Donald Trump has rejected reports that Washington had offered Tehran sanctions relief.
Trump dismissed reports that his administration had offered Iran access to frozen funds or sanctions concessions in exchange for nuclear commitments.
Both Axios and CNN cited US officials as saying the Trump administration was preparing to offer sanctions relief in exchange for “concrete” steps to rein in Iran’s nuclear programme.
“This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump did confirm on Monday that US officials had spoken with mediators in New York, as he insisted the US will win its war in Iran “very soon”.
Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, the US president promised the price of gas would come tumbling down after the war, adding he believed it would be over “quickly”.
“We’re going to win, as far as I’m concerned, it’s going to be one way or the other,” Mr Trump said. “It’s going to go pretty quickly.”
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was prepared for a “doomsday” war with the US, while at the same time keeping channels for diplomacy open.
Key Points
- Explosions head 'likely warning shots' at vessels in Strait of Hormuz
- UK releases suspects as Iran denies role in RAF Fairford
- Trump denies sanctions relief for Iran
- Iranian president’s defiant UN speech accuses US of ‘terrorism’ and flouting international law
- Gulf nations keep oil flowing despite Iran war as costs mount
Rubio warns Iran with nuclear weapon would ‘blackmail the world’
06:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the Strait of Hormuz remains largely open, with oil flows close to pre-war levels apart from Iranian oil, but warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an “unacceptable risk”.
He said Tehran could use nuclear weapons to “blackmail the world and to kill people”, potentially controlling the strait and energy supplies.
Rubio also criticised Iran’s leadership, saying: “Who calls the shots in Iran are radical Shia clerics with an apocalyptic vision of the future. They believe that it is a religious calling to trigger about the last days of the world, the apocalypse.”
He accused Iran of using money from sanctions relief and economic sales to build weapons and “export the revolution” rather than “improve the lives of the Iranian people”
.“They use the money to fund Hezbollah, they use the money to fund Hamas, they use the money to fund Shia militias in Iraq… they use the money to sponsor terrorism and assassination plots,” he said.
UK releases suspects as Iran denies role in RAF Fairford
05:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Five British men in their early 20s have been released on bail after being arrested near RAF Fairford over suspected terrorism and explosives offences.
British counterterrorism police said the investigation was ongoing and that they were examining possible links to Iran, Russia or non-state armed groups, including whether the suspects may have been acting as proxies for a foreign government.
Police have not publicly tied Iran to the arrests.Iran has categorically denied any involvement, calling the allegations “unfounded and malicious”, according to a statement by Iran’s embassy in London.
US president Donald Trump said the incident “might be” connected to Iran, while UK ministers warned of threats from Iran and its proxies.
Trump denies sanctions relief for Iran
03:57 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Donald Trump has rejected reports that Washington had offered Tehran sanctions relief.
Trump dismissed reports that his administration had offered Iran access to frozen funds or sanctions concessions in exchange for nuclear commitments.
“This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, Trump confirmed on Monday that US officials separately spoke with mediators, without giving further details.
He also said: “We’re going to win, as far as I’m concerned, it’s going to be one way or the other. It’s going to go pretty quickly.”
Recap: Men arrested over RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’ released on bail
03:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Five men arrested over a suspected bomb plot near an RAF base have been released on bail, the Metropolitan Police has said.
The suspects, who are all British nationals aged in their twenties and from London, were arrested over potential terror offences in Whelford, Gloucestershire, in the early hours of Sunday.
They were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and later on suspicion of terrorism offences, after a villager dialled 999 when she saw three vans and a group of masked men near the base.
You can read more below:
Men arrested over RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’ released on bail
Iranian state actors targeting UK dissidents, activists and journalists with spyware
02:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
British intelligence has issued a warning after finding Iranian spies have targeted dissidents with spyware that can enable tracking of their movements.
Dissidents, activists and journalists were targeted by state actors that impersonated their contacts on messaging apps to trick them into downloading spyware called Chosen Brick, the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, warned.
The malware gave agents access to the person’s contacts, emails and social media messages as well as a device’s microphone and content on the screen.
You can read more below:
Iranian state actors targeting dissidents and activists with spyware
Recap: Iranian president’s defiant UN speech accuses US of ‘terrorism’ and flouting international law
01:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian launched a defiant attack on the United States and Israel at the UN, the day after President Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic.
The US leader warned he could send Iran to “hell” during his combative address to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, seven months after the war he started alongside Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.
In his address to the gathering in New York on Wednesday, Mr Pezeshkian insisted that Iran would never surrender and held up images of children killed in a strike on a primary school in Minab.
You can read more below:
Iranian president accuses US of ‘terrorism’ and ignoring international law at UN
Gulf nations keep oil flowing despite Iran war as costs mount
Tuesday 29 September 2026 00:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
When Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz at the beginning of the war, cutting off sea passage for some 15 million barrels of oil a day, many feared that prices would skyrocket.
Instead, nearly seven months on, oil is expensive but not exorbitant, and analysts suggest current supply is sufficient to meet current global needs, even as the higher prices cause political problems for US President Donald Trump and others.
That's because Saudi Arabia and other Gulf producers quickly found alternative routes and reached for unused pipeline capacity. When Iran and its militant allies targeted those, the oil exporters and the U.S. military found further workarounds in an often clandestine game of whack-a-mole.
You can read more below:
Gulf nations keep oil flowing despite Iran war as costs mount
Watch: RAF Fairford: What happened and who is behind the alleged terror plot?
Monday 28 September 2026 23:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Analysis: The RAF Fairford bomb plot was designed to fail. So who was behind it?
Monday 28 September 2026 22:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
If this was a ploy to use old school techniques in the age of drones it was doomed from the start, says world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
The RAF Fairford bomb plot was designed to fail. So who was behind it?
Explosions head 'likely warning shots' at vessels in Strait of Hormuz
Monday 28 September 2026 21:47 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Explosions heard tonight in Iran’s Qeshm Island are likely a result of warning shots fired at violating vessels in the Strait of Hormus, according to Iran’s state TV.
Explosion heard in Iran's Qeshm Island, state news reports
Monday 28 September 2026 21:17 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
The sound of an explosion was heard in Iran's Qeshm Island coming from the direction of the sea, Iran's official news agency IRNA said late on Monday, without providing details about the reason of the sound.
We’ll bring you the latest on this development as soon as we have it.
Trump says US officials spoke to negotiators
Monday 28 September 2026 21:15 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Donald Trump confirmed that US officials had spoken with mediators on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he added the US will win the Iran war "very soon" and that gas prices will come tumbling down.
Trump ‘surprised’ as five suspects released on bail over suspected RAF Fairford plot
Monday 28 September 2026 21:08 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
US President Donald Trump has said he is “surprised” five suspects were released on bail over a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford, adding that he would not have released them.
Five British nationals were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism on Sunday after three suspicious vans were found near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which is used by the US Air Force.
The men were released on bail on Monday after police found no viable explosives on the site, but detectives stressed the men “absolutely remain under investigation”.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Monday, Mr Trump said he would not have released the suspects, adding the plot “might be” connected to Iran.
“I would have said, don't let them have bail, cashless bail,” he said. “Is it cashless bail? I guess that was one of the problems that we had, which started the whole mess of crime, and we're ending cashless bail. But over there, I'm surprised that they released them. I wouldn't have deadlines. Look, they've been very good. They worked with us very closely."
Pressed on whether Iran was involved he said: “I'd rather not. I mean, I know the answer. I can be very specific, but I'd rather not say it. But I would not have released them.”
Trump trolls Iran by renaming the Strait of Hormuz shipping route after himself
Monday 28 September 2026 21:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Donald Trump taunted Iran as he labelled the Strait of Hormuz “Trump Strait” after Tehran proposed a deal to open the key waterway within a week if the US meets certain conditions.
In a post on his Truth Social platform in the early hours of Saturday, the US president shared a picture of a map, with the shipping route labelled with his own name.
It comes after Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi presented a seven-day plan involving a ceasefire to American negotiators on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week. The conditions for Washington largely echo the ones agreed to in the June deal that fell apart.
You can read more below:
Trump trolls Iran by renaming the Strait of Hormuz shipping route after himself
Security measures stepped up at UK military bases that support US forces
Monday 28 September 2026 20:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Security has been stepped up on Royal Air Force (RAF) bases that have a US military presence following a suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford on Sunday.
RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk confirmed it is on Charlie alert, which is the second-highest threat level that can be issued by the US Department of Defence.
The confirmation to PA came amid reports that RAF Fairford has been raised to the highest threat level, Delta.
A spokesperson for the USAF said its personnel based at RAF Fairford “remain vigilant”, but “for operational security reasons we will not discuss specific force protection measures”.
They said its 501st Combat Support Wing and UK counterparts “will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families”.
The 501st is “the only combat support wing in the USAF” and operates from 10 bases including Fairford, according to its website.
In focus: Iran wants one thing in its war with the West
Monday 28 September 2026 19:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
As speculation swirls over the RAF Fairford plot, Maira Butt take a closer look at the drone strikes, assassination attempts and hacking data centres that key suspect Iran and its affiliates are believed to have utilised in recent years.
Iran wants one thing in its war with the West
Iran set to hold separate talks with mediators on Monday or Tuesday, official says
Monday 28 September 2026 18:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Qatari mediators are likely to hold separate talks with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi in New York and with the US side on Monday or Tuesday, in a fresh push to end the war.
The talks are expected to focus on an amended version of a seven-day proposal that Iran presented last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, said the official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Mr Araqchi remains in New York after attending the General Assembly. It was not immediately clear who would represent the US side in the talks with mediators.
Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency later confirmed that Mr Araqchi would meet the mediators in the US on Monday morning, New York time.
The two sides will "examine the latest proposals and views regarding the current situation", ISNA added.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state media later on Monday that Mr Araqchi's stay in New York had not been extended and that the foreign minister would return to Tehran according to his original schedule.
Mr Baghaei made no comment on the talks with mediators.
Watch: Wes Streeting pressed over terror police 'investigating Iran link' to suspected bomb plot near RAF Fairford
Monday 28 September 2026 17:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Netanyahu made secret weekend trip to meet UAE’s leader – report
Monday 28 September 2026 17:00 , Mehraj
Benjamin Netanyahu traveled secretly to the UAE over the weekend to ask its leader to deny reports that he had warned the Israeli prime minister about a looming Hamas threat ahead of the Palestinian militant group's 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, Associated Press reported.
The meeting between Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan took place on Sunday, according to two people briefed on the prime minister’s trip, which was first reported by Israel’s Channel 12 TV station.
One of them said the talks focused on a report published by the Israeli daily Haaretz earlier this month that said the Emirati leader had warned Netanyahu ahead of 7 October.
Netanyahu asked his host to deny the report, according to a person with firsthand information about the meeting. Netanyahu’s office had previously denied the Haaretz report.
The UAE’s foreign ministry declined to comment on reports about the meeting but stressed that it maintained “open and direct lines of communication” with Israel and shared “all relevant intelligence”.
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.
Men arrested over RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’ released on bail
Monday 28 September 2026 16:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Five men arrested over a suspected bomb plot near an RAF base have been released on bail, the Metropolitan Police has said.
The suspects, who are all British nationals aged in their 20s and from London, were arrested over potential terror offences in Whelford, Gloucestershire in the early hours of Sunday.
They were arrested in suspicion of explosives offences and later on suspicion of terrorism offences after a villager dialled 999 when she saw three vans and a group of masked men near the base.
Police are understood to be investigating if any potential plot could be linked to Iran, which has used proxies to carry out crimes on British soil in the past.
You can read more below:
Men arrested over RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’ released on bail
Iran's Supreme Leader says 'enemy forces' will soon be driven out of Arabian Sea
Monday 28 September 2026 15:45 , Mehraj
Iranian forces had driven “enemy forces” back from waters off southern Iran to the Arabian Sea, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Monday, Reuters reported, citing his Telegram channel.
He warned that Iranian forces would soon push them out of the Arabian Sea as well.
