US could strike Iran this weekend, envoy says
A man walks past an anti-US mural in Tehran, Iran, Sep 23, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
JERUSALEM: The United States could strike Iran as soon as this weekend, a US envoy said Friday (Oct 23), after mounting threats by both Washington and Israel.
“Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely,” Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and point man on Syria who does not have a direct role on Iran, told podcast host Mario Nawfal.
President Donald Trump “is very clear. He’s open and available and accessible to a deal, and we’ve been at the table for months and months and months”, Barrack said in an interview as he visited the Gulf.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections Tuesday, has in recent days repeatedly vowed to topple the clerical state in Iran, following two major bombing campaigns against it since last year.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Trump has also signalled an openness to resuming strikes after a long deadlock in diplomacy, although he earlier said it would not happen before US congressional elections on Nov 3.
Barrack, in remarks that contradict Netanyahu, said the US was not looking to topple the Islamic Republic, a sworn enemy of the United States and Israel since a 1979 revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.
“If you keep threatening the world, our allies, the Gulf, there will be a consequence. The consequence won’t be regime change,” Barrack said.
“The United States – the president of the United States – has said he’s not interested in regime change,” he added.
“The problem with regime change always is, what’s the day-two scenario?”
Source: AFP/gs
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
