Trump Predicts Peace Deal With Iran After US November Elections
RFE
22 Sep 2026
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17:33
Trump Predicts Peace Deal With Iran After US November Elections
US President Donald Trump addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22.
US President Donald Trump said he expects his administration will strike a peace agreement with Iran after voters in the United States head to the polls in November for midterm elections.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, Trump warned he could "annihilate the Islamic republic" if no deal is reached to end the conflict, though he remains confident of an agreement.
"I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before?" Trump said.
"Or do I annihilate the Islamic republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?"
He added in his speech: "Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations? But I believe we'll make a deal right after the election."
Trump has often threatened major attacks on Iran only to call them off, claiming an agreement between Washington and Tehran was imminent. Until now, a lasting peace agreement has been elusive, with tit-for-tat strikes by both sides resuming.
In June a memorandum of understanding was reached that aimed to give the two sides 60 days to negotiate a broad peace deal. But that fell apart quickly with fighting resuming mainly around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global transit route for energy and consumer products.
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14:25
Pezeshkian Flies To US Aboard Obscure, Unsanctioned Airline
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By
Kian Sharifi
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian waves before departing for New York, at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran on September 22.
Irans President Masud Pezeshkian is on his way to New York to attend the 81st UN General Assembly, but hes flying on a plane operated by a little-known airline called Ashianeh.
The United States on September 8 expanded its sanctions on Irans aviation industry to include all 27 remaining airlines that offered commercial flights and carried officials.
But Ashianeh does not operate scheduled passenger flights or sell tickets. It also is not normally used to carry officials. That responsibility falls to the US-blacklisted Meraj Airlines.
Ashianeh does not appear to have been sanctioned by the United States or the European Union, making it probably the only Iranian airline that can carry Pezeshkian and his delegation to New York.
According to information obtained from FlightRadar24, Ashianehs Airbus A340 plane landed in Algiers for what is likely a refueling stop en route to New York.
Pezeshkians US trip has been strongly criticized by hard-liners at home, who insist traveling to the United States while at war is humiliating and will only help to reduce oil prices. High oil prices caused by the conflict have increased economic pressure on the United States and other oil-importing countries, giving Tehran a potential source of leverage.
US President Donald Trump said last week that he was probably open to meeting Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
Meanwhile, Reuters on September 22 quoted a senior Iranian official as saying that Tehran welcomes revival of diplomacy if the United States takes tangible steps to ease military pressure.
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08:15
US Treasury Chief: All Iranian Airlines Will Be Shut Down From September 23
All Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world from September 23, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
Speaking to CNBC on September 21, Bessent outlined measures related to sanctions against Iranian airlines imposed earlier this month.
He said airports and companies that continue to provide services to sanctioned Iranian airlines could face exclusion from the US dollar financial system.
"If they land, you cannot provide them with fuel. You cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system," Bessent told CNBC.
Bessent also said the US government is targeting banks accused of funneling billions of dollars to Iran's government. He said three banks have already been sanctioned and warned that their relevant operations would be shut down.
"We have had now three banks that we have sanctioned, the second largest bank in Egypt, the Dubai Branch funneled more than $1.8 billion into the regime. They will be closed down. The 30th largest Turkish bank, same thing. They will be closed down. Second largest Russian bank, their external branches doing the same thing," he said.
"I can't tell you whether it's one week, one month, or six months, but I will tell you that we are pressuring them like never before," Bessent added.
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08:01
Vance Says Iran Could Not Build A Nuclear Weapon Tomorrow Or Even In A Year
US Vice President JD Vance has said Iran could not build a nuclear weapon tomorrow, in six months, or within a year, even if it tried.
In an interview with Newsmax, Vance said that US forces has destroyed three Iranian nuclear facilities with an "amazing tactical strike." The vice president did not give any further details.
Vance also said that US actions were "about ensuring that they're not able to rebuild the program."
According to Vance, US President Donald Trump "is trying to ensure...[Iran doesn't] have the resources and they don't have the infrastructure to rebuild it so two years from now, three years from now, 10 years from now, they continue to not be able to build a nuclear weapon."
The Iranians, Vance said, had responded to the US attack on its nuclear program by "terrorizing international shipping.
For more than two decades, Irans nuclear program has been at the center of its confrontation with the United States and its allies. The West has said that Tehran has used a civilian energy program to secretly build a nuclear weapon. Iran has long denied trying to develop a nuclear bomb and defended its right to enrich uranium.
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12:43
21.9.2026
Tanker Hit By 'Unknown Projectile' In Strait Of Hormuz
A vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an "unknown projectile," injuring two crew members, a British maritime agency said.
"Military authorities have informed UKMTO that a tanker conducting an inbound transit was struck by an unknown projectile," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on September 21.
"Two crew have sustained minor injuries, and the vessel is reported to be continuing to its next port of call under its own power," it added.
"Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO," the agency warned.
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07:12
21.9.2026
Iran Says Hormuz Will Stay Closed Until US Meets Its Conditions
Iran's chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on September 20 that Tehran had conveyed its conditions to Washington through mediators for ending its blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Qalibaf said Tehran's demands had been clearly communicated to the United States.
"Our messages and the explanation of our conditions have been clearly conveyed to the other party through mediators," he said, according to Iranian state television.
He added that the Strait of Hormuz could not return to its pre-negotiation status unless Iran's conditions were met and Washington fulfilled its commitments, according to state television.
Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31.
A day earlier, Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary, said Tehran had communicated its conditions to Washington through Qatar.
"Our conditions are an end to the war on all fronts, the release of our frozen funds and an end to the naval blockade," Rezaei said in an interview with Al Jazeera on September 19.
Rezaei, a veteran commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warned that any further US military action would face a stronger Iranian response than at the beginning of the conflict. He added that US bases and American commercial interests in the region could be targeted in response to any US strike.
"We are prepared for a decisive war," he said.
Meanwhile, Iranian authorities said Pakistan's Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, was expected to travel to Tehran on September 20 for talks with Iranian leaders and officials as diplomatic efforts continued.
Pakistan, alongside Qatar, has emerged as a key mediator between Iran and the United States since the war began in late February, offering to facilitate talks between Tehran and Washington.
With reporting from AFP
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22:56
20.9.2026
Trump Says Houthi Rebels Agree Not To Fight The US
US President Donald Trump on September 20 said Yemen's Houthi rebels have agreed not to attack US-linked sites, even as the Iran-allied militant group intensifies its fight against US ally Saudi Arabia, a Fox News reporter quoted the president as saying.
Fox reporter Trey Yingst, who often talks to Trump, quoted the president saying Washington is "in constant communication with the Houthis and that they've agreed not to fight the United States."
It wasn't stated if Trump had given any promises to the rebel group regarding possible US strikes.
Trump's comments reflect an earlier statement Trump made regarding the Houthi rebels.
"The Houthis called us and they don't want to fight with us," Trump said while visiting Ireland on September 12. "They don't want us to go after them."
Fighters gather near damaged military vehicles in the aftermath of what a Houthi-owned TV network said were strikes on pro-government forces in Yemen.
The rebels in recent weeks have launched an offensive against the international recognized, Saudi-backed government of Yemen and have also intensified missile and drone strikes inside Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Fox News reported that Trump is in "deciding mode" on Iran. Yingst said the president told him that "big things will be happening in the not-so-distant future" and that "Iranians better behave, and he is making this decision as to whether or not to blow up their nation."
Trump unexpectedly cut short a weekend at Camp David to return to the White House on September 19 amid the rising tensions in the Middle East.
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22:40
20.9.2026
Iran Says Economy Has Contracted 10 Percent Since Start Of War
Iran's Statistical Center said the country's economy contracted by more than 10 percent during the Middle East war, which began on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iranian military and economic sites.
Iran's gross domestic product (GDP) declined 10.1 percent year-on-year from late March to late June, a period in Iran representing the first quarter of the Persian calendar, the statistical agency reported on September 20.
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Because of reporting difficulties, it is impossible to verify the GDP figures, which some analysts have suggested are likely much worse.
Even before the war, Iran's economy had suffered through years of Western sanctions, with hyperinflation and currency devaluation hitting hard.
Ahmad Alavi, an Iranian economics professor based in Sweden, last month told RFE/RL that, along with heightened US sanctions, Irans economy suffers from ineffective policymaking, poor governance, and a wartime environment.
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22:24
20.9.2026
Iran's Foreign Minister Heads To NY For UN General Assembly After Qatar Stop
Irans foreign minister is traveling to New York to attend the upcoming UN General Assembly, Iranian state media reported on September 20, with President Masud Pezeshkian also expected to attend the event.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchis trip to the US follows a quick visit to Qatar, a key mediator in the US-Iran war, media reports stated.
Araqchi "left Tehran on Sunday [September 20] evening bound for New York...and will make a brief stop in Doha to hold consultations on the latest developments in the region," state news agency IRNA reported.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (left) and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi are expected to attend the UN General Assembly, which begins on September 22 in New York
Flight-tracking services indicated the ministers plane had arrived in Doha before departing about an hour later.
The stop in Qatar came as Iranian officials said they had again turned over to mediators their conditions for restarting US talks and to allow free transit through the important Strait of Hormuz.
The US State Department said it had approved visas for the Iranian delegation -- expected to be headed by Pezeshkian and Araqchi-- to attend the UNGA, although travel restrictions will be put in place for the delegation while in the US.
US President Donald Trump told Fox News reporters that he "probably" would be open to meeting Pezeshkian at the UN.
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21:50
19.9.2026
Pact-Member Turkey Says Saudis May Have 'Military Needs' After Houthi Attacks
Turkey's foreign minister said Saudi Arabia may have military needs because of the ongoing attacks by Yemen's Iran-allied Houthi rebels and that Ankara was prepared to help under a trilateral defense pact.
"We see there are very serious attacks on Saudi Arabia's territorial integrity, sovereignty. We have an alliance agreement in our pact. We are in serious solidarity on this point...They may have some military needs, especially on some technical issues. We would have no issues in meeting these," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told broadcaster NTV.
The joint defense pact, called the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, was signed last month, with Pakistan joining as the third member. The pact stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack on all of them.
Pakistan did not immediately comment.
As part of a recent military offensive, the Houthis have gained control of the most populous parts of Yemen, pushing back the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
The rebels have also been launching attacks on Saudi Arabia and have declared a naval blockade against Riyadh.
On September 19, the Houthis said they attacked "sensitive" sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with missiles and drones. Flames and plumes of smoke were later seen near the city's main airport.
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