US President Donald Trump has said he is “open” to negotiations with Iran, but stressed the final decision rests with him.
In a post on Truth Social he said: “The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage - The concept of which we are open to.”
It came after he insisted the steep rise in Diesel prices is a result of the war between Ukraine and Russia and not Iran.
Oil and gas prices have climbed higher after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline in response to a series of drone attacks. The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil increased by around 3% to 108 US dollars (£80) on Monday morning.
Oman announced late on Sunday that planned talks with Iran about the future of the Strait of Hormuz had been cancelled “in the interests of consensus”, scuppering hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough in the near term.
Iranian officials had said earlier that they would attend the gathering with Gulf Arab states to present an agreement with Oman on the future governing of shipping routes through the Strait, which carried about a fifth of global oil supplies before the war.
Key Points
- Trump says US could keep Iranian oil like Venezuela deal
- Oman postpones meeting with Iran and regional countries on Hormuz
- Trump denies China helped Iran before attack that killed US troops
- Iran says one killed in strike on commercial ship
- Oil prices jump more than 2% to $107 after new strikes
Israel carried out a strike on aid convoy in Gaza, Doctors Without Borders say
05:43 , Shweta Sharma
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Israeli forces launched a strike on a clearly identified aid convoy in besieged Gaza, injuring at least one humanitarian worker on Monday.
“An MSF bus carrying 10 humanitarian staff in Gaza City was damaged by an Israeli airstrike on a targeted vehicle just two metres away. One of our colleagues was injured in the strike,” the NGO said in a statement.
“The bus was clearly identified as an MSF vehicle, with a large MSF sticker visible on its roof. Once again, Israeli forces have shown a blatant disregard for the safety of humanitarian and medical personnel,” Doctors Without Borders added
Saudi-led coalition says 13 civilians injured in Houthi attacks on three Saudi cities
05:30 , Shweta Sharma
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday that 13 civilians were injured in attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis on the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Monday.
In a statement posted on X, coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said the injuries ranged from minor to moderate and that seven houses and two vehicles were damaged.
He added the coalition would respond “responsibly and firmly” and take what it called necessary operational measures to deter further attacks.
US spent $22.3bn on munitions in first four months of Iran war, watchdog finds
05:00 , Shweta Sharma
The US spent an estimated $22.3bn on munitions during the first four months of its war with Iran, according to a Pentagon watchdog report.
The Defense Department’s inspector general estimated that the war had cost the US military $33.4bn by 29 June, including $22.3bn in expended munitions, $3.7bn in destroyed or lost equipment and $7.4bn in additional costs, largely covering day-to-day military operations.
The estimate does not include the cost of repairing US military bases damaged by Iranian counterattacks, the report said. Facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan were damaged.
The scale of weapons use has exposed weaknesses in the US defence industrial base, with the inspector general citing the Pentagon’s acquisition office as saying that the expended munitions had “resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply”.
The Pentagon is now working to speed up procurement and production, while stockpiling critical materials, components and selected munitions to ensure it can respond more quickly to future conflicts, the report said.
The US also suffered significant equipment losses during the conflict. Up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones were destroyed, along with four F-15E fighter jets and several other aircraft, according to the report.
Several aircraft and helicopters were also destroyed during a US search-and-rescue operation in early April to recover an Air Force officer stranded deep inside Iran.
Separately, the State Department incurred $113m in costs by early June, including the evacuation of American diplomats and US citizens from the region.
Iranian attacks also caused an estimated $184m in damage to US diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the report said.
The figures cover the period through 29 June. In late July, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress that the war had cost the US about $37.5bn.
Iran should not be distracted by mixed signals from Trump, Rezaei says
04:46 , Shweta Sharma
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Iran should not be distracted by mixed signals from Donald Trump.
“Don’t get distracted by the US president’s mixed signals—from ‘no negotiations’ to ‘we’re ready to talk,’” Rezaei wrote in a post on X.
“The stakes around oil and the straits have changed. Damage control won’t stop what’s coming,” he added.
“No talks until Iran’s conditions are met. Period!”
It comes after Trump said the US was “open” to “concept” of negotiating deal with Iran
"The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage -- The concept of which we are open to,” Trump said on his social media platform on Monday.
Saudi Arabia lift warnings after alerts in six cities
04:30 , Shweta Sharma
The Saudi Arabian Civil Defence sent an all clear on Tuesday after issuing alerts for potential danger in six cities including Yanbu, the kingdom's main Red Sea oil port, where millions of barrels a day are loaded.
Saudi Civil Defence said the danger had passed in Jeddah, Abha, Jazan, AlUla and Taif after the areas received emergency alerts amid an uptick in attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis.
The Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure while advancing along Yemen's Red Sea coast towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route.
Trump says US 'open' to 'concept' of negotiating deal with Iran
04:12 , Shweta Sharma
Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran wants to make a deal and he will decide whether the US will engage in that effort.
"The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage -- The concept of which we are open to,” Trump said on his social media platform on Monday.
It comes even as Trump cast doubt on Iran’s trustworthiness and suggested that a deal would not hold any value.
"I think an agreement with them isn't worth the paper it's written on," Trump told Fox News on 1 September.
"I couldn't care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement."
Australia's energy minister to visit Saudi Arabia as Middle East conflict escalates
04:02 , Shweta Sharma
Australian energy minister Chris Bowen said he would travel to Saudi Arabia next week to meet his counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, as an escalation in the Middle East conflict raises concerns over global energy supply disruptions.
Australia imported 84 per cent of its petroleum product demand last year, official data shows, leaving it exposed to global shocks. Canberra has been moving quickly to shore up supplies since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February.
"What we are seeing in the Middle East is deeply concerning," Bowen told ABC News late on Monday.
Australia currently holds 41 days' worth of petrol reserves, Bowen said, adding, "The approach of the Saudi Arabian government will be key for ensuring that fuel security overcoming weeks and months."
Bowen ruled out the possibility of a fuel tax cut, after the Labor government in March halved the fuel excise for three months to help families cope with surging costs.
"That excise cut was temporary ... we're not going to respond to every daily movement on the world oil price."
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanese town kill 13 as fears of escalation mount
03:00 , James Reynolds
Israeli strikes on a southern Lebanese town killed at least 13 people including six children on Monday, Lebanon's health ministry said, in one of the deadliest days of Israeli bombardment in recent weeks.
Fears of a renewed Israeli military campaign are mounting in Lebanon after days of escalating strikes despite a June ceasefire that was meant to halt fighting between the Israeli military and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
A woman who said she was related to at least three of the dead said one attack hit a residential building as children were getting ready for school. The Israeli military said it struck people seen transferring weapons in the area of the town, Kfar Rumman.
At the site, Reuters reporters saw children's schoolbooks strewn between chunks of concrete where the building once stood. Rescue workers with heavy machinery had worked throughout the morning to pull bodies out from underneath the rubble.
Eight-year-old Mustafa Farhat lost his grandparents and his mother in the strike, locals said. Rescue workers were still searching for his father's body on Monday morning while the boy lay in the hospital being treated for his wounds, they added.
Explained: What the escalating war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis means for Trump in Iran
02:00 , James Reynolds
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have forced a lightning offensive to the Red Sea coast, assuming control over another vital waterway in the region and threatening to expand the frozen US-Israeli conflict with Iran to the east.
By securing a position overlooking the narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Iran-aligned group has opened a second pressure point, further squeezing Saudi Arabia’s oil exports already diverted from the Strait of Hormuz.
The sudden land grab over the last week has been accompanied by an aerial campaign against military instalments in southern Saudi Arabia, shifting the balance of power after more than a decade at war.
The Independent looks at what the Houthi advance means for regional stability:
What the escalating war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis means for Trump in Iran
EU condemns Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia
01:00 , James Reynolds
The EU commission president condemned the Houthi attack against Saudi Arabia on Monday.
In comments on social media, Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc stands “in solidarity with our Gulf partners in the face of relentless attacks by Iran’s proxies”.
“We will continue working with our partners for safe, free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and for stability in the Middle East,” she said.
Former Trump aide says his constant posting shows his ‘brain rot’
Tuesday 15 September 2026 00:00 , James Reynolds
A former White House aide has likened President Donald Trump’s recent run of bizarre posting on Truth Social to “watching his brain rot in real time” amid growing exasperation over his online trolling.
The president has regularly made headlines through his social media output but caused particular concern over the Labor Day weekend when he posted no fewer than 60 posts in 10 hours, many of them AI-generated memes of highly inflammatory topics.
They included the president surrounded by robots, playing the stock market and showing allied countries on a map draped by an American flag.
“He floods the zone with so much of it that we’ve become numb to just how bizarre it is,” ex-White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews told The New York Times.
Former Trump aide says his constant posting of AI slop shows his ‘brain rot’
Saudi civil defence says danger in Khamis Mushait, Abha passed after alerts issued
Monday 14 September 2026 23:37 , Bryony Gooch
Saudi Arabia's civil defence said on Tuesday the danger has passed in Khamis Mushait and Abha, after earlier issuing alerts warning of a potential threat.
Formula One set to make late call on Middle East season finale
Monday 14 September 2026 23:00 , James Reynolds
Formula One is prepared to wait before deciding whether the current season can conclude in the Middle East.
The championship is scheduled to finish with consecutive rounds in Qatar on 29 November and Abu Dhabi a week later.
Imola has been put on standby to host the season finale if the Middle Eastern races cannot go ahead due to the United States-Iran conflict.
Formula One set to make late call on Middle East season finale amid Iran war concerns
Watch: US Air Force officer recalls 'free-falling' to ground with damaged parachute after plane was shot down over Iran
Monday 14 September 2026 22:00 , James Reynolds
The American air force colonel whose fighter jet was downed over Iran in April has shared how survived for two days behind enemy lines with a broken back, arm and shoulder while waiting for help to arrive.
‘Bravo’ was the weapons-system officer in a two-man crew flying over Iran on 3 April when their F-15E Strike Eagle was hit by Iranian fire. The pilot in the front - ‘Alpha’ - ejected successfully, but Bravo came down in the mountains.
Explained: What the escalating war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis means for Trump in Iran
Monday 14 September 2026 21:15 , James Reynolds
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have forced a lightning offensive to the Red Sea coast, assuming control over another vital waterway in the region and threatening to expand the frozen US-Israeli conflict with Iran to the east.
By securing a position overlooking the narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Iran-aligned group has opened a second pressure point, further squeezing Saudi Arabia’s oil exports already diverted from the Strait of Hormuz.
The sudden land grab over the last week has been accompanied by an aerial campaign against military instalments in southern Saudi Arabia, shifting the balance of power after more than a decade at war.
The Independent looks at what the Houthi advance means for regional stability:
What the escalating war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis means for Trump in Iran
Recap: Another blow to peace as crucial Oman talks postponed
Monday 14 September 2026 21:00 , James Reynolds
Oman announced late on Sunday that planned talks with Iran about the future of the Strait of Hormuz had been cancelled “in the interests of consensus”, scuppering hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough in the near term.
Foreign minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said the meeting had been postponed, without a clear alternative date set. He said Oman remained committed to “fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region”.
Iranian officials had said earlier that they would attend the gathering with Gulf Arab states to present an agreement with Oman on the future governing of shipping routes through the Strait, which carried about a fifth of global oil supplies before the war.
The international waterway was free to cross before the war and shipping companies have warned such an agreement could set a dangerous precedent. Formal control of the Strait of Hormuz would also hand Iran more leverage in future talks with the US.
The channel continued to pose risks for oil shipping as it was reported on Sunday that a vessel had been struck by a projectile during transit, causing a fire and forcing the crew to evacuate. Oil prices surged to $102.35 on Monday morning.
Oil tanker exploded after colliding with mines in Hormuz, reports say
Monday 14 September 2026 20:13 , Rebeca Whittaker
An oil tanker exploded and caught fire after colliding with mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's IRGC said, according to Fars, without saying when the incident occurred.
Trend of oil shipments through Strait of Hormuz rising, says US energy sec
Monday 14 September 2026 20:00 , James Reynolds
The seven-day rolling average of covert oil shipments accompanied by the US Navy through the Strait of Hormuz is rising and will continue to rise, Donald Trump’s energy secretary Chris Wright said at a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog on Monday.
"The trend in that seven-day rolling average has been going up and will continue to go up," he told a press conference, adding that a peak of 17 million barrels in one day he cited on Sept. 1 was in fact higher.
“There was one ship not counted. It turned out it was almost spot on 18 million barrels that day,” he claimed.
Analysis: Why are the Houthis escalating now?
Monday 14 September 2026 19:00 , James Reynolds
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have ramped up attacks on Saudi Arabia and pushed west towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Being closer to the Red Sea will make it easier to launch strikes on Saudi oil tankers, which are reliant on the strait with the Strait of Hormuz out of action thanks to Iran.
Edmund Fitton-Brown, former British ambassador to Yemen, told The Independent that after months of attacks at sea, the Houthis “think the moment has come to call the Saudi bluff”.
“They think the Saudis have lost the stomach for the fight. They think that they showed themselves to be weak and frightened in the face of the Iranians,” he said.
“And the Houthis think that this is the moment where they can effectively raise their demands and get the Saudis to concede even more advantageous terms than they were previously willing to do.”
The risk for the Houthis, said Mr Fitton-Brown, is that the Saudis “seem inclined to fight back” - although so far their allies in Turkey, Pakistan and the United States are yet to join the cause.
In pictures: before and after an attack on the Saudi Arabia East-West pipeline
Monday 14 September 2026 18:00 , James Reynolds
Trump now blames 'Sleepy Joe Biden' for rising prices
Monday 14 September 2026 17:35 , Rebecca Whittaker
US president Donald Trump has again dodged the blame for rising prices and claims they were caused by “Sleepy Joe Biden.”
He wrote in a post on Truth Social: “I hope everyone realizes that price increases throughout America were caused by Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, not by ‘TRUMP.’
“Even Oil was higher under Biden than it is right now, and we prevented Iran from having a Nuclear Weapon!
“With the temporary exception of Oil, prices are coming down sharply, and Oil will drop like a rock as soon as the Military Conflict with Iran is over, and that will not be long. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
It comes as oil and gas prices have climbed higher after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline in response to a series of drone attacks.
The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil was up by around 3% to 108 US dollars (£80) on Monday morning.
In a previous post he claimed the world’s Diesel prices have risen mostly due to the war between Russia and Ukraine and not due to war in Iran.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have forced a lightning offensive to the Red Sea coast, assuming control over another vital waterway in the region and threatening to expand the frozen US-Israeli conflict with Iran to the east. By securing a position overlooking the narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Iran-aligned group has opened a second pressure point, further squeezing Saudi Arabia’s oil exports already diverted from the Strait of Hormuz. The sudden land grab over the last week has been accompanied by an aerial campaign against military instalments in southern Saudi Arabia, shifting the balance of power after more than a decade at war. The Independent looks at what the Houthi advance means for regional stability:
Monday 14 September 2026 17:30 , James Reynolds
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have forced a lightning offensive to the Red Sea coast, assuming control over another vital waterway in the region and threatening to expand the frozen US-Israeli conflict with Iran to the east.
By securing a position overlooking the narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Iran-aligned group has opened a second pressure point, further squeezing Saudi Arabia’s oil exports already diverted from the Strait of Hormuz.
The sudden land grab over the last week has been accompanied by an aerial campaign against military installments in southern Saudi Arabia, shifting the balance of power after more than a decade at war.
The Independent looks at what the Houthi advance means for regional stability:
What the escalating war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis means for Trump in Iran
US pilot survived for two days behind enemy lines with broken back after Iran shot down plane: ‘It was terrifying’
Monday 14 September 2026 17:00 , James Reynolds
The American air force colonel whose fighter jet was downed over Iran in April has shared how survived for two days behind enemy lines with a broken back, arm and shoulder while waiting for help to arrive.
‘Bravo’ was the weapons-system officer in a two-man crew flying over Iran on 3 April when their F-15E Strike Eagle was hit by Iranian fire. The pilot in the front - ‘Alpha’ - ejected successfully, but Bravo came down in the mountains.
In his first public account of what happened, he told CBS News’ 60 Minutes how he free-fell to the ground at speeds of up to 100mph with a damaged parachute, torn up by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile.
Read the full story:
US pilot survived for two days in Iran with broken back after plane shot down
Trump 'open' to negotiations with Iran again
Monday 14 September 2026 16:41 , Rebecca Whittaker
US President Donald Trump has said the US is open to starting negotiations with Iran again.
In a post on Truth Social he said: “The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage - The concept of which we are open to. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Trump claims oil price rise is due to war between Russia and Ukraine not Iran
Monday 14 September 2026 16:35 , Rebecca Whittaker
US president Donald Trump has claimed the world’s Diesel prices have risen mostly due to the war between Russia and Ukraine and not due to war in Iran.
In a post on Truth Social he wrote: “Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise! The World’s Diesel price rise is mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine War, not Iran.”
It comes as oil and gas prices have climbed higher after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline in response to a series of drone attacks.
The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil was up by around 3% to 108 US dollars (£80) on Monday morning.
Houthis seize 2 strategic Red Sea islands
Monday 14 September 2026 16:20 , James Reynolds
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, bolstering the Iranian-backed rebels' ability to control a key maritime shipping route.
Meanwhile, Iran says Saudi Arabia was behind Oman’s decision to postpone a meeting bringing together Iran with other regional countries to discuss the Strait of Hormuz.
Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East:
Houthis seize 2 strategic Red Sea islands, and other Mideast developments
Saudi Arabia 'finds 110m tons of raw materials containing uranium'
Monday 14 September 2026 15:40 , James Reynolds
Saudi Arabia’s energy minister announces that the country has discovered 110 million tons of raw materials containing uranium concentrations in the holy city of Medina.
US energy secretary Chris Wright says that there are no plans for uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia.
