Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday, including US President Donald Trump defending the Iran war amid midterm losses, world leaders offering mixed reactions to Democrats' victory in US midterm elections, and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying two oil tankers and a tugboat catching fire in separate incidents in the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was worth the political and economic costs as his Republic Party lost the midterm elections, insisting that the country had "no choice" but to take military action to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Asked at the White House whether he believed the conflict was worth it, Trump responded: “I do. Yeah. I mean, well, you have no choice.”
“The Iran thing we had to do, and we continue to do it,” he added.
Asked about Vice President JD Vance's suggestion that the war in Iran contributed to Republican losses, Trump agreed, acknowledging that the conflict had pushed gasoline prices higher in the short term.
“Well, I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up,” he said.
Meanwhile Vance blamed the war with Iran for Republicans' defeat in the midterm elections, saying voter anger over the conflict drove former Trump supporters to back Democrats.
World leaders on Wednesday offered mixed reactions to Democrats' victory in the US midterm elections, with some welcoming the outcome as a sign of political change while others reaffirming their commitment to maintaining strong relations with Washington.
Democrats secured control of both the Senate and House of Representatives in Tuesday's elections, delivering a major setback to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius congratulated Democrats on their "historic victory" but stressed that Europe must continue assuming greater responsibility for its own security.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez interpreted the outcome as a rejection of Trump's policies and a broader setback for the international far right. French Economy and Finance Minister Roland Lescure described the Democrats' electoral gains as "undeniable" but cautioned that Trump would retain significant authority over US foreign policy.
British Health Minister James Frith described the results as a "seismic shift" in US domestic politics but said the change would not affect the longstanding relationship between London and Washington.
European Parliament Vice President Christel Schaldemose expressed cautious optimism that the Democratic victory could benefit Ukraine, the green transition and international cooperation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning described the elections as an internal American affair and reiterated Beijing's willingness to maintain constructive relations with Washington. South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed the reported Democratic victories in both chambers of Congress, interpreting the results as a clear expression of the American electorate's preferences.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Thursday said that two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in separate incidents in the Strait of Hormuz after vessels attempted to use what it called an unauthorized route.
In a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, the Revolutionary Guard said a large oil tanker struck a mine Wednesday night while attempting to pass through an “unauthorized route” south of the strait. The tanker caught fire and came to a halt, the statement said.
In a separate incident, another supertanker caught fire while leaving the route in the eastern part of the strait, it said. A tugboat approaching to help extinguish the blaze also caught fire, the statement added.
The Revolutionary Guard also said that its navy's electronic warfare unit had "taken control of two Lucas-type aircraft" that it described as "intruding."
The Revolutionary Guard claimed that its navy continued to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Fenerbahce came from behind twice to beat Liverpool 3-2 at home, securing their first UEFA Champions League victory in more than 18 years.
Liverpool took the lead through Trey Nyoni in the 25th minute, but Mason Greenwood equalized four minutes later to send the teams into halftime level at 1-1.
Alexander Isak restored Liverpool's advantage in the 69th minute before Archie Brown struck four minutes later to make it 2-2. Vedat Muric completed the comeback in the 79th minute, sealing the victory for the Turkish side at Istanbul's Chobani Stadium.
Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono has been left devastated by the death of Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel following a collision during a Spanish second-division match, his teammate Lautaro Spatz said Wednesday.
De Miguel, 30, died Tuesday after suffering serious injuries in a collision with Owono during Monday’s match between Tenerife and Andorra.
Spatz, an Andorra defender, paid tribute to De Miguel in a social media post while defending his teammate, who has faced scrutiny following the incident.
“I also want to say a few words about my teammate, goalkeeper and friend, who is deeply affected by what has happened,” Spatz wrote.
Rockstar Games announced that players will be able to preload Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) starting Nov. 10, ahead of its global release on Nov. 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Preloading will begin at midnight local time, allowing players who have purchased the game digitally to download it before the official launch.
The company said the game will require up to 212 GB of storage, depending on the device.
Code-in-box versions for both consoles are expected to become available through retailers starting Nov. 12. GTA 6, one of the most anticipated video game releases in recent years, is set in the fictional state of Leonida, which is inspired by Florida, and features two main characters, Jason and Lucia.
A shipwreck discovered during underwater excavations near Kekova Island in Türkiye's southern Antalya province has entered Guinness World Records as the world's oldest shipwreck.
Hakan Oniz, head of the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage at Akdeniz University's Faculty of Fine Arts, told Anadolu that his team has been conducting research along the Mediterranean coastline for years on behalf of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Oniz said the team has uncovered many significant shipwrecks and shared its discoveries with the international community.
Chinese tech giant Tencent on Wednesday launched a new artificial intelligence model, Hy4, with safeguards aimed at reducing the risk of its misuse in cyberattacks and potentially harmful biological research.
The Shenzhen-based company, best known for developing the popular messaging app WeChat, said the model was trained using cybersecurity data focused on defensive tasks, such as identifying and fixing software vulnerabilities, while excluding material related to offensive exploitation.
Tencent said security assessments conducted by its internal research teams found no significant concerns about the model's ability to assist in cyberattacks in the areas tested.
The company also said Hy4 demonstrated strong knowledge of biology but had more limited capabilities in designing open-ended experiments compared with some of the most advanced AI models.
Brent crude fell below $100 a barrel Wednesday for the first time in a month, extending losses for a third consecutive session amid diplomatic efforts to resolve the US-Iran conflict.
The international benchmark declined $4.90, or 4.73%, to $98.70 a barrel as of 1615GMT.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude fell $4.26, or 4.43%, to $91.85 a barrel, its lowest level in about three weeks. European natural gas prices also declined, reversing earlier gains.
Heating oil prices dropped by 0.15% to $4.5 per gallon.
Precious metal prices surged as a weakening US dollar and declining Treasury yields boosted commodity markets following key Democratic gains in the US midterm elections.
Gold prices jumped more than 2% during trading, reclaiming the $4,000-per-ounce threshold. Bullion was trading around $4,024 an ounce, a daily gain of 2.37%, at around 0738GMT.
Silver posted a steeper gain, rising nearly 4% toward the $52-per-ounce mark. Meanwhile, the US dollar index slipped below 101.5, touching its lowest point in five weeks.
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