TOP STORIES
U.S. and Israel Draw Up Plans for Renewed Strikes on Iran After Elections | New York Times
“The U.S. and Israeli militaries have developed specific plans for renewed strikes against Iran after the American midterm elections, according to U.S. officials and other people briefed on the deliberations. As planning for a short but intensive operation progresses, the U.S. and Israeli militaries have stepped up exercises, flying planes over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss new strikes, U.S. officials said. The targets would likely include Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal. Some officials say one more big round of attacks could push Iran’s economy over the brink and force the country to make diplomatic concessions after nearly eight months of conflict.”
Israeli Military Conducts Massive “Power Projection” Operation near Iran’s Border | Axios
“Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted a sortie on Monday, flying as far as the Iranian border, according to Israeli and U.S. officials. . . . The exercise involved dozens of fighter jets and refueling aircraft, the sources said. It followed a flight path consistent with a potential strike against Iran, passing through Syrian and Iraqi airspace. As the aircraft approached the Iranian border, they turned around and returned to Israel, the sources said.”
US Orders Diplomats to Depart Saudi Arabia amid Houthi Strikes | Reuters
“The US State Department has ordered some diplomats and family members to depart from its missions in Saudi Arabia and plans to withdraw family members from a number of other US missions in the region, US officials told Reuters. The order came as attacks in Saudi Arabia killed at least one person and injured eight others at a civilian airport in Dammam and two people were killed in a drone attack on an oil field.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
“United Against Nuclear Iran, an advocacy group, also calculated that Iran’s oil exports had fallen to close to zero in August and September and that floating reserves in Southeast Asia had likely fallen to 10 million barrels or less by early October, saying the precise total was difficult to know. ‘They’ve got to be hurting,’ said Charlie Brown, a UANI researcher. He said that while he couldn’t say that the reserves had gone to zero, ‘it seems likely to be well on the way to close to zero.’”
Interview with UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky | i24 News
“I think, based on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech today, [that] he’s beginning to lay a pretext for another military campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran. And the reality remains that the conflict [of] the United States and Israel with Iran will continue as long as the Islamic Republic is in power.”
Billions Evaporated: Iran’s Oil Reserves Completely Emptied | Channel 14 (Translated from Hebrew)
“However, since the US reimposed the embargo in July, the stockpiles have fallen by at least 1 million barrels by October 5, and are now completely depleted. Experts from other monitoring companies such as Vortexa, which reported a drop of about 6 million barrels around Singapore in early October, and the monitoring organization United Against Nuclear Iran have confirmed that Iranian exports fell to almost zero in August and September, as Chinese refineries switch to alternative suppliers such as Brazil and West Africa.”
Economic Collapse: Iran's Floating Oil Stockpile in Asia Runs Dry | Daily Beirut
“Data from other firms specializing in tracking oil tanker movements confirmed the scale of the decline, as Fortexa recorded a drop of about 6 million barrels in Iranian stocks around Singapore in early October, while the organization ‘United Against Nuclear Iran’ noted that Iranian exports fell to levels approaching zero during August and September.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
US Sanctions Greece-, Panama-Based Law Firm over Aid to Iranian Shipping | Reuters
“The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Wednesday on Karnakis & Karnakis, a law firm based in Greece and Panama, saying it had for years provided legal assistance to Iranian shipping networks. The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also issued an administrative subpoena to advance an investigation into a Greek bank over potential ties to Iran, according to a Treasury statement, which did not name the bank.”
Greece to Impose Sanctions on Iran-Linked Law Firm, Following US Measures | Reuters
“The Greek Finance Ministry says it was implementing sanctions in place linked to Iran and that it backed efforts to effectively combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The statement comes after the US Treasury Department said yesterday it imposed sanctions on Karnakis & Karnakis, a law firm based in Greece and Panama, saying it had for years provided legal assistance to Iranian shipping networks.”
German Regulator Revokes License of Bank Saderat Iran in Hamburg | Reuters
“Germany’s financial regulator BaFin said on Thursday it had revoked the license of Bank Saderat Iran's Hamburg branch and was ordering its liquidation in the wake of sanctions. It is the latest action on an Iranian bank after BaFin in September declared a German branch of the Iranian state-owned lender Bank Sepah insolvent.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
“Seven oil tankers caught fire or were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz overnight after being hit by Iran or striking naval mines, Tehran said Thursday, a markedly high number as tensions rise over concerns about a return to all-out war.”
“Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Wednesday that it was preparing to unveil a new weapon, which it dubbed the ‘Father of All Bombs,’ in response to US threats to use the most powerful conventional bomb in the American arsenal against Iran's nuclear facilities.”
Trump Says Something Will Happen Regarding Iran ‘Fairly Soon’ | Al Arabiya English
“US President Donald said on Thursday that something was going to happen regarding the Iranian conflict ‘fairly soon’ amid fear of renewed escalation. Trump also said that he doesn’t think that the US was negotiating with Iran.”
Netanyahu Denies Report Trump Blocked Iran Strike | Jewish News Syndicate
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday denied a Financial Times report that the Jewish state recently planned to attack Iran but was stopped by U.S. President Donald Trump.”
TERRORISM & PROXY WARS
Iran Plot Suspect Says He Discussed Journalists at London Embassy | Iran International
“A man accused of plotting an attack on Iran International journalists told a London court Wednesday that he met an alleged Revolutionary Guards contact at the Iranian embassy while he was gathering information on the journalists. Mostafa Sepahvand told Woolwich Crown Court that he visited the embassy on February 15, 2025, where he met a man he identified as Navid Emami.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Upholds Protester’s Death Sentence over $56 Property Damage | Iran International
“Iran's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of a protester arrested during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement over an explosion that his lawyer says caused about $56 in property damage, the Emtedad news channel reported Wednesday. Manouchehr Fallah, a 42-year-old worker from northern Iran's Gilan province, was sentenced to death on charges of ‘destruction of property with intent to oppose the government.’”
HOSTAGES
Lithuania Seeks Confirmation of Reports Two Citizens Detained in Iran | LRT
“Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry is seeking official confirmation from Iranian authorities that two Lithuanian women may have been detained in Iran, a ministry official said Thursday. . . . Vilnius regional police have launched a search for Daiva Zakažauskaitė, born in 1992, and Erika Šlimaitė, born in 1983. According to police, the women left Lithuania for Turkey on October 7 and then flew to Iran. Their relatives have been unable to contact them since October 11. Their phones are switched off, they have not logged into social media, and other attempts to reach them have been unsuccessful.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran Says Parliament Speaker Met Unseen Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei | Al Arabiya English
“Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to discuss the conflict with the United States and Israel, state television reported Wednesday, without specifying when or where the purported meeting took place or releasing any photographs or videos of the encounter.”
IRAQ & IRAN
Iraq Plays Down Iran Border Disruption as More Closures Reported | Iran International
“Conflicting accounts emerged Wednesday over Iraq's plans for its border with Iran, as Baghdad attributed the closure of one major crossing to technical shortcomings while reports said more could be shut amid US pressure to restrict trade routes with Tehran.”