Trump threatens Iran with ‘hell’ while revealing ‘very good’ talks at UN

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.

A Houthi military adviser told AFP that the group would attack US interests in the Middle East if Washington intervened in Yemen's conflict to support its ally Saudi Arabia or secure the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

A lightning offensive by the Iran-backed Houthis this month seized effective control of the narrow shipping lane -- the gateway to the Red Sea and Suez Canal -- and Saudi Arabia has reportedly requested American and international military assistance in countering the group.

Riyadh is the main backer of Yemen's internationally recognised government, and has been carrying out strikes on the group since the country's long-dormant civil war flared back to life in July.

"If America dares to intervene militarily with its fleets or tries to take control of Bab al-Mandab, it is a red line," military adviser Abed Mohammed al-Thawr told AFP in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.

Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said his son was the soldier injured in a car-ramming attack on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, prompting reactions of support from Israeli politicians.

"Neria needs a miracle. Neria continued to serve in the reserves after losing his older brother, Moshe Yedidya Leiter," Leiter said on X, referring to his other son who was killed in action in Gaza in November 2023.

"My wife Sara and I, together with all the people of Israel, are praying for a miracle," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded in another post on X.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the Golan Heights would remain under Israeli sovereignty "forever", after Syria's president insisted at the United Nations that it was Syrian land.

"My clear response to the Syrian president, who made bombastic declarations from the UN podium: The Golan under Israeli sovereignty is an inseparable part of the State of Israel forever," Katz said in a video statement.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six Day War of 1967 and annexed the territory in 1981. The United States had been the only country to recognise the annexation until Colombia recognised Israel's claim last month.

Iran threatens to paralyse airports in neighboring countries if they block Iranian flights under the US order, warning their airports will not be able to operate, according to Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei to IRIB. "If you ban our flights and enter into cooperation with America, your airports will have no flights. If you stand with America, we will not stand by and watch," he says.

Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Oman, Qatar and Turkey have all barred Iranian airlines today. China has not, saying it "firmly opposes illicit unilateral sanctions."

Oman’s navy evacuated 27 crew members from a commercial vessel flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda after it was targeted off the coast of Musandam Governorate, authorities said.

The vessel was targeted about 2.5 nautical miles off Musandam, prompting the navy to carry out an evacuation operation.

One crew member died in the incident, while a fire broke out in the vessel’s engine room, according to the authorities.

US President Donald Trump is expected to confront Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding Beijing's alleged backing of Iran during the latter's three-day state visit, his first to Washington in more than a decade. 

According to Fox News, this comes in light of the reports connecting Chinese firms to satellite intelligence passed prior to a fatal Iranian assault on American forces. 

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, telling the US that Tehran would not "bend at the knee."

"(US President Donald Trump) must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying. We will never bow our head or bend at the knee," President Masoud Pezeshkian said.

One Indian national was killed after the vessel MV Cape Dao was attacked while en route to India, the Indian Embassy in Oman confirmed on Wednesday.

The Embassy of India in Muscat said: "We are closely monitoring the attack on MV Cape Dao today while transiting toward India, and are in close coordination with Omani authorities regarding the safety of all crew on board, including 19 Indian nationals. We are deeply saddened by the loss of one Indian national in this attack. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. The Mission is coordinating with the RPSL and is in touch with the family of the deceased."

The Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI), in a post on X, identified the deceased as Suraj Yadav, a wiper from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeskhian said at the UN on Wednesday that his country had been a victim of terrorism, disputing US President Donald Trump's earlier accusation Tehran was guilty of committing such crimes.

"We have been the victims of terrorism. I come from an Iran in which our esteemed supreme leader was assassinated without any legal framework or reason. I come from an Iran where, in truth, they bombed a school," Pezeskhian said to world leaders gathered at the UN.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, is set to make a rare appearance Wednesday on the world stage when he speaks at the UN General Assembly in what is likely the first time a foreign leader addresses the world body while their country is at war with the host nation.

Arriving in New York under heavy security and scrutiny, Pezeshkian — who, within Iran’s political landscape, is considered a moderate politician — will address world leaders a day after US President Donald Trump used the same stage to suggest he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal isn’t reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war.

The Central Bank of the UAE has announced the imposition of strict enforcement measures against the branches of Bank Melli Iran operating in the UAE, in accordance with Article (168-1-C) of Federal Decree-Law No. (6) of 2025 regarding the Central Bank, Regulation of Financial Institutions and Activities, and Insurance Business. These measures have been taken as a result of violations related to non-compliance with the regulations, laws, and supervisory decisions in force in the UAE, including the requirements and obligations set out under the legislation related to combating money laundering, the financing of terrorism and proliferation financing.

Based on the results of the examinations, and in accordance with the powers granted to the Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE under the applicable laws and regulations, it has been decided to prohibit all branches of Bank Melli Iran operating in the UAE from conducting any financial transactions to and from Iran, including trade finance and fund transfers.

The Central Bank continues to enhance its supervisory framework and take the necessary measures to safeguard the soundness and integrity of the financial system in the UAE, and to ensure that financial institutions and entities subject to its supervision comply with the highest standards of compliance, in line with relevant international best practices and standards.

Children in Iran returned to class on Wednesday after months of closures over the Middle East war, where major attacks have included a strike on a school that killed 150 people.

Parents walked hand-in-hand with their daughters, in mandatory headscarves and uniforms, as they arrived at a girls' primary school in western Tehran for the first day of the new academic year.

Classes were cancelled after the beginning of the war on February 28, when a school in the southern city of Minab was hit leaving 120 children among the dead.

In Minab on Wednesday, Iran's vice president for science and technology, Hossein Afshin, rang a bell at one primary school to signal the start of the new term.

The bell-ringing, normally carried out by Iran's president, is part of the traditional celebrations to welcome Iran's 16.5 million children back to school.

Iranian airlines were forced to cancel some international flights on Wednesday after the US tightened sanctions on Iran's aviation industry in a new effort to cripple its economy.

A travel agent in Tehran told AFP that flights to Baghdad, Muscat, Qatar, Georgia and Azerbaijan had all been suspended, but routes to multiple other destinations remained available, including China.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the new measures on Monday as part of an earlier threat to impose "economic D-Day" on Iran, an attempt to force it into submission following nearly seven months of war.

But Iran's aviation sector has already been a target of sanctions for years, and it remains unclear what the full impact will be and which other countries will comply.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has received a report of an incident within the Strait of Hormuz.

The Company Security Officer of a cargo vessel has reported being stuck by an unknown projectile. The vessel is on fire and adrift. All crew have been evacuated and two casualties have been reported.

Authorities are investigating. There is no reported environmental impact at this time. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.

Yemen's Houthi military adviser calls any US intervention in shipping route blockade 'red line'.

Houthi-affiliated media on Wednesday said Saudi airstrikes killed 10 people and left 14 others wounded in Yemen's Taiz and Al-Jawf governorates over the past 24 hours.

"Eight civilians were killed and 11 others wounded in Taiz, while two civilians were killed and three others wounded in Al-Jawf," Al-Masirah TV channel said.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement staged a lightning offensive in recent weeks to gain control over the Red Sea coast and the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, while also aiming drone and missile strikes at Saudi Arabia.

Oil prices fell and stock markets traded steadier Wednesday after recent volatility, as Donald Trump said US and Iranian representatives met for "very good" talks at the United Nations.

The US president added that the three-hour meeting was "very productive" and that two countries "have another one scheduled in the very near future".

Trump's statements came just hours after he delivered a bellicose address to the United Nations, saying he faced a "big decision" on whether to make a deal with Iran or "annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly".

Brent North crude, the international benchmark, remained under $100 per barrel on hopes of diplomatic progress towards ending the Middle East conflict.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in a meeting convened by US President Donald Trump with a number of leaders and foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The meeting discussed current regional developments and the situation in the Middle East, as well as ways to consolidate security and stability and fulfil the aspirations of the region’s peoples for development and economic prosperity.

US President Donald Trump has told Gulf and regional leaders that there is “a lot of momentum” towards reaching a deal with Iran, signalling growing diplomatic activity even as Washington maintains intense military and economic pressure on Tehran.

Trump made the comments during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York attended by senior officials from Gulf states and other regional countries.

Tuesday’s meeting was attended by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani; Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan; as well as the leaders of Jordan, Turkey and Syria, Egyptian officials and senior members of the Trump administration.

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Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation has cancelled all flights from Tehran to Baghdad and Muscat from midnight on Tuesday, September 22, after Iraq stopped receiving Iranian aircraft and providing them with ground-handling services.

The Iraqi decision was taken in compliance with new US sanctions, according to the Iranian aviation authority.

The cancellations affect services from the Iranian capital to both Baghdad and Muscat, disrupting regional air links following the latest restrictions.

Iran’s aviation authority announced the measure after Iraq’s decision effectively prevented Iranian carriers from operating normally at Iraqi airports under the new sanctions regime.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in a post on X that he held talks with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Hussein said they discussed bilateral relations, regional developments, indirect communications between Tehran and Washington, and efforts to de-escalate tensions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to navigation.

He said dialogue and diplomacy remain the most effective way to contain tensions, while regional security and freedom of navigation require regional cooperation and responsible dialogue.

The ministers also discussed combating cross-border terrorism and enhancing economic cooperation, and agreed to continue consultations in support of regional security and stability.

Passengers travelling through Dubai and Abu Dhabi faced cancellations and lengthy delays on Wednesday, September 23, with some flights to India running more than eight hours behind schedule and services involving Tehran and Muscat also affected.

Flight information showed disruption across Dubai International Airport, Dubai World Central and Abu Dhabi, covering departures and arrivals on routes including Kozhikode, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai, Tehran, Muscat, Riyadh and several European cities.

Passengers travelling on Wednesday should check their latest flight status before leaving for the airport, particularly where departure times have moved by several hours.

Three commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, compared with four the previous day and well below the 10-day average of about 15, according to Reuters, citing preliminary shipping data.

The figures may be revised because some vessels switch off their transponders while sailing through the waterway.

Hours after US President Donald Trump made a public threat of annihilating Iran, the Islamic Republic's Armed forces has responded with its own warning to the American forces in the region. 

The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and Khatam Al-Anbya Central Headquarters announced that the hostile statements and repeated threats against Iran by the US president, serve merely as a tool for domestic propaganda rather than being grounded in the realities on the ground, reported IRNA.

They said in a statement such remarks reflect the strategic impasse facing the United States in its aggression against the Iranian nation. The statement emphasized that the repetition of baseless claims and threats, given the state of exhaustion of the US military, signals not strength, but rather strategic desperation.

The statement added that the US president's rhetoric does not alter the power calculus, nor will it ever compensate for the country's diminished standing in the new world order or its humiliating defeats in the war against Iran and the Resistance Front.

The statement further said that the Iranian President would in his address to the UNGA convey the message of the nation as well as the might of a strong and invincible Iran to the world.

US Senator Bernie Sanders criticised President Donald Trump’s remarks about “annihilating” Iran in a post on X, saying the US should not target the Iranian people.

Sanders described such action as a “war crime” and “barbarism” and said Trump’s war in Iran was 'illegal and unconstitutional'. He called on Congress to end the conflict.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New York where he is expected to speak at the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday.

State broadcaster IRIB posted a video clip of Pezeshkian exiting a plane with a caption saying that the Iranian president has arrived at a New York airport. This is the first time that a leader whose country is at war with the United States sets foot on American soil to address a UN gathering, analysts say.

Oil prices fell on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said US and Iranian representatives had met for "very good" talks at the United Nations.

The international benchmark, Brent crude, and main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, dipped to $98.91 and $89.93 per barrel respectively in early Asian trade - well below the symbolic $100 mark they have smashed repeatedly since the Middle Eat war broke out in February.

Saudi Arabia’s main Gulf export terminals recorded their busiest crude-loading day since before the war, with six supertankers taking on nearly 12 million barrels at Ras Tanura and Juaymah on Sept. 21, according to shipping-data provider MarineTraffic.

The surge indicates that Saudi Aramco is restoring export capacity through the Gulf after attacks disrupted the kingdom’s East-West pipeline to the Red Sea.

Oil prices have retreated from their recent highs as traders respond to improving crude oil flows and hopes for US-Iran diplomacy.

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Ever tighter US sanctions intended to cripple Iranian aviation come into force on Wednesday, after Washington vowed to "shut down" Tehran's carriers and punish anyone doing business with them.

In their first acknowledgement of disruption, Iranian media reported late Tuesday that flights to the Iraqi and Omani capitals would be cancelled the following day, but other routes would be unaffected.

The new measures, announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday, follow earlier aviation sanctions as well as his threat of an "economic D-Day" meant to force the Islamic republic into submission, after military means of ending the Middle East war stall.

It remained unclear what their full impact would be, as the Iranian aviation sector has already been targeted for years by various sanctions.

The Tasnim news agency cited a civil aviation spokesman as saying that "Baghdad and Muscat airports will no longer accept Iranian flights" starting Wednesday.

"Other international flights, including Istanbul, will operate as scheduled and as usual, and at present there are no problems with these flights," Tasnim reported.

According to Tasnim, Iran's aviation authorities are in talks to reroute Baghdad flights to Najaf, a major destination for Iranian pilgrims.

US President Donald Trump said he believes he can “do business” with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham after their first face-to-face meeting at the United Nations, but immediately highlighted a major point of disagreement: Britain’s plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Trump called the agreement a “terrible deal” and said the remote Indian Ocean archipelago — particularly the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia — is “very, very strategic”.

Diego Garcia’s role in the Iran war

The disagreement takes on added significance because Diego Garcia has been central to US military power in the Indian Ocean.

Trump specifically linked the base to the Iran conflict, saying US bombers had to make longer flights because they could not use the facility for the initial strikes.

Britain has said it remains committed to securing the long-term operation of the base.

US President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly to portray Iran as the central security threat in the Middle East, calling Tehran the region’s former “bully” and defending his decision to confront it militarily.

“There is no better example of a danger that was allowed to gather strength at the world’s peril than the number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump said in New York.

“For 51 years, the fanatical Iranian regime has ruled by bloodshed and mass murder, spreading death and carnage and chaos across the entire Middle East and beyond.”

“They were the bully of the Middle East, but they are the bully no more,” he said.

President Donald Trump revealed that US and Iranian officials held talks Tuesday for the first time in months, even as he told the United Nations he was still deciding whether to "annihilate" Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Trump's roving envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Oil prices fell again Tuesday as markets focused on the potential upside of renewed US-Iran diplomatic engagement while shrugging off a bellicose address by President Trump at the United Nations.

Global stocks were mixed, with the Nasdaq rising to a second straight record while the Dow retreated following a muted performance on European bourses.

Trump told the UN that he faced a "big decision" on whether to make a deal with Iran or "annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly."

But just hours later, Trump revealed that Iranian and US representatives had met for "very good" talks on the sidelines of the UN gathering.

The meeting lasted three hours and included Trump's business friend-turned roving global negotiator Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, he said.

Oil prices spent parts of the session sharply lower before cutting losses after Trump's UN speech. The major contracts finished the day down a little more than one percent after Trump disclosed the direct talks.

Stocks had risen in Asia as enthusiasm poured back into the technology sector after Facebook owner Meta's free AI agent Muse topped the download charts following its release this month.

Day 207: Trump says US, Iranian officials had 'productive' talks

Day 206: Iran warns it will change war’s ‘geography’ if invaded

Day 205: Trump says Houthis agree not to fight US: Fox News

Day 204: Trump signs Russia-Iran sanctions law; Saudi Arabia on alert

Day 203: Oil prices ease as Trump signals possible path to talks

Day 202: Iran wants to make a deal, Tehran 'not ready': Trump

Day 201: Houthis: Saudi Arabia launched 40 strikes in Yemen

Day 200: Houthi attacks injure Saudi civilians