US-Iran nuclear standoff and Trump escalation threats

A US Treasury report said no new oil had been loaded onto tankers at Iran's terminals since August 25.

A vessel carrying liquefied petroleum gas was struck by three Iranian projectiles on Saturday about 40 nautical miles south of Iran's Lavan Island.

A US Treasury report said Iran's year-on-year inflation neared 90 percent in September.

Trump said he is in no hurry to make a decision on striking Iran.

Trump said one or two sites in Iran still need taking care of.

Mediators are trying to prevent a new breakout of war.

Khamenei said there would be no geographical limitations for Iranian attacks if the war resumes.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said no decision has been made yet on whether to restart military action against Iran.

A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday according to a British maritime security agency.

The UKMTO recorded 155 inbound and 122 outbound transits through the Strait of Hormuz in the week ending October 28, 70 percent lower than pre-war levels.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the costs of war had exceeded 100 billion euros for Europe over the past eight months.

Iran's proposal for mediated negotiations includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a return to the June memorandum of understanding.

Araghchi said Qatari and Pakistani mediators are continuing consultations regarding Iran's conditions.

Araghchi said Iran demands the restoration of oil waivers and the release of all frozen funds, including those held in Qatar.

Abdollahi said Iran was acting on Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's orders.

U.S. officials have warned regional partners to prepare for the possibility of heightened U.S. military action against Iran after the 2026 midterm elections and potential Iranian retaliation.

State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Iran would face consequences if it continues its malign activities.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened the two-day G20 foreign ministers gathering on Friday by warning that the world's largest economies face interconnected economic and geopolitical crises threatening energy and food supplies, trade, global supply chains, and freedom of navigation.

The Al Jazeera headline characterizes Trump's plan to restart war on Iran as 'insane'.

Senators were briefed on a plan by Trump to restart war on Iran.

An Al Jazeera article reporting on senators being briefed on Trump's plan regarding Iran was published on October 30, 2026.

The New York Times reported that Vance's letter proposed a meeting between US and Iranian officials soon, with Vance heading the US delegation as he did during previous US-Iran talks in June.

The Journal quoted an informed source saying the letter and follow-up discussions did not cover specific peace terms but rather a potential framework for negotiations.

The Times reported the letter was passed to Rezaei by Qatari mediators on Sunday.

Senator Chris Murphy said the US military's war plan for Iran is insane and would lead to devastating escalation.

The Vance letter was sent to Rezaei rather than Ghalibaf or foreign minister Abbas Araghchi because Washington judged that decision-making power rests with those closest to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Mojtaba Khamenei has said he would like an end to the current state of neither war nor peace.

Iran's navy claimed approximately 300 operations targeting American interests in various locations during the war.

The Houthi health ministry said 12 citizens were killed and three others were critically injured in the strike.

Fighting reignited in Yemen in July after a four-year truce.

Britain and European allies urged diplomacy over violence at a meeting in Istanbul last weekend.

Netanyahu suggested that opposition victory in Israel's election could pave the way for Israel's destruction in a second nuclear Holocaust.

Trump cut a diesel deal with Vladimir Putin.

US President Donald Trump said he had previously stated that attacks on Iran would not take place until after the US midterms on November 3.

Republican majorities in the Senate are 53-47 including two independents who vote with Democrats, and in the House are 218-214.

Pakistan and Qatar helped broker a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, ending the US blockade of Iranian ports, and laying down conditions for negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme.

Officials from Iran, Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia held talks in Tehran on Monday.

Iran says the US is not serious about talks.

The talks in Tehran were held in an effort to stop further escalation.

Trump halted full combat operations against Iran earlier in 2026.

US forces in the Middle East are prepared to launch major military operations against Iran within 96 hours of receiving an order from President Trump.

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper visited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

The delegations discussed regional security, military aggression, and support for the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples.

Senior officials from Iran, Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia met in Tehran on October 26, 2026.

US President Donald Trump sarcastically responded to a reporter asking about possible renewed attacks on Iran.

Trump suggested inflation could force Tehran into a deal.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the US of disrupting talks to end the war.

Iran launched a public mobilization campaign called Janfada in late March.

On October 15, residents in Rasht objected to the noise and street blocking caused by a nighttime pro-government gathering.

Education Minister Alireza Kazemi said the Basij militia is registering student Janfadas.

The New York Times reported that the US and Israel have drawn up joint plans for an attack on Iran after the midterm elections.

Iran announced a shift towards an offensive military doctrine, warning that countries hosting bases used in US attacks could become targets.

Axios reported that the Pentagon had instructed CENTCOM to complete preparations for a possible resumption of major combat operations.

The memo stated that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel overseas, with lethal plots reaching advanced stages in the Middle East and other countries.

US intelligence agencies warned that Iran is in advanced stages of plans to target US personnel abroad.

In March, a Pakistani national was convicted by a US court of plotting to assassinate Trump and other US politicians on the orders of Iran's IRGC.

US President Donald Trump said the US is considering a possible attack on Iran as soon as Sunday.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the US for breaking down interim agreement talks.

Trump's Republican Party faces crucial midterm elections on November 3.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Iran.

Iran transferred Shahed drone technology to Russia.

Vladimir Putin reportedly delivered an Iranian proposal to Donald Trump by phone this month.

Tehran has refused access to the IAEA to inspect its nuclear facilities since the war started.

US Vice President JD Vance suggested earlier this month that a meaningful reduction in enrichment capacity may satisfy US demands.

Mohsen Rezaei did not rule out downblending highly enriched uranium inside Iran under supervision from monitors.

Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei stated that no enriched uranium would exit Iran.

Iran insists that uranium enrichment is a right guaranteed under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US will not support any deal that creates a pathway for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

The MOAB was dropped on April 13, 2017, on a cave complex in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.

For the Afghanistan mission, the MOAB was loaded on a special cradle and slid out of the back ramp of an MC-130 while in flight.

The MOAB was built by the Air Force Research Lab just prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Marco Rubio said economic pressure on Iran will continue until Tehran stops targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Abbas Araghchi said indirect talks between the US and Iran continue through Pakistan and Qatar.

Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington accepts Tehran’s conditions.

An art installation in Tehran's Tajrish Square featured a performer impersonating US President Donald Trump behind bars.

The installation included the slogan "It is a crime not to see this scene."

Yuval David said Iran's information warfare campaign tries to create a rot from within societies and is succeeding.

Yuval David said the Islamic Republic of Iran has been waging an ideological war against America, Israel, and democracies around the world since 1979.

Yuval David said Iran is using information warfare because it cannot defeat Israel or the United States in a physical kinetic war.

A memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran was signed in Islamabad on June 18 but collapsed within days.

Washington wants the Strait of Hormuz opened and enrichment frozen first, while Tehran wants the naval blockade lifted first.

US President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 despite the IAEA's confirmation that Tehran was complying with it.

ABC News has rare front-line access aboard the USS George Washington.

ABC News is aboard the USS George Washington near the Strait of Hormuz.

The ABC News report from aboard the USS George Washington was published on October 16, 2026.

The change in flight availability and cost resulted from a new round of US sanctions targeting Iranian airlines and foreign companies providing them with services.

Flights from Iran to Najaf in Iraq were briefly disrupted in late September.

The US-Israeli war on Iran had already caused widespread disruption to the country's international air links before the new sanctions.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been leading the sanctions campaign against Iran.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has actively targeted US officials about rising costs and military spending.

Sina Toossi said Tehran is looking to increase the political cost of the war for Trump by talking directly to the American public.

The MOAB must be deployed by Lockheed C-130 Hercules transporters because stealth bombers are too small to carry it.

Iran has vowed to respond to escalatory strikes by targeting oil and digital infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf states.

Trump said the war would end 'very soon' whether by force or diplomacy and that oil prices would then drop.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre recorded 15 attacks on ships between October 6 and 14.

The price of crude oil rose from about $72 a barrel the day before the war began to a high of nearly $120 a barrel earlier in the year, and was trading at about $104 on Thursday.

Former CENTCOM commander Joseph Votel has said 800 to 1,000 soldiers could take Kharg Island, but they would be highly exposed to fire from the mainland.

Decades of international sanctions have severely restricted Iran's access to the global financial system.

The US imposed a naval blockade on Iran.

Transit time for goods shipped from the port of Shanghai in China to Iran has stretched from 26 days to 102 or even 120 days.

The closure of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has been extended until Saturday.

Trump said the U.S. had moved all its long-range bombers out of the U.K. in response to a threat.

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told British lawmakers that an attempted attack on an air force base in England was almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Thursday found that only 30 percent of Trump supporters were enthusiastic about voting in the midterms, compared with 48 percent of Democratic voters.

Axios cited US and Israeli officials saying the Pentagon has instructed CENTCOM to prepare for imminent major combat operations.

Trump stated at the start of the war that it would go on for just a few weeks, but it is now into its eighth month.

The U.S. first imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz in April after talks in Islamabad collapsed.

A Reuters/Ipsos survey from late September found that only about a third of Americans approved of the strikes on Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz was all but closed after the U.S. and Israel struck Iran in late February.

Combined crude volumes exiting the Gulf, excluding Iran, plus volumes from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, were around pre-conflict levels of 18.5 million barrels per day, according to Kpler.

NBC News reported that Trump and his national security team have discussed possibly resuming large-scale U.S. military operations in the coming weeks.

Steve Witkoff is the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East.

Rubio said Iran has passed up multiple chances to reach a deal on its nuclear program.

A senior Iranian official said Iran will never give up its right to enrich, but enrichment details can be discussed later.

President Donald Trump denied reports that he had pitched sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for nuclear concessions.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that after a Sept. 23 wind-down deadline, companies providing sanctioned Iranian airlines with services such as fuel or landing support risked losing access to the U.S. financial system.

Caspian Airlines and Meraj Air were designated by Treasury as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in August 2014.

Mahan Air has been under U.S. sanctions since 2011.

Shahed drones have been used by Russia in its war in Ukraine.

Two Shahed drones were paraded through Tehran.

Shahed drones are Iranian-made.

Treasury alleged Iran has come to rely on the rail sector amid an ongoing U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman.

Treasury alleges Iran's automotive sector sustains annual losses over $1 billion.

Several companies connected to Iran's metals industry, including the Chinese subsidiary of Middle East machinery company HEPCO, were designated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The United States is deploying a third aircraft carrier to the waters around Iran.

By the end of November, three aircraft carriers and two amphibious landing groups will be positioned around Iran.

Washington sanctioned Iran's rail and automotive conglomerates.

Trump confirmed to reporters that he had rejected Tehran's latest proposal.

Tehran's conditions included an end to U.S. acts of aggression, lifting of the naval blockade and economic warfare, and release of Iranian assets.

Brent crude gained 2.65% to $106.96 a barrel.

Iran conveyed its views and positions to the US side via a Qatari mediator.

Iran demands the unfreezing of its foreign assets, lifting sanctions on its oil sector, and an end to the US naval blockade.

Roughly 20% of the world's oil and gas flowed through the Strait of Hormuz before the war.

Iran is estimated to have more than 440kg of uranium enriched at 60 percent purity.

Iranian officials said the IAEA finding was made under political pressure from the US and its allies, and that they could not allow inspections until facilities were safe from US and Israeli attacks.

Trump said Iran wants to make a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz immediately only because they are losing so badly.

Iran's conditions for reopening the strait included lifting the blockade on Iran, releasing frozen Iranian funds, and ending attacks on all fronts including Israel's assault on Lebanon.

US Central Command claimed its forces had helped move more than one billion barrels of crude out of the Gulf over roughly two months.

Tehran said reopening the strait must be undertaken through a bilateral arrangement already finalised with Oman.

A US official told the BBC that the US was in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz and was not in a rush.

Trump said during his UN General Assembly speech that he believed an Iran deal would come after November's elections.

The US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on 28 February.

Brent declined 2.1% to settle at $104.32 per barrel.

Tehran and Washington held discussions on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.

Araghchi said Iran will restart talks to reach a final deal if the U.S. implements the MOU conditions.

An attack on a U.S. base in Jordan resulted in the deaths of three U.S. service members.

Pezeshkian said Iran had not closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Pezeshkian denied direct knowledge of reports that Iranian forces used Chinese satellite imagery to carry out the strike on a U.S. base in Jordan.

A mass walkout occurred during Netanyahu's speech at the UN in New York, prompting a fiery response from him.

Iran used a UN walkout to attack Netanyahu.

Iran's president answered a question about nuclear bombs.

Majid Akhavan said Turkmenistan turned back a flight from Tehran to Dushanbe on Thursday.

The UAE suspended trade and financial exchanges with Iran the month prior.

The UAE said the decision was based on US sanctions imposed on Iranian airlines preventing them from using airports around the world.

Miliband called for the UK to be given consular access to a British couple sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in Tehran.

Maj Gen Ahmad Vahidi is commander-in-chief of the IRGC.

The UK proscribed the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organisation in July.

Esmaeil Baqaei said in a post on X that Carney chose to appease Washington by reframing a threat to "annihilate" Iran as merely "speaking the language of war."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the U.S. and Israel for stoking global instability while accusing them of launching illegal attacks on his country's civilians and infrastructure.

Donald Trump said in his speech at the UNGA that he has a "big decision to make" on whether to cut a deal with Iran or "annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly."

Pezeshkian said Israel's genocide in Gaza revealed the double standards to which Iran is held by the international community.

The Israeli delegation boycotted Pezeshkian's address.

The U.S. delegation walked out of the chamber at the start of Pezeshkian's address.

The Trump administration refused Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas a visa, so he will likely address the UN General Assembly via video.

Rodríguez said she and Trump discussed strengthening bilateral relations and advancing cooperation in energy, mining, and security.

Zelensky described his meeting with Trump as positive and productive.

Pezeshkian told the General Assembly that Tehran would not surrender to military pressure while signaling Iran remained open to diplomacy.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of attacking Iran in his UN General Assembly speech.

Trump said U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke with Iranian officials for roughly three hours on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

Oil prices rose amid concerns of growing Iran-U.S. tensions following Bessent's announcement.

Bessent said the shutdown mechanism involves denying fuel, landing services, and ticket sales to Iranian airlines, with violators cut off from the dollar system.

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian is set to fly to the United Nations in New York.

The roadmap calls for the Bank of Russia and the Central Bank of Iran to develop the use of central bank digital currencies for cross-border settlements.

Interfax reported on February 13, 2026 that Russian state-owned ZN-Vostok was developing Iran's Shadegan oil field.

In February 2025, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said Russia and Iran had "practically completely" shifted bilateral settlements into national currencies.