US-Iran war: Tehran awaits response as Trump rejects Hormuz plan; Saudi Arabia condemns Iran and Houthis

We are closing this live coverage. For the latest updates, click here.

Talks between Washington and Tehran are "still possible" despite Trump's rejection of Iran's proposal, and the US president saying Iran had “overplayed its hand”.

“Positive and constructive” discussions were continuing through mediators, including on nuclear issues, American official told Axios.

It indicates that while Trump rejected the proposal, not necessarily the diplomatic channel itself. Qatar has emerged as the principal intermediary in the latest effort.

According to Axios, Qatar's prime minister met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York last Thursday and discussed the potential deal with the Trump administration. Senior Qatari officials subsequently met Witkoff and briefed him.

Qatari mediators then discussed Iran's original proposal with both sides and reportedly produced a compromise proposal for Washington and Tehran to consider. Over the weekend, Qatari officials continued shuttling between the two sides over changes to the proposed text.

Another round of indirect US-Iran dialogue could happen as early as Monday, September 28, Axios reported, citing a US official and two regional sources.

Qatari mediators are shuttling between the two sides and were expected to meet separately with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff.

The talks would be indirect, meaning US and Iranian officials would not necessarily sit across the same table. Qatar would carry messages between the two sides.

Syria said on Sunday that it had begun delivering imported petrol to Iraq this week, months after Baghdad began exporting its oil via Syria when the Middle East war disrupted the Strait of Hormuz.

"The Syrian Petroleum Company has begun transporting petrol imported for Iraq through the Banias oil terminal" on Syria's Mediterranean coast, state news agency SANA reported.

The move is part of "a renewable three-month agreement to secure energy supplies amid disruptions to maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz", it added.

Israel's foreign minister said on Sunday that it would revoke the diplomatic accreditation of Dutch officials based in the occupied West Bank, after the Netherlands began enforcing sanctions on goods from Israeli settlements.

The diplomats have seven days to hand over their Israeli-issued diplomatic papers, Gideon Saar posted on X, adding: "After this period, the diplomatic privileges and immunities granted to them by the State of Israel will expire."  

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he expects talks with Iran to resume in the coming week, a day after rejecting a truce proposal put forward by Tehran.

"They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make," Trump told Axios. "It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago."

Iran said Friday it had submitted a proposal to the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but Trump rejected it, asserting that Iranian leaders wanted the deal because "they are losing so badly."

"They overplayed their hand," Trump said in the Axios interview published Sunday.

A top US official on Sunday dismissed a proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz presented by Iran as "cynical" and indicated it was a non-starter for Washington.

Iran's truce plan, announced by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the United Nations earlier this week, calls for the release of frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the US naval blockade in order for the key waterway central to the world's energy supplies to be opened.

"This was, I think, a pretty cynical attempt to put something on the table that they knew was unacceptable," US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said on Sunday in an interview with NBC. "To ask for the release of the blockade, the sanctions, international sanctions, and access to billions in assets just to talk."

US President Donald Trump rejected the deal on Saturday, stating that Iranian leaders wanted the deal because "they are losing so badly."

"I think it's kind of common sense that the president doesn't have a lot of confidence this time after we just tried a few months ago, but at the end of the day, of course, the president this has to end in some type of arrangement," Waltz said. "But he's going to leave all options on the table to get there."

Speaking on NBC shortly after, Araghchi denounced what he described as "old, unproved accusations" made by Waltz.

"We are ready to open the strait if certain things are done by the US and these certain things are not new, have not come from the space," he said. "These are our rights that we want to be respected."

Araghchi struck a pessimistic tone regarding the prospect of a deal.

"There is also always hope for diplomacy, but we have no reason, to be honest with you, we have no reason to come back to diplomacy and engage with this administration once again because of their behaviour in the past two years," he told NBC

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (local time) that he applauded the joint operation conducted by American and British security forces, which he said led to the arrest of five men near a military air base in England, on suspicion of explosives offences. 

Speaking to reporters while on his way to the Presidents Cup golf tournament in Illinois, Trump praised the counter-terrorism effort, claiming the suspects were under long-term surveillance and intended to inflict significant damage.

"Working with Britain, it was an amazing job," Trump said. "We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our ports. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that global oil prices will decrease further once the conflict with Iran concludes, asserting that fuel costs are already lower than during his predecessor Joe Biden's administration.

Speaking briefly before departing the White House prior to taking off for the Chicago area to attend the President's Cup, Trump highlighted energy production trends, claiming that a record volume of oil was extracted overnight, surpassing pre-war production levels.

"Oil will come dropping down as soon as Iran gives up, as soon as the war is over, which will be soon. Oil is going to come plummeting down, and oil prices are coming down," he said. 

"But with all of that being said, we're taking tremendous amounts of oil out. Last night we took a record amount of oil out from the harmonious trade, more than we took out before the war," he added. 

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem told supporters gathered in Lebanon on Sunday to mark two years since the killing of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah that Israel had been unable to break his Iran-backed group.

The militants were weakened after all-out war with Israel in 2024, but regrouped and drew Lebanon into the Middle East conflict in March this year by attacking Israel, which responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,300 people.

Hezbollah has demonstrated that Israel and its soldiers "were unable to achieve their goals to break the resistance, end its existence, consolidate the Israeli occupation and establish settlements in Lebanon", Qassem said in a televised speech broadcast at the gathering.

UK police said Sunday that five men arrested in the middle of the night near an air base used by the United States during its war against Iran are being held on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act that appeared to involve three trucks.

Police gave no details as to the nationality of those arrested. Suspects arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 can be detained for up to 14 days without charge, compared to the 24-hour limit for standard arrests, without an extension application.

"We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody," said Vicki Evans, the Met's counterterrorism policing senior national coordinator. "As you would expect, we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident."

Read the full story here.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Sunday that Israel had been unable to break his Iran-backed group, at a ceremony marking two years since Israel killed the movement's longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah has demonstrated that Israel and its soldiers "were unable to achieve their goals to break the resistance, end its existence, consolidate the Israeli occupation and establish settlements in Lebanon", Qassem said in an address televised at a gathering in Beirut's southern suburbs attended by thousands of the group's supporters.

French military support being given to Saudi Arabia to help it confront attacks from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis is "strictly defensive", French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Sunday.

His comment, made on state television network France 2, follows President Emmanuel Macron's announcement Thursday of French troops, radar units and "defence systems" being sent to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi airstrikes on Taiz in southwest Yemen caused dozens of casualties in an area controlled by the Houthis, the Iran-backed group said on Sunday, as fighting escalated further after a truce broke down months ago.

The Houthi's military spokesman Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of launching two air raids that hit a market on the outskirts of the city, saying nearly 50 people were killed or wounded without specifying the exact breakdown.  

The spokesman said blood was "unjustly and aggressively spilled" in a statement posted online, vowing there would be consequences for the attack. 

Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich called on Sunday for the annexation of parts of south Lebanon and the Gaza Strip and for Israeli forces to "go to war" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

"I would like us to annex at least as far as the yellow line in Gaza and as far as the Litani River in Lebanon... because if a war ends along the same lines where it began, what will deter the enemy from going to war again," Smotrich said in a podcast for Israeli news site Ynet.

The "yellow line" demarcates the area of Gaza already under Israeli military control after the recent war triggered by Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Iran now announces its forces directly struck 19 “violating” ships in the Strait of Hormuz over the past two nights, 12 vessels on the first night and 7 on the second, after they attempted to transit unauthorized routes through the waterway, per Fars News.

The strikes came as Trump publicly claimed “complete US control” over the Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian officials saying the operations directly contradict Washington’s narrative and warning that any vessel crossing without Iranian authorization will face an armed response.

A Saudi airstrike on Taiz in southwest Yemen killed seven people and wounded dozens more, Houthi media reported on Sunday.

The Iran-backed Houthis' Al-Masirah TV channel said the strike killed seven and wounded 40 in a central marketplace in Taiz, minutes after reporting that a Saudi fighter jet had targeted the area.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has claimed it captured a US unmanned underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported.

The Guard identified the vessel as a Remus 600, saying it was intercepted during what it described as a joint intelligence and electronic warfare operation.

The semi-official Fars news agency quoted the Guard as saying the vehicle was being operated for “espionage” and is now with its specialists, who will examine its data.

The IRGC also warned against what it called “dangerous movements and unauthorised passage” through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Army spokesman Brigadier-General Mohammad Akraminia described the US position in the Middle East as “precarious”, saying Washington could resort to “military aggression” again because of its current situation, state-run media reported.

“The army of the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully prepared to confront the enemy,” Akraminia was quoted as saying.

He said expelling the US from West Asia would “bring security to the region”.

Israel's attorney general decided on Sunday to push back the deadline for construction bids for a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would undermine the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state.

Gali Baharav-Miara's office announced the decision "to postpone the deadline for submitting bids by one month, so that this date will fall after election day" on October 27 in order to "reduce concern over the tender being used for election propaganda".

Police have evacuated homes near a US air base in England and arrested several men over suspected explosives offenses.

The Gloucestershire Police force says "a number of properties" are being evacuated in Whelford, western England. That is close to RAF Fairford, a base used by American forces during the war with Iran.

Police say several men have been detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act, and army bomb-disposal experts are examining several vehicles.

Israel’s military said it carried out air attacks in southern Lebanon, targeting what it described as sites used by Hezbollah to launch drones at Israeli troops stationed in Lebanese territory.

The military said the strikes followed the launch of an “explosive drone” by Hezbollah fighters at Israeli forces.

Israel continues to maintain a military presence in parts of southern Lebanon, despite a US-brokered ceasefire that called for its withdrawal.

Schools in Riyadh have been directed to suspend in-person classes for one week and shift to remote learning through the Madrasati platform.

The decision applies to students, teaching staff and administrative teams. Parents received last-minute emails about the move, according to messages seen by AFP.

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said President Donald Trump was right to reject Iran’s seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an insufficient offer.

“These half-measures that they offered or illusory deals to make themselves look good on a world stage are just not acceptable,” Whitaker told Fox News.

He said US pressure through sanctions and naval measures had pushed Iran towards seeking a deal. Whitaker also said oil, gas and diesel supplies should increase once regional conflicts are resolved.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has thanked the UK, Turkey , Oman and the UAE for supporting Washington’s economic pressure campaign against Iran. In a post on X, Bessent said US teams had been deployed globally to push for action against Tehran following the launch of “Operation Economic Outcast”.

He said Turkiye and Oman had stopped Mahan Air flights, while the UAE had halted flights by Iranian airlines and major commercial banks in the UAE and Turkiye had stopped transactions with Iran.

Bessent said Washington would continue working with the four countries to strengthen measures against Tehran.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has threatened to target US warships, including in the Indian Ocean, if Washington launches another war against Iran.

Ali Mohammadi, the IRGC Navy’s deputy for political affairs, challenged Trump’s claim over the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington should send its ships into the area if it considers the waterway under its control.

Mohammadi, quoted by semi-official Fars news agency, warned that any new conflict would see Iranian forces attack and destroy US ships and destroyers, including those operating in the Indian Ocean.

• Iran proposed a seven-day deal to end the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

• The proposal requires the US to lift its naval blockade, release frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales.

• Trump rejected the proposal, saying the terms were not acceptable.

• Indirect US-Iran talks were held for three hours on Tuesday through mediators, the first since a June agreement collapsed.

• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the latest talks were positive and Washington was open to further discussions.

• Iran says Hormuz reopening is tied to its conditions being met, while Tehran has continued discussions with Oman on shipping through the waterway.

• Reopening the Strait could ease pressure on global markets and commercial shipping, while lifting oil sanctions would provide economic relief to Iran.

• Qatar has been involved as a mediator, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meeting Qatar's prime minister before returning to Tehran.

• The latest diplomatic push comes as both sides face growing economic pressure after months of war.

• Risk of further conflict remains, with Trump saying he is in no rush for a deal and Iranian security officials warning that targets remain.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have moved to ease tariffs covering $60 billion in two-way trade and opened a new dialogue on advanced artificial intelligence, producing the first concrete economic and technology outcomes from Xi's state visit.

A White House fact sheet said the US-China Board of Trade had reached consensus on recommendations for "more favorable tariff treatment" covering $30 billion of non-sensitive goods in each direction.

China's official account used firmer language. It described an "arrangement for a 30-billion-US-dollar reciprocal tariff reduction" and said the two leaders directed their officials to implement it.

Neither side disclosed the proposed tariff rates, the size of the reductions or when the changes would take effect.

The American goods covered by the recommendations include agricultural products, fish and seafood, logs and wood products, cosmetics and medical devices. Chinese products include small appliances, toys, holiday decorations and children's car seats.

The Board of Trade also created a working group to address barriers facing agricultural trade. The mechanism and a separate US-China Board of Investment were chartered during Trump and Xi's summit in Beijing in May and formally put into operation during the Washington visit.

The investment board will discuss potential projects and obstacles. It is also intended to provide a regular channel for commercially significant investment disputes.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Saturday that he had sent envoys around the world to pressure countries to economically isolate Iran, hailing new restrictions targeting the country's airlines and banks.

"At my direction, teams were dispatched across the globe to engage with countries and demand action against the Iranian regime," he said on X. "These efforts are delivering results."

Bessent noted that Turkey and Oman have halted incoming flights from private carrier Mahan Air, while the United Arab Emirates has stopped all flights by Iranian airlines.

Dubai, the UAE's commercial hub, is a major destination for Iran's carriers, with multiple daily flights, a large Iranian community and close business links.

Bessent also highlighted new banking restrictions.

On Wednesday, the UAE central bank blocked transactions to and from Iran by branches of Iran's Bank Melli, accusing it of violating laws on money laundering, terrorism and arms proliferation.

Last week, Turkey revoked the license of Iran's Bank Mellat, a semi-private financial entity that has been subject to Western sanctions for years.

A Wall Street Journal article shared by Bessent said Jonathan Burke, the Treasury's assistant secretary for terrorist financing, traveled across the Middle East and Europe over two weeks to push the plan to impose what Bessent called "economic D-Day" on Tehran.

US Treasury has held discussions with more than 50 countries, the Journal reported.

Bessent said on Monday that all Iranian airlines "will be shut down around the world."

However, smaller Iranian carriers continue to operate international routes, particularly to China, which is refusing to yield to US pressure.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is awaiting a formal US response through mediators to its seven-day proposal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi said Iran has noted Trump’s rejection of the proposal but will make a final decision after receiving an official response.

He stressed that reopening the strategic waterway would depend on Iran’s conditions being met. The plan also calls for comprehensive talks on Iran’s nuclear programme and is similar to a US-Iran agreement reached in June that later collapsed.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi called at the UN Saturday for "self-restraint" from all sides in the Middle East war, while stressing that Muscat was ready to mediate.

"We call upon all parties concerned to settle their outstanding disputes through pursuing a policy of self-restraint and foresight, and through engaging in dialog to reach consensual, political solutions and sustainable understandings for the benefit of all," Albusaidi said, addressing world leaders gathered in New York.

"Oman once again reaffirms its steadfast commitment to continuing its efforts aimed at safeguarding navigation in the Strait of Hormuz... We also call upon all parties to cooperate with Oman in these efforts."

Very heavy US military posturing is now underway around Iran, with five KC-135 Stratotankers, two KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft and an MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone observed operating near the chokepoint, per flight-tracking data.

The activity comes directly after US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day ceasefire offer.

Iran says it has also kept its military on high alert as US aerial activity increases around the Strait.

Saudi Arabia warned UN members Saturday that attempts to block Middle East waterways are a threat to global energy security and demanded the international community do more to defend freedom of navigation.

"The international community has been absent from assuming its responsibilities in confronting all that threatens international peace and security," Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan told the United Nations General Assembly.

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that he rejects Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“I reject their proposal,” Trump was quoted as saying by CNN when asked by reporters what he thought about Iran’s plan.

"They want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they're losing so badly," he said. "They want to make a deal and I think that's fine. I like making a deal too."

Day 211: US military activity surges around Strait of Hormuz

Day 210: Trump discusses Iran conflict with Xi Jinping

Day 209: Iran's Pezeshkian vows no surrender as US talks loom

Day 208: Trump tells Arab leaders Iran deal gaining momentum

Day 207: Trump says US, Iranian officials had 'productive' talks

Day 206: Iran warns it will change war’s ‘geography’ if invaded

Day 205: Trump says Houthis agree not to fight US: Fox News

Day 204: Trump signs Russia-Iran sanctions law; Saudi Arabia on alert

Day 203: Oil prices ease as Trump signals possible path to talks

Day 202: Iran wants to make a deal, Tehran 'not ready': Trump

Day 201: Houthis: Saudi Arabia launched 40 strikes in Yemen

Day 200: Houthi attacks injure Saudi civilians