Iranian-armed Houthi drones hit Riyadh's international airport twice in two days, severely damaging at least one Saudi commercial aircraft. US President Donald Trump said Washington wouldn't attack Iran before the November midterm elections. At least three people were killed Wednesday, when the Houthis claimed strikes on Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Video shared on social media Thursday showed at least two drones striking the Riyadh facility. Regional officials told Middle East Eye one Saudi aircraft had suffered serious damage.
Trump posted his message on Truth Social. "We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran," he wrote. "We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd."
His pledge came after several outlets, including Axios, reported the Pentagon was preparing to resume high-intensity strikes. The Atlantic reported Trump was considering an attack before the vote. Brent crude rose 4.5 percent on Thursday amid those reports and confirmation that Iran had attacked a new vessel in the Gulf. One tanker came under attack Wednesday off Qatar, about 500 kilometres west of the Strait of Hormuz. Another was attacked off Oman, outside the waterway.
The Security Picture
Direct US-Iran fighting had largely subsided. The struggle now centres on control of oil and gas flows through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the United States appeared to have the upper hand. Kpler reported oil flows through Hormuz reached almost 90 percent of pre-war levels in late September.
Pressure remains. Refined petroleum product flows through Hormuz stood at roughly half of pre-war levels, and Middle Eastern refineries weren't running at full capacity. US diesel prices had risen 14 percent over the previous month, reaching around $6 per gallon.
The US-Israeli attack on Iran has expanded into a regional war centred on Yemen. Saudi Arabia and its allies are trying to push back the Houthis after the group launched a sweeping offensive down the Red Sea coast last month. Riyadh backs Yemen's internationally recognised government. Iran has supplied the Houthis with arms and training. Saudi Arabia blamed the group for strikes on Mecca and Medina; the Houthis denied responsibility.
The Regional Threat
Saudi Arabia activated a new joint defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan this week. Middle East Eye reported Turkey would send air defence batteries and troops. Pakistan told CNN it was sending weapons to help protect the kingdom. The New York Times reported Pakistani warplanes were striking Houthi targets over Yemen. Islamabad denied the report, saying its support was defensive only.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan drew a firm line. "This is a defensive agreement. When a country party to the pact comes under attack, you stand by it in its defence. This is not an offensive agreement. Turkey will not send troops to another country to carry out attacks on its territory," he said.
Ankara and Islamabad want closer ties with Riyadh and aim to show they can anchor a new regional security architecture amid growing doubts about the United States. They're also wary of fighting an Iranian ally that sits at an international trade chokepoint. Washington has refused to join the fighting against the Houthis publicly.
The Houthis have won sympathy in parts of the Arab and Muslim world for attacks on Israel that they say defend besieged Palestinians in Gaza. Those attacks followed the Hamas-led assaults on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which triggered Israel's assault on Gaza. More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in what the United Nations and genocide scholars have called a genocide. Still, Qatar, Syria and Somalia were among the regional states that condemned the Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia.
Economic Fallout
The attacks are damaging Saudi Arabia's image as an international business hub. Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates took the hardest hits after the US and Israeli attack on Iran, while Saudi Arabia was relatively spared. That could change. Lufthansa said Thursday it would cancel all flights to Riyadh until 16 October.
Why This Matters: The Houthis are firing Iranian-backed drones at a Gulf capital's main airport as Washington signals restraint until its own election day. For Israel, that sequence matters. Iran's proxy network keeps widening the war even as direct US-Iran fighting recedes, while oil prices, shipping lanes and civilian aviation absorb the cost. The Turkey-Pakistan-Saudi pact reflects Gulf states hedging against doubts about US staying power. From a security standpoint, a pause that leaves Tehran's partners free to strike at trade chokepoints and Gulf infrastructure can't be called a settlement. It's a window.