Trump says US is not negotiating with Iran as Gulf vessel and Saudi airport attacks are reported

Summary

Middle East Eye's morning live blog reports that US President Donald Trump said Washington is not negotiating with Iran and that something will happen fairly soon, one way or the other. It reports that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said its forces targeted four vessels involved in illegal oil transfers in the northern Persian Gulf on Wednesday, causing them to catch fire, and that three other vessels hit mines west of the Strait of Hormuz. In Saudi Arabia, one person was killed and eight were wounded in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, according to the Civil Aviation agency, which said the attack caused material damage under assessment. The Saudi-led coalition's spokesperson said air defences intercepted and destroyed four drones in the Eastern Province. A later update in the same blog reports that Trump suggested more attacks on Iran may follow, and that Saudi air defences intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh. The blog also reports that Israeli forces killed a man with disabilities during an incursion into a village in Syria's Daraa governorate, according to state media, with similar raids reported elsewhere in southern Syria.

Timeline

1. Middle East Eye

   22 Oct 2026, 07:05 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye reports that Trump said Washington is not negotiating with Iran, that the IRGC Navy says it targeted four vessels in the northern Persian Gulf, and that an attack on Dammam's King Fahd International Airport killed one person and wounded eight.

2. Middle East Eye

   23 Oct 2026, 07:01 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye's later morning update reports that Trump suggested Washington may carry out more attacks on Iran, and that the Saudi-led coalition intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh.