US-Iran War Live Updates: Trump says US officials met Iran war mediators

US Iran War LIVE Updates (September 29, 2026): Donald Trump confirmed that the US negotiating team spoke with Iranian officials through mediators today.

US-Iran War Live News Updates: US President Donald Trump said the US will “win” its war with Iran and that it will end “one way or the other,” even as diplomacy continues through intermediaries. He confirmed that US negotiators spoke with Iranian officials through mediators, days after he rejected Tehran’s latest ceasefire proposal. Iran, for its part, says it has “no plans” to negotiate directly with Washington. Trump confirms indirect contact with Tehran while dismissing its ceasefire offer, and Iran demands US guarantees before any talks.

What Trump said: Trump was defiant, saying the US is “going to win” and predicting the conflict will move “pretty quickly.” He said US officials had met war mediators, while Iranian media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was due to meet mediating countries’ representatives in New York. Trump also warned that Iran could use a nuclear weapon against the US if it ever got one, insisting Tehran “will never” be allowed to build a bomb. He said more military strikes before the November midterms are “possible.” Axios, citing a US official, reported that he is willing to offer sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for concrete progress on Iran’s nuclear program.

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Key world updates: 

• Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran’s military has pushed the “enemy” out of waters off southern Iran toward the Arabian Sea and will soon drive it out of there too.
• Five UK nationals were arrested near a British air base used by the US for strikes on Iran, on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences. They were released on bail a day later. Iran rejected speculation of any link.
• Lawmaker Behnam Saeedi said the US must honor its past commitments before talks can happen, citing Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the Islamabad memorandum. An unnamed official denied that Tehran had shown flexibility on its nuclear position.
• Araghchi and Iran’s team were expected to meet Qatari mediators in New York to review the latest proposals and the state of talks with the US.
•  The rial hit a record low, with the dollar above 2.45 million rials on Iran’s open market. Meanwhile, Iraq is struggling to find alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz for oil exports, since routes via Syria, Turkey or Jordan are seen as impractical for now.

Follow the latest world news and major international developments here, including the latest on the US-Iran war and talks over the Strait of Hormuz. This live blog is a rolling curation of the day’s key global stories, with updates added as events unfold and the news agenda changes. The headline, introduction and Top Developments section will be refreshed throughout the day to reflect the stories that matter most at that moment.

Live Updates
Sep 29, 2026 06:10 AM IST
Bessent urges Lebanon to disrupt Iran, Hezbollah financial networks

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged Lebanon to take proactive steps to disrupt Iran and Hezbollah financial networks during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Finance Minister Yassine Jaber in Washington on Monday.

Bessent also stressed the importance of financial-sector reforms aimed at restoring confidence in Lebanon’s banking system, according to a US Treasury readout.

Sep 29, 2026 05:52 AM IST
Mojtaba Khamenei ‘pulled from the rubble’ after Tehran hospital was bombed, cleric claims

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was pulled from the rubble of a Tehran hospital after US and Israeli strikes hit the building, the New York Post reported, citing the Qatari channel Al Araby, which interviewed a senior Iranian cleric.

Mohsen Heydari, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, made the claim in an interview with the Qatari channel Al Araby on Thursday. He said Khamenei had been wounded in earlier attacks and taken to hospital, which was then bombed along with two others in Tehran. Read more

Sep 29, 2026 05:30 AM IST
Iran official denies nuclear flexibility, says no talks underway – Press TV

An unnamed Iranian official denied reports that Tehran had shown flexibility on its nuclear position and said no discussions were underway on the issue, state-run Press TV reported on its Telegram channel Monday.

The official said the US government was “trapped” over the Strait of Hormuz and was raising the nuclear issue to divert attention from the problem. The source said Tehran’s position on its nuclear program had not changed and there were no ongoing talks on the matter.

The remarks directly contradict an account from a US official who told CNN that Iran had indicated flexibility on nuclear issues and that Washington was holding “positive and constructive discussions through the mediators.”

Sep 29, 2026 05:28 AM IST
Iran supreme leader says US will be forced out of Middle East: State TV

ran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Monday the United States would be forced to leave the Middle East after suffering "painful blows", according to a statement carried by state television, reported AFP.

Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the start of the Middle East war in late February, made the remarks despite attempts to revive talks aimed at ending the fighting.

"Today, having suffered painful blows at the hands of valiant fighters and the guardians of the Strait of Hormuz, they (the enemies) do not venture beyond the Arabian Sea," Khamenei said in the written statement attributed to him, without explicitly mentioning the United States.

"Whenever they have braved this risk, they have only brought harm upon themselves. It will not be long before the Arabian Sea, too, would rid itself of their presence," he added.

Sep 29, 2026 05:15 AM IST
Explosion sounds heard near Qeshm Island

Iranian media reported that explosion sounds were heard near Qeshm Island late on September 28, and Tasnim News Agency later cited local sources on Qeshm Island as saying there were no reports of an attack or explosion, with the sounds usually caused by warning shots fired at vessels violating passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Sep 29, 2026 05:11 AM IST
Araghchi says Iran expects US response by tomorrow ‘hopefully’, after talks with Qatari mediators

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran has held further indirect talks with the United States through Qatari mediators in New York, with Washington’s official response “hopefully” expected by tomorrow.

Araghchi told reporters that a primary focus of his visit at last week’s United Nations General Assembly had been outlining Iran’s position on regional conflicts and the critical security situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

He reiterated that Tehran has put forward a fair, logical plan to resolve the crisis and reopen the vital shipping lane, provided specific conditions are met.

“Our mission was to communicate these conditions to the American side as well as to all other nations, ensuring the international community is aware that Iran has a plan in this regard,” Araghchi said.

Sep 29, 2026 05:10 AM IST
Why Trump denies offering Iran sanctions relief or frozen funds

President Donald Trump on Monday denied an Axios report that he had offered Iran sanctions relief or access to frozen funds, calling the story "untrue" and demanding that the outlet retract it.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that he offered Iran "NOTHING" and said Axios "should withdraw this fake story, IMMEDIATELY."
Citing US officials, the outlet said earlier on Monday that Trump was willing to provide sanctions relief and release frozen Iranian funds in return for concrete concessions on Iran's nuclear program.
Sep 29, 2026 05:04 AM IST
US considering sanctions waiver for flights between Iran and Iraq's Najaf, source says

US President Donald Trump's administration is considering a limited waiver to its Iran sanctions program to allow for flights carrying Muslim religious pilgrims between Iran and Iraq, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said according to Reuters.

The source, who is involved in the deliberations, said the US Treasury Department waiver would allow Iraqi Airways to fly to and from the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf for one month, with a more permanent waiver then potentially coming into place.

Sep 29, 2026 05:00 AM IST
UAE President receives Israel PM Netanyahu, discusses bilateral relations

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who visited the UAE yesterday, Sunday, according to WAM.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and develop them.

Sep 29, 2026 04:56 AM IST
Iraq looks for Strait of Hormuz alternatives to export oil

Iraqi political and security analyst Sarmad Al-Bayati told Al Jazeera that the lack of quick solutions for Iraq’s oil export conundrum is a major problem for the country.

“At present, the only option is to export through the Strait of Hormuz, which depends primarily on the situation in the strait,” Al-Bayati told Al Jazeera.

“Other alternatives, such as oil exporting routes through Syria or Turkiye, or even future plans to extend a pipeline through Jordan, are unrealistic and impractical at the moment, offering no real solutions to Iraq’s current crisis if the situation remains as it is in the strait.”

Sep 29, 2026 04:53 AM IST
Trump says US will win Iran war 'very soon'

US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Monday told reporters the United States will win the Iran war "very soon" and that gas prices will come tumbling down.

He also said that US officials spoke with Iran mediators today.

Sep 29, 2026 04:52 AM IST
Rubio affirms ‘strong US support’ for Lebanon in meeting with PM Salam

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has renewed Washington's firm support for Lebanon as it moves to put the Trilateral Framework into effect, calling the deal "the only path to a durable peace with Israel".

In a post on X after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Rubio said the US "stands with a sovereign Lebanon, free from Hizballah and Iranian influence".

As reported earlier, Salam urged full implementation of the framework agreement with Israel. He said it should lead to the restoration of Lebanon's complete sovereignty, a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, and state control over all weapons across the country.

Sep 29, 2026 04:50 AM IST
Trump says US will win war with Iran: 'It’s going to be one way or the other'

Donald Trump confirmed that the US negotiating team spoke with Iranian officials through mediators today. This comes after the president rejected the latest ceasefire proposal from Tehran, and Iran said it has “no plans” to negotiate with Washington.

Once again, Trump was resolute.

“We’re going to win,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s going to be one way or the other. It’s going to be it’s going to go pretty quickly.”

Sep 29, 2026 04:48 AM IST
Welcome to our live coverage of the US-Iran war

Hello and welcome to our live blog. We're tracking the latest developments as the US and Iran trade threats and signals through mediators.

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