Iran said it has received an official US response to its latest proposal to end the war, which president Donald Trump had publicly rejected just days earlier.
The ministers did not say what the response contained and whether it was an official rejection or not.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi presented the US response to President Masoud Pezeshkian at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told the state-run IRNA news agency.
Mr Pezeshkian said: “We will make every effort to bring the agreement to fruition and will firmly stand up for the rights of the Iranian people.
“The agreement must now be based on a win-win strategy.”
It comes after Mr Trump confirmed 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”.
Oil prices have also risen after the US president denied he would ease sanctions on Iran in exchange for steps to rein in Tehran's nuclear programme.
Key Points
- Iran says it has received response from US on latest proposal
- Oil prices rise after Trump denies he would ease Iran sanctions
- US and Iranian officials hold separate talks with Qatari mediators
- US forces complete withdrawal from Iraq after 23 years
- US likely committed war crimes with strike on Iran school, UN report finds
Tehran frames US troop exit from Iraq as victory for 'axis of resistance'
21:00 , Suha Kidwai
Iran and its regional armed allies are celebrating the final withdrawal of US military forces from Iraq, framing the departure after more than two decades as a landmark triumph for Tehran's "axis of resistance."
The pullout of the final American troops formally concludes US military operations in Iraq, fulfilling a longstanding strategic goal for Tehran to expel US forces from its western border.
Supporters of pro-Iranian militia groups gathered in Baghdad on Wednesday to celebrate, carrying portraits of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.
While Iraqi authorities marked the exit as a transition to full national sovereignty, analysts and local residents warn that the resulting security vacuum could allow Iran-backed militias to further consolidate control over state institutions and key security apparatuses.
Iranian rial plunges to record low as war and blockade hit critical supplies
20:00 , Suha Kidwai
Iran’s currency has crashed to a historic low as seven months of war with the US and Israel send the country’s economy into freefall.
The latest plunge — of 2.54 million rials per dollar on Tuesday — comes less than a month after the currency hit its previous record low of 2.2 million on September 2.
The rapid currency collapse and the ongoing US naval blockade are triggering severe domestic shortages, with basic medicine prices more than tripling as hospitals report of stocks running dangerously low.
US President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that Iran is "failing very badly," predicting the conflict could end after the US midterm elections in November.
Iran receives US response on plan to end seven-month war
19:00 , Suha Kidwai
Iranian officials say Tehran has received a formal US response to its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, despite Donald Trump’s public rejection of the deal last week.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented the American reply — relayed via Qatari mediators — to president Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday. While details were not disclosed, Pezeshkian signaled talks remain active, insisting any deal must be based on a "win-win strategy."
The diplomatic movement coincides with fresh US financial pressure. The US Treasury Department has unveiled sanctions against 10 individuals and entities across Iran, Hong Kong, and Pakistan for procuring weapons components for Tehran under its "Operation Economic Outcast" campaign.
Upcoming Israeli election threatens to prolong Middle East conflict
18:00 , Suha Kidwai
Israel is entering the final weeks in the run-up to its October 27 general election, with latest polls showing current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader, Gadi Eisenkot locked in a tight race.
A survey published on Wednesday projects Eisenkot’s opposition Yashar party to secure 23 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, closely followed by Netanyahu’s Likud on 20 seats. Neither side currently commands the 61-seat majority required to form a government without complex coalition bargaining.
The vote is expected to carry profound regional consequences for the ongoing war with Iran.
Analysts have noted that Netanyahu’s election strategy relies heavily on maintaining a hardline military posture, limiting scope for US-brokered ceasefires or diplomatic compromises in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea before Israelis go to the polls.
The uncertainty continues as regional actors calculate how the makeup of Israel's next government will shape the trajectory of military operations across West Asia.
UAE's conduct may 'impose costs' on itself, Iranian media warns
17:00 , Suha Kidwai
State-linked Iranian outlet, Nour News has issued a sharp warning to the United Arab Emirates, cautioning that Abu Dhabi's attempt to "play both sides" could ultimately carry severe consequences for its own stability.
In a lengthy commentary, the outlet pointed to a growing contradiction between the UAE's diplomatic calls for de-escalation at the UN General Assembly and its physical security actions.
Tehran has specifically highlighted Abu Dhabi's hosting of Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu on September 27 and its ongoing military and security alignment with Israel and the US.
The warning comes amid heightened regional friction, with Tehran accusing the UAE of compromising Persian Gulf security by permitting an active Israeli presence on its soil.
EU aviation agency issues Saudi airspace advisory
16:32 , Sian Elvin
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) issued an advisory to airlines over Saudi airspace on Wednesday following a recent increase in attacks by the Houthis.
The latest advisory bulletin on Saudi Arabia does not mention the incident involving a diverted Flydubai airliner, and Easa said it will continue to monitor the situation to assess the risk for EU airlines in the country.
Easa further recommends flights do not operate within the airspace of Jordan at all altitudes and flight levels, which is a change from a previous advisory to exercise caution.
Iran says it has received response on latest proposal from US
16:12 , Sian Elvin
Iranian officials indicated on Wednesday they have received an official US response to their latest proposal to end the war, which Donald Trump had rejected just days earlier.
The officials did not say what the response contained, and whether it was a rejection or not.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi presented the US response to President Masoud Pezeshkian at a cabinet meeting, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told the state-run IRNA news agency.
Mr Pezeshkian said: “We will make every effort to bring the agreement to fruition and will firmly stand up for the rights of the Iranian people.
“The agreement must now be based on a win-win strategy.”
Iran’s appeal to American voters: Vote out Trump's allies
16:00 , Adam Withnall
Vote out Trump allies: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issues direct appeal to US voters
Iran hangs two protesters accused of taking part in 2026 unrest
15:00 , Adam Withnall
Iran's judiciary says it has executed two men for taking part in anti-government protests and over their involvement in the deaths of four security personnel in January this year.
The two, Ali Hemmati and Majid Nik-Andish, were involved in what the judiciary's Mizan Online website called "the riots of January" and "the martyrdom of four security personnel". It said they were hanged on Wednesday morning after the country's supreme court upheld their sentences.
The brutal crackdown on the protests early this year saw thousands of those taking part killed by the Iranian security forces. Estimates for the death toll from the episode vary, with a rights group saying just over 7,000 deaths were confirmed, the overwhelming majority of them being protesters.
The regime then began hanging protesters who had been detained, though there was a brief stay on executions after Donald Trump expressed outrage and before the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
US military says its withdrawal of troops from Iraq is complete
14:00 , Adam Withnall
The US military announced today that it had completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight Isis. The last US troops left an air base in northern Iraq under a deal between Baghdad and Washington.
The withdrawal, agreed on two years ago, comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war between the United States and Iran that has also sometimes spilled over into Iraq, with Iran-backed militias firing on US troops and the US striking the groups' strongholds.
Baghdad touted the end of the US mission as a sign of the country's increasing strength and sovereignty.
The withdrawal was also celebrated by Iran-backed groups but raised concerns among some other Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region. Questions loom around the future of the Iraqi militias, which the Baghdad government has sought – with little success so far – to disarm.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that US troops and equipment had completed an “orderly departure” from the air base in Irbil, in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
“This milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated Isis as an organised military threat in Iraq and across the region,” he said. “It also marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship.”
How a Bush-era New York Fed account gave the US ultimate leverage over Iraq’s oil wealth
13:22 , Sian Elvin
American troops are scheduled to exit their final military posts in Iraq on Wednesday, a pullout welcomed as a triumph by Iran and its partners. Their sway runs deep across the country, where over two decades of fighting claimed 4,500 US lives.
Nevertheless, the United States has retained practical power over Iraq's oil revenue since its 2003 invasion. That financial leverage grants Washington immense control over affairs in Baghdad, carrying significant implications for regional dynamics involving Iran.
Read more here:
Why Iraq’s oil cash sits in New York
Four killed in separate Israeli strikes in Gaza, including senior Hamas commander
12:45 , Stuti Mishra
Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed four people yesterday, including a Hamas commander, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.
An early strike on an apartment west of Gaza City killed two people and wounded five others, officials at Shifa Hospital said. Israel said the overnight strike targeted Izz al-Din Bik, a Hamas commander it said was involved in plotting attacks and recruiting new members.
Hamas confirmed his death, describing him as one of the main overseers of the 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed.
Yesterday afternoon, a separate Israeli airstrike in the Jabaliya refugee camp, north of the Gaza Strip, killed one person and injured several others, Gaza's health ministry said.
Another strike around the same time, east of Gaza City, killed a further person, officials at Shifa Hospital said. Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the afternoon strikes. The deaths are the latest since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago.
Qatar to allow use of drones in designated areas, ministry says
11:46 , Stuti Mishra
Qatar's interior ministry said it would permit the use of drones in designated areas and within set permitted times starting on Tuesday, according to a statement.
Qatar banned the use, operation and launch of drones nationwide in March in the wake of the regional crisis stemming from the US war on Iran.
An unlikely coalition emerges weeks before Palestinian authority election
11:19 , Adam Withnall
Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad group have agreed to form an unlikely electoral coalition with a former top Fatah official who has close ties to the United Arab Emirates, Israel's closest ally in the Middle East, Palestinian officials have told The Associated Press.
The alliance could be well positioned to threaten the dominance of president Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party over the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority – but only if the first national elections in 20 years actually happen, which is very much in doubt.
Abbas has said parliamentary elections will be held 28 November in Gaza and the West Bank. But he has repeatedly delayed elections, most recently in 2021, when Fatah appeared headed for defeat. When Hamas won the last elections, in 2006, Israel and Western countries boycotted its government, fuelling months of unrest that led to its takeover of Gaza the following year.
Islamic Jihad deputy Secretary General Mohammed al-Hindi confirmed the formation of the electoral alliance in a rare interview with The Associated Press in Istanbul on Monday. He said it would support “a unified national list” that could be made up of independent figures rather than members of the groups.
Israeli settlers block Palestinian man from returning to his West Bank home
10:46 , Stuti Mishra
More than a hundred Israeli settlers scuffled with Israeli soldiers who were trying to escort a Palestinian man back to his home in the West Bank village of Jalud.
The homeowner, Mahmoud Tubasi, told the Associated Press that soldiers initially brought him to his house, but rioting settlers forced him to leave with his family in a military vehicle. He said he still cannot access the property, which settlers have besieged for two months.
Israel's military acknowledged the overnight mission to return the family "was not completed" and said three of its officers were injured after settlers threw rocks, blocked roads and set Palestinian property on fire.
Israeli police said they had arrested three settlers suspected of taking part in the riot, which was condemned by Israeli officials including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, foreign minister Gideon Saar and president Isaac Herzog. Rights groups have accused the military of colluding with settlers amid a broader wave of settler violence it has struggled to contain.
Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline resumes operations after drone attack
09:46 , Stuti Mishra
A crucial oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia that was shut down earlier this month after coming under attack is operating again, Reuters reported.
An anonymous official told Reuters the operations were near pre-attack levels and that the East-West pipeline should reach full capacity within a few weeks. The kingdom relies on the 1,200km (745-mile) pipeline to move crude from processing facilities on the Gulf to ports on its Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia blamed an Iran-backed militia in Iraq for the drone attack that forced the pipeline's temporary shutdown. Satellite imagery showed tankers loaded around 12.5 million barrels of oil on Sunday at the Yanbu export terminal, which the pipeline supplies, and the nearby Al Muajjiz terminal, according to the data and analytics firm Kpler.
Pakistan vows to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthis by 'whatever means'
08:46 , Stuti Mishra
Pakistan will use "whatever means are available" to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the country's defence minister said, in one of Islamabad's clearest signals yet that it could become directly involved in the widening regional conflict.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif declined to say whether Pakistani forces had already taken part in airstrikes, but said Pakistan's military capabilities would be available to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defence pact between the two countries and Turkey.
"I'm not going into detail, but obviously when I say that we are bound by this arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, that means whatever means are available at our disposal, they'll be available to Saudi Arabia also. I think that's a categoric statement," Mr Asif told reporters during a visit to Rome, when asked whether Pakistan had been involved in airstrikes against Iranian operators in Yemen.
US sanctions 10 entities in China, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia over alleged Iran military support
08:16 , Stuti Mishra
The Trump administration has sanctioned 10 individuals and companies over alleged ties to Iran's military, targeting entities based in China, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The US Treasury said in a statement on Tuesday that representatives and technology firms in those countries had procured weapons and parts for Iran's military. Three of the sanctioned entities were based in Iran itself.
"Today's action further degrades the Iranian regime's ability to reconstitute its weapons programs and increases the costs for those who choose to aid Tehran's military procurement efforts," the Treasury said.
The sanctions form part of Operation Economic Outcast, a Treasury campaign aimed at further restricting Iran's access to global markets. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the operation in August, aiming to pressure Tehran into agreeing a deal to end its war with the US and Israel, which has been under way since 28 February after the two allies launched a series of attacks targeting Iran's leadership and military.
President Donald Trump said the operation would usher in "economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale" and warned that any country trading with Iran would face "tremendous" consequences.
The campaign's initial round of sanctions targeted China-based firms and business leaders.
Iran receives formal US response to seven-day plan
08:02 , Adam Withnall
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi met Qatari mediators in Doha on Tuesday night and received US feedback on a proposed seven-day trust-building plan, which he will discuss in Tehran on Wednesday, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters.
The main disagreement is over the sequencing of the plan, which aims to build trust and return to an enhanced version of a US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed in June, the official said.
Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline resumes operations after drone attack
07:46 , Stuti Mishra
A crucial oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia that was shut down earlier this month after coming under attack is operating again, Reuters reported.
The official, who was not authorised to speak publicly told Reuters on condition of anonymity, the operations were near pre-attack levels and that the East-West pipeline should reach full capacity within a few weeks. The kingdom relies on the 1,200km (745-mile) pipeline to move crude from processing facilities on the Gulf to ports on its Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia blamed an Iran-backed militia in Iraq for the drone attack that forced the pipeline's temporary shutdown. Satellite imagery showed tankers loaded around 12.5 million barrels of oil on Sunday at the Yanbu export terminal, which the pipeline supplies, and the nearby Al Muajjiz terminal, according to the data and analytics firm Kpler.
US and Iranian officials hold separate talks with Qatari mediators
06:46 , Stuti Mishra
US and Iranian officials spoke separately with Qatari mediators this week, as Qatar continued its efforts to end the seven-month war between the two countries.
"We are exchanging messages between the parties, and we're working towards establishing a common ground in order to get into a deal that would save all of us from the repercussions of the conflict," Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told reporters.
Qatar has again emerged as a would-be peacemaker, having previously played a supporting role in producing a June memorandum of understanding that led to a brief ceasefire. Negotiations appeared to intensify during last week's UN General Assembly meeting in New York, but have so far not yielded any agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the war started in February.
Oil prices rise after Trump denies he would ease Iran sanctions
06:19 , Stuti Mishra
Oil prices rose today after President Donald Trump denied he would ease sanctions on Iran, having fallen in the previous session as crude supply from the Middle East recovered.
Brent crude futures rose $1.14, or 1.11 per cent, to $103.73 (£82) a barrel by 01.31am GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 34 cents, or 0.38 per cent, to $89.72 (£71). Brent is on course for a monthly gain of around 14 per cent, its biggest since July, while WTI is set for a 4 per cent rise after breaching $106 for the first time since May.
Mr Trump denied an Axios report that cited US officials as saying he was willing to offer Iran sanctions relief and release frozen Iranian funds in exchange for "concrete" steps by Tehran on its nuclear programme.
"This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING," he wrote on Truth Social.
US forces complete withdrawal from Iraq after 23 years
05:46 , Stuti Mishra
US forces have withdrawn from their remaining bases in Iraq, in a departure Tehran has celebrated as a win for its allied armed groups across the region.
The withdrawal, which took effect today, was agreed in 2024 under former president Joe Biden and comes 23 years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Iran calls on Americans to remove Trump allies as US troops leave Iraq
04:46 , Stuti Mishra
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has urged Americans to vote out president Donald Trump's allies in Congress in November's elections.
The 26-page letter asks Americans to use their political power to remove current leaders from office and reject US support for Israel and military intervention abroad.
"Remove from power the evil, deceitful, and violent politicians who are responsible for America's current state," it said. "Make sure your politicians understand that the world has changed."
Analysis: Trump and Rubio don’t know as much as they think they do
03:59 , Stuti Mishra
Trump and Rubio don’t know as much as they think they do
US likely committed war crimes with strike on Iran school, UN report finds
03:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
The US is believed to have committed war crimes during two military strikes in Iran this year, including a devastating attack on a primary school which killed more than 120 children, a damning UN report says.
The deadly incident took place in February this year, soon after the US-Israeli war on Iran started, and alongside another strike on a sports centre resulted in the deaths of at least 178 civilians.
The report by humans rights experts also documented the killings of thousands of anti-regime protestors across Iran, in which at least 221 children were reportedly killed, some as young as two years-old. The crackdown by Tehran amounted to crimes against humanity, the report said.
You can read more below:
US likely committed war crimes with ‘reckless’ strike on Iran school, UN report says
Iraqi Airways to resume Iran flights in October after securing 'special exemption'
02:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Iraqi Airways is preparing to resume flights to Iran in October, Iraq's transport ministry said on Tuesday, following a suspension of flights amid US sanctions restricting services to Iranian airlines.
The ministry said Iraq had secured a special exemption allowing Iraqi Airways to operate services to Iran.
Iraq halted flights to and from Iran on Friday in line with US sanctions, and the government had sought exemptions for travel related to pilgrimage, medical treatment and education.
The transport ministry said services next month would initially operate from the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf once regulatory and technical requirements were completed.
A source in the Iraqi transport ministry said the exemption was provided by the US Treasury and would run for one month. The number of allowed flights has not yet been determined, the source said.
The announcement comes after Reuters reported on Monday that the Trump administration was set to grant a one-month US Treasury waiver allowing Iraqi Airways to fly between Iran and Najaf, with a more permanent exemption potentially following.
Baghdad had offered safeguards including passenger screening and information sharing, as well as measures to prevent the flights being used to transport weapons, sanctioned individuals or illicit money, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Watch: RAF Fairford: What happened and who is behind the alleged terror plot?
01:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Trump trolls Iran by renaming the Strait of Hormuz shipping route after himself
Wednesday 30 September 2026 00:30 , 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
Recap: US sanctions 10 over allegedly procuring weapons for Iran
Tuesday 29 September 2026 23:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
The United States has sanctioned ten individuals and entities, including some based in China, Hong Kong and Pakistan, which it has accused of helping Iran procure weapons and components.
The sanctions are part of the Trump administration's effort to isolate Iran economically and force it to negotiate an end to the US-Iran war that began in February.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “Treasury will not tolerate any support to the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s enablers.”
Treasury said the sanctions were aimed at degrading Tehran's ability to reconstitute its weapons programs, while increasing the costs for those who supported its procurement efforts.
US to release 40 million barrels of crude from Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Tuesday 29 September 2026 22:30 , Daniel Keane
The Trump administration said on Tuesday it is offering to loan energy companies 40 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, in an effort to control soaring fuel prices.
The United States agreed in March to loan 172 million barrels of oil from the SPR as part of a wider deal with about 30 countries in the International Energy Agency to release 400 million barrels.
The Trump administration in June offered to loan the last 40 million barrels from that IEA agreement, but later that month revealed that companies only agreed to borrow about 500,000 barrels.
No homemade bombs found in vans near RAF Fairford, say police
Tuesday 29 September 2026 21:30 , Daniel Keane
Police discovered a quantity of petrol but no explosive devices in the vans that sparked a major security alert near an RAF base used by the US, police have said.
A terror probe was launched after police were alerted to a suspected “bomb plot” at RAF Fairford on Sunday. A 400-metre cordon was thrown around the scene as bomb disposal experts examined three vans at the centre of the counter-terrorism police investigation.
Five men who were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and later terrorism were all released on bail on Monday, which head of UK counter-terrorism Policing Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said was an investigative decision.
Questions over Iran’s potential involvement in the attack have continued as US secretary of state Marco Rubio claimed in a television interview that the suspected plot “clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor”.
Read our full story below.
No homemade bombs found in vans near RAF Fairford, say police
Qatar to allow use of drones in designated areas, ministry says
Tuesday 29 September 2026 21:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Qatar's interior ministry said it would permit the use of drones in designated areas and within set permitted times starting on Tuesday, according to a statement.
Qatar banned the use, operation and launch of drones nationwide in March in the wake of the regional crisis stemming from the US war on Iran.
Iran wants one thing in its war with the West
Tuesday 29 September 2026 20:30 , Maira Butt
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
Watch: Trump says US will win Iran conflict ‘very soon’
Tuesday 29 September 2026 19:30 , Daniel Keane
US sanctions 10 over allegedly procuring weapons for Iran, Treasury website shows
Tuesday 29 September 2026 18:34 , Daniel Keane
The US has sanctioned 10 individuals and entities that allegedly procured weapons and weapons components for Iran's Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics.
In an update, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “Under Operation Economic Outcast, Treasury will continue to target and disrupt those who provide material, technological, or financial support that allows the Iranian regime to sustain its terrorist enterprise.
“Treasury will not tolerate any support to the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s enablers.”
Iran taunts Trump by claiming US 'will inevitably leave this region'
Tuesday 29 September 2026 17:25 , Daniel Keane
An Iranian official taunted Donald Trump on Tuesday by claiming that the US will “inevitably leave this region”, after the president said the conflict would be over “very soon”.
Ebrahim Azizi, who heads Iran’s parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, claimed that Iran would remain in the region and that Israel’s days “are numbered”.
“Ultimately, it is we and our neighbours who remain here, face to face,” he said, adding: “That day will be a day of regret.”
Mideast oil exports rebound in September
Tuesday 29 September 2026 14:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Crude oil exports from key Middle East producers rebounded in September to 16.328 million barrels per day (bpd), the highest since the US-Israeli war on Iran started in late February, data from Kpler showed on Monday, as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates boosted exports.
The rebound came following a recovery in exports via the Strait of Hormuz, which were set to hit about 9.719 million bpd this month, as Saudi Arabia diverted oil exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu following attacks that damaged its East-West pipeline, the preliminary data showed.
While exports from the region - which includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran - have rebounded, they were still about 3.2 million bpd down from 19.513 million bpd in February, according to Kpler. The tally includes cargo transits via the Strait of Hormuz including ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman, shipments from the UAE's Fujairah and Oman terminals outside the Strait of Hormuz and exports via the Red Sea.
“Kpler estimates Middle East crude exports at just under 80 per cent of pre-conflict levels,” it said in a Monday note. Top regional exporter Saudi Arabia was on track to ship about 5.4 million bpd this month, rebounding from 2.446 million bpd in August, the data showed.
Iran wants one thing in its war with the West
Tuesday 29 September 2026 13:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
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
Iranian official calls Trump a 'big liar' over nuclear and Hormuz claims
Tuesday 29 September 2026 12:22 , Adam Withnall
An Iranian official has called Donald Trump a “big liar” and urged him to be honest to Americans about Iran’s nuclear programme and the impacts of Tehran’s blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.
Among his reasons for waging war on Iran, Trump has cited the need to ensure that it will never be able to build a nuclear weapon.
Hossein Mohebbi, spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said: “The enemy knows that Iran is not after nuclear weapons.
“Their issue with Iran is not its nuclear programme but rather its vastness, which they want to destroy.”
He also challenged US assertions that Iran has lost most of its leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, in part because the US military has been able to protect some of the tankers bringing oil out of the Gulf.
“The fact that the Americans might manage, at great expense, considerable trouble, and high risk to sneak a small vessel through the Strait of Hormuz under cover of darkness to export, say, 100 or 200 barrels of oil does not mean the Strait is open,” Mohebbi said.
Mohebbi made the remarks at a news conference dubbed “A letter to the American people” in Tehran.
He said that the only way for the war to end is for Washington to admit defeat and leave – a message apparently meant for the US public just weeks ahead of the midterm elections.
Later in remarks to The Associated Press, Mohebbi urged Americans to take to the streets and protest Trump's policies.
