Day 218 of the WarSaturday, October 3, 2026
Day 218 — Explosions on Qeshm as Mehr Denies a Hit; Two Iranians Charged Over Manchester Plot; Dollar Nears 270,000 Tomans
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Qeshm · Strait of HormuzManchester, EnglandWashington · Paris · SanaaTehranEvin Prison
Pezeshkian Claims the Enemy's 'Economic War' Has Failed as the Dollar Nears 270,000 Tomans
Iran- Pezeshkian wrote on X that the government has adopted 'a new arrangement' for the special conditions and that 'economic pressure has increased, but we have not allowed the enemy's goals in the economic war to be realized,' even as the free-market dollar reached around 270,000 tomans, per Iran International.source
- IRGC-affiliated Fars reported that the Central Bank plans to block the accounts and rial payment gateways of several crypto exchanges it accuses of placing 'artificial orders' in the Tether market, leaving one side open so users can settle their funds, while overnight Tether trading remains halted.source
- IRGC Aerospace adviser Ali Balali said the force's arms and missile supply chain is intact and production continues non-stop, that all missile components are made inside Iran and that forces can keep fighting 'as long as needed,' also claiming the U.S. copied the Shahed-136 drone, per Iran International.source
- IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohabi said the Houthis won last year's confrontation with the U.S. and that Trump must learn from it and accept Tehran's conditions, describing artificial intelligence as the 'main player' in the war with America, per Iran International.source
Nine Women Political Prisoners in Evin Cut Off From Their Families; Leaked IRGC Manuals on Crushing Unrest
Iran- Sources told Iran International that nine women political prisoners in Evin, among them Golrokh Iraee and Minoo Rouzehdar, have been barred from phoning their families for a month with no reason given; they discovered their phone cards had been blocked when they tried to call.source
- Rouzehdar, a mother of three held in Evin since her latest arrest last winter, has also been barred for a month from family and lawyer visits and from receiving medicine, books and essentials; sources said a security officer threatened her after she removed her headscarf in hospital.source
- Shin said it obtained a 2,521-file IRGC/Basij instructor package whose unrest-control course lists 'shooting by skilled marksmen' and 'use of firepower' among measures commanders may use, classifies post-election crowds as 'abnormal' and cites wage disputes, unemployment and living costs as causes of unrest.source
Explosions Heard on Qeshm: Mehr Denies Any Hit on the Island as Images Show a Projectile-Like Fragment
Gulf & Naval- After reports of several explosions heard on Qeshm island on Saturday afternoon, Mehr news agency wrote, without citing official sources, that there had been 'no hit or security incident on the island's territory,' suggesting the sounds may be linked to 'firing at ships' in the Strait of Hormuz, per RadioFarda.source
- Images on social media showed a large cylindrical object resembling part of a military projectile in an urban area of Qeshm, amid unconfirmed reports of air-defense fire and several blasts before it fell; officials gave no explanation and RadioFarda said it could not verify the reports independently.source
- LiveIranNews, citing local messages, said several missiles were launched from Qeshm at around 4:35 p.m. and that a piece that appears to be part of a missile's body or booster fell near the Mohaddeseh state high school, with several similar reports describing the fall near the school.source
- TankerTrackers declared the Strait of Hormuz 'officially open' to oil tankers, saying more than 18 million barrels of oil a day are now flowing through the strategic route, per LiveIranNews.source
Two Iranian Nationals Charged Over an Alleged Plot Against Manchester's Jewish Community
Global- British police said two Iranian nationals, aged 36 and 34, from Liverpool and Salford, were charged with planning a 'terrorist' attack on Manchester's Jewish community; arrested on September 20, they were allegedly in contact with 'a person abroad who is likely in Iran,' per RadioFarda, citing AFP.source
- Sky News said the charges include seeking materials for improvised bombs, including instructions for a chlorine and brake-fluid device, using encrypted messaging and scouting possible targets; police searched homes in Liverpool and Salford and say the plot was foiled, with no ongoing public threat.source
- The two were due to appear at Westminster court on Saturday; the charges were announced on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and nearly a year after the deadly attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in north Manchester that killed two people, per RadioFarda.source
Hegseth: Hormuz Is Under U.S. Control; IEA Releases Top 325 Million Barrels; Saudi Jets Hit Sanaa Again
Global- War Secretary Pete Hegseth said a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic conflicts with vital U.S. interests, as Washington has made clear since Operation Midnight Hammer, insisted Hormuz is under U.S., not Iranian, control and warned all options are on the table unless Tehran makes the right decision, per Iran International.source
- The IEA said members have released 325 million barrels from emergency stocks — over 80% of the 400 million pledged in March — a day after the G7 agreed to release another 100 million barrels of crude and diesel over four months; Fatih Birol said prices fell about $5 after the decision, per RadioFarda.source
- Military and medical sources said on Friday that more than 70 people had been killed in southwestern Yemen in 24 hours, per RadioFarda; on Saturday Saudi jets struck Sanaa for the second time this week, hit a telecom tower in Saada and launched renewed raids as Houthi air defenses fired, per Open Source Intel.source