Trump vows Iran war will end “right after the election” or sooner, as 9,000 troops head to Mideast

Flights between Iran and Iraq will resume soon, Iraqi Ambassador to Tehran Yasser Abdul Zahra Al-Hajjaj has said, as the two countries work to resolve disruptions to air travel in the wake of the U.S. imposing sanctions that bar virtually all nations and entities from collaborating with Iranian carriers.

Following a meeting with Iranian Transport Minister Farzaneh Sadegh, Al-Hajjaj said the neighboring nations were examining mechanisms and initiatives to address the issue amid what he described as U.S. pressure on air transportation.

He highlighted the large number of Muslim pilgrims, students and businesspeople who typically travel between Iran and Iraq, as well as the countries’ extensive economic and social ties.

“Flights between the two countries will resume soon,” Al-Hajjaj said, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News agency.

In August the U.S. announced a raft of new sanctions against Iran, including on the country’s aviation industry, which has led to multiple countries canceling flights to and from Iran. 

European Union nations have discussed a proposed release of additional diesel reserves amid U.S. pressure to ease fuel prices, a source with knowledge of the discussion told the Reuters news agency on Friday.

In a Friday call, various EU governments debated a French proposal for a joint release of 50 million barrels of diesel, the source told Reuters, and for International Energy Agency member countries to release 50 million barrels of crude oil.

The countries also discussed the idea that any agreement on diesel reserve releases should include a commitment from the U.S. to not unilaterally ban diesel exports, the source said. G7 leaders may discuss the proposal further on Friday on a call, Reuters reported.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said Thursday that the Houthis struck an electricity distribution station in Medina, Saudi Arabia, a city that is home to the second holiest site in Islam. The alleged attack drew strong condemnation from the Muslim world.

Fighting has intensified significantly in Yemen in recent weeks, with government forces reporting multiple airstrikes on Houthi targets overnight and AFP journalists hearing explosions in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition said the Houthi drone struck Medina’s Taibah electricity distribution station, which provides power to the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second holiest site. The Houthis denied any involvement.

Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said a drone struck the Taibah electricity distribution station early Tuesday morning.

“The investigation and evidence gathered by the competent authorities have confirmed the involvement of the Terrorist Houthi Militia in planning and executing this cowardly terrorist act, based on after-action review and the wreckage of the drone used,” he said in a statement.

The coalition said one transformer was taken out of service without affecting the wider electricity network.

CBS/AFP 

Speaking in Denton, Texas, Thursday night at the Peterbilt Motors facility, President Trump said Iran “is ready to fold up.”

He said he believed the U.S. would win the war “right after the election,” referring to the U.S. midterm elections in early November. 

“Maybe before the election,” he added.

“I’m ensuring that Iran will be very quickly ended,” the president said, promising that U.S. energy prices, which have soared due to the war, would be “rapidly, rapidly coming” down.

Mr. Trump said the U.S. was “trying to be nice” to Iran’s current leader, but “we don’t know who the hell to deal with, to be honest with you. Nobody wants to be president.”

The USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and the USS Makin Island Amphibious Group are headed to the Middle East, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News on Thursday. 

That could mean a total of three U.S. carrier strike groups and two amphibious ready groups being deployed to the region at the same time, at least unless and until one of the groups is rotated out of the region. 

A U.S. official told the Associated Press that some 7,000 sailors and 2,000 U.S. Marines were on their way as part of the deployment. That would bring the total number of U.S. forces in the region to approximately 20,000, along with hundreds of vessels and aircraft.

The forces could arrive by the end of October, the official told the AP.

The USS George H.W. Bush and the USS George Washington are already in the area, along with the USS Boxer amphibious readiness group.

President Trump suggested Thursday that Iran could be linked to the alleged attempted hijacking of an Israel-bound FlyDubai plane. 

When asked by reporters if he had been briefed about any links between Iran and the co-pilot who allegedly attacked the flight’s captain and attempted to crash the plane before being subdued by passengers, Mr. Trump said, “we’re working on it right now.” 

“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes,” Mr. Trump said. “But we’re working on it right now.” 

Mr. Trump did not provide further details. 

When asked if the co-pilot could have been working for or with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mr. Trump said he “could’ve been, yeah.” 

In response to a question about potential U.S. retaliation if Tehran was connected to the attack, Mr. Trump said, “they’ll be hit, very hard, don’t worry.”