Dubai, UAE — US President Donald Trump has said the war on Iran will end “very soon” without providing any details and reiterates that Tehran will not have a nuclear weapon.
Iran and the US are talking through mediators, but there are major differences over what a deal should look like.
Washington plans to keep up economic pressure on Tehran, but Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher says any diplomatic breakthrough is unlikely before the US midterm elections.
Saudi crown prince and UAE vice president discuss regional developments in Riyadh
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has met UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh.
The two officials discussed bilateral relations and the latest developments in the region, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman also attended the meeting after receiving Sheikh Mansour at the airport upon his arrival.
Trump says he does not know if Iran will ‘give up yet’
US President Donald Trump has said Iran is doing “very poorly” in the war with the US and does not know “if they are going to give up yet”, while speaking to reporters outside the White House following a meeting with AI executives.
Trump repeated the claim that the US navy has facilitated passage for the largest number of ships through the Strait of Hormuz “at any point in history” in recent days, adding “including long before we had the war to stop the nuclear weapon”.
US offers reward for info on IRGC financial mechanism
US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott has highlighted a $15m reward the US government is offering for information that disrupts the financial mechanisms of the IRGC, as the US continues to ramp up economic pressure against the Iranian government.
The US has previously offered this same award and other multimillion-dollar rewards for Iran-related information, including saying in August it would pay $10m for information leading to the identification of five senior IRGC commanders.
In a statement today, Pigott also said the US had imposed sanctions on eight new entities and five new individuals for alleged involvement in procuring and proliferating weapons or weapons components for Iran. It was unclear whether these were distinct from the 10 individuals and entities that the US Treasury Department earlier said it had sanctioned for the same reason.
“We will continue working with partners to disrupt Iran’s proliferation networks and deny the Iranian regime access to the goods, technology, financing and services that contribute to these activities,” said Pigott.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issues an open letter to US voters ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, urging that the Trump administration must be changed.
Oil prices rose on Wednesday after Trump denied he would be willing to ease sanctions on Iran, following a drop in the previous session driven by a recovery in Middle Eastern crude supply.
Brent crude futures rose $1.14, or 1.11 percent, to $103.73 a barrel as of 01:30 GMT.
Meanwhile, US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude went up 34 cents, or 0.38 percent, to $89.72.
Brent is headed for a monthly gain of about 14 percent, marking its biggest climb since July, while WTI is on track for a 4 percent rise after having breached $106 for the first time since May.
