{"id":224672,"date":"2026-09-18T19:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-says-anything-could-happen-in-us-iran-war-ahead-of-meeting-with-gulf-leaders-fox-news\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T19:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:35:10","slug":"trump-says-anything-could-happen-in-us-iran-war-ahead-of-meeting-with-gulf-leaders-fox-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-says-anything-could-happen-in-us-iran-war-ahead-of-meeting-with-gulf-leaders-fox-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump says \u2018anything could happen\u2019 in US-Iran war ahead of meeting with Gulf leaders – Fox News"},"content":{"rendered":"

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. \u00a92026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset<\/a>. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions<\/a>. Legal Statement<\/a>. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG<\/a>.
President Donald Trump said he's at a major crossroads in the Iran war before his meeting with Middle East leaders in New York. Washington approved a potential sale of dozens of F-35 Lightning II aircraft to Saudi Arabia as the country pushes back against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Washington approved the potential foreign military sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II aircraft and related equipment to Saudi Arabia<\/a>, the State Department said.
New satellite imagery shows Iran<\/a> has added new defenses around tunnel entrances at Pickaxe Mountain, the deeply buried nuclear-linked site President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike.
The State Department\u2019s<\/a> Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $15 million for information that could disrupt the financial networks of Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Quds Force.
Washington has approved visas for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials to attend next week\u2019s U.N. General Assembly<\/a> in New York.
An Iranian nuclear official<\/a> declared Friday that Iran has \u201csufficient cards and options\u201d available despite its nuclear program facing pressure from the U.S. during Operation Epic Fury.\u00a0
\u201cIf you are under attack, you have all the cards at your disposal to defend yourself. Therefore, we have more than one card; of course, we have sufficient cards and options,\u201d Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was quoted as saying by Iran\u2019s Mehr News Agency.\u00a0
\u201cBut beyond these options, we have the resolve \u2014 a strong resolve to defend our country,\u201d he reportedly added. \u201cAnd of course, regardless of how much pressure they exert on us, we will overcome this situation.\u201d\u00a0
The remarks come as President Donald Trump has insisted that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.\u00a0
New satellite imagery shows Iran<\/a> has added new defenses around tunnel entrances at Pickaxe Mountain, the deeply buried nuclear-linked site Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike.\u00a0
“We notice there\u2019s a little activity at Pickaxe,” Trump told reporters last week. “I would advise Iran not to get cute because we will have to hit them very hard.”\u00a0
Fox News Digital\u2019s Efrat Lachter contributed to this post.<\/em>
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., urged President Donald Trump<\/a> on Friday to make China’s reported support for Iran a centerpiece of his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, according to a letter obtained by Fox News.
Slotkin pointed to reports that Chinese companies have provided Iran with satellite imagery and supplied components supporting Tehran’s drone and missile programs.
“For months, we have known that Chinese companies are helping the Iranian military target and attempt to kill U.S. troops,” Slotkin wrote.
“Given all of this, I urge you to make this a centerpiece of your talks with President Xi next week,” she added, calling on Trump to make clear that the reported support “must stop immediately.”
President Donald Trump<\/a> said Iran is seeking a deal with the U.S. as he weighs whether to take further military action against Tehran, according to NewsNation.
In an exclusive phone interview with NewsNation\u2019s Robert Sherman, Trump was asked about his recent comments that he was considering whether to “annihilate” Iran.
“We\u2019ll see what happens,”Trump told NewsNation.
Asked what he wants to see from Iran before making that decision, Trump said Tehran is seeking an agreement because it is \u201closing in every way\u201d financially and militarily. \u201cIf the deal\u2019s not a correct deal, then I wouldn\u2019t even think about it,\u201d he said. \u201cBut right now, they want to make a deal because they\u2019re losing in every way.\u201d
Trump\u2019s comments come as the U.S.-Iran war enters its seventh month and the president weighs whether to launch another significant attack against Iran.
Iranian<\/a> Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf taunted the U.S. military Friday over aircraft losses during the war, arguing that American fighter jets are already being “hunted down.”
“The era when your F-35s and F-15s get hunted down and you have to report them damaged has already begun. What was once pure nightmare fuel is now the daily reality. Live with it,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.
Ghalibaf shared a graphic purporting to detail U.S. aircraft damaged or destroyed during Operation Epic Fury, including fighter jets, refueling aircraft, helicopters and drones.
He also shared a post highlighting recent remarks from Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine about emerging threats facing U.S. forces.
“We have to assume from now on that our formations will be hunted by autonomous systems, jammed across the spectrum and tracked in real time,” Caine said.
Saudi Arabia\u2019s<\/a> state-owned oil company told at least two oil refining customers in Europe that they will not be given any crude next month following an attack on its East-West pipeline, according to a report from Bloomberg.\u00a0
European customers usually receive Saudi Arabian crude every month under contract agreements and this decision applies to all European buyers, Bloomberg reported,<\/a> citing people informed of the matter.\u00a0
Saudi Arabia was forced to temporarily close its East-West oil pipeline last week following a drone attack launched from Iraq, which President Donald Trump said he believes Iran was behind.\u00a0
The pipeline runs from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea.\u00a0
U.S. Central Command said Friday that 105 commercial ships have been directed by American forces during the blockade on Iranian ports.\u00a0<\/a>
CENTCOM released a new video showing a military helicopter and a fighter jet taking off from the flight deck of the USS Boxer warship stationed in the Middle East.\u00a0
\u201cBoxer and its embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit continue to enforce the U.S. blockade against Iran,\u201d CENTCOM said.\u00a0
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said Friday that attacks from Iran-backed Houthis<\/a> against Saudi Arabia are \u201cunacceptable\u201d and are damaging the global economy.\u00a0
Kallas said in a post on X that she spoke to Saudi Arabia\u2019s foreign minister \u201cabout diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in Yemen and restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d\u00a0
\u201cMaritime passage must be unimpeded and toll-free. Europe is helping protect shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks,\u201d she added.\u00a0
Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital on Thursday<\/a> that Saudi Arabia is currently facing “the biggest threat” ever to its production of oil as the Houthis are launching cross-border attacks and seizing territory near the Red Sea\u2019s Bab el-Mandeb Strait.\u00a0
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said in a report released Friday that commercial ships face \u201csubstantial\u201d risks if they travel through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait along the coast of Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels<\/a> have been seizing territory.\u00a0
The U.K. maritime agency also issued a \u201csubstantial\u201d threat assessment for the connecting Gulf of Aden, while in the risk in the Strait of Hormuz remains \u201csevere.\u201d\u00a0
\u201cSince the Houthi announced a maritime blockade on Saudi shipping 6 fatalities have been reported to UKMTO,\u201d it also said. \u201cThe recent reported capture of Mokha by Houthi forces reflects increased Houthi control along sections of the Red Sea coastline.\u201d\u00a0
The United Nations said Friday that clashes between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Iran-backed Houthi forces<\/a> have displaced more than 112,000 people in Yemen in just two weeks.
\u201cThe rapidly escalating hostilities along Yemen\u2019s western coast have also forced more than 3,000 people to embark on dangerous boat journeys across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to safety in Djibouti, where host communities risk being overwhelmed,\u201d it added.\u00a0
The Houthis have been launching cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia and seizing territory near the Red Sea\u2019s Bab el-Mandeb Strait in recent weeks.\u00a0
Three sources told Reuters in July that Iran\u2019s leadership had discussed using the Houthis<\/a> to shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and recently conveyed the request to the group. A source close to the Houthis said at the time that missiles and drones had been deployed near the waterway and that the group was awaiting an order to begin attacking shipping.\u00a0
Fox News Digital\u2019s Efrat Lachter contributed to this post.\u00a0<\/em>
The Iranian government organized a massive rally in its capital of Tehran on Friday in an attempt to stress national unity during the war against the U.S.\u00a0
Estimates varied of the number of people volunteering to receive limited military training and defend the country in an effort described as \u201cJanfaday-e Iran,\u201d or the \u201cones who sacrifice their lives for Iran,\u201d according to The Associated Press.\u00a0
They marched through downtown Tehran in combat uniform, carrying flags, as onlookers cheered. The volunteers would be an additional layer of security to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and the Basij militia, which has played a key role in quashing anti-government protests.\u00a0
Iran’s government reportedly staged a massive rally on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. (AFP via Getty Images)
Iranian state media claimed 300,000 people took to the streets.\u00a0
The new head of the Basij, Hossein Taeb, declared in a speech as the rally began that the volunteers will be ready for \u201cfull-fledged defense\u201d and similar rallies will take place in other cities soon.\u00a0
The new trainees will make a \u201cnightmare\u201d for Iran’s enemies, Taeb added, as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, military commanders and other senior officials watched the march.\u00a0
Members of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force march in a rally in Tehran on Sept. 18, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)
Some participants trampled flags of the U.S. and Israel, while others chanted \u201cDeath to America\u201d and \u201cDeath to Israel,\u201d the AP reported.\u00a0
The Associated Press contributed to this post.\u00a0<\/em>
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said in a report Friday that commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily reduced during Operation Epic Fury,<\/a> as gas prices are rising in the U.S.\u00a0
\u201cU.S. enforcement activity against Iranian-linked shipping has increased over the past seven days, with CENTCOM announcing multiple vessel disablement actions in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,\u201d the UKMTO said.\u00a0
\u201cTraffic remains approximately 90% below pre-conflict levels, however [there] has been a steady flow of movement since the 24-26 Jun peak,\u201d it also said. \u201cTankers remain the predominant vessel type transiting the Strait. The southern Omani route remains the highest-risk corridor, accounting for 22 of 35 projectile strike incidents reported by UKMTO since 6 Jul 26.\u201d\u00a0
AAA reported Friday that the national average price for a gallon of gas climbed by around three cents, to $4.47 a gallon.\u00a0
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that his country will not deploy military assets to the Middle East in a way “that would involve or enter war,” a report said.
“There won’t be deployment that would involve or enter war. I can tell you that very clearly,” \u200bLee said, according to Reuters.<\/a> “We won’t deploy military assets in any form to that end.”
He reportedly added that \u2060it “is also clear that we must do the minimum as other countries do to protect our commercial shipping and crude shipments, and also the safety of \u200bour people.”
The remarks come after President Donald Trump said in mid-August <\/a>that he personally reached out to South Korea’s president to request support for U.S. operations against Iran, but that Lee had declined.
South Korea\u2019s presidential office then said earlier this month<\/a> that it was reviewing options, including military measures, to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this post.<\/em>
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said Friday that a tanker was hit as it traveled out of the Strait of Hormuz.\u00a0<\/a>
The UKMTO said the targeting of the ship by an \u201cunknown projectile\u201d happened on Wednesday, and although the crew has been reported safe, the damage assessment and environmental impact remains unclear.\u00a0
Iranian state media claimed Tehran struck a Togo-flagged oil tanker, the Trend, for what it called an \u201cillegal attempt\u201d to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to The Associated Press.\u00a0
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps\u2019 navy warned that unauthorized passage through the strait would result in the \u201cdestruction\u201d of offending vessels, state media reportedly added.\u00a0
It is not clear if the UKMTO report is describing the attack that Iran claimed.\u00a0
The Associated Press contributed to this post.<\/em>
Iran is under mounting military and economic pressure that could force the regime to escalate its conflict with the U.S.<\/a> or eventually implode, regional experts said Thursday.
\u201cBoth scenarios are possible at the same time,\u201d Middle East Institute adjunct fellow Nazee Moini said on \u201cThe Story.\u201d
\u201cThe Islamic regime is under extreme pressure for all the good reasons, militarily, economically,\u201d the expert added before stating that everything Washington has done so far has brought Iran one step closer to a state of affairs where they either have to \u201cgamble for restriction, go all out militarily and try to raise the cost of U.S. or eventually implode.\u201d
\u201cBoth scenarios are possible at the same time,\u201d Moini added.
Her remarks came as President Donald Trump said Thursday that he hoped the war with Iran was nearing its end, while weighing a \u201cbig decision\u201d over whether to escalate U.S. military action to \u201cannihilate\u201d the Iranian regime or pursue a path to end the conflict.
Yesterday’s Fox News Digital live blog<\/a> offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.
Washington approved the potential foreign military sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II aircraft and related equipment to Saudi Arabia,<\/a> valued at about $24.3 billion, the State Department announced Thursday.\u00a0
According to a statement,<\/a> the package includes 48 F-35 takeoff-and-landing jets, 49 Pratt & Whitney engines, advanced communications and cryptographic hardware, electronic warfare support, training simulators, and long-term technical and logistical services.\u00a0
The agreement is intended to advance U.S. foreign policy and national security goals by strengthening a non-NATO ally in the Gulf region and enhancing Saudi Arabia’s air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capabilities while reinforcing homeland defense and NATO forces.\u00a0
Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney will serve as the primary contractors for the deal, the State Department said.\u00a0
\u201cThe proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the military balance in the region,\u201d the statement said, adding that there will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of the proposed sale.\u00a0
President Donald Trump<\/a> told Axios Thursday that he will soon be making a “big decision” on how the Iran war progresses.
“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me,” he told the outlet.
Trump has made similar statements throughout the war, but his comments come before a Tuesday meeting with leaders from six Gulf countries on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.
The president told Axios that his approach to the conflict going forward will depend on what the allied heads of state tell him at that meeting.
“I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them,” he said.
Trump will meet at U.N. headquarters in Manhattan with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.
Live Coverage begins here
Covered by: Greg Norman-Diamond<\/a>, <\/span>Emma Bussey<\/a>, <\/span>James Cirrone<\/a> and <\/span>Brittany Miller<\/a>
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. \u00a92026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset<\/a>. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions<\/a>. Legal Statement<\/a>. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. \u00a92026 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. President Donald Trump said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":224673,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-224672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}