Fears mount US-Iran war could restart

With little transparency from Washington and warmongering from Tehran, people across the Middle East have been left anxious and confused, scanning for signals on whether the conflict between Iran and the United States will reignite.
“The mood has definitely shifted,” a 36-year-old American national living in Saudi Arabia told CNN. She plans to leave before Tuesday’s midterms, after which US President Donald Trump has hinted renewed fighting is possible.
“People are more cautious in general, and it feels like a waiting game to see what happens,” she added.
At home and workplaces across Gulf Arab countries, questions are swirling. Residents are searching for clues that could help them make plans in case of school closures or travel disruption.
The war began in February when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It entered its eighth month this week with both sides still locked in a stubborn stalemate, neither making progress diplomatically nor capable of breaking the military impasse.
Trump has offered little clarity on his endgame, oscillating between threats of further strikes and openness to possible diplomacy. Iran has tried to project its own deterrence, claiming it now possesses weaponry capable of striking more targets and inflicting even greater damage than before. Mediation is continuing – but a breakthrough would depend on at least one of the two sides breaching their own red lines.

Iran warned on Sunday that any renewed war with the United States could last longer than the previous round of fighting, after President Donald Trump said he still had to "take care" of more targets.
Diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East war have been punctuated by repeated threats from the US and Israel to resume bombardments as they hold crucial elections.
Meanwhile, Iran on Sunday designated Britain’s Royal Navy and Royal Air Force terrorist organizations and declared its MI6 foreign intelligence service a hostile entity, state-run news agency IRNA reported.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the United Kingdom of participating in US-Israeli military attacks on Iran by providing military bases and logistical support.
On the other hand, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen reported two airstrikes on the University of Hodeida on Sunday, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV channel.
The group blamed the strikes on Saudi Arabia, which it says hit the university’s medical school. There was no immediate word on casualties. 
Qatar’s liquefied natural gas shipping company Nakilat said Sunday that one of its vessels was struck by “unidentified objects” while in the Persian Gulf.
Nakilat, officially known as Qatar Gas Transport Co., said that the carrier, called Al Mayeda, sustained damage Friday night, but no crew members were injured and there was no environmental impact. The vessel remained operational, it said.

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