The key facts
- Trump: US is 'not negotiating' with Iran, 'something will happen fairly soon one way or another'
- Turkey, Qatar, Indonesia and Pakistan signed the 'Badr' memorandum in Doha
- Dammam airport attack: 1 killed, 8 wounded; Russia released American Stefan Hubbard
Trump on negotiations with Iran
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday upon returning from a rally in South Carolina that Washington is 'not negotiating' with Iran, adding that 'something, one way or another, will happen fairly soon.' According to him, 'most people think it will be after the elections — we'll see.' Earlier at the rally, he said the US could end the war with Iran right now but wants to make sure the outcome is durable: 'It will end very soon. We could leave right now, but we want to make sure it lasts a long time.'
The 'Badr' defense memorandum and the attack in Saudi Arabia
Turkey, Qatar, Indonesia and Pakistan signed the 'Badr' memorandum in Doha on Wednesday on strengthening defense cooperation and developing strategic partnership, Turkey's Ministry of National Defense reported. The document was signed by Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Yusuf Djauhari, and Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. On Wednesday evening, an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia killed one person and wounded eight, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) reported. The wounded have been hospitalized, their conditions ranging from mild to severe; damage is being assessed. The nature of the attack was not specified. In addition, Saudi air defense intercepted a drone flying toward a facility at the Shaybah oil field operated by Saudi Aramco in the Eastern Province; two foreign nationals were killed and two wounded, the Ministry of Energy reported.
Release of an American and diplomacy
Russia released 73-year-old US citizen Stefan Hubbard, who had been held in custody for fighting on the side of Ukrainian forces, US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff said at a meeting with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. He said that a few days earlier he had met with Hubbard's son — a church pastor, who also thanked Putin. 'I thank you on behalf of our president and on behalf of the United States, as the Russian Federation has released Stefan Hubbard,' Witkoff said. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that neither side rules out a possible meeting of the presidents of China, Russia and the US on the sidelines of next month's APEC summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to freeze the conflict along the current front line and move to diplomatic negotiations to end the war with Russia.
World news in brief
The US State Department denied reports of preparations to partially evacuate staff and their families from embassies in Persian Gulf countries, clarifying that the measure applies only to Saudi Arabia. According to Israeli media citing American sources, dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew close to Iran's border earlier this week in a maneuver that may have been intended to provoke an Iranian military response. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned 'unacceptable and stupid comments' by foreign leaders about the October 17 protests in France after Trump blamed the unrest on immigration. The authorities of Paris and Lyon extended the curfew in certain districts of the cities for a third consecutive night amid violence and looting during nationwide demonstrations. Iran is preparing to unveil a new weapon described as the 'mother of all bombs,' an IRGC representative said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev discussed bilateral relations and regional developments by phone. Erdogan also welcomed the approval by the House of Representatives of eastern Libya of the maritime agreement delimiting jurisdiction between Turkey and Libya; the chamber's speaker, Essalehin Abdulnabi, called the memorandum a 'sovereign decision' that does not affect the interests of other countries. Israeli forces detained Brad Lander, a US congressional candidate from the Democratic Party and an ally of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, along with dozens of activists and Palestinian farmers during an olive harvest in the occupied West Bank, an activist said. Congresswoman Delia Ramirez stated that 'Israel's genocide against Palestinians has not ended' and called for her bill to block shipments of American bombs to Israel to be adopted. Under the draft 2027 budget, Ankara plans to allocate about 100 billion Turkish lira ($2.01 billion) to the aviation and space industry over the next three years.
Sport: Champions League
In Champions League matchday 3, Bayern Munich came back and drew 2:2 with Arsenal: Harry Kane provided an assist for Alphonso Davies and converted a penalty in the 61st minute after a handball by Jurrien Timber; Arsenal also scored through Declan Rice in the 82nd minute (after a combination with Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres) and the scorer of the first goal — a substitute who finished off a long pass from Martin Odegaard. Real Madrid, with a goal and a standout performance from Arda Guler, maintained their perfect start, beating Leipzig 4:1. Galatasaray earned their first win of the season, defeating Lille 4:2: Yunus Akgun (2nd minute), Aleksey Batrakov, Victor Osimhen (who did not celebrate the goal against his former club) and one more goal scored; for Lille, Soriba Diakite scored a brace. Como sensationally beat Manchester United 4:1, with Nico Paz scoring twice. Barcelona filed a complaint with UEFA over a PSG fans' banner before the match at the Parc des Princes: the ultras depicted a figure in a PSG shirt with a bloodied chainsaw attacking the Barcelona crest, with the inscription 'Massacre à la parisienne' ('Parisian massacre'); the club said it strongly condemns these incidents.
Culture
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have backed plans to create a major new attraction dedicated to The Beatles in Liverpool, the BBC reported. The Beatles Story museum will move from the Albert Dock to the site of the former St John's Market, and a Yellow Submarine attraction will open in St John's Beacon (the former Radio City tower). McCartney said he was glad fans would have the chance to 'step into our story,' while Starr welcomed plans to support emerging Liverpool artists using proceeds from ticket sales. Canadian publisher Éditions du Boréal has severed ties with Haitian-Canadian writer Télesphore Aurélien after discovering evidence of the use of artificial intelligence in writing his award-winning novel 'C'était ça ou mourir.' The Quebec publisher will stop reprinting the novel and will not publish the author's future books; according to Boréal, the new information contradicts the writer's earlier assurances.
