Iran-US war live: Trump says conflict ‘hopefully’ nearing end and claims to be in direct talks with Tehran

Close Trump says US ‘hopefully’ nearing end of war with Iran 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 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 . Recommended Is it safe to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi? Latest advice as Saudi Arabia and Houthis exchange strikes Saudi Arabia calls attempted attack on Mecca a 'red line' as Iran-backed Houthis deny they did it Trump pushes $2.8bn Israel weapons deal for bombs once halted over Gaza fears Mapped: Where petrol is costing Britons the most as inflation hits five-month high 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 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 09:00 Iran’s threat of acquiring a nuclear weapon ‘taken care of’, US house speaker says US house speaker Mike Johnson has said the threat of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon has been “taken care of”. Johnson made the remarks during a press conference in which he announced that the House would adjourn until after the midterm elections, CBS reported. “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Johnson said, adding that preventing Iran from acquiring one had been “an important objective of American foreign policy for the last half-century”. “That’s taken care of, and now we got to get gas prices down,” he said. Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 08:30 Iran’s national security chief says ‘no trust whatsoever’ in US Iran’s national security chief Mohsen Rezaei has said that Tehran has no trust in the United States, urging Washington to take practical steps to rebuild confidence. He said Iran had “no trust whatsoever” in the United States. This comes as 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”. Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 07:52 Iran’s foreign minister backs Xi’s plan and hails China talks Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called talks with Chinese officials “successful”, saying Tehran values the strategic partnership it has built with Beijing. He wrote on X: “Successful consultations in China with our partners. Iran values strategic partnership we have built over time. “Today’s decisions will decide future strategic balance in the region, with immeasurable knock-on effects. “4 principles for peace outlined by President Xi are key.” Xi has called for peaceful coexistence, respect for national sovereignty, adherence to international law, and coordination between development and security to promote peace and stability in the Middle East. Maroosha Muzaffar 17 September 2026 07:05 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 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 Newer 1 / 3 Older