Trump says Iran is in a bind and war will end after US midterm elections

President Donald Trump said Iran faces mounting economic and military pressure, predicting the war will end after the US midterm elections.

• Trump said Iran's missile capabilities have been "largely destroyed," making it harder to manufacture new missiles, while acknowledging Tehran can still launch some.
• Trump reiterated that Washington will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, warning possession would threaten Israel, the Middle East, and US cities.
• Trump said the United States, not Iran, controls the Strait of Hormuz, adding that US forces removed 22 boats from the waterway overnight.
• Trump said Iran faces 300 percent inflation and unpaid military and law-enforcement salaries, predicting the war would end after the US midterm elections.

Latest developments

• Sep 11 — Trump denied reports of damage to US assets, including at a military base in Jordan, and said he would repeat his decision to go to war.
• Sep 11 — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced new sanctions targeting Iran's financial routes, including measures against branches of major banks in Egypt and Turkey.
• Sep 11 — Trump predicted oil and gas prices would drop after the US midterm elections.
• Sep 11 — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he does not support continuing the war, urging preparation to avoid negotiating under worse circumstances.
• Sep 11 — Iran has doubled prices of some gasoline grades and cut subsidised fuel allocations, prompting queues and strikes by truck and taxi drivers, with protests spreading across provinces.
• Sep 11 — The rial fell past 2.3 million per dollar on Wednesday, a record low, while food price inflation reached 128 percent in August.