The Strait of Hormuz is still not as open as it was on 27 February. Seven tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz.
Some of the top recent developments:
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the US accepted Tehran’s conditions.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington was prepared to take further military action against Iran if President Donald Trump ordered it.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reaching a peace agreement with Iran remained extremely difficult, and Washington would maintain economic pressure on Tehran.
Iran’s armed forces chief of staff warned that any new attack on the country would face a more forceful response, pointing to improvements in its drone capabilities.
Houthi-affiliated media reported additional air strikes targeting the al-Nashma area in Yemen’s Taiz province.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered the indefinite closure of the Sheeb border crossing with Iran, with several other crossings set to close gradually.
The Houthis almost certainly captured a major roadway segment that links Houthi frontlines on the outskirts of Taiz City to other frontlines in central Taiz Governorate on October 22.
**
The Houthis posted footage of fighters in vehicles at various geolocated positions along a segment of the Taiz-Aden ground line of communication (GLOC) in the al Dhabab valley between al Misrakh District and Taiz City’s southwestern limits.
**
The United States and Israel are reportedly making preparations for renewed strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections. The New York Times reported on October 21 that the US and Israeli militaries have developed specific plans for a short and intensive operation against Iran after the US midterm elections on November 3, citing US officials and other people briefed on the deliberations.
US CENTCOM has not confirmed any US strikes in Iran as of this writing. The exact target of the IRGC’s attempted missile launch is unclear, assuming the reports are accurate. Iranian forces have targeted commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz at an increased rate over the past month in order to reestablish control of the strait. ISW-CTP assessed on October 21 that Iran may be using more accurate systems, such as weapons systems with infrared terminal guidance, to attack some of these ships.[16] The regime previously faced targeting constraints in August and early September 2026 as a result of US strikes on Iranian coastal radar infrastructure.[17] It is also possible that Iran attempted to target US naval forces. Iran fired a number of ballistic and anti-ship cruise missiles targeting US naval forces in early September 2026, but ISW-CTP has not observed any Iranian attempts to target US naval forces since.[18]
Fake accounts. Fake news. You can help stop it.
A foreign influence operation tried to use Daily Kos to spread propaganda, but we caught it. Catching them takes constant work. Bots, fake accounts, and disinformation campaigns hit our site regularly and our team finds them and shuts them down. We don’t have a billionaire backer or a paywall to pay for that work, we rely on readers like you.
Your contribution keeps independent, progressive media running and gives the truth a fighting chance. Give $5 today.
Top Stories Newsletter.
Was this story worth reading?
Recommending and sharing stories helps us decide which stories are most important to show our readers.