Iran-backed Houthis deny losing ground in Yemen as oil prices ease despite fierce fighting

Follow updates on the war in the Middle East for Wednesday, Oct. 7, here. See earlier developments below.

Yemen's Houthis said Wednesday they had targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital with a ballistic missile, the latest in repeated salvos aimed at the site.

"Our armed forces have just targeted King Khalid Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile. The strike was accurate, by God's grace, and led to a disruption of air traffic at the airport," said Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree in a statement on X.

In a separate post, the Houthis said they also targeted military supplies at a camp area near the airport in the Yemen government's interim capital of Aden.

The Houthis' latest claims came hours after the Saudi-led coalition backing the Yemen government said its forces had intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh fired by the Iran-backed Houthis.

The flurry of attacks was launched as the Houthis said they were holding their ground amid an onslaught by Yemeni government forces backed by the coalition's air power.

Earlier this week, Yemen's military said its forces had uprooted Houthi fighters from the areas around the Bab al-Mandab strait, a Red Sea shipping chokepoint, and the port city of Mocha.

Claims by both sides have been impossible to independently verify, with the situation on the ground moving fast and access for journalists difficult.

A U.S.-run military air base in England faced Iranian-related threats, and the Trump administration believes the intention was to kill as many American troops and destroy as many U.S. planes as possible, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, could not speak to the nature of the potential attack. The United States removed its bombers from RAF Fairford, located 100 miles west of London, which has been used by American planes to strike Iran during this year's war.

President Trump told reporters on Monday he didn't want to tempt "the enemy" by having the bombers there.

The new details come as British police on Tuesday arrested a 22-year-old British man in central London on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. He is the seventh person arrested in connection with the suspected plot against RAF Fairford, which authorities have linked to Iran. But British police so far have released few details of their investigation.

Six of the men arrested have since been released on bail, which drew criticism from Mr. Trump last week.

Iran summoned French ambassador to Tehran, Pierre Cochard, on Tuesday over Paris's treatment of protesters demanding better conditions in schools, state media reported, with French police having clashed for days with demonstrators.

Iran accused France of "violent treatment" of the protesters and "extensive and flagrant human rights violations" during the demonstrations, which began late last month and have been accompanied by unrest.

Relations between France and Iran have been strained for months, with the two expelling each other's diplomats in August.

Iran itself suffered major anti-government protests in January, during which the authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths, blaming "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel. Foreign-based NGOs maintain that security forces fired on protesters.

Most families of the six soldiers killed in the deadliest attack of the Iran war will not be attending a major White House event for Gold Star families hosted by President Trump.

Only one family member of those killed in an Iranian drone strike March 1 on Port Shuaiba in Kuwait confirmed to The Associated Press that they planned to attend Tuesday's reception with Mr. Trump and the first lady.

"There are questions about what happened before the attack, what information was available, what decisions were made, and what happened in the moments leading up to six American soldiers losing their lives," Joey Amor — whose 39-year-old wife, Master Sgt. Nicole M. Amor, was among those killed — said in a public Facebook statement Monday. "I am done asking quietly. Today, I am asking the American people to stand with these six families and demand transparency."

Some Gold Star families say they are grateful for how the Trump administration and military have honored their loved one's sacrifice. Other families say the way the White House has handled the reception is the latest indication that the administration does not respect the price they have paid.

The spouse of Maj. Alex Klinner, an airman who was killed in an Iran-related combat operation this summer, said receiving less than two weeks' notice did not give her enough time to arrange for overnight care for her three young children.

In a text message, Libby Klinner said she would not have gone anyway, adding, "I have no interest in supporting an administration that has been so reckless with the lives of our service members."

The war, launched Feb. 28, has claimed the lives of 19 U.S. troops and wounded more than 800 others.

The Houthis were fighting Tuesday around Dhubab, a strategic town in Yemen that its internationally-recognized government had previously said it had retaken, a senior Yemeni military official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

Joined by its Yemeni government allies, Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition to attack Houthi military targets in Yemen. Their offensive follows the government's announcement on Sunday, declaring a campaign to reclaim Houthi-controlled territories in the country. Fighting has been concentrated in a region near the southern tip of the Red Sea to prevent disruptions to oil and gas exports.

The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthis said on Tuesday that its forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed group at a city in Saudi Arabia's southwest.

The coalition's spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said on X that it "intercepted and destroyed" the missile launched towards Khamis Mushait, which is home to an air base.

U.S. military officials on Tuesday denied Iranian state media's reports of a downed U.S. Navy helicopter in the Red Sea.

"Iranian state media has been pushing false reports that a U.S. Navy MH-60R helicopter crashed in the Red Sea after declaring an emergency last night," U.S. Central Command wrote in a post on X.

CENTCOM said the reports were "not true" and that "all U.S. military aircraft and personnel across the Middle East are safe and unaccounted for."

Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, dismissed U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's latest statements on Iran, calling his forecasts "delusional" and accusing Washington of propaganda.

"Bessent's delusional forecasts never had any credibility in the first place. His latest propaganda will have an equally short shelf life," Rezaei wrote on X.

He added: "You lost the military war. You will fail in the economic war, too. Hormuz will not be opened by threats or pressure. Iran will not back down."

The White House on Tuesday denied that President Trump suggested Iran should "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego.

At a campaign rally in Nebraska, Mr. Trump called the Iran war "artificial," but added that he wanted to see a "total victory." He suggested the war was a "small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe."

"They can take out a city," Mr. Trump said, alluding to the risk of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. "Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego."

Attendees cheered after his remark. It was not immediately clear what Mr. Trump meant, but the comments were quickly condemned by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials.

White House spokesperson Steven Cheung posted Tuesday on X that "the media freakout" over Mr. Trump's remarks was "not rooted in reality."

"He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped," Cheung argued. "America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money."

Three Iranian men went on trial in the U.K. Tuesday on charges of spying for Iran, allegedly laying the groundwork for a violent attack against at least one London-based journalist.

The Iranian nationals visited addresses linked to people including two journalists working for the Farsi-language Iran International television network, which Tehran has long labeled a terror organization.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Noori, 57, who have all pleaded not guilty, appeared at a court in London accompanied by translators Tuesday.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told the jury the three were accused of conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service, "in other words ... they spied on people of interest to the Iranian regime."

Another of the men's targets was lawyer Jonathan Turner, a founding member of the group U.K. Lawyers for Israel.

The three accused men do not deny visiting the addresses and taking photos and videos, but Sepahvand claimed he had been coerced and acted out of fear, the prosecution said.

Manesh and Noori said they were not aware that what they were doing was to assist the Iranian intelligence services, the prosecution added.

The British and U.S. embassy in Riyadh have instructed their nationals to follow instructions from Saudi authorities amid ongoing Houthi attacks.

"Saudi Arabia continues to experience missile and drone attacks, targeting cities, airports, military sites and energy infrastructure," the British embassy wrote in a post on X. "We encourage British nationals … to follow instructions from local authorities."

The U.S. embassy said in a statement that due to the "potential for aerial drone or missile attacks on Saudi Arabia," it "strongly encourages all U.S. citizens to remain vigilant and follow the guidance of national alerts released by Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense."

Fighting has raged across parts of Yemen and Saudi Arabia in recent days. Over the weekend, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government vowed to take back all property in the hands of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, some of which has been under their control for over a decade.

The Houthis stormed Yemen's Red Sea coast in recent weeks, claiming control over the strategic Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint. The Yemeni government has claimed to have taken back the Red Sea port city of Mokha and other strategic territory, but both sides have a history of exaggerating their gains.

The French news agency AFP reported Tuesday that fighting across Yemen had killed more than 270 Saudi-backed government troops and Iran-backed Houthi fighters over the past day, citing sources on both sides.

An oil tanker was struck while exiting the Strait of Hormuz Monday, a British navy maritime agency said Tuesday.

The vessel was hit by an unknown projectile, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO) said, adding that authorities were investigating the incident.

UKMTO reported earlier Monday that another tanker had turned back after being threatened by Iranian forces in the strait "or the vessel would be targeted," and that three tankers were hit by unknown projectiles in the waterway over the weekend.

Two of the vessels were crude oil carriers; one was a liquid natural gas carrier, according to UKMTO.

Iranian officials said Sunday that a U.S. response to Tehran's proposed conditions for reopening the strait was being reviewed Sunday and it was preparing one of its own. President Trump had rejected Tehran's proposed conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz while leaving the door open to further talks or renewed military operations.

Iran's weapons and defense equipment production capacity has increased by 250% compared to before the U.S. and Israel launched the war on the country more than seven months ago, the Islamic Republic's defense ministry claimed Tuesday, crediting the purported boost in part to cooperation with Russia and China.

"The country's capacity to produce weapons and defense equipment compared with before the Ramadan War has increased 2.5 times, and in some weapons, the level of production has increased by more than three times," Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Ge. Reza Talaei-Nik said Tuesday.

"Iran's defense cooperation with Russia and China has not stopped or decreased, and in some areas it has also been strengthened and continues," he said.

The spokesman said any renewed attack on Iran by the U.S. would see Iran's foes "face heavier defeats."

The Trump administration has insisted repeatedly that most of Iran's military and defense production capacities have been destroyed during the war.

Fighting across Yemen has killed more than 270 Saudi-backed government troops and Iran-backed Houthi fighters over the past day, sources on both sides told the French news agency AFP on Tuesday.

Fighting has intensified in Yemen since the internationally recognized government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, launched a counteroffensive aimed at recovering territory seized by the Houthis last month.

Yemeni forces claimed this week to have retaken key territory along the Red Sea coast, but the Houthi movement insisted Tuesday that its fighters still had "full control over all their gains on the ground."

Government sources told AFP on condition of anonymity that 115 troops had died over the past 24 hours, and that dozens of others were wounded in fighting and by Houthi missile and drone attacks.

The focus of the violence is southwest Yemen, around the Bab al-Bandab Strait, which is crucial to global energy flows.

Houthi military sources meanwhile told AFP that they had lost 160 fighters over the past day, mainly in Saudi strikes on areas under their control.

Stock markets firmed Tuesday and oil prices retreated, helping to temper worries about spikes to government borrowing costs.

European stock markets climbed around half a percent in midday trade after Tokyo and Hong Kong closed with gains of one percent.

On Wall Street, the technology-focused Nasdaq index closed at a record high Monday, driven by advances in stocks linked to artificial intelligence.

Oil futures were down about 2.5% Tuesday but international benchmark Brent crude remained close to – but just beneath – the psychological $100 a barrel level.

"Brent crude oil fell back below $100, much to the relief of the market," noted Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell. "This gave a boost to interest-rate sensitive stocks including real estate and consumer cyclicals."

"Gulf exports excluding Iran averaged 19.2 mb/d in September, equivalent to 81% of pre-war levels. Crude exports were back to 91% of pre-war levels, while refined product exports were only around 60%," added Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, an analyst with Global Risk Management.

There remains plenty of uncertainty among traders over the Middle East crisis, which is putting pressure on central banks to hike interest rates to combat energy inflation.

Oil flows from the Middle East are back up to around 80% of their pre-war levels, the CEO of Shell, the British multinational oil and gas giant, said Tuesday.

"Despite everything happening, we're now close to 80-plus percent of prewar levels, showing the resilience of many of these nations to continue to honor their commitments to supply the world," Wael Sawan said at the Energy Intelligence Forum in London, according to Bloomberg.

Precise data on traffic in and out of the Strait of Hormuz are impossible to obtain currently, as ships are routinely switching off their tracking systems to avoid detection by either Iranian or American forces, which are trying to enforce opposing blockades in the waterway.

Maritime tracking firm Kpler said this week that oil exports from the region surpassed pre-war levels last week, despite ongoing attacks on ships in the strait.

12 crew members of a Panama-flagged commercial vessel were wounded in a strike off the coast of Oman, according to India's foreign affairs ministry.

The ship, MT On Peace, had a total crew of 19, and 11 of those wounded were Indian nationals, according to a foreign ministry statement posted Tuesday on X.

"With the assistance of Omani authorities, the injured crew have since been evacuated and are receiving medical treatment in Khasab, Oman," the bulletin read.

Commercial vessels have been targeted by both Iran and the U.S. throughout the Iran war, which is now in its eighth month.

U.S. Central Command said Monday that it had destroyed 13 commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz in the past 12 weeks, accusing the vessels of either violating the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and vessels, or operating as part of Iran's shadow fleet.

The U.S. has urged commercial ships for weeks to use a southern route through the strait that skirts close to Oman's coastline, offering military protection to vessels as Iran rejects the route as a violation of its own blockade stipulations and has attacked many ships for trying to use it.

The average U.K. diesel price has hit a record high of close to £2 a liter (around $10 per gallon) as shockwaves from the U.S.-Iran war continue to reverberate, government data showed Tuesday.

The average reached 199.52 pence per liter in the week leading up to Oct. 5, official figures showed, surpassing the previous record of 199.22 pence in July 2022 following Russia launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a key energy producer.

The price of Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, fell below $100 early Tuesday, likely thanks to reports of a significant increase in the amount of crude oil being shipped out of the Persian Gulf last month.

Many analysts believe the price drops this week - which still have oil priced about 30% higher than it was before the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran - could be short-lived, as security remains deeply uncertain in the Persian Gulf region and in the Red Sea.