US President Donald Trump has warned of imminent action on Iran, saying Washington is not negotiating with Tehran and that “something one way or the other” would happen “fairly soon”, as tensions in the Gulf spiked over Iranian claims that seven vessels were struck in and near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said four vessels carrying oil cargoes in the northern Persian Gulf were hit simultaneously and caught fire after being tracked by its forces on Wednesday. It separately claimed three other ships struck naval mines in the western Strait of Hormuz overnight and were stopped. The claims, reported by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, did not identify the vessels, their nationalities, the damage, or casualties. They have not been independently verified.
Trump’s imminent action on Iran warning shakes the region
Trump hardened his public posture in parallel with the Iranian claims. Speaking to reporters after a campaign rally in South Carolina on Wednesday, he said the US was “not negotiating” with Tehran and added: “We are going to have something one way or the other that’ll happen fairly soon.” He said most people expected developments after the US midterm elections on November 3.
At the rally, Trump said the United States could end its war with Iran immediately but wanted a lasting outcome. “It’ll end very soon. We could leave now, but we want to make sure it lasts for a long time,” he said. In a Truth Social post, he accused Iran of trying to drive up oil prices before the midterms. “They are even making up fake hits, mines, and everything else,” he wrote. Brent crude rose about 3 per cent to around $112 a barrel on the news, its highest level in five months.
The New York Times reported that the US and Israeli militaries have drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, energy infrastructure and missile facilities after the midterms. The report, citing US officials, said it remained unclear whether Trump would approve the plans, noting he had repeatedly rejected proposals to resume major combat operations this year. A White House official said the administration did not comment on military plans “that may or may not exist”.
US pulls staff families from Saudi Arabia
The US State Department on Wednesday ordered non-emergency personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia after recent Houthi attacks on the kingdom. The US embassy in Riyadh warned of further attacks, and American officials told Reuters that family members could be withdrawn from other Gulf missions. State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said departure orders for the wider Gulf had not been issued, and the current orders applied to “employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only”.
Why the Trump Iran confrontation matters now
The war began on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Tehran retaliated with missile and drone strikes across the region and effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy shipments. A memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran in June, following mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, has since stalled amid disagreements over navigation through the waterway.
Pakistan has a direct stake in how this ends. The June understanding was brokered with Pakistani mediation, and Islamabad has kept up its diplomacy since — foreign ministers from Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are meeting their European counterparts in Istanbul on Friday with Hormuz and Yemen on the agenda. The fallout is already reaching Pakistani households: cooking-gas prices have surged to record levels, with cylinders in the worst-hit areas crossing Rs10,000.
Iran has offered a seven-day plan to restore shipping through Hormuz in exchange for Washington ending its blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions and unfreezing Iranian assets. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said reaching a peace agreement is extremely difficult and insisted Iran must stop targeting commercial shipping.
What did Trump say about Iran?
Trump said Washington was “not negotiating” with Tehran and warned “something one way or the other” would happen “fairly soon”, adding that most people expected developments after the November 3 midterm elections.
