The key facts

  • Trump: the US has 'knocked the spirit out of Iran' and 'may do it a little bit further'; NYT reports plans for new strikes after the midterm elections
  • Magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Baingoin County (Nagqu, Tibet): 16 dead, 54 injured, response level raised to level III
  • Istanbul will host the first joint R4+E3 meeting; France at 'maximum alert level' ahead of October 24 rallies

Trump suggests new strikes on Iran

US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday, before departing for a campaign rally in Iowa, that Washington may carry out further strikes on Iran. 'The Iran war should have been done long ago by other presidents, we knocked the spirit out of them and maybe we'll do it a little bit further,' he said. Asked about public reaction, Trump noted that some approve of his actions and others do not, adding: 'There's a price to pay, I understood that right away. But we can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon.' On Wednesday he said the US is not negotiating with Iran and that 'something one way or the other' will happen 'pretty soon.' According to The New York Times, US and Israeli militaries have developed plans for new strikes after the midterm elections, though Trump's approval is far from guaranteed. The US-Israel war against Iran began on February 28; Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks in the region and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. A memorandum of understanding signed in June to prepare a peace agreement collapsed over disagreements, including on shipping through the strait. Separately, Trump accused Iran of attempting to drive up world oil prices ahead of the midterm elections and stated on Truth Social that 75,000 protesters had died in Iran in less than seven months.

Tibet earthquake: 16 dead

Late on Thursday, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baingoin County in the city of Nagqu in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Xinhua agency reports. At least 16 people were killed and 54 injured. President Xi Jinping ordered full-scale search and rescue operations and treatment for the injured. The Ministry of Emergency Management on Friday raised the national response level from IV to III, and a working group has been dispatched to the disaster zone. The US Geological Survey also recorded the magnitude 7.0 quake and warned of possible large-scale destruction.

Istanbul: R4 and R4+E3 meetings

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will host in Istanbul on Friday the foreign ministers of the R4 format (Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia) and the European E3 (UK, Germany, France), including the first-ever joint meeting of the seven countries held on Turkey's initiative. Expected attendees include Johann David Wadephul, Ed Miliband, Jean-Noël Barrot, Badr Abdelatty, Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Faisal bin Farhan. The agenda: the Palestinian question, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Yemen and the settlement of the Russia-Ukraine war.

France prepares for October 24 demonstrations

France's Minister Delegate to the Interior, Jean-Didier Berger, said on BFMTV that the authorities are at a 'maximum alert level' ahead of nationwide demonstrations on October 24 and are 'not ruling anything out' in the coming days and weeks, including bans on gatherings and cultural and sporting events. The number of security forces on Saturday will be 20% higher than on October 17; leave has been cancelled, and Operation Sentinelle and the GIGN and RAID special units will be deployed. The Louvre, Orsay and the Picasso Museum in Paris will close on Saturday.

Other news

Turkey and Canada agreed to deepen defense industry cooperation and, according to Erdogan, to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement by the end of the year, increasing trade turnover from 3 to 5 and then to 10 billion dollars. In France, a Mirage 2000D fighter jet crashed, killing two people. The Saudi coalition intercepted 11 drones and a ballistic missile from Yemen's Houthis. Italy and Spain did not extend the temporary border controls introduced due to the influx of migrants into Ceuta. France recorded the first human case of the Chamond virus — a patient with severe immunodeficiency died in early October in Lyon. MEPs awarded the 2026 Sakharov Prize to the ICC and its leadership and postponed by three years methane emissions monitoring requirements for importers of oil, gas and coal (341 votes to 225). In Germany, a Ukrainian suspected of spying for Russia was detained. UN Secretary-General Guterres called the situation in the West Bank 'simply out of control' and noted limited access for humanitarian aid to Gaza. British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting urged citizens to prepare for supply disruptions due to cyberattacks and announced the resumption of domestic tank barrel production for the first time in 20 years. Vice President JD Vance linked questions around Elon Musk's Starshield and the war in Ukraine to the administration's overall Russia policy.

Sport, culture, business

Trabzonspor beat Hearts 2:0 in the Conference League: Mohamed Salah scored a penalty and provided an assist, a fifth consecutive win under Thomas Reis. Trump accused LeBron James of disrespecting the US anthem over a warm-up video. The US will host the first FIFA Women's Club World Cup on January 5–30, 2028 with 19 teams; the first qualified clubs are Arsenal, Barcelona, América, Gotham, Nagoja, Corinthians and Wuhan Jiangda. Country singer John Anderson died at the age of 71; the cause was not disclosed. Influencer Brayden Peters (Clavicular) pleaded not guilty in the case of the rape of a 17-year-old in Massachusetts; he was released on $10,000 bail. Meta disclosed in SEC filings that Mark Zuckerberg considered moving out of California because of the proposed wealth tax; under the agreement he will be able to sell up to half of his economic stake over eight years while retaining voting control.