Shafaq News- Washington

US President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to hit Iran “very hard” if investigators find Tehran was behind the co-pilot accused of trying to crash a Flydubai flight bound for Israel.

Asked whether he had been briefed on any Iranian connection to the incident, Trump said, “Based on what I’m hearing, yes,” but added that authorities were still investigating.

No Iranian involvement has been established. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that it was too early to determine whether Tehran was linked to the co-pilot, while two Israeli security officials told Reuters that Israel had so far found no Iranian connection.

Flydubai flight FZ1073 was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when the co-pilot attacked the captain, according to preliminary findings from Saudi authorities.

The Saudi Interior Ministry said the assault injured both pilots and forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Tabuk. Both received medical treatment before being cleared to travel to Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Netanyahu said the co-pilot appeared to have been radicalized and intended to bring down the aircraft, though the investigation into his motive remains ongoing.

Flydubai said crew members secured the aircraft and landed it safely. All passengers survived the incident.

Shafaq News- Ottawa

Canada on Thursday urged citizens to avoid all travel toIraq as it updated travel guidance for the Middle East amid continued regionalsecurity concerns.

The government placed Iraq at its highest travel-risk level,alongside Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen.

Canada separately advised against non-essential travel toBahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United ArabEmirates.

Ottawa said the regional security situation remainedvolatile following recent military activity and warned that conditions coulddeteriorate quickly, potentially limiting Canadians’ ability to leave and thegovernment’s capacity to provide assistance.

Latest risk levels in the #MiddleEast:🔴 Avoid all travel: IranIraqLebanonPalestineSyriaYemen 🟠Avoid non-essential travel:BahrainIsraelJordan KuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab Emirateshttps://t.co/1iUZ0hFrF1 pic.twitter.com/z9Yz6DTMfa

— Travel.gc.ca (@TravelGoC) October 1, 2026

Shafaq News- Washington

The US Treasury Department on Thursday targeted the Russia-linked A7 shadow banking network, accusing Iran of using it to evade sanctions and move funds through the international financial system.

As part of what Treasury described as an unprecedented action, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed a rule that would restrict fund transfers involving A7’s network of sub-agents and issued an alert to help financial institutions detect and report suspicious activity linked to the network.

Separately, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned A7 as a “significant transnational criminal organization,” blocking property and interests in property under US jurisdiction and generally prohibiting transactions involving the designated network.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures were aimed at dismantling financial infrastructure used by Iran and other US adversaries to evade sanctions and move illicit funds, warning that facilitators risk losing access to the US financial system.

According to Treasury, A7 built a global network of companies known as sub-agents to disguise payments involving sanctioned sectors and individuals as legitimate commercial transactions.

FinCEN said its investigation found that A7 sub-agents processed more than $17 billion globally between January 2025 and June 2026.

A7 itself claimed that, as of January 2026, it was processing more than 2,000 transactions a day with a total volume exceeding 7.5 trillion rubles, or about $91.5 billion, equivalent to roughly 13% of Russia’s 2025 foreign trade transactions, according to Treasury.

The department said the same sub-agents used to facilitate Russia-linked illicit finance also provided financial channels for Iranian actors, including the Central Bank of Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-backed groups.

A7 sub-agents also facilitated Iranian oil sales and weapons procurement, according to Treasury.

One sub-agent directly transacted with entities involved in Iran’s so-called shadow fleet, while that company and a sister firm received nearly $140 million from entities linked to Iranian sanctions evasion. Another A7 sub-agent transferred about $1.6 million to a company linked to Iranian sanctions evasion and weapons procurement efforts.

Treasury said A7 used falsified trade documents, import and export records and misleading descriptions of goods to make sanctioned or illicit payments appear to be ordinary commercial activity.

The network has also been linked to Nobitex, Iran’s largest digital-asset exchange, which OFAC sanctioned in June 2026, and has facilitated transactions connected to North Korean hacks of cryptocurrency exchanges, Treasury said.

Thursday’s measures build on US sanctions imposed on Aug. 14, 2025, against A7-linked entities including A7 LLC and Old Vector LLC.

They also follow an Aug. 31, 2026, alert from Britain’s National Crime Agency detailing A7’s alleged role in sanctions evasion and illicit financial activity involving Russia and Iran.

Shafaq News- Washington

US President Donald Trump on Thursday left open thepossibility of intensified bombing of Iran after the November midtermelections, while confirming that he had rejected Tehran’s latest ceasefireproposal.

In an interview with TIME, Trump declined to disclosewhether further strikes were under active consideration, saying he could notdiscuss potential bombing plans. He also characterized Iran’s weekend offer asinadequate, noting that terms he might have accepted a year ago were no longersufficient.

“They made an offer to open up the Strait,” heremarked, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, but called the broader terms “notgood enough.”

Defending the war’s extension into a seventh month,Trump said Washington had achieved its initial objectives but that he chose to continueoperations to prevent Iran from rebuilding its capabilities elsewhere. Heclaimed US strikes had destroyed the country’s nuclear capability, air force,radar systems, and navy, including 159 vessels, while saying that a recordvolume of oil had passed through the Strait the previous night.

According to the Pentagon’s public Defense CasualtyAnalysis System (DCAS), 19 US service members have died and more than 861 havebeen wounded since the war with Iran began on Feb. 28.

Tehran wants an agreement, Trump said, but he insistedon a “real deal” and predicted oil prices would fall once one was reached. Askedabout his recent threat to “annihilate” Iran, he replied that such an outcomewas “possible” and argued that it would bring peace.

On US military supplies, the president acknowledgedthat stocks of some types of ammunition were lower than others but rejectedreports of broader shortages, noting that Washington had spent the past sixmonths replenishing its arsenal.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile,affirmed on Thursday that Tehran would not avoid dialogue with Washington as itconsiders the US response to proposals under negotiation.

Speaking to entrepreneurs and business leaders,Pezeshkian said Iran had “never avoided talks and never will,” despite accusingthe United States of attacking his country three times even after an agreementhad been signed, according to Tasnim News Agency.

Shafaq News- Islamabad/ Kabul

Pakistani airstrikes hit three houses in Afghanistan on Thursday, killingnine people, including women and children, the Afghan Taliban government said,while Islamabad described the targets as militant hideouts and put the deathtoll among "terrorists" at 22.

The strikes in Afghanistan's Kunar and Helmand provinces came amid renewedtensions between the neighboring countries after about three months of relativecalm.

Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid reported that 11 otherpeople were wounded in the strikes, condemning the attacks as an act ofaggression.

CrimeLast night, Pakistani aircraft bombed civilian homes in Chugam, Shultan District of Kunar, and Safar, Garmser District of Helmand. Nine Afghan civilians, including women and children, were killed, 11 were injured, and three homes were destroyed. 1/2

— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) October 1, 2026

Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Ministry said the strikes were carried out on thebasis of "credible intelligence" and targeted militant hideouts attwo locations.

"Large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at these hideoutswas also destroyed," the ministry said.

*1st October, 2026;*In continuation of operation Ghazab lil Haq and Pakistan’s resolve to eliminate terrorists, their networks and supporters, well planned and calibrated aerial strikes against the hideouts and safe havens of terrorists organisations of Fitna al Khwarij and…

— Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (@MoIB_Official) October 1, 2026

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have risen since a militant attackon a police facility in northwestern Pakistan last month killed 24 people.

The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan said last week that it haddocumented more than 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan fromcross-border violence so far this year. Islamabad denies striking civilians andmaintains that it targets militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan.Afghanistan denies harboring militants.

Shafaq News- London/ Baghdad

The United Kingdom pledged continuedsupport for Iraq’s security and stability on Wednesday as the US-led Coalitionformally ended its military mission against ISIS in the country and Coalitionforces, including British personnel, departed.

In a statement, the UK governmentsaid Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the Kurdish Peshmerga are now positionedto assume primary responsibility for the country’s security after more than adecade of Coalition operations, training and capacity-building.

It described the transition as “anew chapter focused on enduring security cooperation under Iraqi leadership,” withthe two countries set to develop a long-term bilateral defense partnership coveringcounterterrorism, military education, capability development, defense industrycooperation and shared security interests.

The UK contributed to the Coalitionmission through Operation SHADER, training and assisting more than 111,000Iraqi security personnel, including over 21,000 Peshmerga, in infantry, weaponsmaintenance, counter-IED, medical and engineering skills, according to thestatement. The Royal Air Force also conducted thousands of sorties, strikingmore than 2,300 ISIS targets and providing surveillance and reconnaissance insupport of Iraqi ground operations.

“Our commitment to Iraq and thewider region remains steadfast,” the government affirmed.

Read more: Kurdistan Region faces air-defense gap as UStroops leave Iraq

Shafaq News- Washington

The United States and its Coalition partners formallyended Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq on Wednesday, concluding a 12-yearmilitary mission against ISIS, the Pentagon announced.

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed thatCoalition forces and equipment had completed their departure from Erbil AirBase in line with the September 2024 US-Iraq joint statement.

The withdrawal “marks a transition from a wartimecoalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort,” with the Iraqi SecurityForces, including the Peshmerga and other forces in the Kurdistan Region,taking the lead in containing remaining ISIS elements.

Read more: Kurdistan Region faces air-defense gap as US troops leave Iraq

Washington, Parnell said, will continue providingtargeted training and intelligence support while maintaining counterterrorismcooperation aimed at preventing the group from reestablishing itself in thecountry.

“The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq’sremaining security challenges, including ISIS remnants and Iran-alignedmilitias that undermine Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability, now restswith the Government of Iraq,” Parnell stated, reaffirming US support for Iraq’ssovereignty and border security alongside broader commercial, diplomatic, andsecurity ties.

Read more: Iraqi Army after US-led Coalition withdrawal

Shafaq News – Washington/Tehran

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iran was in a“very bad situation”, predicting that Tehran would surrender.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump alsoclaimed that the United States had moved more oil through the Strait of Hormuzover the previous two days than at any point in history.

Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme National Security CouncilSecretary Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei stated that Tehran had conveyed its conditionsto the United States, but said Trump was “unable” to make a decision.

He argued that Trump was stuck in a “dilemma” in which hecould neither negotiate nor fight, adding that the United States had resortedto an air blockade out of “desperation” during the conflict.

Iran’s Khabar Fori news agency reported that an oil tankercaught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by a projectile after“violating Iranian rules by passing through the waterway withoutauthorization."

The tanker was heading toward the southern part of thestrait to transfer an oil cargo to another tanker, according to the agency.

Earlier Tuesday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)confirmed that a vessel caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after being struckby an unidentified projectile.

Shafaq News- Washington

The US Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned 10individuals and entities for allegedly helping Iran’s Defense Ministry procureweapons and components through networks spanning several countries.

The measures are part of Washington’s “Operation EconomicOutcast,” a broader campaign aimed at isolating Iran economically anddisrupting its military procurement networks.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department wouldcontinue targeting those providing material, technological or financial supportto Tehran.

Among those sanctioned was Seyed Asghar Alizadeh Tabatabaei,whom the Treasury identified as Iran’s Defense Ministry representative inBeijing. It said he coordinates purchases of weapons systems and dual-usecomponents from China.

The department also targeted Iran-based Kaushkam AsiaResearch and Development, accusing it of buying electronic components for IranAircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company, which develops drones and militaryaircraft, and for Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, which is linked to Iran’ssolid-fuel ballistic missile program.

Kaushkam manager Ali Fotout Ahmadi was also sanctioned,along with Hong Kong-based EC Mojo Technology and representatives Li Fen andParisa Laleh, whom the Treasury accused of helping the company obtainelectronic components and evade sanctions and export controls.

A second network centered on Pakistan-based businessmanWasim Pasha Tajammal and his Cavalier Group.

The Treasury Department said Tajammal and the group acted asintermediaries for Iran’s Defense Ministry, using business networks to procureand distribute weapons on its behalf.

The sanctions also covered three companies linked toTajammal: Pakistan-based Cavalier Dynamics Private Limited, Cavalier DynamicsTechnologies in Saudi Arabia and Cavalier Dynamics Technology Trading JointStock Company in Turkiye.

Shafaq News- Washington

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday denied reports claiminghe was prepared to ease sanctions on Iran and unfreeze Iranian funds.

Trump said, “This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING!," considering Axios’ story "a HOAX.” 

Axios, citing US officials, reported that Trump was preparedto consider sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds in exchange forconcrete Iranian steps related to its nuclear program.

The report came amid efforts by mediators from Qatar andPakistan to narrow differences between Washington and Tehran, following Trump’srejection of an Iranian proposal focused on the Strait of Hormuz, the navalblockade, and sanctions on oil sales.

Shafaq News- Washington

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and US Secretary ofState Marco Rubio on Monday stressed the importance of safeguarding maritimesecurity and freedom of navigation in international waterways, particularly theStrait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The two officials discussed the issue during a meeting inWashington, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry, which noted that the talksalso covered strategic relations between the two countries.

Bin Farhan and Rubio reviewed political and securitydevelopments in the region, the situation in Yemen and diplomatic effortsthere.

Both sides emphasized the importance of continuedcoordination and consultations between Riyadh and Washington on issues ofmutual interest, as well as support for diplomatic efforts to address regionalcrises and promote security, peace and stability.

#واشنطن | سمو وزير الخارجية الأمير #فيصل_بن_فرحان @FaisalbinFarhan يلتقي معالي وزير خارجية الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية السيد ماركو روبيو. https://t.co/gU3iXiihv9

— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) September 28, 2026

Earlier in the day, US Central Command reported that morethan 1 billion barrels of oil had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recentmonths.

🚫 CLAIM: A senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander said today that Iran has full control over the Strait of Hormuz through Iran’s “navy.” This is FALSE.✅ FACT: Iran has no navy because American forces sank it. And Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz as evidenced by the thousands of ships that have passed through freely along with more than 1 billion barrels of oil just over the past few months.

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 28, 2026

A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander claimed thatIran exercises full control over the Strait of Hormuz through its naval forces.US Central Command disputed the claim, maintaining that Iran does not controlthe waterway.

Shafaq News- Washington

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and US Secretary ofState Marco Rubio called on Monday for the tripartite framework to beactivated, a step they said would restore Lebanon's sovereignty and lead to anIsraeli withdrawal.

The call came during a meeting at the State Department inWashington, where Salam stressed that the framework goes beyond security arrangementsand also covers support for the government's reconstruction efforts. Heunderscored the importance of US backing for the Lebanese army and ofstrengthening its capabilities so it can extend state authority. 

التقيت اليوم وزير الخارجية الأميركي ماركو روبيو في مقر وزارة الخارجية الأميركية في واشنطن.وبحثنا خلال اللقاء التطورات في لبنان والمنطقة، ومسار استعادة لبنان سيادته كاملة.وشددت على أن لبنان يتطلع إلى شراكة متجددة مع الولايات المتحدة تواكب مشروع إعادة بناء الدولة وتعزيز مؤسساتها الشرعية.كما شددت على ضرورة الانتقال إلى مرحلة تفعيل الإطار الثلاثي وترجمة مبدأَي التبادلية والمرحلية إلى خطوات عملية ونتائج ملموسة على الأرض، بما يؤدي إلى استعادة لبنان كامل سيادته، وتحقيق الانسحاب الإسرائيلي الكامل من الأراضي اللبنانية، وحصر السلاح بيد الدولة على كامل أراضيها.وفي هذا السياق، أكدت أهمية وضع جدول زمني واضح لتنفيذ الالتزامات الواردة في الإطار، بما يضمن تقدّم مساري الانسحاب الإسرائيلي وبسط سلطة الدولة وحصرية السلاح، إلى جانب إنشاء آلية تحقق موثوقة لمتابعة التنفيذ والتأكد من الالتزام بالتعهدات، بما يحول دون استخدام عدم التنفيذ ذريعةً لتعطيل المسار.وأكدت أن الإطار الثلاثي لا يقتصر على الترتيبات الأمنية، بل يشمل أيضاً دعم جهود الحكومة في الإغاثة والتعافي وإعادة الإعمار، وإعادة تأهيل البنى التحتية والخدمات الأساسية، وتهيئة الظروف لعودة النازحين وتثبيتهم في مناطقهم. وشددت في هذا السياق على أهمية حشد الدعم الأميركي والدولي لمسار العودة والتعافي، ولا سيما في المناطق المتضررة من الحرب.كما شددت على أهمية استمرار الدعم الأميركي للجيش اللبناني وتعزيز قدراته، بما يمكّنه من الاضطلاع بمسؤولياته وبسط سلطة الدولة على كامل أراضيها.من جهته، أكد الوزير روبيو التزام الولايات المتحدة بدعم لبنان ومؤسساته الشرعية، ومواصلة دعم الجيش اللبناني وتعزيز قدراته، كما أكد أهمية المضي في تنفيذ الإطار الثلاثي بما يحقق الاستقرار والأمن.

— Nawaf Salam نواف سلام (@nawafsalam) September 28, 2026

Rubio reaffirmed Washington's commitment to “supportingLebanon and its legitimate institutions,” and to continuing its aid to thearmy. He also urged moving ahead with the framework's implementation to bringstability and security.

A US-brokered ceasefire reached on June 26 called for a phasedIsraeli withdrawal, the deployment of the Lebanese Army, and measuresaddressing Hezbollah's weapons and military presence. On September 9, the Lebanese Army said Israeli forces hadcommitted about 7,700 violations of the framework agreement. Lebanon’sHealth Ministry said the cumulative toll from March 2 through September 25stood at 4,386 killed and 12,413 wounded.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has repeatedlyrejected both the framework agreement and Lebanon's direct talks with Israel,maintaining that his group recognizes only the November 27, 2024 agreementreached under UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

Shafaq News- New York

Some 6,000 seafarers have been trapped in the Strait of Hormuz areasince the conflict began, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) isaddressing their evacuation first, a senior IMO official told Shafaq News.

Luca Spataro, principal secretary in the Executive Office of the IMOSecretary-General, said the UN shipping agency is working on mechanisms toevacuate the crews, whom he described as innocent seafarers, and is providingongoing support to those who remain stranded.

IMO had previously evacuated 136 vessels carrying about 2,900 seafarersthrough alternative routes in June, but the operation was later suspended aftersafety guarantees could no longer be assured.

Since the conflict began on Feb. 28, IMO has also verified at least 80attacks on international shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, killingat least 22 seafarers.

Clearing The Shipping Lanes

The IMO is also working to ensure that any affected sections of theTraffic Separation Scheme, the designated shipping lanes through the strait,are cleared of mines to protect commercial vessels, Spataro said. If temporaryrouting measures are needed until then, the agency is actively discussing themwith several member states.

Once the conflict ends, the IMO stands ready to help countries inbilateral or multilateral negotiations to establish safeguards and guarantees"so that no vessel is targeted," Spataro said. Addressing the rootcauses of the conflict, however, falls to member states, whether bilaterally,through the UN General Assembly or the Security Council, and lies outside theIMO's mandate, he added.

Houthis And The Red Sea

On the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the passage linking the Red Sea to the Gulfof Aden, Spataro said there is an intention to pursue negotiations among theparties involved. Because Yemen's Houthis are not an internationally recognizedgovernment, the IMO is awaiting progress through official intermediaries andmember states in contact with them, while dealing formally with the Yemenigovernment, he said.

Countries in the region beyond Saudi Arabia are working closely with theYemeni government to help reach a resolution, according to Spataro. "Thelonger these disputes persist and disrupt high-volume maritime corridors likeBab al-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz, the more acutely the entire globaleconomy will suffer from supply shortages and escalating shipping costs."

Pipelines No Substitute For Shipping

Asked about proposals to bypass Hormuz, such as a pipeline from Iraq toSyria's Mediterranean port of Baniyas, Spataro said multimodal routes arewelcome as complementary infrastructure, but replacing the sheer volume, scaleand speed of maritime shipping remains extraordinarily difficult. The priority,he said, is for regional conflicts to end so that merchant ships can movefreely under international maritime law.

On calls to expand the UN Security Council, including by TurkishPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Spataro said structural reform is for memberstates to decide. He described modernizing multilateral governance, includingthe Council's composition, as part of the UN's natural evolution as it marksits 80th anniversary.

Read more: Houthi advance raises stakes from Bab al-Mandeb to Iraq

For Shafaq News, Mustafa Hashem, New York

Shafaq News- Washington

US President Donald Trump on Monday said the war with Iran would be won “very soon,” while acknowledging that additional military strikes before the midterm elections are “possible.”

“Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” he told Fox News on the sidelines of the PGA Tour Presidents Cup, describing nuclear deterrence as “key to the whole thing.”

Asked about Operation Economic Outcast and whether Washington was making progress through military or economic means, Trump said the United States was advancing on both fronts.

His comments came days after an Iranian missile attack injured eight US Marines aboard a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, NBC News reported on Monday, citing US officials.

The Sept. 14 attack left the Marines with smoke inhalation and possible brain injuries, although none of the injuries were considered serious, according to the officials. All eight returned to duty shortly afterward.

The vessel was not part of the US Navy fleet. The officials declined to identify its type, referring to it only as a “maritime vessel.”

According to the Pentagon’s public database, the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS), 18 US service members have been killed and more than 820 wounded since the Iran conflict began on February 28.

Shafaq News- Tehran

An unnamed source close to Iran's negotiating team denied reports that a new round of indirect talks with the United States would begin on Monday, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency, hours after US President Donald Trump said he expected further talks this week.

The source also claimed that US and Arab media were circulating unverified reports about the talks to “curb increases in oil prices” and benefit Trump ahead of US elections.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump told Axios that he expected US negotiators to hold further talks with Iran this week.

Two regional sources also told Axios that another round of indirect dialogue could take place as early as Monday, although no talks have been formally announced.

The conflicting accounts come after Trump said on Saturday that he had rejected Iran’s latest proposal, which was conveyed during indirect negotiations in New York.

Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he expects further US-Iran talks this week after rejecting Tehran’s latest proposal, as Qatari mediators work to narrow differences over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump told Axios that Iran wants an agreement but that its proposal was not one he was prepared to accept. Two regional sources also told the outlet that another round of indirect talks could take place as early as Monday.

He added that the US military was facilitating oil shipments through the strait and claimed more than 20 million barrels had transited over the weekend. Axios cited a US defense official as saying 22 million barrels passed through the strait on Friday night.

Washington is seeking concessions on Iran’s nuclear program, while Tehran wants the immediate talks to focus on the Strait of Hormuz and the US naval blockade, according to Axios. Asked whether he was considering renewed strikes on Iran, Trump replied, “I am always thinking about it.”

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held indirect negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York on September 22, with Qatari officials carrying messages between the sides. Iran proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restarting nuclear talks within a week if Washington lifted its naval blockade, removed sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and reinstated a regional ceasefire. Trump rejected the proposal on Saturday.

Qatar has continued shuttle diplomacy since the rejection, Axios reported, citing a US official and two regional sources. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York on September 24, while Qatari officials later briefed Witkoff and presented both sides with a compromise proposal. Separate contacts with Araghchi and Witkoff were expected as early as Monday.

Araghchi told NBC that Iran remained ready for negotiations and was still awaiting a formal US response through mediators despite Trump’s public rejection.

Separately, Fars News Agency reported that Iranian forces intercepted 19 ships in the Strait of Hormuz over the past two days after they attempted to transit outside a route designated by Tehran. The agency did not identify the vessels or say whether any were detained.

Shafaq News- Washington

The US Treasury Departmentdispatched teams across the globe under “Operation Economic Outcast” to pressgovernments to take action against Iran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saidon Sunday.

Bessent pointed to restrictions onIranian aviation and banking as results of the outreach, saying Turkiye andOman had stopped Mahan Air flights, while the United Arab Emirates had haltedall flights by Iranian airlines. “Top commercial banks in the UAE and Türkiyehave stopped transacting with Iran,” he added.

Following the launch of Operation Economic Outcast, @USTreasury imposed targeted financial measures against banks and aviation service providers. At my direction, teams were dispatched across the globe to engage with countries and demand action against the Iranian regime.These efforts are delivering results. Türkiye and Oman announced the cessation of Mahan Air flights to their countries. The UAE has halted all flights by Iranian airlines, and top commercial banks in the UAE and Türkiye have stopped transacting with Iran.Even Iran’s leadership has acknowledged the economic toll of the war, as the value of the rial has fallen to record lows.I appreciate the governments of the UK, Türkiye, Oman, and the UAE. We will continue working together as there is more to be done to prevent Tehran from carrying out its terrorist agenda.https://t.co/rkGvP9PO2M

— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) September 26, 2026

Washington launched OperationEconomic Outcast on Aug. 24 to isolate Iran from global economic and financialnetworks. On Sept. 8, the US sanctioned 36 Iran-related targets over allegedsupport for Tehran’s aviation sector and the movement of weapons, personnel andillicit cargo, including companies in Turkiye, the UAE, Kazakhstan andMalaysia. Iran warned regional countries against joining US efforts to restrictits aviation sector, with Supreme National Security Council Secretary MohsenRezaei saying countries that barred Iranian aircraft would see their ownairports unable to operate flights.

Under the campaign, the Treasurylater provided global financial institutions with information aimed at helpingthem “shut down revenue streams and procurement networks” linked to Iran.

Shafaq News- Gaza

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it killed twomembers of Hamas's military wing in separate strikes across the Gaza Strip.

The two men, identified as Ibrahim Fawzi Ismail Mohsen andMohammed Kamel Suleiman Mohsen, were accused of recently taking part in planningattacks against Israeli forces and efforts to rebuild Hamas's militarycapabilities, which the military described as violations of the ceasefireagreement.

#عاجل | في غارتين في قطاع غزة: جيش الدفاع يقضي على قائد فصيلة نخبة ومخرب آخر من حركة حماس الإرهابية⭕️هاجم جيش الدفاع أمس (الجمعة) في منطقة النصيرات وقضى على المخرب إبراهيم فوزي إسماعيل محسن، قائد فصيلة نخبة في الجناح العسكري لحركة حماس الإرهابية.⭕️وفي غارة أخرى أمس (الجمعة)… pic.twitter.com/eCXTGxQxT6

— Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya | إيلا واوية (@CaptainElla1) September 26, 2026

On Friday, the Israeli military confirmed the deaths ofHassan Mahmoud Siam, a commander in Hamas's military wing, and Adham SabhiSalim Ziara, another operative in the group. The military alleged that Siam hadinfiltrated Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and had been involved inholding Israeli hostages.

Hamas did not comment on the Israeli allegations.

Shafaq News- Washington

US President Donald Trump on Saturday rejected an Iranianproposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington has “total control”over the strategic maritime gateway.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump saidIran wanted to reach a deal to reopen the channel immediately “because they’relosing so badly,” casting the closure as a strategic trap Tehran had createdfor itself.

“Iran trapped itself by closing the Strait of Hormuz and weimposed the largest blockade in military history on it,” he said. “We built asteel wall around the Strait of Hormuz and Iran no longer has money because ofits closure.”

Trump’s rejection came in response to a proposal IranianForeign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented to US envoys Steve Witkoff and JaredKushner during indirect talks on the sidelines of the United Nations GeneralAssembly on September 22, 2026.

Under the proposal, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuzand resume nuclear talks within a week in exchange for the United Stateslifting its naval blockade, removing sanctions on Iranian oil sales andreinstating a ceasefire across the region. US negotiators had already madeclear to Araghchi during the talks that Washington did not consider Iran tocontrol the waterway and therefore could not make demands over its reopening.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Trump hadprivately rejected the offer, telling aides that he expected to resume bombingIran after the November midterm elections.

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Basra

Conflicting accounts have emerged over who freed the Sibu 1 oil-products tanker from pirates off Somalia, with a Basra tribal sheikh crediting members of his clan, Puntland maritime police saying they carried out the operation, and Somali reports indicating that personnel working for the vessel’s owner also took part.

The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) said it recovered the tanker and its crew in a two-day counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia’s Mudug region.

In a later update, the force said all 20 crew members were safe, including one Iraqi, and that one pirate was killed, five were wounded and 41 others were detained.

Sheikh Ali Al-Shaghanbi told Shafaq News on Friday that around 40 members of the Al-Shaghanba clan had moved to help free the tanker, which he said belongs to a member of the clan, after coordinating with contacts outside Iraq.

Al-Shaghanbi said the operation ended with seven pirates captured and others fleeing.

However, Somali outlet Horseed Media, citing maritime security sources, reported that personnel working on behalf of the company that owns the tanker assisted Puntland maritime police during the operation.

Horseed said videos and images circulated by Iraqi sources showed Sibu 1, captured pirates and Somali personnel at the scene, but did not establish who led the boarding operation or the extent of each side’s role.

The tanker was hijacked on August 20 while sailing in the Gulf of Aden near the Yemeni coast before being taken into Somali waters.

Shafaq News- Tehran

Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport said on Saturday that flights to Turkiye, Malaysia, China, Pakistan, Vietnam and Afghanistan were continuing as scheduled despite wider disruptions to Iranian air travel.

The airport said no additional cancellations had been announced beyond routes already suspended, including flights to the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman and Georgia.

Airport authorities said they were working to restore suspended routes as soon as possible.

The disruption follows US Treasury sanctions imposed on September 8 against 36 targets linked to Iran’s aviation sector, including 27 Iranian airlines.

In Iraq, Baghdad and Najaf International Airports suspended all flights to and from Iran until further notice, citing official instructions.

The Iraqi government said on Saturday that it was holding direct talks with Washington to secure exemptions for some Iraqi airports from US measures targeting Iranian airlines, seeking to restore flights for medical treatment, education, religious visits, and other civilian travel.

Shafaq News- New York

Washington’s failure to issue a visato Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhanprevented planned talks with US officials on the war in Sudan, the country’sambassador to the United States, Mohamed Abdalla Idris, told Shafaq News.

Idris said the head of Sudan’snegotiating delegation had arrived in New York for the discussions, but Burhanand members of the technical committees were unable to attend. He described thevisa issue as a “clear violation” of the Headquarters Agreement, which requiresthe United States to facilitate access to the United Nations forrepresentatives of member states.

Khartoum raised the matter with theUN secretary-general and sought an opinion from the organization’s legaldepartment, which, according to Idris, affirmed Burhan’s right to obtain avisa. His passport remained at the US Embassy in Cairo at the time of theinterview.

For Shafaq News, Mustafa Hashem, NewYork.

Shafaq News- Bangkok

Bangkok authorities on Saturday declared all 50 districts disaster areas after more than 24 hours of heavy rain flooded roads across the Thai capital.

Rainfall exceeded 150 millimeters in some parts of the city, Reuters reported. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the flooding posed a risk to lives and had damaged public and private property.

According to the Thai Meteorological Department, an active low-pressure system over central Thailand, combined with a strengthening southwest monsoon, would bring heavy to very heavy rain to Bangkok and surrounding areas through September 27, warning of possible flash floods and overflowing waterways.

Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran

US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s seven-day ceasefire proposal and told aides he expects renewed US bombing after the November midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing US officials.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said Tehran conveyed the proposal to Washington through Qatari mediators. Under the plan, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and hostilities would end on all fronts, including Lebanon, while the United States would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian funds, and waive sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Wider negotiations could then begin on mutually agreed issues, he added.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS News that Tehran would abide by any commitments it makes if Washington accepts the proposal and that the process would begin from the day of US acceptance. He also said Iran would allow UN nuclear inspectors under an agreement reached through negotiations.

Washington and Tehran have been holding “positive and constructive discussions” through intermediaries, a US official earlier told Reuters. The agency also cited a senior Iranian official as saying Tehran would make no concessions over its nuclear program even if Washington agreed to the proposal, including on uranium enrichment or shipping highly enriched uranium abroad.

The diplomatic push follows months of failed efforts to end the conflict, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The war has since alternated between pauses and renewed strikes and disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

Shafaq News- New York

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed the importanceof confining weapons and decisions of war and peace exclusively to the stateand its constitutional institutions, describing this as a top priorityreflected in recent decisions by the Lebanese cabinet.

Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session ofthe United Nations General Assembly, Salam said the war broke out “despite ourrepeated warnings about the dangers of being drawn into it,” adding that as theconflict expanded across the region and various initiatives emerged to end it,Lebanon held firm to a non-negotiable principle: no one speaks on Lebanon'sbehalf, and no one negotiates for it except the Lebanese state through itsconstitutional institutions.

He rejected any return of Lebanon to being a “battlegroundfor other parties' conflicts or a bargaining chip in their negotiations,”saying Lebanon's future cannot be decided on its behalf, and its security andstability must not be the price of settlements reached in its absence.

Salam said Lebanon's position on the war has been clear fromthe outset: an end to the fighting, a lasting ceasefire, full Israeliwithdrawal from Lebanese territory, the release of all detainees, and thereturn of residents to their villages along with their reconstruction.

He added that, on this basis, the Lebanese state enterednegotiations with Israel under the sponsorship of the United States and itspresident, aiming to reach arrangements that would guarantee an end to the warand the restoration of full Lebanese sovereignty.

The success of any agreement, he said, should be measurednot by declared intentions but by the implementation of commitments. He alsostressed the need to translate the tripartite framework reached during thenegotiations into practical steps, with a clear timeline and a verificationmechanism to ensure all provisions are carried out.

The Lebanese PM praised the role of the United NationsInterim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the courage and sacrifices of itsleadership, personnel and staff in maintaining stability and supporting theLebanese army's mission to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

He referred to Security Council Resolution 2790, whichrequires UNIFIL to cease operations on Dec. 31, 2026, and begin an orderlywithdrawal lasting up to one year, emphasizing the need to avoid a vacuum ifUNIFIL withdraws without an agreement on a new international force to take itsplace and continue monitoring, reporting and liaison functions.