Yahya Saree

A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Friday to meet senior Iranian officials, part of a renewed push for a U.S.–Iran agreement that is coordinated with Washington after Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Iran’s security chief. The talks follow Qatar’s presentation of a draft peace plan to Iran on Sunday, which Tehran rejected as unacceptable while insisting the U.S. first lift its port blockade and oil export sanctions. The United States wants nuclear issues addressed from the start of negotiations. Meanwhile, Iran has halted several tankers and reported mine strikes in the Strait of Hormuz.

A fire near the Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province was contained, Bloomberg News reports, citing a person familiar with the matter. The Houthi movement says it struck the refinery with a ballistic missile on 27 Oct, a claim Saudi authorities have not confirmed. Saudi-led coalition forces say they shot down three Houthi missiles aimed at the Eastern Province and intercepted two ballistic missiles fired at Riyadh, where shrapnel damaged a building, a construction project and a car. The refinery handles 550,000 barrels per day. Damage details remain unclear.

Yemen's Houthis say they fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh's airport and struck oil pumping stations with drones on 26 Oct. The Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted the missile and destroyed two missile launchers in Sanaa. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the attacks. Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport partially reopened on 25 Oct, after an earlier attack on 10 Oct killed 13 people. Between 8 and 25 Oct, more than 7,800 flights were cancelled, about 45% of scheduled departures from Saudi airports.