The Current Affairs Digest · ages 15+ · 2026-10-26
Riyadh's Airport Reopens as Iran Claims Tankers Were Hit at Hormuz
Two terminals restart under Houthi threat, while unconfirmed reports of ship strikes add to oil's jitters.
Saudi Arabia reopened Terminals 1 and 2 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday 25 October, for domestic and international flights. Houthi strikes had put the airport out of service for more than two weeks. The Houthis are an armed group from Yemen, Saudi Arabia's southern neighbour. Flight-tracking data showed air traffic remained limited despite the reopening.
The danger did not end with the reopening. Saudi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said forces intercepted and destroyed a Houthi-fired ballistic missile and a drone. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree warned airlines, airport staff and passengers that the airport was a military target and unsafe to use. Each side's claim is a statement by a party to the conflict, not independent confirmation.
The same tension has spread to sea. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy said two supertankers carrying a combined more than 4.5 million barrels of crude hit naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz on 24 October. Earlier, Iran claimed seven tankers were struck overnight. No maritime authority has confirmed either claim, though the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre did say one tanker leaving the strait was struck by an unknown projectile.
Washington disputes Iran's account. President Trump accused Iran of fabricating attack reports to drive up oil prices before the US midterm elections. Whoever is right, the reports reach the market: the Economy page shows how oil and prices are moving.
Why it matters
Much of the world's oil passes through Hormuz and Saudi Arabia is a major exporter, so danger to either shows up in fuel prices that India, as an importer, pays.
THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. Iran says tankers were hit here; no authority has confirmed it.