Iran pressure, Houthi escalation and a tightening Israeli election race

From RAF Fairford to the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran's reach dominated the week

Iran's widening shadow war and the Gulf on edge — The week's most consistent thread was Iran. UK PM Andy Burnham told parliament a suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford was 'highly likely' coordinated by Iran, and OpenAI separately disrupted an Iranian influence operation using seven fake journalist personas that produced nearly 100 articles. A Norwegian teen, Johannes Natland, was sentenced to 20 years for a murder plot orchestrated by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish criminal group paid by clients including Iran, though UK police found no direct Iran link. Militarily the picture darkened. The Pentagon instructed CENTCOM to prepare for renewed large-scale fighting against Iran even as Trump's pledge not to strike before the November 3 midterms stood, and Israeli assessments suggested fighting may resume in weeks. Trump confirmed the US is considering striking Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site while Iranian President Pezeshkian denied seeking nuclear weapons. Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired about 30 ballistic and hypersonic missiles plus drones in a drill, the first since Operation Roaring Lion, and Iranian officials told regional diplomats they were certain the US would attack. Admiral Brad Cooper said Hezbollah, Hamas and Iraqi Shia militias were transferring funds back to the Revolutionary Guards due to desperation from a US naval blockade costing Iran $25 billion, with $350 million in Iranian crypto assets frozen. The Gulf felt the spillover. Houthi strikes killed 13 at Riyadh airport and wounded hundreds, and a drone hit a tanker near Oman's Sohar port, which UKMTO reclassified as an attack. Saudi FM Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud spoke with Iran's FM about lowering tensions, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty offered Saudi Arabia military assistance including a regional defense alliance, and a Saudi coalition intercepted a ballistic missile toward Yanbu. Trump said Saudi entry into the Abraham Accords is 'back on the table, perhaps more than ever.' The October 27 race narrows as blocs trade blows — With the October 27 Knesset elections approaching, the campaign moved to the centre of the week. A Kan 11 poll put Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar first with 22 seat