Trump weighs quick end to Iran war or letting it 'wither'
President Donald Trump said the US could end the war with Iran quickly or let it 'wither', claimed Washington could have taken all of Iran's oil and even 'the whole country'…
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Trump hints at new Iran strike as Hormuz attacks hit record
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said a strike on Iran could come this weekend, and Trump said more military action may lie ahead. October was the worst month on record for attacks on shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, with 28 incidents, according to Al-Monitor.
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Trump hints at new Iran operation as US diplomats exit Saudi Arabia
President Donald Trump told a Florida rally the US “may do another little Epic Fury” against Iran, after saying he knew nothing about US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack’s remark that a strike could come this weekend.
Record Hormuz attacks; IRGC reports more tanker blasts
October is the worst month on record for attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waterways, with 28 confirmed or reported incidents, according to data cited by Al-Monitor.
Iran threatens Persian Gulf oil and cable strikes if attacked again
Two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters that Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Persian Gulf, while security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned that oil…
Iraq closes Al-Sheeb crossing as PM warns against sealing Iran border
Iraqi authorities shut the Al-Sheeb crossing opposite Chazabeh in Khuzestan to passengers and commercial traffic on October 21, citing a security review.
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Istanbul talks back diplomacy on Iran war, ship security
Foreign ministers from Germany and seven other countries at an Istanbul meeting agreed to cooperate on diplomatic solutions to the Iran war, DW Persian reported. They warned Tehran and the Houthis against attacks on ships and said the war has no military solution.
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Trump says more military action against Iran may lie ahead
US President Donald Trump told a Florida rally on Friday that more military action against Iran may lie ahead, as he seeks to address an oil price spike ahead of midterm elections. He also vowed to deal with Cuba once the Iran war is settled.
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Iran's drug market shifts from street dealing to mobile use spaces
A field report by Radio Zamaneh describes how drug dealing in Iran has moved from known street corners to parks, motorway lay-bys and small mobile transactions, as prices rise and hardship deepens. It traces decades of harsh criminalisation, mass arrests and the later shift toward treating addiction as a health issue.
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Iran schools lack shelters and air-raid warnings as war threat looms
According to Radio Zamaneh, Iranian schools lack adequate shelters and effective air-raid warning systems as the threat of renewed war looms. Officials in Hormozgan and on Kish have moved classes online, but the Shad platform and internet access remain unreliable.
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Shuti drivers in Iran face fewer loads and unchanged risks
Iran's shuti drivers, who move goods outside official distribution channels, are earning less as war and a US naval blockade disrupt trade and inflation erodes their income, according to a Radio Zamaneh field report. Traffic police figures for the year to March 2026 recorded 358 shuti drivers killed and 513 injured in accidents.
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Sanctions rarely topple governments; they wear down societies
Radio Zamaneh argues that sanctions rarely force governments to change course or fall, and instead impoverish ordinary people, shrink the middle class and erode social trust. In Iran, it says, the government can find ways around restrictions while society bears the cost, weakening the very forces that could push for political change.
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Reported wartime internet shutdown order stirs debate in Iran
An Iranian economic news website, Zoomon, reported that unnamed higher authorities ordered an immediate international internet cutoff if war resumes; the directive has not been independently verified or publicly confirmed. Deputy Communications Minister Vahid Yazdanian said renewed war or unrest could bring another shutdown, while former minister Ahmad Motamedi said the Supreme National Security Council is responsible for such wartime decisions.
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Iran-Azerbaijan tensions rise over school hijab ban
Tensions between Tehran and Baku have risen after some schools in the Republic of Azerbaijan banned the hijab, DW Persian reported. Iran, which enforces mandatory hijab at home, has taken up the issue as a defense of hijab-wearing girls’ right to education.
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Eight countries urge US-Iran restraint and diplomacy in Istanbul
Foreign ministers from eight countries meeting in Istanbul urged the United States and Iran to exercise restraint and resolve differences through diplomacy. Turkey's foreign minister said none of the participants approved another military intervention or attack on Iran. Pakistan said separately that it is in close contact with Tehran and Washington and called for restraint and space for diplomacy.
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Kadivar, Abrahamian discuss Iran policy and prospects for diplomacy
Iranian-American sociologist Ali Kadivar joined historian Ervand Abrahamian for a conversation hosted by Historians for Peace and Democracy and Massachusetts Peace Action. They discussed how sovereignty, historical experience, and perceptions of existential threat shape Iranian foreign policy decisions, and why military pressure can deepen the dynamics it seeks to change. The conversation also raised the question of what space remains for Iranians pursuing democracy under repression at home and military threats abroad.
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Report: Kushner network tied to $2bn and Iran policy
A Vanity Fair investigation cited by Iranian outlets alleged that UAE and Saudi leaders placed about $2 billion in secret accounts accessible to Jared Kushner during Trump’s first term. According to the report, the funds were meant to advance backchannel deals including normalization between Arab states of the Persian Gulf and Israel and efforts to counter the Iran nuclear deal; Kushner denied the claims as false.
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Oil tops $117 as fears of renewed US strikes on Iran mount
Brent crude rose about 3.5% on Friday to pass $117 a barrel, its highest level since April, The Guardian reported, as fears mounted that the United States will renew strikes on Iran and after Tehran threatened retaliatory attacks on refineries and data centres in the Persian Gulf. The New York Times put the price at $116 and cited concern that the war in Iran could escalate. Iranian outlets cited attacks by Yemeni forces on Saudi infrastructure, while Donya-e-Eqtesad linked the rise to recent threats by Donald Trump.
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Iran weighs leverage and risk as Houthi attacks pressure Saudi Arabia
A Middle East Eye analysis says Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and Red Sea shipping have strengthened Tehran's regional position while raising the risk of a wider conflict. Iranian officials reportedly offered to mediate with Ansar Allah and called for an end to the Saudi blockade, while a source close to the establishment says the Houthis are not an Iranian proxy.
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Iran mobile operators raise internet tariffs by up to 40 percent
Iran's two main mobile operators, Hamrah-e Aval and Irancell, raised tariffs on calls, SMS and mobile and fixed internet packages by up to 40 percent from Friday, 1 Aban 1405 (23 October 2026), with the approval of the relevant authorities, Iranian outlets reported. Packages already purchased are unaffected, ISNA said. Radio Zamaneh described the increase as unprecedented and said it bears no proportion to the quality of internet service in Iran.
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Electronics reach Iran despite sanctions, but prices soar
New smartphones and other electronics are reaching Iran despite international sanctions and disrupted trade routes, but government registration fees and import costs have pushed prices beyond many Iranians’ reach, Al Jazeera English reported. A Tehran trader said most phones are now smuggled in through northern Iraq after the war and a UAE trade halt complicated imports.
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Chicken prices jump 25% in a week to 350,000 toman per kilo
Radio Zamaneh reported that chicken prices in Iran rose about 25 percent in a week, reaching 350,000 toman per kilogram. Poultry farmers attribute the jump to several-fold increases in production input costs after the removal of preferential currency, while the Ministry of Agriculture cites rising global prices for inputs as one cause.
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Iran water crisis persists despite 77% rise in dam inflows
Water inflow into Iran's dams rose 77 percent at the start of the current water year compared with the same period last year, Radio Zamaneh reported, but low rainfall and falling reserves at key dams persist. Lar dam is at only 3 percent of capacity, and several provinces face severe rainfall shortages, with water stress in Tehran and eastern Iran still concerning.
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Persian Gulf oil pollution quadruples amid new attack fears
BBC Persian reported that oil pollution in the Persian Gulf has quadrupled, citing research showing the extent increased sharply after the Iran-Israel war. US media have meanwhile reported possible renewed US and Israeli attacks on Iran after the midterm elections and accounts of the Trump administration reviewing military and economic options.
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Iran nuclear debate: deterrence or greater risk of attack?
After US and Israeli attacks in 1404 and 1405, some in Iran argue that missiles and regional allies failed to deter strikes and that building a nuclear weapon should now be considered. Opponents say a bomb could increase the likelihood of new attacks, BBC Persian reported.
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Madagascar corruption trial exposes Boeing 777s routed to Iran
A corruption trial opening in Antananarivo centers on five Boeing 777s that Malagasy investigators say were registered in Madagascar to help them reach Iran in 2025 in circumvention of US sanctions. The planes are now listed as belonging to Mahan Air, which Washington has accused of transporting drones and weapons. Businessman Mamy Ravatomanga is the most prominent defendant and denies wrongdoing.
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IEA warns Europe's gas reserves hit record low amid Iran war
Al Jazeera reported that EU gas storage stands at 72 percent, far below the usual 90 percent, as the war involving Iran disrupts supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. IEA head Fatih Birol told the outlet that both the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb should be reopened unconditionally.
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Crisis Group warns U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has reignited
The International Crisis Group says the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has reignited after a lull and is spreading in new and dangerous ways. It warns the conflict could widen further and calls for urgent de-escalation in every theatre.
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Houthi advance opens new front in war that began with attack on Iran
The Houthis' rapid advance on Yemen's western coast has opened a new front in the Middle East war that began with February's U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, the International Crisis Group said. The group called a truce in Yemen an urgent priority to prevent the conflict from spiraling and drawing in more countries.
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Crisis Group analyzes why US and Iran fight on without victory
The International Crisis Group published an analysis titled “The New Forever War,” asking why the United States and Iran keep fighting without victory.
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Five energy market factors that could shift the Iran war
Oil, gas and fuel prices are central to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, with Washington seeking lower prices and Tehran seeking higher ones, according to the International Crisis Group. The group outlines five market-shaping developments that could affect whether fighting escalates or de-escalates.
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Crisis Group: War reshapes Iran's regional alliances
Three years of hostilities have transformed Tehran's network of allies in the Middle East, according to the International Crisis Group. The Islamic Republic is relying more heavily on itself while adapting ties with partners whose diminished military utility has not reduced its commitment to their protection.
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Araghchi: US-Israel ties 'parasitic'; Netanyahu eyes end to aid
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that the United States has spent $11 billion in taxpayer money over three years on missile defense for Israel and has fired more interceptors defending Israel than Israel itself, calling the relationship "parasitic" rather than symbiotic. The figure was not independently verified in the reports. Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Friday interview that Israel must prepare for the end of US military aid and build an economy able to circumvent sanctions, according to Donya-e-Eqtesad.
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Netanyahu claims Iran will attack before US midterms
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel has intelligence showing Iran will attack before the US midterm elections, Donya-e-Eqtesad reported. He also denied reports that Donald Trump blocked an Israeli attack on Iran this month; BBC Persian, citing the Financial Times, said the Israeli military was ready for strikes on October 10 and 11 but Trump decided no attack would take place before the midterms. Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing The Atlantic and CNN reports that cited US officials, said US strikes could come immediately after the midterms, with possible targets including missiles, drones, energy and nuclear facilities and use of the MOAB under consideration. ISNA, citing a Hebrew-language outlet, reported criticism inside the Israeli army and security establishment of Netanyahu's claims about Iran; the reports and claims have not been independently verified.
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Environmental expert: water shortage does not justify Sajjadrud dam
Rouzbeh Eskandari, an environmental expert, told Radio Zamaneh that water shortages do not by themselves justify building the Sajjadrud dam in Babol County, saying alternatives such as restoring reservoirs and managing consumption should be assessed independently. The project has raised concerns about destruction of Hyrcanian forests, changes to the river’s natural flow and the displacement of villagers.
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Trump rules out Iran talks; US envoy claims readiness for standoff
President Trump told reporters the US was "not negotiating" with Iran and that "something" would happen "fairly soon," Antiwar.com reported. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned, in statements carried by state media, that choosing war over diplomacy would bring a greater strategic defeat and hundreds of billions of dollars in losses for the US. Donya-e-Eqtesad reported that the US ambassador to the United Nations claimed Washington is prepared for a long-term confrontation with Iran.
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Egypt seeks Yemen talks as parliament weighs Saudi support
Egypt's foreign minister said Cairo is exploring “every opportunity” to resolve the Yemen war diplomatically, while parliament weighs authorising the armed forces to support Saudi Arabia against the Iran-aligned Houthis. Lawmakers postponed the vote to 26 October and the foreign minister and intelligence chief travelled to Riyadh to deliver a letter from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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Some Republicans distance from Trump over Iran war, Epstein
Al Jazeera reports that Republican candidates in competitive US midterm races are quietly distancing from President Donald Trump as the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran and the Epstein files feature in attack ads. Only a handful of Republicans have backed congressional anti-war resolutions on Iran, and Trump has taken action against some who broke with him, according to the report.
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CENTCOM says its Iran naval blockade reaches 100 days
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its naval blockade of Iran has lasted 100 days and halted all seaborne imports and exports except humanitarian aid it has allowed. CENTCOM claimed the blockade has prevented at least $25 billion in crude oil exports, figures that could not be independently verified.
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Iran war sparks helium crisis, straining MRI equipment
Seven months into the Iran war, public attention has focused mainly on oil and gas prices, but the industrial sector is under severe pressure over helium supplies, DW Persian reported. The helium crisis is also posing a challenge for MRI equipment.
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Asr-e Iran cites images of attacks by Iran on US base in Saudi Arabia
The US State Department ordered some diplomats and family members of government employees to leave Saudi Arabia, citing near-daily attacks on civilian airports and other infrastructure by the Houthis in Yemen, which the Guardian and The New York Times describe as backed by Iran. The New York Times reported that a Houthi strike on Dammam airport killed two people, while the Guardian said at least three were killed in attacks on an airport and an oilfield and reported similar withdrawals from the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain amid concern about a restart of war on Iran after the US midterm elections. Asr-e Iran reported fresh images purporting to show attacks by Iran on Prince Sultan Air Base, a major hub for US forces, and said reports of attacks and possible damage were drawing attention, without giving further details in the supplied report.
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Guardian: Reform donor was in business with Iran-linked foundation
The Guardian reported that Sasan (Hossein) Ghandehari, a billionaire donor to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, was in business with a powerful Iranian religious foundation under the authority of the Supreme Leader. Radio Zamaneh, citing the report, identified the institution as Astan Quds Razavi and said the partnership raises questions about his past dealings with Iran. The Guardian also reported that Ghandehari gave Farage £50,000 to cover the cost of two passes for the World Economic Forum in Davos.
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Rights report: 192 civilians killed in US, Israeli strikes on Iran
A Balochistan human rights documentation network says at least 192 civilians were killed in US and Israeli air and drone strikes on Baluch-populated areas of Iran from 9 Esfand 1404 to the end of Shahrivar 1405. It identified the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, with 168 dead, as the deadliest recorded incident and said final tolls for some attacks remain unknown.
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War lays bare limits of China's asymmetric partnership with Iran
A seven-month US-Israeli war against Iran has sharpened the gap between Tehran's economic dependence on Beijing and China's political and security commitments, according to a Radio Zamaneh analysis. China remains Iran's most important oil buyer, but it has not entered a military confrontation to break the blockade or sacrificed its broader ties with Persian Gulf Arab states. The crisis over the Strait of Hormuz exposes both the limits of the partnership and a widening fissure in a multipolar global order.
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Political ecology: Iran's environment and questions of power
In an article published by Radio Zamaneh, Mansour Sohrabi argues that the destruction of Iran's nature—from Zagros forest fires to the drying of Lake Urmia—cannot be separated from power relations, political decisions, and social inequality. He asks who decides on natural resources, who profits from their exploitation, and who bears the costs of destruction.
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Reports: IRGC Sends Heavy Weapons to Kurdish Regions in Iran
Radio Zamaneh reported that Iran's Revolutionary Guards have increased military movements and deployed heavy weapons to Kurdish regions, amid heightened tensions with the United States and Israel and intensified clashes with Kurdish opposition groups. The outlet said the deployments could signal Tehran's preparation for a possible expansion of fighting on the country's western front.
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Analysis: US never intended Iran MOU to last, eroded Hormuz leverage
A Responsible Statecraft analysis argues that the June 17 memorandum of understanding with Iran was never meant to hold, and that Washington used it to shift maritime traffic to an Omani corridor outside Iran's control. The piece cites U.S. advisories and a Financial Times report on the parallel route, and traces the deal's collapse through clashes in the Strait of Hormuz and repeated U.S. strikes.
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American farmers squeezed by Iran war and trade tariffs
American farmers are facing rising costs and lost export markets due to the Trump administration's tariffs and the war against Iran, according to an analysis by Responsible Statecraft. The war has disrupted energy and fertilizer trade through the Strait of Hormuz, while billions in emergency aid have mainly benefited large farms. The outlet calls for a diplomatic end to the war and a reassessment of tariffs.
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Iran state broadcaster chief remains past term, legality questioned
Peyman Jebelli's five-year term as head of Iran's state broadcaster has ended, but he remains in the post without a new appointment being announced, Radio Zamaneh reported. A lawyer and human rights researcher told the outlet that continuing public services does not by itself authorize an official to stay in office, and that the ambiguity raises questions about the broadcaster's decisions and censorship policies.
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Report: US drawing down troops, diplomats across Middle East
NBC News reported Wednesday that the US military is scaling back its presence at bases across the Middle East and has ordered staff reductions at multiple diplomatic posts, amid signs the US and Israel may be preparing another attack on Iran.
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Israel Flew Dozens of Fighter Jets Near Iran's Border: Axios
Dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew near Iran's border on Monday, Axios reported, citing unnamed US and Israeli officials. The warplanes passed through Syrian and Iraqi airspace, and the report said the flight may have been intended to provoke an Iranian attack. The claim could not be independently verified.
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Swing-state voters back blocking arms to Israel, poll finds
A new YouGov poll for IMEU found majorities in six Senate battleground states support blocking bomb transfers to Israel, and majorities or strong pluralities back cutting $3.3 billion in annual weapons aid. In each state, about half said the US war in Iran benefits Israel more than the United States.
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Reported execution of Iraqi caretaker in Iran sparks outrage
Iranian rights groups say Ayoub Mohammed Nabil, a 28-year-old caretaker from Iraq’s Anbar province, was hanged in Iran on Oct. 11 on espionage charges. Iraqi commentators have reacted with outrage, some calling the reported execution sectarian, while Iranian and Iraqi officials have not confirmed it.
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Parsi: Israeli election may shape Netanyahu’s Iran war plans
Trita Parsi says an inconclusive Israeli election could affect Benjamin Netanyahu’s calculations about restarting war with Iran. He sees the current diplomacy, mediated by Qatar, as similar to the period before February 28 and argues that Trump and Netanyahu have already decided to resume the war, with only the timing undetermined.
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Yousef Majidzadeh and Ahmad Aram, Iranian cultural figures, die
Yousef Majidzadeh, a pioneering archaeologist known for excavations at Jiroft, and Ahmad Aram, a writer who chronicled southern Iran, have died, NIAC reported. Aram died after complications from gastrointestinal cancer.
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Iran draws nuclear red lines as Russia, Pakistan push diplomacy
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, told Pakistan’s army chief in Tehran that Iran would not transfer any enriched nuclear material abroad or resume negotiations until Washington took steps to rebuild trust, according to the NIAC Insights account. The visit came a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met senior Iranian officials, reaffirmed Moscow’s strategic partnership, condemned U.S. and Israeli military operations and offered food and medicine. The diplomatic push is unfolding alongside renewed threats from President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reports of U.S.-Israeli military consultations, with no breakthrough announced.
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Analysis links Iran-US tensions to heightened famine risk
A Radio Zamaneh analysis says the Trump-Iran standoff over the Strait of Hormuz could worsen famine. It argues that continued trade in agricultural inputs, targeted support for farmers and households, and fewer transport disruptions can limit the scope of hunger, with poorer countries more exposed.
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Iran says 'seven-day plan' would reopen strait, start talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a seven-day plan remains on the table, under which the strait would reopen on the sixth day and negotiations would begin on the seventh if the US meets its conditions. He also questioned Washington's sincerity, according to Radio Zamaneh.
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Iran strikes PAK in Iraqi Kurdistan; Baghdad denies expulsion deal
Radio Zamaneh reported that Iran attacked positions of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) in northeastern Erbil after Iran's ambassador to Baghdad claimed Iraq had agreed to expel or hand over Kurdish Iranian opposition groups. An Iraqi official rejected that claim, and Turkey's far-right MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli called for PJAK to be dissolved and disarmed.
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DW Persian examines depth of Russia-Iran cooperation
In recent years, numerous reports have described close and confidential cooperation between Iran and Russia, and Iranian officials have acknowledged it. DW Persian asks what level this cooperation has reached and whether Moscow might stop supporting Tehran.
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Analysis: US-Israeli war on Iran shifts as Hormuz becomes leverage
A Radio Zamaneh analysis argues that the US-Israeli war against Iran failed to produce the political outcome its attackers sought, while Iran has used the Strait of Hormuz as leverage to change the conflict’s equation. It asks whether escalating military strikes, including a possible attack on Kuh-e Kolang, can end a war whose aims have shifted.
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Rubio: Trump has final say on Iran deal as Tehran sets terms
US Secretary of State Rubio said the final decision on an agreement with Iran rests with Trump and that Washington will not accept a deal that leads Tehran to acquire a nuclear weapon, according to Radio Zamaneh. Iran says it will not resume talks with the US until its demands are met. Mediation by Pakistan, Qatar and other regional countries has not broken the deadlock, the report said, amid continued conflict and crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.
In other news
- Germany, France, UK ready to negotiate with Iran, says German FM
- Gadi Eisenkot: block Iran nuclear capability by force or deal
- Crisis Group podcast examines Iran strategy and Persian Gulf security
- Kurdish Iranian asylum seeker held in Turkey faces deportation risk
- Iran state TV says seven oil tankers damaged in Strait of Hormuz
- Workplace deaths in Hamedan rise over 16 percent
- Iran condemns French police violence, urges Paris to protect protests
- State media: Ghalibaf meets Leader on key national issues
- German media: Tehran sought Bavarian bank via shell firms
- Germany rejects death penalty after DW query on Iran executions
- King Charles thanks Oman for keeping Strait of Hormuz open