A phone call between Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq took place on Sunday, 11 October, with the two leaders exchanging views on stability and peace across the region. A statement from Iran's presidency indicated that the two leaders had discussed maintaining coordination and working together at a time when tensions across the Middle East remain elevated. Pezeshkian also conveyed birthday greetings to the sultan and extended a formal invitation for him to visit Tehran.
A strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 10 October, attributed by Saudi civil aviation authorities to a missile, left 12 people dead and wounded more than 300 others. The Saudi-led coalition attributed the strike on what appeared to be a passenger terminal to Houthi forces, a claim that had not been confirmed by any independent source. Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki characterised the attack in a statement as a violation of the laws of war.
A pledge of retaliation came from the military coalition operating in Yemen following the assault on Riyadh's airport. Debate has since arisen over whether additional strikes on Houthi positions are forthcoming and whether the group would launch further attacks on Saudi territory in response.
US President Donald Trump indicated that the White House was weighing direct involvement alongside Saudi forces in operations targeting the Houthis, following the attack on Riyadh's airport. He described the incident as something he would not let stand and indicated that a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was in the works. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement condemning the attack after reports placed an American citizen among the victims.
Yemen's Houthi movement distributed a notice placing airlines, airport personnel, shipping companies, and travellers on alert that Saudi airports and the airspace above them could be drawn into the scope of its operations. Airports serving Mecca and Medina were reported to fall outside the scope of the advisory.
A travel notice issued by the US Mission in Saudi Arabia in the days following the 10 October attack called on American nationals to avoid King Khalid International Airport and its surrounding areas. New authorisation requirements for US government personnel passing through the airports at Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam were among the measures the mission was said to have put in place.
India's Ministry of External Affairs lodged a formal objection to repeated strikes on King Khalid International Airport, pointing to the 10 October attack as one that reportedly left people dead or wounded and caused damage to property. In a formal statement, the ministry put forward the position that strikes on civilian populations and their infrastructure were wholly unacceptable, and conveyed its condolences to the families of those who had been killed.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting described the strike as wholly unjustifiable, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the episode carried implications for regional stability and for the functioning of global transport and energy networks. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas characterised the attack on civilian infrastructure in a published statement as an action that warranted international rebuke. Germany's Foreign Minister Wadephul characterised the strike as an act of terrorism directed at both Saudi Arabia and civil aviation, and conveyed his condolences to those who lost family members.
A statement from the Iraqi Prime Minister's office described the episode as a threat to stability across the region and urged all parties to bring the fighting to a halt. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced opposition to the attack on King Khalid International Airport in a statement. UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg issued an advisory regarding Houthi strikes on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, describing the pattern of attacks as carrying implications for stability across the broader region.
Mohammad Eslami, who leads the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, put forward the position that outside threats, pressure, and acts of aggression against the country's nuclear programme would not halt its advancement in nuclear technology. Speaking before the United Nations, Eslami raised objections to what he described as provocative language from the United States, and separately held up Iran's nuclear programme as a demonstration of the capabilities developed by the country's scientific community.
A Pentagon accounting of combat deaths in the conflict with Iran placed the total at 21 service members lost. Tanker traffic navigating the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest point in two months, a development broadcast outlets attributed to an uptick in attacks on vessels in the waterway. Roughly a fifth of the oil moving through global markets each day passed through that waterway in the period before hostilities broke out.
A Panama-flagged cargo vessel was brought to a halt by naval forces in the Gulf of Oman after its crew reportedly disregarded repeated advisories and moved to cross a blockade line established against Iran. The vessel was identified as the Ocean Molica in a statement from US Central Command. The ship's propulsion system was put out of action after a US military aircraft targeted the stern, leaving the crew unharmed.
Reports from regional officials, carried by a broadcast news outlet, indicated that air defence support had been sought by Saudi Arabia from France, Britain, Pakistan, and Egypt in response to a series of Houthi attacks. A maritime incident off Ras Al Khaimah ended without casualties, with all 22 crew members aboard the vessel accounted for and unharmed, according to a statement from the Indian Consulate in Dubai.
The 25th World Petroleum Congress got under way in Riyadh on Sunday, with the Saudi Energy Ministry confirming the opening of the gathering.
