"Bang" 3 Dead, Including Pilot... Trump Takes a Step Back for Now

[Anchor]

The situation in the Middle East is worsening day by day. With missiles striking a Saudi Arabian airport and oil tankers being repeatedly attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, international oil prices are soaring. U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped in to defuse the situation, declaring that he will not attack Iran before the midterm elections.

Reporting from Washington, this is correspondent Lee Hanseok.

[Reporter]

Crimson flames and thick smoke filled the area around the passenger boarding bridge.

On the 8th local time, a ballistic missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, causing severe damage to a Saudia passenger aircraft and killing three people, including the pilot. The airport was temporarily closed, leading to the cancellation of more than 275 flights.

The Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Tensions are also escalating in the Persian Gulf.

Casualties were reported after an oil tanker was attacked off the northern coast of Qatar, and a Panamanian vessel was also targeted in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran dismissed U.S. claims that Iran has lost control of the strait and that oil transportation is normalizing.

[Mohammad Mokhber / Senior Advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader : (Will the Strait of Hormuz reopen?) No. The strait will not reopen until various issues involving the countries concerned are resolved.]

As international oil prices surged by more than 5% during trading, U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media to state that productive discussions are underway with Iran, declaring that he would not attack Iran before the midterm elections on November 3 to calm the situation.

Just two days earlier, he had raised the pressure by hinting at the possibility of resuming military operations, but he has now taken a step back.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President (local time 6th) : We have to wrap this up. It's just a matter of deciding how to do it. Whether we do it nicely or the other way.]

This is interpreted as an effort to slow the pace after rumors of an imminent resumption of large-scale military operations caused international oil prices to fluctuate and heightened voter discontent over the burden of war expenditures.

Immediately following Trump's remarks, international oil prices gave up some of their gains, but anxieties regarding disruptions to crude oil supplies originating from the Middle East have not subsided.

(Video Shooting: Oh Jung-sik | Video Editing: Lee Seung-yeol)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.