Morning update

Live Blog Update| War on Iran 8 October 2026 07:32 BST Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments: US President Donald Trump said that his special envoy Steve Witkoff is "doing very well" in discussions with Iran, but added that a deal with Tehran is not his preferred outcome. Trump also expressed that he expects the war on Iran to end soon, saying: "That war ends - it's going to be very soon. It's got to be very soon," he said, describing Iran as "a failed nation." Yemen's Houthis said they attacked the King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh with a ballistic missile. The group separately said it downed a Saudi drone while it was carrying out what they described as "hostile missions" over Taiz. A White House official said that US President Donald Trump will not allow the Iranian government to "manipulate" him as he claimed Tehran did with previous US presidents. The official told Al Jazeera that Trump was "comfortable letting Iran’s inevitable collapse take its course", adding that the US was in a powerful position because it "controlled the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s economy was collapsing". The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said that Tehran has "clearly and firmly" set out conditions for ending the war, adding that it will respond to US proposals through mediators. "Our considerations and conditions for ending the imposed war on all fronts and restoring security to the Persian Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz have been clearly and firmly set out," Esmaeil Baghaei said. Yemen’s government forces say they have “neutralised” 1,860 Houthi fighters in 2,103 “precise targeting operations” against Houthi military positions in the “Dawn of Yemen” operation. In a post on X, the military spokesperson said the strikes targeted Houthi movements, fortifications, supply lines and military positions.