OMM Newsroom
“AnewZ” reported that the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in a statement on Saturday that a tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile on Friday, 68 nautical miles northeast of Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. All crew members were safe and evacuated. No information was provided about environmental effects.
In a second notice, UKMTO said another tanker was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat about 78 nautical miles northeast of Al Jubail. The vessel’s port quarter was damaged, and all crew members were reported safe. The extent of the damage and any possible environmental impact remain unclear. It is also unclear whether the two notices relate to the same incident.
Regional tensions and maritime security
The naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have again declared that the Strait of Hormuz is closed to vessels from all countries, according to a state news agency. The force warned that ships violating Iran’s restrictions would face consequences and referred to a supertanker reportedly set ablaze after striking a naval mine in the strait.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said early Saturday that another supertanker had caught fire in the Persian Gulf after hitting a naval mine. The vessel was carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil, according to the statement. The force alleged that the tanker had switched off its navigation and radar systems and attempted to pass along an illegal route; it said a powerful explosion occurred in the engine room after the vessel struck the mine, leaving it immobilized. Iran said this was the second supertanker reported to have hit a mine in recent hours. Two attacks on tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz were also reported on Friday.
Amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense Service issued a brief warning of a possible threat in the cities of Khamis Mushait and Abha in Asir province, near the country’s border with Yemen, and later said the danger had passed.
The Saudi-led coalition said on Saturday that it had intercepted and destroyed four drones over the Riyadh, Eastern and Southern regions of the country over several hours. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki announced the operation on the X platform but gave no further details. Fighting in Yemen has intensified since July and spread to Saudi Arabia, with the Houthis targeting energy and aviation facilities, including airports.
Updates on Yemen and Iraq
The Houthis have released 159 people they had detained recently in Sanaa. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Saturday that it had supported the release process but had not taken part in deciding who would be freed. The committee said the process was not related to the 2018 Stockholm Agreement, which was backed by the United Nations. The Houthis said the detainees had surrendered without fighting and were released under an amnesty. The move came as fighting resumed between the Houthis and forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is backed by the Saudi-led coalition. The ICRC said it had helped those released prepare to return to their families and was ready to facilitate future releases, transfers and repatriations if the parties requested it.
Yemeni government forces said they had repelled Houthi attacks that lasted more than eight hours in southeastern Taiz province. The Taiz Siege Affairs Office said three civilians were killed and five wounded in Houthi attacks on the city that day. The state news agency SABA, citing the Taiz Human Rights Center, reported that a woman was killed and five civilians wounded in artillery and sniper fire attributed to the Houthis in the Sabir al-Mawadim district. The attack targeted homes and villages in the Ash-Shuqab area.
One member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) was killed and four others wounded in an explosion at the group’s headquarters in Baghdad on Saturday, according to security and medical sources cited by Reuters. The group had earlier said an explosion had occurred at an outdated ammunition depot.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had submitted a seven-day plan to the United States through Qatar to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, speaking in Baghdad on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). “The choice is now in the hands of the United States,” he said. Araghchi criticized US military actions and sanctions, saying maritime security could not be restored through continued threats and attacks. “Security cannot be restored by repeating past mistakes and crimes,” he said.
Araghchi stressed that Iran would continue to defend its sovereignty and national interests while remaining committed to achieving peace. “There is no contradiction between defending our rights and striving for peace … We are aware of the damage caused by war, and that is precisely why we value peace,” the minister said.
Iran’s foreign minister said at a meeting in Baghdad with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty that Iran was ready to help end the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Araghchi said the 12-year conflict had shown that there was no military solution to the crisis in Yemen. The ministers discussed bilateral relations and the regional situation on the sidelines of the OIC foreign ministers’ summit.
Peyman Sanandaji, head of the Transport Commission of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, said Iran’s exports to Pakistan had been temporarily suspended because of US sanctions on Iran’s banking system, while imports from Pakistan continued. He said banking restrictions had disrupted financial transactions, creating difficulties for Iranian exporters and Pakistani importers. Cooperation from the Pakistani side was important for continuing imports, he said; if banking restrictions remained in place, Iran’s exports could stay suspended.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Baghdad to attend the 52nd session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, hosted by Iraq for the first time in 45 years. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Araghchi was expected to address the meeting and hold bilateral talks with counterparts. Discussions were expected to focus on the war in Gaza, the situation in the occupied West Bank, regional security and efforts to combat Islamophobia. The meeting was held amid rising regional tensions related to the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, intensifying fighting in Yemen, and concerns about security and energy supplies.
OIC foreign ministers discussed regional crises, the Palestinian issue and cooperation among member states at the organization’s 52nd session in Baghdad on Saturday. OIC Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed called recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia “a clear violation” of the kingdom’s sovereignty. Iraq took over the organization’s chairmanship at the session.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said on Saturday that his country was ready to take any action Saudi Arabia might request to protect the kingdom’s security and sovereignty. The state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper reported that, speaking at the Egyptian Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital, Sisi said he would ask parliament to hold an emergency session to authorize such action if Riyadh made a request. He stressed Egypt’s determination to defend the territories of Gulf countries. His remarks came as Houthi attacks on energy and aviation facilities in Saudi Arabia intensified.
Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said on Saturday that five of its citizens had been executed for terrorism-related crimes. The charges included joining an organization designated as terrorist in a foreign country; carrying out armed and explosive attacks on security forces and facilities; possessing weapons and ammunition; and supporting the financing and execution of terrorist operations inside the kingdom.
Brent crude reached $110 a barrel for the first time since May, amid concerns that escalating tensions in the Middle East could further constrain global supply. Brent futures rose $3.94, or 3.7%, on Friday to settle at $109.86, their highest closing price since May. Research and consulting firm Energy Aspects said fears of an escalation had erased earlier market losses following unconfirmed reports of attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure.
US-Iran tensions
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday, October 17, 2026, that Iran would have to choose between abandoning its nuclear ambitions at the negotiating table or facing a devastating US military action. Speaking at the University of Tennessee, he also alleged that Tehran had built a large missile arsenal and financed Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was attending the OIC meeting in Baghdad on Saturday, October 17, 2026, also said the United States had to decide on a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The minister, who said Iran had submitted its plan through Qatar, outlined Tehran’s position on military and political issues involving the United States.
