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.”
Earlier, Trump rejected reports that Washington had offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear commitments. “This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump did confirm on Monday that US officials had spoken with mediators in New York, as he insisted the US will win its war in Iran “very soon”.
Key Points
- Iranian official calls Trump a 'big liar' over nuclear and Hormuz claims
- Explosions head 'likely warning shots' at vessels in Strait of Hormuz
- UK releases suspects as Iran denies role in RAF Fairford
- Trump denies sanctions relief for Iran
- Iranian president’s defiant UN speech accuses US of ‘terrorism’ and flouting international law
Oil prices rise after Trump denies he would ease Iran sanctions
06:19 , Stuti MishraOil 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05:46 , Stuti MishraUS forces have withdrawn from their remaining bases in Iraq, in a departure Tehran has celebrated as a win for its allied armed groups across the region.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 MishraIran'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-CaneThe 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-CaneIraqi 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-CaneTrump trolls Iran by renaming the Strait of Hormuz shipping route after himself
Wednesday 30 September 2026 00:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneDonald 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-CaneThe 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 KeaneThe 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 KeanePolice 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-CaneQatar'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 ButtAs 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 KeaneUS sanctions 10 over allegedly procuring weapons for Iran, Treasury website shows
Tuesday 29 September 2026 18:34 , Daniel KeaneThe 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 KeaneAn 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 MuzaffarCrude 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 MuzaffarAs 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 WithnallAn 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.
Iran’s latest proposal seeks faster action
Tuesday 29 September 2026 12:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarWhile Iran’s latest proposal echoes the June deal, a key difference is speed.
Araghchi told a closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week that Tehran had pitched the deal as benefiting Trump in the midterm elections.
Araghchi later told journalists that “the seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan.”
Meanwhile, Araghchi met Monday with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose office said he welcomed diplomatic efforts in the last week to end the conflict and urged the parties to keep talking.
Both the US and Iran have been hurting economically — the US from high oil prices as Iran attacks ships on the strait, and Tehran from the naval blockade and a growing number of US sanctions that bottle up its oil sales.
Brent crude, the international standard, is above $108.
Tehran’s latest proposal again sought to end the fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon. But a new front has emerged in recent weeks as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are now perched on another crucial waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. That has further pressured global energy markets.
Deal would first reopen the strait and lift the US blockade
Tuesday 29 September 2026 11:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarTwo of the regional officials speaking to the AP confirmed that mediators are working with both sides on a proposal that would include reopening the strait and lifting the U.S. blockade, and then removing sanctions.
According to the draft text being discussed, the strait would reopen in accordance with a separate deal that Iran has been discussing with Oman, on the other side of the strait, and it would include no tolls — something Tehran has pursued.
That deal seeks to temporarily manage shipping traffic on what was seen as an international waterway before the war.
One regional official said the US is seeking Iranian concessions on nuclear issues that include allowing inspectors to enter the country.
Under the memorandum of understanding the two sides signed in June that collapsed within days, Iran’s nuclear program was meant to be discussed over a 60-day period.
The US officials say the United States is sceptical about whether Iran can be persuaded to ultimately reach Trump’s conditions for a deal and would be serious about any promises it makes, especially after it broke the interim deal by firing on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
US officials feel their position is getting stronger as Tehran feels the impact of sanctions.
Kremlin says it does not want Iran to quit nuclear non-proliferation treaty
Tuesday 29 September 2026 10:37 , Adam WithnallRussia does not want Iran to quit the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and counts on it remaining a party to the agreement, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was responding to comments from Iranian officials about Tehran's possible withdrawal from the treaty, which commits Tehran not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
Russia and Iran have close ties under a strategic cooperation treaty between the two countries.
Trump offers Iran war naysayers an extreme endgame: ‘Let them hit us with a nuclear weapon’
Tuesday 29 September 2026 10:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarTrump continues to insist America faced imminent nuclear threat, even as just half of Republicans say war was ‘worth it’, writes John Bowden
Trump offers Iran critics an extreme endgame: ‘Let them hit us with a nuclear weapon’
Analysis: Trump and Rubio don’t know as much as they think they do
Tuesday 29 September 2026 09:37 , Adam WithnallTrump and Rubio don’t know as much as they think they do
Iranian court upholds sentence of 74 lashes against artist for performing without hijab
Tuesday 29 September 2026 09:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarAn Iranian appeals court has upheld a sentence of 74 lashes against singer Parastoo Ahmadi for performing without the mandatory hijab, her lawyers said.
Ahmadi, 29, performed in a sleeveless dress during a YouTube livestream in December 2024, prompting legal proceedings.
A court in Qom convicted her and eight members of her team on charges including “offending public decency” through “obscene and indecent material”.
Their appeal was “rejected” without a hearing, according to her lawyers.
One lawyer said: “In our view, holding the concert was not a crime at all,” while Amnesty International warned that “flogging constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and violates the absolute prohibition on torture and other ill treatment”.
US and Iran separately talk with mediators in latest bid to end war
Tuesday 29 September 2026 08:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarUS and Iranian officials held separate talks with mediators on Monday in a renewed effort to end the seven-month war.
Further negotiations are expected to centre on an amended version of Iran’s seven-day proposal, which calls for an end to hostilities, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, sanctions relief and the lifting of the US blockade, in return for Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said: “If the Americans claim they are seeking an agreement or a peaceful solution, we have presented that solution,” while adding that “our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met”.
Trump had rejected Iran’s proposal but said further talks could take place this week.
Senior Hamas commander killed in Israeli strike on Gaza City
Tuesday 29 September 2026 07:41 , Adam WithnallAn Israeli airstrike has killed Izz al-Din Al-Beik, the head of Hamas’s armed wing in the northern Gaza Strip, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military had targeted and killed Beik, who they said has been involved in the planning of attacks and recruitment of militants.
Medics and Hamas sources told Reuters that Beik was killed in an Israeli strike on an apartment building in Gaza City's Nasr neighbourhood around dawn on Tuesday.
Shipping through Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted
Tuesday 29 September 2026 07:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarShipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed over the weekend, data showed on Monday, following attacks on tankers as US-Iran talks aimed at resolving the Middle East conflict stalled.
Five commodity vessels transited the strait on Saturday, while none were recorded on Sunday, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler. This compares with 31 vessels that crossed during the previous weekend.
Despite those figures, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has claimed the Strait is largely open.
Rubio warns Iran with nuclear weapon would ‘blackmail the world’
Tuesday 29 September 2026 06:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarUS secretary of state Marco Rubio said the Strait of Hormuz remains largely open, with oil flows close to pre-war levels apart from Iranian oil, but warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an “unacceptable risk”.
He said Tehran could use nuclear weapons to “blackmail the world and to kill people”, potentially controlling the strait and energy supplies.
Rubio also criticised Iran’s leadership, saying: “Who calls the shots in Iran are radical Shia clerics with an apocalyptic vision of the future. They believe that it is a religious calling to trigger about the last days of the world, the apocalypse.”
He accused Iran of using money from sanctions relief and economic sales to build weapons and “export the revolution” rather than “improve the lives of the Iranian people”
.“They use the money to fund Hezbollah, they use the money to fund Hamas, they use the money to fund Shia militias in Iraq… they use the money to sponsor terrorism and assassination plots,” he said.
UK releases suspects as Iran denies role in RAF Fairford
Tuesday 29 September 2026 05:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarFive British men in their early 20s have been released on bail after being arrested near RAF Fairford over suspected terrorism and explosives offences.
British counterterrorism police said the investigation was ongoing and that they were examining possible links to Iran, Russia or non-state armed groups, including whether the suspects may have been acting as proxies for a foreign government.
Police have not publicly tied Iran to the arrests.Iran has categorically denied any involvement, calling the allegations “unfounded and malicious”, according to a statement by Iran’s embassy in London.
US president Donald Trump said the incident “might be” connected to Iran, while UK ministers warned of threats from Iran and its proxies.
Trump denies sanctions relief for Iran
Tuesday 29 September 2026 03:57 , Maroosha MuzaffarDonald Trump has rejected reports that Washington had offered Tehran sanctions relief.
Trump dismissed reports that his administration had offered Iran access to frozen funds or sanctions concessions in exchange for nuclear commitments.
“This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, Trump confirmed on Monday that US officials separately spoke with mediators, without giving further details.
He also said: “We’re going to win, as far as I’m concerned, it’s going to be one way or the other. It’s going to go pretty quickly.”
Recap: Men arrested over RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’ released on bail
Tuesday 29 September 2026 03:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneFive men arrested over a suspected bomb plot near an RAF base have been released on bail, the Metropolitan Police has said.
The suspects, who are all British nationals aged in their twenties and from London, were arrested over potential terror offences in Whelford, Gloucestershire, in the early hours of Sunday.
They were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and later on suspicion of terrorism offences, after a villager dialled 999 when she saw three vans and a group of masked men near the base.
You can read more below:
Men arrested over RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’ released on bail
Iranian state actors targeting UK dissidents, activists and journalists with spyware
Tuesday 29 September 2026 02:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBritish intelligence has issued a warning after finding Iranian spies have targeted dissidents with spyware that can enable tracking of their movements.
Dissidents, activists and journalists were targeted by state actors that impersonated their contacts on messaging apps to trick them into downloading spyware called Chosen Brick, the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, warned.
The malware gave agents access to the person’s contacts, emails and social media messages as well as a device’s microphone and content on the screen.
You can read more below:
Iranian state actors targeting dissidents and activists with spyware
Recap: Iranian president’s defiant UN speech accuses US of ‘terrorism’ and flouting international law
Tuesday 29 September 2026 01:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneIran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian launched a defiant attack on the United States and Israel at the UN, the day after President Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic.
The US leader warned he could send Iran to “hell” during his combative address to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, seven months after the war he started alongside Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.
In his address to the gathering in New York on Wednesday, Mr Pezeshkian insisted that Iran would never surrender and held up images of children killed in a strike on a primary school in Minab.
You can read more below:
Iranian president accuses US of ‘terrorism’ and ignoring international law at UN
Gulf nations keep oil flowing despite Iran war as costs mount
Tuesday 29 September 2026 00:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneWhen Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz at the beginning of the war, cutting off sea passage for some 15 million barrels of oil a day, many feared that prices would skyrocket.
Instead, nearly seven months on, oil is expensive but not exorbitant, and analysts suggest current supply is sufficient to meet current global needs, even as the higher prices cause political problems for US President Donald Trump and others.
That's because Saudi Arabia and other Gulf producers quickly found alternative routes and reached for unused pipeline capacity. When Iran and its militant allies targeted those, the oil exporters and the U.S. military found further workarounds in an often clandestine game of whack-a-mole.
You can read more below:
Gulf nations keep oil flowing despite Iran war as costs mount
Watch: RAF Fairford: What happened and who is behind the alleged terror plot?
Monday 28 September 2026 23:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAnalysis: The RAF Fairford bomb plot was designed to fail. So who was behind it?
Monday 28 September 2026 22:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneIf this was a ploy to use old school techniques in the age of drones it was doomed from the start, says world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
The RAF Fairford bomb plot was designed to fail. So who was behind it?
Explosions head 'likely warning shots' at vessels in Strait of Hormuz
Monday 28 September 2026 21:47 , Nicole Wootton-CaneExplosions heard tonight in Iran’s Qeshm Island are likely a result of warning shots fired at violating vessels in the Strait of Hormus, according to Iran’s state TV.
Explosion heard in Iran's Qeshm Island, state news reports
Monday 28 September 2026 21:17 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe sound of an explosion was heard in Iran's Qeshm Island coming from the direction of the sea, Iran's official news agency IRNA said late on Monday, without providing details about the reason of the sound.
We’ll bring you the latest on this development as soon as we have it.
Trump says US officials spoke to negotiators
Monday 28 September 2026 21:15 , Nicole Wootton-CaneDonald Trump confirmed that US officials had spoken with mediators on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he added the US will win the Iran war "very soon" and that gas prices will come tumbling down.
Trump ‘surprised’ as five suspects released on bail over suspected RAF Fairford plot
Monday 28 September 2026 21:08 , Nicole Wootton-CaneUS President Donald Trump has said he is “surprised” five suspects were released on bail over a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford, adding that he would not have released them.
Five British nationals were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism on Sunday after three suspicious vans were found near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which is used by the US Air Force.
The men were released on bail on Monday after police found no viable explosives on the site, but detectives stressed the men “absolutely remain under investigation”.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Monday, Mr Trump said he would not have released the suspects, adding the plot “might be” connected to Iran.
“I would have said, don't let them have bail, cashless bail,” he said. “Is it cashless bail? I guess that was one of the problems that we had, which started the whole mess of crime, and we're ending cashless bail. But over there, I'm surprised that they released them. I wouldn't have deadlines. Look, they've been very good. They worked with us very closely."
Pressed on whether Iran was involved he said: “I'd rather not. I mean, I know the answer. I can be very specific, but I'd rather not say it. But I would not have released them.”
Trump trolls Iran by renaming the Strait of Hormuz shipping route after himself
Monday 28 September 2026 21:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneDonald Trump taunted Iran as he labelled the Strait of Hormuz “Trump Strait” after Tehran proposed a deal to open the key waterway within a week if the US meets certain conditions.
In a post on his Truth Social platform in the early hours of Saturday, the US president shared a picture of a map, with the shipping route labelled with his own name.
It comes after Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi presented a seven-day plan involving a ceasefire to American negotiators on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week. The conditions for Washington largely echo the ones agreed to in the June deal that fell apart.
You can read more below:
Trump trolls Iran by renaming the Strait of Hormuz shipping route after himself
Security measures stepped up at UK military bases that support US forces
Monday 28 September 2026 20:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSecurity has been stepped up on Royal Air Force (RAF) bases that have a US military presence following a suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford on Sunday.
RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk confirmed it is on Charlie alert, which is the second-highest threat level that can be issued by the US Department of Defence.
The confirmation to PA came amid reports that RAF Fairford has been raised to the highest threat level, Delta.
A spokesperson for the USAF said its personnel based at RAF Fairford “remain vigilant”, but “for operational security reasons we will not discuss specific force protection measures”.
They said its 501st Combat Support Wing and UK counterparts “will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, civilians, contractors, and their families”.
The 501st is “the only combat support wing in the USAF” and operates from 10 bases including Fairford, according to its website.
In focus: Iran wants one thing in its war with the West
Monday 28 September 2026 19:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAs speculation swirls over the RAF Fairford plot, Maira Butt take a closer look at the drone strikes, assassination attempts and hacking data centres that key suspect Iran and its affiliates are believed to have utilised in recent years.
Iran wants one thing in its war with the West
Iran set to hold separate talks with mediators on Monday or Tuesday, official says
Monday 28 September 2026 18:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneQatari mediators are likely to hold separate talks with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi in New York and with the US side on Monday or Tuesday, in a fresh push to end the war.
The talks are expected to focus on an amended version of a seven-day proposal that Iran presented last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, said the official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Mr Araqchi remains in New York after attending the General Assembly. It was not immediately clear who would represent the US side in the talks with mediators.
Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency later confirmed that Mr Araqchi would meet the mediators in the US on Monday morning, New York time.
The two sides will "examine the latest proposals and views regarding the current situation", ISNA added.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state media later on Monday that Mr Araqchi's stay in New York had not been extended and that the foreign minister would return to Tehran according to his original schedule.
Mr Baghaei made no comment on the talks with mediators.
Watch: Wes Streeting pressed over terror police 'investigating Iran link' to suspected bomb plot near RAF Fairford
Monday 28 September 2026 17:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneNetanyahu made secret weekend trip to meet UAE’s leader – report
Monday 28 September 2026 17:00 , MehrajBenjamin Netanyahu traveled secretly to the UAE over the weekend to ask its leader to deny reports that he had warned the Israeli prime minister about a looming Hamas threat ahead of the Palestinian militant group's 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, Associated Press reported.
The meeting between Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan took place on Sunday, according to two people briefed on the prime minister’s trip, which was first reported by Israel’s Channel 12 TV station.
One of them said the talks focused on a report published by the Israeli daily Haaretz earlier this month that said the Emirati leader had warned Netanyahu ahead of 7 October.
Netanyahu asked his host to deny the report, according to a person with firsthand information about the meeting. Netanyahu’s office had previously denied the Haaretz report.
The UAE’s foreign ministry declined to comment on reports about the meeting but stressed that it maintained “open and direct lines of communication” with Israel and shared “all relevant intelligence”.
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.
Men arrested over RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’ released on bail
Monday 28 September 2026 16:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneFive men arrested over a suspected bomb plot near an RAF base have been released on bail, the Metropolitan Police has said.
The suspects, who are all British nationals aged in their 20s and from London, were arrested over potential terror offences in Whelford, Gloucestershire in the early hours of Sunday.
They were arrested in suspicion of explosives offences and later on suspicion of terrorism offences after a villager dialled 999 when she saw three vans and a group of masked men near the base.
Police are understood to be investigating if any potential plot could be linked to Iran, which has used proxies to carry out crimes on British soil in the past.
You can read more below:
Men arrested over RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’ released on bail
Iran's Supreme Leader says 'enemy forces' will soon be driven out of Arabian Sea
Monday 28 September 2026 15:45 , MehrajIranian forces had driven “enemy forces” back from waters off southern Iran to the Arabian Sea, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Monday, Reuters reported, citing his Telegram channel.
He warned that Iranian forces would soon push them out of the Arabian Sea as well.
