Iran War Updates: U.S. touts 1 billion barrels of oil escorted out of Strait of Hormuz by military

The Iran-backed Houthis said on Saturday they launched strikes targeting "sensitive sites" in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and oil facilities in the kingdom's port city of Yanbu, hours after residents reported blasts in the Saudi capital.

"In response to the Saudi enemy's criminal attempts to target the capital Sana'a ... the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out two successful military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said, in a statement on Telegram, referring to the name they use for unofficial armed forces. "The first targeted sensitive sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the second targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu."

The Houthis did not specify what the "sensitive sites were," but one appeared to be an Aramco fuel storage depot at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport. 

The Houthi statement came after firefighters extinguished a blaze on a fuel tank emblazoned with the logo of the Saudi oil giant Aramco at a fuel depot near Riyadh's international airport on Saturday, according to an AFP journalist.

The attack on Yanbu is especially significant considering its location. It is located on the Red Sea coast, but some 700 miles north of the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Riyadh itself is also over 700 miles from the border, showing just how deep the Houthi strikes are now reaching into Saudi Arabia. 

CBS/AFP

The head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, told Al Jazeera in an interview that Iran is waiting for President Trump's response after Tehran conveyed its conditions for ending the war via Qatar.

It was not clear when the conditions were shared. Rezaei said they include ending the war on all fronts, releasing assets seized from Iran and ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. Earlier U.S.-Iran negotiations fell apart.

He also said Iran wants the fighting involving Yemen and Saudi Arabia to end.

Iran has made similar demands several times in the past since the Islamabad memorandum of understanding fell apart in July. The demands have always been dismissed by Mr. Trump as not being realistic.

"Hopefully we're toward the end of the war," the president told reporters Wednesday. "They want to make a deal. We'll see how that works out. They're very much wanting to make, Iran is very much wanting to make a deal. We'll see how."

AP/CBS

Ismaeil Baqaei, a prominent spokesperson for the Iranian government, is calling out the alleged hypocrisy of a statement by the White House after the U.N. issued a report earlier this week highlighting possible crimes committed by the U.S. military.

The report released on Thursday, carried out by human rights experts contracted by the U.N., found "reasonable grounds" to believe the U.S. committed war crimes in Iran, including a prominent bombing of a school in Minab that killed dozens of children.

Anna Kelly, White House principal deputy assistant secretary, issued a statement condemning the report.

"The UN Human Rights Council has accomplished nothing for human rights while spouting unserious nonsense for decades," Kelly said. "The only party in this conflict that has committed war crimes is the Iranian regime, which has murdered thousands of its own people, killed Americans overseas, executed acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz, and launched indiscriminate attacks against its neighbors in the region."

Baqaei's response Saturday accused the U.S. of carrying out the same actions it accused Iran of committing.

"The White House spokesperson has issued a lengthy list of accusations against Iran. With striking precision, most of these charges describe the very actions the United States itself has initiated, perpetrated, or supported," he wrote on X. "This flight from reality and act of projection should come as no surprise."

Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, criticized a lack of restraint for some countries going to war as a first resort and said the U.S. and Israel's attack on his country was emblematic of a "pattern of unpunished aggression."

"The world we live in needs a fundamental change of course more than ever, because war, intervention, sanctions, and the use of force have become ordinary tools of policy rather than exceptions," Araghchi, one of two Iranian leaders approved for travel to next week's U.N. General Assembly, said Saturday.

"A dangerous pattern has now emerged, in which military force is no longer used as a last resort, but has become a permanent mechanism for reshaping the political and security landscape of the region," he added, in taped remarks at the 2026 Global Town Hall.

Araghchi has also been one of the top ceasefire negotiators for Iran, including the Islamabad memorandum of understanding. He has also been involved in negotiations with Oman over passage through the Strait of Hormuz, though it's unclear where most talks currently stand.

Iran has largely argued the war with the U.S. is unjust because they claim they were not seeking to build a nuclear weapon and it infringed on their national sovereignty.

"The military aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran can also be understood within this framework, a war that was illegal, unjust, and aggressive, and was launched without any prior provocation," Araghchi said. "This war was part of a broader pattern of unpunished aggression, including a campaign of targeted assassinations of Iranian officials, threats against political figures and officials, violations of states' sovereignty, and impunity for acts of aggression."

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed uninterrupted energy supplies and safe passage for commercial ships during a telephone call Saturday with his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement that Dar underscored the importance of ensuring ships pass safely and quickly, citing the potential effects of disruptions on developing countries and global supply chains. The statement did not provide details of Araghchi's response.

Araghchi is one of two prominent Iranian leaders, alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian, who will be attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York next week. It's unclear whether either man will meet with President Trump or any U.S. officials.

Pakistan has faced rising energy prices as the tensions spiked, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government. An Islamist party has threatened to march on the capital, Islamabad, unless the government lowers fuel prices.

AP/CBS

Fighting in southern Yemen between Saudi-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthi fighters has killed 48 people in recent hours, military sources from both sides told AFP on Saturday.

Seventeen Yemeni troops were killed, while the Houthis reported 31 of their fighters killed in the past day, according to government military sources.

Some of that fighting affected the main airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. 

Firefighters could be seen trying to extinguish the flames of a burnt out fuel tank emblazoned with the logo of the Saudi oil giant Aramco near the airport, according to an AFP journalist at the scene. It was unclear whether anyone was injured in that specific strike.

AFP/CBS

The U.S. military has escorted 1 billion barrels of crude oil out of the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz in the last couple months, according to the commander of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper. 

There have been more than 2,000 commercial ships transit the strait under U.S. protection, Cooper said in a video released Saturday morning on social media.

"Even with this progress, we remain clear-eyed and laser-focused as we work with our teammates in the U.S. interagency, as well as all six partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council, known as the GCC, as well as insurance and shipping companies to increase the volume of traffic flow through the Strait of Hormuz," Cooper said in the video.

"The effort is paying off. The volume of crude oil, cargo and liquid natural gas these past two weeks is higher than at any point in the last six months," he added.

Cooper also said the U.S. was working with Gulf countries to enhance their air defenses, though he did not provide specifics. Countries like Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan have come under repeated drone and missile attacks from Iran.

The announcement came after a particularly bad couple of weeks for the energy markets for the Trump administration. Diesel prices reached an all-time high over $6 a gallon and Brent crude, the international standard, went from $93 a barrel on Sept. 4 to $109 on Sept. 10, before retreating slightly to end this past week at $103.

The Israeli army launched widespread strikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon on Saturday after officials said an Israel Defense Forces vehicle drove over an explosive planted by the Iran-backed militant group.

An engineering vehicle ran over the charge, according to the IDF, and two soldiers were "lightly injured and evacuated for medical treatment."

In response, the Israeli army announced it carried out widespread strikes across southern Lebanon on Hezbollah infrastructure, including observation posts. 

Aircraft tracking website FlightRadar24 on Saturday reported major issues at the Saudi capital's Riyadh King Khalid International Airport, including cancellations and delays, after residents saw smoke and flames near the site.

The airport was listed under the site's maximum disruption index of 5.0, meaning the airport was seeing "major problems with long delays and several cancelled flights."

The disruption follows an overnight air raid alert issued by Saudi authorities, the first since fighting in neighboring Yemen intensified this month.

The U.N.'s most powerful body said late Friday that the Houthis' military escalation, attacks and threats "risk further expanding the conflict, threatening maritime security and international trade" while undermining regional and international efforts to secure peace in Yemen.

It warned that continued escalation would exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the country.

The council's 15 members called for "practical cooperation" to prevent the Iran-backed Houthis from acquiring arms, military training, financing and other military-related assistance needed to carry out their attacks. They stressed that all countries must enforce the U.N. arms embargo against the rebel group.

Iran's judiciary announced on Saturday the execution of a man accused of providing information about Iranian missile sites to Israeli intelligence.

"The death penalty was carried out against Hossein Pedaran, who had provided the Mossad with information on missile sites in Isfahan province" in central Iran, judicial authorities said, without saying when he was arrested or put on trial.

Explosions were heard in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh on Saturday local time, an Agence France-Presse journalist reported, after an air raid alert was issued by Saudi authorities, who have been regularly targeted in recent days by attacks from the Iranian-backed Houthi militant group in Yemen.

"The area is under a hostile aerial threat," a message received by residents of the Saudi capital read.

This is the first time the capital has been directly affected since the conflict in neighboring Yemen intensified in July. 

Container ships and oil tankers continued to transit the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea after the Yemen-based Houthi militant group said it is only targeting Saudi-linked vessels.

But a dip in traffic has been reported over the last week after a lightning advance by Houthis on islands in the waterway since last week.

About 26-35 vessels per day have transited this week, down from the 35-40 daily average of the prior eight weeks, according to Dimitris Ampatzidis, Maritime Risk & Compliance Manager at Kpler.

Many shipping companies abandoned the route after Houthi attacks on Israeli-linked vessels began in 2023, though vessels from Russia and China appear to have no trouble.

"Traffic remains severely impaired and increasingly selective," said Mohamed Kotb with United Insurance Brokers in London.

Yemen's Houthis said on Friday that Saudi Arabia had launched 26 strikes against areas under their control in the past 24 hours, as the pro-Iran group and Yemen's Riyadh-backed government clash in the country's revived civil war.

The number of Saudi strikes on its positions had reached 300 over the last week, saying they targeted areas across Houthi-held Yemen, the group said.

The fighting in the southwestern part of Yemen has increased in intensity over the last week as the Iran-backed Houthis pushed toward the coast of the Red Sea in a surprise campaign. 

The Saudis have assisted the Yemeni government forces in trying to take back some of that ground. Saudi interests in Yemen are high as it takes millions of barrels of oil out through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern exit of the Red Sea.

Life has ground to a halt for locals in the Yemen city of Mokha since Houthi fighters seized the strategic Red Sea port city last week, with shops closed, schools deserted and families confined to their homes.

"I haven't gone out to work for a week. If I do go out, it's only to go to the grocery shop out of necessity," resident Mahmoud, 34, told AFP by phone.

The bus driver spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals by the Houthis, who took control of the southwestern city in a lightning offensive this month against the internationally recognized government's forces.

Large numbers of civilians have fled the city, also spelled Mocha, which once played a key role in the coffee trade and gives its name to the eponymous drink.

Shops that used to stay open in the evenings now close much earlier, said Mahmoud.

"People are afraid. There is electricity, but at 8 p.m. the whole city is plunged into darkness," he said.

The U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz has now redirected 105 commercial vessels heading into or out of Iranian ports, according to U.S. Central Command.

The total is an increase of one ship in the past 24 hours.

It's been learned that over 30 million barrels of Iranian, or likely Iranian, crude has been kept in the Persian Gulf by the U.S. blockade. 

There's another 60 million-plus barrels of Iranian oil valued at nearly $9 billion on sanctioned vessels outside the Gulf, avoiding the blockade. That oil is being unloaded, but at a much lesser pace than would be the case normally.

Thousands of people in Yemen are fleeing across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to the African country of Djibouti as the war in the Middle East expands and the Iran-backed Houthi militia fights Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.

Nearly 3,000 people, more than half women and children, have fled Yemen in less than a week amid intensified fighting between the two sides, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The report said thousands more people are waiting to cross the narrow waterway that has become the center of fighting.

"At reception centres in Djibouti, new arrivals recount fearing for their lives in Yemen having fled sudden bombardment, shelling and gunfire," the UNHCR said in its press release. "Mothers quickly gathered their children and whatever they could carry before heading to the coast and boarding small boats."

More than 100,000 people have already been internally displaced, according to UNICEF, and UNHCR said it was preparing for an additional 10,000 people to make their way to Djibouti.

Fighting between the Houthis and government forces restarted in recent weeks after breaking a truce that was signed in April 2022. The fight this time centered on the Houthis beginning to target Saudi oil tankers exiting the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in solidarity with Iran's blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

Houthi forces quickly overran the army of the internationally recognized Yemeni government and took control of the coastal city of Mokha, which overlooks the strait, earlier this week. 

Saudi exports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait continue to suffer, with weekly traffic since the start of August at under a third of this year's seven-day average, data shows.

Traffic through Bab el-Mandeb has been disrupted following recent Houthi gains on the Red Sea coast, hitting Saudi exports particularly hard. 

The Iran-backed group now controls the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital artery for Saudi oil exports, as the wider Middle East war also chokes off the Strait of Hormuz shipping route.

Data from maritime tracking firm Kpler shows just five laden vessels carrying Saudi products have left the Red Sea via the vital route in the past seven days.

The figure has not been higher since the week of July 24, when 11 vessels laden with Saudi products exited the Red Sea through the strait.

The Houthis say there is no threat to navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait except for Saudi vessels, but any attacks in the waterway have the potential to make it less attractive to shippers.

Kpler data suggests commodity tanker traffic through the strait over the past seven days was lower than usual but had not stopped.

Israel's military moved forward on Friday in a south Lebanon village, facing off against a Lebanese army position after deploying tanks and detonating stun grenades, according to an AFP news agency photographer and other media in the area.

Israel has been occupying a swath of southern Lebanon since war broke out in March against Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. The Lebanese army is supposed to gradually take control of the area under a framework agreement between the two countries, moderated by the U.S.

Under the deal, Hezbollah is meant to disarm and Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, but progress has been slow, with Israel warning it will stay put as long as its foe remains a threat.

In the village of Deir Mimas on Friday, located on the edge of territory occupied by Israel, two Israeli tanks advanced along a road toward the settlement, the AFP photographer saw.

The tanks stopped in front of a barricade made from earth, beyond which Lebanese army vehicles were stationed.

"An Israeli force advanced on the outskirts of the village of Deir Mimas, up to a junction near a recently established Lebanese army position," where they launched "six stun grenades in the surrounding area," Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported.

According to the AFP photographer, the Lebanese army then withdrew by about 100 meters but remained in a position facing the Israeli tanks.

AFP/CBS

President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that France would convene a G7 meeting dedicated to energy in the weeks ahead as fuel prices soar amid the U.S.-Iran war.

"In the coming weeks, we will have a G7 meeting devoted to these energy issues, both to strengthen cooperation and to avoid unnecessary tensions between the G7 countries and our main partners," Macron said. "It will also be an opportunity to consider options for a possible release or unlocking of strategic reserves."

Oil prices have fallen several percentage points this week on hopes that Saudi Arabia was moving to restore about half of crude shipments within days after they were disrupted by drone strikes on its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea. 

But international benchmark Brent crude continued to hover around $104 a barrel on Friday, up from $88 exactly three weeks ago.

AFP/CBS

Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin is urging President Trump to press Chinese President Xi Jinping on evidence that the Iranians used satellite images from Chinese entities to carry out the July attack on a military base in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members and wounded four others.

In a letter sent to the president on Friday and obtained by CBS News, the Michigan senator urged the president to make that issue "a centerpiece of your talks with President Xi" during his White House visit next week. 

Mr. Trump has spoken deferentially of Xi during the war with Iran, in spite of questions that have arisen about possible Chinese assistance to Tehran. Last week, The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported Tehran had acquired images of the base from the Chinese.

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Israel will seek additional weapons and weapons systems from the United States following Washington's decision to sell 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, according to Israeli news site Walla.

An Israeli official told the outlet that Israel will seek weapons not previously approved for sale, including bunker-busting missiles.

Despite the Saudi deal, Israeli officials said Israel would retain a clear operational advantage over the Middle East's skies. The Saudi deal will cost them $24.3 billion, according to the U.S. State Department.

Walla reported the Israeli army would prefer no other Middle Eastern country to acquire the stealth fighter, while noting that Saudi Arabia would not receive its first aircraft for at least five years if the deal is signed soon.

Global stock markets diverged and oil prices wobbled on Friday, approaching the end of a week dominated by central bank moves to tame inflation driven by the Iran war.

Wall Street opened mixed, while European markets fell and Asian equities were lifted by renewed AI optimism.

The Bank of Japan raised interest rates to a three-decade high on Friday, but the yen sank against the dollar on fears the pace of hikes might be slower than expected.

Japan's move came after the U.S. Federal Reserve lifted borrowing costs Wednesday, providing relief to traders concerned that policymakers were not moving quickly enough to address a spike in inflation that could deal a blow to the world's biggest economy.

The European Central Bank has also recently tightened monetary policy, while the Bank of England this week held its benchmark interest rate but signalled possible hikes ahead.

Oil prices fell around 2% on hopes that Saudi Arabia was moving to restore about half of crude shipments within days after they were disrupted by the stoppage of its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea, before paring losses.

The conduit, even more important since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, was shut last week after being targeted by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

Crude prices, which soared around 20% in September, have fallen over the past three days, but international benchmark Brent remains over $100 a barrel.

The European Union's top diplomat condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as "unacceptable" Friday.

In a post on X, Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, wrote, "Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia are unacceptable and sabotage the global economy."

She added that passage through the Strait of Hormuz "must be unimpeded and toll-free."

"Europe is helping protect shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks," Kallas wrote. 

Her comments come after weeks of turmoil in Yemen, especially along the western Red Sea coast, where the Iranian-backed Houthis have taken key strategic territory from the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The Saudis accused Houthi forces of targeting the holy city of Mecca on Wednesday, which the group swiftly denied.

Saudi Arabia's state oil company, Aramco, has told at least two oil refining customers in Europe they won't sell them any crude oil next month, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Customers in Europe normally receive Aramco crude on what are known as contracts, but were informed there would be no supply coming in October after a key Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea was attacked last week.

The decision applies to all European customers, the sources told Bloomberg. 

The kingdom paused the flow of crude oil through its East-West pipeline last week after it was struck by attack drones. The pipeline, which allows Saudi oil to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, remains offline though U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said this week it would be reopened "relatively soon." 

The Economic Times reported Friday that Saudi Arabia will also not send crude oil to India until further notice because of the attack.

The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its branches, including the elite Quds Force.

The Rewards for Justice program said it was is seeking information on the IRGC's sources of revenue and financial facilitation networks, including illicit oil-for-money schemes, front companies, sanctions-evasion networks, financial institutions and exchange houses facilitating IRGC transactions, and businesses or investments owned or controlled by the organization or its financiers.

The program is also seeking information on how the IRGC transfers funds and materials to its terrorist and militia proxies and partners, as well as individuals or entities involved in financing or facilitating its activities.

The State Department says the Quds Force plays a leading role among Iran's actors in directing and carrying out what it describes as Iran's global terrorist campaign through proxy groups including Hamas, Hezbollah and multiple militia groups in Iraq.

The IRGC was designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization in April 2019. The State Department says the organization has been involved in terrorist plots and supported attacks against U.S. and allied personnel and diplomatic missions, while the Quds Force has planned activities in countries including Bahrain, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Germany, Kenya, Turkey and the United States.

Pakistan will go "to any extent" to defend Saudi Arabia against attack, military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Thursday, as Houthi attacks put pressure on new collective defense arrangements between the two countries.

"Pakistan fully stands with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both diplomatically and physically," Chaudhry told Saudi state-backed Arab News. "We will go to any extent."

He said Pakistan's commitment included protecting Saudi Arabia and Islam's two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, adding, "We are there and we will continue to defend Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any aggression."

Chaudhry also described Pakistan's commitment to Saudi security as "unconditional." 

His comments come just over a month after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, while Islamabad and Riyadh have also maintained a bilateral defence pact.

The spokesman did not disclose whether Saudi Arabia had requested additional Pakistani troops or air-defense systems, and the full operational provisions of the defense agreements have not been made public.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied Friday in a government-choreographed display of national unity and resistance after months of war, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February.

Iran staged a large-scale nationwide mobilization, involving participants from military and civilian groups, as the country faces mounting economic and social pressure from the war, and the threat of a major new offensive by President Trump.

Estimates vary of the number of people who have pledged to receive limited military training and defend the country in an effort described as "Janfaday-e Iran," or the "ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran." 

Islamic Revolutionary Guard commander Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh told state broadcaster IRNA that more than 600,000 people had registered to participate, with over 1 million expected to eventually take part in the training. IRNA estimated that more than 300,000 people had taken to the streets on Friday.

Some participants trampled flags of the U.S. and Israel. Others chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."

State media have encouraged Iranians to join the campaign for weeks, saying training with assault rifles will begin soon. 

CBS/AP

President Trump said Thursday that he is poised to make a "big decision" on whether to "annihilate" the Iranian regime. 

"I have a big decision coming up," Mr. Trump told Axios. "Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me."

His comments came ahead of a planned meeting between Mr. Trump and Persian Gulf leaders expected to take place next week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

"I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them," Mr. Trump said of the Gulf states, many of which host American military forces and were targeted by Iran in retaliation for the war launched jointly by the U.S. and Israel at the end of February.

Asked whether he would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week, too, Mr. Trump said, "I may." 

A tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, causing a fire that was extinguished, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO).

"The CSO (company security officer) of a vessel has reported a tanker being hit by an unknown projectile, causing a fire onboard which has since been extinguished," the maritime monitor said, adding that the crew was safe, though the environmental impact of the attack was "unconfirmed."

In a statement to Iran's semi-official Mehr and Tasnim news agencies, the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to strike a Togo-flagged ship that was making "illegal crossing" of the Strait of Hormuz. It's unclear whether that incident is related to the one reported by UKMTO.

Iran has pushed commercial ships to ask for permission and use a regime-approved route before sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.

UKMTO later reported that it had learnt of another tanker being struck, this time on Wednesday, Sep. 16. It was hit by an "unknown projectile while transiting outbound of the Strait of Hormuz," the group said Friday. 

CBS/AFP

An attack was reported late Thursday on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, northeast of Khasab, Oman, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center. The U.K. Royal Navy agency said the crew has been reported safe, and that it didn't know the exact time or date of the incident.

Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution Thursday that would have authorized U.N. experts to keep monitoring sanctions that were reimposed against Iran last year over its nuclear program.

The U.N. Security Council sanctions are still in effect, which freeze Iran's assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of Iran's ballistic missile program, among other measures.

Using a provision in the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the "snapback" mechanism, which reimposed the sanctions on Sept. 27, 2025. It restored the Security Council sanctions committee and authorized a panel of U.N. experts to monitor implementation.

The United States had drafted a resolution to extend the U.N. expert panel's mandate for a year. The proposal was defeated by a vote of 11-2, with Somalia and Pakistan abstaining, because of the Russian and Chinese vetoes.

It comes as the Trump administration is pursuing a wider campaign to isolate Tehran from its remaining economic partners as the more than six-month-old war in Iran has hit a stalemate. 

The Trump administration has approved visas for top Iranian officials, including the president and foreign minister, to attend next week's U.N. General Assembly high-level meeting in New York even as the two countries are locked in a stalemated war.

The State Department said Thursday it had approved visas for Iran's "core delegation," along with essential staffers to participate in the U.N. meetings. The core delegation includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to visa privacy laws.

"Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend UN General Assembly High Level week. The delegation will be under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the purchase of luxury and other goods per our policy. The delegation is smaller than last year," the statement said.

The move is unusual due to the more than six-month-long conflict between Iran and the United States and no sign that agreements to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or return to talks on Iran's nuclear program are close.

Saudi Arabia will be getting a major upgrade to its air force with the purchase of 48 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft from the United States, according to the U.S. State Department.

The jets will cost the Saudis about $24.3 billion, according to the State Department. The fighter jets are built by Lockheed Martin. The planes are in common use by many U.S. allies, including the U.K., Italy, Netherlands, Australia, Canada and more.

The jets will be of the F-35A variety, which means a conventional takeoff as opposed to the F-35B, which can take off vertically. 

"The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia's capability to deter current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defense, and improving interoperability with U.S. forces, and other regional and NATO forces," the State Department said.

The F-35 Lightning II is one of the most common stealth fighters in the U.S. arsenal, with hundreds being used across the Air Force, Marines and Navy. There was a record 191 F-35 fighters delivered to the U.S. in 2025, according to Lockheed Martin.

Iranian forces in recent days have brought down at least two American MQ-1 unmanned aircraft, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

It is unclear where in the region the remotely piloted aircraft were brought down or which MQ-1 variant was involved. The U.S. military has fielded two principal MQ-1 variants: the Predator, which became a fixture of U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan before the Air Force retired it in 2018, and the Gray Eagle, a larger Predator-derived aircraft still operated by the Army, including its special operations forces.

Both the Predator and Gray Eagle were designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions but they can also carry Hellfire missiles for striking targets. In the Strait of Hormuz, these unmanned aircraft can provide U.S. forces with persistent surveillance over the narrow waterway while also tracking Iranian military activity and monitoring threats to both American forces and commercial shipping.

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