Iran-US war latest: Trump says conflict ‘hopefully’ nearing end and claims to be in direct talks with Tehran
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Iran-US war latest: Trump says conflict ‘hopefully’ nearing end and claims to be in direct talks with Tehran
Iran dismissed Donald Trump’s renewed claims that the Islamic Republic is seeking a quick deal to end the war
Maroosha Muzaffar Thursday 17 September 2026 06:50 BST
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Donald Trump told reporters that the US is “hopefully toward the end” of its war with Iran, adding that he has spoken with Tehran “directly”.
He also repeated his claim that Tehran was seeking a deal, despite Iranian officials declaring only hours earlier that peace talks will not resume until all of their conditions are met.
Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, chief spokesperson for the Iranian armed forces, told Iranian media: “The people disrupted the enemy’s calculations with 200 nights of resistance, and the armed forces will defend Iran until the last drop of blood.”
Oil prices crept up to $108 per barrel, lifted by disruption around the Strait of Hormuz and the burgeoning crisis between US ally Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels near the Red Sea.
Iran’s foreign minister was instructed by his Chinese counterpart meanwhile to reopen the Strait and return to the interim peace deal signed with the US in June as disruption to energy supplies continues to be felt around the world.
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Key Points
- Donald Trump says US ‘hopefully’ nearing end of war with Iran
- Oil prices fall as Saudi Arabia offers extra crude via Oman
- UN chief urges de-escalation and return to diplomacy in Middle East
- Building collapse in Gaza kills 16 as perilous conditions persist
- Top Democrat opposes sale of 2,000 bombs to Israel
Trump says US ‘hopefully’ nearing end of war
President Donald Trump told reporters that the US is “hopefully toward the end” of its war with Iran, adding that he has spoken with Iran “directly”.
He also repeated his claim that Tehran was seeking a deal.
He told the crowd in North Carolina that gas and oil prices will “come down very quickly” after the war ends in Iran.
Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 06:50
US House approves bill imposing sanctions on Iran and Russia
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, voting 262-159 to impose sweeping sanctions and tariffs aimed at increasing economic pressure on Iran and Russia, Reuters reported.
The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, introduced by Graham himself, was approved by the Senate last month in an 86-11 vote.
While the legislation primarily targets Russia, it also extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, signed by then-president Bill Clinton.
The 1996 law was due to expire in 2026 but has now been extended for another five years.
Dozens of Democratic representatives joined most Republicans in backing the bill, sending it to president Donald Trump to be signed into law.
Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 06:00
Oil prices fall as Saudi Arabia offers extra crude via Oman
Oil prices fell in early trading on Thursday, extending losses from the previous session after reports that Saudi Arabia was offering additional crude cargoes through Oman eased concerns over potential supply disruptions in the Middle East.
Brent crude futures fell $1.24, or 1.2 per cent, to $104.59 a barrel by 00:49 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures declined $1.14, or 1.1 per cent, to $101.29.Both contracts dropped by about $3 on Wednesday.
Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 05:47
South Korea says no decision made on military deployment to Strait of Hormuz
South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun said on Thursday that no decision had been made on any military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz.
Cho was speaking to reporters before departing for Washington, where he is due to hold talks with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
Earlier this month, it was reported that South Korea was considering deploying military assets to the Strait of Hormuz as it faced growing pressure from the US to do more in the Middle East.
Later, Seoul said that the military deployment was an option but clarified that nothing had been decided yet.
Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 05:20
Trump says US ‘hopefully’ nearing end of war with Iran
Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 05:00
US military helping to keep Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping, Centcom says
Despite an ongoing blockade of Iranian maritime trade and attacks by Iran’s military on commercial ships, the US military has said its forces have kept the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping.
The US also claimed that they are helping facilitate the movement of hundreds of millions of barrels of oil through the strategic waterway.
On Wednesday, US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, said traffic through the strait “continues to flow”, rejecting suggestions that Iran controls the waterway.
“Since early May, we have assisted commercial vessels moving more than 900 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz to the global energy market,” Hawkins told Al Jazeera.
The US and Iran have continued to make competing claims over who has greater control of the critical Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.
Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 04:40
UN chief urges de-escalation and return to diplomacy in Middle East
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy as tensions mount across the Middle East, including mounting hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
“At this critical moment in the Middle East, de-escalation must be a priority,” Guterres said.
“Any actions that harm civilians must stop. Humanitarian operations must proceed safely and without obstruction. Navigational rights and freedoms must be fully restored & respected.
“The only path forward is de-escalation, diplomacy and dialogue,” he said.
Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 04:20
Trump says US ‘hopefully’ nearing end of war
President Donald Trump told reporters that the US is “hopefully toward the end” of its war with Iran, adding that he has spoken with Iran “directly”.
He also repeated his claim that Tehran was seeking a deal.
He told the crowd in North Carolina that gas and oil prices will “come down very quickly” after the war ends in Iran.
Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 03:55
Watch: US Air Force officer recalls ‘free-falling’ to ground with damaged parachute after plane was shot down over Iran
Alex Croft 17 September 2026 03:00
Building collapse in Gaza kills 16 as perilous conditions persist
A building housing half a dozen families gave out in Gaza City overnight into Wednesday, killing sixteen people as they slept and leaving rescuers digging through rubble for dozens more who’d been sheltering inside the structure.
The sudden collapse of the building, which was known to be unstable due to damage from Israeli strikes earlier in the war, underscored how perilous and desperate living conditions have grown for the majority of the enclave’s population as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas stalls.
The sixteen dead include at least twelve women and children, according to Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry. The toll was expected to rise as more bodies were recovered from the wreckage.
Building collapse in Gaza kills at least 21 seeking shelter inside
Tens of thousands of Palestinians live in an estimated 2,000 damaged buildings across Gaza James Reynolds 17 September 2026 01:30 Newer 1 / 3 Older
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