US President Donald Trump repeated his expectation that the war with Iran would soon end, saying Tehran was “collapsing badly” and that the matter would end quickly one way or another. He said the United States would prevail in the confrontation and that petrol prices would fall sharply once the fighting stopped.
Trump links end of war to lower petrol prices
Speaking at the White House on Monday 28 September 2026, Trump said the war would end and that his country would win “very soon”, adding that petrol prices would fall quickly afterwards. The US president linked ending the confrontation to easing the pressure that high energy prices had placed on consumers and the US economy.
Responding to a question about Iran and the ongoing negotiations, Trump said his administration would wait to see how developments unfolded, adding: “In my view, this matter will end one way or another, and it will move very quickly.” He said US officials had held talks with mediators about Iran on Monday. Trump reiterated his position that the United States had prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, describing it as an achievement whose importance extended beyond his country to the world.
He said Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon”, warning that acquiring such a weapon would, in his assessment, pose a major threat to the Middle East, Europe and Israel. Trump made the remarks as regional mediators continued indirect contacts with Washington and Tehran in an effort to reach an agreement that would end the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Negotiating obstacles over Hormuz, sanctions and the nuclear programme
US and regional officials said major obstacles still separated the two sides, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts and the conflict entering its eighth month. Proposals under discussion include reopening the strait and lifting the US blockade on Iranian ports, followed by steps related to sanctions.
Washington, in return, is seeking specific Iranian concessions on the nuclear programme, including allowing inspectors to enter the country and addressing issues that the US administration wants included in any settlement.
Trump had rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days in return for lifting the blockade on Iranian ports, releasing frozen Iranian assets and granting exemptions from sanctions imposed on oil sales, along with other conditions put forward by Tehran.
Washington and Tehran disagree over the sequencing of commitments
According to a US official familiar with the indirect contacts, Iran had shown flexibility on nuclear issues, but disagreement remained over the timing of the commitments and which side should take the first step. The official stressed that reaching an agreement required addressing the nuclear issue as part of the final arrangements. US sources said Trump might be prepared to grant Iran sanctions relief and release some frozen funds in return for concrete nuclear steps.
The US president later denied reports that such an offer had been made, reflecting continued divergence in messages from Washington about the terms of a settlement. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who remained in New York after meetings of the UN General Assembly, held talks with Qatari mediators to discuss the proposals under consideration.
Indirect contacts and differing views over the memorandum of understanding
Tehran, meanwhile, denied that new direct talks with the United States had been scheduled, saying contacts were taking place through mediators. US officials said Washington was treating Iranian commitments cautiously, accusing Tehran of violating the memorandum of understanding signed by the two sides in June 2026 after commercial vessels were fired on in the Strait of Hormuz in July.
The memorandum provided for discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme over a period of 60 days, but collapsed days after it was signed. Iran, for its part, says its armed forces have full control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media quoted Admiral Habibollah Sayyari as saying that the area west of the strait, the passage itself and the Gulf were under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ naval force, while the army’s naval force was responsible for the area east of the strait and the northern Indian Ocean. The war and restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are affecting global energy markets.
Brent crude was recorded at $96.95 a barrel during trading on Tuesday 29 September, after briefly exceeding $100 the previous day, compared with about $72 before US and Israeli forces began attacks on Iran in late February.
Oil price volatility has also affected US markets and Treasury yields, while households face higher petrol prices and rising costs for goods linked to energy and transport. Mediators are continuing contacts with both sides in an effort to arrange the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, establish a framework for addressing nuclear and sanctions disputes, and end the fighting.
