Iran-US war latest: Trump says he could keep Iranian oil ‘like Venezuela’ as Hormuz talks face setback

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed on Sunday to have struck facilities at a military base in Saudi Arabia as the burgeoning conflict threatens to throw the region back into chaos. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said that the Iran-backed group had targeted “weapons depots and command and control centers” at the southern Sharurah base. Saree claimed that a joint ballistic missile and drone attack hit its targets and warned of wider measures if the Saudi attacks on Yemen continue. The escalation follows a lightning Houthi advance to the Red Sea coast this week, giving the group greater power to attack Saudi ships around the Bab-al Mandeb strait. Oil hovered around $100 per barrel on Sunday amid growing fears the clashes could drag in the US to help its ally in Riyadh, prolonging the six-month conflict with Iran to the east. Separately, a crew member was killed early on Sunday when an Iranian commercial ship was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media. There has been no statement so far from the US military, which has previously struck Iranian vessels to enforce its blockade of the country's ports.Trump says Iran war could end before midterms Speaking earlier in Doonbeg, on his last day of a two-day non-state visit to Ireland, president Trump tells reporters the Iran war could end “maybe before or right after the midterms”. "Iran will end right after - maybe before - but it'll end right after the midterms. Gasoline's going to drop like a rock," Trump told reporters at the Irish Open golf championship. He insisted - again - that Iran “wants to make a deal so bad”. “They are calling constantly,” he said. “They want to make a deal. They've got to make the right deal. I'm not going to make a deal that's no good.” U.S. President Donald Trump (AP) James Reynolds13 September 2026 20:00Trump says no after Saudi crown prince pushes for US strikes on Houthis: report Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made two phone calls to President Donald Trump on Thursday, pressing him to execute military strikes targeting Houthi forces, according to an Axios report citing two American officials. Trump turned down the request, with U.S. officials stating the administration currently has no intention of taking direct military action against the Houthis. Neither the White House nor the Saudi embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment outside standard business hours, and the details could not be independently verified. James Reynolds13 September 2026 19:00Trump says US could stay in Iran and keep oil, like Venezuela deal President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday the United States could stay in Iran and "keep the oil", drawing a ⁠parallel with a US push to take control of a fifth of Venezuela's vast oil reserves. On a trip to Ireland for meetings and to watch golf, ⁠he reiterated that he still ​expected ⁠the Iran war to end this year, possibly just after midterm elections due in the ⁠United States in November. Speaking at the Irish Open ​golf ⁠championship, Trump added that the ‌price of gasoline would "drop like a rock" once the Iran war ended. Turmoil in the Middle East ‌has roiled oil markets, with oil traders ‌expecting prices to rise again on Monday after an attack on a Saudi oil pipeline. Trump said that he would ⁠only make the "right deal" and wouldn't do one that was "no good", adding that Iran was "calling constantly" for peace talks — an assertion that Tehran has dismissed in the past. But the president also introduced another option: stay engaged with Iran. He drew a parallel with ‌the US deal in Venezuela, announced in ​August. "We'll ultimately get out (of Iran), unless we ‌decide to stay and keep ⁠the oil like Venezuela," Trump said, adding ⁠that the US revenue from Venezuela has "paid for the war ‌many times." Bryony Gooch13 September 2026 18:20 James Reynolds13 September 2026 18:00Burnham to slash energy bills by up to £200 – see if you’re eligible Andy Burnham could slash up to £200 off energy bills when Britons can expect a surge in gas and fuel prices this winter due to the Iran war. Ofgem’s energy price cap will rise by four per cent in October, due to an increase in wholesale gas prices as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has pushed up the cost of supplying energy in the UK. This means the annual figure will rise from £1,663 to £1,723 – equivalent to around £5 more per month, or £60 per year, but analysts are already predicting a bigger hike to the price cap in the new year. Read the full story: James Reynolds13 September 2026 17:00The latest: One dead after commercial ship attacked in Strait of Hormuz A crew member was killed after an Iranian commercial ship was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz early on Sunday, Iranian media reported. There has been no statement so far from the US military, which has previously struck Iranian vessels to enforce its blockade of the country's ports. The attack could deepen the disruption to maritime activity in the vital waterway caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran. Tensions in the region have grown since Saudi Arabia temporarily closed its East-West pipeline, which it had been using to bypass the closure of the Hormuz, following a drone attack that Riyadh claimed originated in Iraq. The escalation has sparked fears of a further rise in energy prices, with the benchmark Brent crude surging above $100 a barrel last week. Meanwhile, the Houthis in Yemen said they had fired drones and missiles towards southern Saudi Arabia, putting new pressure on a key US ally in the region. Saudi civil defence said sirens went off in the country's south on Saturday but did not report any damage or casualties. James Reynolds13 September 2026 16:30Trump suggests US could stay in Iran and 'keep the oil' Donald Trump has suggested that the United States could stay in Iran and "keep the oil", drawing a parallel with a US push to take control of a fifth of Venezuela's vast oil reserves. Speaking to reporters during a trip to Ireland, he reiterated that he still expected the Iran war to end this year, possibly just after midterm elections due in the United States in November. Trump said that he would only make the "right deal" and wouldn't do one that was "no good", adding that Iran was "calling constantly" for peace talks — an assertion that Tehran has dismissed in the past. "We'll ultimately get out (of Iran), unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela," Trump said, adding that the US revenue from Venezuela has "paid for the war many times." James Reynolds13 September 2026 16:11This is why UK sanctions against West Bank settlers are so seismic The UK’s decision to sanction Israeli settlers in the West Back has caused a furious diplomatic row. Britain’s historical role in the establishment of Israel tells us why the move has such potency beyond the negligible economic impact, explains world affairs editor Sam Kiley: James Reynolds13 September 2026 16:00MI5 chief says Britain faces greater danger now than on 9/11 The head of MI5 has issued a dramatic nationwide “call to arms”, warning that Britain faces greater and more complex terror threats than it did in 2001. In a highly unusual and significant intervention, he says: “The MI5 I lead in 2026 contends with a threat landscape markedly different to 2001’s. “Sadly, mass-casualty terrorist ambition endures... but the terrorist threat now sits alongside strategic national security threats posed by capable states.” James Reynolds13 September 2026 15:30Iraq agrees to Iranian request for probe into discovery of drone platforms near border Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi has agreed to an Iranian request for a joint investigation into the discovery of drone launch platforms near the Iraqi-Iranian border, the prime minister's office said on Saturday. The investigation will examine the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the platforms near the border area, the statement said, after it was used to launch attacks on the Saudi Arabia East-West pipeline. Saudi Arabia said it temporarily closed the pipeline as a precaution after a drone attack that both Baghdad and Riyadh said had originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate. Iraq dismissed a military commander on Saturday in response to the attack. Donald Trump, visiting Ireland to attend a golf tournament at one of his resorts, said Iran was probably to blame. James Reynolds13 September 2026 15:00