Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein issued a statement in which he indicated that his country suffered losses estimated at about $60 billion during the recent war between the United States of America and Iran.
Since the outbreak of the war in February, Iraq's oil exports, which provide 90% of its revenues, have declined sharply for several months, forcing the government to borrow internally. Consumer prices rose, and foreign currency reserves decreased by about $20 billion.
Before the war, Iraq, a member of OPEC, produced about four million barrels of oil per day, and exported about 3.5 million of them, most of them from the south of the country through the Strait of Hormuz. But Iran's restriction of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz forced Iraq to stop production in most of its fields after the tanks were filled, and it resorted to exporting in limited quantities through Syria via tank trucks, and Turkey via a pipeline. The Ministry of Oil recently recorded a slight relief after exports rose to about 2.6 million barrels per day between September 1 and 21, but this remains below the required rate.
International Monetary: Iraq is the most affected
For its part, the International Monetary Fund pointed out this week that Iraq is one of the countries most affected by the disturbances that affected shipping traffic in Hormuz. As the economic crisis worsened, the Central Bank of Iraq last week raised the official exchange rate for the dollar for the first time in more than three years.
Despite its attempts to develop plans to diversify its economic resources, Iraq relies largely on foreign currencies resulting from oil sales to finance imports, stabilize the dinar, and pay the salaries of public sector employees and retirees, who constitute about 20 percent of the population of more than 46 million.
The Ministry of Information in the Yemeni government announced today, Thursday (October 15, 2026), that Prime Minister Shaye’ al-Zindani and members of the government are fine, after the Al-Ma’ashiq Palace in the city of Aden, southern Yemen, was targeted by a number of missiles. The ministry said in a statement that the attack "was carried out by the Houthi militia, and resulted in the deaths of two of the Prime Minister's companions."
Al-Ma'ashiq Palace in Aden is the temporary headquarters of the presidency and the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition.
Three Yemeni government military sources told Agence France-Presse that the attack resulted in the deaths of at least four people and the wounding of 10 others, according to a preliminary toll.
Eyewitnesses had previously reported hearing five explosions in the city of Aden, and seeing plumes of smoke rising from the vicinity of Al-Ma'ashiq Palace, which houses the headquarters of the Yemeni government, in the Crater District.
The government considered the attack an “escalation” targeting civilians and civilian facilities, stressing that the attack “will not deter it” from continuing to fulfill its responsibilities or from continuing the battle to restore state institutions and end the coup.
Houthis: Any Saudi mobilizations are a legitimate target for our forces
On the other hand, the Yemeni news agency “Saba”, in its Houthi version, quoted a military source as saying that “the armed forces (affiliated with the group) targeted a military operations headquarters in Qasr al-Ma’ashiq.” The Houthi source said, "Saudi officers run the headquarters," noting at the same time that "their weapons stores in Al-Ma'ashiq were targeted."
The military spokesman for the Houthi group, Yahya Saree, said in a statement, “The bombing of the Saudi enemy’s military operations headquarters in Aden (south of the country) comes in the context of the declared equation of striking Saudi mobilizations wherever they are, and considering any military presence of the Saudi enemy a legitimate target for our forces wherever they are.”
Later, Agence France-Presse quoted a Yemeni minister, who it said asked not to be named, saying that the Houthis “struck the headquarters of the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces with three missiles and the headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition forces in the presidential complex with two missiles,” noting that there were dead and wounded Yemenis and Saudis, without providing a toll.
And another Houthi attack on Marib
The Yemeni government forces also announced that the Iranian-backed Houthis targeted, on Thursday, with ballistic missiles, the city of Marib in the center of the country, which is located within areas under their control, in the midst of ongoing battles between the two parties.
A publication by the government forces' media center on the XN platform said, "The terrorist Houthi militias target the densely populated city of Ma'rib with several ballistic missiles."
A toll of casualties and damage was not immediately announced. The Houthi militia also did not claim responsibility for this attack.
Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition supporting the Yemeni government, said Thursday (October 15, 2026) during a press conference attended by Agence France-Presse, “The terrorist Houthi militias worked to obtain advanced technologies with the help of regional parties,” noting that the Houthis possess “ballistic missiles, attack and suicide drones, and explosive speedboats.”
The coalition said that the Houthi militia, supported by Iran, carried out about 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh since October 1, indicating that the Houthis targeted Saudi Arabia with a total of 1,104 missiles and 1,135 drones launched at the Kingdom since the start of operations.
Al-Maliki called on the Houthis to "immediately stop all terrorist operations targeting civilians and civilian objects, including airports, ports, oil installations and infrastructure."
On the other hand, the coalition confirmed that it destroyed more than 120 weapons depots in the mountains of Yemen and many launching pads.
Iran "encouraging" the Houthis to escalate against Saudi Arabia
In a related context, the Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Public Diplomacy, Dr. Raed Kirmeli, confirmed during a video briefing with journalists today, Thursday, that “At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them (the Houthis) to meet in Muscat, in the Sultanate of Oman, but they refused.
This was the last communication that took place a few weeks ago,” noting at the same time “maintaining direct channels of communication with the Houthis.”
He accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis in the recent escalation against the Kingdom, stressing that the Islamic Republic continues to "arm, train and support" Yemeni fighters.
The European Union said today, Thursday (October 15, 2026), that it had postponed a summit with the Gulf states that was scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia on October 24, in light of increasing security concerns in the Kingdom as a result of attacks launched by the Yemeni Houthi group.
The bloc did not clarify details about the reason for the postponement, and merely said that a new date would be announced “at the appropriate time.”
The postponement is a new blow to Saudi Arabia’s efforts to host international events despite the escalation of the war with the Houthis.
The European Union intended, in part, to hold the summit to show solidarity with the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia in the midst of the war, but the decision to cancel it confirms the seriousness of the situation.
At the beginning of the week, 13 people were killed and hundreds injured in strikes targeting Riyadh International Airport, for which the Houthis, allied with Iran, claimed responsibility. The airport, through which senior guests participating in the summit were supposed to arrive, is still closed after the attacks.
The European Union said that it still sees “great strategic importance” to the relationship between the two regions, and added that it will remain committed to “consolidating” this partnership.
CNN reported today, Thursday (October 15, 2026), citing American officials, that the US military has made plans to launch strikes that may include the use of a GBU-43/B bomb, known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” against Iran’s energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders the resumption of... Combat operations.
The use of this bomb, the largest non-nuclear weapon in the American arsenal, would be considered a dangerous escalation in the conflict, but officials familiar with military planning discussions told CNN that there are still questions about its feasibility in achieving Washington's strategic goals.
Reuters has not yet been able to verify the authenticity of the report.
The US Army announces the destruction of a ship linked to Iran
The US military announced on Wednesday the destruction of a ship linked to Iran. US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region (Centcom), said on the X platform that US forces attacked the ship last week. She added that the ship was carrying out a reconnaissance mission in the Gulf of Oman, and targeted US Navy ships, noting that its crew had been evacuated to a safe place before the attack.
Before the United States and Israel began their war against Iran at the end of February, shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, was largely uninterrupted. After the outbreak of the war, Iranian threats and attacks caused maritime traffic to almost stop. The US military also launched repeated attacks on civilian Iranian ships.
Two ships sank near the Strait of Hormuz after being targeted
Officials in the maritime shipping sector said on Wednesday that a container ship and a dry bulk cargo ship sank near the Strait of Hormuz during the past 24 hours, after they were targeted by projectiles in two separate incidents.
Maritime security sources said that the GFS Pride, a small container ship flying the Singapore flag and with a capacity of 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent containers, sank while sailing through the strait. The Maritime and Ports Authority of Singapore said in a statement today, Wednesday: “The ship ‘GFS Pride’ was damaged and a fire broke out on board, and then sank. All 21 crew members were evacuated safely, and there were no reports of injuries,” she said, noting that the ship was sailing through the strait the day before yesterday, Tuesday.
In a separate incident, data from the United Nations International Maritime Organization showed that the ship (Cape Dow), flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, sank near the strait, weeks after it was targeted by a projectile on September 23. Naval sources said that one of the crew members was killed, while the rest of the crew was evacuated immediately after the strike. It has not yet been possible to obtain a comment from the company operating the Cape Dow ship, which is a company (Biones Ship Management), based in the Emirates.
An analysis of maritime accident data issued by the International Maritime Organization indicates that the Pride and Cape Dow are the second and third ships to sink since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran on February 28.
