TOP STORIES
“It took Houthi rebels less than 48 hours to seize Yemen’s Red Sea coast from pro-government forces in a resounding blow to U.S. interests and Washington’s regional allies. But the Houthis didn’t do it alone. Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisers were in the field helping direct the battle, people familiar with the offensive told The Associated Press, marking Iran’s most direct intervention in favor of its longtime ally since Yemen’s civil war erupted in 2014.”
Iran Flights Head to China and Thailand in Defiance of US Sanctions | Bloomberg
“Iranian airlines continued operating international flights Wednesday, defying a US deadline meant to ground the Middle East nation’s fleet by imposing sanctions on companies that provide services to the carriers. Hours after the new US restrictions started, flight tracking site Flightradar24 showed half-a-dozen services originating in Iran and heading to destinations including Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand; Shanghai; and Kabul, Afghanistan.”
U.S. and Iran Officials Meet in New York to Discuss Ending the War | Axios
“President Trump said U.S. officials met for three hours with the Iranian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner attended the meeting from the U.S. side, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi from the Iran side. ‘Steve and Jared had a very productive meeting today with mediators of Iran,’ Trump said later, before meeting with Arab leaders. ‘I think there’s a lot of momentum for them to make a deal. That’s what we are hearing from everybody.’ . . . Trump said he thinks the U.S. will reach a deal with Iran after the midterms. ‘We will get it done one way or another. We will get it done and get it done fast,’ Trump said.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Interview with UANI Director of IRGC Research Kasra Aarabi | Newsmax
“For the IRGC, ‘negotiations’ aren’t about peace or a lasting deal with the U.S. They’re about buying time, easing pressure and reopening oil exports. Once the money flows again, it reverts to its old ways. The June MoU followed the same playbook.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran Cancels Some International Flights as US Sanctions Bite | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
“Iranian airlines canceled some international flights on September 23 after the United States tightened sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry as part of efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran. Flights from Iran to Baghdad, Muscat, Qatar, Georgia, and Azerbaijan were suspended, a Tehran travel agent told AFP, while services to destinations such as China and Turkey continued despite some cancelations.”
Iran Faces New Restrictions on Its Flight | Wall Street Journal
“Iranian flights are being canceled in several countries as part of an American pressure campaign over the Strait of Hormuz, further squeezing the Islamic Republic as it already contends with a U.S. naval blockade and disruptions at its land borders. Starting Wednesday, foreign companies that provide fueling and other services to Iranian airlines risk facing U.S. secondary sanctions. The U.S. alleges Iranian commercial flights have played a role in transporting weapons and fighters.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
Another U.S. Service Member Dies amid Iran War, Pentagon Tally Shows | Washington Post
“The Pentagon has added one death to its public database of U.S. military fatalities that have occurred amid the war with Iran, bringing the disclosed total to 19. A U.S. defense official, speaking Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because the Pentagon has not publicly announced the death, said that a female Army officer experienced a fatal medical emergency Friday while flying to the Middle East.”
“President Donald Trump issued a stern warning Tuesday for Iran to make a deal soon or face severe consequences for its pursuit of a nuclear weapon. ‘I have a big decision to make: Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before—maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world?’ Trump told the United Nations General Assembly in his morning address. ‘Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?’”
Iran Bill Allows 20% Cargo Seizure for Ships Breaching Hormuz Rules | Iran International
“An Iranian parliamentary committee has approved provisions allowing authorities to seize 20% of the cargo or its value from ships violating Iran’s rules for passage through the Strait of Hormuz and temporarily detain the vessels until the penalty is paid.”
“The conservative daily newspaper Kayhan, published under the supervision of the Supreme Leader’s representative, demanded reparations from Arab states in the Persian Gulf, warning that regional monarchies must choose between compensating Iran and witnessing ‘the destruction of their economic interests and infrastructure.’ In an editorial responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s address at the United Nations General Assembly, Kayhan accused neighboring Gulf Arab countries of participating directly in the war and economic blockade against the Islamic Republic.”
DIPLOMACY
“Iranian Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi said on Tuesday that Tehran had hardened its conditions for ending the war with the United States following the collapse of a June deal aimed at ending hostilities.”
Trump to GCC Leaders: Negotiations with Iran Gaining Significant Momentum | IranWire
“U.S. President Donald Trump stated that efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with the Islamic Republic have gathered ‘a lot of momentum,’ while issuing a stern warning that should diplomacy fail, the confrontation with Tehran will be resolved ‘very quickly.’”
Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Discuss Conflict in Yemen | CBS News
“Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the deteriorating situation in Yemen and the wider Persian Gulf during a phone call on Tuesday, according to the Kremlin. Putin stressed the need for political and diplomatic efforts to normalize the regional crisis, while both sides called for an early end to fighting in Yemen and the launch of constructive intra-Yemeni dialogue under United Nations supervision.”
Arab Mediators Push for High-Level U.S.-Iran Meeting in New York | IranWire
“Several Arab nations acting as intermediaries between the United States and the Islamic Republic are actively consulting with both sides to organize a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Axios reported on Tuesday, September 22.”
As Trump Lobs Threats, Other World Leaders Mostly Avoid Talk of Iran | New York Times
“Standing on a podium often reserved for messages of peace, President Trump on Tuesday brought his escalating threats against Iran directly before world leaders. They largely did not respond. . . . Those who did urged peace, not escalation. Among them was Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, which helped broker a June cease-fire between the United States and Iran that has fallen apart. He urged a return to negotiations to find a ‘lasting solution that ensures security and stability for the entire region, including Iran.’”
Kallas Urges Free Passage Through Strait of Hormuz After Talks with Iran’s FM | Euronews
“EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where the two discussed diplomatic routes to ending the war between the United States and Iran and fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz. . . . Kallas also said she had raised repression inside Iran with Araghchi, pointing to a sharp rise in executions and death sentences.”
TERRORISM & PROXY WARS
“An Argentine judge on Monday formally charged seven Iranians and a Lebanese citizen over their alleged involvement in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. The decision marks the latest step toward a possible trial in absentia over the attack at the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, which killed 85 people and injured more than 300. It caused devastation in Latin America’s biggest Jewish community and was the deadliest antisemitic attack outside Israel since the Holocaust, but no one has ever been arrested for it.”
Iraq to Collect 6 Million Weapons Despite Pushback From Iran-Back Militias | Euronews
“Iraq's government is pressing ahead with a plan to collect an estimated 6 million weapons held outside official institutions, the Interior Ministry said, even as Baghdad quietly retreated from a September 30 deadline that had been set for armed factions to surrender their arsenals.”
Iranian-Backed Houthis Say Saudi Attack on Yemen Prison Killed 9 people | CBS News
“An attack by Saudi Arabia on a prison in northwest Yemen killed nine detainees, a Houthi official told the Saba news agency, which is affiliated with the Iran-backed rebel group, on Tuesday.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
Sen. Jon Husted: Iran War ‘Needs to Come to an End as Quickly as Possible’ | Politico
“Sen. Jon Husted became the latest battleground Republican this week to call for a quick end to the Iran war, as panic grows over how high gas prices and President Donald Trump’s agenda could imperil the party’s chances in November.”
“A bipartisan group of four US senators has written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to make the release of former RFE/RL journalist Reza Valizadeh, who has been imprisoned in Iran since September 2024, an ‘urgent priority.’ The letter was signed by Democratic Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and David H. McCormick of Pennsylvania.”