Smoke and fire was seen emerging from a site near the Aramco oil refinery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, a witness told Reuters.
Pictures show plumes of dark smoke from the biggest refinery in the city. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities and Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The fire comes amid escalating hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis, who have stepped up attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure. Last week, the Houthis said they had attacked Saudi’s Aramco facilities in Yanbu with missiles and drones.
It comes as a crude oil tanker was reportedly struck by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, the UKMTO said on Saturday. All crew were reported safe and no environmental impact was recorded.
On Friday the UKMTO said a tanker was struck by a projectile while transiting the waterway, causing a small fire, which was extinguished.
Axios reported on Saturday that members of Donald Trump’s administration met in secret at Camp David to discuss the next steps of the war and the conflict between the Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia.
Read MoreTrump claims diesel export ban ‘never on table’ as G7 agrees reserve release
What we know and don't know about how Iran uses asymmetric warfare
What is happening with diesel – and should we be worried?
Saudi Arabia plans major Yemen offensive against Iran-backed Houthi forces
Key Points
- Trump's top national security aides meet secretly at Camp David on Iran, Yemen, Axios reports
- Fire and smoke seen near Aramco facility in Riyadh, witness says
- Trump sends 9,000 troops to Middle East after threatening to hit Iran 'very hard'
- US 'needs to get idea of bringing us to our knees out of its head', says Iran
- Crude oil tanker struck off Oman
Iraq ships 2M barrels of crude through Strait of Hormuz
23:00 , Suha KidwaiIraq’s state-owned oil tanker company has transported two million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, marking its first such independent transit in decades.
Director general Ali Qais Abdul Jabbar confirmed on Saturday that the shipment shifts operations from delivering crude at the port of Basra to transporting it directly past the strategic chokepoint.
The move gives state oil marketer SOMO greater flexibility to secure better sales and pricing terms in international markets.
Abdul Jabbar added that the company is actively working to purchase specialised crude tankers to expand its state fleet and compete with regional maritime shipping firms.
Watch: Trump vows to hit Iran 'very hard' if linked to FlyDubai pilot attack
22:00 , Maira ButtTrump's top national security aides meet secretly at Camp David on Iran, Yemen, Axios reports
21:30 , Maira ButtDonald Trump's top cabinet members met secretly at the presidential retreat at Camp David to discuss next steps in the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Yemen, Axios reported on Friday.
Vice President JD Vance chaired the meeting, the news outlet reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Beyond the Strait of Hormuz: How Gulf countries are preparing for life without the waterway
21:00 , Maira ButtPort operator DP World is in talks to develop new facilities in the coastal area of Fujairah to take pressure off its flagship Jebel Ali port, according to the Financial Times.
Jebel Ali, built in 1977, has made the UAE a hub of finance and trade, but weeks ago it was set alight by a piece of fallen debris from an Iranian missile. Since then, Dubai International Airport, US military bases and other facilities have come under direct attack.
Colossal losses are no surprise considering that a huge 20 per cent of global oil supply all passes through the strategic waterway, which has remained deadlocked now for months.
With an interim agreement that was thinly constructed now falling apart by the day, it appears that Gulf countries are hatching plans to protect their own economies.
How Gulf countries are preparing for life without the Strait of Hormuz
Trump sending 9,000 more troops to Middle East after threatening new strikes on Iran
20:30 , Maira ButtThe U.S. military is sending roughly 9,000 more troops to the Middle East aboard a group of ships, a U.S. official confirmed Thursday.
The bolstering of the American military presence comes as President Donald Trump warned that new strikes against Iran could be on the horizon.
The troop deployment, which includes a third aircraft carrier, underscores the rapidly evolving dynamic of Trump's war against Iran as he considers his next move, with midterm elections in the United States looming large and fresh signs that the nature of the conflict may be becoming more complex.
Trump sending 9,000 more troops to Middle East after threatening new strikes on Iran
Iranian foreign minister previously said UK PM Burnham 'barking up the wrong tree'
20:00 , Maira ButtIn comments made earlier this week, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that British prime minister Andy Burnham was “barking up the wrong tree” over reports of a link to Iran in the RAF Fairford incident.
“PM Burnham says the UK Government ‘can confirm our belief that we believe Iran to have played a part’ in the RAF Fairford incident,” he wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
“I can confirm Iran's belief that releasing supposed terrorists working for foreign states really says it all. You're barking up the wrong tree.”
Recap: Trump adds eyebrow-raising new rationale for US war in Iran, saying 'They were doing drugs’
19:30 , Maira ButtDonald Trump has added Iran “doing drugs” to the list of reasons for starting his unpopular war eight months ago.
The president has long said the ongoing conflict with the Islamic Republic, which began at the end of February, was launched to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
He has also previously hinted at the possibility of regime change in Iran, calling for the Iranian people to overthrow the country’s rulers following protests earlier this year.
Trump adds eyebrow-raising new rationale for US war in Iran: ‘They were doing drugs’
Watch: Trump moves 9,000 troops to Middle East, threatens to hit Iran hard
19:00 , Maira ButtTrump won’t win Nobel Peace Prize but his shadow hangs over the award
18:30 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump will not win this year's Nobel Peace Prize as he wages war with Iran, but his influence will still be felt by the awarding body that picks the laureate, according to experts.
Last year's award, presented to Venezuela's Maria Corina Machado, marked an unprecedented moment in the prize's 125-year history after Trump persistently lobbied to secure the award himself. Weeks later, Machado handed her gold Nobel medal directly to Trump in a bid to gain support for her efforts to advance democracy in Venezuela.
Trump won’t win Nobel Peace Prize but his shadow hangs over the award
Trump claims diesel export ban ‘never on table’ as G7 agrees reserve release
18:00 , Maira ButtA diesel export ban was “never really on the table”, Donald Trump has claimed after the UK and other leading G7 nations bowed to White House pressure and agreed to release 100 million barrels of fuel and oil from emergency stocks.
The US president said Europe had done “a great thing” by drawing on their reserves under the threat of a block on stateside supplies.
Trump claims diesel export ban ‘never on table’ as G7 agrees reserve release
Iranian men ‘identified Heaton Park Synagogue as bomb plot target’ court hears
17:00 , Maira ButtTwo Iranian men identified Manchester’s Jewish Museum and Heaton Park Synagogue as targets for an alleged bomb plot, a court has heard.
Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, were arrested in Manchester on September 20 and charged on Friday with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said.
Both men appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning, where Salehi, through a Kurdish interpreter, and Ahmadyan, through a Farsi interpreter, spoke to confirm their names, dates of birth, and addresses.
Iranian men ‘identified Heaton Park Synagogue as bomb plot target’ court hears
Watch: Burnham says ‘strong indications’ Iran played part in suspected RAF Fairford bomb plot
16:30 , Maira ButtIn pictures:
16:13 , Maira Butt
Man arrested in Fairford air base investigation released on bail
16:00 , Maira ButtBritish counter-terrorism police investigating a suspected plot at the RAF Fairford base said on Saturday that they had released a UK-Iranian dual national on bail.
The 25-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts involving the air base, which is used by the US.
US bombers have taken part in raids against targets in Iran from the location.
Police confirmed he had now been released, and searches at two properties in London had concluded.
"The investigation into the circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is continuing," police said in a statement.
Home Secretary warns UK is facing ‘serious threats’ from Iran after bomb plot charges
15:30 , Maira ButtThe UK is facing “a range of serious threats” from Iran, Shabana Mahmood has said after two migrants were charged with an alleged bomb plot against the Jewish community.
The Tehran regime “target our Jewish communities and try to silence their critics overseas, often through proxies and criminal networks to hide their involvement”, the Home Secretary said.
Iranians Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, who were arrested in Manchester on Sunday, September 20, have been charged on Friday with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts, contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said.
Home Secretary warns UK is facing ‘serious threats’ from Iran after bomb plot charges
Portugal prosecutors probe legality of US use of Lajes base in Iran war
15:00 , Maira ButtPortuguese prosecutors have opened a probe into the legality of the centre-right government's authorisation of the United States' use of the Lajes Air Base in the Azores during the Iran conflict, according to a statement released on Saturday.
The inquiry followed a complaint by an opposition party.
A longstanding agreement with the US allows Washington to use the base without prior authorisation during peacetime, but requires Portugal to give approval once hostilities begin.
Portugal, unlike neighbouring Spain, authorised several US transit flights through the Lajes air base.
The decision drew criticism from left-wing opposition parties and triggered a political debate.
In a statement, the Prosecutor General's Office said "the probe was opened following a complaint filed by members of the Left Bloc party," without providing further details.
In pictures: Smoke rises from the Aramco facility near Riyadh
14:30 , Maira Butt
Fire and smoke seen near Aramco facility in Riyadh, witness says
14:00 , Maira ButtA large plume of smoke and fire was seen rising near the Aramco facility in Riyadh, a witness told Reuters on Saturday.
There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities and Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The fire comes amid escalating hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who have stepped up attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure.
Last week, the Houthis said they had attacked Saudi’s Aramco facilities in Yanbu with missiles and drones.
At the time that Riyadh claimed it had intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards Taif and the Yanbu area, but did not report damage to Aramco facilities.
Iran executes detainee over January protests, judiciary says
13:30 , Maira ButtIran has executed a man who was detained during protests in January for allegedly firing at police, the judiciary said on Saturday.
Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi fired at least three shots at police on January 8 and was arrested two days later with a handgun in Shahrekord in southwestern Iran, the judiciary said.
It accused him of contacting people online to organise "anti-security" activities and seeking payment for a "mission", without identifying who was purported to be behind it.
Iran blamed armed groups and operatives backed by the US and Israel for involvement in the protests and for some of the violence that broke out following unrest after 28 December.
What is happening with diesel – and should we be worried?
13:00 , Maira ButtDiesel prices in the UK have reached a record high, according to the RAC, hitting £2 a litre for the first time as the war in the Middle East continues to drive up the cost of oil worldwide.
The price of a litre in the UK has risen 40.5 per cent since late February, when the US first launched strikes against Iran, while prices are also at a record high in the US, where much of the world’s supply is produced and refined.
In response to rising costs, G7 leaders have agreed to release 100 million barrels of diesel within four months.
What is happening with diesel – and should we be worried?
Saudi civil defense says shrapnel from intercepted ballistic missile in Asir injures one
12:30 , Maira ButtSrapnel from an intercepted ballistic missile in Ahad Rafidah governorate in the Asir region injured one person, the Saudi Civil Defence said on Saturday, according to Saudi’s state news agency.
The missile was fired on Friday by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group, it said.
Watch: Trump now claims Operation Midnight Hammer was bombing 'drug factories' in Iran
12:00 , Maira ButtIn pictures: Vessels remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz
11:30 , Maira Butt
Crude oil tanker struck by unknown projectile off Oman, UKMTO says
11:00 , Maira ButtThe master of a crude oil tanker has reported being struck by an unknown projectile 4 nautical miles east of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in the early hours of Saturday.
UKMTO said all crew were reported safe and no environmental impact was currently reported.
Trump says US will soon fill its strategic oil stockpile
10:30 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump has said that the US would soon fill its strategic petroleum reserves.
“We're going to be filling up very shortly our strategic reserves, for nothing,” Trump said at a rally in Mobile, Alabama on Friday. He offered no additional details.
What we know and don't know about how Iran uses asymmetric warfare
10:00 , Maira ButtThe leaders of Britain and the United States have suggested, without giving evidence, that Iran played a role in two major security incidents this week, the arrests near a US-run military base in England used in the war against Tehran and the attack in the cockpit of an Israel-bound plane.
As of Friday, no confirmed connection to the Islamic Republic had emerged. Britain has not made public any evidence linking Iran to the air-base arrests on terrorism-related charges. And an official who was not authorised to speak to the media said there is currently no evidence of a link between Iran and the cockpit attack.
What we know and don't know about how Iran uses asymmetric warfare
Full story: Two men charged with suspected terror plot against Jewish community in Manchester
09:30 , Maira ButtTwo men have been charged over an alleged plot to target the Jewish community in the Manchester area ahead of Yom Kippur, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said.
Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, were both charged on Friday with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts, contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
Both men arrived by small boat several years ago, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said.
Two men charged with suspected terror plot against Jewish community in Manchester
Trump's top national security aides meet secretly at Camp David on Iran, Yemen, Axios reports
09:00 , Maira ButtDonald Trump's top cabinet members met secretly at the presidential retreat at Camp David to discuss next steps in the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Yemen, Axios reported on Friday.
Vice President JD Vance chaired the meeting, the news outlet reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Watch: Trump says US will not be doing diesel export ban
08:30 , Maira ButtTwo Iranians accused of planning terrorist attack in UK
08:00 , Vishwam SankaranTwo Iranian nationals have been charged with planning a terrorist attack against the Jewish community in the UK on or before Yom Kippur.
The UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said yesterday that the two were charged with preparing to commit or assisting another to commit an act of terrorism in Manchester “on or before” Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.
“It is alleged that the two men were in contact with an overseas third-party who may be in Iran in relation to the plot,” police said in a statement.
Forty Iranian flights cleared to fly to and from Iraq
07:00 , Vishwam SankaranIranian airlines, excluding Mahan Air, are allowed 40 daily flights to and from Iraq's Najaf International Airport, the Iraqi president's office said today.
Iraq had earlier halted flights to and from Iran last week following US sanctions.
But the Iraqi government sought exemptions for travel related to pilgrimage, medical treatment, and education.
"The prime minister appreciates the positive response shown by the US government to Iraqi efforts and its cooperation in granting the requested exemption," it said in a statement.
Trump's top national security aides secretly met to discuss Iran – Report
06:00 , Vishwam SankaranThe US president's top cabinet members reportedly met secretly at Camp David to discuss next steps in the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Yemen.
The meeting was chaired by Vice President Vance and included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA director John Ratcliffe and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, according to Axios.
"Things were decided or at least deeply discussed," one of the officials reportedly said.
Crude oil tanker struck off Oman
05:00 , Vishwam SankaranA crude oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile off Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said today.
Authorities are investigating the incident, and vessels passing through the area have been advised to exercise caution.
All crew members of the tanker are safe, and no environmental effects have been reported so far, according to UKMTO.
The ship's master reportedly said the vessel was hit on its port side about 4 nautical miles (5 miles) east of Oman.
Trump says US will not be banning diesel export
04:05 , Vishwam SankaranUS president Donald Trump said that he would not authorise an export ban on diesel, hours after G7 countries announced that they would release diesel from their emergency reserves.
“Europe has a lot of diesel, and they’re going to be making a major world contribution, and so are we, and we’re not going to be doing the export ban,” Trump told reporters today.
“We were never going to do it,” he said after appearing to back the idea over the last few days.
Trump's comments come after the Group of Seven major economies, including the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy, said they would release 100 million barrels of fuel in the next four months, including “a front-loaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days".
Watch: Israel warned UK over ‘Iranian attack’ ahead of RAF Fairford incident, Netanyahu claims
03:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainWatch: Trump now claims Operation Watch: Midnight Hammer was bombing 'drug factories' in Iran
02:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainTrump sends 9,000 troops to Middle East after threatening to it Iran 'very hard'
01:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAround 9,000 US troops are being deployed to the Middle East aboard a group of ship after Donald Trump warned that new strikes against Iran could be on the horizon.
The group of ships now en route to the Middle East together carry over 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines.
It includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which recently deployed with the cruiser USS Chosin, and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group, which includes the USS John P. Murtha and USS Anchorage amphibious landing ships.
It could mean that three carriers are in the region as early as the end of October, according to a US official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
President Trump also said early indications suggest that Iran is linked to the co-pilot who stabbed his captain and tried to crash an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday.
He warned that if the link is established to Iran, the US would retaliate.
“Oh they’ll be hit, very hard, don’t worry," he said. “You just ask them. They know what happened. They’ll be hit very hard.”
India warns of major ‘food crisis’ in coming months amid El Nino and global conflicts
Saturday 3 October 2026 00:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIndia's foreign minister S Jaishankar has warned that the world faces a "major food crisis" in the coming months, as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East compound the effects of a super El Nino.
Speaking at an event organised by the Asia Society in New York, Mr Jaishankar said the two conflicts had "a devastating impact" on the economies of the Global South, and that energy, food, fertiliser and finance were all under strain at once.
"If you have energy as a big crunch and then food and fertilisers on top of it, and finance, because every time there's a conflict, money moves towards safe harbours and away from the Global South, the net result of it has been really very, very stressful," he said.
India warns of major ‘food crisis’ in coming months amid El Nino and global conflicts
US 'needs to get idea of bringing us to our knees out of its head', says Iran
Friday 2 October 2026 23:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPresident Masoud Pezeshkian has said Iran will continue to defend itself but remains open to discussions with America.
According to state media, he said on Thursday that the US needed to “get the idea of bringing us to our knees with terror and martyrdom out of its head.”
Pezeshkian added: “We defend the rights of our society with dignity and pride, and we have never run away from dialogue and will not do so, although the United States has targeted our country three times despite having signed the agreement.
“The enemies thought that with the martyrdom of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the people, commanders, and scientists - the country - would collapse, but our national and internal unity and cohesion increased.”
Trump touts having the best numbers of any president, despite his dismal approval rating
Friday 2 October 2026 22:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainDonald Trump claimed once again that he had the “best numbers” of any president, even as his approval poll ratings continue to slide and Americans are feeling serious economic pains stemming from the war in Iran.
The president was in Denton, Texas, on Thursday at a manufacturing plant on Thursday as part of a two-state swing that will also include a visit to Choctaw tribal lands in Oklahoma. He spoke to a crowd of a few hundred people as he tried — not for the first time this week — to convince voters that it was merely an image problem from which the GOP and his presidency are suffering.
"We have the greatest numbers of any president in the history of our country, and I can't get the word out,” the president complained. “The only thing we’re doing bad at is public relations.”
Trump touts having the best numbers of any president, despite dismal approval rating
Yemen carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets in Taiz province, spokesperson says
Friday 2 October 2026 21:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe military spokesperson for Yemen's internationally recognised government said on Friday that warplanes carried out 20 strikes over the past three hours targeting Houthi movements, personnel, vehicles and military equipment in Taiz province.
The strikes come amid the most serious escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022.
Unchallenged occupation of southwestern Yemen's Taiz would give the Houthis full control over the country's north, a tighter grip on the Red Sea coast and easier access to the south and the southern port city of Aden, seat of the government.
The renewed conflict has already `displaced tens of thousands of people and could reshape control in Yemen, with implications for Red Sea shipping lanes and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Saudi Arabia said on Thursday the Houthis attacked a power distribution station in Medina that supplies electricity to the Prophet's Mosque.
A Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, denied the claim and said it was intended to cover up what he described as Saudi Arabia's failure to substantiate an earlier accusation that the Houthis had targeted the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
British-Iranian man arrested over alleged RAF Fairford bomb plot
Friday 2 October 2026 20:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA sixth man has been arrested in the investigation into an alleged bomb plot near RAF Fairford.
The 25-year-old man, a dual UK/Iranian national, was arrested on Thursday afternoon in the Borough of Westminster, London, on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, Counter Terrorism Policing said.
Searches of two properties were also carried out in the same area.
Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans said: “The investigation into circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of enquiry.
British-Iranian man arrested over alleged RAF Fairford bomb plot
FlyDubai incident: Co-pilot may have ties to Iran
Friday 2 October 2026 19:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainWounded FlyDubai captain recounts fight to save passengers, and other Mideast developments
Friday 2 October 2026 18:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe Indian airline captain who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a FlyDubai flight said in a live video call that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save passengers after being stabbed by his co-pilot.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who was running in Israel’s upcoming election is withdrawing his candidacy following comments over Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel:
Wounded FlyDubai captain recounts fight to save passengers, and other Mideast developments
Iran 'weighing options' against US as talks remain stalled, says Israeli official
Friday 2 October 2026 18:01 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIran is weighing its options for how to hit back if the US resumes hostilities and could attempt to disrupt Israel's upcoming election, a senior Israeli defence official told the Jerusalem Post.
The official said Iran was still assessing the American side's willingness to resume stalled talks on its nuclear programme and the easing of sanctions.
"The Iranians are looking for tools within this campaign. They are asking themselves how they can get out of this situation. It is reasonable to assume that they are also discussing the possibility of influencing the elections in order to understand the other side," the official was quoted as saying.
Trump: Europe agrees to release diesel reserves ‘immediately’ as fuel prices hover near record highs
Friday 2 October 2026 17:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPresident Trump said Friday that Europe has agreed to release some of its diesel reserves “immediately,” as the president and his Republican Party face pressure to address surging prices ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Trump announced the action on social media without offering details on which countries were releasing reserves or at what volumes.
Trump writes, “Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked Diesel Oil.” Trump says, “The process will begin immediately.”
The president faces lagging approval ratings as the Iran war and his trade battles have increased U.S. prices for oil and other goods.
Watch: Trump now claims Operation Midnight Hammer was bombing 'drug factories' in Iran
Friday 2 October 2026 16:59 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIran war could cost Trump mid-terms
Friday 2 October 2026 16:30 , Sian ElvinDonald Trump has admitted that the Iran war could cost the Republicans the mid-terms.
Asked if the seven-month war could impact his party at the November elections, the US president told reporters on Thursday: “Well, it’s possible.
“It should help because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.
“So when you say, ‘Is it OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?’ I would say 100 per cent of the people say no, including worldwide.”
A poll conducted for CNN by SSRS found Republican approval of the war fell from 73 per cent in March to 60 per cent in the latest survey.
G7 leaders agree to release fuel reserves
Friday 2 October 2026 15:37 , Sian ElvinG7 leaders have agreed to release strategic reserves “up to 100 million barrels, within four months”, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.
He added the leaders will “take no measures to restrict the exchange of energy and petroleum products between partner countries”.
It comes following a stand-off with Donald Trump in the wake of the US conflict with Iran, after he claimed Europe is going to “release a massive amount” of its diesel stocks.
Trump adds to reasons he started Iran war
Friday 2 October 2026 15:26 , Sian ElvinDonald Trump has added Iran “doing drugs” to the list of reasons for starting his unpopular war eight months ago.
The president has long said the ongoing conflict with the Islamic Republic, which began at the end of February, was launched to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
However, speaking at a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, on Thursday, Mr Trump said: “They went from Missouri and then at one o’clock in the morning, with no moon, dark as can be, these unbelievable machines led by the most incredible pilots in the world, they unloaded every single bomb, went right down air chutes into this, uh, drug factories, really.
“That’s what they were doing. They were nuclear and drugs. They were doing drugs, but they were doing the nuclear. These drug factories/nuclear factories were hit so hard.”
UK average diesel pump price hits £2 per litre for first time
Friday 2 October 2026 13:30 , Adam WithnallThe average pump price of a litre of diesel fuel hit £2 ($2.64) in Britain for the first time on Friday, according to data compiled by the RAC, the latest landmark in a global surge in fuel prices.
Prices have been inching steadily higher since passing the previous high of 199.09 pence on Monday. That old record was set in June 2022 shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the rise in prices was "showing no signs of slowing".
EU countries discussed a French proposal on Friday to release diesel stocks in response to US pressure to help cool surging fuel prices.
French president Emmanuel Macron intends to hold a call with his counterparts from the G7 to discuss actions on the world markets for crude and refined products after discussing the issue with Donald Trump.
