Attacks on a key Saudi oil pipeline were launched from Iraqi territory, said Iraq's government Saturday, pledging to probe further.
Iraq closed two key border crossings with Iran, halting all passenger and commercial traffic until further notice, Iran’s state-run media reported Saturday.
Meanwhile, fears mount that gas and oil prices may rise and international shipping could be further disrupted after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis seized a key island and captured a Red Sea port.
Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the operations command in Maysan province and dismissed its commander after authorities determined that attacks targeting Saudi Arabia were launched from a site in the province, the Iraqi government said in a statement early Saturday.
Saudi Arabia shut down the major, cross-country oil pipeline on Friday, saying it was a “precautionary measure."
The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on several drones that came from Iraq and, in a statement, said the kingdom would not retaliate to give the Iraqi government “an opportunity to take the necessary measures.”
The East-West pipeline has been vital to Saudi Arabia’s continued oil exports in the months since the Iran war disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the International Energy Agency, Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea port at the pipeline’s end have more than doubled since the Iran war erupted.
Tehran-backed Iraqi militias have launched attacks on U.S.-linked targets both inside and outside of Iraq since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 and have coordinated with Yemen’s Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia.
Crude prices this week soared again above $100 a barrel, giving Tehran more leverage in any talks. Analysts worry that the Houthis’ seizure of Yemen’s port city of Mokha may create further complications for shipping on the Red Sea and raise oil prices.
Valiollah Hayati, the deputy governor of Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, said Iraqi officials had announced the closure of the Shalamcheh and Chazabeh crossings.
Hayati urged traders, drivers and travelers not to approach the crossings until further notice. He said relevant authorities would release additional information.
Shalamcheh and Chazabeh are among the main official border crossings between Iran and Iraq.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
Yemen's Houthi rebels chat as they check their weapons during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
CORON, Philippines (AP) — Thirty charred bodies found inside a burned passenger ferry in the western Philippines arrived at a port Saturday for identification after a ship fire killed at least 35 people and left more than 50 others missing earlier this week.
Retrieval operations will continue as more bodies are still inside the MV June Aster, coast guard officials said without providing a count. There were 43 survivors among the 132 people on board.
The ferry sailed from the capital, Manila, and was off the village of Turda some 39 kilometers (24 miles) from its destination, the Port of Coron, when the fire was reported Wednesday evening.
The cause of the blaze has not been determined but a survivor said it may have started from the cargo hold. The survivor recounted hearing a blast, with smoke and fire quickly spreading, fanned by the winds, officials said.
Tents were put up in the Port of Borac in Coron, Palawan province, where body bags were brought down from a ship that transported them from the burned ferry. The coast guard said the bodies were turned over to the Provincial Forensic Unit for identification.
Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, the coast guard spokesperson, said authorities are looking for the ship's captain, who reportedly survived but is not listed among the survivors.
The multiagency maritime safety and criminal investigations will look into all angles, and the possible liability of the captain and crew, she added.
Cayabyab said survivors recounted the incident happened quickly, with no time to get life jackets. A tarpaulin that shielded the open areas of the ship from the rain “may be a possible contributing factor but we can’t determine now if they were trapped inside,” she added.
Investigators will also check if fire emergency procedures were followed, including if the captain sounded an alarm or gave a warning and instructions, and if the crew assisted the passengers.
Images provided earlier by the coast guard showed the charred interior of the ship and what appeared to be human remains, ashes and burnt metal, including a car.
Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva, a survivor who recounted the chaos inside the ferry after the fire quickly spread, told a local news outlet that he couldn't get a life jacket as people were in a panic and stepping on him.
Lira Daco, whose 20-year-old daughter is missing, said she was pained by the thought that her daughter could have burned alive, and at the difficulty of identifying her among the charred remains found in the ship.
According to the manifest, 134 people were onboard, with 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. The 53-meter (174-foot) vessel had a capacity to carry 306 passengers and 27 crew. Two passengers listed in the manifest reported to authorities that they failed to board, the coast guard said.
Two of the survivors were tourists from Chile, according to Rachel Conserman, a staffer of the ship’s owner Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. The coast guard said the foreigners have left Coron and authorities have coordinated with their embassy.
The shipping company said in a statement it was assisting those who were on board and their families while coordinating with the coast guard and maritime officials to locate the missing passengers and determine the cause of the fire.
Coron is a popular tourist destination known for clear blue waters, limestone cliffs and rock formations.
Ferries are frequently used for transport in the Philippine archipelago. Sea accidents are not uncommon due to storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.
In 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.
Cerojano reported from Manila, Philippines.
In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, ferry MV June Aster smolders off Palawan province, western Philippines, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, days after it caught fire. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
Lira Daco, left, wipes tears beside husband Menandro as they wait for news of their missing daughter in Coron, Palawan province, western Philippines, Friday Sept. 11, 2026, days after the ferry MV June Aster caught fire off Coron. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
This photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard shows damages on the ferry MV June Aster off Coron, Palawan province, western Philippines, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, days after it caught fire.(Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
This photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the ferry MV June Aster off Palawan province, western Philippines, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, days after it caught fire. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
In this handout provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, rescuers transfer the remains of victims of the recent fire on the MV June Aster ferry on Friday Sept. 11, 2026 off Coron, Palawan province, western Philippines. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
