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President Donald Trump said that Tehran wants to make a deal to end the U.S.-Iran war, but "maybe they are waiting for the election or something" and that is "not going to help them."
The United States has warned several Gulf Arab allies to prepare for a potentially brief but intense military campaign against Iran following the U.S. midterm elections, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Taif by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi forces on Tuesday night, according to the Saudi-led coalition.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that Washington is tracking and freezing the Iranian regime’s cryptocurrency assets as it moves funds.
President Donald Trump floated renaming the Strait of Hormuz after himself Tuesday during a rally in Texas, pointing to increased oil flows through the waterway.
A Tehran revolutionary court sentenced a photojournalist to 26 years in prison, human rights group HRANA said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s directive to end the current state of “neither war nor peace” between Washington and Tehran as an important step in shaping Iran’s future.
The Yemeni government’s armed forces carried out 749 targeted operations against Houthi military capabilities over 24 hours as part of it’s “Dawn of Yemen” offensive.
The Houthis struck Aden airport, Yemeni government forces said, after the group warned people to evacuate.
Iran is pressing ahead with its proposed seven-day plan, maintaining close contact with mediators to resolve implementation details in less than a week, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday described Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s directive to end the current state of “neither war nor peace” between Washington and Tehran as an important step in shaping Iran’s future, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Khamenei had reiterated Iran’s conditions for ending the war with the U.S. during a meeting with his security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, a day earlier.
The meeting focused on reinforcing national unity and moving beyond the current state of uncertainty and tension. According to the Mehr News Agency, Khamenei described the situation as a “crossroads.”
As mediation continues, Iran has said the U.S. must lift its blockade of Iranian ports before peace talks can begin. Washington wants Iran to make concessions on its nuclear program.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran’s military is struggling to produce drones because it no longer has access to electricity, hampering its weapons production amid the ongoing war.
“Their missiles are still there, but not much less,” Trump said at a rally in Ohio.
“They’re drones that they make are having a hard time because they can’t get electricity anymore.
“But and they’ve been they’ve you know, this war started.
“I was listening to a very good congressman last week and he said ‘Trump didn’t start this war.'”
“This war was started in 1979 by Iran and killed many, many Americans,” he said. “Their favorite weapon was the roadside bomb. That was Soleimani. He’s dead, by the way,” Trump added.
Yemen’s information minister, Moammar al-Eryani, said Wednesday that Houthi forces are suspected of using shells containing banned toxic substances.
The statement came amid reports that authorities in Yemen’s Taiz province demanded a probe into allegations that Houthi weapons contained toxic substances, following reports of people fainting and experiencing breathing difficulties.
“Field reports from the Al-Aqroud and Kahlan fronts concerning the use by the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militia of shells suspected of containing prohibited toxic substances represent an extremely dangerous development,” al-Eryani wrote Wednesday on X.
Al-Eryani also cited reports of chemical substances being smuggled into Yemen from Iran and alleged the existence of “secret laboratories to develop and test toxic substances.”
Al-Eryani called on the United Nations and relevant international organizations, particularly the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to take urgent action.
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh warned Wednesday of potential attacks on airports and travel disruptions in Saudi Arabia, citing missile and drone attacks by Houthi rebels.
The State Department had ordered nonemergency U.S. government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia on Oct. 23, 2026, due to safety risks.
“Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” the embassy said on X.
“The hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area.”
The embassy also advised “extreme caution” if people choose to use airports in Saudi Arabia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with President Donald Trump on Wednesday and offered Ankara’s support for efforts to end the war in Ukraine while highlighting ongoing security concerns in the Middle East.
“President Erdoğan noted that we as the Makkah Joint Defense Alliance closely follow the developments in the Strait of Hormuz and Yemen, and strive for the resolution of the problem on the basis of diplomacy,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement on X.
Trump also congratulated Turkey on Republic Day and offered best wishes for the upcoming Organization of Turkic States summit.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he did not direct Vice President JD Vance to initiate peace negotiations with Iran, amid reports that Vance had sent a letter to Tehran to kick-start new talks.
When pressed on the matter ahead of traveling to a rally in Ohio and Trump replied, “No.”
“No, they need help with medical supplies and various things,” he told reporters.
“He asked me what I thought. I said, if you want to do that, that’s okay. Basically, it’s getting supplies in to help people that are not well,” Trump clarified.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Vance had sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in an effort to revive peace negotiations.
Claims by Iran that ships have struck sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz are false, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Wednesday, adding that the waterway’s primary shipping routes are clear.
“Over recent days and weeks, Iranian-controlled media have reported Iranian claims that commercial vessels are hitting sea mines while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. These claims are FALSE,” the command said on X.
“All internationally recognized primary transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared of sea mines by U.S. forces and remain so,” CENTCOM said, adding that thousands of commercial vessels have “safely used the transit lanes and continue today.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc is projected to secure 53 Knesset seats after counting nearly 5 million ballots, falling short of a 61-seat governing majority, according to Central Elections Committee data, The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday.
Netanyahu’s Likud leads with an expected 26 seats, supported by seven seats each for United Torah Judaism, Shas and Otzma Yehudit, alongside six seats for the Religious Zionist Party.
Meanwhile, the main opposition bloc, comprising Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar (21 seats), Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid’s B’Yachad (12 seats), the Democrats (eight seats) and Yisrael Beytenu (seven seats), stands at 48 seats, while Arab parties are projected to secure 19 seats, with the Joint List securing 12 and Ra’am taking seven seats.
The expected outcome leaves Israel facing political deadlock, as neither major Zionist bloc has a viable path to an outright majority without making major ideological concessions, the outlet said.
A Tehran revolutionary court sentenced a photojournalist to 26 years in prison, human rights group HRANA said Wednesday.
The court handed down a 20-year sentence to Artin Ghazanfari for media-related work — double the original 10-year term after the court invoked enhanced espionage penalties — along with five years for “assembly and collusion” and one year for anti-state propaganda.
Ghazanfari was detained during the January protests, when security forces raided his home and workplace and seized electronic devices, books and professional equipment.
Rights groups have raised concerns about Ghazanfari’s declining health, noting that he suffers from heart failure, asthma and high blood pressure.
Iranian authorities have blocked his transfer to medical facilities and rejected his family’s appeals for temporary medical bail.
The Yemeni government’s armed forces carried out 749 targeted operations against Houthi military capabilities over 24 hours as part of it’s “Dawn of Yemen” offensive, armed forces spokesman Col. Majed al-Nazili said Wednesday.
The military also targeted 239 Houthi commanders and fighters, he said on X.
“The strikes targeted field command centers, fortifications, fire positions, reinforcements, and means of movement and supply; which contributed to suppressing sources of fire, disrupting the militia’s field command, and depriving its forward positions of support and resupply,” al-Nazili added.
The Houthis struck Aden airport on Wednesday, Yemeni government forces said, after the group warned people to evacuate.
According to Reuters, residents in the southern port city, where the Saudi-backed Yemeni government is based, said they heard an explosion near the airport.
The Yemeni forces said the attack on the airport caused civilian injuries and property damage.
Air traffic was also halted after the strike, two Transportation Ministry officials told Reuters.
“The Houthi’s repeated targeting of Aden International Airport threatens the safety of civilians, civil aviation, and the delivery of humanitarian aid,” the government said on X.
Iran is pressing ahead with its proposed seven-day plan, maintaining close contact with mediators to resolve implementation details in less than a week, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday, even as Washington has rejected recent Iranian proposals.
“While our Brave Armed Forces are fully prepared to defend the Homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed,” he said.
“We remain in close and ongoing contact with intermediaries to review ideas that can ensure implementation of our 7-Day Plan in even less than a week,” Araghchi added.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that it summoned Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Toutounchi following a statement the Iranian embassy made amounting to “blatant interference in the internal affairs of the State of Kuwait,” a report said.
The diplomatic dispute began after a Kuwaiti court sentenced three men to death on Monday for collaborating with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist group in an alleged plot to assassinate senior Kuwaiti officials, according to Iran International.
The Embassy of Iran in Kuwait then issued a statement Wednesday saying it ” categorically rejects the claim put forward by the Kuwaiti government regarding the involvement of one of the Iranian citizens in a plot to assassinate figures or in any other act that would undermine Kuwaiti national security, and reminds that the mentioned individual has not been present in Kuwait during the past ten years.”
“While expressing its profound regret over the persistence of the negative approach toward Iran, which manifests, among other things, in the repetition of baseless and worn-out scenarios regarding Iran’s interference in Kuwaiti affairs, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kuwait affirms that directing such unfounded accusations at Iranian citizens contradicts the principle of good neighborliness and violates international laws,” the statement added.
Kuwait’s foreign ministry later said Wednesday that the Iranian embassy statement infringed on the country’s sovereignty and judicial independence, Iran International reported.
A knife-wielding suspect was shot and killed in Belgrade, Serbia on Wednesday after allegedly attacking a police officer who was protecting the Israeli embassy there, a report said.
Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said police were treating the incident as a “terrorist attack” and had raised the terror threat to the highest level.
The officer, who was slightly wounded in the face, responded by fatally shooting the attacker, according to The Associated Press.
Dacic described the attacker as a minor who had two knives.
He attacked the member of the Gendarmerie, shouting Allahu Akbar, or “God is great” in Arabic, the AP also reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
Official and military sources told Fox News on Wednesday that movements are being made in the Middle East to give President Donald Trump options if he decides to resume strikes against Iran.
The development comes after The Wall Street Journal reported this week that “the U.S. has told several Gulf Arab countries to be prepared for a short, intense military campaign after the U.S. midterm elections,” citing people familiar with the conversations.
When asked by a reporter about the possibility of the U.S. striking Iran after November’s midterms, Trump said late Tuesday, “I can’t tell you that… but anything’s possible.”
The Wall Street Journal report said an additional aircraft carrier strike group and Marine expeditionary unit are being repositioned, while the U.S. is bringing a Patriot missile defense system from Texas into Israel to help the Middle Eastern ally bolster its defenses and U.S. forces in the region are restocking their munitions, among other moves.
The sources told Fox News that the movements being reported are to make sure the U.S. military is ready if asked to do something by Trump, but there is no indication the president has made a decision yet.
Trump has telegraphed possible likely targets in Iran, such as its Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site and Kharg Island, although Trump also has called off major strikes six times since July.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this post.
The foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia held a phone call this week to discuss efforts “to contain the current crisis and prevent escalation,” according to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.
The call unfolded Tuesday, the same day Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Taif by Houthi forces.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the call between Badr Abdelatty and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan “addressed the latest regional developments, efforts to contain the current crisis and prevent escalation, the likelihood of which has increased recently, and working to advance political and peaceful solutions through dialogue.”
On Monday, Egypt’s parliament allowed President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take “all necessary measures” to help Saudi Arabia defend itself, according to Reuters.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this post.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Israel should not pursue a “military misadventure” in the Middle East.
Araghchi made the comment on X as he shared an image of him standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit in Moscow, Russia.
“Iran’s energy diplomacy advanced at GECF Summit. Discussions focused on global gas markets and energy security,” Araghchi said. “Devastating impact on international markets of any Israel-instigated military misadventure in Persian Gulf region remains major concern for both gas suppliers and consumers.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that his country and the U.S. have a chance to remove the Iranian threat “once and for all,” a report said.
Netanyahu, during a speech at the Lukid party election headquarters in Jerusalem, pushed for the formation of “a strong, right-wing national government,” according to Reuters.
“Israel faces a singular historical opportunity, together with our partner President Trump, to remove the existential threat of Iran once and for all. But ulterior motives must not divert us from this sacred mission,” he reportedly said.
Netanyahu’s political bloc gained ground Wednesday morning as Israel counted votes from its first national election since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, but remained short of the majority needed to form a government, leaving the country facing another potential political deadlock.
With approximately 70% of votes counted, Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc stood at 54 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, compared with 47 for the main opposition and 19 for Arab parties, according to partial election results reported by Israeli media. Netanyahu’s Likud led with 27 seats, while former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party held 20.
Fox News’ Efrat Lachter contributed to this post.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said “Washington’s contempt for diplomacy is once again laid bare” after President Donald Trump called a ceasefire a “waste of time” during a midterms rally in Mississippi earlier this week.
Trump made the remark while talking about the U.S. military blockade on Iranian ports.
“We have the greatest blockade, probably in naval history. Not one Iranian ship has gotten through in many, many months other than when we did a little ceasefire. We did a little ceasefire, which I never liked very much. I considered it sort of a waste of time,” Trump said on Monday. “But, you know, you like to listen to professionals. But we did a little ceasefire, so we let some ships get in. You know, we want to be nice, but it was just a waste of time as far as I’m concerned.”
Baqaei then said Wednesday that “President Trump’s admission that he never believed in the Islamabad MoU and considered it a waste of time exposes the hollowness of their diplomatic commitments.
“For Iran, this is nothing new. Washington has a long record of reneging on its commitments and treating international obligations as disposable whenever they become inconvenient,” he added. “There is absolutely no justification for European states and other apologists for Washington to continue whitewashing U.S. misconduct and shielding it from accountability.”
The Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday that it has taken out three members of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza.
The IDF said Ahmed Muhammad Ahmed Baraka, a Nukhba terrorist in Hamas’ military wing who infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and “took part in the abduction of Israeli civilians,” was killed in southern Gaza last Thursday.
“In a separate strike in northern Gaza last Friday, Omar Awadallah, a Nukhba platoon commander and Moataz Mahmoud Mohammed Al-Nimr, a Nukhba terrorist were eliminated,” the IDF continued.
“Recently, the terrorists advanced terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops and operated to restore Hamas’ capabilities, in systematic violation of the ceasefire,” it added. “The terrorists were eliminated in order to remove the threat they posed.”
Covered by: Greg Norman-Diamond and Emma Bussey
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG.