Day 197 | Muscat talks loom as new 'Israeli' strikes hit southern Lebanon

This live thread has ended. Follow our online coverage of day 198 of the war.

Read more: Day 198 | Trump claims Houthis requested US non-intervention

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis release footage showing their fighters taking part in a wide-ranging military operation across several fronts, as the group battles the forces of the internationally-recognized government.

Saudi authorities said a Houthi projectile wounded two people in an area along the country's southern border with Yemen, hours after the government issued alerts warning of the risk of possible attacks.

The civil defence directorate said its "teams in Al-Tuwal Governorate, Jazan Region, responded to an incident involving a projectile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia, resulting in two injuries and material damage to a mosque, several buildings, and vehicles".

Two explosions were heard from the direction of the sea near Iran’s Qeshm Island, Iran’s state TV reported on Saturday, citing its correspondent in the area.

The report said the blasts were heard minutes before the report was published.

Local sources had not immediately commented on the incident, and no casualties or damage were reported so far

Qeshm lies near the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil-shipping chokepoint that has become a focal point of the ongoing Iran-US conflict.

The southern route through the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed under a new understanding between Iran and Oman, an Iranian source told the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Saturday, saying the arrangement does not amount to reopening the strategic waterway.

The source said Iran and Oman reached the understanding after intensive technical and diplomatic talks.

The arrangement sets out new routes for vessels entering and leaving the Persian Gulf, including routes that would pass through Iranian territorial waters.

According to the source, transit along the new routes would operate under Iranian arrangements.

“The southern route, which the United States had insisted to reopen, would remain closed,” the source told Tasnim.

Reopening depends on US conditions

The source said the understanding between Tehran and Muscat does not itself reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Instead, it provides a framework for how the waterway could operate if Iran decides to reopen it.

Iran has conveyed seven conditions to the United States through intermediaries, the source said, adding that the strait would remain closed until those conditions are implemented.

The planned understanding is expected to be presented to foreign ministers of Gulf countries, with Iraq also attending, according to the source cited by the agency.

The other countries would be briefed on the arrangements rather than taking part in the technical negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz has remained largely closed to commercial shipping amid the ongoing US-‘Israel’ war with Iran.

The waterway is a critical route for global energy supplies, and disruptions have sharply affected oil markets and regional shipping.

Iran said Saturday that an understanding reached with Oman on transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz does not necessarily mean the strategic waterway is safe for navigation, as regional efforts continue to ease disruptions to commercial shipping.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it would present the results of its negotiations with Oman to a meeting of Gulf littoral states.

It also said the security of the strait depended on the United States ending what Tehran described as destabilizing actions and its naval blockade.

"As long as the US blockade and economic war continue, it cannot be claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is safe," the ministry said.

Talks with Oman

Iran and Oman have been negotiating arrangements for commercial vessels to transit the strait, with Oman seeking a temporary mechanism to improve shipping security amid the wider US-Iran conflict.

A senior Iranian official said Saturday that a meeting planned for Monday in Oman is not expected to produce a signed agreement.

The talks are instead expected to address the management of the waterway and possible arrangements for commercial shipping.

Iran and Oman have previously agreed on a proposed route through the strait, with discussions continuing over how the passage would be managed.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy route. Before the current hostilities, roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply passed through the waterway. Recent attacks and restrictions have disrupted commercial shipping and contributed to higher oil prices.

Nuclear dispute adds to tensions

Iran also rejected recent findings by the International Atomic Energy Agency, saying its nuclear program is peaceful and accusing the agency of providing grounds for aggression against Iran.

The comments came after the IAEA Board of Governors voted on September 9 to refer Iran to the UN Security Council over concerns about its nuclear safeguards obligations.

Iran has rejected the move as politically motivated.

The dispute over Iran's nuclear program has added to tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, where the United States and Iran have recently engaged tit-for-tat strikes.

Members of the 11-nation BRICS group including China, Russia, Iran and India called for calm in the Middle East at a summit in New Delhi on Saturday, overcoming earlier divisions to issue a joint statement.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who joined Russian, Iranian, Indian and other leaders in the Indian capital, told the summit that the Middle East war "does not serve the common interests of the international community".

Foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping failed to agree on a joint statement when they met in New Delhi in May, with Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates divided over the war that began with US-‘Israeli’ strikes on February 28.

But leaders issued a statement on Saturday after intense diplomatic efforts by host India, as the bloc seeks to bolster its global influence and address conflict, trade turbulence and energy security.

"We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East/West Asia," the joint statement said, adding the countries "call for exercising maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation".

BRICS was created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions dominated by Western powers.

"We have to transform this pyramid of privilege into a platform of partnership," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other leaders.

Modi, opening the two-day summit, called for a system "where every country has a voice, every member has a stake and humanity's development is at the centre of every effort".

He told leaders that BRICS nations "represent 50 percent of the world's population, 40 percent of global GDP and more than 25 percent of global trade".

But finding balance in the bloc is a tough diplomatic task.

India maintains cordial relations with Iran and ‘Israel’, but is also careful to strike a delicate balance in its ties with Washington.

Iran's Pezeshkian attended the summit shortly after warning that the Middle East does not need the United States to be a "regional policeman", with the two countries at war and tensions threatening the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Pezeshkian met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed on the summit sidelines.

India has navigated the energy crisis caused by the US-Iran war in part by turning to Russia, despite Moscow's war in Ukraine and pressure from Washington and other Western capitals.

Modi embraced Putin before talks on Friday. Putin, who last visited India in December 2025, is one of New Delhi's most important strategic partners.

“Handling differences”

But the summit's other major focus is China.

Xi's visit is also being closely watched because it is his first to neighbouring India since 2019, and the biggest step yet in a cautious thaw between the nuclear-armed rivals.

Xi was given a red-carpet welcome, with an honour guard of soldiers and traditional dancers in colourful dresses, and greeted with a handshake by Modi at the summit venue.

Xi and Modi later met, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported, without providing further details.

His visit comes six years after a deadly military clash along their disputed Tibetan border, with ties gradually improving through restored flights, visas and high-level contacts.

Beijing said ahead of his visit that it was "ready to work with India... by strengthening communication, enhancing cooperation, and properly handling differences".

The underlying territorial dispute remains unresolved, and both sides retain heavy military deployments along their roughly 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) high-altitude border with Tibet.

"They are looking for 'early and substantial harvest' when it comes to the border issue," said Pradeep Taneja, a China-India expert at the University of Melbourne.

"You cannot have a build-up of your forces on the border... but at the same time say 'we should continue to have people-to-people relations and economic relationships'."

Deep mistrust remains, with their contested Himalayan frontier, a widening trade deficit and strategic rivalry continuing to complicate ties.

Dozens of Tibetans protested in New Delhi on Friday -- exiles, like their Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing a Chinese crackdown in 1959 -- waving placards against Xi's visit.

Iraqi security forces have found drone launchers near the border with Iran, security sources told AFP on Saturday, after an attack on a Saudi pipeline that Riyadh and Baghdad said was launched from Iraq.

A security official said that "security forces found drone launchers near the Iraq-Iran border in the al-Tib" remote region in the southern Missan province.

A second security official gave the same account.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iranian-backed armed group, said it does not claim “the honor” of a recent drone attack on Saudi Arabia's vital infrastructure.

The denial comes after drones originating from Iraqi territory struck the Kingdom's East-West oil pipeline.

"Being accused of targeting vital facilities in Saudi Arabia is an honor we do not claim," the group said in a statement.

It also criticized the Iraqi government for what it described as a hasty adoption of allegations without credible evidence.

Pipeline shut down

Saudi Arabia said several drones originating from Iraq struck its East-West oil pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions, causing injuries and material damage.

The pipeline was shut down as a precaution.

The Iraqi government confirmed that the drones originated from Iraqi territory and launched an investigation.

Baghdad also dismissed a military commander in Maysan province, where officials said the attack was launched.

No group has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, and Saudi Arabia and Iraq have not publicly identified the perpetrators.

The East-West pipeline transports Saudi crude oil from eastern oil fields to the Red Sea, providing an alternative export route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.

Bahrain said on Saturday it would not take part in a proposed meeting in Oman between Iran and Gulf states to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has blockaded throughout the Middle East war.

Pointing to attacks on infrastructure across the Gulf, the ministry said that security and stability in the region "cannot be preserved through a policy of appeasement" and called for Hormuz to be open without "discrimination, fees or permits".

• Trump also touted American military performance in the conflict. 

US President Trump used a stop in Dublin on Saturday to renew his criticism of NATO and European governments, reviving a months-long dispute over the alliance's response to the war with Iran.

"NATO didn't want to help us with the Strait [of Hormuz], even though we don't get any oil from the strait," Trump said, calling the alliance and Europe more broadly "very disappointing in many ways."

He also touted the performance of American forces in the conflict, saying "everyone's seen the dominance of American military equipment" in Iran, and claimed the Strait of Hormuz had been fully cleared of naval mines: "We took out every mine. There's no mines out there." 

Part of a longer-running feud

The remarks extend a rift that has simmered since the US and ‘Israel’ launched strikes on Iran earlier this year. 

Trump has repeatedly pressed NATO members to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a critical corridor for global oil shipments that Iran largely shut down during the fighting, and has been frustrated by the reluctance of allies including France, Germany and the UK  to commit ships or airspace to the effort.

Read more: Iran war won't end until after US midterm elections, says Trump

• Three IRGC soldiers also died in the clashes.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Saturday its forces killed four people it described as "mercenary terrorists" during a clash in the southeastern border town of Saravan, in Sistan and Baluchestan province. Three Iranian soldiers also died in the fighting. 

Tasnim reported that  the IRGC said it had targeted a "professional terrorist team" that was allegedly organizing an attack in the area. 

The Guard did not disclose how the confrontation unfolded, but said the four killed were part of a group preparing to carry out an operation in Saravan. 

Saturday's episode adds to what has been a steady drumbeat of security operations in the province through 2026, as Tehran contends simultaneously with the fallout from its war with the United States and a long-running insurgency along its southeastern frontier.

Read more: Iranian General says US “Warmongering” is backfiring

• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim for their first in-person bilateral talks, on the sidelines of Pezeshkian's broader South/Southeast Asia trip. 
• Pezeshkian said Iran has no issues with its neighboring countries. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim Saturday that Tehran's long-standing position is that it is not seeking confrontation with its neighbors, according to Iranian state media. 

Speaking during the bilateral meeting, Pezeshkian said Iran's foreign policy priority remains peace, adding that the country is simply asking for its international rights to be respected and for sanctions to be lifted, state media reported.

He went on to argue that Iran's disputes are not with countries in its own neighborhood. "We have no issues with our neighbors", he said. 

Instead, he pointed to the United States, European governments, and ‘Israel’ accusing them of pursuing a hegemonic agenda in the region that leaves no room for independent nations to chart their own course.

 Iran, he said, is only asking to exercise the rights it is entitled to under international law.

Pezeshkian also addressed the toll of recent hostilities, telling Anwar that Iran has endured significant injustices but remains committed to avoiding further conflict. 

According to the state media readout, he said Tehran does not want war or its continuation, and that despite everything inflicted on the Iranian people, the country continues to put peace first, repeating the call for Iran's rights to be recognized and for what he described as unjust sanctions to be lifted. 

Read more: Pezeshkian says pressure on Iran at dangerous stage

The Lebanese and ‘Israeli’ ambassadors will meet next week to discuss regional developments and the implementation of the tripartite framework, a US State Department official said.

The official described the framework as the only effective mechanism for restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring ‘Israel’s’ security.

The next round of official talks is scheduled to take place in Rome in October, according to the US official.

Baghdad has ordered the closure of the Shalamcheh border crossing between Iraq and Iran following a drone attack targeting Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, according to Reuters.

Two Iraqi security sources told Reuters that the crossing was closed as a precautionary measure after the attack, which was launched from Iraqi territory.

Shalamcheh is a major land crossing between Iran and Iraq and an important route for movement between the two countries.

The border area was also targeted by a US missile strike in July 2026, which killed two people and injured 11 others, according to previous reports.

Large crowds gathered in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, to celebrate after the Houthis announced that their forces had taken full control of all access points along the Red Sea coast and seized three strategic islands.

The announcement followed a week-long military offensive against Saudi-backed forces, according to Houthi statements.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has condemned US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks marking the 9/11 anniversary, in which Hegseth defended the US war on Iran.

Hegseth said the US was "still sending terrorists where they belong, to hell" as it continues its war on Iran.

Responding on X, Baghaei said Hegseth’s remarks were "riddled with fundamental contradictions," arguing that Washington cannot wage what he described as aggression, carry out assassinations and cause civilian casualties while claiming sole authority to define terrorism and determine which violence is legitimate.

"The perpetrators of 9/11 were not Iranians," Baghaei added, saying they were "the very same people whom the US itself had armed, organised, or otherwise cultivated in the preceding decades."

Oman will host a regional meeting of foreign ministers Monday involving Iran, Iraq and six Gulf states to discuss regional issues, particularly maritime security and safe shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Friday that Tehran plans to participate in the meeting in Oman, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

Baghaei said the talks will also address the outcome of recent Iranian-Omani discussions on establishing safe routes for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran and Russia are currently using local currencies and cryptocurrencies in their trade to bypass Western sanctions, Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madani-Zadeh said.

Speaking to the Iranian news agency ISNA, Madani-Zadeh said, "We and Russia are under sanctions, but we currently use local currencies and cryptocurrencies in our trade."

The comments come as Tehran and Moscow continue efforts to expand economic ties and reduce their reliance on traditional international payment systems.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has ordered an urgent investigation into the attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, according to the Iraqi armed forces.

The Iraqi army spokesperson said the government appreciates Saudi Arabia’s position and its response to Iraq’s efforts to contain the situation.

Al-Zaidi directed authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack and identify those responsible, with legal measures to be taken against anyone proven to be involved, the spokesperson said in a statement published by the state-run Iraq News Agency.