Middle East conflict: Trump says Iran Task Force Iron Gate is in effect, expects Xi and Putin meeting next week

US President Donald Trump said he expects to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at next week's APEC summit in China, with discussions potentially covering denuclearisation and efforts to end the war in Iran.

Speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, Trump said the meetings would be an opportunity to discuss several issues.

"One of the meetings, I think, will be with President Putin and President Xi. And that'll be interesting," Trump said.

"We're trying to end the war in Iran, and we're doing well because, you know, all we have to do, we're choking it off," he added.

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday, as efforts to end the Iran conflict face significant obstacles, Reuters reports.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Donald Trump's decision to take on difficult but necessary challenges, saying it was the right thing to do even if it was unpopular.

In a post on X, Rubio said the president took on something issues that previous administrations had failed to address.

"Sometimes, when you do the right thing, you don't know whether it's popular or not, but it's still the right thing to do," Rubio said.

The White House has announced that its so-called "Task Force Iron Gate" is operating at "full force" in Iran, while US President Donald Trump claims that a naval blockade has severely restricted the movement of goods into and out of the country.

Task Force Iron Gate is in full force and effect in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump stated in a post published on X on the White House's official account. The post reflects a hardline, with Trump claiming that the operation, combined with what he described as “history’s greatest Naval Blockade,” means that “very little gets into, or out of, Iran.”

A drone attack on the Khor Mor gas field in the Sulaimaniyah governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan has caused an energy emergency by reducing electricity generation capacity by approximately 2.8 gigawatts (GW).

The strike disrupted gas supplies to power facilities serving five major urban centers, prompting authorities to activate emergency protocols to prevent a total grid collapse.

Multiple news organisations, including Reuters, Anadolu Agency and Rudaw, have reported the drone strike and the resulting loss of approximately 2,800 megawatts (2.8 GW) of electricity generation capacity in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. No one has claimed responsibility so far.

Omid Ahmed, spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the network reported that the drone explosion forced an immediate disruption of gas supplies to power generation stations across the region.

Three projectiles were reportedly launched from the Sirik area in southern Iran towards the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state television reported, as explosions were also heard on Qeshm Island.

The reports come amid heightened tensions around the strategic waterway, a vital shipping route for global oil and gas supplies.

There was no immediate confirmation of the type of projectiles launched, their intended targets or whether they struck any locations.

The cause of the explosions on Qeshm Island, situated in the Strait of Hormuz, was also unclear.

Iranian authorities have not immediately provided details of casualties or damage, while the circumstances surrounding the reported launches and explosions remain uncertain.

Iranian media have also reported explosions in Jask and Bandar Abbas. Earlier reports suggested the blasts could be linked to Iranian military activity, although their cause remains unconfirmed

Day 253: UAE rescues 22 crew in Gulf of Oman

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Day 251: Trump warns Iran of ‘heavy hit’ as Tehran steps up Gulf diplomacy

Day 250: Oman and Iran call for end to war and fresh dialogue

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