Qatari mediators hand Iran new proposal to end the war

Kuwait summoned Iran's envoy in protest on Wednesday, after Tehran denied one of its citizens, sentenced to death in Kuwait, was involved in an assassination plot targeting a top government figure.

Earlier this week, two Kuwaiti judicial sources told the AFP news agency that the Gulf state had condemned three Shia men to death for plotting the assassination of Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Fahad al-Yousef, collaborating with Iran; and for membership in Hezbollah.

Iran's embassy in Kuwait said earlier Wednesday it "rejects the Kuwaiti government's claim regarding the involvement of an Iranian citizen in a plot to assassinate figures or in any other act that could harm Kuwaiti national security."

It added that the person in question had been outside Kuwait for 10 years.

It said it regretted a "negative approach towards Iran, manifested, among other things, in the repetition of flimsy and worn-out scenarios concerning Iranian interference in Kuwaiti affairs."

In response, Kuwait summoned Iranian ambassador Mohammad Toutounji over the statement, which it said "constituted blatant interference in the internal affairs of the State of Kuwait and an infringement upon its sovereignty and the independence of its judiciary."

Abdulredha Haydar Dahqani was among those who had been sentenced to death, the judicial sources told AFP.

Dahqani, an Iranian national, had already been handed the death penalty in 2016 after he was tried in absentia along with 25 Kuwaitis. He was convicted of spying for Iran and plotting attacks.

Another was Hussein Abdallah al-Maatouq, a religious dignitary and secretary-general of the National Islamic Alliance, Kuwait's most influential Shia movement, the sources said.

Israel's defense minister on Wednesday denounced opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot for urging the military to resist post-election pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has threatened new strikes on Iran.

"His call to senior military officials not to obey the directives of the prime minister or me or of other relevant security authorities, on the grounds that 'they have his support,' is an anti-democratic statement detached from reality," Israel Katz wrote on X.

Eisenkot, a former military chief, said in a speech to supporters after Tuesday's election that Netanyahu was a caretaker prime minister lacking a mandate and the military should serve the state rather than the premier.

"Stand firm in the face of any attempt to challenge you. You have my unequivocal backing. Netanyahu, do not dare use Israel's security for your political needs," Eisenkot said.

Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened in recent days to renew strikes on Iran.

Media reports, denied by Netanyahu, said military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir pushed back immediately before the election on the prime minister's new plans on Iran.

Eisenkot's comments were the latest in "a campaign of lies" about tension between Netanyahu and the military over Iran, Katz said.

Yemen's Ministry of Transport has warned of risks to civil aviation safety after Aden International Airport was targeted in a missile attack attributed to the Houthi group for the sixth time, Saudi Arabia's Asharq News reported.

The missile strike shook parts of the southern city, raising fresh concerns over the safety of airport operations and the potential threat to civilian air traffic.

Airport authorities had evacuated all employees and workers from the facility following Houthi threats to target the airport.

Iran is finalizing a protocol with Russia to accelerate joint development of small modular nuclear reactors, Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman and deputy for international, legal and parliamentary affairs at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, has announced.

Speaking to Iran's Shabakeh Khabar television network, Kamalvandi said the agreement would facilitate closer cooperation on the construction of small modular reactors, a technology attracting growing international interest as countries seek reliable, low-carbon electricity sources. SMRs are far smaller than traditional large-scale reactors.

Kamalvandi also highlighted rising global electricity demand, driven in part by artificial intelligence, digital technologies and the electrification of transport. He said nuclear power could provide stable baseload electricity while helping reduce emissions.

He claimed Iran's nuclear industry had reached a mature stage and said the country had developed substantial domestic capabilities in nuclear plant construction, fuel-cycle technology and nuclear safety. He also stated political pressure had delayed some Iranian projects but had not halted the country's nuclear activities.

Kamalvandi made the remarks while discussing Iran's participation in an international ministerial conference on nuclear energy in South Korea. He said the Iranian delegation was using the event to promote international cooperation and argue that countries party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty should have their rights respected alongside their obligations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Wednesday that any Israeli-instigated attack in the Gulf region would have a "devastating impact" on global markets.

"Devastating impact on int'l markets of any Israel-instigated military misadventure in Persian Gulf region remains major concern for both gas suppliers and consumers," Araghchi said in a post on X.

The United States and Israel have in recent days raised the prospect of renewed attacks on Iran in the war, which began in late February with strikes on the Islamic republic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking to form a new government after close elections, said on Wednesday he could work with President Trump to eliminate the "existential threat" posed by Iran.

Iran's Embassy in Kuwait has categorically rejected the Kuwaiti government's allegation that an Iranian citizen was involved in a plot to assassinate public figures or in any other activity that could undermine Kuwait's national security.

The embassy said in a statement that it "categorically rejects the allegation made by the Kuwaiti government regarding the involvement of an Iranian citizen in a plot to assassinate public figures or in any other act that could undermine Kuwait's national security, and recalls that the aforementioned individual has not been present in Kuwait at any time during the past ten years."

A Kuwaiti State Security and Terrorism Criminal Court sentenced three men to death on Monday over an alleged plot to assassinate First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef, with prosecutors accusing the defendants of spying for Iran, communicating with Iranian-linked entities and joining Hezbollah, two judicial sources told the AFP news agency Tuesday.

The court also sentenced eight other defendants to varying prison terms.

According to Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai, the defendants were accused of communicating with Iran and entities allegedly operating in its interests, including Lebanese group Hezbollah, to carry out hostile acts against Kuwait following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28, at the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Wednesday Saudi Arabia killed dozens of people with strikes in Yemen. The group also said it had targeted the perimeter of an airport in government-held Aden

Houthi broadcaster Almasirah reported 14 dead "and 10 wounded, including women and children in a preliminary toll," in attacks blamed on Saudi Arabia that hit a market and a petrol station in the northwestern Jawf province.

In Aden, a Houthi missile fell inside the perimeter of the airport shortly before the Iran-backed group issued a call to evacuate the area, a local police source told the AFP news agency.

The source added that the strike hit while a Saudi military aircraft was at the airport, but the plane "was not hit and took off shortly afterward."

He spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a post on Telegram that the cargo plan was "transporting weapons to kill the sons of the Yemeni people."

The Houthis have targeted Aden several times in recent weeks. They have also intensified attacks on their Saudi foe, while they battle the government it backs in Aden.

The United States has told its Gulf allies to prepare for a brief but intense campaign against Iran after the midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people briefed on the matter.

The U.S. military is shipping a Patriot antimissile system from Texas to Israel and has transferred troops off bases where they may have been vulnerable, officials familiar with the decisions told the outlet.

American forces across the Middle East have been restocking munitions and aircraft have been preparing for strikes, the paper reported, while an additional aircraft carrier strike group and Marine unit are set to join the 20 or so warships in the region, though some other vessels could be withdrawn.

The Houthis have called on people in Aden International Airport in southern Yemen to evacuate immediately, claiming that a Saudi military cargo aircraft is transporting weapons there intended to kill Yemenis.

Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a post on X: "Our armed forces call on those present at Aden Airport to evacuate the airport immediately, due to the presence of an enemy Saudi military cargo aircraft transporting weapons to kill the sons of the Yemeni people."

Aden is the seat of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, and has been since the Iran-backed Houthis took the country's capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

A senior Iranian official denied Wednesday that Qatar had presented Tehran with a new peace proposal, saying instead that Qatar had come with "unacceptable" ideas, the Reuters news agency reported.

Reuters reported earlier Wednesday that Qatari mediators handed Iran a new draft deal to end the war on Sunday, citing an official briefed on the negotiations.

Dismissing the idea that they had been given a new peace proposal, the Iranian official speaking to the news agency said Tehran would show no flexibility on the nuclear issue.

Qatari mediators on Sunday handed Iran a new draft deal to end the war, the Reuters news agency reported, citing an official briefed on the negotiations.

Tehran is considering the proposal and set to respond by the end of the week, the agency reported Wednesday.

The source added that there were concerns in Tehran before the meeting on Sunday that Israel could resume its bombardment of Iran this week.

The cost of the Iran war has risen to an estimated $47 billion, according to an estimate from the U.S. military's Central Command obtained by CBS News Tuesday. 

Like previous estimates, it does not include damage to U.S. military bases in the Middle East. The bulk of the cost, $29 billion, is for replacing expended munitions. 

According to a report released by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in September, the Iran war could cost approximately $2 billion to $3 billion per month for as long as it continues.

Exit polls from Israel's major television networks project that a majority of Israelis voted against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition in Tuesday's election, but his Likud party still emerged as the largest party among all the contenders. Neither bloc, Netanyahu or the opposition, has a clear majority. 

While Netanyahu appears to have won fewer votes than his main challenger, according to the early exit polls, both candidates will likely struggle to cobble together a coalition.

One or the other would need to obtain majority support in Israel's 120-seat parliament, known as the Knesset, in order to form a government.

Israel's two Arab parties won more seats in parliament than in any previous election. That electoral success comes after what some Arab voters told CBS News was a difficult time for them in the country under the hard-right government of Netanyahu, prompting a historic turnout for the minority community. 

Both Netanyahu and those opposing him have vowed not to form a government reliant on Arab parties, arguing it would endanger the country if they gain enough seats to influence Israel's engagement in its myriad conflicts. Arab citizens of Israel are around 20% of the population.