Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Sunday that Tehran is prepared for both renewed warfare and diplomacy, emphasizing it's up to President Trump to decide the path forward as the conflict enters its seventh month. Meanwhile, British police arrested five men near RAF Fairford, a U.K. base used by American bombers against Iran; the arrests are being investigated with suspicion of terrorist links to Iran, though direct ties have not been confirmed.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Xi pressed Trump to adopt Beijing's stance against Taiwan independence, which Taiwan rejected outright. Meanwhile, Taiwan is crucial for global tech and economy due to its leading semiconductor production; TSMC alone produces the majority of advanced chips that power smartphones, AI systems, and more. As Stanford Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann noted, economic disruption from a conflict over Taiwan would be severe.
In unrelated developments, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with US media at the UN General Assembly, where he denied Iran's nuclear ambitions while offering to dilute its enriched uranium and allow inspections under international law. He also blamed Washington for ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that Iran has over 440 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60%, raising concerns despite Pezeshkian's denials.
Taiwan's representative, Ambassador Alexander Yui, clarified during an interview on CBS’s "Face the Nation" that while Taiwan was discussed between Trump and Xi, it wasn't a major focus. He emphasized there has been no change in US policy towards Taiwan amid recent tensions with China.
Written for “Taiwan Iran Us Relations Midterms” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 386 other(s) covering the same event.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran is "fully prepared for the war to be resumed," and also for the possibility of renewed diplomacy with the U.S. aimed at ending the seven-month conflict, and it's "up to President Trump to choose."
asserted
it → say → Trump
- Mr. Trump told Axios on Sunday that he expected talks with Iran to resume this week, insisting again that the Islamic Republic is "losing badly" and eager to strike a peace deal.
- Last week, Iran proposed a seven-day ceasefire and the phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, contingent upon the U.S. meeting conditions laid out in the , which fell apart after several weeks.
asserted
which → tell → weeks
Mr. Trump publicly rejected the new Iranian proposal last week, and Iran has insisted it will not change its demands.
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it → reject → demands
British police investigating possible Iranian links to suspected terrorist plot against U.K. air base used by U.S.
U.K. police said five men arrested in the early hours of Sunday near an air base used by the United States during its war against Iran were being held on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act that appeared to involve three trucks.
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that → investigate → trucks
RAF Fairford, a U.K. Royal Air Force base about 85 miles west of London in rural Gloucestershire, has been used by American bombers to conduct strikes against Iranian missile sites.
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Fairford → use → sites
The British government, under an agreement made under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, granted the U.S. permission to use Farford and other key U.K. bases provided it was only for strikes defined as defensive in nature.
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it → make → nature
Authorities are investigating a link between the arrests in Fairford and Iran as one possibility.
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Authorities → investigate → possibility
Iranian authorities have declared all bases used to attack Iranian territory as legitimate targets.
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authorities → declare → targets
President Trump praised those who were involved in making the arrests.
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who → praise → arrests
We had them under investigation.
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them → have → investigation
They were looking to do big damage to our fort.
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They → look → fort
And working with the British worked out great," he told reporters in Chicago on Sunday.
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he → work → Sunday
"We had them under view for a long time and we got them."
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we → have → them
Iran says it is ready for either diplomacy, or a return to fighting as war reaches 7-month mark
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran was ready for either diplomacy or a return to fighting in the war sparked seven months ago by joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
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Tehran → say → Iran
He said it is now up to President Trump to choose which direction to go.
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it → say → direction
"We are fully prepared for the time for the war to be resumed, and I repeat, we stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war," Araghchi told NBC News' "Meet the Press."
"At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy.
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we → resume → diplomacy
It is up to President Trump to choose," he said.
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he → choose → Trump
President Trump on Saturday rejected Iran's proposal to return to a ceasefire agreement that collapsed months ago as part of a seven-day plan that would see it reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
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it → reject → shipping
Araghchi said Tehran would wait for an official response from mediators.
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Tehran → say → mediators
Trump expects talks with Iran to resume this week
President Trump said Sunday that he expects talks with Iran to resume in the coming week, a day after he rejected a truce proposal put forward by Tehran.
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he → expect → Tehran
"They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make," Mr. Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Sunday.
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Trump → want → Sunday
"It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago."
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we → agree → what
Iran said Friday it had submitted a proposal to the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz over seven days, but Mr. Trump asserted that Iranian leaders wanted the deal because "they are losing so badly."
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they → say → deal
"They overplayed their hand," Mr. Trump told Axios.
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Trump → overplay → Axios
The president said resuming strikes on Iran was not off the table, adding: "I am always thinking about it."
CBS/AFP
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I → say → AFP
Sen. Kennedy says Iran's plan was "not a serious offer"
epublican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said Iran's proposed plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks was "not a serious offer."
"The president's not Bambi's baby brother.
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president → say → talks
He turned it down," Kennedy said Sunday on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
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Kennedy → turn → Brennan
"We need to continue doing what we're doing — the sanctions, the blockade," said Kennedy.
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Kennedy → need → sanctions
"Now there's just one problem: The strait is at least partially closed, and it's affected the price of oil.
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it → be → oil
And oil's in everything, including gasoline, and it's painful as hell," he said, adding: "We've got to either figure out a way to settle this thing, to get the strait open, or to escalate."
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strait → include → thing
Kennedy said he would not support sending U.S. ground troops into Iran, however.
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he → say → Iran
The Aporia
