Day 195 | Trump predicts Iran war will end ‘immediately after the election’
US President Donald Trump says talks with Iran “could happen,” while predicting that the war will end “immediately” after the US midterm elections in November. Trump said Tehran would not be able to withstand continued US economic pressure, although he acknowledged that negotiations remain possible.
Iran has condemned the International Atomic Energy Agency after its Board of Governors referred Tehran to the United Nations Security Council for the first time in 20 years. The resolution, backed by 23 of the board’s 35 members, cites Iran’s failure to cooperate with an investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites and its lack of access for inspectors. Tehran has rejected the move as politically motivated.
Iranian state media has reported that an explosion was heard in the southern city of Jask, with the blast reportedly coming from the direction of the sea. The cause and exact location of the explosion were not immediately clear.
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson says a restricted maritime area will extend from Chabahar into parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The spokesperson said the precise coordinates would be announced later and warned that ships entering the area could face sanctions or other punitive measures.
Day 195 of the US-‘Israeli’ war on Iran
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Read more: Day 196 | ‘Israel’ blows up Ali Al-Taher heights as Tehran strikes US boat
‘Israel’ claims it destroyed key Hezbollah tunnels in south Lebanon
A video shared by ‘Israeli’ Defence Minister Israel Katz on X shows the moment of an explosion that ‘Israel’ says destroyed key underground infrastructure built by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group on the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in south Lebanon.
Saudi civil defence sends danger warning for two areas near Yemen
Saudi authorities on Thursday issued brief alerts warning of potential danger in two areas near the border with Yemen, after the Iran-backed Houthis said Riyadh launched dozens of airstrikes on Yemen.
The warning alerts were issued for the city of Abha and the Khamis Mushait area -- both of which were targeted by the Houthis earlier this week -- before being lifted very shortly afterwards, the Saudi civil defence said.
‘Israel’ says blew up Hezbollah’s Ali Taher tunnel system
‘Israel’ said Thursday it demolished key tunnels built by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, with a 4.1 magnitude tremor recorded in the area.
"This is strategic terrorist infrastructure that was built over two decades, with Iranian funding and planning," said a joint statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz.
The destruction "completes the achievement of operational control over the Ali al-Taher ridge -- above and below ground", the statement added.
The United States Geological Survey meanwhile reported a 4.1 magnitude tremor in the area, after Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that ‘Israel’ carried out a "massive explosion" on the Ali al-Taher ridge in the Nabatieh region, "causing tremors and a powerful rumble".
The ‘Israeli’ army said the Hezbollah infrastructure extended for more than two kilometres (1.2 miles) and contained "dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles, and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), as well as machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles, and hundreds of mines and explosive devices".
The underground compound also included a command centre of Hezbollah's "Badr" unit, the army added.
A military official told AFP that some of the fighters that had operated in the area of the ridge had abandoned it, while others were "eliminated by aerial strikes and artillery fire".
‘Israel’ announced last week that it had captured the Ali al-Taher ridge.
In March, Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the Middle East war in support of its backer Iran.
There had been a lull in violence after the understanding reached between Iran and the United States in June, followed by an agreement between Lebanon and ‘Israel’.
But strikes have increased in intensity in recent days.
During negotiations, the United States, which sponsored the talks, proposed that the Lebanese army take control of the Ali al-Taher ridge, but Hezbollah refused, a source close to the parties told AFP.
Beirut authorities say ‘Israeli’ strikes have killed more than 4,300 people in total since March, and ‘Israeli’ forces continue to occupy a so-called "security zone" in the south.’
Iran allegedly resumes ballistic missile production in underground facilities
Iran has resumed producing ballistic missiles by assembling stockpiled components in underground facilities, according to US and Middle Eastern intelligence findings cited by The Wall Street Journal.
The development undermines what American and ‘Israeli’ officials had described as a major success of their military campaign against Tehran’s missile infrastructure.
Despite extensive strikes on missile sites and industrial facilities early in the conflict, Iran is again building both liquid-propellant missiles—which require fueling shortly before launch—and solid-propellant missiles that can be stored ready to fire, unnamed officials familiar with the assessments told the WSJ.
“Iran has resumed its production of ballistic missiles using stockpiled components and working in underground facilities,” the officials said.
The work is taking place in hardened subterranean sites that have proven difficult to fully neutralize.
US and ‘Israeli’ forces targeted key production hubs and collapsed many tunnel entrances during the fighting, aiming to dismantle Iran’s ability to replenish its arsenal.
Intelligence assessments earlier indicated that large portions of Iran’s mobile launchers and prewar missile stockpile survived or could be recovered, with Iran regaining operational access to the majority of its underground storage and launch facilities.
Tehran has also sought materials from abroad to support the effort.
Shipments of chemicals used in solid propellant, including sodium perchlorate from Chinese suppliers, have previously been reported as part of efforts to rebuild depleted stocks after earlier rounds of conflict.
Analysts have noted that even limited access to such precursors could enable production of dozens to hundreds of medium-range missiles.
Iranian officials have publicly highlighted the resilience of their underground network.
In August, the armed forces chief of staff visited an underground ballistic missile production facility, describing it as one of dozens of such lines and stating that equipment quality and output had improved, with production increasing.
State media portrayed the sites as remaining beyond the reach of airstrikes.
The renewed assembly activity raises concerns about Iran’s capacity to sustain pressure on regional targets and U.S. forces.
While production rates remain constrained compared with prewar levels and depend on surviving components and external supply chains, the intelligence findings indicate that Tehran has partially reconstituted a capability that the US and ‘Israel’ had sought to eliminate.
IRGC navy says struck US surveillance drone boat in Strait of Hormuz
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said it struck a US unmanned surveillance vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
Ali Azmaei, the chief of the IRGC’s navy, identified the vessel as a “Saildrone with hull number 5838”.
“The Strait of Hormuz is blocked and under our intelligence surveillance and smart control. Any hostile movement will be targeted,” Azmaei added, in statements carried by the IRGC’s official news outlet Sepah News.
UN atomic agency confirms construction activity at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has confirmed it has observed construction activity at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified underground site long suspected of housing nuclear-related work.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi made the remarks Thursday in an interview with Bloomberg.
Grossi said remote imagery shows new movement at the tunnel complex, located just south of Iran’s main Natanz uranium-enrichment plant near Tehran.
“There are some indications that there is movement around this construction site,” he stated.
“But as IAEA, we don’t have any concrete information as to activities that may be taking place there.”
The agency has never inspected the interior because Iran has treated it as a construction site.
Pickaxe Mountain consists of a network of tunnels that Iran began excavating roughly three years ago after sabotage at a centrifuge workshop.
Iranian officials at the time said they intended to place sensitive facilities deep underground for protection.
“They said at the time, ‘we are going to put everything in tunnels, inside a mountain.’” Grossi said.
“So this is going to be impermeable and protected from attacks. They have been working there,” he added.
The site remains inaccessible to inspectors.
US President Donald Trump has publicly highlighted the location at least twice in the past week, drawing renewed attention to possible nuclear activities there.
Grossi noted that the IAEA needs access to Pickaxe Mountain along with other key sites such as Fordow and Isfahan once cooperation resumes.
The comments come amid broader concerns over Iran’s lack of cooperation with the agency.
Grossi said negotiations and engagement have stalled amid the ongoing conflict, leading to a loss of continuity of knowledge about Iran’s nuclear material, including highly enriched uranium.
The IAEA Board of Governors this week referred the matter to the UN Security Council for the first time in two decades, citing Tehran’s failure to allow inspections.
“We are not getting any cooperation from Iran. Things, of course, degrade,” Grossi said.
Iran has indicated it will not grant access while the conflict continues.
The director general expressed doubt that inspections would resume soon.
Houthi media says Saudi Arabia launched 10 strikes on Yemen's Taiz province
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Thursday accused Saudi Arabia of launching strikes on the southwestern province of Taiz, after they seized the key Red Sea city of Mocha.
"The Saudi enemy launched 10 strikes on the Dhubab district in western Taiz," the Houthis' Al-Masirah TV channel said.
Man and woman arrested in London on suspicion of spying for Iran
Counter-terrorism officers in London have arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of assisting Iran’s foreign intelligence service.
Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London detained a 42-year-old woman at an address in north London and a 60-year-old man at an address in north-west London on Wednesday.
Both were arrested on suspicion of an offence under section 3 of the National Security Act 2023 – assisting a foreign intelligence service.
The investigation is linked to Iran.
The arrests followed searches of two residential properties in north and north-west London carried out on 24 June.
Enquiries continued after those searches and led to the latest detentions.
A third residential property in the north-west London area was also searched on Wednesday after the pair were taken into custody.
Both suspects were taken to a London police station and later released on bail with strict conditions until a date in late October.
Police have not released their names or further details of the alleged activity.
Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “We know that news of these arrests will come as a concern to some members of the public, but I want to stress that we do not believe there to be any imminent threat to the wider public in connection with this matter.”
She added: “We’ve seen a marked increase in the tempo of our work linked to national security and state threats over the past year and this investigation is a continuation of that. As we’ve shown here, if we suspect any activity could threaten the safety of the UK or the public, then we will not hesitate to take action.”
Police confirmed the investigation is not linked to earlier incidents this year targeting venues and buildings connected to Jewish and Iranian communities in London, nor to events around the High Holy Days.
Pakistan states “Mecca Pact” is defense, expansion not yet on cards
Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated Thursday that Mecca Joint Defence Agreement remains defensive in nature and the expansion of the pact was not yet on the cards, according to Associated Press of Pakistan.
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan stated in a press briefing: “As of now, expansion of the Mecca Agreement is not on the cards because first they have to solidify their own organisation. And then, of course, it will be open for all countries who hold similar views and perceptions and requirements.”
He further said that the main focus is to boost regional peace and stability along with strengthening different aspects of existing long-term relationships and defence cooperation.
Enacted on August 7, 2026, the Mecca Pact is a tri-nation defense agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. It expands the earlier Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement - signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on September 17, 2025 - by integrating Turkey into the alliance. Formal announcement of the pact's ratification took place against the backdrop of the 2026 Iran war.
Iranian General says US “Warmongering” is backfiring
- Iranian General Rahim Safavi says US "warmongering" is pushing global power eastward, calling American victories a sign of defeat
Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, said Thursday that Washington's aggressive posture toward Tehran is backfiring strategically, accelerating a global shift of economic and political power away from the West, according to Iran's Mehr News Agency.
Per Mehr's report, Safavi said US "warmongering" has become the "ultimate catalyst" pushing the center of global power and economic geography toward the East.
He further said that what Washington presents as victory “signals defeat and an acknowledgment of the multipolar nature of international power and security.”
The remarks come amid the 2026 Iran war, which erupted in late Feb. 2026 after strikes killed several senior Iranian officials, including Khamenei. Fighting has continued in waves since, including a major round of US strikes on Iranian military targets on 1 Sep. and continuing exchanges into September.
Read more: US military says destroyed 3 Iranian oil tankers
Iran used maneuverable ballistic missiles against US warships: US media
Iran used medium-range ballistic missiles equipped with maneuverable warheads in recent attempts to strike US warships, making the attacks more difficult to intercept, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials.
The report said the Iranian missiles were equipped with technology allowing their warheads to maneuver during flight toward moving targets, bringing the attacks closer to hitting US vessels than previous attempts.
US officials have described some of the recent Iranian missile attacks as “close calls.” However, no US warship has been hit in the reported attacks.
Iranian officials have said they used the Qassem Basir missile in attacks on US naval forces. The missile is described as a medium-range ballistic system with a maneuverable reentry vehicle, although independent analysts say it remains unclear whether the Qassem Basir was used in the recent attacks.
Saudi Civil Defense issues warning in Khamis Mushait
Saudi Civil Defense said an alert was issued through the National Early Warning Platform in Khamis Mushait to warn residents of a potential danger.
The agency urged residents to move to a safe place inside a building, stay away from windows and exposed areas, and follow official safety instructions.
The alert was later lifted, with authorities urging residents to continue following Civil Defense instructions and avoid gatherings or filming.
Trump: “We might have to give Pickaxe Mountain another shot”
US President Donald Trump said the United States may need to carry out another strike on a site he called “Pickaxe Mountain,” citing what he described as recent movement at the location.
“There’s another place called Pickaxe Mountain, another nice place. We might have to give them another shot there because someone said there was a little movement at the site,” Trump said.
The remarks appeared to signal the possibility of further US military action against an Iranian site.
Iran war won't end until after US midterm elections, says Trump
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he expects the war with Iran to end immediately after the November midterm elections, adding that oil prices will not fall until then.
“I think the war’s going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” Trump said, referring to Tehran.
Trump, who initially predicted the war would last only weeks, said oil prices would begin falling after the elections. Brent crude rose to $100 a barrel on Wednesday amid intensified fighting and disruptions to regional energy supplies.
Pressure mounts on Trump
Trump’s comments come as he faces declining approval ratings and growing pressure from within the Republican Party to end the conflict.
He also suggested Iran could seek to influence the US elections, claiming Tehran wants to help elect a weaker group that would allow it to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons.
Trump said further negotiations with Iran could take place, but added that talks were “not something we’re looking at” currently.
Saudi Civil Defense: Danger has passed in Abha
Saudi Civil Defense announced that the danger has passed in Abha, following an earlier warning issued through the National Early Warning Platform.
The agency urged residents to continue following Civil Defense instructions and avoid gatherings and filming.
Saudi Civil Defense issues early warning for Abha
Saudi Civil Defense said an alert was issued through the National Early Warning Platform in Abha, warning residents of a potential danger.
The alert came amid renewed Houthi attacks on southern Saudi cities, including Abha, Khamis Mushait and Jazan.
Trump advisers warn Iran war could last until 2029: WSJ
Senior White House advisers have privately warned President Donald Trump that the conflict with Iran could continue through the remainder of his presidency, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials reportedly discussed with Trump the possibility that Tehran could continue resisting US economic and military pressure, potentially extending the conflict beyond the January 2029 inauguration.
The assessment contrasts with Trump’s repeated public statements that the conflict could end soon. On Wednesday, Trump said he expected the war to end “immediately” after the November midterm elections.
The report also says Trump supports a long-term economic pressure campaign against Tehran, including sanctions and a naval blockade, aimed at weakening Iran’s economy and forcing concessions over its nuclear program.
Rubio says Iran will lose more tankers
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he does not believe any country is providing military support to Iran, while vowing to maintain economic pressure on Tehran.
Rubio said Iran continues to attempt attacks on US warships and would pay a price through the loss of its oil tankers.
“They didn’t hit our ships, but they lost five additional tankers last night,” Rubio said.
The US military said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers after accusing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of attempting to strike a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles.
Iran subsequently claimed attacks on US vessels and other tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, while the US said no American warship had been hit.
Iran, China, Russia reject E3, US drafted res. at IAEA Board
Iran, Russia and China have rejected a draft resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors that refers Iran’s nuclear file to the UN Security Council, calling it legally baseless and contrary to claims of pursuing diplomacy.
In a joint statement, the three countries urged IAEA member states not to support the resolution, arguing that it would increase pressure on Tehran and undermine cooperation between Iran and the agency.
They also condemned attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, saying the current security conditions have made it impossible for the IAEA to carry out its safeguards activities in Iran normally.
The three countries further rejected efforts to activate the “snapback” mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, arguing that the mechanism no longer has legal effect.
The statement came as the IAEA Board of Governors approved a resolution referring Iran to the Security Council for the first time in two decades. The measure was backed by 23 members, while Russia and China voted against it.
