Middle EastLiveSaudi-led coalition intercepts drone over Riyadh; Houthis deny targeting Mecca

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy remarked an oil tanker caught fire and exploded after striking a naval mine in the southern Strait of Hormuz.

Key points

• Despite his absence, an Iranian parliamentary delegation will attend the Brics Parliamentary Forum, scheduled to take place in New Delhi on October 26-27, the embassy remarked.
• Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will not travel to New Delhi for a Brics parliamentary session as of "unforeseen circumstances", Iran's embassy in India noted.
• The war began on Feb 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior commanders.
• The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has condemned the latest Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
• While Terminal 2 would serve international flights operated by national carriers, the airport authorities remarked Terminal 1 would handle domestic flights.

06: 57 (IST) Oct 25. Iran War: Riyadh airport to resume operations at two terminals.

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh will resume flight operations from Terminals 1 and 2 on Sunday, October 25, against the backdrop of heightened regional security worries after claims by Yemen's Houthi rebels that they targeted key airports and infrastructure throughout Saudi Arabia.

While Terminal 2 would serve international flights operated by national carriers, the airport authorities remarked Terminal 1 would handle domestic flights. Passengers with confirmed bookings have been advised to contact their airlines to verify flight status before travelling to the airport.

While services connecting to Jeddah remain suspended until October 31, meanwhile, Air India and Air India Express have suspended flights to and from Riyadh and Dammam until November 7. The airlines are offering affected passengers complimentary rebooking or full refunds. 06: 29 (IST) Oct 25. Blackout hits Iran's Kish island after 'power plant fault'.

In practice, a technical fault at a power plant caused a blackout on Iran's Kish island on Saturday, with electricity restored to most areas afterwards, state news agency IRNA noted.

Notably, the Kish Free Zone Organization initially remarked the outage was caused by a technical malfunction and that repair teams were working to fix the challenge.

In a afterwards update, the organisation stated the fault at the Kish Water and Power Company's plant had been resolved, restoring electricity to most of the island. Work was continuing to reconnect the remaining areas.

Kish, located in the Persian Gulf, has two power plants. The organisation remarked the second facility, Mahtab, continued operating and supplying electricity to customers throughout the disruption. 06: 10 (IST) Oct 25. Riyadh Airport announces resumption of operations at T1, T2.

As it announces it will resume flight operations from its two terminals 1 and 2 on Sunday, king Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has issued a travel advisory for passengers.

For context, the advisory comes after claims produced by Yemen's Houthi rebels that they targeted King Khalid International Airport along with a number of other key installations and airports throughout the kingdom. (ANI). 06: 06 (IST) Oct 25. Iran's Ghalibaf skips Brics session in India citing 'unforeseen circumstances'.

For context, the embassy did not provide further details regarding his absence. The announcement came against the backdrop of media reports suggesting the possibility of fresh US and Israeli strikes against Iran. Ghalibaf has been Iran's chief negotiator in recent discussions with the United States, presenting Tehran's positions on the war, the ceasefire and the conditions required for negotiations.

Despite his absence, an Iranian parliamentary delegation will attend the Brics Parliamentary Forum, scheduled to take place in New Delhi on October 26-27, the embassy remarked. 06: 00 (IST) Oct 25. GCC chief condemns 'heinous' Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has condemned the latest Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

While shrapnel from the interceptions landed in Jeddah, Taif and Rabigh, riyadh earlier remarked parts of two ballistic missiles fell in Mecca.

In an official note, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi remarked the attack "represents a blatant disregard for the lives and safety of civilians and a criminal escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region".

He continued that "exposing Mecca to the dangers of these attacks constitutes a grave violation of the sanctity of holy sites". 05: 18 (IST) Oct 25. Iran president notes numerous struggling for food as war bites.

As the economic pressure from the West Asia war with the United States mounts, iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian remarked Saturday that numerous Iranians were struggling to put food on the table.

While Iran's leaders have remarked peace negotiations will only succeed without pressure and threats from Washington as the conflict remains locked in a stalemate, washington has in recent weeks dialled back military operations in favour of economic pressure.

"There are many people in this society who are struggling to put food on the table because of the war we have found ourselves in, because of the wartime conditions we are living under, " Pezeshkian remarked in a speech shared on his website. The war began on Feb 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior commanders.

Pezeshkian pressed an end to what he described as a "state of neither war nor peace", saying Tehran "must also get out of this situation", without specifying how.

For now, middle EastLiveSaudi-led coalition intercepts drone over Riyadh; Houthis deny targeting Mecca remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.