Iran-US war latest: Trump says he doesn’t ‘really want’ peace deal as US prepares to resume strikes

Donald Trump has said his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was making progress in negotiations with Iran, but suggested that reaching a deal was not his preferred outcome.He said: “I think the deal isn’t really something that I want to do, but they’re willing to offer us anything to stop,” Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in San Antonio.NBC News reported that Trump and his national security team have discussed the possibility of restarting large-scale US military operations in Iran in the coming weeks, including potential strikes ahead of next month’s midterm elections.Meanwhile, three people were killed and more than 30 were injured in strikes on airports across Saudi Arabia, the country’s civil aviation authorities said on Wednesday, amid a flare up in clashes with the Yemeni Houthi rebels.One person was killed and eight were injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, while two were killed and 28 were injured in an attack at Abha airport, a statement read. US military prepares new Iran war options ahead of midterm elections - reportDonald Trump and his national security team have reportedly discussed the possibility of restarting large-scale US military operations in Iran in the coming weeks, including potential strikes ahead of next month’s midterm elections, according to a US official and another person familiar with the discussions.A defence department official told NBC News: “The department’s job is to develop and present military options to the president.”A White House official said the US “is in a very strong position”. “Iran has been decimated, and things will go one of two ways: the easy way or the hard way,” the official said. “President Trump holds all the cards and will do whatever is best for the United States.”Maroosha Muzaffar8 October 2026 06:01Trump says Iran deal is not his preferred outcome as special envoy negotiatesDonald Trump says Steve Witkoff, his special envoy to the Middle East, is “doing very well” while he works on a potential agreement with Iran. But he added that “I think the deal isn’t really something that I want to do, but they’re willing to offer us anything to stop,” Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in San Antonio. “That war ends – it’s going to be very soon. It’s got to be very soon,” Trump said. He also called Iran “a failed nation” with “a little spunk left, but not much.”Iran would “never have a nuclear weapon”, he said and praised Witkoff as “a great negotiator”. Maroosha Muzaffar8 October 2026 05:00US and Iran hold indirect nuclear talks in New York - reportThe US and Iran have held indirect nuclear talks in New York this month, according to NBC News, as Washington pushes for a broader agreement to address Iran’s nuclear programme.According to the report, the Trump administration wants any agreement with Tehran to address what it describes as outstanding critical issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.The Trump administration has rejected Tehran’s proposal for a seven-day deal focused first on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, in which the US would lift sanctions and unfreeze Iranian funds while nuclear talks were postponed.Instead, Washington wants the nuclear issue included in any agreement rather than handled separately at a later stage.Maroosha Muzaffar8 October 2026 03:56The bereaved families hoping for peace three years after October 7: ‘We don’t fight with weapons. We believe in love’“After three years, my worst fear is that my kids’ memory will fade away,” Sigal Manzuri says, on the eve of the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks that claimed her two daughters’ lives.“I just ask from others to really please remember that behind every picture they see, every story they hear, there is a soul, there are so many dreams cut short. And just remember them.”Sigal, a US-Israeli mother and activist from Hod HaSharon in central Israel, today dedicates her time to preserving the memory of her daughters, Norelle, 25, and Roya, 22, who were both killed at the Supernova music festival in 2023.Some 1,200 people were killed that day as the Palestinian terror group led an armed incursion across the border, rampaging through towns and taking 251 hostages back into Gaza.Read the full story:James Reynolds8 October 2026 03:00US vice president JD Vance told Reuters that Iran must make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to satisfy US demands and end the countries’ seven-month war.Vance, a longtime skeptic 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. The war has jolted global energy markets and become a political liability for US president Donald Trump ahead of November midterm elections.Vance told Reuters on Monday after a campaign trip in Alaska that any agreement would require Iran to reduce its nuclear enrichment capacity, rather than offer assurances of future nuclear drawdowns."If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60% 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 said."I think if they want to show a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they would do something meaningful on their enrichment capacity."James Reynolds8 October 2026 02:00Lebanon's Hezbollah 'gets $200 million from Iran' to help displacedHezbollah has received $200 million from Iran to help Lebanese displaced by this year’s war with Israel, two people with direct knowledge of the transfer said, the first significant aid from the group to supporters who bore the brunt of the conflict.Hezbollah received the cash last month despite a tightening US economic chokehold on Iran and increasing difficulties in getting funds to Tehran's Lebanese ally, said the people.Intermediaries who moved the money charged a 20% fee, reflecting the risks of dealing with the group, they said. One said this was four times the normal fee.Asked for comment, a Hezbollah official said an amount had been secured and a plan for distributing it would be announced in the coming days, without elaborating on the source of the funds.Supporters of Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah hold up a flag bearing the image of slain leader Hassan Nasrallah during a ceremony held to mark the second anniversary of Nasrallah's killing in a strike by Israel, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27 (AFP/Getty)James Reynolds8 October 2026 01:00Jimmy Kimmel slams Trump for suggesting Iran could bomb CaliforniaJimmy Kimmel wasted no time condemning President Donald Trump over his viral remarks about Iran destroying American cities.At a rally in Nebraska on Monday, Trump discussed rising prices tied to the ongoing Iran war, calling them “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.”“They could take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles; let them take out San Diego,” he said next, drawing cheers from the crowd. “This is a very small price to pay. And it’s gonna be over with very soon.”Read the full story:James Reynolds8 October 2026 00:00Three killed in attacks on two Saudi airports, over 30 hurt, Saudi civil aviation saysOne person was killed and eight injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh, and two were killed and 28 injured in an attack on facilities at Abha airport, Saudi civil aviation authorities said in a statement issued on Wednesday.One of the attacks was on Wednesday and the other on Tuesday, it said, without saying which attack had occurred on which day.James Reynolds7 October 2026 23:34The Longer Read: Netanyahu has no interest in an investigation into October 7 – he fears what it would findThe Israeli government refuses to commemorate the date of the greatest murder of Jews since the Holocaust, and wants to remove the word ‘massacre’ from how it is discussed in an official capacity.It is because a reckoning is coming for Netanyahu and the era over which he has presided, writes Gary Cohen:James Reynolds7 October 2026 23:00Tanker struck by multiple projectiles north of Qatar's Madinat ash Shamal, reports UKMTOA tanker was struck by multiple projectiles in an incident 51 nautical miles north of Qatar's Madinat ash Shamal, with casualties reported, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Wednesday.James Reynolds7 October 2026 22:45