U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday (September 14, 2026) he was open to holding talks with Iran, after weeks of saying it was too early to make a deal with Tehran to end the war in West Asia.

“The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage – The concept of which we are open to,” Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Mr. Trump ​reiterated on Sunday ‌(September 13, 2026) that he expected the ​Iran war to ⁠end this year, possibly just after midterm elections ‌due in the United States in November, ‌resulting in a ‌drop ⁠in oil prices.

“Iran ⁠will end right after – maybe before – but it’ll end right ​after the ‌midterms. Gasoline’s going to drop like a rock,” Mr. Trump said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday (July 23, 2026) they stopped three oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, as the United States and Iran vie for control over the vital waterway.

In recent weeks, Iran has hit tankers using a route hugging the Omani coast to traverse the strait, in a bid to strongarm vessels into using its own waters and pay for safe passage.

“Three oil tankers, provoked and tempted by the child-killing American army, were trying to pass through the mine-laid route south of the Strait of Hormuz, but after one of them exploded and caught fire, the other two quickly turned around and turned back,” the Guards said in a statement quoted by Iranian state media.

The statement did not say when the incident happened.

“The powerful IRGC Navy emphasises that the Strait of Hormuz is under our control… and any ship that is deceived by the U.S. and intends to pass without coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran will suffer the same fate,” the Guards added.

Iran will treat any attack “as an all-out ‍war against us,” a senior Iranian official said ​on Friday (January 23, 2026), ahead of the arrival of ‌a U.S. military aircraft carrier strike group ​and other assets in the Middle East in the coming days.

“This military buildup – we hope it is not intended for real confrontation – but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high ​alert in Iran,” said the senior Iranian official, ⁠speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This time we will treat any attack – limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it – as ​an all-out war against ⁠us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday ‌(January 22, 2026) that the United States had an “armada” heading toward ‌Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed ‍warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program.

“If the Americans violate Iran’s ‍sovereignty and territorial integrity, we will respond,” said the Iranian official. He declined to specify what an Iranian response might look like.

“A country under constant military threat from the United States has no option but to ensure that everything at its disposal can be used to push back and, ⁠if possible, restore balance against anyone who dares to attack Iran,” the official said.

The U.S. ​military has in the past periodically sent increased forces ⁠to the Middle East at times of heightened tensions, moves that were often defensive. However, the U.S. military staged a major buildup last year ahead of its June strikes ⁠against Iran’s nuclear program.