TOP STORIES
“Satellite imagery and intelligence support provided by Chinese groups has helped Iran threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz and launch precision strikes on US military bases in the Middle East, part of a dramatic improvement in Iranian targeting capabilities over the past several months, according to a series of recent American intelligence assessments described to CNN by four sources. The imagery allowed Iran to strike a US base in Jordan in July, a strike that killed three American service members, with a level of precision US officials believe was otherwise beyond Iran’s capabilities, the sources said.”
US and Iran Discuss Phased Deal to Reopen Hormuz and End US Blockade, Sources Say | Reuters
“US and Iranian negotiators in New York are exploring a phased path out of war that would involve Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting its economic blockade of Iran, sources close to the talks said. . . . A senior Iranian official said the most plausible way to end the impasse would be a phased arrangement, with Iran allowing navigation through Hormuz in return for the US lifting its economic blockade and Tehran potentially gaining access to frozen assets.”
Why the Gulf Wants Trump to Hold the Line on Iran | Wall Street Journal
“Efforts to rekindle talks to end the war between the U.S. and Iran are running into resistance from major Persian Gulf oil producers that have swung against any accommodation of Tehran, people familiar with the matter said. Mediators including Qatar are pressing for a fresh round of talks in Oman as soon as next week to try to get Washington and Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and start the process of winding down the war. . . . Gulf countries generally agree that Trump shouldn’t escalate militarily against Iran. But oil kingpin Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are lobbying the Trump administration to keep up the economic pressure on Iran and not agree to concessions that would ease sanctions or the U.S. Navy blockade, the people said.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
“The conflict with Iran is playing out at sea. While the focus has been on the Strait of Hormuz, a lower-profile maritime front thousands of miles away affects how much control Iran retains. The site is the Malaysian Exclusive Economic Zone of the South China Sea, 100 nautical miles offshore from the Singapore Strait and Malaysia in the Eastern Outer Port Limits. Here lies a floating city of more than 200 tankers, cargo ships and bulk carriers, nearly all of which are linked to Iran. Many of these ships trade energy products in defiance of U.S. sanctions and serve as a lifeline for the regime. Our nonprofit, United Against Nuclear Iran, has identified almost all the ships in this ghost armada through satellite feeds and automatic identification system data, which the Iranian regime regularly manipulates or turns off. This month, our marine tanker tracking team paid a surreptitious visit to the fleet, traveling on a standard rustic supply vessel so as not to attract attention. Only once the team was inside the Eastern Outer Port Limits and near Iranian vessels did it reveal to vessel crews that it was there to track U.S. sanctions evasion.”
Interview with UANI CEO Amb. Mark D. Wallace | Fox News
“[President Trump] is approaching [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping] in a very statesmanlike manner and trying to find a path forward, because there are very significant, interdependent interests between the United States and China, but we have to be tough with China because they are not our friends.”
“Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told JNS that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s United Nations] address carried messages to ‘the international community, antisemites abroad, state threats against Israel and most especially the Iranian people.’ ‘It was unfortunate many U.N. delegates walked out for his speech but stayed for Masoud Pezeshkian’s address after the Iranian regime killed tens of thousands of its own people in January,’ Brodsky told JNS.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
US Receives Nearly $600 Million Worth of Seized Iranian Crude Oil | IranWire
“Tanker-tracking firm TankerTrackers reports that nearly six million barrels of seized Iranian crude oil, valued at approximately $600 million, are currently crossing the Atlantic Ocean, bound for the United States.”
Three Iraqi Airports Suspend Iranian Flights Starting Friday, Sources and State Media Say | Reuters
“Iraq’s Erbil and Sulaimaniya airports suspended Iranian flights starting on Friday, two sources told Reuters, after other Iraqi airports took the same step earlier in the week. The move means that according to sources and state media, flights to and from Iran are suspended from all four Iraqi airports at which they were operating—Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniya.”
UK Escalates Financial Sanctions on 5 Major Iranian Banks | IranWire
“According to published reports, the British government has tightened financial restrictions on five Iranian banks operating in the United Kingdom. . . . On Thursday, September 24, 2026, under a new policy issued by the UK Treasury, new licensing applications from sanctioned banks will be rejected by default.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
Report: Israeli Official Claims Renewed Strikes on Iran ‘Only a Matter of Time’ | Times of Israel
“An Israeli official has claimed that another round of strikes against Iran is ‘only a matter of time,’ saying Tehran is racing to reactivate and fortify its nuclear program in anticipation of a possible attack, Saudi news channel Al-Hadath reported on Thursday.”
At the UN, Netanyahu Says Attacking Iran Was ‘One of the Easiest Decisions’ | ABC News
“An unapologetic Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, defending Israeli military actions in the Middle East while going on the attack against his political enemies. ‘Devastating Iran’s nuclear facilities was hard. It was very hard to do. But for me, it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make as prime minister,’ Netanyahu asserted during his speech. ‘Because if we hadn’t done it, we’d all be dead!’”
DIPLOMACY
Colombia Severs Diplomatic Ties with Iran | 124 News
“Colombia announced Thursday that it had formally severed diplomatic relations with Iran, effective Sept. 19, citing national and hemispheric security concerns and links between Tehran and terrorist and narcoterrorist groups. The Foreign Ministry said it had also considered human rights violations in Iran, attacks on countries outside the Middle East conflict, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and what it described as obstruction of International Atomic Energy Agency efforts to assess Iran’s nuclear program.”
Iranian President Says Country Wants Deal with US Made Before Midterms | The Hill
“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that Tehran is willing to strike a deal with the U.S. before the November midterms, pushing back on President Trump’s claim that the regime is waiting until after Americans hit the polls to settle the conflict. . . . He called for the U.S. to return to a memorandum of understanding reached in June that set the framework for a temporary ceasefire, before it ultimately fell apart.”
“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian flatly denied Thursday that Tehran wants a nuclear bomb while claiming Iran is willing to submit its nuclear program for international inspection, blaming Washington for the nearly seven-month war in the Middle East and accusing it of blocking diplomacy. . . . Pezeshkian indicated Tehran would be open to lowering its enrichment levels and allowing outside verification as part of an effort to ease nuclear tensions.”
Russian, Iranian Foreign Ministers Say Only Diplomatic Solution to Conflict Around Iran | Reuters
“Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart met on Thursday and Moscow said both agreed that only a diplomatic settlement could end tension in the Middle East sparked by the US-Israeli war against Iran.”
Miliband Warns Iran: Britain Will Not Tolerate Intimidation | Telegraph
“Ed Miliband has told Iran that Britain will ‘not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on UK soil.’ The Foreign Secretary held a face-to-face meeting with the Abbas Araghchi, his Iranian counterpart, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday. The Foreign Office said the pair discussed the war in the Middle East, the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the UK’s ‘unwavering resolve to combat threats from Iranian-linked groups on UK soil.’”
PROXY WARS
Houthis Say They Attacked Riyadh and Aramco Facilities in Yanbu | Reuters
“Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Thursday that they had launched missile and drone attacks on what they described as ‘a sensitive target’ in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh and on Saudi Aramco facilities in the Red Sea city of Yanbu. The statement came after Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards the southern province of Taif and Yanbu area on the Red Sea.”
ASSASSINATION THREATS & PLOTS
We Aren’t Trying to Kill Trump, Iran’s President Insists to Reporters at New York Hotel | CNN
“In the wide-ranging session, a day after addressing the UN General Assembly, [Iranian President Masoud] Pezeshkian repeated familiar Iranian positions on the war, its nuclear program and dissent in Iran. He also talked about the effect of sanctions on the Iranian people, and claimed Iran would never try to kill Donald Trump—despite the president and US authorities accusing the regime of plotting his assassination.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Family of Iranian Twins Sentenced to Death and Decades in Jail Ask UN for Help | Guardian
“The family of 21-year-old twins who have been sentenced respectively to death and decades in jail for protesting against the Iranian regime have appealed to the United Nations for help. A formal ‘submission of information’ relating to the case of Taraneh and Romina Rahimi has been submitted by British human right[s] lawyers on their family’s behalf. The move could lead to the UN’s human rights council opening talks with the Iranian regime about resolving the case if it is found to involve human rights violations.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
IRGC Commander Killed in Clashes with Gunmen in Iran’s Restive South-East | The National
“An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander has been killed in fighting with armed men in Iran’s restive south-east province of Sistan and Baluchestan. Brig Gen Hossein Zarifi, head of the IRGC’s Shahid Sajjad base in Saravan, was killed during an operation against what Iranian authorities described as an ‘enemy-backed’ militant group.”
Iran’s President Claims Supreme Leader Khamenei Healthy, Able to Govern | The Hill
“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed Thursday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been absent from public view for months, is ‘completely’ healthy despite reports that he could be deceased or brain-dead.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Senate Defeats Bid to Direct Trump to End Iran War or Seek Approval | New York Times
“The Senate on Thursday narrowly rejected an effort to direct President Trump to end the war in Iran unless he wins authorization for it, defeating a measure aimed at rebuking his handling of a conflict he has continued to wage despite repeated votes by Congress to halt it. The resolution, which passed the House over the summer, failed 50 to 49, with four Republicans—Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina—joining Democrats in support. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the lone Democrat to oppose the measure.”
GOP Senators Dismayed by Trump Embrace of Xi After China Helped Iran Target US Troops | The Hill
“Republican senators are expressing concern and dismay over President Trump’s lavish welcome of Chinese President Xi Jinping to a two-day summit in Washington after it was revealed earlier this month that Iran used Chinese satellite imagery to target U.S. troops in Jordan.”
EUROPE & IRAN
“No proceedings will be taken against an Iranian man after an incident in which two people allegedly attempted to enter the UK's nuclear submarine base, prosecutors have confirmed. The 34-year-old man from Iran and a 31-year-old woman from Romania were arrested on 19 March after police were alerted to an alleged incident at HM Naval Base Clyde, known as Faslane.”