Riyadh Woken By Explosions As Air Defenses Intercept Attack

For the residents of Riyadh, the early hours of October 25 began with air raid warnings and the sound of three explosions, heard by an AFP journalist in the Saudi capital. Authorities had prepared to reopen King Khalid International Airport after a two-week closure caused by repeated attacks from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. But the Saudi-led military coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile targeting the city and two drones in the capital area. A cruise missile aimed at the southern city of Khamis Mushait was also intercepted, and air raid warnings sounded in other southern areas. The Saudi civil defense agency said it had responded to falling debris in the Mecca and Medina regions the day before after intercepting two Houthi missiles, claims the Houthis denied, calling Riyadh’s account a “huge lie.”

The human toll is already stark. A Houthi attack on the Riyadh airport on October 10 killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. A Houthi military spokesman had warned that the airport, scheduled to resume flights on October 25, remained “unsafe” and a “military target,” and the extent of its operations remained unclear. The rebels have also warned airlines against using Saudi airspace. Saudi Arabia has faced repeated missile and drone attacks since the US-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28, and a UN-brokered truce from 2022 that had largely halted fighting between the Saudi-backed government and the Houthis collapsed earlier this year amid the wider conflict.

Against this backdrop, a diplomatic effort is unfolding. Top representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, members of the so-called Mecca alliance, were set to meet in Tehran on October 26, according to media reports. Saudi Arabia was to be represented by Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkey by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Reuters reported, citing sources. Ali Baqeri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s top security body, told state television that senior officials from the three countries would visit Tehran for regional security talks.

Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Dr. Rayed Krimly confirmed the October 26 meeting, saying representatives of the three countries would meet with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. “The visit comes as part of the continued efforts by the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement countries for de-escalation between parties involved in the ongoing crisis, and promoting dialogue and diplomatic solutions,” Krimly wrote on X. The talks would mark the first high-level contact between Iran and representatives of all three countries since the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia intensified. The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed in Mecca on August 7 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three countries shall be regarded as an attack against all three. Turkey’s parliament has yet to ratify the pact. Pakistan approved it last week.

Inside Iran, ordinary households face a different pressure: winter is approaching and gas is running short. Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has called for a nationwide campaign to cut natural gas consumption by at least 10 percent, saying consumers would receive payments directly into their bank accounts for gas saved. First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref warned earlier in October of a daily winter shortfall of 100 million to 250 million cubic meters due to war damage, though he expressed hope of restoring around 100 million cubic meters of supply before winter. Iran, a major gas producer, has long struggled with domestic shortages, worsened by US-Israeli strikes on energy infrastructure, including gas refineries, during nearly 40 days of intense fighting that began in February. An April cease-fire ended the bombardment, but tensions persist over the Strait of Hormuz.

That waterway has seen measurable recovery. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, visited the strait on October 25 as US forces marked a milestone: 1.5 billion barrels of oil exported through the waterway by Gulf countries since the summer, with more than 3,000 commercial vessels transiting under CENTCOM support over six months. “Today, primary transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz remain free and clear of Iranian sea mines thanks to incredible efforts by our people,” Cooper said. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the war began, demanding permission for ships to transit a passage that normally carries about one-fifth of global oil supplies, prompting a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and vessels on April 13. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month that “the Strait of Hormuz is open” and that Iran has “lost complete control” of it. Maritime tracking firm Kpler reported crude exports reached pre-war levels in September, with at least 16.5 million barrels shipped from the region, excluding Iran.

The threat of renewed fighting, however, has not receded. The Atlantic reported on October 22, citing US officials, that President Donald Trump is considering resuming military operations against Iran with several days of strikes, potentially shortly after the November 3 midterm elections. Trump has received competing proposals: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly argues sanctions and a blockade could force concessions, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has advocated another round of US-Israeli strikes aimed at overthrowing Iran’s government. An outside adviser told the magazine that “the economic pressure is working, and we believe Iran is getting close to the edge,” adding that new strikes “would push them over.” US officials stressed no decision had been made, and Trump has publicly ruled out new attacks before the midterms.

Netanyahu, who has campaigned heavily on his security credentials ahead of Israel’s October 27 elections, warned in a video released October 25 that “our enemies, Iran, and its proxies, could challenge us with attacks in order to disrupt the elections,” adding, “Don’t test us. You will suffer disproportionate blows.” Trump urged Israelis to vote for Netanyahu, calling him an “outstanding warrior.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards carried out drone strikes against positions of the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala in the Balisan region of northern Iraq, the Mehr news agency reported on October 25, with no immediate reports of casualties and no IRGC confirmation. Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on October 27 at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, with the two leaders expected to discuss economic cooperation and geopolitics, according to Iran’s ambassador Kazem Jalali. The visit comes amid mounting threats, including a warning from US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack on October 23 that Washington could strike Iran as soon as that weekend.

The disruption reaches even ceremonial and commercial life. Saudi Arabia postponed the UN World Data Forum and the Second Saudi Statistical Forum, set for November 9-12 in Riyadh, until 2027, following a decision to push its Future Investment Initiative conference, known as Davos in the Desert, to next year. The Six Kings Slam tennis tournament moved to December 27-30, and the kingdom’s round of the World Rally Championship was removed from the 2026 calendar. For now, the people of Riyadh, Taif, Yanbu, and the holy cities watch the skies, while officials in Tehran prepare to sit down with the very governments their allies have been attacking.