• Iran says it has learned that the US may be planning a new round of strikes, and warns it will retaliate “without limitations” if Washington follows through.
• US President Donald Trump tells Fox News that the only options on the table in relation to the war are “to obliterate Iran, letting it rot economically, or reach a deal”.
• Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani warns against “cycles of escalation” in the Gulf, saying the region needs a “framework in which sovereignty is respected” and no state can pose a “threat to another”.

UKMTO says independent data indicates Hormuz traffic far below US figures

The United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) says independent tracking shows far fewer vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz than the US military has reported.

It said the data shows “single-digit numbers transiting in both directions”, while figures from the US Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping indicate traffic has averaged more than 30 transits a day over the past 72 hours.

Either way, the UKMTO said traffic remains below pre-war levels, and its threat level for the region remains “severe”, with persistent attacks, attempted attacks and harassment by Iran.

It said that at least three attacks were reported in the last 72 hours, with one attack on September 18 that caused a fire on board a tanker.

“These actions continue to demonstrate Iran’s intent to assert presence along key transit lanes and maintain pressure on transiting vessels,” it said.

The UKMTO added that traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and southern Red Sea has also remained at “reduced levels” since July, but said no new attacks have been reported in the last few days.

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.

Iraq says most cargo vessels transiting Hormuz belong to its fleet

Oil Minister Bassem Mohammad Khadeer says the majority of oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz belong to Iraq.

Iraq managed to export four million barrels of oil in a single day in September, Kadeer said, adding the daily average this month stands at 2.6 million barrels a day.

At the beginning of September, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said “at least 10 million barrels” were passing through the strait each day.

Before the US-Israel attack on Iran, an estimated 20 million barrels of oil transited Hormuz daily. Control of the strait is a major stumbling block in efforts to draw the US war on Iran to a close.

Weekend ship traffic through Strait of Hormuz drops

A total of 12 commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and Sunday, the Reuters news agency reports, citing the latest shipping data.

That’s down by nearly two-thirds from the 35 vessels that transited the waterway the previous weekend.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed “until the US fulfils its commitments” under the interim peace deal signed in June.

The US also continues to enforce a blockade on Iran’s southern ports.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said the threat level in the waterway remains severe, with at least three attacks reported on ships in the past three days.

Iran’s latest conditions to end its war with the US

Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei has laid out Tehran’s latest set of conditions to end its war with the United States.

Rezaei said that Tehran has conveyed its conditions to the US via Qatari mediators, but added that Tehran was more battle-hardened now than in the first 40 days of the war, which began in late February following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

He said the demands include:

• An end to the war on all fronts, including, in particular, Lebanon.
• The release of its frozen funds that run into billions of US dollars.
• An end to the naval blockade on Iranian ports.
• An end to US interference in Iran’s internal affairs.
• An end to US cooperation with “the opponents of our revolution”.
• An end to all US attacks on Iranian territory.
• “It is in Washington’s interest to accept these conditions. Trump’s threats will not achieve any results. We are prepared for a decisive war,” said the security chief.

Europe faces jet fuel shortage in fourth quarter amid war on Iran

Europe is facing a fourth-quarter jet fuel deficit this year as the US-Israel war on Iran continues to disrupt global supplies, according to Reuters.

Citing data from consultancy Energy Aspects, the agency said Europe will see a deficit of 510,000 barrels per day in the fourth quarter, against surpluses of 18,000bpd in the US and 419,000bpd in Asia Pacific.

The deficit comes despite South Korea boosting its jet fuel exports to Europe. European imports of the fuel from the Asian nation so far in September stand at 129,000bpd, according to commodities intelligence firm Kpler, the highest since October 2022.

The war has cut off almost half of Europe’s jet fuel imports.

US and Iran ‘still looking for room to negotiate’

Mark Pfeifle, a Republican strategist and former White House and national security official, says both Iran and the US are still willing to strike a deal.

“Sometimes in diplomacy it’s what’s taken off the table,” he said.

Pfeifle said that when Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei reiterated his demands for talks with the US, “he kept ending the blockade, releasing the frozen funds [and] stopping the attacks”.

“But he left off reparations and reconstruction money, which tells me that there’s a concrete sign that amongst all the rhetoric, which is still very strident, that the pressure campaign that the US is putting on Iran is having some effect,” he said.

“And it tells me that both sides are still looking for room to negotiate in the coming weeks.”

Qatar PM urges Gulf security framework with Iran

Qatar’s prime minister tells Bloomberg the Gulf won’t be the same as before the war unless there’s a security framework ensuring no one is a threat to each other.

Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in New York, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani says the region needs to have good relations.

Oil prices dip on hopes of boost to diplomacy

Oil prices have fallen to their lowest in more than a week on hopes of diplomacy in the US-Israel war on Iran, and as investors weighed a partial recovery in Saudi shipments despite continued Houthi attacks, according to the Reuters news agency.

Brent crude futures and US West Texas Intermediate crude touched their lowest since September 10 this morning, with Brent at $101.71 a barrel by 02:13 GMT, down $2.16, or 2.08 percent.

US West Texas Intermediate crude lost $2.15, or 2.14 percent, to $98.15 a barrel.

“It seems that a degree of risk premium is being removed from oil prices on hopes that a diplomatic path to de-escalate the US-Iran war may arrive this week,” Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade, told Reuters.

“Whether that hope proves to be warranted or not is another question. Time will tell.”

China’s involvement could help spur US-Iran diplomacy

Mark Pfeifle, a US Republican strategist and former White House and national security official, says that beyond the efforts of mediators Qatar and Pakistan, another development could help push diplomacy between Tehran and Washington, and that is “the movement of China”.

“In this week ahead, I’m really going to be looking at what China says and does,” he said, pointing to Saudi Arabia’s request for Beijing’s help with the Houthis, and the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in the US.

The Houthis “have made a commitment that they’re not attacking the US, which takes the ability of the Iranians to have a two-front war, both in the Red Sea and in the Strait of Hormuz, at least off the table to a degree,” he said.

“Now, the Saudis have asked the Chinese to intervene with the Iranians and to hold back the Houthis. So, you’re seeing for the first time, really, China involving themselves.”

Pfeifle said Trump and Xi are also likely to meet with each other and with Gulf states on the sidelines of this week’s UN summit in New York, “where more pressure could theoretically be put on Iran to come to the negotiation table”.

US envoy says Iran can never have nuclear weapons, door to talks still open

Mike Waltz, the US envoy to the UN, says US President Donald Trump is determined to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon and will continue to apply “maximum pressure to that end”.

In a post on X, Waltz also said the door is still open for Iran to return to the “negotiating table if they do so in good faith”.

The post included a clip of a part of Waltz’s remarks at an event in New York hosted by Al-Monitor. In the footage, Waltz called the US-Israel war on Iran the continuation of a 47-year conflict.

“The president is determined to stay focused on his goals of Iran, the largest and most prolific sponsor of terrorism the world has ever seen, will certainly not be able to hold the world hostage, much less the Strait of Hormuz, under a nuclear umbrella,” he said at the event.

Iran has denied seeking a nuclear weapon and signed a deal with world powers in 2015 to curb its atomic programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump pulled the US out of the accord in his first term, leading to its collapse.

US ambassador to the UN says civilian casualties in Iran ‘unintentional’

The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, says civilian casualties from the US war on Iran are “unintentional and incidental”.

Waltz said that US President Donald Trump will call out the UN at the General Assembly on Tuesday after a UN-mandated probe found the US may have committed war crimes when it carried out two strikes on Iran at the start of the war in February.

“Even when we have civilian casualties – and I’m not saying that’s the case, I think it’s still under investigation by the Pentagon – but even when we have them, it’s unintentional and it’s incidental as part of a conflict, as opposed to the Iranian regime machine-gunning 40,000 of its own people in the span of three or four days,” Waltz claimed in an interview with the New York Post.

In a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, a fact-finding mission on Iran said the US unlawfully struck an Iranian school and sports centre, killing over 120 children.

Qatar says it is working to revive Iran-US talks

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari tells Bloomberg that mediators are shuttling between Tehran and Washington to revive talks, with several proposals being exchanged to bridge differences.

Lawmakers submit bill to pull Iran out of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Lawmakers in Iran have submitted a bill to the Parliament’s Presiding Board seeking the country’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Hossein-Ali Haji Deligani told Parliament the bill is ready to be presented to the floor and requires approval from Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to be put to debate, according to the state-owned Press TV.

“Given the circumstances facing the country and the aggression that the enemy has launched against us on two occasions, remaining in the NPT brings us nothing but losses,” Haji Deligani said.

He also raised a recent decision by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors to report Iran to the UN Security Council for breaching its non-proliferation obligations.

“It seems that we may need to withdraw from the NPT so that we can manage our own affairs ourselves,” said Haji Deligani.

Iran, as a signatory to the NPT, is forbidden from producing nuclear weapons and has repeatedly said it is not manufacturing them.

Mohsen Rezaei, the country’s top security chief, told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Iran’s nuclear doctrine has not changed, but that the country was considering withdrawing from the NPT. “This depends on America’s conduct,” he said.

IRGC says it destroyed a US drone over Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement carried by Iranian news agencies, the IRGC said the US had retired the MQ-1 drones but was forced to put them back into service after losing many of its more advanced MQ-9s.

“Both types are being extensively hunted down by the IRGC’s new air-defence system,” it said.

The US Air Force had retired the MQ-1 Predator variant in 2018.

IRGC says ‘world will be astonished’ by its new weapons capabilities

IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi says there will be “significant changes” in Iran’s defensive and counteroffensive operations in the event of a new attack by the US.

“Those changes include a shift in the geography of war, and a shift in weapons and military equipment,” he told local media. “We will bring new weapons with new capabilities into the battlefield, and the world will be astonished.”

He added, “Our targets are also no longer necessarily the same [as the] previous targets. We have new targets that have not yet been struck.”

IRGC says US lacks courage to admit defeat in war

IRGC spokesperson, Hossein Mohebbi, said “The United States has been defeated in this war, and its defeat is also a historic and humiliating defeat, but it does not have the courage to admit and accept this defeat,” he said in comments carried by local media.

One sign of that defeat, according to Mohebbi, is Washington’s failure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed in response to the joint US-Israeli war. He said the US brought all its capabilities into play but “could not” reopen the waterway.

He also said US bases across the region became a liability, as the investment made to provide security “was turned into the opposite of security” when the bases came under Iranian attacks.

Mohebbi added that Iranian missiles hit US intelligence centers around the the Gulf and northern Iraq, which he says proved the facilities were not beyond reach and amounted to “a major intelligence defeat” for the US.

‘Limited tools’ for impactful new US military action against Iran

Defense analyst and maritime security expert Alexandru Hudisteanu says any renewed US attacks on Iran would be “more of the same” and unlikely to force Tehran to cave into Washington’s demands.

“The way the US could prosecute this military action would be more of the same because at this point they don’t really have any other tools in the region apart from that we’ve already seen. It’s just a matter of what the intensity of that particular action could be,” Hudisteanu said.

It’s clear at this point the United States failed to “curb Iranian will” and “didn’t really get … what they want out of this particular war”, he added.

Tracking data indicates “there is movement in the air” in the region, Hudisteanu said.

“So that is a fairly good signal that something was happening – not necessarily a campaign in preparation – but that the US is considering it’s military options.”

Iran commander says military ready for ‘enemy’s aggression’ after Trump threat

Major-General Amir Hatami, the Islamic Republic of Iran army commander, says the country’s forces are “fully prepared, vigilant, and ready” to face any renewed attack by the United States or Israel.

“We will not hesitate for a moment to defend Iran’s independence, security, and territorial integrity,” Hatami was quoted as saying by official media, noting the military previously “defended the country’s existence and territorial integrity in the face of enemy’s aggression”.

The comments come during rising concerns throughout the Middle East that the US could launch new military strikes on Iran with the nearly seven-month war in a stalemate.

President Trump on Sunday said he’s in a “deciding mode” over Iran and options include “wiping it out”, economic pressure, or a peace deal.

He added he would be open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City this week.

Pakistan’s interior minister visits Tehran for talks amid rising regional tensions

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is expected in Tehran for talks with Iranian authorities as regional tension escalates.

According to Iran’s state-run news agency, the visit on Monday will focus on “expanding ties and coordinating ongoing matters between the two neighbouring countries.”

Naqvi has made several trips to Tehran since Pakistan began its mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.

The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in Islamabad in June and launched negotiations toward a final agreement. However, the talks later collapsed over disagreements on security guarantees and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistani minister’s Iran visit could ‘untangle’ intricate situation with US

Tehran is hosting a Pakistani delegation headed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and that is critically important considering the mediatory role played by Islamabad when it comes to communications between Iran and the United States.

The Interior Ministry said he was welcomed by his Iranian counterpart and discussions are underway. Iranian officials are saying mediated communications between Washington and Tehran – with the assistance of the Qataris and Pakistanis – continue and this is an important visit by Naqvi.

Iran faces a dilemma between further diplomatic engagement or military posturing that we have been hearing from Tehran about its readiness for a “decisive war”.

It is an extremely intricate situation and this visit could be a step to untangle some of the knots between Iran and the United States in this very complicated environment.

Pakistan says denying right to self-determination thwarts peace

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has reaffirmed Pakistan’s “steadfast commitment to international peace and security and an effective and inclusive multilateral order”.

In a statement to mark the International Day of Peace, he said unresolved disputes “continue to fuel regional and international insecurity”.

“Pakistan believes that durable peace cannot be achieved when the right of peoples to self-determination is denied and UN Security Council resolutions are left unimplemented,” Dar said.

“This is particularly evident in situations of foreign occupation.”

Negotiations scarred by US repeatedly breaking past deals with Iran

Abbas Aslani, a researcher at the Middle East Strategic Studies Centre, says Iran’s willingness to negotiate hinges on the credibility of past agreements with the United States.

He highlighted Washington’s 2015 withdrawal from the earlier nuclear deal as a precedent that undermines trust.

“Iran agreed to open the [Hormuz] Strait and in fact 60 percent of it was reopened,” Aslani said, noting Article 1 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding called for ending hostilities in the region, including in Lebanon, which Israel failed to meet.

Aslani said Article 5 of the deal stated Iran will determine transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz, but this has not been reflected in practice.

“It would be difficult to imagine concessions on the nuclear file because Iran has no guarantees that, if it reaches an agreement, it will end as it did previously – with an Israeli-American attack.”

UN in contact with Pakistan on efforts to end war in Iran: UN spokesman

UN chief Antonio Gutteres has been in touch with Pakistani officials to help efforts to end the US-Iran conflict, says his spokesman.

Stephane Dujarric praised Pakistan’s role in the agreement signed between the US and Iran in June to cease hostilities, which he described as “a great achievement”.

He told a media conference that the re-engagement in talks would help end the conflict between them.

Iran’s president says Tehran, Islamabad grew closer due to US actions

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has told visiting Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi that US actions and pressure have led to a greater rapprochement between Pakistan and Iran, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.

“We believe that US actions and pressures have contributed to greater convergence and continued engagement among Islamic countries, and the numerous meetings and consultations between Iranian and Pakistani delegations are a clear example of this trend,” Pezeshkian said.

Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Monday to hold discussions on bilateral relations.

Qatar working to facilitate ‘even a short-term’ deal between US and Iran

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says the country is working to facilitate an agreement between Tehran and Washington in coordination with Pakistan.

Majed al-Ansari, speaking at the Concordia Summit in New York, said that “Doha is working to mediate and open a path for dialogue between Iran and the US” , adding that Qatar is striving to facilitate the possibility of reaching an agreement, even a short-term one.

Al-Ansari said the conditions for initiating dialogue centre around the opening the Strait of Hormuz and for both sides to refrain from threatening to use military force.

US intelligence bases ‘within reach’ if new attacks launched: IRG

An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman has warned “US intelligence centers are within our reach” as fears of new US-Israel attacks rise in the Middle East.

In comments reported by Iranian Press TV, General Hossein Mohebbi said the “US was forced to relocate troops and equipment from its bases in the region to more distant ones”.

The IRGC is prepared for “a prolonged war”, said Mohebbi.

The statement came after President Trump threatened to relaunch fighting as domestic pressure mounts to end the war that the US and Israel began nearly seven months ago.

IRGC says US, Israel ‘must accept withdrawal’ from region

Iran’s IRGC says the US and Israel must eventually accept withdrawing from the region.

In a statement published by Fars news agency marking national defence week, the Revolutionary Guards said the US and Israel “must accept the region’s freedom from their vile and criminal presence”.

It said Iran’s defence “shattered the flimsy dominance” of the US, Israel and their supporters and “reorganised the region’s security arrangements”.

China’s president to meet Trump in US during global tensions over Iran

China’s leader Xi Jinping will visit the United States this week for talks with President Donald Trump, Beijing confirms.

According to a government statement, the visit will take place from Wednesday to Friday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the two leaders will “have an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning China-US relations and world peace and development” during the ongoing war on Iran.

“I’ll be discussing almost everything with him,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

US pushes China on Iran sanctions ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit

US Treasury Secretary Scott ⁠Bessent says all Iranian airlines will be shut ⁠down on Wednesday because of the threat of secondary sanctions on air services providers.

Bessent said on Monday that Chinese officials have been “very engaged” in the US economic pressure campaign against Iran ahead of a visit to the US next week by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In comments to CNBC, Bessent said on Sunday, when Iranian airlines land at an ⁠airport, “you cannot provide ⁠them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell ⁠them tickets, or you will be knocked ⁠out of the ⁠dollar system”.

He said the US is having positive discussions with Chinese financial authorities, ‌including the People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng, on compliance ‌with ‌US sanctions on Iran.

After the United States launched Operation Economic Outcast to isolate Iran in the global financial system, China said it would continue to work with its ally.

Oil prices decline on hopes for US-Iran diplomacy at UN General Assembly

Oil prices have slid to their lowest in 11 days as ⁠investors hoped for diplomatic progress in the US war on Iran during this week’s UN General Assembly meeting in New York City.

Brent crude futures and US West Texas Intermediate crude touched their lowest ⁠since September 10. The Brent contract for November was at $101.75 a barrel at 08:59 GMT, down $2.12, or 2 percent.

The WTI October contract that expires on Tuesday fell $1.96, or 2 percent, to $98.34 a barrel. The November contract stood at $94.16.

Iran and the US exchanged new threats on Sunday although President Trump said he would be open ‌to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is expected to be in New York.

“It seems that a degree of risk premium is being removed from oil prices on hopes that a diplomatic path to de-escalate the US-Iran war may arrive this week,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.

GCC foreign ministers discuss de-escalation in the region on sidelines of UNGA

The foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states have held a coordination meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the ministers “discussed the latest regional developments, particularly diplomatic efforts and joint coordination aimed at de-escalation and the promotion of security and stability in the region.”

They also reviewed ways to enhance cooperation and joint coordination among GCC states.

Iran says US refused visas to its media team for Pezeshkian’s UNGA visit

The US government did not give visas to members of President Pezeshkian’s media team for the UN General Assembly (UNGA) meetings, despite follow-ups and submitted requests, Habib Abbasi, the director of public relations at the Iranian president’s office, was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

Abbasi characterized the US denial as “an attempt to prevent the Iranian president’s voice and Iran’s narrative from reaching the world”.

Trump wants ‘quick deal’ with Iran

Trump says he is open to the idea of meeting the Iranian president. Certainly this White House, both the previous iteration and the current, has been willing to meet people that have normally been beyond the pale for other administrations.

There’s an acknowledgement by many people that the war with Iran is going to end in some sort of a diplomatic solution rather than military, but Trump still retains the ability to strike Iran.

He says he could make a decision in the next few days to effectively end a country, and he does have that military power and everyone is aware of that, but he would like a deal.

Trump would like to get this done quickly. He’s aware of the impact the war is having on the US economy. He would like to get it done before the midterms, which are six weeks away. That might be a tight timescale, but he really wants to see a big impact on the US economy and that comes with a deal with Iran.

VP Vance blames Iran for higher fuel prices

US Vice President Vance has blamed Iran for rising fuel prices in the US, adding that Tehran was “creating fear and threats in shipping” leading to energy price increases.

Here's how the whole war started

Iran’s foreign minister arrives in New York for UN General Assembly

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly, Iran’s state-run media outlet IRNA reported.

President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to arrive on Tuesday.

The US issued visas to Pezeshkian and Araghchi to attend the General Assembly but imposed travel and purchasing restrictions on the Iranian delegation.

2 crew wounded after cargo vessel hit in Strait of Hormuz

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reports an oil tanker has been “struck by an unknown projectile” while conducting an inbound transit in the Strait of Hormuz.

Military authorities informed UKMTO that two crew members sustained “minor injuries”. The ship is reportedly continuing on to its next port of call.

“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the agency said.

Second tanker hit by ‘unknown projectiles’ in Strait of Hormuz

The UK Maritime Trade Operations says that a second vessel has been hit by “debris from an unknown projectile” in the Strait of Hormuz.

The outbound vessel was near Tawakkul Island when its Master reported the hit.

No injuries or environmental impact have been reported, and the vessel will continue to its next port of call.

This is the second incident today involving ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Kuwait discuss regional tensions

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah has talked to Middle East counterparts on the latest regional developments.

The conversations were held in phone calls with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Turkey, and Kuwait.

During the discussions they reviewed “joint efforts to contain tensions in a manner that contributes to maintaining regional security and stability”, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Leaders from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan last month signed the Mecca agreement, committing to reinforce collective deterrence against any aggression.

‘All Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world’: US

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned Iranian airlines will have trouble functioning globally in two days under the weight of American sanctions.

“All the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” he said in an interview with US broadcaster CNBC.

In an apparent message to countries still hosting flights from Iran’s airlines, Bessent added: “If they land you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets or you will be knocked out of the dollar system.”

On September 8, the US announced a set of sanctions on the Iranian aviation industry that aimed to “ground” the remaining 27 Iranian airlines still flying worldwide.

Iran Air announces continued service to Najaf in Iraq despite US sanctions threat

Iran Air has announced the continued operation of flights from Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan to Najaf in Iraq.

According to the state-run airline’s public relations department, the flights will operate according to the scheduled timetable, despite the threat of US sanctions.

The announcement comes after United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iranian airlines could effectively be shut out of international travel from Wednesday, as Washington threatens foreign companies with secondary sanctions if they continue servicing Iranian carriers.

Iran says negotiating with neighbors to facilitate imports

Iran’s Economy Minister Ali Madani-Zadeh says the country is negotiating with its neighbors to facilitate imports.

Madani-Zadeh said that the ongoing negotiations aim to enable Iran “to overcome these difficult conditions”, according to a report by the Iranian semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

In the latest steps of the pressure campaign, the secretary of the US Treasury said that Iranian airlines could effectively be shut out of international travel from Wednesday.

Iran has not allowed Iraqi tankers through Hormuz, PM says

Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi says Iran has not allowed Iraqi tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Tehran’s goal is to raise global oil prices.

“This is not about being close to them or not. Regardless, they want to create pressure,” al-Zaidi said.

He added that Iraq lost approximately $60bn in revenues since the war began, as well as 60 percent of its monthly export revenue.

US, Israeli vessels and cargo ‘up for sale’, says Iranian judicial official

US and Israeli vessels and cargo confiscated by Iran are “up for sale”, Hassan Abdolianpour, a top Iranian judicial official, has been quoted as saying by Iran’s Mizan news agency.

Abdolianpour, head of the Center for Judiciary Attorneys, did not specify how many US and Israeli vessels Iran had captured but said proceeds from their sales will go to the families of those killed in the US war on Iran.

US defence contractor Lockheed Martin awarded missile contract worth up to $1.2bn

Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defence contractor, says it has secured a US army contract worth up to $1.2 billion to produce the Increment 2 variant of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).

The PrSM, designed to replace the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, is the US army’s next-generation long-range precision strike weapon.

The award comes as Lockheed has ramped up production of the PrSM amid growing demand for long-range strike weapons.

France reaffirms support for GCC states facing Iranian threat

France has affirmed support for GCC states in the face of Iranian attacks after a meeting between the French foreign minister and Gulf Arab counterparts on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasised the need to intensify coordination and joint efforts to address regional crises that threaten the security and stability of the Middle East and impact global supplies, according to a statement.