Trump says US negotiating with Russia on Iran and Ukraine

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said the United States is negotiating with Russia on Iran, Ukraine, hostages and diesel, according to Arabic-language Al Jazeera posts on Telegram published on 19 October 2026.

The headline of one Al Jazeera Mubasher post quoted Trump as saying the talks cover those four issues. The post did not give the wording of his remarks, the setting in which he made them, or any detail on the talks.

A separate Al Jazeera Arabic post on Telegram, published three minutes earlier, quoted Trump as saying that Russia had not done anything in Iran, "as far as we have monitored," and that he believed this was "very positive." The post did not say what Russia was or was not doing in Iran, or what monitoring Trump referred to.

Neither post has been confirmed by an official US statement or by a news outlet beyond the Telegram channels. Zenga News has not independently verified the remarks. It is not known whether the two posts refer to the same remarks.

The posts did not say whether Russia or Iran responded. Neither did they set out the status of any hostage case or any diesel arrangement.

Background

Russia and Iran have maintained close ties in recent years, including in defence and energy. Russia is also a central party in the war in Ukraine, which has involved repeated US-led diplomatic efforts. The sources do not link the current remarks to any specific meeting, deadline or agreement.