Day 244 of the WarThursday, October 29, 2026

Day 244 — UKMTO Says a Burning Vessel Sank Off Khasab and a Small Craft Attached Explosives to a Tanker; WSJ Says CENTCOM's Cooper Briefed Trump on Iran Options in Person

Strait of Hormuz · Khasab (Oman) · Qeshm · SirikWashington · Fort Bliss (Texas) · Ovda · NevatimDoha · Tehran · Washington · MoscowIsraelTehran · Qom · Isfahan

The National Iranian Gas Company's CEO Says 11 of 30 Provinces Will Face 'Gas Stress' This Winter After Consumption Rose About 30% in Five Days and Part of Gas Infrastructure Was Damaged in the War, per RadioFarda; HRANA Says Three Dey 1404 Protest Detainees Were Sentenced to Death on Charges Including 'Operational Action for Israel' and Leila Abolhasani's Death Sentence Was Overturned, per Vahid Online; MP Mahmoud Nabavian Says He Asked Mojtaba Khamenei to Authorise Building an Atomic Bomb, per Iran International; Reuters Says a Covert Network of More Than 5,000 Entities Supplies Iran's Missile and Drone Programmes, Bypassing Sanctions and the Naval Blockade, per Iran International

Iran

National Iranian Gas Company CEO Saeed Tavakoli told IRNA 11 of 30 provinces will face 'gas stress' this winter, with consumption up about 30% in five days and part of gas production infrastructure damaged in the war, per RadioFarda; an Iran Gas Company official told ISNA three northern provinces face the hardest conditions.source
HRANA said Branch 23 of Tehran's Revolutionary Court sentenced Dey 1404 protest detainees Amirreza Rezaei, Vahid Ghahremani and a cleric named Mehdi to death on charges including 'operational action for Israel', and that the Supreme Court overturned Leila Abolhasani's death sentence, per Vahid Online.source
MP Mahmoud Nabavian said on X he asked Mojtaba Khamenei at a pro-government night rally in Qom to authorise building an atomic bomb, and MP Hossein-Ali Hajjideligani claimed Iran has 'very good preparations' for pre-emptive attacks and threatened to push oil above $150 a barrel, per Iran International.source
Reuters said in an investigation that a covert network of more than 5,000 entities linked to Iran's military structure imported billions of dollars of equipment for its missile and drone programmes, bypassing Western sanctions and the U.S. naval blockade, with one entity alone importing $2.3bn, per Iran International.source

The Wall Street Journal Says CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper Presented Military Options Against Iran to Trump in Person at the White House — an Unusual Step — With Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine Attending, per Iran International; Sen. Chris Murphy Says Lawmakers Were Briefed in a Classified Session on a Plan to Resume Operations Against Iran After the Midterms and Calls It 'Crazy', per RadioFarda and BBC Persian; Kan Says 10 U.S. Transport Aircraft Flew From Fort Bliss to Ovda and Nevatim, Likely Carrying Interceptors, and the Jewish Chronicle Says a Patriot Battery Is Moving From Texas, per Iran International; Hegseth Removed the Joint Staff's J5 Director, Lt Gen Brett Sylvia, With No Reason Given, per BBC Persian, and Trump Says the War Will End Soon

US / Coalition

The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials and informed sources, said CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper presented military options against Iran to Trump in person at the White House — an unusual step — with Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs chairman Dan Caine attending, per Iran International.source
Sen. Chris Murphy said he and other lawmakers were briefed in a classified session on the administration's plan to resume military operations against Iran after the midterms; he called the plan 'crazy', saying it appears to rest on short-term strikes but its consequences could be far wider, per RadioFarda and BBC Persian.source
Kan News said the U.S. flew 10 transport aircraft from Fort Bliss, Texas, to Israel's Ovda and Nevatim bases, likely carrying interceptors and air-defence equipment, possibly linked to more Patriot systems, per Iran International; the Jewish Chronicle said a Patriot battery is moving from Texas to the Middle East.source
Pete Hegseth removed Lt Gen Brett Sylvia, the Joint Staff's director for strategy, plans and policy (J5), with no reason or successor announced, per BBC Persian citing AFP, The Atlantic and AP; Trump said attacking Iran was necessary to stop it obtaining a nuclear weapon and that the war will end soon, per Iran International.source

UKMTO Says a Vessel Seen Burning 9 nm North of Khasab Later Sank With All Crew Evacuated, Giving No Details of the Incident, per BBC Persian, as the IRGC Navy Claims Three 'Violating' Tankers Hit Mines in 24 Hours, Which Is Not Independently Confirmed; UKMTO Says a Small Craft Attached Two Explosive Devices to an Outbound Tanker 25 nm North-East of Khasab at 22:12 UTC, Temporarily Disabling It, Without Identifying the Craft, per Vahid Online; the IRGC Claims It Downed an MQ-1 and 'Landed' an MQM-170 Intact, and CENTCOM's Spokesman Rejects the MQM-170 Claim, Saying the IRGC 'Has Repeatedly Lied'; Residents Describe Missile Launches From Qeshm and Tasnim Claims a 'Hostile Fighter' Was Forced Out, per Vahid Online and Akhbar-e Fouri

Gulf & Naval

UKMTO said a vessel reported burning 9 nm north of Khasab, Oman, at 03:00 UTC later sank, with all crew evacuated, giving no details of the incident, per BBC Persian; the IRGC Navy claimed three 'violating' tankers hit mines on the strait's 'unauthorised' southern route in 24 hours, which BBC Persian says is unconfirmed.source
UKMTO said a small craft attached two explosive devices to an outbound tanker 25 nm north-east of Khasab at 22:12 UTC, causing an engine-room fire and temporarily disabling it; the craft was not identified, per Vahid Online. Earlier UKMTO reported a tanker leaving the strait hit by an unidentified projectile, per Iran International.source
The IRGC claimed it shot down a U.S. MQ-1 drone near Sirik and that its navy 'landed intact' an MQM-170 'spy and decoy' drone west of Hormuz; CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins told AP, rejecting the MQM-170 claim, that the IRGC 'has repeatedly lied out of desperation' and 'today is no different', per Vahid Online.source
Residents' messages relayed by Vahid Online described missile launches from Qeshm around 22:45 local time and later two loud blasts; Tasnim claimed the IRGC Aerospace Force forced a 'hostile fighter' to leave the Qeshm area, per Akhbar-e Fouri, and Fars linked some blasts heard off Sirik and Qeshm to warning shots at 'violating' vessels.source

Tom Barrack, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tells CNN in Doha Washington and Tehran Are 'Very Close' to a Point Where They Can 'Create a Pause and De-Escalate', per BBC Persian, While Ghalibaf Says Progress Will Come Only if Iran's Seven Conditions Are Accepted and 'Carrot and Stick' Has No Effect, per Iran International; Axios Says Vance's Letter to Mohsen Rezaei Made Any Talks Conditional on Discussing the Nuclear Issue, per BBC Persian, and Tasnim Says Tehran Has Not Yet Replied; Kremlin Spokesman Peskov Says Russia Is Ready to Mediate and to Take Iran's Enriched Uranium if That Is the Dispute; QatarEnergy's Chief Tells Reuters He Met Iran's Acting Oil Minister Twice in Two Weeks, per Iran International

Global

Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey, told CNN in Doha Washington and Tehran are 'very close' to a point where 'we can say let's create a pause and de-escalate', per BBC Persian; Ghalibaf wrote on X that progress will come only if Iran's seven conditions are accepted, as 'carrot and stick' has no effect, per Iran International.source
Axios, citing a U.S. official, said Vance's letter to SNSC secretary Mohsen Rezaei stressed that any talks to avert U.S. strikes 'require discussing the nuclear issue', per BBC Persian; Tasnim said Tehran has received the letter, has not yet replied and rejects any position outside its seven conditions, per Iran International.source
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Al Jazeera Russia is ready to mediate between Iran and the U.S. if asked and, if the dispute is over Iran's enriched uranium, to move it to Russian territory, per Iran International; Putin said Russia received information from the IRGC on social networks' role in Iran's protests, per BBC Persian.source
QatarEnergy chief Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters he met Iran's acting oil minister twice in two weeks on post-war oil and gas cooperation, and that QatarEnergy is buying long-term LNG from the U.S. and other suppliers as a hedge against disruption in Hormuz, per Iran International.source

Kan, Citing the Central Elections Committee, Says All Votes Including Double Envelopes Are Counted, Giving Netanyahu's Bloc 53 Seats, the Parties Opposing Him 48 and Arab Parties 19, So No Bloc Has 61, per Iran International and BBC Persian; Shin Bet Is Tasked With Probing Alleged Money From Turkey and Qatar After Netanyahu's Camp Alleges Bribery of Arab Voters, Herzog Calls for a 'Full' Inquiry Without Smearing Arab Citizens and Qatar and Turkey Deny Interfering, per BBC Persian; Eisenkot Accuses Likud of a Campaign to Delegitimise the Results as Likud Asks Police and Shin Bet to Investigate, per Iran International; The Telegraph, Citing Iranian Officials, Says Tehran Is Preparing Operations to Disrupt the U.S. Midterms

Global

Kan, citing the Central Elections Committee, said all votes including double envelopes are counted: Netanyahu's bloc has 53 seats (Likud 27), the parties opposing him 48 (Yashar 21, Bennett's Together 12, Democrats 8, Yisrael Beiteinu 7) and Arab parties 19 (Joint List 11, Ra'am 8), so no bloc has 61, per Iran International.source
After Netanyahu and his allies alleged 'election bribery' of Arab voters, Shin Bet was tasked with probing alleged money transfers from Turkey and Qatar; Herzog called for a 'full' inquiry but warned it must not tarnish Arab citizens as a whole, and Qatar and Turkey denied interfering, per BBC Persian.source
Gadi Eisenkot accused Netanyahu and Likud of an 'organised campaign to delegitimise the election results' because 'they lost and have no majority', while saying any Qatari bid to influence the vote must be examined; Likud asked police and Shin Bet to step in, citing hundreds of testimonies, per Iran International.source
The Telegraph, citing Iranian officials, said Tehran, after trying to interfere in Israel's election, is preparing operations to disrupt the U.S. midterms, one official telling the paper 'powerful cyber groups' have been formed to hack election systems, per Iran International.source

Sources