• US President Donald Trump has extended US sanctions on Iran by five years, replacing their 2026 expiry date with 2031.

Trump’s new sanctions law mean for Iran and its trading partners

US President Donald Trump has signed into law the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which expands sanctions and tariffs on Russia while extending existing sanctions on Iran. The White House said Trump signed the measure on Friday.

For Iran, the law extends the Iran Sanctions Act for another five years, keeping key sanctions authorities against Tehran in place until 2031. The legislation does not create a new sanctions regime for Iran, but prolongs existing powers that allow Washington to target foreign companies and individuals involved in certain dealings with Iran’s energy sector.

That includes businesses involved in buying, transporting, financing or insuring Iranian petroleum, as well as investment in some petroleum projects.

China is by far Iran’s largest oil customer, with the US Treasury saying it purchases about 90 percent of Iranian oil exports. US sanctions have also targeted oil brokers, shipping companies and tanker operators based in the UAE, Hong Kong and India over their alleged role in Iranian petroleum sales and transportation.

Penalties can include restrictions on access to US financial institutions, dollar transactions and property under US jurisdiction.

The extension therefore keeps the threat of secondary US sanctions hanging over foreign companies and financial institutions doing sanctionable business with Iran through 2031.

Trump’s upcoming UN speech to highlight Iran war

United States President Donald Trump will take part in multilateral meetings with Gulf leaders at next week’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), according to Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN.

He said Trump’s UN speech would highlight his administration’s efforts to address international conflicts and other issues it considers to have been “neglected” by previous administrations.

He said Trump would discuss the need to ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon, and highlight US actions over the past year, including in the Western Hemisphere, and progress on the administration’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.

Trump is due to meet British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the sidelines of UNGA on Tuesday, Waltz said.

United Nations says US may have committed war crimes in Iran

A United Nations-mandated fact-finding mission has concluded that the United States may have committed war crimes when it carried out two strikes on Iran in February – one on a primary school in Minab and another on a sports complex in Lamerd.

The mission said there were reasonable grounds to believe the US acted “recklessly” in the strikes. Investigators said Washington failed to do everything feasible to verify that the Minab school, whose civilian nature was apparent, was a military objective.

The school was struck twice on February 28. Local officials put the death toll at 156, including 120 schoolchildren and 26 female teachers, while independent sources cited by the UN mission put the toll at 157.

The White House has rejected the findings. The mission concluded both incidents could meet the legal threshold for the war crime of launching an indiscriminate attack.

The cost of Trump's war on Iran

The war on Iran has cost the US an estimated $43.6bn as of September 3, with bombs, missiles and other munitions accounting for more than 60 percent of the expenses, the Pentagon told Congress this week, according to reports in numerous US media outlets.

The figure does not include an additional $1.5bn for extra fuel and the cost of repairing US facilities damaged during the war, the reports said.

Earlier in the week, Al Jazeera published a detailed breakdown of all the losses that the US has incurred in the war so far.

Efforts ongoing to return to Islamabad MoU, says Iran’s Interior Ministry

Ali Zeynivand, a spokesperson for Iran’s Interior Ministry, says, “Efforts and international diplomatic mediations to resolve issues and return to the Islamabad agreement are ongoing.”

Iran demands that “the other party adhere to its commitments in this agreement”, said Zeynivand in a news briefing, reported the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The official stressed it was an “agreement that has been approved by the Supreme National Security Council and confirmed by the supreme leader, and is considered an official decision of the system”.

“Active diplomacy continues with the president’s participation in the Shanghai and BRICS meetings in India and Kyrgyzstan, and through intensive consultations,” he added.

‘Rising prices are causing concern for the people,’ says Iran’s Interior Ministry

Ali Zeynivand, a spokesperson for Iran’s Interior Ministry, has said rebuilding damaged civilian infrastructure is the country’s “top priority in its post-war program”.

“Repairing residential homes and public service facilities, such as police stations, takes precedence over any nonessential government projects,” he said at a news briefing, as reported by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Zeynivand said nearly 75,000 “residential units, along with some infrastructure and connecting bridges in provinces, including Hormozgan and Golestan, have been damaged as a result of the enemy’s attacks”.

Referring to record-high inflation in Iran, after decades of Western sanctions, the spokesperson said, “Rising prices are causing concern for the people, and all officials are working to address this issue.”

Foreign ministers of Iran and Pakistan discuss ‘regional developments’

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has spoken by phone with his Pakistani counterpart, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, according to the Tasnim news agency.

The top diplomats discussed issues of mutual interest and the latest developments in the region, Iranian media quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying.

Pakistani FM stresses ‘dialogue and diplomacy’ in call with Iran’s Araghchi

In the call we reported earlier, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, “discussed the latest regional developments”, Dar’s office in Islamabad has said in a statement.

The minister said he “stressed the importance of uninterrupted energy supplies and the safe and expeditious passage of ships, particularly given their implications for developing countries and global supply chains”.

Dar also “underscored that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable means to ensure peace and stability in the region”, the ministry said in the statement.

The leaders “agreed to maintain close cooperation” and to meet in New York on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly, the statement added.

Middle East’s security ‘cannot be dictated from outside the region’, says Iran FM Araghchi

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, “Sustainable security in the Middle East cannot be dictated from outside the region.”

Speaking virtually at Indonesia’s Global Town Hall 2026 event, he said, “If international law is ignored when the interests of great powers demand it, then there can be no talk of the rule of law”, adding that if bodies like the UN “fail to stand up to aggression and hold perpetrators of international law accountable, it is natural that the credibility and legitimacy of these institutions will suffer”.

Araghchi stressed that the world needs “multilateralism more than ever” now.

“We must accept that every war has a cost far beyond the battlefield,” Araghchi said. Taxpayers pay the cost of wars, but common people pay the heaviest price with their lives, blood, homes, futures and security.

“We believe that sustainable security can be achieved through dialogue, trust-building, cooperation, and mutual respect among the countries of the region, not through the military presence of foreign powers and the imposition of their will,” he concluded.

Oman and Germany discuss ways to ‘resume freedom of navigation’ in Strait of Hormuz

Oman’s foreign minister has spoken with his German counterpart about ways to “resume freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz.

A readout from Oman’s Foreign Ministry said Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi and Johann Wadephul also discussed ways to “reduce tensions and escalation” and enhance regional security.

Oman has played a key mediating role in efforts to restore commercial traffic through the strait, including talks with Iran on temporary shipping routes, as Iranian restrictions on the waterway and a US naval blockade of Iran continue.

US military says volume of trade passing through Hormuz is at highest level in six months

US Central Command (CENTCOM) says the volume of crude oil, cargo and liquefied natural gas passing through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two weeks is at its highest level in six months.

In a statement posted on X, Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM’s commander, said the US military had assisted in the transport of more than one billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months, adding that it had provided protection for more than 2,000 commercial ship transits through the strait.

Cooper also said the main transit lanes of the strategic waterway were now clear of mines.

“We’re also working with every partner in the region, enhancing their air defence, forming a new coalition attack drone unit and keeping the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters open and clear,” Cooper said.

The claim has been disputed by experts and independent maritime traffic watchdogs.

Iranian oil sales reach two-year high despite US blockade, says government department

Iran’s Plan and Budget Organization says oil sales have reached a two-year high despite the US naval blockade aimed at preventing Iranian exports.

Oil sales exceeded $3bn in September, the highest monthly figure in two years, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

The report does not state how Iran has continued to export oil despite the US blockade.

Analysts previously suggested Iran could maintain some of its oil sales during the blockade because the government had oil tankers already at sea. However, it is not clear if that is still the case.

Unverified reports say Tehran is allowing Iraqi ships carrying Iranian oil to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran disputes Centcom’s claim of escorting more than a billion oil barrels through Hormuz Strait

Iran’s military disputes Centcom’s claim to have escorted more than a billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

In comments carried by Fars news agency, senior spokesman for Iran’s armed forces Abolfazl Shekarchi said the claim was a “failed psychological operation” to boost the morale of US forces and justify “exorbitant financial and human costs” of the war.

Centcom said earlier that it had moved more than a billion barrels of oil through the strait over two months, protected more than 2,000 commercial transits, and cleared the main lanes of mines.

Iranian FM accuses French counterpart of ‘crocodile tears,’ cites attack on Minab school

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused his French counterpart of hypocrisy after Jean-Noel Barrot honored Mahsa “Jina” Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran four years ago.

“1.5mn Algerians were slaughtered by France in their War of Independence,” Araghchi posted on X.

“Less than 1/10 of them have been recorded by Paris, which refuses any apology for its colonial crimes. Stop your crocodile tears @jnbarrot. Your silence when the US massacred our school kids said it all.”

Araghchi was referring to the February 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab. Local officials put the death toll at 156, including 120 schoolchildren and 26 female teachers.

Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of Amini’s death. She was detained by Iran’s so-called morality police for allegedly wearing her mandatory hijab improperly. Amnesty International says there are credible reports that Amini was tortured and subjected to other forms of ill treatment. She fell into a coma and died at Kasra Hospital on September 16, 2022.

France had used toxic gas during that war, a documentary that we have shows.

Iran’s Rezaei about conditions for resuming talks

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, has setting out Tehran’s conditions for negotiation, its strategy towards Washington and its readiness for a decisive war.

Rezaei said consultations with Qatari and Pakistani mediators are ongoing, and that Iran has conveyed its conditions for negotiation to them.

It is in Washington’s interest to accept Iran’s conditions for exiting the war, he said. Trump’s threats will yield no results, and Iran is prepared for a decisive war.

Iran has become convinced of the need to change its strategy towards Washington following the US withdrawal from the memorandum of understanding, Rezaei said.

He said the US president’s assessments and calculations regarding Iran were flawed, and that the war was instigated by Netanyahu.

Iran knows the US military’s vulnerabilities and is more prepared than ever to counter its air strikes, he said, adding that it recently tested an anti-ship missile near a US aircraft carrier.

Iran is serious about defence, Rezaei said, and if attacked, will strike US bases and Washington’s interests in the region with greater force.

He spelled out Iran’s conditions for ending the war, naming them as “the end of the war on all fronts, the release of frozen assets and the end of the naval blockade”.

Rezaei also said that Iran seeks an end to the war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis, adding that he believes that the Houthis also seek an agreement with Saudi Arabia.

"...the war was instigated by Netanyahu."

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Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson accuses White House of ‘projection’ over Iran accusations

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has accused the Trump administration of “projection,” saying US accusations against Tehran describe “the very actions the United States itself has initiated, perpetrated, or supported”.

In a post on X, he called the White House’s list of accusations against Iran a “flight from reality,” citing the Bible verse: “‘The wicked flee when no one is pursuing’ (Proverbs 28:1).”

Senior Iranian officials approve legal provision regulating data routing through Hormuz

A special committee of senior Iranian officials has approved a legal provision stipulating that the routing of data cables through the Strait of Hormuz must be approved by Tehran, the semi-official Fars news agency reports.

The committee comprised officials from the Ministry of Intelligence, the Ministry of Defense, and the Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs.

The provision, known formally as Article 10, will also cover other forms of data communications equipment passing through the strait, Fars reported.

The precise details of the legislation are due to be set out in a series of regulations.

Iranian FM spokesperson says attending UN General Assembly is country’s right

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei says attending the UN General Assembly is Tehran’s right after the US confirmed it had granted visas to the Iranian delegation due to travel to New York for next week’s summit.

“A trip to New York holds no appeal for Iranian diplomats, yet it is a bastion that must not be abandoned,” Baghaei said, in comments reported by the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).

“Participating in the UN summit is our right, and at this gathering, we must loudly proclaim the righteousness of the Iranian nation. We must certainly ensure that the trip to New York conveys no signal that the enemy could interpret as a sign of weakness on the Iranian side. No signal should be sent other than one reflecting Iran’s true power and authority,” he added, ISNA reported.

Pakistani Interior Minister to visit Tehran on Sunday to discuss bilateral relations

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has told state TV that Pakistan’s interior minister will visit the country on Sunday.

Baghaei said Mohsin Naqvi’s trip to Tehran will focus on bilateral relations and that there are no plans to exchange any specific messages about mediation efforts to end the war

Iran not expecting Pakistani Interior Minister to deliver message on behalf of US

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is due to visit Tehran tomorrow to meet senior Iranian officials and discuss bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has told state TV that he is not expecting Naqvi to deliver a message on behalf of the US.

“It is natural for Pakistan, as a mediator in the region, to find opportunities to discuss regional issues. However, there are currently no signs of a message or proposal from the United States being conveyed,” Baghaei said.

“The main goal of this visit is to follow up on previous agreements between the two countries, especially those made at the leadership level,” he added.

Iran still balancing call for diplomacy with readiness for ‘decisive’ war

This is essentially the same rhetoric that we have been hearing from the Iranian officials since the beginning of the confrontation, a simultaneous two-sided message.

Mohsen Rezaei, the Supreme National Security Council secretary, came out during his exclusive interview with Al Jazeera to say that right now mediated diplomacy has been underway with Qataris and Pakistanis, who are mediating the talks between Tehran and Washington, which leaves the door for diplomacy neither open nor closed, but rather ajar.

On the other hand, he is talking about preparation for what he called a decisive war, in line with the same rhetoric that we have been hearing from Iranian military officials, specifically in the past few weeks.

They have been talking about a sort of change from a defensive approach to a rather offensive one, seeing the latest developments on the ground.

Three important conditions are set here by Mohsen Rezaei during this exclusive interview. First, he is calling for a halting of war… across the region, specifically with a focus on the Yemeni front.

Second, he is talking about the frozen assets of the country and the need for these assets to be released.

And third, he is also talking about the ending of the naval blockade, which is critically important, a key point of concern for Tehran, seeing the role when it comes to this naval blockade and its impact on Iran’s oil exports in this crippling economic situation for the country.

Turkey FM: US-Iran talks stalled amid growing distrust

Turkey’s foreign minister says talks between the United States and Iran remain stalled after months of deadlock, warning that the conflict’s economic fallout has begun to exceed what affected countries can tolerate.

In an interview with Turkish television channel NTV, Hakan Fidan said the effects are visible “not only in the exchange of attacks but also in the fact that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait has now been opened by Yemen,” warning of a “move to gradually expand the conflict to Saudi Arabia.” He said Turkey is focused on helping the US-Iran negotiations reach a conclusion, but that “there is a significant lack of trust between the parties”.

Fidan said an understanding had been reached in Pakistan regarding the Mecca agreement, but “discrepancies emerged” in its implementation, with both sides now “interpreting the ongoing process differently, each in its own interest.” However, Fidan clarified that the Mecca alliance has “strong will” behind it and that work is nearing completion on institutionalising it, including establishing a General Secretariat and an associated military headquarters.

Separately, Ankara is “closely monitoring” Israeli statements portraying Turkey as a threat, which it linked to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “declaring himself indispensable in order to bolster his political standing within Israel”.

Turkey FM Fidan: Saudi Arabia should be ‘kept out’ of the US-Iran war

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has condemned alleged attacks on Saudi Arabia targeting Mecca and oil infrastructure, saying the kingdom should be kept out of the conflict between Iran and the United States.

“We’re [seeing] very dangerous attacks targeting the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and infrastructure of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. When we examine our agreements, we see that there is a mutual responsibility of alliance between the nations involved,” Fidan said in an interview with Turkish television channel NTV.

“We do not accept this being made part of the ongoing dispute and conflict between Iran and the United States; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should be kept out of this equation, as it does not seek to be involved in it,” he said.

Fidan also pointed to the compounding effect of energy infrastructure attacks in the Russia-Ukraine war, saying serious interruptions and stoppages in supply routes are creating “an extremely difficult situation” for countries like Turkey that rely heavily on imported energy.

Turkish foreign minister says new conditions to end war sent to US and Iran

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan about the US-Israeli war on Iran and the regional spillover.

We can now bring you more of his remarks.

Fidan told Turkish television channel NTV that Turkey and other countries have proposed new conditions to the US and Iran to end the war.

“Turkey and other countries are presenting proposals and are making every effort to bring the negotiations between the United States and Iran to a conclusion,” Fidan told NTV.

“But there is a strong distrust between the parties. They had previously reached an agreement in Pakistan, but then problems arose in its implementation. Now both sides are clearly trying to advance this process in a way that will secure their interests.”

Iran’s security chief conveys conditions for ending the war

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei says conditions have been conveyed to the US via mediators Qatar and Pakistan. They include the lifting of a US naval blockade and an end to the war on all fronts.

Iran believes it has leverage to hold firm in talks, analyst says

Stephen Zunes, founding chair of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco, says Iran’s largely unchanged conditions for ending the war suggest Tehran believes it has gained leverage and sees little reason to compromise.

“I think they feel like they have the upper hand,” Zunes said, pointing to Iran’s ability to widen the war, target US bases and disrupt global trade.

He said Tehran appears to believe the pressure created by the war could eventually force Washington to consider a compromise.

Zunes did, however, point to one possible sign of flexibility: the absence of a previous Iranian demand for compensation for war damage.

“I think they realize that that was pretty unrealistic,” he said, arguing that Tehran may instead be counting on sanctions relief and renewed foreign investment to finance reconstruction.

No sign US-Iran deadlock will break soon, expert says

Stephen Zunes, founding chair of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco, says he sees little sign that the current US-Iran deadlock will break in the coming weeks.

“Unfortunately, no,” Zunes said when asked whether either side appeared ready to shift its position.

He said Iran was prepared to endure “increasingly tightening sanctions” and even risk further damage if fighting flares up again, while the Trump administration also appears unwilling to make significant concessions.

Zunes said Iran’s demand for the war to end “on all fronts” could now extend to Yemen, where fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has intensified.

A ceasefire in place, he argued, would be “to the Houthis’ advantage” following their recent advances and could, by extension, strengthen Iran’s regional position.

Soaring car prices force Iranians into difficult financial choices

Domestic car prices have mostly risen 40 to 80 percent since the start of the war, while some vehicles sell for more than 130 percent of their September 2025 costs.

The costs of maintaining the vehicles are also rising much faster than people’s salaries. Domestically produced tyres, motor oil, brake pads and clutch kits have at least doubled since last year, with some car parts having more than tripled in price.

Domestic vehicles have generally low safety standards, meaning that they contribute to staggering road accident deaths. At least 1,609 Iranians have been killed so far on intercity roads in the current month of Shahrivar of the solar Hijri calendar, which ends on September 22.

Experts say, due to a combination of protected state-linked businesses, privileged access, economic isolation and a curtailing of imports, Iranian households have no choice but to pay exorbitant prices – compared with their salaries – to buy low-quality cars.