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US-Iran war

Iran president vows to 'firmly defend' country's positions at UN

  • US, Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb 28, with Trump declaring “major combat operations”
  • Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei martyred in the strikes, and his son Mojtaba succeeded him in March
  • A 2-week ceasefire agreed on April 8, followed by US-Iran face-to-face talks in Pakistan
  • A preliminary agreement reached in June, but renewed fighting and disputes over Strait of Hormuz continued through July
  • The war has now entered its 7th month, with Hormuz remaining at the centre of the crisis

China says opposes 'illegal' US sanctions on Iran airlines

China said it opposed "illegal" US sanctions on Iranian airlines, a day after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened potential measures in a televised interview.

Bessent told CNBC that "all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world" in a matter of days under the weight of American sanctions, as the Trump administration seeks to ramp up pressure on Tehran.

Beijing – a top economic partner and diplomatic backer of Iran – slammed the threats on Tuesday, calling such measures "illegal". 

Saudi civil defence says danger has passed in Najran area following alert

A potential danger has passed in Saudi ‌Arabia's Najran ‌region, civil defence said after ‌an earlier alert ‌was issued, amid ongoing hostilities between the kingdom and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis. 

Iran president vows to 'firmly defend' country's positions at UN

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday vowed to "firmly defend" his country's positions, as he departed for New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

"We emerged with our heads held high, and this is a source of dignity and pride for all of us. Therefore, we will firmly defend our positions in international forums," he said before flying out of Iran, according to footage broadcast by state television.

The president is due to speak at the UN meeting on Wednesday.  

Iran foreign minister arrives in New York for UN General Assembly

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in New York ahead of President Masoud Pezeshkian's expected arrival on Tuesday for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, Iranian state media reported.

Pezeshkian will be the highest-ranking Tehran official to enter the United States since the Middle East war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Iranian state media said that Pezeshkian departed for New York early Tuesday to attend the event and "present the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran." 

Iran's Revolutionary Guard warns US over escalation, and other Mideast developments

A spokesperson for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Mohebbi, said that “the war is not over” and warned that Iran would change its weapons, military tactics and targets if the conflict with the US escalates.

“We will certainly change the geography of the war,” Mohebbi said in a statement carried by Iranian state media. “We will certainly bring new weapons with new capabilities into the battle.” He said the Guard had prepared for a long-term war.

“Our targets will no longer necessarily be the same as before,” he said, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, adding that Iran has targets that have not yet been struck. 

Houthis must 'immediately cease' strikes against Saudi Arabia: G7 foreign ministers

The foreign ministers of the G7 condemned on Monday the "unacceptable continued strikes" waged from Yemen against Saudi Arabia and urged the group to immediately hold fire.

"We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith," the leaders representing Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States said in a statement.

They also called on Iran "to end its arming of and support for the Houthis," alleging Tehran is in violation of past UN Security Council resolutions. 

Iran foreign minister arrives in New York for UN General Assembly

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in New York on Monday, leading Tehran's diplomatic delegation at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, the foreign ministry said.

Araghchi is the highest-ranking Iranian official to enter the United States since the Middle East war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Araghchi spoke by phone with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after his arrival and exchanged views on the agenda of the UN General Assembly, Iranian state television reported.

"Our most important objective is to use a major international platform to defend the legitimacy, rights, and interests of the Iranian people," Araghchi was quoted as telling Iranian journalists. 

Oil rises slightly ahead of potential US-Iran talks

Oil prices gained for the first time in five ?sessions on Tuesday as investors awaited developments on potential US-Iran talks at the United Nations General Assembly ‌this week after more supplies emerged through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.

The Brent crude futures November contract rose $1.14, or 1.1%, to $101.48 a barrel at 0317 GMT. The WTI October contract, which expires on Tuesday, climbed 87 cents, or 0.9%, to $96.65 a barrel. 

EU's Kallas says Red Sea mission needs more than 10 warships

The European Union’s naval mission to protect shipping in the Red Sea would need to boost its numbers to more than 10 warships, its foreign policy chief has said, adding that for now there were not that many in the area, Reuters reports.

The EU’s Aspides mission was launched in 2024 to protect shipping from attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, and diplomats have said there are currently six warships operating.

“When Aspides was put in place, then the indication was that it needs at least 10 ships. The situation, I think, is even more grave right now,” Kaja Kallas told reporters on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

Kallas said the Houthi attacks were affecting European interests and impacting the global economy.

“The EU operation Aspides is making a crucial contribution to the security in the region and global shipping, but the operation needs more naval assets and more air assets to address the increased level of threats in the region,” she said. 

Irish sports figures urge national soccer team to boycott Israel matches

More than 160 Irish sports figures have signed an open letter urging Ireland’s national soccer team to boycott upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Israel.

Irish Sport for Palestine organized the petition, calling a boycott “the most sporting thing you could do.”

The matches are set for Sept. 27 in Hungary and Oct. 4 in Serbia. Both will be played behind closed doors at neutral venues.

“This is a significant moment and with this moment you have an opportunity to do the right thing,” the letter said.

Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson acknowledged that “none of us feel comfortable playing in these games,” while the FAI said the matches must go ahead to protect the team’s standing, Reuters reported Monday.

 

Two Republican Senate candidates call for swift end to Iran war

Two Republicans in tight US Senate races called on Monday ?for a swift end to the war in Iran, the latest sign that vulnerable candidates are trying to put some distance between ‌themselves and President Donald Trump over a conflict that has pushed up fuel prices, including a surge in diesel to record highs.

Both Mike Rogers, locked in a competitive race against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and Ashley Hinson, who is facing Democrat Josh Turek in a close contest in Iowa, struck a more dovish tone on Iran on Monday, ?after previously backing Trump's authority to strike Tehran.

The shift was particularly notable for Hinson, a sitting member of the US House of ?Representatives, who has voted six times against House measures seeking to curb Trump's authority to continue the war, including ?as recently as last week.

"Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the ?war in Iran,” Hinson wrote on social media, while calling for a suspension of gasoline taxes, a pause in diesel exports and other measures, and ?for the war "to be brought to a successful and immediate end."

The remarks underscore growing concern among some vulnerable Republican candidates that the nearly seven-month-old conflict is becoming a political liability ahead of the November midterms, which will determine whether Republicans can hold onto narrow majorities in the House and the Senate. 

Qatar, UAE call for new regional security approach with Iran

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates called for a new regional approach to Iran, including closer dialogue and a broader security framework, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani described the war as a “wake-up call” and said Persian Gulf states needed to “act together responsibly as a region” and maintain good relations with Iran.

Sheikh Mohammed said Persian Gulf countries and Iran needed a common security framework ensuring that none posed a threat to the others, warning that without such an arrangement, “this region will just be continuing in the same way as it used to be.”

UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash separately called for a “new mindset” and said talks on regional stability should take place not only between Washington and Tehran but also “at an Iranian-Arab level.”

The FT also reported that Saudi Arabia has discussed the idea of a non-aggression pact between Middle Eastern states and Iran since the war began.

On Sunday, speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in New York, Sheikh Mohammed was asked whether Tehran was a troublemaker. “With what we have seen and what they have created for the region, and as a response to the American-Israeli war with them in the region, it appears very clearly that they are not a peacemaker,” he said 

Trump, Macron agree to protect Middle East energy sites, Hormuz

President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron met Monday in New York City to discuss regional tensions in the Middle East, agreeing on joint efforts to safeguard global energy supply.

"We decided to act together to ease tensions in the energy markets, by protecting critical infrastructure in the Middle East and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," Macron said in a post on X.

The two leaders met ahead of the U.N. General Assembly's high-level general debate, which begins Tuesday in Manhattan.