Iran-US war latest: Vance says one ‘basic’ step could end Iran’s nuclear threat as Houthis strike more airports

Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Trump: ‘Dozens of Iran’s leaders have been blown out of existence’ On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice US vice president JD Vance said that Iran ​must make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity for the US to end its months-long war, as Washington was unsure how ‌Tehran makes decisions in negotiations. Vance, who has taken a leading role for the US side in peace talks, asked: "If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why ​do you need 60 per cent enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don't build highly enriched ⁠fuel. That's a very basic threshold issue.” Iran and the US have exchanged proposals in recent weeks to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz . But president Donald Trump has rejected Tehran's ​latest offer, and warned that military operations could intensify after the midterms. Meanwhile, Yemen said the Iran-backed Houthis attacked the Aden International Airport with ballistic ​missiles and explosive-laden drones early on Wednesday. One missile landed near the airport runway minutes before a flight from Cairo was due to land, the ministry said. The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of the Saudi ⁠capital Riyadh. Fighting between the Houthis and the recognised government in Yemen has intensified across several fronts this week. Recommended Trump says Iran can take out these two US cities: ‘That’s a very small price to pay’ White House blasts media coverage of Trump’s remark about Iran destroying LA and San Diego Trump blames Iran for attempted hijack of Israel plane after captain stabbed How the UK could be brought to a standstill by a low cost drone attack Key Points JD Vance says Iran must cut enrichment to end war Yemen says Houthi missile landed near runway minutes before flight landing Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted Houthi missile Most families of US troops killed in the Iran war won't be at White House event Trump was misunderstood over US attack comments, says White House Fighting intensifies in Yemen Yemeni fighters firing a weapon mounted on a pickup truck during clashes with the Iran-backed Houthi group in Dhobab district, Taiz, Yemen ( AP ) ( Yemen Giants Brigades Media Centre ) Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 October 2026 09:00 Trump says nobody knows who is running Iran US president Donald Trump claimed that nobody knew who was running ​Iran during the US-Israeli war on the country, ⁠now in its eighth month. “Their leaders are gone, their second group of leaders is gone, and ‌the biggest problem I have is nobody knows who the hell is running ‌the country,” Trump said. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson on ⁠Sunday said Washington knows very well who their counterpart is in ​Iran and how the decision-making system works. "The problem is ​actually the opposite: it lies in the contradictory positions and mixed messaging from US officials," Esmaeil Baghaei said in a news conference. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 October 2026 08:00 Vance says Iran must cut enrichment to end war US vice president JD Vance said that Iran ​must make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to satisfy US demands and end the country’s seven-month war, even as Washington was unsure how ‌Tehran makes decisions in negotiations. Vance, a longtime sceptic of US involvement in foreign wars, has taken a leading role in negotiating a settlement to the conflict and brokered a provisional peace agreement in June that quickly fell apart. "If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why ​do you need 60 per cent enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don't build highly enriched ⁠fuel. That's a very basic threshold issue," Vance told Reuters. "I think if they want to show a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they would do something meaningful on their ​enrichment capacity." Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 October 2026 07:00 Oil prices rise to over $101 a barrel Oil prices rose today as the market weighed supply constraints from a storm heading for US oil-producing regions and attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi Arabia against increased supplies of ​Middle East crude. Brent futures rose 93 cents, or 0.92 per cent, to $101.51 a barrel. ‌US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 82 cents, or 0.92 per cent, to $90.25. US forecasters yesterday said a storm forming in the Gulf of Mexico would become the first Atlantic hurricane of 2026 within two days and would likely hit oil and gas producing facilities. The offshore ​areas in the Gulf in the storm's path produce 15 per cent of US crude oil and 5 per cent ​of the country's natural gas. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 October 2026 06:00 Yemen says Houthi missile landed near runway minutes before flight landing The Yemeni government condemned a Houthi attack on the Aden airport and said one missile landed near the runway just "minutes" before a flight was due to land. Yemen's transport ministry said the Iran-backed group attacked the airport during the early hours of today with two ballistic missiles and drones. It said that a missile landed near the runway “minutes” before Yemenia flight 603 en route from Cairo was due to land. The aircraft was diverted to Jeddah. The attack “placed the lives of civilians and aviation crews in direct danger”, the ministry said. “Aden airport should remain a safe space for passengers and workers, not an arena of fear and threat,” it added. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 October 2026 05:00 Vance says Iran must cut enrichment to end war US vice president JD Vance said that Iran ​must make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to satisfy US demands and end the country’s seven-month war, even as Washington was unsure how ‌Tehran makes decisions in negotiations. Vance, a longtime sceptic of US involvement in foreign wars, has taken a leading role in negotiating a settlement to the conflict and brokered a provisional peace agreement in June that quickly fell apart. "If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why ​do you need 60 per cent enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don't build highly enriched ⁠fuel. That's a very basic threshold issue," Vance told Reuters. "I think if they want to show a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they would do something meaningful on their ​enrichment capacity." Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 October 2026 04:57 Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted Houthi missile The Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting in Yemen claimed to have intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile north of the capital Riyadh this morning. Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki said the missile launched by the Houthis was intercepted and destroyed. He said that the coalition was tracking the launch platform using its intelligence systems over Sanaa. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 October 2026 04:20 Houthis claim strikes on Saudi airports and airbase The Houthis claim to have successfully struck Saudi Arabia's Abha airport with ballistic missiles and drones. There has been no immediate confirmation from the Saudi authorities. Earlier on Tuesday, the Iran-backed rebels said they attacked the King Khalid airport in Riyadh with drones and targeted an airbase in Khamis Mushait with missiles. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 October 2026 04:16 Most families of US troops killed in the Iran war won't be at White House event Most families of the six soldiers killed in the deadliest attack of the Iran war will not be attending a major White House event for Gold Star families hosted by President Donald Trump . Only one family member of those killed in an Iranian drone strike on 1 March at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait confirmed that they planned to attend Tuesday's reception with Trump and the First Lady. Troops who survived the attack have raised questions about why they were stationed at a site that didn’t have sufficient air protection and was viewed as a likely target. More here. Most families of US troops killed in the Iran war's deadliest attack won't be at White House event Most families of the six U.S. soldiers killed in the deadliest attack of the Iran war aren't attending a White House reception for Gold Star families Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 7 October 2026 03:55 Trump was misunderstood over US attack comments, says White House The White House clarified Donald Trump's comments in which he said attacks on two US cities would be a “small price to pay”. White House communications director Steven Cheung said the president was not insinuating that he wanted Iran to attack US cities but instead wanted to prevent Tehran from having that capability. He said Trump’s comments had been misunderstood. Trump was discussing the Iran war and resulting high gas prices that have become a midterm liability for Republicans when he mentioned the possibility of an Iranian attack on US soil. "It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," he said of the war and its economic fallout. "They can take out a city. Let 'em take out Los Angeles, let 'em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay." Trump invites Iran to 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego Jane Dalton 7 October 2026 03:00 Newer 1 / 2 Older