Iran, calling for the Iranian people to overthrow the country’s rulers following protests earlier this year.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar5 October 2026 03:55
Iranian oil minister resigns amid mounting economic pressure and US blockade
Iran’s oil minister has submitted his resignation, state media reported on Sunday.
The high-profile departure comes as Iran grapples with a historic economic crisis, a plunging rial, and severe disruptions to oil exports caused by US sanctions and naval interdictions.
State media did not immediately cite an official reason for the resignation or name a successor, though hardline pressure and internal debates over managing the regime’s crumbling energy sector have escalated sharply in recent weeks.
The minister’s exit marks the highest-level cabinet shakeup in Tehran since the onset of the current conflict, highlighting deep political fractures over Iran’s failing efforts to maintain crude shipments and stabilise state revenues.
Suha Kidwai5 October 2026 03:00
Who are the Houthis? Inside the movement reigniting Yemen’s civil war
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, are an Iran-aligned political, military movement controlling most of northwestern Yemen and the country’s main population centers.
Originating as a northern revivalist movement in the 1990s against government marginalisation, the group grew into a major combat force under the leadership of Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
In 2014, Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa, driving out the internationally recognised government and surviving a subsequent years-long military intervention led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Supported by Tehran with military hardware, drones, and ballistic technology, the Houthis form a key component of Iran’s regional “Axis of Resistance.”
Their recent capture of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait and cross-border missile strikes on Saudi oil infrastructure have directly linked Yemen’s internal conflict to the broader regional standoff involving Iran, the US, and Gulf nations.
Suha Kidwai5 October 2026 02:00
Mecca Defence Pact committee to convene in Riyadh on Monday
Ministers and military chiefs from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan will hold talks in Riyadh on Monday under the framework of the trilateral Mecca Defence Agreement, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday.
The high-level meeting coincides with the Yemeni government’s launch of a major military campaign to reclaim Houthi-controlled territory and follows recent Houthi missile and drone strikes targeting Saudi economic targets.
Delegates will review regional security developments, discuss alliance institutionalisation, and weigh an Iranian proposal to engage Yemen’s Houthi movement politically to stem further regional escalation.
Suha Kidwai5 October 2026 01:00
Houthi push toward Taiz threatens critical southern supply route to Aden
Houthi forces have captured strategic hilltops near the encircled city of Taiz, threatening to cut off the final remaining transit corridor linking the city to the southern port of Aden.
Military sources have confirmed that Houthi rebels are advancing onto key positions overlooking the primary supply road.
Severing the highway would place Yemen’s third-largest city under a total siege, trapping hundreds of thousands of civilians alongside thousands of entrenched government troops.
The military escalation is compounding an already severe humanitarian crisis in southwestern Yemen. Monitoring by the World Food Programme indicates that nearly 75 percent of households in accessible parts of the region are currently suffering from acute food shortages.
Suha Kidwai5 October 2026 00:00