Iran war updates: Trump says no attack before vote; talks ongoing

Our 24-hour coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran, the fighting in Yemen and Israeli attacks on Gaza continues.

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We will be closing this live page shortly. Before we do, here’s a recap of the day’s major developments:

• US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would continue targeting “enablers” of Iranian oil sales after the Treasury imposed sanctions on 27 companies, six individuals and 22 vessels.
• Oil prices rose about 4 percent, with Brent settling at $104.28 a barrel and WTI at $91.49, amid renewed concerns over the US war on Iran and risks to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
• US President Donald Trump said Washington was having “productive discussions” with Iran and pledged not to attack the country before the November 3 midterm elections.
• Iranian media reported “massive explosions” in the southern Strait of Hormuz, with Fars citing unnamed military sources as saying tankers using “unauthorised” routes may have struck sea mines.
• The USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego after a deployment that set a record for consecutive days at sea during the Iran war.
• Iran’s Defence Ministry said weapons production rose to 2.5 times its pre-war level and that output was sufficient for a “sustained and prolonged war”.
• Algeria mourned a citizen killed in the attack on Abha International Airport and reiterated its solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan are activating their defence pact to counter attacks from Yemen’s Houthis. What is this Mecca defence pact and could this new alliance reshape the Middle East’s balance of power?

Watch Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid video explanation:

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has said he was prohibited from visiting American troops in the Middle East.

The senator from Connecticut said in a social media post on Thursday that he met with American diplomats in the region, but was “barred” from visiting troops during his tour of US allies in the Middle East.

“No matter whether or not you support the war, our troops and diplomats in the region are under fire and serving so bravely. Donald Trump won’t protect them, but we should thank them,” he said.

Murphy told reporters on Tuesday during his visit to Saudi Arabia that the US Department of Defense denied him access to Al Udeid airbase in Qatar.

Iranian Defence Ministry spokesperson Reza Talaei-Nik says the country’s weapons production capacity is sufficient to meet the needs of a “sustained and prolonged war”.

“We currently have the production capacity needed for a sustained and prolonged war within our production system,” Talaei-Nik said in an interview with state television.

He said weapons production during the war rose to 2.5 times its pre-war level, adding that the country had prepared secure alternative production sites in advance and that military production had not stopped “even for one day”.

Talaei-Nik said about 9,000 companies had voluntarily joined military production efforts during the war.

He added that Defence Ministry personnel were working alongside missile launch crews, drone units and naval and air forces to use battlefield experience to upgrade weapons and equipment based on emerging threats.

Talaei-Nik said Iran would prioritise meeting its own military needs but also planned to export surplus defence products.

“We first meet our own needs, and in the future we will increase our surplus for exports,” he said.

Iranian media reports that members of Iran’s national U23 wrestling team were “respectfully” welcomed in the United States.

Iran’s ISNA news agency says that the Iranian Greco-Roman team arrived in New York in “a completely respectful atmosphere”, ahead of their participation in the U23 World Wrestling Championships, which start on Monday in Las Vegas.

“The team’s documents were checked through a dedicated gate in less than five minutes,” ISNA reported.

The news agency had said on Tuesday that US authorities approved visas for the entire Iranian delegation except for one coach. It was not clear if the coach had travelled with the team.

The US State Department says Iran remains on Tier 3, its highest level, in its 2026 Trafficking in Persons report, finding that the government does not fully meet minimum standards for eliminating trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.

The report says there was a government “policy or pattern” of coercively recruiting child soldiers and alleges Iranian officials continued to perpetrate or condone trafficking crimes with impunity.

It says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has recruited and used young child soldiers and supported non-state armed groups that forcibly recruited and used children.

The State Department also says Iranian authorities detained and deported more than 850,000 Afghans in 2025 without reporting that they screened them for trafficking.

According to the report, the IRGC and its Basij paramilitary continued to force or coerce Afghans – including children, as well as some Pakistani migrants, Syrians and Iranian children – into armed groups.

It adds that an IRGC recruitment campaign announced in March 2026 set a minimum age of 12 for some roles, including security-related activities.

The report also says Iran continues to provide material support to Yemen’s Houthis, which it describes as a non-state armed group that recruits and uses child soldiers.

Fighting in Yemen has intensified, cutting off key supply routes to the besieged city of Taiz and leaving residents struggling to afford food and fuel.

Local authorities have restricted wheat sales to one bag per family in an attempt to curb hoarding and black market trading. The United Nations says 200,000 people have been displaced since August.

Watch below for more from Al Jazeera’s Cara Legg:

Oil prices settled 4 percent higher on revived concerns about the ongoing US war on Iran in the energy-rich Middle East.

Brent crude futures closed up $4.08, or 4.1 percent, at $104.28 while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 3.6 percent, or $3.21, to $91.49.

At one point both contracts were up more than $5 a barrel, with Brent touching ⁠its highest since September 29 on worries about potential US strikes on Iran and as Hurricane Isaias is set to make landfall on Friday.

Prices came off their highs after President Trump said Washington is having “productive discussions” with Iran, and pledged not to attack Iran until after the November 3 US midterm elections.

Threats to oil shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz have ⁠increased in October as the Iran conflict enters its eighth month. Attacks on tankers ⁠sailing through the strait last week rose to their highest level since the war began, even as Gulf producers increased exports.

“The frequency of Iranian attacks on ships is now at the highest point since the war began, and likely to intensify further,” said Saul Kavonic, MST Marquee head of energy.

The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a formal statement mourning the female citizen lost at Abha international airport earlier this week.

The ministry contacted the victim’s family to inform them of the death and extended its sincere condolences, according to the statement.

The Algerian embassy in Riyadh worked alongside the Consulate General of Algeria in Jeddah in order to follow up on the circumstances of the incident with Saudi authorities.

Algeria condemned the attacks on Saudi airports and affirmed full solidarity with the kingdom.

The Algerian citizen killed was one of the two deaths at Abha international airport, while 36 were injured.

The USS Abraham Lincoln returns home to San Diego Bay after the US war on Iran during a record-long deployment of 265 uninterrupted days at sea.

The carrier drew national attention following reports of stress among the crew and poor mental health, as well as supply shortages, including food and hygiene products, during the mission.

The Navy told lawmakers that eight sailors attempted suicide during the record-setting deployment, though experts say that number is low in a strike group of 6,000 sailors across 10 months.

The Navy initially downplayed any problems during the deployment, and President Trump commented in August that the Lincoln’s lengthy deployment was “not nearly long enough”.

Another aircraft carrier, the usually Asia-based USS George Washington, relieved the Lincoln in the Middle East in August.

Here are the latest developments:

• President Trump said he won’t attack Iran before the US midterm elections on November 3 as “productive” discussions are under way.
• The US Treasury announced a new round of Iran-related sanctions, adding 27 companies, six individuals, and 22 vessels to its sanctions list.
• The Iran-aligned Houthi militia launched ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid and Najran airports with the coalition saying it shot at least two down near the capital, Riyadh.
• Yemen’s internationally recognised government said its military carried out 1,729 operations against Houthi fighters in recent days.
• The Red Cross in Yemen said it received 1,800 missing person requests since July, as fighting rages and more than 200,000 people have been displaced.
• A Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces near central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah as the genocidal war on the largely destroyed territory continues.
  

  

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has updated its travel advisory, warning against all but essential travel to certain parts of Saudi Arabia.

The areas of Saudi Arabia included the Aseer Province, Riyadh Province, Najran Province, Jizan Province and Taif city and Taif International Airport.

The advisory continued to warn against all travel within 10km (6.2 miles) of the border with Yemen.

For British nationals already in the Middle East, the office cautioned travellers to “be prepared for possible flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruption”.

As we reported earlier, President Trump said the US is “having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran”, in a post on Truth Social.

“We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd,” he added.

Watch our video below for more:

President Vladimir ⁠Putin, ⁠in talks with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, says Russia is prepared to undertake all measures necessary to help end the war.

“You know our position. On our part, we are ready to do everything we can to help ⁠you resolve this ⁠situation,” Interfax news agency quoted Putin as telling Pezeshkian on the sidelines ⁠of a meeting in Turkmenistan.

“We know that ⁠Iran is making real efforts to end the conflict, which broke ‌out through no fault of its own, no ‌fault of ‌Iran,” said Putin.

France and Saudi Arabia are studying options for the French military to help protect the Yanbu oil terminal located on the Red Sea coast.

“It’s at the study phase at the moment with Saudi Arabia,” General Fabien Mandon, France’s armed forces chief of staff, told a parliamentary hearing.

“We are examining different options to protect the Yanbu terminal, which has been attacked and is essential for hydrocarbon trade.”

France has already deployed 2,000 troops to the Middle East to help protect Gulf allies, including Qatar and Kuwait, Fabien added.