Against the backdrop of diplomatic efforts, Iran's president met the Emir of Qatar. Massoud Peseschkian and Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad spoke on the sidelines of an economic summit in Moscow, the government in Tehran announced. According to the information, it was initially about bilateral issues. According to reports, Peseschkian also wants to meet Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin during his visit to Russia.
Diplomatic efforts have been underway for several weeks amid fears of new attacks by the US and Israel on Iran. Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have been at an impasse for months. As reported, representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey met with the Iranian head of state in Tehran on Monday.
According to government information, the Jordanian air force has killed more than 20 fighters from the extremist militia Islamic State (IS) in southern Syria. The operation avoided “known civilian areas,” explains Jordanian Communications Minister Mohammed al-Momani. The attacks on Tuesday night were carried out in coordination with Damascus. The Syrian authorities, however, say seven people were killed, including three children and a woman.
Hopes for diplomatic progress in the Middle East conflict will also lead to a slight fall in oil prices on Tuesday. The price of Brent oil for delivery in December is 0.8 percent lower than $115 per barrel. WTI oil is just over the $100 mark. Prices had already fallen slightly the day before.
On Tuesday, traders again referred to the meeting of the Mecca Pact states the day before in Tehran and talks with the Iranian regime.
The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen says it has intercepted and destroyed several missiles and drones fired by the Houthi rebels. The Iran-backed group aimed three ballistic missiles at the eastern region of Saudi Arabia and four drones at the south of the country, the alliance said on Tuesday. Saudi Civil Defense initially issued early warnings of a possible enemy threat to the affected areas. It was later said that the danger in both regions was over.
The conflict between the kingdom and the Houthis has recently worsened again. Saudi Arabia has stepped up its attacks on the group since it captured strategic areas on Yemen's Red Sea coast last month. The Houthis advanced towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This is a key global shipping route for Gulf oil producers and lies on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz. The renewed fighting has destroyed a 2022 ceasefire brokered by the United Nations. This had largely stopped attacks between the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen's internationally recognized government, and the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa.
According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai, Iran continues to exchange messages with the United States through intermediaries. At the weekend, Baghai said the Islamic Republic had not closed the window for diplomacy. However, Washington is sticking to unilateral demands. US President Donald Trump and other US government officials have repeatedly spoken of a “complete surrender” that no Iranian will accept.
Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have agreed to continue talks on closer cooperation. The Iranian state news agency Irna reported on Monday that the focus should be on peace and security in the region.
Mohsen Resai, the Secretary General of the Iranian Security Council, invited people to the first joint meeting of the four states in Tehran. Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman took part on behalf of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan was represented by army chief Asim Munir, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin traveled on behalf of Turkey. The Irna report did not say when and where the next talks would take place.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against resuming attacks on Iran. In a televised address on Monday, he said renewed attacks would destabilize the region and also harm countries not involved in the conflict. Reports of possible attacks have already caused fuel prices to rise.
The Houthis have accused troops of the Saudi-led military coalition against the militia of an attack on a hospital in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Mocha. The militia's health ministry said on Monday that serious damage had been caused. The ministry did not say whether there were any victims. It did not provide evidence of the alleged attack. The Houthis took Mocha in September.
The ministry also said Saudi troops attacked a children's hospital in Tais province on Sunday. Damage was also caused.
Two Mocha residents who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP on Monday that the city's general hospital and at least 10 houses were damaged when a rocket hit a four-story apartment building. The AP could not independently verify the information. It remained unclear whether this was the same incident that the Houthi ministry was referring to.
The Houthi militia in Yemen say they have used ballistic missiles to attack positions of government troops supported by Saudi Arabia. The attacks were directed against troop gatherings and weapons depots in the provinces of Aden and Lahj, Houthi military spokesman Jahja Sari said on Monday.
Yemen's internationally recognized government accused the militia on Sunday of attacking displaced persons camps on the outskirts of the city of Aden.
According to security sources there, the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon has been preparing for a possible resumption of fighting with Israel over the past three months. Reuters learned this from several insiders who are familiar with the activities of the radical Islamic organization.
Accordingly, the Shiite Hezbollah has received tens of millions of dollars in financial support from Iran to strengthen its military capabilities. The funds would be used for rearmament, several insiders said. The focus is on obtaining explosives and producing drones that could be used against Israeli positions. In addition, command and control structures that had collapsed in previous battles would be restored.
Pakistani military chief Asim Munir, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Iranian military chief Mohsen Resaei in Tehran. Pakistani Senator Sehar Kamran announced this on the X platform on Monday. Iran's constructive participation could help address threats to Saudi Arabia's security and reduce threats to the energy-critical Bab al-Mandab Straits and the Strait of Hormuz, Kamran said.
Munir had already visited Tehran last week to restart talks between the USA and Iran. It was also about ongoing attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Egypt's parliament has authorized President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take measures to help Saudi Arabia defend the kingdom. This was reported unanimously by several state-affiliated media outlets.
The approval was given with a two-thirds majority, reported the Egyptian news site “Youm7”. The prerequisite for possible military support is coordination with Saudi Arabia and a corresponding request from Riyadh. The decision was preceded by several days of closed discussions in parliament about the extent of possible military support.
High-level negotiators from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have arrived in Iran for talks. Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin wanted to discuss ways to prevent a new escalation between Iran, Israel and the US in Tehran on Monday, two government officials from the region said. Qatari mediators who coordinated with the USA were already in Tehran on Sunday.
According to the information, the goal is an agreement between the USA and Iran. The civil war in Yemen and the attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels were also on the agenda, it was said. An Iranian government official confirmed the arrival of the negotiators. Saudi Arabia said the delegations hoped to “find ways to reduce tensions, strengthen regional security and promote stability.”
Israel has no plans to attack Iran before Israel's parliamentary election this Tuesday, according to Defense Minister Israel Katz. Katz was reacting to a media report about alleged serious differences of opinion between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military chief Ejal Zamir with regard to Iran. “I make it unmistakably clear that Israel never intended to initiate an attack on Iran before the elections in Israel,” the minister said on Platform X. “At the same time, we have made it clear that we will react with great severity if Iran attacks Israel.”
The Israeli TV station N12 reported on Sunday evening that there had been a violent conflict between Netanyahu and Chief of General Staff Zamir over a planned military measure that could trigger an escalation with Iran shortly before the election. Zamir requested detailed advice and written legal protection before implementation. There are fears among the army leadership that Netanyahu could use the conflict with Iran for domestic political purposes. Netanyahu denied the report.
According to Iranian sources, top representatives of the Mecca Pact states Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan are expected to meet in Tehran later today for discussions on the conflict in the Middle East. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin would come to the Iranian capital for consultations, deputy secretary of the Islamic Republic's National Security Council Ali Bagheri Kani said on state television on Monday.
According to insiders, the talks will focus on the regional security situation. There were initially no confirmations from Riyadh, Islamabad and Ankara. It would be the first high-level contact between the leadership in Tehran and the new defense alliance since Saudi Arabia has come under increased attack from Iran-allied Houthi rebels from Yemen.
The trip is the first official visit to Tehran by the Saudi defense minister, who is the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in over a year and comes against the backdrop of an escalation in the civil war in Yemen, in which Riyadh and Tehran support opposing sides. Iran-allied Houthi forces have fired missiles and drones into the kingdom in recent weeks, killing dozens of people and wounding hundreds.
The Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen report attacks on Saudi oil facilities and the airport in the capital Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has not yet confirmed the attacks. Previously, the Saudi-led military coalition reported the destruction of two ballistic missile launch pads in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. A rocket was fired at Riyadh from one of the ramps, but the alliance said it was intercepted.
After the deadly attack on a church in Jordan on Friday, security forces have arrested three suspects, according to a state television report. According to security authorities, the men hid in an abandoned house and opened fire on the officers. They returned the shots and arrested the injured suspects. Nine people were killed and 40 others were injured in the armed attack on a funeral ceremony in Karak province.
The number of attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters reached a record high in October, according to a US research institute. 28 attacks were recorded this month. According to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, there have been 113 incidents since the US and Israel's war with Iran began at the end of February. According to calculations by the Reuters news agency based on data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), more than 30 supertankers were damaged. This corresponds to around 3.5 percent of the global fleet.
