Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iranian negotiators out of the United States after talks stalled, while President Trump said the conflict could end after the midterms and that harder strikes remain possible.
President Donald Trump said the war with Iran will end “right after” the November midterm elections, and “maybe before,” as his administration cut short diplomacy in New York and sent Tehran’s team packing.
Fox News reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio ended the talks on Monday and told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation they needed to leave. The Iranians departed early Tuesday after weekend meetings with Qatari mediators produced no breakthrough.
Trump, asked whether he would ramp up bombing after the midterms, answered with one word: “Possible.” He also used “possible” when asked whether he might annihilate Iran, and stressed the United States has rebuilt its arsenal while the fighting has dragged on for more than seven months.
High-level United Nations meetings had ended. Araghchi stayed in New York for indirect talks shuttled through Qatar. Progress stalled over how to end the blockade of oil and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, how to wind down the conflict, and how to handle Iran’s nuclear program.
Rubio concluded the Iranians had “overstayed their welcome.” An official confirmed the expulsion order to Fox News Digital. Iran disputed the U.S. account, saying a departure had already been scheduled and communicated to the State Department on Sept. 17.
The secretary left the door cracked open. The United States remains open to negotiations, Rubio said, but warned there “will be consequences” if Tehran fails to honor its commitments.
"overstayed their welcome"
That was the message delivered to Araghchi’s team before they left.
Over the weekend, Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal. Tehran had floated a seven-day confidence-building step tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s verdict on the offer to reopen the strait was blunt.
"not good enough. Nearly."
He denied reports that he had offered sanctions relief or the release of frozen Iranian funds. In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly last week, he said he would continue to make sure Iran is not able to obtain nuclear weapons.
Talks had centered on sequencing, who moves first on the blockade, the fighting, and the nuclear file. A June framework that briefly halted the fighting was referenced as a possible path back, but the sides stayed divided.
Trump tied the military picture to the political calendar. He said the war will end “right after” the midterms, “maybe before.” Pressed on going harder with strikes after the vote, he again said it is possible.
"We have a lot of weapons. You know, we’ve been stocking up for the last six months,"
That stocking-up claim lands against a conflict already more than seven months old. Trump declined to discuss specific targets. The point he did make was readiness: the arsenal is being rebuilt while diplomacy sputters.
For conservative readers watching energy bills and security commitments, the sequence is plain. Diplomacy got a window in New York. It closed without a deal. The president is signaling he will not wait forever, and that post-election pressure remains on the table.
The economic stakes run through the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through that waterway. Recent Middle East exports have moved close to pre-war levels, according to estimates cited by major banks.
Prices still show the strain. Brent crude settled above $103 a barrel on Wednesday. U.S. crude closed above $90. The national average for regular gasoline sat at about $4.43 a gallon, up from roughly $3.15 a year earlier. Diesel stood above $6.40 a gallon.
Households feel that at the pump. Shippers and refiners feel it in the Strait. Iran’s leverage has always included the threat to those flows. Reopening the strait was part of the rejected package. Trump judged the offer short of what the moment required.
The weekend channel ran through Qatari mediators. Messages moved between Washington and Tehran. Little progress followed. By Monday, Rubio had heard enough and ordered the delegation out of New York. By early Tuesday, Araghchi and his team were gone.
Trump’s public line stayed consistent with pressure, not concession. End the war on a timeline tied to the midterms. Keep the nuclear red line. Treat a partial strait offer as insufficient. Keep stocking weapons. Leave open the chance of harder strikes if Tehran does not move.
Rubio’s dual message matched that posture: open to real talks, ready with consequences if commitments collapse. The Iranian side left without a deal and without an extended stay after the U.N. calendar cleared.
America can talk when talk is serious. It does not have to host a stalled delegation while prices climb and a nuclear threshold stays in play. Trump and Rubio just drew that line in public.
