TOP STORIES
Iran Has a Secret Weapon in Its War With America: Help from China | Wall Street Journal
“This summer, when the U.S. and Iran signed a temporary truce, China touted its role in easing tensions in the Middle East. It said its foreign ministry made dozens of calls to nudge peace along, and that President Xi Jinping himself had intervened with suggestions to end the fighting. That same day, a plane from China landed in Tehran. It carried a shipment for Iran’s Ministry of Defense that included electronics components that can be used to make parts for drones and missile guidance systems, according to Iranian customs data analyzed by The Wall Street Journal. It was one of around 1,300 shipments that included ‘dual use’ components from China to Iran’s defense ministry this year through the end of June, customs data show. Two days after the electronics components shipment, there were more than a dozen other shipments carrying parts worth more than $6 million that can be used in drones.”
Iran Threatens to Expand War to Indian Ocean If US Attacks Again | Straits Times
“An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Sept 24 that Tehran may expand the Middle East war to the Indian Ocean if the United States attacks again.”
Iran Flew IRGC Commanders, Missile Gear to Yemen’s Houthis, Sources Say
“Iran flew Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen this month, according to four sources, in a move that suggests Tehran is seeking to strengthen the ability of its Houthi allies to threaten Red Sea shipping.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Araghchi Engaged with Witkoff Without Authorization, IRGC-Affiliated Agency Claims | Al Arabiya
“Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), expressed skepticism about Tasnim’s report, saying Rezaei’s remarks suggested that the talks were known to and coordinated with the Supreme National Security Council. The Tasnim report ‘could be an attempt by some factions within the IRGC to muddy the waters and cause political problems at home for Araghchi and (President Masoud) Pezeshkian,’ Brodsky told Al Arabiya English. ‘In sum, I doubt Araghchi and Pezeshkian are freelancing,’ he said.”
Interview with UANI Director of IRGC Research Kasra Aarabi | Newsmax
“A deal with Iran is only possible through the annihilation of the Islamic Republic regime because there is nothing Iranian about the Islamic Republic.”
A New Strategy to Instill Loyalty in Iran | UANI Senior Advisor Saeid Golkar for Persuasion
“The creation of a police high school in the Islamic Republic of Iran marks a new attempt to recruit personnel and professionalize the force. The Police Commander recently declared that initially 400 students will be admitted to police schools in three provinces, Tehran, Alborz, and Qom. While the stated aim is to educate the elite, build disciplinary knowledge, and train the next generation of police, the political importance of this plan is much greater than the number of students or the quality of education. The creation of a police high school should be seen as a continuation of the Islamic Republic’s reliance on security and coercion for the survival of the regime—but with one difference. In the past, the government’s main problem was recruiting loyal individuals for the police. Now, it seems that the Iranian police are trying to develop and train their people much earlier, starting in the teenage years, before inducting them into a police environment.”
American Delegate Walks Out of UNGA Speech as Iran’s President Makes This Claim | Townhall
“A member of the United States delegation at the United Nations exited Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s address to the general assembly meeting on Wednesday. . . . ‘The U.S. rightfully walks out on [Iran’s] regime’s president’s speech during [UNGA],’ Jason Brodsky, policy director for United Against Nuclear Iran, wrote.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
UAE Central Bank Bars Bank Melli Iran from Operating | Iran International
“The UAE central bank on Wednesday barred Bank Melli Iran from operating in the country, citing non-compliance with regulations. The move comes after the United States sanctioned Reza Mohammad Taeedi, manager of Bank Melli’s Dubai branch, on August 28 as part of its Operation Economic Outcast campaign. The US Treasury said Bank Melli had facilitated billions of dollars in transactions through accounts controlled by the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force.”
UAE Said to Halt Flights by Iranian Airlines to Comply with US Sanctions | Agence France-Presse
“Iranian media says that the United Arab Emirates has suspended flights operated by Iran’s airlines to comply with US sanctions.”
Iranian Airlines’ Flights to Azerbaijan Suspended over US Sanctions | Iran International
“Flights by Iranian airlines to Azerbaijan have been temporarily suspended from Tuesday because of US sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector, Azerbaijan’s State Civil Aviation Agency said.”
“A Tehran-Dushanbe flight was forced to return to Imam Khomeini International Airport after Turkmenistan did not grant Iranian airlines permission to cross its airspace, Iran's Civil Aviation Organization said on Thursday.”
Canada Sanctions Iran’s Interior Minister and Nine Others over Repression and Censorship | IranWire
“The Canadian government has sanctioned Eskandar Momeni, the Interior Minister of the Islamic Republic, along with nine other Iranian individuals and entities, over their involvement in ‘violent repression,’ censorship, and the restriction of fundamental freedoms.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
“Eight US Navy personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during a period that included when the ships undertook combat operations against Iran and the carrier set a modern record for its time at sea, according to a letter from the service’s acting secretary, which was obtained by CNN. . . . The rate of suicide attempts among the Lincoln strike group’s sailors was roughly consistent with that of the entire active duty Navy in 2024, the most recent year for which the Pentagon has released suicide data.”
Iran Threatens to Paralyse Airports in Neighbouring Countries If They Stop Iranian Flights | Reuters
“If neighbouring countries cooperate with the United States by stopping Iranian flights, Iran will ensure their airports cannot function, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in an interview with state TV on Wednesday.”
DIPLOMACY
Trump Aides Seek to Jump-Start Diplomacy with Iran as Crisis Widens | New York Times
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that U.S. negotiators had tried to jump start diplomacy with Iran on its nuclear program through talks on the side of a United Nations summit the previous day. . . . Mr. Rubio said the information he has received about on the meeting is that ‘basically it was a continuation of conversations that have occurred in the past with people involved in those conversations.’”
Rezaei Says US Given 4–5 Days to Meet Iran’s Conditions | Iran International
“Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said in an interview with state television that Tehran had given the United States four to five days to meet its conditions, linking any further negotiations and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to Washington’s response.”
Iran Denies Dropping Preconditions amid ‘Very Productive’ Three-Hour UN Talks in New York | Guardian
“Iran has pushed back on claims that it dropped former preconditions for reopening the strait of Hormuz in surprise talks held in New York under the mediation of Qatar between Tehran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Trump said the three-hour talks held in a room at the UN headquarters had gone very well and been very productive. He suggested further talks were possible imminently . . .”
“‘Iran must be powerful so as to avoid being threatened, to avoid its future being threatened,’ he said. ‘A world without power is dangerous, but a world that only understands the language of war and bullying will not be safe.’ Pezeshkian touched on Iran’s nuclear program, a key sticking point in talks, describing ‘peaceful nuclear technologies’ as an inherent right. He said Iran would not seek nuclear weapons, reiterating a long-held position.”
Iran’s President Says Open to Talks but Won’t Bow to U.S. | Wall Street Journal
“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that Iran is ready for negotiations to end the conflict with the U.S. but warned that Tehran will never surrender to what he called Washington’s bullying, or give up its nuclear program.”
Iran President: We Have Been “Victims of Terrorism” | Axios
“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian forcefully rejected President Trump’s portrayal of Iran as a source of terrorism at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, insisting instead that Iranians are ‘victims of terrorism.’”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Says He Discussed Keeping Tension Low with Iranian Counterpart | Reuters
“Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday he discussed ways of keeping tension in check at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran’s Supreme Court Suspends Death Sentence of Female Political Prisoner | IranWire
“The death sentence of political prisoner Arghavan Fallahi, currently held in Evin Prison, has been suspended following the Supreme Court’s acceptance of her request for a retrial. Her case will now be sent to a court of equal jurisdiction for a new trial. . . . Fallahi was previously arrested during the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ protests. During her subsequent arrest in February 2025, she was transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison. Following this new ruling by the Supreme Court, her judicial fate now rests on the outcome of the retrial.”
‘I Was Drowning’: Iran Nobel Winner Exposes Pain of Separation from Children | Al-Monitor
“Iranian Nobel peace prize winner Narges Mohammadi has said her biggest fear is dying without seeing her two children again after being separated from the twins for over a decade, in her memoir published on Thursday. In the book, ‘A Woman Never Stops Fighting,’ Mohammadi, the 2023 laureate who has spent most of the last decade in-and-out of prison for her human rights campaigning, reveals both the defiance and the pain of her struggle.
CYBER WARFARE
Iranian Hacker in IRGC-Linked Cyber Case to Be Extradited to US | Iran International
“Montenegro will extradite Iranian-Turkish hacker Amir Barati to the United States, where he faces charges over a sweeping cyber campaign that US prosecutors say stole research and data for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and other entities.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Education for the Rich? Iran’s Private School Fees Surge as Inequality Deepens | IranWire
“Less than four years ago, tragic news made headlines. Meysam, a 17-year-old high school student from Karaj, set his non-profit private school on fire with the help of three friends after he was barred from continuing his education and had his academic records withheld due to unpaid tuition. He cited his family’s inability to pay the 3-million-toman tuition fee as the reason behind his act, a bitter story of retaliation that exposed a deep wound in the country’s educational system.Today, that 3-million-toman fee feels like an ancient memory, and news of school arson no longer makes headlines. Education appears to have transformed from a universal right into a class-based luxury commodity.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
“The US Senate could vote as soon as Thursday to tell President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran or get Congress’ authorization to continue it, as Democrats tee up a vote on the unpopular conflict before November’s midterm elections. With polls showing Trump's Republicans struggling to keep their slim congressional majorities on November 3, more of them have been edging away from the war, which has pushed up fuel prices.”
Johnson Calls for ‘Resolution’ of Iran War | The Hill
“Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is urging ‘a resolution’ to the Iran war, sending the strongest signal to date that Republicans on Capitol Hill are feeling the political sting of the long-drawn conflict heading into the midterm elections.”
Trump Should Press Xi to Stop Support for Iran, Democratic Senator Says | Reuters
“US Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said on Wednesday President Donald Trump should press Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit this week over China’s support for Iran, saying that Chinese firms were helping Tehran economically and militarily.”