• Says there is ‘nobody to deal with’ in Tehran
• US senator urges Congress to cut funding for military action
• Pentagon study to examine future warfare after operations against Iran
• IRGC commander says Iran has technological ‘surprises’ for adversaries
• Two oil tankers struck by unidentified projectiles near Hormuz

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said the war with Iran could end “very soon”, while questioning whom Washington could negotiate with in Teh­ran and reiterating that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

Speaking at a rally in Alabama, Trump said there appeared to be no clear counterpart in Tehran with whom Washington could negotiate, Al Jazeera reported.

“I don’t know who the hell to deal with. There’s nobody to deal with,” he said, bef­ore adding: “Knock knock, nobody home.”

Trump said the war would end soon “one way or the other”. It’s “gonna end very soon, and probably right after the midterms”, he said.

However, his remarks came as fresh attacks were reported on commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz and concerns persisted over a possible expansion of the US military presence in the Middle East.

Tankers attacked near Hormuz

Two oil tankers were struck by unidentified projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz region, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), in the latest threat to shipping through the key waterway.

The first attack caused “a small fire and blackout onboard”, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said Friday, adding that the fire was later extinguished.

There were no reported casualties or environmental impact, it added.

The vessel, which was exiting the strait, was able to resume its journey, UKMTO said, without specifying the ship’s ports of origin and destination.

Hours later, another crude oil tanker reported being struck by an “unknown projectile” east of Oman, with all crew safe and no environmental damage reported, according to the UKMTO.

The agency said authorities were investigating the incidents.

Senator urges funding cutoff

Meanwhile, US Senator Chris Van Hollen accused the Trump administration of preparing to expand the US military presence in the Middle East and urged Congress to cut off funding for what he called an “illegal war of choice” against Iran, Anadolu reported.

“The president, who continues to hide service member casualties, is now sending up to another 10,000 troops to his illegal war of choice in Iran,” Van Hollen wrote on X.

“When Trump says he’s planning on renewing his war next month, believe him. Congress must cut off funding,” he added.

His remarks came amid reports that the Pentagon was preparing to deploy a third aircraft carrier strike group and additional Marine Corps ships to the region as Trump considered resuming strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections in early November.

Pentagon studies future warfare

At the same time, Washington is examining lessons from its military operations against Iran as part of a broader study of future warfare.

The Pentagon has commissioned “Project Meridian: The Future of Warfare” to examine future battlefields and identify the weapons, technologies and operational concepts US forces would require to maintain an advantage.

A Pentagon memo cited US operations in Iran as demonstrating what it called the “unmatched technological prowess” of US forces.

The project will examine rapidly developing technologies including artificial intelligence, autonomy, directed energy, robotics and biotechnology, which the Pentagon says could significantly alter the character of warfare. It has warned that Washington cannot take its existing technological advantages for granted.

Meanwhile, Iran has responded with its own claims of technological advances.

IRGC Deputy Commander-in-Chief Maj Gen Mostafa Izadi said Iranian armed forces had made major progress in ground, air, air-defence and naval capabilities and had further technological “surprises” in store for their adversaries, according to Press TV.

“The armed forces are using various technologies, some of which have been employed on the battlefield and others will be utilised in the future,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2026