U.S. inflation accelerated to 3.7% as energy costs soared
Inflation picked up after two months of holding steady at an annual pace of 3.4%. Core CPI, which excludes the more volatile energy and gas categories, rose 2.6% from a year ago, accelerating from a 2.4% rate in August and higher than economists’ forecast of 2.5%.
Inflation has risen sharply since the start of the year due to soaring energy prices, sparked by the war in Iran and Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The Labor Department said Wednesday that gasoline prices, which rose 9.1% in September from the prior month, accounted for more than half the monthly increase in the CPI report. Energy prices rose 20.4% from a year ago, while gasoline jumped 34.2%.
Prices at the pump have cooled slightly in recent weeks but remain elevated. The national average for a gallon of gasoline was $4.33 a gallon on Wednesday, AAA reported, up from $2.98 before the war started. The national average for diesel, which hit a record high in late September, was $6.29 a gallon.
Lebanese, Iranian foreign leaders discuss situation in the Middle East
Both sides “discussed the current situation in the region in light of recent developments and agreed on the necessity of supporting diplomatic solutions as the best means to put an end to the conflicts in the region,” the Lebanese presidency said in a statement about the call.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group has been waging war with Israel in the southern part of Lebanon for months, with the official Lebanese government attempting to cool the conflict down with ceasefire agreements. Those have all been dismissed and ignored by Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh arrived in Lebanon for talks with several groups. He was greeted by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is pro-Hezbollah, and other Hezbollah representatives, according to the official Iranian news outlet IRNA.
The meeting comes amid an increase in attacks by another Iran-backed proxy group, the Yemen-based Houthis.
“During his visit, Khatibzadeh is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with senior Lebanese officials and prominent figures to discuss bilateral relations and explore opportunities to broaden cooperation between the two countries,” according to IRNA.
2 more ships attacked in Hormuz: U.K. navy reports
Both vessels were struck on Tuesday by an “unknown projectile,” bringing to four the number of attacks on ships in Hormuz that day.
Iran and the United States continue to vie for control of the waterway, a vital shipping route for Gulf energy exports.
Tehran regularly targets ships it accuses of transiting without its permission, while Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said a 50,000-ton container ship and another 19,000-ton vessel were struck but continued on their way after sustaining only minor damage.
No casualties were reported in the attacks.
British security firm Vanguard also said attacks had targeted four ships. It identified the vessels as the GFS Pride and GFS Giselle, both sailing under Singaporean flags, and the Alfonso, which was flying a Barbados flag. The fourth ship was identified as the Al Saadiyat, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag.
According to Vanguard, the GFS Pride, a container ship, sank, while the fate of the Alfonso, a tanker, remains unknown.
Iran says cargo ship sinks after hitting naval mine in Strait of Hormuz
There were few details, including about the fate of the crew. Iranian state TV quoted a statement from the IRGC saying the ship was traveling on what Iran considers an illegal and dangerous route – likely the shipping lanes the U.S. has urged vessels to use, close to Oman’s coast – when it hit the mine Wednesday morning.
It said the ship was carrying 2,500 containers when it first caught fire. Iran has repeatedly warned ships against trying to transit the strait without its approval.
At the end of August, President Trump declared the strait free of sea mines, saying U.S. forces had “totally cleared the strait of mines … Any boat goes through with a mine, we take it out.”
There was no immediate verification of the sinking and no report by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor.
CBS/AP
Houthis warn attacks on Saudi airports, oil infrastructure will continue
In a televised statement, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the attacks were “in response to the treacherous Saudi aggression against the capital Sanaa and the free governorates” and part of the group’s “deterrence operations against the Saudi aggressor.”
Saree also warned international shipping companies, civilians, and employees working at the targeted airports and businesses to “stay away from them and evacuate them immediately,” as they would be considered legitimate targets.
Saudis say another Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh was intercepted
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said in a post on X a ballistic missile “launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards Riyadh has been intercepted and destroyed.”
Earlier, residents in the Saudi capital had reported hearing explosions.
Residents in Saudi Arabia’s capital say they have heard new explosions in Riyadh
The residents spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety. One lives in northern Riyadh, where King Khalid International Airport is located.
The source of the explosions wasn’t immediately clear. The Saudi civil defense reported air raid alerts in Riyadh and Kharj province southeast of the capital. Kharj is home to the state-owned Military Industries Corporation and Prince Sultan Air Base.
The airport in Riyadh has been targeted several times in the past week with deadly attacks. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen have claimed responsibility.
Intercepted missiles over Riyadh injure at least 4 people, officials say
State-run Saudi Press Agency reported the injured included two women, a man and a child. Images released by Saudi’s Civil Defense showed broken windows caused by what it said was fallen shrapnel.
CBS/AP
Building fire reported in Aramco compound targeted by Houthis, Saudi officials say
The attack comes as the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi coalition exchanged attacks Tuesday night. It marks a fresh escalation in the widening Middle East crisis and came shortly after the Saudi coalition reported a series of alerts for incoming missiles heading for the country’s Eastern Province, a major oil-producing region and the capital Riyadh.
Saudi-led forces confirm strikes on Yemen oil sites
Blasts were heard shortly after in Saudi capital Riyadh and at an oil giant Aramco facility in eastern Saudi Arabia, witnesses and journalists told AFP.
Tuesday’s coalition strikes in Yemen’s Sanaa and the western provinces of Dhamar and Saada targeted facilities used to “supply the war effort” by the Houthis to “threaten the kingdom, Yemen, the southern Red Sea and waterways,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki wrote on X.
An AFP correspondent in Sanaa reported an explosion, while a breaking news alert on the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV channel said earlier that “Saudi aggression” targeted the oil firm.
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