U.S. Central Command said 101 commercial vessels have been redirected in the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices rose more than three per cent amid fresh regional attacks and supply concerns.
The Saudi-led coalition said 13 civilians were injured in attacks carried out by Yemen's Houthi movement against the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Monday.
The coalition said the attacks targeted civilian areas, causing injuries among residents.
The announcement comes amid escalating cross-border hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis, who have intensified military operations in recent weeks.
The United States on Monday imposed new Iran-related sanctions on VTB Bank, one of Russia's largest lenders, accusing it of involvement in efforts to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions.
VTB had already been sanctioned by Washington in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The latest measures target the bank over its alleged role in activities linked to Iran, according to a U.S. statement.
An oil tanker exploded and caught fire after colliding with mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said, according to Iran's Fars news agency.
The IRGC did not specify when the incident occurred or provide details on the vessel's identity, casualties or the extent of the damage.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran is seeking a deal “quickly and badly” and indicated that Washington remains open to engagement.
In a post on Monday, Trump described Iran as a “failing nation” and said the United States would decide whether to pursue talks.
“The concept of which we are open to,” Trump wrote, without providing further details on any potential negotiations.
The Kremlin says instability in the Persian Gulf is rapidly worsening the situation in global oil markets as major volumes of crude are being removed from supply. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said disruptions had already affected a significant share of global oil flows.
He pointed to the shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, saying it had taken more than 4 per cent of global supplies off the market. Peskov warned that the disruption could have serious consequences for economies worldwide and increase concerns over energy security.
He also said Russia’s temporary ban on oil product exports was aimed at ensuring sufficient supplies for its domestic market. Moscow said Russian restrictions were also affecting international markets by reducing available exports. The comments came after an attack forced the Saudi pipeline, which carries around 4–5 million barrels per day, to remain out of service. The disruption has raised concerns over possible pressure on global oil prices.
The United States blocked Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami from attending the IAEA General Conference in Vienna by opposing an exemption from reimposed UN sanctions. Austria said Eslami had initially been granted a visa but was later denied entry after the exemption request was rejected by the UN Security Council sanctions committee.
Washington confirmed it had objected to the exemption, saying Eslami’s attendance would allow Iran to use the meeting for propaganda while avoiding substantive cooperation with the IAEA. Tehran condemned the move as a political act and accused the United States of pressuring Austria.
Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA said the decision showed growing politicisation of the organisation. Eslami is among Iranian officials targeted by sanctions that were restored under the UN “snapback” mechanism. Western powers triggered the mechanism last year, while Iran and Russia reject the legitimacy of the reimposed sanctions. The dispute comes amid continued tensions between Iran and the IAEA over nuclear inspections.
The seven-day rolling average of covert oil shipments accompanied by the U.S. Navy through the Strait of Hormuz is rising and will continue to rise, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog on Monday.
“The trend in that seven-day rolling average has been going up and will continue to go up,” he told a press conference, adding that a peak of 17 million barrels in one day he cited on 1 September was in fact higher: “There was one ship not counted. It turned out it was almost spot on 18 million barrels that day.”
Austria's decision to deny visas to an Iranian delegation attending a UN nuclear watchdog conference in Vienna is absolutely unjustified, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said.
Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami was prevented from attending the IAEA General Conference due to the visa refusal, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported earlier on Monday.
U.S. allegations of Iran's involvement in an attack that shut down one of Saudi Arabia's key crude oil pipelines have “no truth,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said.
“There is absolutely no truth to the claim made by U.S. officials regarding Iran’s involvement in these developments, and it is categorically denied,” he said on Monday speaking in Tehran, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he believed Iran was behind the attack, which struck the Gulf Kingdom's East-West pipeline between 10 and 11 September.
A U.S. submarine seized by Iran's Revolutionary Guards earlier in September is “war booty,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said in remarks during a press conference. The uncrewed submarine drone was captured during an operation on 8 September.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper on Monday, Saudi state television reported.
The two discussed the latest regional developments as attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis against Saudi Arabia have intensified.
Yemen’s Houthis said on Monday they launched a large missile and drone attack on King Khalid Air Base in southern Saudi Arabia.
The group claimed it targeted military facilities with dozens of weapons and caused “significant losses”. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the claims.
Saudi Civil Defence issued an alert before saying “the danger has passed”. The Houthis said the attack was in response to Saudi strikes in Yemen.
Austria has refused a visa for Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami, preventing him from attending an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conference in Vienna, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported.
Eslami and his delegation had planned to travel to Vienna on Saturday but returned to Tehran, according to IRIB.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed the refusal on Monday, calling it “absolutely unjustified”. He said Tehran had protested the decision and summoned Austria’s chargé d’affaires.
Iran says Saudi Arabia requested the postponement of a planned regional meeting in Oman involving Tehran and Gulf states.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed the request, saying the meeting was expected to discuss maritime security and a proposed arrangement for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Oman postponed the meeting on Sunday, citing the “interests of consensus”. Baghaei said the Iran-Oman understanding on the waterway remained finalised despite the delay.
Missile strikes targeted three camps belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups east of Sulaimaniya in Iraq’s Kurdistan region early on Monday, according to two security sources who spoke to Reuters.
The sources said there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Qatar has agreed to help establish the whereabouts of three Iranian pilots who remain missing, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Monday.
The case dates back to 2 March, when two Iranian Su-24 fighter jets crashed during attacks on a military base in Qatar. Iran says three pilots survived and were captured, while a fourth pilot was killed.
Iranian Red Crescent chief Pir Hossein Kolivand said there was evidence that the three pilots could be in Qatar. He asked the Qatar Red Crescent Society to use its humanitarian channels to seek information about their fate.
Qatar Red Crescent officials said they would assist with the case and work to obtain information for the pilots’ families.
The two organisations also discussed closer cooperation on rescue operations, training and sharing expertise.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it brought down an MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
State broadcaster IRIB reported that the drone was detected and destroyed using a newly deployed air-defence system operated by the IRGC’s Aerospace Force.
According to the broadcaster, the operation was coordinated through Iran’s integrated air-defence network.
There was no immediate confirmation of the claim or information on who was operating the drone.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has condemned what it said was a Houthi attack on civilian and economic facilities in southern Saudi Arabia that injured multiple civilians.
The ministry urged the Iran-aligned group to immediately halt such attacks, saying strikes on civilians and civilian facilities, as well as actions undermining free and safe navigation, could not be justified under any circumstances.
South Korea also expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held separate calls with his Saudi and Iraqi counterparts on Sunday as regional tensions continued to rise.
With Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, he discussed efforts to contain the escalation and strengthen the Persian Gulf coordination to protect regional security.
Talks with Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein focused on regional security, developments in Yemen and Iraq’s ties with the Persian Gulf states. Both sides called for disputes to be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means.
The diplomatic contacts followed drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, which Riyadh said originated from Iraqi territory. Baghdad has said it is working to prevent its territory from being used to threaten neighbouring countries.
More than 82,000 people have fled their homes in Yemen since the start of September as fighting intensifies along the country’s western coast, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Most have been displaced from Taiz, Hudaydah and Lahij, while more than 2,000 people have crossed the Red Sea to Djibouti.
Authorities in Aden are preparing a new camp in Al-Bureiqa district that could shelter up to 5,000 people, with basic healthcare planned for families fleeing areas including Mocha, Hays and Al-Khawkhah.
The latest displacement comes as Yemeni government forces and the Houthis battle along the western coast, with airstrikes and ground fighting adding to the humanitarian crisis.
Oman has postponed a regional meeting due on Monday in Salalah to discuss arrangements for a proposed new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Omani Foreign Ministry said the meeting was delayed to help create conditions for “constructive dialogue” and did not give a new date.
Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the postponement was made “in the interests of consensus”, adding that Oman remained committed to dialogue and regional stability.
The meeting was expected to involve Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Bahrain had said it would not join talks with Iran until diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored.
Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to single digits per day over the weekend, preliminary tracking data showed, as oil prices rose more than three per cent amid growing supply concerns.
Four vessels exited the Gulf through the strait and 10 entered, below the 10-day average of 14 a day.
The figures may not capture vessels that switched off their tracking transponders to avoid detection.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the U.S. Navy has redirected 101 commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as its blockade remains in effect.
The blockade of Iranian ports was reimposed by Washington in July after diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Iran broke down.
CENTCOM said the latest figure covers vessels redirected through to 13 September, highlighting the continued disruption to commercial shipping in the strategically important waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed a report that Iran obtained satellite imagery of a U.S. base in Jordan from Chinese entities before a July attack that killed three American troops.
Asked about China’s alleged role, Trump said, “They basically do what we do. When they say China spies on us, I say you’re right and we spy on them too.”
The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that Chinese entities supplied the imagery to Iran, but did not allege direct involvement by Beijing. Reuters could not independently verify the report.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence lifted its warnings on Monday after issuing alerts in four southern cities as Houthi attacks linked to the Yemen conflict intensified.
The alerts covered Najran, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Abha. Authorities subsequently reissued warnings for Khamis Mushait and Abha before cancelling them.
The Iran-aligned Houthis control much of northern Yemen and the country’s most heavily populated areas. They have stepped up attacks towards Saudi Arabia since announcing a naval blockade of Riyadh in July, including strikes against Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea.
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