Washington DC — U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly rejected an Iranian proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days and ending fighting across the region, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal cited by Reuters.

Iran has been seeking an agreement that would reopen the strategically important waterway and establish a pause in the wider regional conflict. Tehran said the proposal was transmitted to the United States through Qatari mediators.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the plan would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait if Washington agreed to the terms. Tehran has also called for the lifting of U.S. restrictions affecting Iranian ports, the release of frozen Iranian funds and the removal of oil sanctions.

However, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had rejected the proposal. Reuters said it could not immediately independently confirm the report, and Iran was still awaiting an official U.S. response.

The uncertainty comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains central to the international economic consequences of the conflict. The waterway is a critical route for global energy shipments, and prolonged disruption has contributed to concerns about oil supplies and shipping costs.

Iran has said it is prepared to discuss broader issues after hostilities are paused, but Tehran has ruled out concessions on several aspects of its nuclear program. The latest developments leave the diplomatic initiative in an uncertain position as Washington considers its response and regional tensions continue.

Shibbir Ahmed, New York — Iran has proposed a plan that could reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz within seven days and pause fighting across the region, Iranian officials said during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the proposal was transmitted to the United States through Qatari mediators. Under the proposal, a seven-day countdown would begin once Washington agrees to the terms, potentially leading to the reopening of the strategic waterway and a halt to hostilities. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy-shipping routes, making its continued disruption a major concern for global oil markets and international trade.

Iran’s proposal reportedly calls for the United States to lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian funds and waive oil sanctions. Tehran has also indicated that broader negotiations could follow once fighting is halted.

Iranian officials have said they are not prepared to make concessions on their nuclear program as part of the proposal. Tehran maintains that it retains rights related to uranium enrichment and has rejected demands that it surrender highly enriched uranium.

The initiative comes amid continuing military tensions across the Middle East. The disruption of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz has added pressure to global energy markets and raised concerns about alternative shipping routes.

Iran has also discussed safe shipping arrangements in the strait with Saudi Arabia, according to Iranian officials. The United States has not formally accepted Iran’s proposal, leaving the status of the initiative uncertain.

Shibbir Ahmed, New York — U.S. President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to defend his administration’s military actions abroad, warn Iran of further escalation if it does not reach a peace agreement, and call for an end to the war in Ukraine. In a roughly 37-minute address at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Trump outlined his foreign-policy priorities, including Iran, Ukraine, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, artificial intelligence and reform of the United Nations.

Trump strongly defended the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, saying the operation had prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He warned that the United States could “annihilate” Iran if a peace agreement is not reached, while also saying he believes a deal could be reached after the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3.

“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,” Trump said. Trump also addressed the Russia-Ukraine war, saying the United States was working with both Moscow and Kyiv and expressing confidence that a settlement could be reached.

“We will get that one done,” Trump said, adding that an agreement could come sooner than many people expect. The president also highlighted U.S. actions in Venezuela and the wider Western Hemisphere. He said Washington would not allow threats against the United States to establish a foothold in the region and said the country would use its military power when necessary to protect what he described as vital U.S. national interests.

On Cuba, Trump described the country as a failed state and said his administration was seeking fundamental political change there. “Communism will never be coming to America, but freedom will be coming to Cuba,” he said. Members of the Cuban delegation walked out of the General Assembly hall while Trump was discussing Cuba, Reuters reported.

Trump also criticized Mexico over drug-cartel violence and described the fight against cartels as a major U.S. security priority. He said his administration had carried out strikes against cartel groups and argued that the United States needed to take stronger action against organizations it considers terrorist threats.

Artificial intelligence was another major theme of the speech. Trump said his administration would use the term “super intelligence” rather than artificial intelligence in official communications and argued against international restrictions that could limit technological development.

He said the United States was leading China and other countries in the AI race and argued that AI could become more transformative than the Industrial Revolution. Trump also renewed his criticism of the International Criminal Court, urging member countries to withdraw and arguing that the court should not have jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel.

Turning to the United Nations itself, Trump said the organization had significant potential but called for further reforms, including reductions in bureaucracy and spending. He criticized what he described as the influence of “globalist bureaucrats” and said the United States would continue pushing for changes at international institutions.

The speech comes as world leaders gather in New York amid continuing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, uncertainty over global economic conditions and growing debate over the international governance of artificial intelligence. The UN’s 81st General Assembly general debate runs from Sept. 22 through Sept. 28.

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia issued emergency alerts in Riyadh and the nearby city of Al-Kharj early Saturday, warning residents of a potential aerial threat amid escalating attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement. Saudi Civil Defence later issued an all-clear, saying the immediate danger had passed. A Reuters journalist in Riyadh reported hearing loud booms after the alerts were issued.

The alerts were the first reported in the Saudi capital since the latest escalation in fighting involving the Houthis. The warnings came hours after Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out what he described as “criminal attempts” in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and vowed retaliation. A large plume of black smoke and flames was later seen near Riyadh’s main airport. Reuters said the cause of the smoke was not immediately clear, and Saudi government officials had not immediately commented.

The latest developments come amid a sharp escalation in Houthi attacks targeting Saudi territory and infrastructure. The Houthis have intensified their military activity in the region since declaring a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July, according to Reuters.

Saudi Arabia has also issued security alerts in several other parts of the kingdom in recent days, including Jeddah, Taif, Khamis Mushait and AlUla. Earlier this week, Saudi authorities said they intercepted a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the city’s restricted airspace. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca or other Islamic holy sites. The escalation has raised concerns over regional security, energy infrastructure and international shipping, particularly as the Houthis control territory along parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Shibbir Ahmed, New York: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed “deep regret” over the United States’ decision to deny a visa to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for the second consecutive year, preventing him from attending the upcoming UN General Assembly in person. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Friday that Guterres was concerned about the impact of the decision on the ability of the State of Palestine to participate fully in the work of the United Nations.

“The full participation of all delegations in the work of the Organization is essential to its proper functioning,” Dujarric said in a statement. The U.S. State Department announced that visas would not be issued to Abbas and other Palestinian officials seeking to attend the high-level UN General Assembly session, which begins in New York on Tuesday. Members of the Palestinian mission to the United Nations will continue to participate.

Guterres has urged the United States, as the host country, to ensure that visas are issued to members of all delegations in accordance with its obligations. Dujarric said the secretary-general would continue engaging with U.S. authorities on the issue.

Abbas to Address UNGA Virtually

The U.S. decision marks the second consecutive year that Abbas has been unable to attend the General Assembly in person. Last year, he addressed the gathering by video after the Trump administration denied visas to members of the Palestinian delegation. On Thursday, the UN General Assembly voted 152-3 to allow Abbas to address this year’s high-level debate virtually. The United States, Israel and Paraguay voted against the measure, while four countries abstained.

US Cites Palestinian Policies

Washington has defended the visa restrictions by citing what it describes as the Palestinian Authority’s failure to meet commitments related to peace efforts and reforms. The U.S. State Department has also cited Palestinian efforts to pursue the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through international institutions, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Washington has argued that such moves seek to bypass negotiations through international legal and diplomatic mechanisms.

The United States and Israel have also criticized the Palestinian Authority’s former policy of providing payments to families of imprisoned or killed Palestinians, including individuals accused of carrying out attacks against Israelis. The Palestinian Authority has since reformed the system, saying assistance would be based on families’ financial needs rather than political affiliation or prisoner status.

Continuing Tensions Over Palestinian Representation

The visa dispute comes amid continuing tensions over Palestinian representation at the United Nations and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The United States has opposed efforts to internationalize the conflict through international courts and has also disagreed with the position of the majority of UN member states that recognized Palestine at the United Nations last year. According to AFP, 142 UN member states recognized a Palestinian state in 2025.

Despite the visa restrictions, Palestinian diplomats accredited to the United Nations will continue to represent the State of Palestine at UN meetings, while Abbas is expected to address the General Assembly remotely. Guterres has maintained that the participation of all delegations is important to the functioning of the United Nations and said he would continue discussions with Washington over the issue.

Shibbir Ahmed, New York — Russia and China on Thursday vetoed a U.S.-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution that sought to extend the mandate of a panel of experts monitoring international sanctions on Iran. The resolution received 11 votes in favor, while Pakistan and Somalia abstained. The Russian and Chinese vetoes blocked its adoption.

The proposed resolution would have extended the mandate of the independent panel of experts for another year. The panel was established to monitor implementation of sanctions imposed on Iran and report possible violations to the 15-member Security Council.

The vote comes amid a wider dispute over the legal status of UN sanctions on Iran. Western countries, including Britain, France and Germany, triggered the “snapback” mechanism under the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in 2025, arguing that Tehran had violated its nuclear commitments. The move resulted in the reimposition of UN sanctions.

Russia and China reject the Western interpretation and argue that the UN sanctions had expired when Security Council Resolution 2231 reached its scheduled end date in October 2025. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the U.S.-backed resolution lacked a legal basis and urged the parties to resolve the nuclear dispute through political and diplomatic means.

The United States criticized the vetoes, saying the absence of an independent panel would create a gap in monitoring sanctions violations. U.S. Deputy Ambassador Jennifer Locetta said the panel provided impartial, evidence-based reporting on potential violations.

France and other Western members also criticized the veto, while stressing that the veto does not itself remove the sanctions that they consider to remain in force. The dispute has also left the Security Council divided over how to monitor Iran’s nuclear-related activities and enforce sanctions. The UN sanctions include measures affecting Iranian assets, arms-related transactions and ballistic-missile activities.

The latest vote highlights continuing divisions among the permanent members of the Security Council over Iran’s nuclear program, the validity of the sanctions and the role of international monitoring.

GENEVA — United Nations-backed human rights experts said Thursday they found “reasonable grounds” to believe that the United States committed war crimes in two military strikes in Iran, including an attack on a school that killed more than 150 people. The findings come from the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, which investigated the conduct of the United States during the war that began in February, as well as human rights violations allegedly committed by Iranian authorities. The mission’s report is due to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The experts said they found reasonable grounds to believe U.S. forces were responsible for a February 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, southern Iran. Iranian officials said more than 150 people were killed, including about 120 schoolchildren.

According to the mission, the school was a clearly identifiable civilian facility and investigators found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. The experts concluded that the attack was indiscriminate and caused civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law.

The mission also examined a strike on a sports center in Lamerd. Investigators said the attack damaged nearby residential buildings and a school and killed or injured 22 civilians. They concluded that the strike was indiscriminate and therefore constituted a war crime.

U.S. Central Command said in March that American forces did not conduct strikes in Lamerd on the day in question. U.S. officials have also previously said that American military operations are carried out in accordance with the law of armed conflict.

The report also addressed Iran’s response to nationwide anti-government protests that began in late December. The experts said Iranian authorities carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians, including unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances, which they characterized as crimes against humanity.

The fact-finding mission is an investigative body rather than a court and cannot initiate criminal proceedings. Its findings, however, can be used in future investigations or proceedings before national courts or international tribunals. The United States and Iran have previously rejected allegations of wrongdoing, and the two governments did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest findings.

Shibbir Ahmed, Washington DC — The United States has imposed new sanctions on an Iranian digital asset network accused of helping the Iranian regime evade sanctions and move funds through cryptocurrency. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the measures on September 17 as part of Operation Economic Outcast, a broader U.S. campaign targeting Iran’s financial networks and sources of revenue.

The sanctions target BitBank, an Iranian digital asset exchange controlled by Iranian financier Babak Zanjani, along with its developer, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company. Three individuals associated with Zanjani—Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein, Mohammad Mahdi Zaker Hossein, and Seyed Adel Heidari—were also designated.

According to the Treasury Department, the targeted entities and individuals form part of an Iranian digital asset-based sanctions-evasion infrastructure. U.S. officials said BitBank has been used to transfer payments received by the Iranian regime and that the broader network was involved in laundering funds and transferring hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action demonstrates that cryptocurrency-based financing linked to the Iranian regime remains within the reach of U.S. sanctions authorities.

The latest measures were issued under Executive Order 13902, which authorizes sanctions targeting certain sectors of Iran’s economy, including its digital asset sector. Treasury said the expanded use of the authority is intended to disrupt Iran’s efforts to use digital assets to circumvent U.S. sanctions.

The action is part of Operation Economic Outcast, launched by the Treasury Department on August 24, 2026. The campaign focuses on financial networks, facilitators and channels that U.S. authorities say Iran uses to generate revenue, evade sanctions and finance activities linked to the regime.

Treasury has warned that entities involved in money laundering or sanctions evasion on behalf of Iran could face restrictions on access to the U.S. financial system. The department has also increased the potential exposure to secondary sanctions for foreign entities that continue certain business dealings with Iran.

The latest action follows a series of U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian financial and economic networks, including measures against foreign banks and other entities accused of facilitating Iran’s access to international financial channels.

Shibbir Ahmed, WASHINGTON DC — The United States has extended visa sanctions against members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA), citing what the State Department described as continued failures to meet commitments made to Washington.

In a September 16 media note, the State Department said it had notified Congress that the PLO and PA had again failed to comply with commitments outlined under the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002.

The department accused the two organizations of pursuing actions at international institutions that Washington says contradict previous commitments related to UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. It also cited efforts to pursue the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through international legal institutions, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as efforts to obtain unilateral international recognition.

The State Department also cited what it described as continued payments to individuals convicted of terrorism and the glorification of terrorism and terrorists in public statements and educational materials. These are U.S. government allegations and were presented as the basis for the policy.

As a consequence, Washington said it would extend visa restrictions denying entry visas to PLO members and PA officials under Section 604(a)(1) of the Middle East Peace Commitments Act. The State Department said it would continue a standing waiver for personnel notified to the PLO Observer Mission to the United Nations, as in previous determinations.

The announcement comes ahead of the 81st UN General Assembly, when Palestinian representatives are expected to participate in high-level diplomatic meetings in New York. Reuters reported that the restrictions continue measures imposed previously, including the denial of a U.S. visa to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, preventing him from attending the General Assembly in person.

The Palestinian Authority holds observer status at the United Nations rather than full UN membership. The latest U.S. action adds another point of tension to Washington-Palestinian relations as international attention remains focused on the Gaza conflict and efforts toward a broader Israeli-Palestinian political settlement.

RIYADH — Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi movement south of the holy city of Makkah before it could enter the city’s restricted airspace, the Saudi-led coalition said Wednesday.

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said the drone was intercepted at around 6:50 p.m. local time Tuesday, with its wreckage falling south of Makkah. Saudi authorities had also issued security alerts in Makkah and other areas of the kingdom amid concerns over possible attacks.

Al-Malki described the incident as the Houthis’ second reported attempt to target Makkah, referring to a ballistic missile launched toward the holy city in July 2017. He warned that the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims is a “red line” and said the coalition would take measures to deter further attacks.

The incident comes amid a broader escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, with Saudi warplanes carrying out strikes in Yemen and the Houthis launching drones and missiles toward Saudi territory, according to Reuters.

The Houthis, however, denied targeting Makkah or any Islamic holy site, rejecting the Saudi allegation. Reuters also reported that the group claimed responsibility for other attacks on Saudi territory while denying that Makkah was the target.

Makkah is Islam’s holiest city and the site of the Grand Mosque and the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The reported interception therefore comes with heightened sensitivity as the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis expands into a wider regional confrontation.