Iran's Pezeshkian vows never to 'bend at the knee' at UN as US-Iran talks, 60-day ceasefire roadmap and Hormuz blockade take centre stage
US redirects 115 ships in ‘steel wall’ blockade as Iran pushes Hormuz reopening
US-Iran diplomacy is taking centre stage on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held roughly three hours of Qatari-mediated talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Tehran has reportedly presented a roadmap that includes a region-wide ceasefire of up to 60 days, a phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a timetable for broader negotiations. But the path to a deal remains uncertain: President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN that Iran will not bow to American pressure, divisions have surfaced in Tehran over whether the talks were authorised, and Washington's "steel wall blockade" has now redirected 115 commercial vessels. Elsewhere, French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks on Hamas and the West Bank sparked a row with Israel before Paris clarified his meaning, and a senior IRGC commander was killed in clashes in southeast Iran. Follow our live coverage for the latest updates.
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Tehran wanted the US to return to the June memorandum of understanding before the November midterm elections. Dr Pezeshkian told NBC News and other media organisations in New York gathered for the UN General Assembly late on Thursday (Sept. 24): “We wish Americans to return to the MOU before the midterms”... “We don’t want it to get to the midterm elections."
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband pressed Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, threats linked to Iranian groups in Britain and the detention of British nationals during talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York on Thursday.
The meeting came as the strategic waterway remains at the centre of the wider US-Iran conflict and as Tehran has set conditions for reopening the strait. Iranian officials have said the waterway could reopen if Washington meets its demands, while senior security officials have warned the US has only four to five days to respond.
Miliband made clear that Britain supports freedom of navigation through Hormuz and wants a diplomatic solution to the conflict. He also reaffirmed London's support for Saudi Arabia, a key British ally that has come under attack from Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.
Kuwait and Bahrain on Thursday condemned missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeting Saudi Arabia. Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry described the strikes as “hostile aggressions” against Saudi Arabia in a statement posted on X.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said Saudi Arabia’s security and stability were “an integral part of Bahrain’s national security.” The Saudi-led coalition said its forces intercepted six ballistic missiles launched toward the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu, a Red Sea port.
The attacks came amid heightened regional tensions linked to the wider US-Iran conflict.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi condemned Iran’s attacks on Jordan and Gulf Arab states during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in New York on Thursday.
Safadi called for an immediate end to the attacks and said Jordan would continue taking all necessary measures to protect its territory, sovereignty and citizens, state news agency Petra reported.
The two ministers also discussed efforts to reach a sustainable US-Iran ceasefire. Safadi stressed the need to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and pursue diplomacy to end regional escalation.
Despite rising political anxiety over the Iran war, senators on Thursday narrowly rejected a war powers resolution seeking to halt President Donald Trump 's military action, which has been largely blamed for the spike in gas prices and become a flashpoint in the midterm election.
The Senate tally, 49-50, coming days after Trump's bombastic address to the United Nations in which he threatened to "annihilate" Iran, was likely the last chance for lawmakers to go on record about the war ahead of November. More Republicans are peeling way from the president as the war drags on, a rare slap back to Trump, as they campaign for control of Congress. The Senate outcome fell short, with four GOP senators joining most Democrats in favor of the resolution.
"They have been carrying water for this ridiculous and illegal war for months and months and months and not listening to their constituents," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who pushed the war powers resolution forward.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday that his country did not want to be an arena for regional wars, after Tehran-backed Hezbollah drew it into the Middle East conflict.
Salam's office said in a statement that he met with Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Salam "stressed that Lebanon has paid a heavy price in terms of its security, stability and economy, and that it does not want to become an arena for regional conflicts or a venue for the exchange of messages between others", it said.
Salam said his country looked forward "to turning a new page" in its ties with Iran.
He called for "building a sound state-to-state relationship based on mutual respect for each country's sovereignty and independence, non-interference in each other's affairs and shared interests".
Salam said the priority was for "Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory and cease its attacks, and for Lebanon to move forward with extending the authority of the Lebanese state over all of its territory".
He said Lebanon needed to ensure "that weapons are held exclusively by the state", in a jab at Hezbollah, which has so far refused to lay down its arms.
President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday France would send "military means" to help protect the key Saudi port of Yanbu for oil exports following attacks by Yemen's Houthis.
"We are going to send military assets, meaning soldiers, radars, and defence systems to protect this site," he said during an interview on the evening news.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "tyrant" during a speech at the UN Thursday, accusing Ankara of harboring Hamas militant leaders.
"The latest country to become a super spreader of antisemitic lies (is Turkey)... Erdogan is a tyrant. He also hosts the Hamas terror chiefs," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders Thursday that attacking Iran "was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make" and denounced as "moral cowards" a mass of delegates who walked out of the UN General Assembly when he took the podium to speak.
"In defending itself, Israel is also also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall," Netanyahu said. "In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran's nukes."
Dozens of envoys from across the world walked out of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the UN on Thursday in protest at the Israeli leader.
Delegates jeered and booed, while Netanyahu's own team stood and applauded, and the speaker of the session shouted for order.
"If there are any other moral cowards who haven't left this hall, please do so now," Netanyahu said.
The hall, sparsely filled earlier in the session, gradually filled up before Netanyahu's speech.
The Palestinian delegation had called in a memo seen by AFP for other missions to join their own act of protest.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said at the UN on Thursday that Israeli policies no longer just jeopardized a two-state solution but were now threatening the "very life and existence" of his people.
He also slammed the United States for denying him a visa to attend the United Nations' top-level annual meeting as "punitive." He instead pre-recorded a video message that was played to the gathering in New York.
"The danger is no longer limited to undermining the two-state solution and preventing the realization of the Palestinian state. It has now come to threaten the very life and existence of the Palestinian people on their homeland," Abbas said.
"What is taking place in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem are not isolated incidents, but rather a malicious colonial scheme aimed at making the lives of Palestinians more difficult in their homeland and forcing them to leave it."
Israel's expansion of settlement building on the occupied West Bank "aims to separate the northern West Bank from its south, isolate East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings, and prevent the realization of a geographically continuous Palestinian state."
"This requires urgent and responsible intervention by the United Nations Security Council," he said.
A coalition of 80 countries called at the UN on Thursday for the full restoration of maritime navigation in the Gulf, disrupted by Tehran after the start of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
"We call for the full restoration of navigational rights and principles without delay," said Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, reading a joint statement to journalists.
Senate to vote on resolution to halt the Iran war as gas prices upend midterms
Increasingly anxious about the Iran war, senators are set to vote Thursday on a war powers resolution seeking to halt President Trump 's military action, which has been largely blamed for the spike in fuel prices and become a flashpoint in the midterm election.
The Senate vote, days after Trump's bombastic address to the United Nations in which he threatened to "annihilate" Iran, is likely to be the last chance for lawmakers to go on record about the war ahead of November. More Republicans are peeling way from the president as the war drags on, a rare slap back to Trump, as they campaign for control of Congress.
"They have been carrying water for this ridiculous and illegal war for months and months and months and not listening to their constituents," said Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, who pushed the war powers resolution forward. "And now they finally are."
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced the suspension of flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the UAE, effective today, Thursday, September 24, until further notice.
The GCAA confirmed that the decision was made in light of the US ban imposed on Iranian airlines from using airports in various countries around the world.
Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis, Major General Turki Al Malki, spokesman for the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, said on Thursday.
Al Malki said Saudi air defence systems successfully thwarted attempts to target the cities of Taif and Yanbu, preventing the missiles from reaching their intended targets.
The interceptions came amid heightened regional tensions and a series of recent cross border attacks targeting the Kingdom.
Al Malki said the Houthis’ continued escalation and violations posed a threat to civilians and regional security, adding that such actions would be dealt with firmly.
Saudi authorities have urged residents to follow official safety instructions and alerts issued by the relevant agencies during any potential security threats.
Saudi Civil Defence on Thursday issued a series of alerts including for Mecca City, home to Islam's holiest site, in warnings that usually indicate a potential missile threat.
"A warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Mecca City to alert of a potential danger," it said, with separate warnings for the Red Sea governorate of Yanbu as well as the Taef, Jeddah and Tabuk regions.
The average diesel price at pumps across the European Union has hit a record high of 2.23 euros per litre, according to an AFP analysis of member states' data published by the European Commission on Thursday.
The fresh peak -- equivalent to $9.63 per US gallon -- comes as the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine have choked off crude supplies and damaged refineries, causing energy prices to surge worldwide.
Nineteen EU countries, including Germany, France and Italy, have registered record prices, according to weekly data going back to 2005.
Among the countries setting new records, Denmark and Finland have reported the highest prices, at 2.56 euros per litre of diesel, followed by Germany at 2.46 euros.
An adviser to Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Thursday that Tehran may expand the Middle East war to the Indian Ocean if the US or Israel attacks again.
"Since the conflict has spread from the Arabian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea, it is possible that, in response to more war, the front will expand even further, reaching the Indian Ocean and perhaps beyond," said Yahya Rahim Safavi in a video released by Iran's Fars news agency.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a difficult reelection campaign at home, addresses the UN Thursday where he is expected to lash out at both enemies as well as allies that have crossed him in recent months.
Netanyahu will also likely raise the case of Israeli ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter whose son, a soldier, was badly injured in an alleged Palestinian ramming attack in the occupied West Bank.
Foremost among Netanyahu's enemies in New York is the city's leftist Mayor Zohran Mamdani who recently vowed to execute an ICC arrest warrant when the visiting leader arrived in the city for the UN's signature gathering.
The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) said in 2024 it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes in his Gaza campaign that responded to Hamas' deadly October 7, 2023 attacks. Netanyahu denies the ICC claims.
Oil prices fell in early Asian trading on Thursday, after climbing about 4 percent in the previous session.
Brent crude futures fell 94 cents, or 0.9 percent, to US$102.13 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures eased 59 cents, or 0.7 percent, to US$91.56 a barrel.
The Trump administration has acknowledged eight suicide attempts by US service members during the extended deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Middle East, a US lawmaker revealed on Wednesday.
The information emerged in a letter, seen by AFP, that was sent by Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao in response to questions from Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand about conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Reports of deteriorating living conditions and poor mental health on board the carrier since it first deployed to sea last November made headlines in the United States, provoking criticism of President Donald Trump's war against Iran.
Iran's president struck a defiant tone at the UN on Wednesday where he spoke for the first time since Washington and Israel launched an all-out war on his country, vowing Tehran would never "bend at the knee."
Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of "terrorism" for assassinating former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict, insisting Tehran had never started a war.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump had told the UN General Assembly that he was weighing whether to "annihilate" Iran but went on to hail renewed talks between Tehran and Washington's negotiators.
Pezeshkian made no reference to the talks to resolve the stalled war in his steely speech.
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The US military said Wednesday it had redirected 115 commercial vessels under its renewed naval blockade of Iran, highlighting the growing pressure on maritime traffic as Washington seeks to restrict trade with Tehran.
US Central Command said in a post on X that, as of Sept. 23, its forces had redirected 115 commercial vessels while enforcing what it calls America's “steel wall blockade.”
The figure represents vessels that US forces say were diverted under the blockade, rather than ships seized or destroyed. CENTCOM previously said the blockade targets vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas, while allowing other commercial traffic in regional waters to continue.
The Iran-US talks in New York have exposed questions over how much authority Iranian negotiators have to make concessions.
UK-based Iran International reported that criticism emerged inside Tehran after Iran FM Abbas Araghchi's contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with the IRGC-linked Tasnim news agency reporting that the interaction had not been "authorised" by Iran's policymaking bodies.
At the same time, Iranian officials have continued to defend diplomacy.
Iran's foreign ministry said the New York contact was conducted through Qatari mediation and was intended to communicate Iran's conditions.
That leaves two major questions: whether Washington and Tehran can agree on the sequence of steps needed to end the conflict, and whether Iranian negotiators have enough domestic backing to deliver an agreement.
Tehran has presented Washington with a road map that includes a region-wide ceasefire of up to 60 days, the "phased reopening" of the Strait of Hormuz and a timetable for broader negotiations to end the conflict, according to regional sources briefed on the proposal.
The proposal reportedly includes a halt to attacks on Arab neighbours.
Iranian officials have earlier said Hormuz could potentially be reopened "within seven days" if Washington meets Tehran's conditions.
In New York, Iranian officials say that diplomacy remains "possible" but insists any deal must address its demands — including the lifting of US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also indicated that Washington remains "open" to diplomacy, while maintaining that military options remain available. The negotiations remain highly fluid, with both sides publicly maintaining positions that leave little room for appearing to compromise.
French President Emmanuel Macron triggered a diplomatic row at the UN after saying Hamas had "never been active" in the West Bank, prompting sharp criticism from Israeli officials. France later said Macron was referring to Hamas "not governing" the territory.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 22, Macron criticised the situation in the occupied West Bank while discussing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“Look at what’s happening in the West Bank, where day in and day out we are seeing violations, and in the name of what? Hamas was never active in the West Bank,” Macron then said the continuing situation was making it increasingly difficult to achieve a political settlement based on Palestinian rights.
The wording drew criticism from Israeli officials, who argued that Hamas has maintained a presence in the West Bank and has carried out attacks there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office described Macron's statement as a “grotesque absurdity”, saying Hamas militants had carried out attacks against Israelis in the territory. Israeli officials also pointed to the killing on September 20 of Netanel Shukrun, a French-Israeli father of six, in a West Bank attack that Israel attributed to a Hamas terrorist.
The controversy appears to have centred partly on translation.
A French diplomatic official subsequently explained that Macron “meant to say that Hamas does not govern the West Bank.” A separate French source stated that Macron's French phrase, “le Hamas n'a jamais sévi en Cisjordanie,” had been interpreted too literally in English and that the intended meaning was that Hamas has never governed the West Bank.
US-Iran diplomacy continued in New York as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN that Tehran would not surrender under American pressure, even as negotiators explored a possible route towards ending the war.
Pezeshkian said Iran remained "open" to diplomacy but rejected what he described as coercion and threats from Washington.
His remarks came a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held lengthy talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, with Qatar helping mediate.
The talks lasted about three hours. US officials described them as constructive, while Iranian officials stressed that Tehran's core conditions had not been abandoned.
A senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been killed during an operation against armed men in the southeastern city of Saravan, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.
Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, commander of the IRGC’s Shahid Sajjad Operational Base in Saravan, was killed during the operation in Sistan and Baluchestan province, according to the IRGC Ground Force’s Quds Base.
The IRGC said five members of an armed group were killed and others arrested during the operation. The claims could not be independently verified. Saravan lies near Iran’s border with Pakistan and has witnessed repeated clashes involving security forces and armed groups.
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