The talks were the first high-level ‌contact between Iran and the three nations — which signed the Mecca mutual defence pact in August — since a war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran also spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Reuters reported.

Saudi Arabia said the visit was intended to open negotiating channels to “prevent the return of military escalation”.

It was represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir; and Turkey by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, ​Saudi and Iranian officials said.

Iranian state media published pictures of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, attending the ​meetings. At the conclusion, the four states agreed to continue talks with a view to strengthening cooperation in peace and security, state media reported.

Pakistan and ⁠Qatar have led mediation efforts in the war.

Earlier efforts helped produce an interim peace agreement in June, but fighting between Iran and the US soon resumed. Conflict then flared between the Iran-aligned Houthis and US ally ​Saudi Arabia, opening a new front.

US AND IRAN THREATEN NEW ATTACKS

The wider fighting has restricted shipping through the energy chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz, pushed up global oil and gas prices, left Gulf states facing ​missile and drone attacks, and caused a new humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have sharpened recently, with President Donald Trump saying on Friday the US may strike Iran again. Iranian security officials told Reuters Tehran had drawn up detailed plans to attack Gulf undersea cables if the US and Israel attack again.

The war, which earlier in the year also reignited fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia, has eroded Trump’s approval ratings ahead of the US midterm elections that decide control of ​Congress.

Iranian security chief Rezaei said the visit by the three countries had shown that “American threats have little impact on countries around the world”. He spoke of a “new and positive atmosphere” in the region.

Iranian ​Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei had earlier said the meeting, proposed when Munir visited Tehran last week, could be a first step towards establishing regional security mechanisms.

A senior Pakistani security official said the focus was on building a ‌regional non-aggression network. ⁠The agenda also included US-Iran talks, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Strait of Hormuz and a US blockade of Iranian ports, they said.

Another Pakistani official said Munir, with a go-ahead from Trump to try diplomacy, had presented Iran with a solution to the conflict that would offer something to both the US and Iran, without giving details.

The Mecca pact states and Qatar could act as guarantors if it was accepted, the official added.

An Iranian official had earlier said there would be no discussion of Iran’s nuclear programme at Monday’s meeting, and the issue would not be addressed until Tehran’s demands for ending the war ​were met.

Those conditions include ending a US blockade ​of Iranian ports and lifting sanctions on ⁠Iranian oil exports. US Vice President JD Vance has said Iran must reduce nuclear enrichment to end the war.

Pakistan’s military media office and Turkey’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

PARLIAMENT APPROVES EGYPTIAN DEFENCE SUPPORT FOR SAUDIS

Saudi Arabia has intensified strikes against the Houthis since they captured strategic areas ​along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month, advancing against Saudi-backed government forces. The Houthis have hit Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities.

On Monday, the ​Houthis said they had attacked ⁠pumping stations on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline as well as Riyadh airport, which said it had resumed operations at two terminals a day earlier. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of the Houthi attacks.

Parliament in Egypt, which has said it is considering joining the Mecca pact, on Monday authorised the Egyptian military to help defend Saudi Arabia, a major financial and political partner for Cairo.

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement says signatories shall use “all ⁠necessary means” to ​eliminate threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders, according to a text seen by Reuters.

The pact’s ​members held an emergency meeting in Riyadh this month and agreed to ensure the “rapid deployment” of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

Efforts by Turkey’s parliament to ratify the agreement began last week and are still under way, while Pakistan approved the pact ​last week.

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“It makes no difference to us who, in these elections, takes the helm of a regime that has brought nothing but violence and massacres to our region,” said ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

Tuesday’s legislative elections will take place amid mounting threats by Israel and the United States to renew attacks on Iran after they launched their war in late February.

Netanyahu has in recent days repeatedly said the only way to remove the threat posed by Iran is to topple its government.

On Sunday, he told Israel’s Channel 14 that he had “instructed the Mossad and the IDF to overthrow the Iranian regime”.

Baqaei dismissed Netanyahu’s remarks as “empty threats” and a “sign of desperation”.

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Saudi Arabia will be represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkey by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Saudi and Iranian officials said.

Attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have spiralled in recent weeks and rhetoric between Washington and Tehran has grown more heated. Both countries have also drawn up plans to restart the wider war, possibly after the US midterm elections on November ​3.

Monday’s planned talks will be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the three-nation bloc since Saudi Arabia was drawn deeper into the conflict. Under the Mecca ​Joint Defence Agreement signed in August, an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei ⁠said on Monday discussions on regional security would include “Israel’s expansionist policies, developments in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, and the repercussions of US and Israeli military action against Iran.”

Baghaei said the meeting, ​proposed during a visit by Munir to Tehran last week, could be a first step towards establishing regional security mechanisms based on the interests of countries in the region.

Qatari mediators met Iranian officials ​in Tehran on Sunday in a push to de-escalate regional tensions, Reuters reported. Qatar has, for months, played a mediating role between Tehran and Washington.

A senior Iranian official said the meeting was initiated by Pakistan, during Munir’s visit to Tehran, as he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials. During the visit, Iranian officials told him there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran’s demands were met, according to Iranian media.

Earlier ​mediation efforts involving both Pakistan and Qatar helped produce an interim peace agreement in June, but the deal quickly unravelled as fighting between Iran and the United States resumed weeks later.

The ​deputy secretary of Iran’s top security body, Ali Baqeri-Kani, told state TV that Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid, Pakistan’s Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin would visit Tehran for consultations with Iran’s Supreme National Security ‌Council on ⁠regional security.

Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the meeting is part of ongoing efforts by the Mecca Pact countries to de-escalate the current crisis, promote diplomatic solutions, and support mediation efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan.”The visit also underscores the pivotal role of the Mecca Pact states in fostering regional security and stability, and their commitment to working with all nations in the region toward achieving this goal,” Krimly posted on X.

Pakistan’s military media wing and Turkey’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia intercepted another wave of missiles and ​drones on Sunday as fighting with the Houthis ​continued unabated.

Ministers from the Mecca Pact countries ⁠held an emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier this month and agreed to ensure the “rapid deployment” of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

The Houthi attacks have become an increasingly destabilising element in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, turning US ally Saudi Arabia into a pressure point in the wider ​war.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have sharpened in recent days. President Donald Trump said on Friday the US may carry out another ​military operation against Iran and ⁠Iran’s leaders have said that a renewed US military campaign would be met with a stronger response than before.

Iranian security officials have told Reuters that Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to hit Gulf undersea cables if the United States and Israel attack again. A US intelligence memo this week warned that Iranian plots against American personnel had reached “advanced stages”.

The war, now nearly eight months old, has weighed ⁠on President Donald ​Trump’s approval ratings ahead of the midterms.

The Mecca agreement’s first article says the parties shall use “all necessary means” to ​eliminate threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders, according to a text seen by Reuters.

Efforts by Turkey’s parliament to ratify the agreement began last week and are still underway, while Pakistan approved the pact last ​week.

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President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed mediation efforts and regional developments with Field Marshal Asim Munir in Tehran, according to Nournews.

Pakistan is a key intermediary between ​the United States and Iran. Earlier mediation efforts helped produce an interim ​peace agreement in June, but the Islamabad Memorandum quickly unravelled ⁠as fighting between Iran and the US resumed weeks after.

Munir also met ​Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who said Washington could not regain Tehran’s ​trust until it fulfilled seven conditions Iran set last month for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to an Iranian readout of the meeting.

The demands include ending a US ​blockade on its ports, the lifting of sanctions on its oil exports ​as well as ending hostilities on all regional fronts.

Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, ‌delivered a similar ⁠message during a separate meeting with Munir, saying there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran’s demands were met, according to Iranian media.

Rezaei also said all enriched nuclear materials would remain in Iran, reiterating Supreme Leader ​Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s position ​that near-weapons-grade uranium ⁠should not be shipped abroad.

US Vice President JD Vance said earlier this month that Iran must make a “meaningful” reduction ​in its uranium enrichment capacity to satisfy US demands and ​end ⁠the countries’ eight-month-old war.

Israel, the United States and other Western states have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, including pointing to its move to ⁠enrich uranium ​to 60%, far higher than needed for ​civilian uses and closer to the 90% needed for a weapon.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

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The top US diplomat is scheduled to land in Samarkand on Sunday to meet with ‌leaders from the C5+1, a grouping that brings together the United States and the Muslim-majority post-Soviet states of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

US officials have portrayed resource-rich Central Asia — the region between China, Russia and Iran — as worthy of more attention than it received from US President Donald Trump’s predecessors.

Trump hosted C5 leaders at the White House last November, when Kazakhstan agreed to join the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements under ​which Muslim-majority countries have normalized or deepened relations with Israel. Separately, Trump met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the United Nations General Assembly last September.

Regional politics aside, ​the trip fits an emerging pattern in which Rubio often visits regions not at the center of the news cycle, while leaving some more ⁠fraught foreign-policy portfolios to other Trump aides, including special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Vice President JD Vance.

For instance, Rubio has not visited Kyiv or Moscow since becoming ​secretary of state. He was not present for talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Florida earlier this month, when US officials pressed Ukraine to stop hitting Russian refineries. Vance, not Rubio, ​represented the US in Pakistan during peace talks with Iran in April.

Rubio’s previous foreign trip, in early October, took him to Greece, Portugal and Iceland.

Trump administration officials have typically rejected any suggestion that cabinet-level officials should focus their travels on geopolitical capitals and hot spots.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, for instance, said on X last week that the idea only certain destinations were worthy of visits from secretaries of state “perfectly encapsulates ​the decadence and degeneracy of the contemporary US foreign policy establishment.”

US-RUSSIA RELATIONS LOOM

One Central Asian diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said officials in the region are wondering to what ​extent the US will continue targeting Russian sanctions evasion. All C5 states, while drawing closer to the US, have deep historical ties with Moscow, and the region has facilitated Russian imports and exports that violate ‌US and ⁠European Union sanctions, Western officials say.

In the past, the US has pushed regional states to clamp down on those illicit flows.

But Trump struck a deal with Moscow this month to import Russian diesel, a move to lower domestic fuel prices before the congressional midterm elections. On Friday, Trump waived all provisions of legislation that would have allowed him to slap massive tariffs on some nations that buy significant amounts of Russian crude or otherwise help Moscow evade sanctions. Among the nations that could have been affected, experts have said, are India and Kazakhstan.

India, which Rubio will visit after ​Uzbekistan, remains the world’s No. 2 Russian crude ​importer after China, despite Trump saying in ⁠February that India had agreed to stop buying oil from Russia.

Additional questions hang over a potential trade deal with India and an expansion of the Abraham Accords in Central Asia.

A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the trade deal on Friday as “pretty much done,” ​raising the possibility that an agreement could be announced during the Rubio trip.

Separately, the US has talked to additional Central Asian nations about ​joining the Abraham Accords, Reuters ⁠reported last year, conversations that could in theory continue in Samarkand.

More than 200 business executives will accompany Rubio to Uzbekistan, the State Department said. The Central Asian diplomat said the Trump administration has focused its commercial efforts on expanding access to the area’s rare earth mineral resources.

The trip to Uzbekistan was largely organized by Sergio Gor, the US ambassador to India, the Central Asian diplomat said. Gor, ⁠who was ​born in Uzbekistan and is a friend of Rubio, also serves as the US special envoy for South and ​Central Asian affairs.

After Uzbekistan, Rubio will visit the Indian cities of Mumbai and Jamnagar to meet with business leaders, including Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, who earned the Trump administration’s favor earlier in the year by backing a new ​refinery in Texas. Rubio most recently visited India five months ago.

The trip is due to wrap up on Thursday.

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In an interview with Newsmax on Thursday night, Trump said the United States was determined to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, arguing that such a development would pose a serious threat.

“Their nuclear is buried under millions of tons of mountain. Now we’re looking at Pickaxe Mountain. We may have to go there. We’ll take a shot at that one. We’ll knock it out fast,” Trump said.

Pickaxe Mountain is a heavily fortified underground facility linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, located near one of the country’s major nuclear sites.

Trump also ruled out the use of nuclear weapons in the conflict, saying conventional military capabilities would be sufficient to achieve US objectives.

“I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to,” he said.

The US president reiterated that he was not considering deploying American ground troops into Iran, signalling that Washington’s military approach would continue to rely on other forms of military action.

Trump did not confirm whether he had authorised the use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb, commonly known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” against Iranian energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities. He stressed that the weapon was not nuclear, read the report.

The remarks come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran following US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began in February, with Iran’s nuclear programme remaining a central issue in the conflict.

The potential targeting of deeply buried nuclear facilities could further intensify the conflict and raise concerns about the broader regional security situation.

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Asim Khan from Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital confirmed the toll to AFP, adding that over 30 people were injured, with six believed to be in a critical condition.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a statement expressed “deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives”.

“The Prime Minister extends his condolences to the bereaved families and prays for them to have the strength and patience to bear this irreparable loss,” the statement said.

Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.

In June this year more than a dozen children were killed in a roof collapse at a tutoring centre in the eastern city of Lahore.

In 2025, 27 people were killed and 10 injured when a five-storey building collapsed in the impoverished area of Lyari in the southern city of Karachi. – AFP

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Authorities responded to the incident late on Tuesday and took necessary measures, the ministry said, adding that there were no injuries or deaths.

A company source told Reuters earlier that a ballistic missile hit the Aramco headquarters complex in Dhahran. The source said an office tower in the complex was struck and that its top three floors were damaged. The source and two other people with knowledge of the matter said ​the building was on fire.

The complex hosts a major operations centre for Aramco, which oversees a vast network of onshore and offshore oil rigs, pipelines, refineries and export terminals.

The ​Houthis have for a week been firing ballistic missiles and drones at key Saudi sites in retaliation for the kingdom’s backing of government forces ⁠in Yemen’s reignited civil war. Riyadh’s international airport has received four strikes, including one on Saturday that killed 13 people.

Saturday’s ballistic missile strike on Riyadh airport was the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in ​a decade, with further attacks grounding flights across the country.

Earlier, six sources told Reuters they heard loud booms near the Aramco complex.

The Saudi-led coalition said fragments of a missile that it had intercepted ​and destroyed in Dhahran had fallen on a residential area, without providing further details.

Authorities also reported that drones and missiles were intercepted and destroyed in the capital, Riyadh, and the country’s southern region.

Four people were injured in Riyadh after fragments from two Houthi missiles fell following their interception and destruction, Saudi Civil Defense said on Wednesday. The debris caused limited damage to 15 homes in the capital, the Civil Defense spokesperson said, adding that the ​injured were two women, a man and a child.

The Houthis had threatened a “harsh and painful” response to Saudi-led strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, with spokesperson Yahya Saree saying targets could include ​the Saudi Aramco headquarters in Dhahran and an oil refinery in Riyadh.

The group has warned oil workers in Saudi Arabia to stay away from sites that could be targets.

The Houthis earlier on Tuesday said Saudi Arabia ‌was attacking ⁠Sanaa, and the Saudi-led coalition warned civilians to stay away from an oil depot on the city’s outskirts.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported that the Saudi-led coalition had targeted the Yemen Petroleum Company’s Sabah central station, a fuel depot on the outskirts of Sanaa.

The coalition said in a statement on Tuesday evening that it attacked the station and other sites in an operation aimed at “neutralizing the capabilities of Houthis” to threaten Saudi Arabia, Yemen and international waterways.

The Saudi cabinet, chaired by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, issued a statement on Tuesday before the strike on Saudi Aramco saying the Houthis would ​face consequences for their repeated attacks on the ​kingdom.

REIGNITED YEMEN WAR

Saudi Arabia resumed its military campaign ⁠in Yemen in support of the internationally recognised government in a bid to reverse the Houthis’ sudden gains last month, when they swept down the Red Sea coast to the critical Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea, has become a more vital route for Saudi ​and other global energy supplies since the start of the Iran war in February, when Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz leading from the ​Gulf to the Indian ⁠Ocean.

While a government offensive that began a week ago pushed the Houthis from the area closest to the strait, the group remains embedded nearby and has made gains around the city of Taiz this month.

Saudi Arabia has been seeking wider support from allies for its campaign against the Houthis and to help it ward off their missile and drone attacks.

Washington, Saudi Arabia’s strongest ally and longtime security guarantor, has so far ⁠rebuffed Saudi efforts ​to bring it directly into the war against the Houthis.

The Yemen conflict has resumed as a spillover from the wider ​US-Iran war that began with the US-Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic on February 28.

Iran, Saudi Arabia’s longtime regional rival, has offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, its foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday in statements reiterated ​by the ministry on Monday.

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The deployment follows Sunday’s emergency declaration, which came amid anti-government demonstrations by Khan’s supporters and increased militant violence in the region.

Thousands of supporters of Khan have been marching across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, demanding his release and criticising the government over worsening economic conditions.

The emergency measures effectively sideline the provincial government led by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Authorities have cited deteriorating security and the failure of negotiations with the opposition.

The move has drawn condemnation from PTI leaders, who have described the emergency declaration as undemocratic and an infringement on the rights of the province’s residents.

Khan has been in prison since August 2023, facing numerous charges that he denies, describing them as politically motivated.

The deployment comes amid heightened political tensions and security concerns in northwestern Pakistan, where authorities have also reported increased militant activity.

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In a statement issued on Sunday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree reiterated the group’s warning to airline companies, saying Saudi airports and airspace could be targeted in further military operations.

The warning excluded the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Saree urged airlines and passengers to take the threat seriously, while blaming Saudi Arabia for what he described as unsuccessful interception attempts.

The statement did not directly claim responsibility for Saturday’s attack. However, the Iran-backed group had previously said it was behind separate strikes on the same airport on Thursday, which killed three people and damaged an aircraft.

Saudi authorities said the 12 people killed in Saturday’s attack included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshi nationals and one citizen each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt.

The attack has raised serious concerns about the security of Saudi Arabia’s critical infrastructure and the potential for the widening regional conflict to disrupt international aviation.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic at the airport, with passengers fleeing as smoke rose above the terminal. Video footage showed smoke billowing over the facility following the strike.

The incident is being described as the deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab state since the war involving Israel, the United States and Iran began in February.

The Houthis have intensified their attacks on Saudi targets in recent weeks, threatening infrastructure vital to the kingdom’s economy. Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.

US President Donald Trump said Washington was considering joining Saudi Arabia in further military action against the group.

Asked whether the United States would participate in strikes, Trump said a decision had not yet been made, adding that his administration had only recently learned of the latest attack.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks and confirmed that an American citizen had been killed.

Britain has also condemned the strike. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the United Kingdom was already providing Saudi Arabia with air-to-air refuelling support and indicated that further assistance could potentially be considered. However, he stressed that Britain was not currently planning offensive military operations.

Streeting said the attack on a civilian target could not be justified under any circumstances, adding that there was no military solution to the wider conflict.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed shock at the attack, describing it as a violation of international law. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the incident as a dangerous escalation and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan, Egypt and Qatar joined the international condemnation, warning that the attack threatened regional stability and civilian safety.

Despite the violence, a major energy conference scheduled to take place in Riyadh near the airport was expected to proceed, with organisers confirming that the World Petroleum Congress would run from October 11 to 15.

The latest escalation comes amid growing fears that the wider conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States could intensify further. With the Houthis continuing to threaten Saudi infrastructure, concerns are mounting over the security of regional air travel, energy facilities and key economic centres.

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The dead included four Saudis, two ‌people from Bangladesh and one person each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt, the Saudi civil aviation authority said. At the latest count, officials said, 309 were wounded.

Hospitals were flooded with wounded brought by ambulance and helicopter, people briefed on the matter said. Some were in critical condition.

Saturday’s attack, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, occurred without warning, with no alert issued by Saudi ​Arabia’s threat warning system. This week’s two previous attacks on King Khalid International Airport left four people dead and caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial plane ​parked on the tarmac.

The deadly strikes exposed vulnerabilities in the kingdom’s defence capabilities as it wages an air campaign against the Houthis to ⁠support a ground war by the Yemeni government against the Iran-backed group.

Hospitals were flooded with wounded brought by ambulance and helicopter, people briefed on the matter said. Some were in critical condition.

Saturday’s attack, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, occurred without warning, with no alert issued by Saudi ​Arabia’s threat warning system. This week’s two previous attacks on King Khalid International Airport left four people dead and caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial plane ​parked on the tarmac.

The deadly strikes exposed vulnerabilities in the kingdom’s defence capabilities as it wages an air campaign against the Houthis to ⁠support a ground war by the Yemeni government against the Iran-backed group.

US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters outside the White House, was asked whether Washington planned to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, read the report.

“We may. ​We’re going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly,” he said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks, saying ‌they “demonstrate a ⁠blatant disregard for innocent civilian life.”

One eyewitness at the airport on Saturday reported seeing an explosion and then multiple people lying injured on the ground inside. More than a dozen ambulances were seen rushing towards the facility. A video verified by Reuters showed ambulances at the airport.

An injured traveller told Reuters they saw something fly across the sky outside the airport before part of the ceiling near a departure gate collapsed.

The US embassy in Riyadh said it was “aware of attacks” and “strongly recommends all US citizens avoid this ​airport and surrounding areas.”

Saudi Arabia entered the Yemen ​war in 2015 at the head ⁠of an Arab coalition to try to force the Houthis out of the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The Houthis had stormed Sanaa the previous year, pushing out government forces, Reuters reported.

The war was fought to a bloody stalemate, with hundreds of thousands of Yemenis killed by fighting and famine. ​Saudi Arabia struck a 2022 deal with the Houthis, freezing the conflict.

That ceasefire unravelled over the summer, culminating in a lightning Houthi ​advance that took the ⁠Red Sea chokepoint of Bab el-Mandeb from Saudi-backed government forces.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government began an offensive this week to try to retake that territory, which has so far made slow gains, even as the Houthis put the country’s third-largest city, Taiz, under siege.

Flight-tracking site flightradar24 showed all flights to Riyadh had either been diverted or cancelled, with only a ⁠helicopter hovering over ​the airport at one point.

Houthi attacks on Thursday and earlier in the week had already prompted a number ​of carriers to suspend or cancel services to the Saudi capital, shortly before Riyadh is due to host major energy and investment conferences.

Organizers of those conferences said ahead of the strikes on Saturday they would go ahead as ​planned.

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“We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd.”

The war, which began in ⁠February when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, has helped drive Trump’s domestic approval ratings downward and is weighing heavily on his fellow Republicans as they seek to preserve their narrow legislative majorities in November’s election.

Some 60% of Americans — including one in four Republicans — disapprove of how Trump is handling the situation in Iran, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. The conflict has pushed gasoline prices sharply higher at a time when voters say their top concern is the cost ‌of ⁠living.

Trump has repeatedly said he expects oil prices to drop after the elections, but he has not offered a detailed plan for exiting the war, read the report.

Iran and the US have exchanged proposals in recent weeks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a ⁠vital global energy shipping route. Trump rejected Tehran’s latest offer.

Iran’s state media reported on Thursday that Tehran would not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium stockpile, citing the head ⁠of the country’s Atomic Energy Organization, days after US Vice President JD Vance told Reuters that Iran must make “meaningful” reductions in its enrichment capacity.

The US, Israel ⁠and Western allies have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an accusation Iran has denied.

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Options being considered include defensive aid to protect the kingdom from attacks, or deployment of forces in an offensive ‌capacity to help Saudi-backed Yemeni troops fight the Houthis, the sources said.

The US official said Saudi Arabia had requested that Syria deploy forces to fight the Houthis – an assertion denied by the Syrian president’s media adviser, Ahmad Zaidan, in a post on X following the publication of this story.

In response to a request for comment to the Syrian foreign ministry, a Syrian diplomat said Syria stood firmly with Saudi Arabia in the ​face of Houthi attacks but that the government’s primary focus was on domestic priorities such as recovery from the country’s civil war.

“Should Saudi Arabia request any military cooperation ​or exchange of expertise, this would take place exclusively through official channels and within the framework of the bilateral agreements governing relations between ⁠our two brotherly countries,” the diplomat said in a statement.

The Saudi government media office and Yemen’s information minister did not respond to requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia has been requesting assistance ​far and wide, from the US to Europe and the Middle East, for both defensive and offensive support in a renewed war against the group that follows weeks of Houthi missile and drone attacks ​on the kingdom.

The war is being led on the ground by a patchwork of Yemeni government forces with Saudi air support. They have made limited advances since the campaign was launched on Monday.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa made a public visit to Riyadh on Tuesday and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MbS. He discussed potential Syrian military assistance for the kingdom, among other matters, the US official said.

Footage ​broadcast by Syrian state media showed that he was escorted back to his plane by Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, a brother of the crown prince who has overseen the ​Yemen file.

DEPLOYMENT COULD DEEPEN TENSIONS WITH NEIGHBOURS

Syrian fighters from opposition groups that battled former leader Bashar al-Assad in the country’s civil war have in past years been recruited as mercenaries for other conflicts, notably ‌Libya’s internal ⁠conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war.

But for Damascus, any potential deployment carries risks.

The militias that made up the armed opposition are now under the nascent Syrian state, which has adopted a policy of avoiding engagement in conflict, including the Iran war, to focus on recovery from the 14-year Syrian civil war.

The state is still piecing together its army from the various militia groups from the former rebel coalition that toppled Assad, which included many hardline Sunni Islamist and foreign fighters, and trying to contain tensions with minorities including the Alawites, a Shi’ite offshoot to which Assad belonged.

A ​conflict between that army and the Houthis, who ​are also adherents of an offshoot of ⁠Shi’ite Islam, could have divisive religious undertones that the Syrian leadership and its Western partners want to avoid, the US official said.

It is for this reason that it previously rejected a US request to help fight Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Involvement in a battle against the Iran-backed Houthis could ​also be viewed as a hostile act by Iran and its allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and militias in Iraq, with which the ​Syrian rebels-turned-rulers have a history ⁠of conflict.

KEEN TO SHOW SUPPORT

At the same time, Sharaa is keen to show the country’s support for Saudi Arabia and MbS, who played a decisive role helping the former jihadist gain international legitimacy, including by brokering a May 2025 meeting between Sharaa and US President Donald Trump.

Saudi Arabia has also provided financial assistance to Syria and a Syrian show of support could result in that increasing, ⁠the US official ​said.

“A new Syria sending defensive personnel of a very small number to the most holy places in the ​Islamic world, alongside technical support to neutralise incoming drones, would be tremendously and positively symbolic,” said H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

“But anything beyond, particularly in terms of Syrian boots on ​the ground, I think would be a wholly different proposition, and one I think Damascus would avoid, given the priorities they need to focus on in Syria,” he said.

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In response, the Houthis ‌said they had attacked key locations in Saudi Arabia including the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery in Rabigh, the Abha international airport and the Khamis Mushait military base, Reuters reported.

The claims could not be immediately verified. Saudi Arabia and Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Yemeni forces of the internationally recognised government, backed by heavy Saudi air strikes, reached the outskirts of Mocha late on Monday and Houthi fighters were retreating into the highlands, four government sources said. The Defence ​Ministry said the city had fallen.

The advance, if confirmed, would loosen the Houthis’ grip on a vital Red Sea oil route already roiling energy markets alongside Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, ​though the group could still strike vessels with drones from other positions.

Fighting has raged along several front lines in Yemen for weeks since a dormant civil ⁠war erupted in a spillover from the US-Iran conflict, with the Houthis seeking to control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and firing missiles and drones at Saudi cities and infrastructure.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis also said late ​on Monday that naval forces carried out a military operation in Yemen’s Red Sea governorate of Hodeidah. The government forces had already taken key positions including an airstrip in the Dhubab district at the mouth of the strait whose ​seizure by the Houthis last month sent shock waves through energy markets.

Reuters could not independently verify the extent of the government gains. The Houthis, who have controlled many of Yemen’s more populous areas including the capital Sanaa since 2014, said the Saudi-backed government’s claims were baseless.

Meanwhile, the Houthis themselves made important advances near the third-largest city of Taiz, gaining sections of a mountain road to leave government forces besieged, according to five military sources with the Yemeni government. One government source denied the road ​had been cut.

The group also threatened to attack traffic in Saudi airspace.

The escalating conflict has prompted Riyadh’s allies to act. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed at an emergency meeting in Riyadh on Monday to ​rapidly deploy military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia under their Mecca defence pact, according to a joint statement.

The fighting has worsened a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, the poorest state in the Arab region. The UN migration agency said on Monday that ‌184,000 people ⁠had been displaced since the war resumed.

Yemen’s internationally recognised president, Rashad al-Alimi, swore on Sunday to fight “until the country is liberated from the grip of the terrorist militia”.

Saudi Arabia said on Monday it had attacked hundreds of targets to provide air cover for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Yemeni ground forces. The Yemeni government said it had launched attacks on several fronts including in Sanaa province.

The Houthi-run health ministry said two people had been killed and seven wounded in strikes on the province’s Sanhan and Sa’wan districts.

HEAVIEST FIGHTING IS IN SOUTHWEST YEMEN

While the war has raged on several fronts, the heaviest fighting has been in the southwest, both in the coastal area near the strait and in ​the hills around Taiz.

The Houthis damaged a culvert on ​the Taiz-Aden road, making it impassable, and on ⁠Sunday their fighters made new advances into the town of al-Turbah, five government military sources said, though another government source denied this.

A Houthi-run news agency on Monday cited a military source as saying the group had driven government forces from the al-Mawasit district of Taiz province, reaching the home of Alimi, head of Yemen’s ​interim presidential council.

The advances left Taiz,a city with a population of over half a million and a garrison of thousands of government fighters, surrounded by Houthi forces, the government military ​sources said.

In al-Mudhaffar area, just ⁠outside Taiz but within the area besieged by the Houthis, a long queue formed outside a petrol station as people waited for fuel and cooking gas canisters.

“This is the daily state in Taiz,” said Shehab Hazaa.

MECCA ALLIANCE AGREES TO DEPLOY MILITARY FORCES IN SAUDI

In a statement following their meeting, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan accused the Houthis of attempting to target Islam’s holiest sites, Mecca and Medina.

“The Parties also condemned in the strongest terms the attempted targeting of ⁠Mecca and Medina, ​as well as the continuing attacks targeting cities and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom, reaffirming their unequivocal rejection of ​any attack or threat against the Kingdom’s security and territorial integrity,” the statement said.

The “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement,” signed in August, is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three countries ​would be regarded as an attack on all.

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The government’s armed forces would press the offensive “until the country is liberated from the grip of ‌the terrorist militia,” Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi said in a televised address. A military spokesman later called on the Houthis to lay down their weapons, Reuters reported.

The Houthis, known formally as Ansar Allah, have held Yemen’s capital Sanaa and vast parts of the northwest, where most of the population live, since 2014. They have so far withstood a series of attacks over the years by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their Western allies, and have updated their weaponry with the help of Iran.

The ​movement launched a surprise offensive last month which captured the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait and some 150 km (90 miles) of coast on the Red Sea in a matter of weeks, giving the ​Houthis new leverage over the international shipping route.

That advance also opened a new front in the wider US-Israeli war launched in February against Iran, to which ⁠Tehran’s responses included choking oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.

HOUTHIS SAY THEY STRUCK SAUDI ARABIA

As the Yemeni government, known as the Presidential Leadership Council, made its ​announcement, the Houthis said they had launched ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco sites in Riyadh and the Khurais area of Saudi Arabia.

They claimed the attacks caused major fires and were in response to what ​they said were 50 Saudi-led air and missile strikes in Yemen in the past 12 hours.

There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabia.

Alimi said the decision to launch the counteroffensive came after all chances of de-escalating the conflict had been exhausted.

He thanked Saudi Arabia for its support and called on Yemen’s regional allies and international partners to support PLC forces and institutions.

Regional and western officials had told Reuters earlier this week that Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies were ​planning to launch an assault on the Houthis, with the Saudis leading aerial combat and Yemeni forces fighting on the ground.

NEW FRONT IN MIDEAST WAR

The US is already providing intelligence to support Riyadh’s operations in Yemen, ​while some regional and European nations are providing mainly defensive military aid to the kingdom, six people with knowledge of the Saudi preparations told Reuters.

The United States’ war on Iran has decimated a layer of Iranian military and ‌political leadership, ⁠but has also entangled Washington in a new engagement in the Middle East and depleted crucial military hardware.

Yemen has been mired in conflict for years, with an array of local armed groups and factions backed by competing regional and international actors.

After a popular uprising that was part of the Arab Spring movements in 2011, the Houthis, an armed group of Zaidi Shi’ite Muslims, captured Sanaa.

The Saudi-backed PLC, which is also recognised by the United Nations, has since the Houthi takeover controlled the south and east of the country, based in the former South Yemen capital of Aden.

Saudi Arabia entered Yemen’s civil war in 2015 at the head ​of an Arab coalition in support of the ​PLC, but failed to defeat the Houthis.

A truce ⁠agreed between the warring parties in 2022 largely held until this year, when the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi shipping and oil infrastructure in a spillover from the Iran war.

HOUTHIS ON FRONT FOOT

The Houthis have maintained the initiative on the ground since seizing control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait ​in their lightning offensive last month that saw government forces collapse.

Bab el-Mandeb is the southern exit passage of the Red Sea, a key shipping route ​between the Mediterranean and Asia ⁠that has assumed even more importance this year as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

In the last 48 hours, the Houthis have also made gains against government and local forces on strategic hilltops near Yemen’s Taiz, military sources said, advancing on the last road between the city and Aden on the southern coast.

Houthi control over the Taiz-Aden road would lead to an effective siege of the city, Yemen’s third-largest, inhabited by hundreds of ⁠thousands of civilians ​and where thousands of government forces are also stationed.

The city is important not just for its strategic location; Alimi is from ​the region, and a siege of Taiz would amplify an already-dire humanitarian situation in the country.

Three in four families in parts of Yemen are going hungry from the impact of the surge in fighting, which has displaced tens of thousands of people and ​disrupted supplies to millions, the World Food Programme said last week.

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Pakistan’s foreign ministry said earlier on Saturday that personnel from India’s Border Security Force had used “unprovoked ​lethal force” against two unarmed Pakistani civilians in the Bedian sector along ​the international border on Friday, Reuters reported.

“Pakistan categorically rejects any attempt to mischaracterize ⁠the deceased as ‘infiltrators’,” the ministry said in a statement.

Pakistan said it had ​summoned India’s chargé d’affaires to lodge a protest over the incident and called ​for an “immediate, transparent and credible investigation”.

India’s foreign ministry later rejected what it called “baseless and motivated allegations” and said it had summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Pakistan High Commission to ​protest at the “continued facilitation of illegal cross-border infiltration from Pakistan”.

The ministry said three ​people had crossed into Indian territory in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab and continued moving ‌towards ⁠the border fence despite multiple warnings from the BSF to return to Pakistan.

“The BSF was compelled to engage them for posing an imminent security threat,” the ministry said.

India said the incident reflected “a clear pattern of repeated cross-border movement by ​armed narcotics syndicates operating ​from Pakistan” and ⁠urged Islamabad to investigate what it described as cross-border infiltration and drug-smuggling activities.

India also urged Pakistan to respect the ​international border, observe bilateral arrangements and ensure its forces prevented ​unauthorised movement ⁠from its side.

Relations between the two nuclear-armed rivals have been strained since a four-day war in 2025, the worst in decades, followed by a militant attack on ⁠tourists ​in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people.

New Delhi ​accused Pakistan of backing the attack, which Islamabad denied.

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The proposal comes as Saudi Arabia, which has accused the Houthis of targeting Islam’s two holiest cities, faces escalating attacks, Reuters reported.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, the pact’s three members, will decide ​next steps at the meeting, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told a news ​conference. He said the date would be confirmed later.

Dar said Iran ⁠had distanced itself from the Houthis and Iraqi militias, and that President Masoud ​Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi both want the matter concluded. He said he ​had also briefed Tehran on the defence pact and how Pakistan would honour it.

“There is no written, solid offer. It is brainstorming between two foreign ministers,” Dar said, describing the political approach ​as a suggestion made in good faith. It would be discussed as an ​alternative to “kinetic action”.

More than six countries are keen to join the pact, Dar said, without naming them ‌or ⁠saying whether all were Muslim-majority nations. New membership requests cannot be entertained until the pact is fully operational, which could take up to a year, he added.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, pledging to ​treat an armed ​attack on any ⁠one of them as an attack on all three. Their military chiefs met in Riyadh on September 25 and condemned Houthi ​attacks.

Pakistan’s military said in a statement on Friday that its ​top commanders ⁠strongly condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, expressing solidarity with the kingdom and commitment to the security of Islam’s holy sites.

Dar also said there should be no fee ⁠or charges ​to cross the Strait of Hormuz. The blockaded ​strait has become the central bargaining chip in efforts to end the nearly seven-month US-Iran conflict.

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Truckers ‌are refusing to drive north, for fear their vehicles will be seized and the containers used to barricade Islamabad ahead of an Oct 4 march on the city planned by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party, Reuters reported.

“Right now, going toward Punjab is like committing suicide,” said driver Javid ur Rehman, 35, who has halted such journeys, referring to Pakistan’s most populous province.

“The police ​seize the vehicles and snatch the containers, and then we are left distressed.”

CONTAINERS HAVE LINED ROADS FOR WEEKS

Steel shipping containers, packed with sand ​and welded together, have lined the roads into Islamabad for weeks, in preparations against a march, postponed from Sept ⁠27, to demand Khan’s release from prison.

The former cricket star was jailed in 2023 after being ousted by parliament. All convictions but one have been ​suspended or overturned, with appeals pending.

His party remains under state scrutiny that has suppressed participation in recent protests, however.

“This is not the way to stop protests,” ​said Rana Mohammad Aslam, president of the Karachi Goods Carrier association. Authorities began stopping vehicles around Sept. 5, weeks before the original date for the march, he said.

Pakistan’s home, information, commerce and finance ministries did not respond to requests for comment. Punjab police and the provincial home department also did not respond.

The containers are positioned ready for placement at ​key entry points into Islamabad, a capital region larger than the southeast Asian city state of Singapore.

Transporters battling rising prices say they cannot afford to ​have trucks seized.

Police requisitioned more than 2,000 vehicles in September ahead of the march, they added, many still loaded with cargo and held for days with little or no ‌compensation.

Their reluctance ⁠is leaving containers to pile up at Pakistan’s main trade gateway of Karachi.

The disruption was affecting routes to Islamabad, the military city of Rawalpindi, and the cities of Jhelum, Peshawar and Attock, Aslam said.

Some operators had halted journeys beyond Gujranwala in Punjab, while others took alternative routes.

BILLS ARE MOUNTING FOR TRANSPORTERS

The bills are mounting for those whose containers have been seized, as daily demurrage charges on one such container alone can run into 30,000 to 40,000 rupees ($110 to $150), Aslam ​said, adding to losses from missed deliveries ​and idle trucks.

Consumer prices rose ⁠10.26% in September from a year earlier, while the transport price index climbed 27.43%, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.

Operators are struggling to pay drivers and maintain their fleets, as international shippers still expect payment regardless of ​the reason for the delay, Aslam said.

He was holding talks to find a solution, he added, but transporters ​could stage their own ⁠protest if complaints go unanswered.

For Pervaiz Khan, 50, the risk was enough to keep a load of chemicals parked in Karachi.

“Right now, my vehicle is loaded but I am not going,” said the father of five, adding that he had loaded his cargo of chemicals by night.

“We depart from Sindh, and the moment we ⁠enter Punjab, that’s ​when our troubles begin.”

Drivers stranded near Islamabad regretted lost days of work or earnings.

“If the ​roads open, our children’s livelihood will open up,” said Sagheer Ahmed, 51, who added that his children awaiting him at home relied on his earnings. “If not, we will just keep standing.”

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The coalition said the attack put one transformer out of service but did not affect the power network. A Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, ​denied the coalition report, according to Reuters.

The Houthis later reported Saudi strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other parts of Yemen, with ​no immediate Saudi confirmation of the strikes.

A spokesperson for Yemen’s armed forces, which are aligned with ⁠the internationally recognised government, said coalition forces had attacked what it described as “high-value targets” in the capital Sanaa, ​without providing further details.

The recent escalation is the most serious fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis since a ​UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022.

Hostilities resumed this year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping, while Houthi forces also made major territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

Saudi Arabia ​has responded with air strikes in Yemen and backed government forces fighting to repel the Houthis.

The Saudi-led coalition said ​an investigation and examination of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday’s attack on the Medina power station.

A Houthi military ‌source said ⁠the coalition claim was a “lie” intended to cover up what he described as Saudi Arabia’s failure to substantiate its earlier accusation that the Houthis targeted the Muslim holy city of Mecca, said the Saba news agency.

Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace over the city. ​The coalition described the incident as the ​second Houthi attempt to ⁠target Mecca since 2017, while the Houthis denied targeting Mecca or any other Islamic holy site.

The coalition said the Medina attack was part of what it described as repeated ​Houthi attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques and “provoke” Muslims worldwide. It said it ​would continue taking ⁠measures to protect the holy sites and pilgrims.

The coalition also said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait. It gave no immediate details on any damage or casualties.

Local ⁠officials said ​early on Friday that the Houthis had also targeted the headquarters ​of the Saudi-led coalition forces command in Aden with several ballistic missiles and drones. There was no immediate comment from the coalition or the ​Houthis.

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The sanctions announced by the ‌Treasury and State departments are part of the Trump administration’s effort to isolate Iran economically and force it to negotiate an end to the war that began with a US-Israeli strike on Iran ​on February 28.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “Treasury will not tolerate any support to ​the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s ⁠enablers.”

Treasury said the sanctions were aimed at degrading Tehran’s ability to reconstitute its ​weapons programs, while increasing the costs for those who supported its procurement efforts.

Those targeted ​in Tuesday’s sanctions announcements include:

Seyyed Asghar Alizadeh Tabatabai, a Beijing-based representative of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics agency, who Treasury said had coordinated the procurement of finished weapons systems ​and dual-use components in China on Iran’s behalf.

Iran-based Kavoshcom Asia R and D ​Group, which Treasury said had procured electronics including connectors for Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company.

Hong Kong-based ‌EC ⁠Mojo Technology Co Limited, which Treasury said had provided electronic components in support of Kavoshcom’s procurement efforts, and EC Mojo’s China-based representative Li Fen.

Pakistan-based Waseem Pasha Tajammal, who serves as chairman of Cavalier Group, a privately owned defense company with locations in ​Pakistan and internationally.

Joint Stock ​Company Experimental Design ⁠Bureau Named After A.S. Yakovlev, a Russia-based aircraft manufacturer.

MG-Flot LLC, a Russia-based shipping company whose vessels transport weapons for the Russian ​government.

Saha Airlines, an Iran-based airline affiliated with the country’s air ​force.

Brett Erickson, ⁠managing principal with Obsidian Risk Advisors, said the latest sanctions action would do little to impede Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones in the Strait of Hormuz. “This is ⁠optics ​management for the Trump administration to claim ‘We’re hammering ​them,’ when the reality is we’re poking them with a toothpick,” he said.

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