Iran war: Middle East on edge as threat of new US attack reverberates

By Enes Abuomer and Leila Minkara

US President Donald Trump hints at imminently striking Iran again telling White House reporters, “We’ve knocked the hell out of them, and we may do it a little bit further.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatens to “extend confrontation to US bases” in the Middle East if Washington continues to urge “vessels to pass through mined waterways illegally”.
Major-General Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, says Tehran’s objective is not to extend the fighting but “end the war under conditions that reduce the likelihood of another war”.
Houthis say they attacked Saudi Defence Ministry in Riyadh, Aramco facilities in Yanbu, and airports in Dammam and Abha over the past 48 hours.

10m ago
(22:45 GMT)
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar demands that Israel release detainees in occupied West Bank
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has urged Israel to release all people held in military custody after dozens of volunteers, including Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander, were detained while helping Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the occupied West Bank.
“It’s not illegal to harvest olives; Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people is,” Omar said in a post on X.
Lander said he was released from Israeli army custody with a “warning” on Wednesday because of his public profile.
13m ago
(22:41 GMT)
Saudi-led coalition intercepts two Houthi drones targeting southern Saudi Arabia
The spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition says its air defences have intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by the Houthis towards Saudi Arabia’s southern region.
25m ago
(22:30 GMT)
Trump claims Iran responsible for high oil prices ahead of midterm elections
By Kimberly Halkett
Reporting from the White House
The US president is posting on his social media platform that he believes the amount of oil that is going through the Strait of Hormuz exceeds pre-war levels. He is making that claim even as it is unclear where this data is coming from.
What we know is the US president – when it comes to any sort of interruption or decrease in oil – is pointing the finger at Iran, particularly ahead of the US midterm elections.
What is important to note is that the US president, as he has said before in his social media posts, claims that the United States is in complete control of the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran is not able to export its oil.
Why is the US president making these claims? He is saying this because he is paying the price right now domestically and politically. That is a real vulnerability ahead of the November 3 polls.
The issue for Americans is that the high price of oil is not a foreign policy issue; it is a domestic issue.
US President Donald Trump talks to the media at the White House, Washington, DC, October 22, 2026 [AFP]