Iran

US experts discussed the impact of the September 11 attacks and subsequent wars on US security and citizens’ confidence in institutions, as farmers face pressure from the war on Iran and disrupted fertilizer supplies. The discussion also addressed divisions within the Republican and Democratic parties ahead of the midterm elections.

U.S. forces targeted three oil tankers linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on September 5, 2026, in response to ballistic missile launches toward two U.S. warships. The strikes point to a U.S. effort to increase the economic cost of the maritime confrontation, amid risks to shipping and the environment in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.

US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran will end immediately after the midterm elections scheduled for November 3, 2026, accusing Tehran of trying to influence the vote. Trump linked the end of the fighting to lower oil prices while leaving open the possibility of negotiations, despite stressing that Washington is not currently seeking that option.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wiles said Washington is monitoring activity at Iranian nuclear facilities and that President Donald Trump will not allow Tehran to possess a nuclear weapon. The statement came as an analysis showed construction accelerated in 2026 at a hardened site near Natanz, without evidence that centrifuges had been moved there.

Images captured by the European Sentinel-2 satellite on 8 September 2026 showed traces of an oil slick extending from tankers anchored southeast of Kharg Island. The slick appeared days after the US Central Command announced targeting two oil tankers in the area, while the preliminary analysis does not conclusively establish the source of the spill.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors voted to refer Iran’s nuclear file to the Security Council over what it described as Tehran’s failure to meet its obligations. Iran rejected the decision as politicised, while the referral could pave the way for further measures without automatically imposing new sanctions.

US President Donald Trump predicted that the war with Iran would end after the midterm elections scheduled for November, saying Tehran would be unable to continue fighting for long. His remarks came as the war entered its seventh month and clashes intensified near the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices rose.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard spokesman Hossein Mohabi said ending the war with the United States requires an end to threats and the implementation of a set of conditions concerning Lebanon, Yemen, frozen Iranian assets, and nuclear and missile capabilities. At the same time, the Guard announced a new restricted zone extending from the area near Chabahar to parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

The US Central Command said its forces destroyed five oil tankers linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island, following two missile attacks targeting a US warship over two days. It added that the tankers’ crews had left before the vessels were targeted, and that no Americans were injured.

U.S. Central Command said it had bombed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets near the Strait of Hormuz after what it described as attempts to target commercial vessels and U.S. troops. The escalation came as two oil tankers were hit by projectiles of unknown origin, while the European Union called for the strait to reopen without restrictions or conditions.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said diplomatic efforts concerning the Strait of Hormuz had yet to produce results, calling for the restoration of safe freedom of navigation without restrictions or transit fees, as the passage remains closed and exchanges of fire between Iran and the United States resume.