Donald Trump has added to his list of reasons for starting a war with Iran nearly eight months ago.
The president has always said the ongoing conflict, which began at the end of February, was launched to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But now he has claimed Operation Midnight Hammer was bombing “drug factories” in the country.
However, speaking at a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, Mr Trump said: “They went from Missouri and then at one o’clock in the morning, with no moon, dark as can be, these unbelievable machines led by the most incredible pilots in the world, they unloaded every single bomb, went right down air chutes into this, uh, drug factories, really.
“That’s what they were doing. They were nuclear and drugs. They were doing drugs, but they were doing the nuclear.”
It comes after he said early indications suggest Iran was most likely linked to the Israeli plane hijacking attempt on Wednesday.
President Trump warned the US would retaliate if the link is established to Iran, telling reporters: “Oh, they’ll be hit, very hard, don’t worry.”
Key Points
- Trump sends 9,000 troops to Middle East after threatening to it Iran 'very hard'
- US 'needs to get idea of bringing us to our knees out of its head', says Iran
- Trump says US will not be banning diesel export
- Trump now claims Operation Watch: Midnight Hammer was bombing 'drug factories' in Iran
- Crude oil tanker struck off Oman
Trump's top national security aides secretly met to discuss Iran – Report
06:00 , Vishwam Sankaran
The US president's top cabinet members reportedly met secretly at Camp David to discuss next steps in the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Yemen.
The meeting was chaired by Vice President Vance and included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA director John Ratcliffe and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, according to Axios.
"Things were decided or at least deeply discussed," one of the officials reportedly said.
Crude oil tanker struck off Oman
05:00 , Vishwam Sankaran
A crude oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile off Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said today.
Authorities are investigating the incident, and vessels passing through the area have been advised to exercise caution.
All crew members of the tanker are safe, and no environmental effects have been reported so far, according to UKMTO.
The ship's master reportedly said the vessel was hit on its port side about 4 nautical miles (5 miles) east of Oman.
Trump says US will not be banning diesel export
04:05 , Vishwam Sankaran
US president Donald Trump said that he would not authorise an export ban on diesel, hours after G7 countries announced that they would release diesel from their emergency reserves.
“Europe has a lot of diesel, and they’re going to be making a major world contribution, and so are we, and we’re not going to be doing the export ban,” Trump told reporters today.
“We were never going to do it,” he said after appearing to back the idea over the last few days.
Trump's comments come after the Group of Seven major economies, including the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy, said they would release 100 million barrels of fuel in the next four months, including “a front-loaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days".
Watch: Israel warned UK over ‘Iranian attack’ ahead of RAF Fairford incident, Netanyahu claims
03:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Watch: Trump now claims Operation Watch: Midnight Hammer was bombing 'drug factories' in Iran
02:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Trump sends 9,000 troops to Middle East after threatening to it Iran 'very hard'
01:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Around 9,000 US troops are being deployed to the Middle East aboard a group of ship after Donald Trump warned that new strikes against Iran could be on the horizon.
The group of ships now en route to the Middle East together carry over 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines.
It includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which recently deployed with the cruiser USS Chosin, and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group, which includes the USS John P. Murtha and USS Anchorage amphibious landing ships.
It could mean that three carriers are in the region as early as the end of October, according to a US official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
President Trump also said early indications suggest that Iran is linked to the co-pilot who stabbed his captain and tried to crash an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday.
He warned that if the link is established to Iran, the US would retaliate.
“Oh they’ll be hit, very hard, don’t worry," he said. “You just ask them. They know what happened. They’ll be hit very hard.”
India warns of major ‘food crisis’ in coming months amid El Nino and global conflicts
Saturday 3 October 2026 00:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
India's foreign minister S Jaishankar has warned that the world faces a "major food crisis" in the coming months, as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East compound the effects of a super El Nino.
Speaking at an event organised by the Asia Society in New York, Mr Jaishankar said the two conflicts had "a devastating impact" on the economies of the Global South, and that energy, food, fertiliser and finance were all under strain at once.
"If you have energy as a big crunch and then food and fertilisers on top of it, and finance, because every time there's a conflict, money moves towards safe harbours and away from the Global South, the net result of it has been really very, very stressful," he said.
India warns of major ‘food crisis’ in coming months amid El Nino and global conflicts
US 'needs to get idea of bringing us to our knees out of its head', says Iran
Friday 2 October 2026 23:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Iran will continue to defend itself but remains open to discussions with America.
According to state media, he said on Thursday that the US needed to “get the idea of bringing us to our knees with terror and martyrdom out of its head.”
Pezeshkian added: “We defend the rights of our society with dignity and pride, and we have never run away from dialogue and will not do so, although the United States has targeted our country three times despite having signed the agreement.
“The enemies thought that with the martyrdom of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the people, commanders, and scientists - the country - would collapse, but our national and internal unity and cohesion increased.”
Trump touts having the best numbers of any president, despite his dismal approval rating
Friday 2 October 2026 22:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Donald Trump claimed once again that he had the “best numbers” of any president, even as his approval poll ratings continue to slide and Americans are feeling serious economic pains stemming from the war in Iran.
The president was in Denton, Texas, on Thursday at a manufacturing plant on Thursday as part of a two-state swing that will also include a visit to Choctaw tribal lands in Oklahoma. He spoke to a crowd of a few hundred people as he tried — not for the first time this week — to convince voters that it was merely an image problem from which the GOP and his presidency are suffering.
"We have the greatest numbers of any president in the history of our country, and I can't get the word out,” the president complained. “The only thing we’re doing bad at is public relations.”
Trump touts having the best numbers of any president, despite dismal approval rating
Yemen carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets in Taiz province, spokesperson says
Friday 2 October 2026 21:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The military spokesperson for Yemen's internationally recognised government said on Friday that warplanes carried out 20 strikes over the past three hours targeting Houthi movements, personnel, vehicles and military equipment in Taiz province.
The strikes come amid the most serious escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022.
Unchallenged occupation of southwestern Yemen's Taiz would give the Houthis full control over the country's north, a tighter grip on the Red Sea coast and easier access to the south and the southern port city of Aden, seat of the government.
The renewed conflict has already `displaced tens of thousands of people and could reshape control in Yemen, with implications for Red Sea shipping lanes and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Saudi Arabia said on Thursday the Houthis attacked a power distribution station in Medina that supplies electricity to the Prophet's Mosque.
A Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, denied the claim and said it was intended to cover up what he described as Saudi Arabia's failure to substantiate an earlier accusation that the Houthis had targeted the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
British-Iranian man arrested over alleged RAF Fairford bomb plot
Friday 2 October 2026 20:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A sixth man has been arrested in the investigation into an alleged bomb plot near RAF Fairford.
The 25-year-old man, a dual UK/Iranian national, was arrested on Thursday afternoon in the Borough of Westminster, London, on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, Counter Terrorism Policing said.
Searches of two properties were also carried out in the same area.
Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans said: “The investigation into circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of enquiry.
British-Iranian man arrested over alleged RAF Fairford bomb plot
FlyDubai incident: Co-pilot may have ties to Iran
Friday 2 October 2026 19:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Wounded FlyDubai captain recounts fight to save passengers, and other Mideast developments
Friday 2 October 2026 18:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Indian airline captain who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a FlyDubai flight said in a live video call that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save passengers after being stabbed by his co-pilot.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who was running in Israel’s upcoming election is withdrawing his candidacy following comments over Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel:
Wounded FlyDubai captain recounts fight to save passengers, and other Mideast developments
Iran 'weighing options' against US as talks remain stalled, says Israeli official
Friday 2 October 2026 18:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Iran is weighing its options for how to hit back if the US resumes hostilities and could attempt to disrupt Israel's upcoming election, a senior Israeli defence official told the Jerusalem Post.
The official said Iran was still assessing the American side's willingness to resume stalled talks on its nuclear programme and the easing of sanctions.
"The Iranians are looking for tools within this campaign. They are asking themselves how they can get out of this situation. It is reasonable to assume that they are also discussing the possibility of influencing the elections in order to understand the other side," the official was quoted as saying.
Trump: Europe agrees to release diesel reserves ‘immediately’ as fuel prices hover near record highs
Friday 2 October 2026 17:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
President Trump said Friday that Europe has agreed to release some of its diesel reserves “immediately,” as the president and his Republican Party face pressure to address surging prices ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Trump announced the action on social media without offering details on which countries were releasing reserves or at what volumes.
Trump writes, “Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked Diesel Oil.” Trump says, “The process will begin immediately.”
The president faces lagging approval ratings as the Iran war and his trade battles have increased U.S. prices for oil and other goods.
Watch: Trump now claims Operation Midnight Hammer was bombing 'drug factories' in Iran
Friday 2 October 2026 16:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Iran war could cost Trump mid-terms
Friday 2 October 2026 16:30 , Sian Elvin
Donald Trump has admitted that the Iran war could cost the Republicans the mid-terms.
Asked if the seven-month war could impact his party at the November elections, the US president told reporters on Thursday: “Well, it’s possible.
“It should help because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.
“So when you say, ‘Is it OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?’ I would say 100 per cent of the people say no, including worldwide.”
A poll conducted for CNN by SSRS found Republican approval of the war fell from 73 per cent in March to 60 per cent in the latest survey.
G7 leaders agree to release fuel reserves
Friday 2 October 2026 15:37 , Sian Elvin
G7 leaders have agreed to release strategic reserves “up to 100 million barrels, within four months”, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.
He added the leaders will “take no measures to restrict the exchange of energy and petroleum products between partner countries”.
It comes following a stand-off with Donald Trump in the wake of the US conflict with Iran, after he claimed Europe is going to “release a massive amount” of its diesel stocks.
Trump adds to reasons he started Iran war
Friday 2 October 2026 15:26 , Sian Elvin
Donald Trump has added Iran “doing drugs” to the list of reasons for starting his unpopular war eight months ago.
The president has long said the ongoing conflict with the Islamic Republic, which began at the end of February, was launched to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
However, speaking at a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, on Thursday, Mr Trump said: “They went from Missouri and then at one o’clock in the morning, with no moon, dark as can be, these unbelievable machines led by the most incredible pilots in the world, they unloaded every single bomb, went right down air chutes into this, uh, drug factories, really.
“That’s what they were doing. They were nuclear and drugs. They were doing drugs, but they were doing the nuclear. These drug factories/nuclear factories were hit so hard.”
UK average diesel pump price hits £2 per litre for first time
Friday 2 October 2026 13:30 , Adam Withnall
The average pump price of a litre of diesel fuel hit £2 ($2.64) in Britain for the first time on Friday, according to data compiled by the RAC, the latest landmark in a global surge in fuel prices.
Prices have been inching steadily higher since passing the previous high of 199.09 pence on Monday. That old record was set in June 2022 shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the rise in prices was "showing no signs of slowing".
EU countries discussed a French proposal on Friday to release diesel stocks in response to US pressure to help cool surging fuel prices.
French president Emmanuel Macron intends to hold a call with his counterparts from the G7 to discuss actions on the world markets for crude and refined products after discussing the issue with Donald Trump.
