Daily Brief: Trump Rules Out Iran Strikes Before Midterms

In today's daily brief, US President Donald Trump said the United States would not attack Iran before the 3 November midterm elections, while Houthi missiles targeted Riyadh for a third day. Elsewhere, technology shares fell after a report on OpenAI's revenue, Hurricane Isaias neared the US Gulf Coast and France promised 3,000 extra teachers.

Trump rules out Iran attack before midterms

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States would not attack Iran before the midterm elections. "We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections," he wrote on Truth Social, adding that the two sides were having "productive discussions" and that the US blockade would stay. Axios reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon had told Central Command to complete preparations for resuming combat.

Saudi coalition intercepts Houthi missiles over Riyadh

The Saudi-led coalition said on Thursday it had intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles fired towards Riyadh and a third aimed at Khamis Mushait. Debris from an interception damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in the capital, Saudi civil defence said, without mentioning casualties. The Houthis claimed three attacks on King Khalid International Airport and told workers to leave Saudi oil facilities, Agence France-Presse reported. Lufthansa Group suspended Riyadh flights until 16 October, according to Reuters.

Nasdaq falls 1.3% as chipmakers slide

US technology shares fell on Thursday after a report that OpenAI's revenue was lower than investors believed. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.3% to 27,193.34 and the S&P 500 fell 0.5% to 7,765.36, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1% to 51,231.64. Nvidia dropped 2.9%. The 10-year Treasury yield touched 5.35% before easing to 5.23%. Brent crude rose 4.1% to $104.28 a barrel, then slipped to $103.28 early on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

Hurricane Isaias nears US Gulf Coast

Hurricane Isaias strengthened to a Category 2 storm on Thursday with sustained winds of 105 miles per hour (169 kph), the US National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters expect landfall late on Friday or early on Saturday between Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, Fox Weather reported. Florida, Alabama and Georgia have declared states of emergency. Producers had shut about 25% of crude output in the Gulf by Wednesday afternoon, Bloomberg reported, citing federal data.

France pledges 3,000 teachers as protests continue

French Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on Thursday evening that 3,000 teachers would be sent to high-priority schools between Friday and Tuesday, after a fourth round of nationwide protests over school conditions. About 71,500 people marched, including 24,500 in Paris, the interior ministry said. Police arrested more than 500 people and fired tear gas at the Place de la Bastille, Al Jazeera reported. Student and union groups called a new day of action for 13 October.

US charges Maduro with conspiracy to torture

US prosecutors on Thursday unsealed a new indictment charging former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with conspiracy to commit torture, the Justice Department said. It alleges that detainees in Venezuela, including several US citizens, suffered beatings, electric shocks and simulated drowning. Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, said his client denied the charges. Their trial on drug trafficking charges is due to start on 1 June 2027.

Drone strike halts Yandex data centre

Russian technology company Yandex suspended operations at its data centre in Sasovo, in the Ryazan region, after a Ukrainian drone attack started a fire on Thursday, Reuters reported. Yandex said it could not yet confirm whether the equipment could be restored. The site houses two of its three supercomputers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did not mention the strike but said: "We always respond in mirror-like fashion." US envoys are due to meet Ukrainian officials in Miami on Friday.

OpenAI revenue below reported figures, FT says

OpenAI's annualised revenue was about $50 billion at the end of September, roughly $20 billion below figures reported last month, the Financial Times said on Thursday, citing documents shared with investors. Earlier reports had put the figure at about $70 billion. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Agence France-Presse. The FT said OpenAI was negotiating a funding round that could value it at about $1.4 trillion.

Anne Carson wins Nobel literature prize

Canadian poet and classicist Anne Carson, 76, won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday. The Swedish Academy praised her "bold and inventive" body of work and its "playful dialogue with the classical tradition". Carson has written more than 20 books, including "The Beauty of the Husband", and has translated ancient Greek texts. "Crazy. I think they're all crazy," she told Icelandic broadcaster RUV. The prize is worth 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million).

Putin offers to help end Iran war

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday that Moscow was ready to help settle the war in the Middle East. "We are ready to do everything that is in our power to contribute to the settlement of this situation," Putin said at their meeting in Turkmenistan, where a Commonwealth of Independent States summit opens on Friday. Pezeshkian told Putin that Iran and the United States had exchanged new proposals, Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported.

Labour holds Starmer's former seat in by-election

Britain's governing Labour Party held the London seat of Holborn and St Pancras in a by-election on Thursday. Sagal Abdi-Wali, the leader of Camden Council, won 12,292 votes, ahead of Green Party leader Zack Polanski on 8,928, official results showed. The Conservatives came third and Reform UK fourth. Turnout was 38.76%. Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned the seat in September. Polanski said he would continue as Green leader, ITV News reported.

Burnham open to Germany joining fighter programme

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in Berlin on Thursday that Britain was open to Germany joining the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a fighter jet project with Italy and Japan. He was speaking after talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on his first official visit to Germany. The two governments agreed a new arrangement to share information on sabotage, cyberattacks and other hybrid threats, Downing Street said. A rival Franco-German fighter project collapsed in June.