Donald Trump has said he does not regret launching the war against Iran, despite concerns that the conflict and rising oil and gas prices could hurt Republicans in the November midterm elections.
“I don’t believe in the word ‘regret’,” he said in an interview with Fox News, adding that if he had to do it again “I would do exactly as I did”.
Oil prices have touched $108 a barrel for the first time since May after Iran-backed Houthi militants captured Yemen’s strategic port city of Mokha, raising fears it could bring them closer to targeting shipping through a critical waterway to the Red Sea.
It puts the Houthis closer to their goal of targeting shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb waterway and could give Iran another potential point of leverage in its war with the US.
Mokha is around 50 miles from Bab el-Mandeb, a geopolitical chokepoint connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and through which about 12 per cent of the world’s goods are typically shipped.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials mocked the US military after claiming they captured a cutting-edge sea drone and “picked it up like a plastic bottle”.
Read MoreInternal White House warnings caution Trump that Iran war could last years: report
Satellite images reveal surge in building activity at Iranian nuclear site after Trump’s bomb threat
Man and woman arrested in London on suspicion of spying for Iran
Trump says oil prices will be ‘tumbling downward’ after midterms
Key Points
- Trump says he does not regret Iran war despite midterm election risks
- Saudi crown prince calls Trump to urge him to launch strikes against Houthis - report
- Iran claims to have captured US ‘sail drone’ near Strait of Hormuz
- White House advisers tell Trump the Iran war could last his entire term - report
- Two people arrested in London on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service
Watch: MI5 chief warns Britain faces greater danger now than on 9/11
10:30 , James ReynoldsMiliband’s ‘brave’ settlement trade ban has come too late, say West Bank Palestinians
10:00 , James ReynoldsWest Bank Palestinians are welcoming the UK government’s unprecedented ban on trade with the Israeli settlements - but say it is long overdue and doesn’t go far enough.
On Tuesday, UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband confirmed a “new approach” in the UK’s relations with Israel, imposing a ban on goods coming out of Israeli settlements in the West Bank which Britain regards as illegal.
Palestinians in the West Bank praised the “brave” government for a step in the right direction, as residents face growing violence and repression from Israeli settlers and authorities.
“It's too late, but to come late is better than never,” says Basel Adra, filmmaker and director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, which documents life facing settler attacks and home demolitions in the beleaguered area of Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank.
In full:
Miliband’s ‘brave’ settlement trade ban has come too late, say West Bank Palestinians
Internal White House warnings caution Trump that Iran war could last years: report
09:30 , James ReynoldsTop White House advisers, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have privately warned President Donald Trump that the conflict with Iran could extend through the remainder of his presidency, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing U.S. officials.
The private warnings were delivered during internal strategy discussions held in the Oval Office and the Situation Room. During these confidential meetings, senior officials informed the president that Tehran could continue to resist U.S. pressure, potentially prolonging the conflict beyond Inauguration Day in January 2029.
According to details reported by the Journal, the assessment from key aides highlights concerns within the administration that Iranian resistance may not be easily broken, suggesting military engagement could become a defining foreign policy issue for Trump's entire term in office.
These private warnings stand in sharp contrast to Trump's own public remarks regarding the war. Speaking on Wednesday, the president offered a much shorter timeline for the conflict, telling reporters and the public he expected the fighting to end far sooner than his top advisers projected in private.
The latest: The US has made progress in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but the Iran war is far from over
09:00 , James ReynoldsIn recent weeks, the United States has succeeded in loosening Iran's grip over the Strait of Hormuz while virtually shutting down Iran's own oil exports, accelerating its economic free fall.
But the war launched by the US and Israel in February — intended to last a few weeks — is still far from over, and the stalemate is costly for both sides.
An agreement reached in June quickly crumbled, with so sign of diplomatic progress since then. Low-level fighting persists, and the U.S. does not seem to have an exit strategy.
Here’s where things stand after nearly seven months:
The US has made progress in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but the Iran war is far from over
Why fighting between the Houthis and Saudis is a disaster for Trump
08:31 , James ReynoldsYemen’s Houthi rebels attacked four cities in the south of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in another expansion of the six-month-old war in the Middle East.
The Iran backed group said they were launching a broad operation deep into Saudi territory, claiming strikes on an airbase and energy infrastructure across the country, and sharing footage of explosions from attacks on trucks near the border.
Analysts say that Washington cannot afford to ignore the lingering Houthi question to the west, and that a wider coalition may be needed to finally close the second volatile front of the war with Iran:
Why fighting between the Houthis and Saudis is a disaster for Trump
Iran and Pakistan discuss latest Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia
08:00 , James ReynoldsIran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi and Pakistani army chief Asim Munir discussed finding ways to restore diplomatic efforts to de-escalate Tehran's conflict with the US on all fronts, a Pakistani security official told Reuters on Friday.
The two spoke by phone on Thursday and the conversation was focused on the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, the possibility of getting back to talks, and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the official said.
UK economy grows despite Iran war toll
07:27 , James ReynoldsBritain's economy grew by a much stronger than expected 0.4% in July, extending the strong performance seen in the first half of the year despite headwinds from the US-Iran war, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed on Friday.
Compared with a year earlier, output in July was 1.6% higher, the fastest annual rate since February 2025 and above economists' 1.2% forecast.
Growth in the three months to July held at the 0.4% recorded in the three months to June, compared with economists' median forecast for a slowdown to 0.3%.
Britain, like other European economies, has taken less of an immediate hit to growth from the US-Iran war than economists had feared at the outset.
But the conflict this week pushed oil prices above $105 a barrel with knock-on impacts on government borrowing costs, and the BoE expects inflation to rise to around 3.2% later this year.
Two people arrested in London on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service
06:40 , Maroosha MuzaffarTwo people, aged 60 and 42, have been arrested in London on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service under the National Security Act.
Both were released on bail until late October, the Metropolitan Police has said.
Police said the arrests were not “connected to any of the incidents or attacks” involving Jewish and Iranian communities in London earlier this year.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said she knows “news of these arrests will come as a concern to some members of the public” but added that she does “not believe there to be any imminent threat to the wider public”.
She added: “We’ve seen a marked increase in the tempo of our work linked to national security and state threats over the past year and this investigation is a continuation of that.
“As we’ve shown here, if we suspect any activity could threaten the safety of the UK or the public, then we will not hesitate to take action.”
US expands intelligence support for Saudi fight against Houthis - report
06:13 , Maroosha MuzaffarMore than 100 US military advisers are in Saudi Arabia providing intelligence and targeting support as the kingdom fights Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, according to CNN.
The US is helping Saudi forces use real-time battlefield intelligence and providing “geospatial” targeting support, but is not directly taking part in strikes, refuelling Saudi aircraft or providing other operational assistance, the outlet reported.
The deployment comes after recent Houthi advances, including the seizure of a strategic Red Sea port, raising fears that the group could threaten the Bab el-Mandeb, a key global shipping route.
US officials cited by CNN believe hundreds of Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers are in Yemen helping the Houthis, potentially with the aim of closing the waterway.
Saudi crown prince calls Trump to urge him to launch strikes against Houthis - report
05:40 , Maroosha MuzaffarSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly called Donald Trump twice on Thursday to urge the US president to launch strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis, according to two US officials cited by Axios.
The request came as Houthi forces advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and moved closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping chokepoint.
Trump reportedly declined to order US strikes, however.
The Axios report says that Washington is instead increasing support for Saudi Arabia while trying to avoid getting directly involved in the wider Saudi-Houthi conflict.
A senior Trump administration official said the US priority was keeping the Red Sea open while leaving the broader fight to regional allies.
The Saudi request marks a sharp reversal from July, when Riyadh had told Washington it could deal with the Houthi threat itself. The situation has deteriorated since then, with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces retreating as the Houthis advance towards the coast.
Iran claims to have captured US ‘sail drone’ near Strait of Hormuz
05:20 , Maroosha MuzaffarIran’s Revolutionary Guard says its navy intercepted a US-operated surface drone near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
The Guard said it had “thwarted an aggressive mission” involving the drone, which is designed to resemble a sailboat, according to Al Jazeera.
Washington has not yet commented on the claim.
Trump says he does not regret Iran war despite midterm election risks
05:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarDonald Trump has said he does not regret launching the war against Iran, despite concerns that the conflict and rising oil and gas prices could hurt Republicans in the November midterm elections.
“I don’t believe in the word ‘regret’. You can always question yourself a little bit,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
“If I had it do again, I would do exactly as I did,” Trump said.
Trump rejected suggestions that the war had left some of his supporters demoralised, saying: “I don’t think they’re demoralised. I think they’re very proud of the fact that I’m not letting Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump also repeated his claim that the war would end immediately after the midterm elections. “It ends right after the election,” he said, while accusing Tehran of trying to influence the vote.
Iran hints at withdrawal from nuclear non-proliferation treaty
04:40 , Maroosha MuzaffarThe “political moves” by the UN’s nuclear watchdog could push countries to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has warned.
Mohsen Rezaei made the comments a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-member Board of Governors passed a resolution referring Iran to the UN Security Council over its alleged breaches of nuclear non-proliferation obligations.
White House advisers tell Trump the Iran war could last his entire term - report
04:13 , Maroosha MuzaffarDonald Trump has said that the Iran war will end soon after the November midterm elections, claiming Tehran is trying to influence the vote.
“I think the war is going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” Trump told reporters.
“They’re desperate to try and affect the election.”
But the Wall Street Journal reported that senior White House advisers, including JD Vance and Marco Rubio, have warned him privately that the war could continue until the end of his presidency in January 2029.
Democratic senator accuses Trump of ‘lying’ about end of Iran war
03:51 , Maroosha MuzaffarDemocratic senator Ed Markey has accused Donald Trump of lying about the “unwinnable Iran war”.
In a post on X, he wrote: “Trump claims that his illegal and unwinnable Iran war will end right after the midterm elections,” he said. “He’s lying.”
“His own advisors know better. This war of choice will drag on until Trump leaves office unless Congress cuts off funding,” he added.
“We cannot wait two more years to end this disaster.”
Trump claims that his illegal and unwinnable Iran war will end right after the midterm elections. He’s lying. His own advisors know better. This war of choice will drag on until Trump leaves office unless Congress cuts off funding. We cannot wait two more years to end this… pic.twitter.com/oOtuqLmbQS
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) September 10, 2026
Yemen risks a return to civil war as Iran-backed rebels target a crucial shipping route
03:00 , Harriette BoucherYemen is moving closer to a return to civil war. The escalating events in the Arab world's poorest country are closely linked to the war in Iran and global efforts to ship oil out of the Gulf region.
Here’s a look at an emerging conflict involving an Iranian-backed rebel group's efforts to keep neighboring Saudi Arabia from using a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, and how that could tear Yemen apart once more.
What’s happening could return Yemen to civil war
Yemen is home to over 40 million people who fear a return to the civil war that killed 150,000 and brought many others to the brink of famine in one of the world’s most sprawling humanitarian crises. A ceasefire with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a wider coalition backed by the Saudis began in 2022.
Now that truce is buckling.
Read more:
Yemen risks a return to civil war as Iran-backed rebels target a crucial shipping route
Residents flee Mokha after Houthis take control
02:00 , Harriette BoucherResidents have said Houthi forces could be seen throughout Mokha on Thursday, as locals fled the city after their capture.
Mokha resident Amin al-Mohammdi said roads from the west coast leading to Mokha were closed and shops were shuttered.
Local Mohamed Salem said he saw vehicles belonging to Houthi forces in the streets.
Three doctors told the AP they fled a Mokha hospital after it was seized by the Houthis.
The doctors spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fears for their safety.
They said other residents were fleeing south, toward the city of Aden, which is controlled by the Saudi-backed forces.
Internal White House warnings caution Trump that Iran war could last years: report
01:00 , Harriette Boucher
Internal White House warnings caution Trump that Iran war could last years: report
Envoy warns of 'new and more dangerous phase' in Yemen war
Friday 11 September 2026 00:00 , Harriette BoucherThe UN Security council has been warned that the international community must act to address “a new and more dangerous phase” in the Yemen war.
Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, told a UN said the Houthis' gaining control of Mocha gave them “a direct presence on the approaches to one of the world’s most vital straits.”
Speaking to the council on Thursday, he said: “When I briefed this council last month, I warned that Yemen was facing the greatest risk of a return to large-scale conflict since the 2022 truce. That risk has now turned into a harsh reality.
“This renewed war should alarm us all. It effectively marks the end of the relative calm that Yemen has experienced for over four years since the UN-brokered truce.
“It not only threatens to plunge Yemen into a prolonged and expanding war, but also risks yet again dragging the country into the wider and unresolved regional confrontation, with global repercussions.”
Houthis acting as 'agents and tools of Iran'
Thursday 10 September 2026 23:16 , Harriette BoucherThe Houthis have been accused of acting as “agents and tools of Iran” after capturing a key Red Sea port city on Thursday.
US representative Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz told a UN Security council: “This escalation is unacceptable, and those who enable it bear responsibility for its consequences.”
Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources told Reuters the Houthi advance down the coast this week came with direct guidance from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam said, without elaborating, that the group's operations were defensive and would stop once attacks on Yemen stopped.
Projectiles hit two vessels near Oman's Khasab - UKMTO
Thursday 10 September 2026 22:30 , Harriette BoucherFour unknown projectiles hit two vessels 4 nautical miles west of Oman's Khasab, causing a fire on one vessel and`leaving the status of the second vessel unknown, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Thursday.
The master of another vessel reported seeing the projectiles hit the two vessels about 6 nautical miles north of his position, it added.
Iran suspends 10% charge for foreign vessels carrying oil to Iran
Thursday 10 September 2026 22:00 , Alex CroftIran has suspended a 10 per cent charge on foreign vessels carrying oil, gas and liquid petroleum products to and from Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency is reporting according to the Reuters news agency.
The country's seaborne oil exports have been significantly disrupted by a US naval blockade.
The presidential legal deputy ordered the collection to stop until the government approves and publishes a list of products subject to the charge, Fars said.
Fars said the charge had increased the cost of transporting oil, gas and liquid products, and suspending the levy could reduce transportation costs and encourage foreign fleets to carry goods to or from Iran.
Houthi rebels reach a strategic port city in Yemen in a major threat to the country's truce
Thursday 10 September 2026 21:47 , Harriette BoucherIranian-backed Houthi rebels have entered Yemen's strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, several residents said Thursday, which could bring them closer to targeting shipping through a critical waterway to the Red Sea.
Separately, an Israeli strike killed at least four people in northern Gaza, including two children. And Israel warned Iran of a “powerful response” if Tehran attacks, threatening it could target Iran’s energy facilities in retaliation.
Houthi rebels have entered the port city of Mokha, two residents and three local doctors told The Associated Press.
If confirmed, the development is significant because taking the city would put the Houthis closer to their goal of targeting shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb, a crucial waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Mokha is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the strait.
Mokha long had been held by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Houthi rebels reach a strategic port city in Yemen in a major threat to the country's truce
UN nuclear watchdog board reports Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years
Thursday 10 September 2026 21:01 , Alex CroftThe UN atomic watchdog’s board on Wednesday reported Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years for failure to cooperate in a long-running investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at various undeclared sites in Iran.
Twenty-three countries on the IAEA’s 35-member board of governors voted for the resolution at IAEA headquarters in Vienna.
China, Russia and Niger opposed it, while eight countries abstained and one didn’t vote as it was in arrears, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-door vote.
The resolution was put forward by the United States, Britain, France and Germany.
The diplomatic move has been under consideration since June 2025, when the IAEA board found Iran officially in noncompliance with its nonproliferation obligations because of Tehran’s lack of cooperation in a long-running investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at various undeclared sites in Iran.
US Navy official admits Iran 'blew the hell out of' its Bahrain base
Thursday 10 September 2026 20:57 , Harriette BoucherThe US acting cavy secretary has reportedly admitted that Iranian forces “blew the hell out of” US naval facilities in Bahrain.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao made the rare admission to The Epoch Times.
It comes after Iran targeted the US Navy’s 5th Fleet on 28 February, in an attack that officials have tried to play down.
Watch: Trump says Strait of Hormuz could be renamed the ‘Trump Strait’
Thursday 10 September 2026 20:00 , Alex CroftSunni Kurdish cleric killed in northwest Iran, Guards blame 'separatists'
Thursday 10 September 2026 19:00 , Bryony GoochSunni Kurdish cleric Mamosta Mohammad Nezhati was killed in northwestern Iran, the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement reported on Wednesday by the semi-official Mehr news agency.
The statement accused what it called “Zionist-American Kurdish separatist groups” of carrying out the attack.
The Guards' West Azerbaijan provincial command said the killing of the local cleric was an attempt to create divisions between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims and undermine security in the province.
In a Telegram post, the semi-official Fars news agency described Nezhati as a member of Basij, a paramilitary force linked to the Guards.
It quoted the Guards' statement as saying he had a long history of cooperation with Basij organisations for professors, seminarians and clerics.
His killing follows that of Molavi Mohammad Anvar Rigi, a Sunni Baluch Friday prayer leader in the southeastern border town of Mirjaveh, who was killed by unidentified gunmen in July.
In border provinces with large ethnic minority populations, such as Sistan-Baluchistan and the Kurdish-populated western provinces, Iran has long faced militancy targeting security forces and figures associated with the state.
Satellite image shows increase in construction at Pickaxe Mountain
Thursday 10 September 2026 18:01 , Shweta SharmaSatellite imagery shows a sharp increase in construction activity this year at Iran’s deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain complex near Natanz, according to a new analysis by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The analysis, published on Wednesday, found that imagery from 2020 to 2026 showed the site had shifted from active excavation to probable internal construction and continued reinforcement of the complex’s exterior. Road activity this year was higher than at any other point since construction began.
The activity includes hardening tunnel entrances, paving internal roads, reinforcing access areas and removing excavation spoil, CSIS said.
However, the available imagery could neither confirm nor disprove Israeli intelligence claims that Iran had moved centrifuges into the complex.
CSIS said the absence of an increased security presence, as well as a lack of observed non-construction vehicles and equipment, suggested the underground facility was not yet capable of uranium enrichment, if that is its intended purpose.
Pickaxe Mountain, about 2km south of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a large underground tunnel complex built into granite. Its depth and fortifications would make it extremely difficult to destroy, even with the heaviest US conventional bunker-buster bombs, according to CSIS.
The think tank said open-source evidence was insufficient to determine exactly what was happening inside the facility. Possible uses include centrifuge assembly, uranium enrichment and other nuclear-related research and activities.
Houthis step up attacks on Saudi cities: the latest
Thursday 10 September 2026 17:00 , Alex CroftThe escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has continued into Thursday. Here are some of the latets updates:
- The Houthis said that Saudi strikes hit the bordering Yemeni provinces of Jawaf, Marib and Saada, bordering the kingdom, as well as the provinces of Taiz in the south and al-Hodeidah along the Red Sea coast, a Houthi stronghold from which it launches attacks on Red Sea shipping.
- Saudi civil defence authorities issued an emergency alert declared in the southwestern province of Khamis Mushait for the fourth time in 24 hours. The alert has now been lifted.
- At least 73 people were wounded in four southern Saudi cities, including Khamis Mushait, in recent Houthi attacks on the world's largest oil exporter, the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday.
- The Houthis said they attacked an airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby cities in one of the biggest attacks on Saudi Arabia since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in February.
- The coalition said the Houthis continued their attacks on national assets and infrastructure on Wednesday.
- The Houthis were nearing complete control of coastal cities on the Bab el-Mandeb strait including the ports of Mocha and Dhubab that sit directly along the strait, sources told Reuters.
Trump invokes dad of wealthy Princess Di boyfriend to make crass joke about Iranians
Thursday 10 September 2026 16:15 , Alex CroftDonald Trump made an off-color reference to the father of Princess Diana’s boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, during his remarks Wednesday at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas as he joked about his war in Iran.
The president delivered the keynote address on night one of the two-day convention in Texas, where Republicans are trying to rally support for flagging candidates nationwide in the face of a resurgent Democratic opposition. As he spoke about the war in Iran, he made an unexplained reference to Mohamed Al-Fayed and mocked his Arabic name in the process.
Speaking about a potential attack on Pickaxe Mountain, an alleged Iranian nuclear site, Trump told a whooping crowd that the U.S. Space Force could “see everything” taking place at secure Iranian facilities: “We can see everything. We can see the tag on their coat. ‘Mohamed Al-Fayed.’
The Independent’s Washington correspondent John Bowden reports:
Trump invokes dad of wealthy Princess Di boyfriend to make crass joke about Iranians
Pakistan warns Houthis to rein in attacks on Saudi Arabia
Thursday 10 September 2026 16:03 , Alex CroftPakistan has urged Iran to rein in its Houthi allies in Yemen after they stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, Pakistani and Iranian sources have told Reuters.
The warning suggests the country’s defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey is kicking into action.
While officials in Islamabad stressed any military role would be confined to defending Saudi territory, Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif said attacks spilling into the kingdom could trigger a joint security arrangement involving Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad.
"An aggression on one country will be considered an aggression on all three countries," Asif said on Pakistani TV.
"There is no ambiguity or doubt... Unprovoked aggression or spillover... into Saudi Arabia will definitely make this agreement operational."
The Houthis struck an airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby cities on Tuesday, wounding 73 people, in one of the biggest attacks on Saudi Arabia since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that Saudi warplanes carried out 54 airstrikes across various Yemeni provinces over the past 12 hours.
Watch: Trump says Iran war will end ‘immediately’ after November midterm elections
Thursday 10 September 2026 14:31 , Alex CroftOil prices hold firm despite attacks
Thursday 10 September 2026 14:00 , Alex CroftOil prices held firm on Thursday after Brent crude breached $100 a barrel, with traders bracing for deeper supply disruptions as Iran and the United States launched their largest attacks on shipping since their six-month-old conflict began.
Brent crude futures inched lower by 0.1 per cent to $101.10 a barrel by 0256 GMT.
US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $96.24 a barrel, up 0.2 per cent.
Brent prices have surged nearly 30 per cent from lows touched in early August as a permanent agreement between the US and Iran to cease attacks never materialised, while renewed fighting began later in the month.
Vessel approached by unidentified skiff near Yemen, says UKMTO
Thursday 10 September 2026 13:29 , Alex CroftThe United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency is reporting that an unidentified skiff has approached a large vessel near Yemen’s Al Mukalla on Thursday.
The incident comes as fighting intensifies in Yemen between the Iran-aligned Houthis and forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed government.
We’ll bring you more as we get it.
Internal White House warnings caution Trump that Iran war could last years: report
Thursday 10 September 2026 13:01 , Alex CroftTop White House advisers, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have privately warned President Donald Trump that the conflict with Iran could extend through the remainder of his presidency, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing U.S. officials.
The private warnings were delivered during internal strategy discussions held in the Oval Office and the Situation Room. During these confidential meetings, senior officials informed the president that Tehran could continue to resist U.S. pressure, potentially prolonging the conflict beyond Inauguration Day in January 2029.
According to details reported by the Journal, the assessment from key aides highlights concerns within the administration that Iranian resistance may not be easily broken, suggesting military engagement could become a defining foreign policy issue for Trump's entire term in office.
Read the full report here:
Internal White House warnings caution Trump that Iran war could last years: report
Iran suspends 10% charge for foreign vessels carrying oil to Iran
Thursday 10 September 2026 12:30 , Alex CroftIran has suspended a 10 per cent charge on foreign vessels carrying oil, gas and liquid petroleum products to and from Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency is reporting according to the Reuters news agency.
The country's seaborne oil exports have been significantly disrupted by a US naval blockade.
The presidential legal deputy ordered the collection to stop until the government approves and publishes a list of products subject to the charge, Fars said.
Fars said the charge had increased the cost of transporting oil, gas and liquid products, and suspending the levy could reduce transportation costs and encourage foreign fleets to carry goods to or from Iran.
UN nuclear watchdog board reports Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years
Thursday 10 September 2026 12:01 , Alex CroftThe UN atomic watchdog’s board on Wednesday reported Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years for failure to cooperate in a long-running investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at various undeclared sites in Iran.
Twenty-three countries on the IAEA’s 35-member board of governors voted for the resolution at IAEA headquarters in Vienna.
China, Russia and Niger opposed it, while eight countries abstained and one didn’t vote as it was in arrears, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-door vote.
The resolution was put forward by the United States, Britain, France and Germany.
The diplomatic move has been under consideration since June 2025, when the IAEA board found Iran officially in noncompliance with its nonproliferation obligations because of Tehran’s lack of cooperation in a long-running investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at various undeclared sites in Iran.
Watch: Trump says US strikes prevented Iran from getting nuclear weapon
Thursday 10 September 2026 11:28 , Alex CroftHouthis step up attacks on Saudi cities: the latest
Thursday 10 September 2026 11:00 , Alex CroftThe escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has continued into Thursday. Here are some of the latets updates:
- The Houthis said that Saudi strikes hit the bordering Yemeni provinces of Jawaf, Marib and Saada, bordering the kingdom, as well as the provinces of Taiz in the south and al-Hodeidah along the Red Sea coast, a Houthi stronghold from which it launches attacks on Red Sea shipping.
- Saudi civil defence authorities issued an emergency alert declared in the southwestern province of Khamis Mushait for the fourth time in 24 hours. The alert has now been lifted.
- At least 73 people were wounded in four southern Saudi cities, including Khamis Mushait, in recent Houthi attacks on the world's largest oil exporter, the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday.
- The Houthis said they attacked an airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby cities in one of the biggest attacks on Saudi Arabia since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in February.
- The coalition said the Houthis continued their attacks on national assets and infrastructure on Wednesday.
- The Houthis were nearing complete control of coastal cities on the Bab el-Mandeb strait including thes port of Mocha and Dhubab that sit directly along the strait, sources told Reuters.
Trump says activity seen at Iran's Pickaxe Mountain: 'Not to get cute' - ICYMI
Thursday 10 September 2026 10:30 , Alex CroftPresident Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States may hit Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, urging Tehran to be cautious.
"We notice there's a little activity at Pickaxe. I would advise Iran not to get cute because we will have to hit them very hard," Trump said in a speech at the midterm Republican convention.
Pickaxe Mountain, located near Iran's heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a fortified site that hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes.
Trump has been threatening strikes on Pickaxe Mountain since at least mid-July.
The rise in oil and gas prices due to the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began in February, has become a major issue for Trump and his Republican Party in the lead-up to the midterm US elections in November.
Trump invokes dad of wealthy Princess Di boyfriend to make crass joke about Iranians
Thursday 10 September 2026 10:01 , Alex CroftDonald Trump made an off-color reference to the father of Princess Diana’s boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, during his remarks Wednesday at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas as he joked about his war in Iran.
The president delivered the keynote address on night one of the two-day convention in Texas, where Republicans are trying to rally support for flagging candidates nationwide in the face of a resurgent Democratic opposition. As he spoke about the war in Iran, he made an unexplained reference to Mohamed Al-Fayed and mocked his Arabic name in the process.
Speaking about a potential attack on Pickaxe Mountain, an alleged Iranian nuclear site, Trump told a whooping crowd that the U.S. Space Force could “see everything” taking place at secure Iranian facilities: “We can see everything. We can see the tag on their coat. ‘Mohamed Al-Fayed.’
The Independent’s Washington correspondent John Bowden reports:
Trump invokes dad of wealthy Princess Di boyfriend to make crass joke about Iranians
Pakistan warns Houthis to rein in attacks on Saudi Arabia
Thursday 10 September 2026 09:29 , Alex CroftPakistan has urged Iran to rein in its Houthi allies in Yemen after they stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, Pakistani and Iranian sources have told Reuters.
The warning suggests the country’s defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey is kicking into action.
While officials in Islamabad stressed any military role would be confined to defending Saudi territory, Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif said attacks spilling into the kingdom could trigger a joint security arrangement involving Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad.
"An aggression on one country will be considered an aggression on all three countries," Asif said on Pakistani TV.
"There is no ambiguity or doubt... Unprovoked aggression or spillover... into Saudi Arabia will definitely make this agreement operational."
The Houthis struck an airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby cities on Tuesday, wounding 73 people, in one of the biggest attacks on Saudi Arabia since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that Saudi warplanes carried out 54 airstrikes across various Yemeni provinces over the past 12 hours.
IRGC threaten escalation of reprisals
Thursday 10 September 2026 09:00 , Alex CroftIran's Revolutionary Guards said they would sharply escalate their response to any further attacks, and said Iran would soon release maps of a new, enlarged off-limits zone at sea that would extend as far as Chabahar on the coast near Pakistan.
Iran also said it fired on two US ships and eight tankers in response to the US action.
One seafarer was killed aboard the oil products tanker Hercules Star while at anchorage off Dubai, the vessel's charterer, Peninsula, said.
The British maritime security agency UKMTO described a vessel in the vicinity that was listing after being struck by a projectile.
In pictures: Houthis release battle images as fighting escalates with Yemeni government
Thursday 10 September 2026 08:31 , Alex Croft
