By Duarte Dias, Ahmed Shawkat
What to know about the Iran war today:
- A senior Iranian figure on Tuesday cast doubt on diplomatic efforts to broker a peace deal with the U.S., calling the Trump administration’s response to the latest proposal “not convincing” and insisting that Iran’s demands, including for a halt to fighting on all fronts in the Middle East, must be met if the Strait of Hormuz is to reopen.
- American forces launched limited, defensive strikes on Iranian targets near the strait on Monday, multiple U.S. officials told CBS News, in response to an apparent Iranian attack targeting a U.S. aircraft.
- President Trump said on the eve of U.S. midterm elections that a deal with Iran to end the eight-month war still “could happen,” insisting Tehran “wants a settlement, as soon as possible.”
Tanker hit by 2 projectiles off northeast coast of Oman, U.K. maritime agency says
Two unknown projectiles struck a tanker traveling near the northeast coast of Oman on Tuesday, according to a U.K. maritime agency.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations said it received a report from the tanker’s security officer, who said the projectiles hit the vessel’s engine room. It’s not known who was operating the tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, where it came from or where it was headed.
No injuries or environmental impact had been reported, according to UKMTO.
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO, whilst authorities investigate,” the agency said.
Another vessel was also struck by an unknown projectile on Sunday near the same location.
Egyptian foreign minister urges “flexibility” in call with Iranian foreign minister
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty asked Iran to show “flexibility” in negotiations Tuesday amid an apparent impasse with U.S. talks.
“I confirmed by phone with the Iranian Foreign Minister the necessity of exercising restraint and prioritizing diplomacy and negotiations, the importance of Gulf security, and showing flexibility to find a political way out and spare the region military escalation, which His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi warned against its repercussions and political, economic, and security risks,” Abdelatty said on X, translated from Arabic.
Egypt has tried to play mediator in the region as the conflict has continued to boil over in Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. An attack over the summer even targeted ships at a port in Egypt.
The call from Abdelatty about flexibility came on the same day the Iranians said they would only open the Strait of Hormuz and commit to peace talks if the U.S. followed Iran’s seven-point plan.
Iran has continually pointed to the plan as the only way to move forward. However, the U.S. is unlikely to accept most of the points in that plan, including unfreezing assets, removing the blockade from Iranian ports, paying for damage caused in Iran by bombings and ending all military actions, including Israel’s attacks in Lebanon.
Saudis intercept drone over eastern part of country
The Saudi-led coalition intercepted a drone over the eastern part of the country on Tuesday evening, according to spokesman Col. Turki Al-Malki.
The one-way attack drone was the second to be intercepted by coalition forces on Tuesday. An earlier drone was intercepted near the holy city of Mecca, though Houthi forces quickly denied the accusation. The Houthis have said publicly they will not target holy sites like Mecca.
There were no further details on the drone intercepted over the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, but the region is the hub of oil production in the country.
The headquarters of Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil company, are located in the eastern city of Dammam. Those headquarters, as well as the airport in Dammam, have been targeted multiple times by the Iran-backed Houthis. The airport, King Fahd International Airport, was targeted yesterday, the Houthis claimed.
Asian Cup soccer tournament latest sporting event in Saudi Arabia to be postponed due to war
CBS/AP
The 2027 Asian Cup soccer tournament has been delayed almost a year in the wake of recent deadly attacks on host country Saudi Arabia, becoming the biggest sports event to be postponed amid the conflict in the Middle East.
The Asian Football Confederation issued a statement Tuesday that after consultations with Saudi organizers it decided to push the start of its marquee continental championship back from Jan. 7 to Dec. 23.
The decision came to seem likely after developments in recent weeks raised questions over whether the 2034 World Cup host nation is currently safe enough for a major international soccer tournament.
Several major sporting events have been postponed or canceled in Saudi Arabia due to Houthi attacks, including the Women’s Tennis Association Finals, which were moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells, California, next week; and Netflix’s Six Kings Slam tennis event, which was moved from late October to late December. Saudi Arabia’s Formula 1 race was also canceled for the 2026 season back in April.
One exception is World Wrestling Entertainment, which will still be holding its Crown Jewel event in Riyadh this weekend.
Higher oil prices boost Saudi Aramco profits despite disruption from Houthi attacks
AP/CBS
The majority state-owned Saudi Aramco, the largest oil company in the world, on Tuesday reported a 35% increase in third-quarter net profit as earnings were boosted by higher oil prices and the sale of its stake in a Malaysian refining and petrochemical company.
Net profit rose to $36.3 billion from $26.9 billion in the year-earlier quarter. Adjusted net profit, which leaves out the sale of a stake in PRefChem to Malaysian state oil company Petronas, rose 9% to $31.2 billion.
The company also benefitted from high profit margins at its refineries turning crude into usable products such as diesel fuel.
Saudi Aramco sold its oil for an average of $95.20 a barrel during the quarter, compared to $70.10 in the year-before quarter, the company said in a news release. Oil prices surged after the outbreak of the Iran war due to disruption of supply and uncertainty about the course of the conflict.
After the war began, Saudi Aramco was able to use its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu to maintain a significant share of its oil exports despite disruption of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz due to the risk of Iranian attack. The pipeline was attacked Sept. 10 but has since resumed flows.
Saudi oil is now also being transported through the strait using a U.S.-protected corridor near the coast of Oman. Exports have continued despite attacks on Aramco facilities by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard says Iran will determine “time and conditions for ending the enemy’s attacks”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday that the country’s armed forces and leadership would determine “the time and conditions for ending the enemy’s attacks,” after the U.S. carried out what American officials described to CBS News as limited, defensive strikes against Iranian targets on Monday.
In a statement conveyed by the Fars News agency, which is linked with the IRGC, the powerful paramilitary force said orders from Iran’s supreme leader had been conveyed to senior military commanders, “in line with ‘maximum deterrence’ as our top priority, with full force, and we will not hesitate for a moment in implementing it.”
The statement did not reveal any clear plans by Iran to retaliate for the latest U.S. strikes.
Senior Iranian official casts doubt on progress toward deal, calls U.S. response to demands “not convincing”
Senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said Tuesday that the U.S. response to “Iran’s rights and demands was not convincing,” suggesting ongoing efforts by mediators Qatar and Pakistan to broker an agreement between Washington and Tehran still had significant hurdles to overcome.
“America’s response to Iran’s rights and demands was not convincing, and they must fully and explicitly address Iran’s seven conditions and act upon them; only in this case will the Strait of Hormuz be reopened,” Rezaei, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, said in a post on X.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told reporters later Tuesday that Iran was “not afraid of diplomacy,” provided that it was used to “safeguard the interests of the Iranian nation and prevent the escalation of insecurity in the region.”
“Given the United States’ record of violating previous agreements, we participate in any diplomatic process with the utmost caution and complete distrust,” Baqaei said. “Reaching any understanding is conditional on an unequivocal commitment to stopping the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
An image shared with CBS News by the Indian Sailing Vessels Association shows a traditional dhow small cargo vessel, identified by Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as the MSV Al Jusufi fuel carrier, on fire after it was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, Nov. 3, 2026, killing one Indian seafarer.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the strike, but Iran has attacked numerous cargo ships and tankers in recent months that it accuses of using unauthorized shipping lanes in the south of the Strait of Hormuz, which the U.S. government and military claims are safe and open to commercial traffic.
Trump tells Fox News U.S. aid for Israel worth $4 billion per year to end by 2027
President Trump told Fox News on Tuesday morning that U.S. aid to Israel, which he said is worth $4 billion per year, would end by the end of this year.
Mr. Trump gave little detail on the announcement, which appeared to refer to longstanding U.S. military support for Israel, but he said the end of the aid arrangement had been agreed in advance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Netanyahu and I, we made a deal that we give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping, and they’re fine with it, because, you know, they’ve become a very successful country. They don’t need it,” Mr. Trump told Fox in a phone interview. “We’ve already agreed that by the end of this year, we won’t be paying Israel. Now, we’ll help Israel if they need it, you know. They’ve been a great ally.”
U.S. support for Israel has been a hugely contentious issue in American politics for many years, but the level of military aid in particular has become more hotly debated in Washington since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
It was in the wake of that war that Israel and the U.S. jointly launched the war against Iran, which has pushed gas and oil prices to record levels over the last eight months, bringing huge pressure on Mr. Trump’s Republican party ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Netanyahu told CBS’ 60 Minutes earlier this year that he wanted to phase out U.S. military aid to Israel, as he has said on various occasions.
Mr. Trump acknowledged to Fox on Monday that his announcement came after left-wing politicians had used the issue as a “talking point,” asking: “Why should we suffer the slings” from Democratic candidates when Israel doesn’t need the aid.
Qatar reportedly expects feedback from U.S. and Iran on latest peace proposal within 36 hours
Qatari mediators expect feedback from Iranian and U.S. negotiators on new ideas aimed at getting both sides closer to a deal to end the war within 36 hours, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing an official briefed on the talks.
“The mediators came up with a new suggestion to move the process along, and it’s currently being studied by the two sides,” the official told Reuters.
Efforts to reach a deal to prevent a return to fighting between Iran and the U.S. have ramped up recently. President Trump has said he is still open to an agreement, but he has also threatened to resume major U.S. strikes after Tuesday’s midterm elections.
On the eve of the U.S. elections, Mr. Trump again expressed hope that an agreement could still be reached, claiming Tehran wanted a settlement “as soon as possible.”
Iranian officials declared Monday that the ball “is in the U.S. court,” and they said Iran’s core demands to end the war would not be altered.
Iran “retains the right to legitimate self-defense” after U.S. strikes, senior official says
CBS/AFP
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tuesday that Tehran reserved the right to self-defense after the U.S. carried out what officials described to CBS News as limited, defensive strikes on the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran retains the right to legitimate self-defense until the military aggression has been completely and permanently brought to an end,” Gharibabadi was quoted as saying by Iran’s ISNA news agency.
The U.S. military launched strikes on Iranian targets Monday after the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired at an American aircraft, a senior U.S. official told CBS News.
Qatari mediators remain hopeful of deal
CBS/AFP
Qatar said on Tuesday it remained hopeful that an interim deal could be reached between the United States and Iran as both sides review proposals put forward by mediators.
In recent days, diplomatic efforts have been underway to prevent renewed fighting after the United States threatened major new strikes, though President Trump signalled diplomatic progress with Iran.
“Both parties remain committed to the negotiation process; as we mentioned, we are facilitating the real-time exchange of proposals between them,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters.
Both sides “are currently reviewing the ideas and proposals we have presented,” he added.
“We remain hopeful that there is still a chance for a deal to take place,” he said, adding Doha was working “towards an interim deal”.
1 killed after cargo vessel struck near Strait of Hormuz
An India-flagged cargo vessel was struck by an “unidentified aerial object” off Oman, killing one Indian crew member, New Delhi said Tuesday.
Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the tanker MSV Al Jusufi had 14 Indian seafarers on board when it was attacked.
“While 13 crew members safely evacuated and were rescued by the Omani Coast Guard, I am deeply saddened to report that one of our seafarers, Gandhar Nahim Ajij from Gujarat, tragically succumbed to his injuries,” Sonowal said in a statement on social media.
India is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping worldwide, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to the shipping ministry.
Several of its mariners have been killed in attacks in the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.
India’s foreign ministry has repeatedly condemned attacks on commercial vessels, calling for unimpeded and safe navigation through international waters.