US President Donald Trump speaks in the White House Rose Garden on September 17, 2026. (Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian/White House)
A senior Iranian official said that “our conditions are an end to the war on all fronts, the release of our frozen funds, and an end to the naval blockade.”
Three days after saying that he’s weighing whether or not to “annihilate” Iran in a bid to end his increasingly unpopular and protracted war against the Middle Eastern nation, US President Donald Trump on Sunday again said that he is deciding if he should destroy the entire country of over 90 million people.
Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reported he “just spoke with President Trump about the situation with Iran” and that the US leader said he’s “in a deciding mode and that very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future.”
Trump said he is considering three strategies for ending the 204-day war: “wiping Iran out, letting them rot economically, or making a deal.”
“My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up, they better behave,” Trump added, according to Yingst.
Fox correspondent: "The president said the US is in constant communication with the Houthis, and that they've agreed not to fight the United States. But the big headline here is the president said he's in a deciding mode as it relates to Iran, adding that the Iranians better… pic.twitter.com/nCTMRlEvWY
On Saturday, Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Al Jazeera that Tehran has conveyed its conditions for ending the war to Qatari mediators and is “awaiting President Trump’s response.”
“Our conditions are an end to the war on all fronts, the release of our frozen funds, and an end to the naval blockade,” Rezaei added. “It is in Washington’s interest to accept these conditions. Trump’s threats will not achieve any results. We are prepared for a decisive war.”
Iran’s military responded to Trump’s latest threat by warning US allies Sunday that they will be considered “complicit” if American strikes resume, vowing “painful attacks” in retaliation.
Trump—who has been threatening to destroy Iran since at least 2019—is facing pressure on multiple fronts to end his highly unpopular and illegal war of choice, in which at least 23 US troops have died and tens of thousands of Iranians have been killed or wounded.
Americans are feeling the pain of higher consumer prices, especially for gasoline and diesel fuel, for a war that many say is making the country less safe. Six in 10 US voters queried in a new Fox News poll said Trump was wrong to wage war on Iran, while 7 in 10 respondents believe that his administration has no clear strategy for ending the conflict.
Republican lawmakers are also increasingly expressing dissatisfaction with the war and distancing themselves from the conflict ahead of November’s midterm elections, with some going as far as helping to pass a war powers resolution directing Trump to withdraw US forces from hostilities with Iran, and one—outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky—supporting the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
US President Donald Trump speaks in the White House Rose Garden on September 17, 2026. (Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian/White House)
A senior Iranian official said that “our conditions are an end to the war on all fronts, the release of our frozen funds, and an end to the naval blockade.”
Three days after saying that he’s weighing whether or not to “annihilate” Iran in a bid to end his increasingly unpopular and protracted war against the Middle Eastern nation, US President Donald Trump on Sunday again said that he is deciding if he should destroy the entire country of over 90 million people.
Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reported he “just spoke with President Trump about the situation with Iran” and that the US leader said he’s “in a deciding mode and that very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future.”
Trump said he is considering three strategies for ending the 204-day war: “wiping Iran out, letting them rot economically, or making a deal.”
“My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up, they better behave,” Trump added, according to Yingst.
Fox correspondent: "The president said the US is in constant communication with the Houthis, and that they've agreed not to fight the United States. But the big headline here is the president said he's in a deciding mode as it relates to Iran, adding that the Iranians better… pic.twitter.com/nCTMRlEvWY
On Saturday, Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Al Jazeera that Tehran has conveyed its conditions for ending the war to Qatari mediators and is “awaiting President Trump’s response.”
“Our conditions are an end to the war on all fronts, the release of our frozen funds, and an end to the naval blockade,” Rezaei added. “It is in Washington’s interest to accept these conditions. Trump’s threats will not achieve any results. We are prepared for a decisive war.”
Iran’s military responded to Trump’s latest threat by warning US allies Sunday that they will be considered “complicit” if American strikes resume, vowing “painful attacks” in retaliation.
Trump—who has been threatening to destroy Iran since at least 2019—is facing pressure on multiple fronts to end his highly unpopular and illegal war of choice, in which at least 23 US troops have died and tens of thousands of Iranians have been killed or wounded.
Americans are feeling the pain of higher consumer prices, especially for gasoline and diesel fuel, for a war that many say is making the country less safe. Six in 10 US voters queried in a new Fox News poll said Trump was wrong to wage war on Iran, while 7 in 10 respondents believe that his administration has no clear strategy for ending the conflict.
Republican lawmakers are also increasingly expressing dissatisfaction with the war and distancing themselves from the conflict ahead of November’s midterm elections, with some going as far as helping to pass a war powers resolution directing Trump to withdraw US forces from hostilities with Iran, and one—outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky—supporting the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
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U.S. President Donald Trump raises his hand to wave goodbye while preparing to board his vehicle during his departure from Aras an Uachtarain on September 12, 2026, in Dublin, Ireland. [Artur Widak – Anadolu Agency]
US President Donald Trump reiterated on Monday that he was “open” to engaging with Iran to end the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in February.
“The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the USA will choose to engage — The concept of which we are open to,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Monday that it had shot down an advanced US MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz, as diplomatic efforts faced a setback with the postponement of a meeting between Iran and Gulf states.
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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
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Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich displays a map of an area near the settlement of Maale Adumim, a land corridor known as E1, outside Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, on August 14, 2025. [Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images]
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday announced plans for 1,000 new settlement housing units in the northern occupied West Bank, a day after 12 Western countries said they intended to impose trade restrictions on goods from illegal Israeli settlements, Anadolu reports.
Smotrich said on US social media company X that 1,665 dunams (411.5 acres) had been added to the Kida and Havat settlements, allowing for the construction of 1,000 new housing units.
The leader of the Religious Zionism party described the move as “another historic step in the settlement revolution.”
Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. The international community considers Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian territory illegal under international law, a position rejected by Tel Aviv.
“After more than 25 years, the Kida and Havat settlements have finally reached the moment when the government is advancing procedures to legalize their status,” Smotrich said.
Kida and Havat were established in 2003 and 2001, respectively. The Israeli government decided to convert them into recognized settlements in December and March, respectively.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has touted that since taking office in late 2022, it has approved the establishment of 104 new settlements and established 160 agricultural settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.
Around 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in 156 settlements and 360 outposts across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian figures.
On Tuesday, the UK, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden announced plans to impose trade restrictions on goods originating from the Israeli settlements.
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Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of policy of global privateering.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a speech in Washington, DC on September 29, 2025. [Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper in Israel on Wednesday described the announcement by 12 Western countries, led by Britain, to restrict trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as a “diplomatic setback and a significant failure” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden announced Tuesday their intention to impose restrictions on trade in goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements.
In a statement, the 12 countries said the Israeli government’s actions in the occupied West Bank undermine the possibility of a two-state solution and urged Israel to immediately halt illegal settlement expansion and violence by occupiers.
Yedioth Ahronoth said that “with the European Union unable for months to reach consensus on sanctions that would ban imports from Israeli settlements, several European countries have begun pursuing restrictions independently, moving the issue from EU-wide diplomacy to national legislatures.”
The absence of an agreement in Brussels led governments supporting the restrictions to conclude that each country would need to enact its own legislation to ban imports from illegal settlements, it said.
The newspaper noted that “the Netherlands has already adopted such measures, although the Dutch order has been challenged in court on claims that it is discriminatory. It is scheduled to take effect Sept. 22.”
“Spain already has legislation in effect, although Israeli exports to the country from the West Bank are limited. Similar legislation is now being discussed in Luxembourg, while Sweden is pursuing its own process,” it added.
Belgium has announced plans for similar action but has not yet enacted legislation, “meaning no restrictions are currently in force there,” said the newspaper.
Yedioth Ahronoth said the growing number of countries supporting restrictions has “caused significant concern in Israel,” not because of the relatively limited volume of trade from illegal settlements, but because officials fear the measures could discourage European importers from altogether purchasing Israeli products.
“Under the new Dutch rules, importers of products originating in settlements could face up to six years in prison,” it added.
Israeli officials and business representatives fear some Dutch companies may choose to avoid Israeli goods entirely rather than verify whether individual products were manufactured inside Israel or in illegal settlements.
They warn that it “could effectively create a quiet, broader boycott.”
“The concern is that importers unwilling to assume the legal risk or administrative burden of establishing where Israeli goods were produced will simply stop purchasing them,” said the newspaper, adding that Israeli officials believe the secondary effects could have serious consequences for the economy as a whole.
The newspaper noted that Europe has long opposed Israeli settlement expansion, “but growing attention to attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians has given fresh momentum to governments seeking punitive measures.”
Images of Israeli occupiers entering Palestinian villages and reports of violence “have intensified European pressure,” while inflammatory statements by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich “have further fueled criticism,” it said.
“From Israel’s perspective, the failure to effectively address reported incidents of settler violence has created a political boomerang: Extremists in the West Bank are strengthening the case of European governments and activists already opposed to settlements,” it said.
The occupied West Bank has witnessed escalating attacks by occupiers against Palestinians and their property, including incursions into towns and villages, and assaults on residents, vehicles and homes, under the protection of Israeli forces.
Yedioth Ahronoth warned that the potential economic consequences could eventually affect not only occupiers and companies operating in the West Bank, but the Israeli economy as a whole if importers begin viewing all Israeli products as potentially subject to restrictions.
The newspaper said domestic political considerations played a role in Britain’s decision, according to Israeli assessments, as the Labour government faces pressure from elements of its political base; “however, the more consequential development was Britain’s ability to assemble a coalition of 12 countries behind the initiative.”
The timing added another dimension to the controversy because the measures came during Israel’s election campaign.” Some Israeli political figures argue that international pressure on settlements could strengthen Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies electorally, and British officials had been warned about that possibility,” said the newspaper.
Nevertheless, the newspaper concluded that the decision by Britain and the 11 other Western countries was viewed “not only as a diplomatic setback but as a significant failure by Israel to prevent a coordinated international initiative.”
Palestinians warn that Israel is paving the way for formal annexation of the West Bank through army raids and attacks by occupiers, undermining the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state as stipulated in relevant UN resolutions.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of policy of global privateering.
