US-Iran conflict: War widens, Mideast on edge

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday urged countries to condemn what he called "ecocide" in the Middle East caused by "wars of aggression".

Pezeshkian said the conflicts in Gaza and the wider Middle East had inflicted a significant toll on nature that extended beyond borders and required "international solutions".

"What has occurred in our region as a result of wars of aggression is ecocide, or environmental genocide, and it must be condemned," Pezeshkian told a nature summit in Armenia attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

South Korea is reviewing an expansion of its military operations in the Middle East, the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper reported on Thursday, as the US ally faces pressure from President Donald Trump to provide support for the war in Iran.

Seoul is weighing expanding the operational area of its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit, which was dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in 2009, to include the Gulf of Oman, which links to the Strait of Hormuz, the newspaper said, without naming sources.

Pakistan is deeply concerned over the ongoing attacks on Saudi Arabia, with the Foreign Office spokesperson saying the strikes pose a threat to regional peace and security.

The FO spokesperson, while addressing weekly briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Pakistan expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the attacks and sympathies to the injured.

He said that Pakistan expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, adding that attacks on civilian populations and critical installations were unacceptable.

The spokesperson said Islamabad would continue to support Saudi Arabia's sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and stability.

Pakistan remains committed to cooperation with Saudi Arabia under the joint defence agreement, the spokesperson added.

Moreover, he said that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye have reaffirmed their solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for its defensive measures

The four countries called for an immediate and unconditional end to attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Lebanon's president on Thursday that he should not return several hundred kilograms of explosives seized by Lebanese authorities from Hezbollah, a US official said.

"He urged President (Joseph) Aoun to hold accountable all those who ordered, financed, and directed the shipment, and underscored that returning explosives to Hezbollah should be out of the question," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The Iran-backed group acknowledged on Thursday that a 500-kilogrammes shipment of explosives belonging to it was seized last week by Lebanese authorities, saying it was intended for "the resistance."

"The vehicle and its cargo belong to the resistance" against Israel, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah had said, adding that the group requested the release of those arrested over the seizure and demanded the return of the shipment.

Rubio also raised the issue of Lebanon's 1955 boycott law, which bans direct relations with Israel and "deter steps towards peace."

Rubio "emphasised that the law is impractical and urged direct military-to-military communication between Lebanese and Israeli forces for deconfliction," according to the US official, adding it "would help to reduce miscalculation and to advance sequenced implementation" of the framework agreement.

Under international pressure, Lebanon has drawn up a plan to disarm Hezbollah, and negotiations between Israel and Lebanon facilitated by the United States led to the conclusion of a framework agreement at the end of June.

Preparations for the Asian Cup remain on track for the tournament to take place in Saudi Arabia early next year, local organisers said on Friday, despite uncertainty over sporting events in the kingdom following recent attacks.

A strike on Riyadh's international airport on Saturday killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300, with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement claiming responsibility for the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

Asian soccer chief Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said earlier this week that a postponement until 2028 was possible if necessary, but the local organising committee (LOC) said they were still set on the original January 7 to February 5 schedule.

"Preparations across all organisational and operational areas are progressing according to the approved schedule, including work on venues, facilities and supporting services," it said in a statement.

"(The LOC) will continue to monitor developments relevant to the tournament and ensure the appropriate conditions are in place for its successful delivery."

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre has warned that the threat to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz remains “severe”, with further attacks considered highly likely amid continued Iranian military activity.

In its latest advisory, issued on behalf of the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), UKMTO reported eight attacks involving projectiles of unknown origin against vessels in the strait on October 11 and 13.

The incidents involved four tankers and four container ships, including the GFS Pride, which caught fire and sank on October 14.

“IRGC attacks, attempted attacks and/or harassment activity persisted,” the advisory said, citing drone overflights, surveillance of merchant vessels and radio warnings.

UKMTO also said commercial traffic remained well below pre-war levels, although US-assisted vessel movements averaged approximately 30 transits a day over the previous 96 hours.

The centre warned that vessels travelling with their identification systems switched on faced an elevated risk of being targeted or ordered to divert towards Iranian-controlled routes.

The advisory also reported 149 maritime security incidents across the region since March 1.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said Washington will continue its sanctions campaign against Iran until “the Iranian regime’s coffers are empty”.

In a post on social media, Bessent said the Treasury Department “will not relent until … every remaining financial lifeline sustaining [Iran’s] war machine has been severed”.

“The noose is tightening around Iran’s economy, and not even Iran’s so-called allies can save it,” he said.

Earlier on Thursday, the Treasury Department announced new Iran-related sanctions targeting 16 people and 10 entities.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has rejected three claims made by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including assertions about control of the Strait of Hormuz and the killing of US service members in Jordan.

In a post on X, CENTCOM said the US and its regional partners continued to control the Strait of Hormuz, rejecting the IRGC’s claim of authority over the critical waterway.

The IRGC said on Wednesday that a Singapore-flagged container ship had sunk after hitting a naval mine in the strait. CENTCOM disputed that account, saying the civilian vessel had been struck by an Iranian projectile and sank “while being towed to shore”.

CENTCOM also rejected claims that the IRGC had “killed hundreds of US service members in Jordan”.

“Three American service members were killed in action in July as partner forces defended against Iranian attacks,” CENTCOM said.

Yemen’s Marib Governorate has accused the Houthis of launching an “intense bombardment” of residential neighbourhoods in Marib city, using 16 ballistic missiles and other projectiles.

According to the governorate’s Media Office, the attack targeted residential areas with nine ballistic missiles and seven other projectiles.

The media office described the bombardment as a “flagrant violation of international laws and norms that criminalise targeting civilians and civilian facilities”.

In a statement, it warned that the continued targeting of populated areas represented a “dangerous escalation” that threatened civilians’ safety and security.

The media office called on the international community, the United Nations and human rights and humanitarian organisations to condemn the attacks, take concrete measures to stop the targeting of civilians and hold those responsible accountable.

A Hezbollah lawmaker said on Thursday that hundreds of kilograms of explosives seized last week by Lebanese security forces belonged to his group, as tensions persist over the government's push to disarm the Iran-backed movement.

Lebanese authorities stopped the explosives-laden vehicle at a checkpoint in the eastern Bekaa region last week and arrested two people in the car.

At the time, authorities did not say who the vehicle belonged to, prompting widespread worry in Lebanon that the explosives were intended for car bomb assassinations or other destabilising attacks inside the country.

Speaking to reporters at the Lebanese parliament on Thursday, lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said Hezbollah had intended to use the explosives against Israel, whose troops are occupying swathes of Lebanese territory seized in this year's war.