By Faisal Aziz Khan, Usaid Siddiqui and Hala Al Shami
- US President Donald Trump says Iran should “put up the white flag of surrender” as the two nations’ memorandum of understanding (MoU) expired on Monday. He tells Fox News that the midterm elections are not a factor in his thinking on the Iran war. “I have no time schedule. … I’m not in a hurry,” he adds. Earlier, the US president renewed a call for Iran to never possess nuclear weapons in “any way”’.
- Speaking in Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says “gross” US violations rendered the MoU deadline “entirely moot”, adding that Iran’s forces are ready to respond if attacked. The Iran-US MoU, signed in June, expired as talks to end the war have been deadlocked.
Trump issues ‘strong language’ to Iran and Oman
The US president, speaking to Fox News Channel, has used very strong language against Iran, but also towards Oman.
Essentially, what we know is that the president said that he would likely bomb Oman if it got in the way of efforts
to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Now, of course, the 60-day memorandum of understanding – that window to negotiate with Iran – is expiring as of Monday, which is today, and it has come with no final settlement.
So, Trump has not only been threatening those regional players, such as Oman, that have been negotiating with Iran in the interim, trying to bring about peace within the area, but has also given a very strong warning to Iran that not only is the US still applying military pressure and threatening further economic pressure, but he also said that it’s time for Iran to give up.
USS Lincoln crisis: How it compares to past aircraft carrier deployments
The nearly nine-month extended deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East has triggered a mental health crisis among the crew so intense that some sailors have tried to jump overboard, according to some US media reports.
Family members of the exhausted military crew on board the flagship aircraft carrier, reportedly located in the Gulf region, say there are food shortages, while broken toilets and showers have contributed to unsanitary conditions and poor health.
More than 5,000 staff members have been on board the vessel, which has been conducting maritime security and blockade operations at present around the Strait of Hormuz, for that time. It set sail on November 21, 2025 from its homeport of San Diego for an extended deployment to the Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
Since then, the ship has made just one single-day port stop at Naval Base Guam from December 11-12. The lack of port stops is a major issue for a ship the size and complexity of the USS Abraham Lincoln, experts say.
Read our full explainer here.
Houthis claim attack on Saudi vessels in Red Sea
Yemen’s Houthis say they attacked what they described as a Saudi military ship and four escort vessels in the Red Sea with missiles.
The group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, made the claim on Telegram. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities.
