Tanker fires continue in the Middle East despite hopes of calm

Oil prices fell to their lowest levels in two months after US officials played down the need for another military action against Iran. Analysts pointed to a more conciliatory tone from US President Donald Trump since the defeat of Republicans in the midterm elections on November 3. Data issued by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy showed that there were no significant signs of a decline in the intensity of attacks in November, after 37 ships were targeted in October, the highest monthly number since the start of the war.

The attacks caused environmental damage with oil leaking from the damaged tankers. A video clip published yesterday, Monday, and verified by Reuters, showed an oil spill reaching the Omani shores, while satellite images showed oil slicks off the coasts of Oman and the Emirates. The Omani government did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Energy infrastructure and civilian facilities were also attacked in other locations in the region. Iran and its allies in the region targeted sites including offices belonging to Saudi Aramco, the largest oil company in the world. Clips verified by Reuters showed damage to an Aramco administrative building in Riyadh following missile strikes for which the Houthis claimed responsibility on November 8.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati said that there has been an Egyptian military presence in Saudi Arabia for months. Abdel Aty said in an English-language interview with France 24 broadcast on Monday that Egypt is now working to “enhance” the deployment, a step that had not been previously announced.

He added, "We already have a military presence there at the request of our brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia... We are working to strengthen that."

Abdel Ati continued, "Our presence there (began) a few months ago after the attacks and assaults on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the escalation with Iran," without going into further details.

Last month, the Egyptian Parliament authorized the provision of defense support to Saudi Arabia to support it in confronting Houthi attacks, at the request of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

It was not clear at the time whether lawmakers were aware of the actual military presence on Saudi territory. Lawmakers told AFP that they had not received details about the scope or size of the planned deployment.

The Egyptian Minister explained that the next Egyptian military deployment will be for “defensive objectives,” including “air defense capabilities to defend various sensitive sites in Saudi Arabia, including, of course, holy sites and others.”

The Saudi authorities accused the Houthis more than once of launching attacks on the regions of Mecca and Medina, which was denied by the Houthi "Ansar Allah" movement.

Abdel-Ati, who was speaking in Paris while attending the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, downplayed the announcement by the movement’s political council member, Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, that Egypt’s provision of defense support to Saudi Arabia is tantamount to a “declaration of war.”

He said, "If you remember, another senior Houthi official said that they appreciate and welcome any role that Egypt plays to mediate and de-escalate. This is what we are trying to do, because there is no military solution."

Riyadh, which is one of Cairo's closest allies and a major financial supporter of the Sisi administration, has not commented publicly on the possibility of Egypt's intervention.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, following a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Paris, on Tuesday (November 10, 2026), “The economic campaign (against Iran) is so destructive that there is currently no need for major combat operations. This is what I told our allies here today.”

He added, "The economic pressures that Iran and its regime are currently exposed to are enormous, and are increasing day after day," explaining that Iranian oil supplies have begun to dry up due to the blockade imposed by his country.

Rubio noted that President Donald Trump "believes that there is no necessity at the present time for major military operations, because we achieve the same goal through economic means."

But he added, warning, "Of course, if Iran crosses some red lines, if its regime does things that should not be done... the American military, the most powerful in the world, is ready to respond."

On the other hand, he said, "Iran wants to reach an agreement, but the problem is the ridiculous conditions it keeps putting forward. They are not even serious. However, this situation may change."

During the group's foreign ministers' meeting in Paris, the European members of the Group of Seven urged Rubio to avoid any new escalation against Iran.

Trump had previously spoken of "positive momentum" toward reaching an agreement with Iran to end the war that broke out on February 28.

For his part, Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary-General of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, said on Tuesday that there are currently no negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

Iran stresses the need for the United States to meet the seven conditions stipulated in an interim agreement concluded in June, before reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming negotiations.

Rezaei stated in an interview with the pro-Iranian Lebanese Al-Mayadeen channel that Tehran asked Washington to provide a “clear and frank” response to its conditions, but it has not received any response yet, indicating that the United States may respond at a later time.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday (November 10, 2026) urged various political forces to make concessions in order to form a new government, during his opening of the first session of the new Knesset, following elections that did not result in a decisive majority.

The representatives elected in the October 27 ballot were sworn in, while Gadi Eisenkot, a former general, seeks to form a coalition after Israeli President Isaac Herzog assigned him on Sunday the task of forming the government.

After banging the gavel three times to mark the start of the twenty-sixth Knesset, Herzog said, “Extend your hands to make concessions, even toward your opponents.”

Eisenkot and his allies also lack a majority, and have not yet reached agreements with the parties that could bring him to power. This impasse has increased the risk that the term of the new parliament will be too short. If Eisenkot and Netanyahu fail to form a coalition, another round of elections may follow.

For his part, Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called again on Tuesday, after the new Knesset representatives were sworn in, for the formation of a national unity government to confront the threat that Iran poses to the Hebrew state.

Netanyahu said in a speech before the Knesset, “Iran is working to rebuild the nuclear threat... and in the very near future, we will face international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran.” He added, "In the face of these threats, we must do only one thing under this dome: put aside all other considerations and form a national unity government," describing the Iranian threat as "existential."

In response to Netanyahu by Eisenkot, he said in a statement issued by his office, “I listened carefully to the misleading, seditious, hateful, and shameful speech of the outgoing prime minister, who exploited an official event... for political purposes.”

He considered that "Netanyahu's continuation in power divides Israel and puts its security at risk," adding, "I am now more convinced that he is not qualified to remain in office even for a single minute."

The Wall Street Journal reported, citing informed sources, that the US military transferred aircraft yesterday, Monday (November 10, 2026), from a second air base in Britain following a threat from Iran, weeks after a security incident suspected of being linked to Tehran at the Fairford base of the British Royal Air Force, which led to the withdrawal of American bombers.

The Wall Street Journal report noted that two American refueling planes using RAF Mildenhall Air Base diverted to Germany in the morning, while several refueling planes were flown from the base to Germany and other locations later in the day. She told the newspaper that US officials are still discussing the exact nature of the threat facing the Mildenhall base.

A spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense said: “We do not comment regularly on the activities of other countries. Aircraft and other assets are constantly moving in accordance with operational requirements.”

Five Britons were arrested outside Fairford in southwest England in September, prompting the US to withdraw its B-1 bombers from that air base shortly afterwards for security reasons.

American bombers were using the Fairford base to carry out raids on Iran.

US President Donald Trump spoke on Monday (November 10, 2026) about “positive momentum” towards reaching an agreement with Iran to end the war in the Middle East, following his meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, whose country is contributing to mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had an “excellent conversation” with the Qatari Prime Minister at the White House, and that the conversation mainly touched on Iran. He added, "Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others prefer to maintain the status quo, that is, in other words, to continue the greatest naval blockade in history, and Operation New Iron Gate... and subsequently (the blockade) on land and at sea."

The United States has imposed a naval blockade on the ports of the Islamic Republic since April, in response to Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the American-Israeli war against it in February.

In addition, last week, Washington announced the launch of a task force aimed at obstructing Iran’s trade routes across land and the Caspian Sea, saying that this aims to prevent it from importing weapons systems and banned materials.

Trump continued: “We see positive momentum toward ending this conflict, and we will make sure that the interests of the United States are protected at all times.” While he stressed that Washington was ready to launch new strikes on Iran, he said that this was "highly unlikely." He stressed: “We agreed that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, and this is non-negotiable!”

In a subsequent post, he reiterated his position, saying from the White House that “Iran, militarily speaking, is effectively finished. We are content to maintain the status quo. But if we have to return, we are fully prepared and equipped to act.”

In recent weeks, Trump has threatened to resume strikes on the Islamic Republic. American media reported that this might happen after the midterm elections that took place last Tuesday. But the president told CNN on Sunday that a resumption of war was "highly unlikely," but he added, "I will do so if necessary, but we have dealt them very harsh blows."

Donald Trump acknowledged that the war with Iran, which began with American-Israeli strikes in late February, was one of the reasons for the Republicans' defeat in the elections and the Democrats' control of Congress.

Riyadh announced on Monday (November 9, 2026) that the East-West oil pipeline was targeted, which did not affect its operations, while its schools will return to adopting distance learning as of Tuesday, as strikes continue between the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and the Iran-backed Houthis.

The official news agency (SPA) quoted an official source in the Saudi Ministry of Energy as saying, “Today, Monday (...) the East-West pipeline in the Medina region was targeted, resulting in a limited fire, which emergency teams were able to extinguish.” The source confirmed that this did not result in any casualties or affect “the operational operations of the line,” without indicating the party responsible for this targeting.

The line is gaining increasing importance for Saudi Arabia in light of Iran's restriction of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the US-Israeli war on it in February. The line allows Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude exporter, to transport oil from production fields in the east to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, and export via tankers without the need to use the Strait of Hormuz. The line has been targeted more than once since the return of escalation in Yemen in July against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East.

Oil prices fell at the beginning of trading today (Monday, November 9, 2026) after US President Donald Trump said that he was unlikely to order new attacks on Iran in light of progress in the talks aimed at ending the conflict, despite both countries announcing attacks on ships in or near the Strait of Hormuz. The price of Brent crude fell 84 cents, or 0.85 percent, to $97.48 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 32 cents, or 0.35 percent, to $90.51 per barrel.

This decline reversed the slight gains made at settlement on Friday, with markets assessing the possibility of further US strikes on Iran, although Brent crude fell 17 percent last week, the largest weekly decline since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and the largest in absolute terms, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group dating back to 1988. Trump had hinted at new attacks on Iran after the US midterm elections last week, but there have been no signs of a large-scale US military operation. Iran announced that it would respond by striking American and Israeli targets.