This amounts to more than 80 trades per market day for the president in his first 17 months back in office.
Page B2From§Eachthe wee small hours edition — 26 September 2026
AFTER THE VOTE
Iran's cease-fire, timed to beat the midterms, is rejected for strikes timed to follow them.
As it ran on the front
The seven-day peace was born this week and did not survive the week.
In April, Pakistan filed the first version of this same shape: the Islamabad Accord, brokered through talks with Vice President Vance and envoy Witkoff, calling for an immediate halt to the fighting and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with fifteen to twenty days set aside afterward to negotiate whatever peace came next. The filing exists. What became of it does not appear in the record.…
…(cont) By August the war that was supposed to be quick had run six months with no end in sight. On the 1st of September the United States struck Iranian targets near the strait itself. Iran answered on the 7th with an exclusion zone, aimed at any vessel it judged was trying to pass. On the 9th the President conceded, in his own words, that the fighting would not conclude before the midterms. On the 13th an Iranian cargo ship took an unidentified projectile near Hengam Island; one death was recorded. On the 15th the Congressional Budget Office priced the whole undertaking at nearly forty billion dollars and called that a conservative estimate. On the 23rd, at the UN, the President offered Iran a choice between annihilation and a deal held until after the election.
Then this week's filing. On Thursday Iran's foreign minister told reporters in New York that Tehran would halt the fighting, reopen the strait, and sit back down on the nuclear file, if the seven days held. Brent crude, hearing the same news, dropped to $105.46 that day. On Friday Iran's president told CBS he had visited the supreme leader twice, that "everything will return to the way it was" if Washington recommitted to June's terms, and that his government wanted this settled before November. By Saturday the report had its answer: rejected, with new airstrikes called likely — not now, the report specified, but after the votes are counted.
The trouble wasn't the seven days. The trouble was which seven days: the ones that might have ended a war a UN inquiry already calls likely war crimes, or the ones a campaign calendar can survive. Call the difference what the desk has always called it: malarkey, filed at the State Department.
The seven-day plan is survived by a war bill past forty billion dollars and rising, and by a strike still to come. In lieu of flowers, ask your representative why the fighting has a filing date and the election has a war.
“They had a deal on the table — halt the fighting, reopen the strait, before a single midterm ballot got cast — and the answer was thanks, we'll take strikes instead, scheduled for after you vote. That's forty billion and climbing already, and nobody in this arrangement asked the guy paying for it what he thinks his war should cost. When the calendar for ending a war lines up neat with the calendar for an election, that's not diplomacy, that's a campaign ad with missiles.”
“Look, you can't just take Tehran's word on a seven-day promise — these are the same folks running an exclusion zone and firing on tankers, this isn't Switzerland we're negotiating with. And the report says strikes are "likely" after the midterms, not scheduled — there's a difference, the administration hasn't announced anything, that's just what a report says. Did I just say the timing was a coincidence? That's — that's not actually what I meant.”
Earlier in this story
- White House calls Trump-Xi summit 'very productive,' lists zero achievements By Chip · the late evening edition, 25 September 2026
- Trump rejects Iran's cease-fire proposal, his own officials quietly negotiate the same deal By Lou · the late evening edition, 25 September 2026
- Trump admits Iran war won't end before midterms, then gets sued to end it anyway. By Mort · the early bird edition, 25 September 2026
- Five-Point Plan To Lower Gas Prices Skips The War Driving Them By Sal · the breakfast edition, 25 September 2026
- Iran offers seven-day plan to end war; oil prices rise instead on threats to expand it. By Sal · the sunrise edition, 25 September 2026
- Congress's war power fails 49-50; enforcing the Constitution now falls to a nonprofit's lawsuit. By Mort · the supper edition, 24 September 2026
The receipts
The following is the transcript of the interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian airing on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sept. 27, 2026.
"We've got to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt" - Trump promised it done "over a period of eight years", 31 March 2016 / "I'll meet with Putin. I'll meet with Zelensky... And within 24 hours, that war will be settled" - Trump, CNN town hall, 10 May 2023, one of 53 such promises CNN counted CNN fact check, 25 April 2025 (all 53 instances)
Trump rejects Iran’s seven-day cease-fire proposal – new airstrikes ‘likely’ after midterm elections: reportAs part of the proposed cease-fire, Tehran pledged to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations on dismantling its nuclear program.
Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, who is also a physician, says he has visited Iran's supreme leader twice and talked with CBS News' Margaret Brennan about Mojtaba Khamenei's health.
The fossil fuel industry is raking in big profits thanks to President Donald Trump's illegal war with Iran, and a new analysis finds that it's plugging a sizable chunk of these gains into propaganda. A report published by Clean Creatives on Wednesday reveals that fossil fuel firms across the world have "engaged 802 advertising and PR…
CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent and "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan interviewed Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday in a network exclusive. Brennan joins "The Takeout" to unpack her conversation with the leader.
U.N.-commissioned rights experts say there are "reasonable grounds" to believe the U.S. committed war crimes with strikes that killed scores of Iranian civilians.
The Pentagon has failed its audit eight years running - the only major federal agency never to pass one Military Times, 19 December 2025
Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go'Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who voted to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is renewing his call for President Trump to fire the Pentagon chief after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned. “He needs to go, whether it’s impeachment or the most expedient route — just the president to replace him — would be great,”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) announced Thursday that four Republicans, including him, have signed the Epstein Files II discharge petition and expressed confidence it will pass the House. The news comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) sent lawmakers home for a seven-week recess ahead of the midterm elections.
Matt Bell has been farming in North Carolina for more than half his life. He voted for President Trump but said farmers are "fighting for survival" as they combat rising prices.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks with Face the Nation's Margaret Brennan about the war with the U.S., his country's latest offer to open the Strait of Hormuz, the supreme leader's condition and more.
The US targeted “clearly identifiable” civilian sites in Minab and Lamerd, killing over 100 children, the UN found.
A recently published economic analysis estimates that President Donald Trump’s illegal war with Iran has cost US consumers an average of $1,760 per household—including a total of $121 billion in extra spending on energy alone—since the conflict began less than 8 months ago. The war, which Trump launched without congressional…
The Pentagon has failed its audit eight years running - the only major federal agency never to pass one Military Times, 19 December 2025
Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump defense strategyDemocratic and Republican lawmakers alike emerged Thursday from a closed-door briefing frustrated by what they said was a lack of clear answers from Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby on the Trump administration’s National Defense Strategy and the ongoing Iran war. The briefing with the Senate Armed Services Committee started off…
US and Iranian officials are discussing a phased deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, driving Brent crude oil prices down to $105.46.
The Pentagon has failed its audit eight years running - the only major federal agency never to pass one Military Times, 19 December 2025
Senate Democrats, minus Fetterman, urge Hegseth to provide receipt for Iran war costsAll of the Democrats in the Senate — excluding Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman — signed an open letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, pressing him to give Congress a cost breakdown of the war in Iran. The letter, although largely symbolic, reflects the frustration of many Democrats in Congress over what they perceive as a...
{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Iran pitches 7-day plan Iran has shared a seven-day plan with the U.S. to end fighting between the two countries, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks for a final peace deal, Tehran’s foreign minister told multiple outlets Thursday in New York City....
CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent and "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian about efforts to continue diplomacy with the U.S. Middle East contributor Courtney Kealy joins to unpack the leader's remarks.
Iran has shared a seven-day plan with the U.S. to end fighting between the two countries, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks for a final peace deal, Tehran’s foreign minister told multiple outlets Thursday in New York City. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a group of reporters at the United Nations General...
US House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that with seven weeks to go until Election Day, it was time for lawmakers to "go home to their districts and make the case to the American people"—a day earlier than scheduled. But with the US public overwhelmingly disapproving of President Donald Trump's war in Iran and demanding…
The Republican lawmaker cited incidents like the US’s elementary school massacre in Minab, Iran, early in the war.
A UN fact-finding mission has reported that two US airstrikes which killed at least 178 civilians in Iran constitute war crimes. Plus: Andy Burnham says he is “determined” to hit net zero by 2050, Sweden’s left-of-centre coalition wins the general election, Netanyahu is pushing to strip IDF critics of their citizenship, and the…
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he is weighing whether or not to "annihilate" Iran in a renewed effort to end the illegal 201-day US-Israeli war of choice, musings that came on the heels of a report by United Nations experts who said the United States likely committed war crimes during earlier attacks on the Middle East nation.…
Matt Bell said he initially supported Trump's policies but now feels he and other farmers were "sold a bill of goods" that there was a plan to "put America's farmers and ranchers first."
Iran's president says Tehran wants a deal with the U.S. before November's midterm elections, as the regime puts an offer on the table.
Trump promised to settle the Ukraine war within 24 hours on 53 separate occasions, CNN counted CNN fact check, 25 April 2025 (all 53 instances)
Iranian dissident reacts to Trump's promise to either annihilate Iran or make a post-election dealCBS News' Ed O'Keefe reports on President Trump's remarks at the United Nations, and Iranian-American activist and journalist Masih Alinejad shares her thoughts on Mr. Trump's war in the Middle East and the plight of the Iranian people.
· Iranian ship attacked near Strait of Hormuz: Iranian state media from the morgue, 13 Sep 2026
· Iran to impose new ‘exclusion zone’ outside Strait of Hormuz from the morgue, 7 Sep 2026
· U.S. strikes targets in Iran near Strait of Hormuz as Iran says it is retaliating from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Pakistan proposes a ceasefire plan received by Iran and the United States, reportedly dubbed the Islamabad Accord, which calls for an immediate halt to hostilities, the reopening of the Strait of Horm from the morgue, 6 Apr 2026
· Trump admits Iran war will not end before midterms from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Hegseth on "devastation" to Iran's capabilities from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Iran War Trump Said Would Be Quick Has Now Lasted 6 Months With 'No End In Sight' from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· CBO Finds Trump's Iran War Has Already Cost Nearly $40 Billion—And That's a 'Conservative' Estimate from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth for Illegal Iran War, Boat Murders from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Massie launches effort to impeach Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over 'inept management' of military from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Tillis renews calls for Hegseth’s firing after Driscoll’s departure: ‘I have never witnessed more inept management’ from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Massie names Epstein 'coconspirators,' discusses new Epstein files legislation from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Read Thomas Massie’s eight impeachment charges against Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Fake Republican midterm convention site still redirects to Epstein files from the morgue, 7 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision’ coming up on Iran: ‘Do I want to go in and annihilate them’ from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Fox News Poll: 71% think Trump administration lacks plan to end Iran war from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran recently downed at least 2 American drones, officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Big Oil Stocks Surged Due to Iran War—and New Filings Show How President Trump Cashed In from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Live updates: Energy secretary downplays rising gas prices as US, Iran trade strikes from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· U.S. Strike on Iranian School May Have Been War Crime, U.N. Report Says from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN investigators conclude ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe certain US strikes in Iran were war crimes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Condemned for 'War Crimes' After Bombing of Wedding Party in Iran from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· US investigating if missile hit Iranian wedding ceremony, killing 4 from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision coming up’ on Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· White House issues explosive response to UN-backed report claiming US committed war crimes against world’s No.1 sponsor of terror, Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Human rights experts: 'Reasonable grounds' to believe US committed war crimes with Iran strikes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran downed at least 2 American drones in recent days, U.S. officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran: Account of US Air Force colonel's rescue 'fictional' from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Consumer Burden of Trump Iran War Exceeds $100 Billion as Oil Prices Pass $100 a Barrel from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· 'A Serious and Alarming Threat': US Bombing, Blockade Deepen Iran Medical Crisis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Consumer Confidence Hits Lowest Level in Months as US Faces 'Trump's Reckless Tariffs and War With Iran' from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026
· U.S. Air Force officer rescued from Iran speaks for the first time to 60 Minutes from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Rep. Thomas Massie forcing vote on Pete Hegseth's impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Massie saying Johnson is sending the House home early to prevent Hegseth impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· ‘You’re Elected to Fight and Kill the Other Side’: How Congress Lost Its Way from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Army combat veteran challenging Mike Lawler calls Hegseth national security 'hazard,' backs impeachment from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary says he 'couldn't serve' in Trump administration from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary: Hegseth's Pentagon 'dysfunctional' from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· House Republicans split over leaving Washington early for campaign trail from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· 'How are we gonna get through this?' Many Americans are struggling as prices rise from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Trump's Top Oil Stocks Have Made Him Up to $4.4 Million Richer During Iran War: Analysis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· 'Trump Did It!': At $5.85 a Gallon, Diesel Price Hits All-Time High in US Thanks to War on Iran from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Gas prices reach Labor Day high amid Iran war from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Trump Hammered Over Iran War That Drove Gas Prices Above $4 Per Gallon Every Day in August for First Time Ever from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
· Warsh under pressure as Fed weighs rate hike from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Inflation held at 3.4% in August in consumer price index, creating tough choice for Warsh Fed from the morgue, 11 Sep 2026
· Warsh indicates Fed could raise rates to cool inflation from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· Key U.S. Bond Rate Near 20-Year High as Oil Prices Keep Climbing from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· 10-year Treasury yield hits highest level since 2007, oil surges above $105 as Fed expected to hike interest rates from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Benchmark mortgage rate hits 14-month high as bond yields keep rising from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Benchmark mortgage rate hits highest mark in over a year from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Goldman Sachs warns oil prices could hit $120 as U.S. fuel costs surge from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· GOP Rep Thomas Massie introduces 8 articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Republican Rep. Massie moves to impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth over Iran war from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Thomas Massie Forces Vote To Impeach Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Pete Hegseth Faces Growing Criticism as War With Iran Rolls On from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Hegseth Quietly Extends Middle East Troop Deployments Into 2027 as Iran War Drags On from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Costco imposes purchase limits on motor oil, hikes prices by nearly double from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· As gas averages $4.31 nationwide, diesel fuel hits all-time high: "It's painful. It's real hard" from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Costco Raises Motor Oil Price, Caps Customer Purchases As Iran War Drags On from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· 'Can't Message That Away': GOP Frets as Trump Administration Desperately Spins Record-High Diesel Prices from the morgue, 5 Sep 2026
· European Union member states agree to a natural gas price cap in an attempt to limit economic damage from the global energy crisis. The price cap can be triggered beginning on February 15, if for thre from the morgue, 19 Dec 2022
· Spike on 10-year bond yields renews concerns over U.S. debt from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· 10-Year Treasury Yield Reaches 5%, Highest Level in Years from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Treasury reveals $6B in debt buybacks, triple the normal level – but markets slump from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Trump blames rise in diesel prices on Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Trump blames rising diesel price on Russia-Ukraine war from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· What Is Driving Diesel Prices Up? Energy Chaos Caused by Two Wars. from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.