Trump says high cost of gas is ‘a very inexpensive priceto pay’ for Iran war – ICYMI
Trump says high cost of gas is ‘a very inexpensive priceto pay’ for Iran war
Alex Croft19 September 2026 21:01
Iran has not heard any messages from US, says foreign ministry spokesperson
Iran has not heard any messages in response from the US after it conveyed its conditions for re-entering any negotiations about the Iran war, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson has said.
Speaking on Iranian state TV, the spokesperson said a Pakistani interior minister is due to visit Tehran to discuss bilateral ties, but that there has been no word from the US.
As we reported earlier, Iran says discussions with Qatari and Pakistani mediators are ongoing after Tehran made clear to the US of its conditions which include ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian funds and ending the naval blockade.
Alex Croft19 September 2026 20:00
Houthis say they attacked ‘sensitive sites’ in Riyadh with ballistic missiles
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed they attacked “sensitive sites” in Riyadh using ballistic missiles and drones.
The militant group, which is embroiled in an intensifying war with Saudi Arabian forces, said it will continue targeting the Saudi military build-ups until blockades in the Red Sea end.
It said it attacked a facility belonging to Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco in the Saudi city of Yanbu.
Alex Croft19 September 2026 19:01
US troop deaths during Iran war exceed Pentagon count by at least four, report says
More US troops have died during the US-Israeli war with Iran than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied the report.
The Post, citing five unidentified officials, reported that there had been at least 22 military fatalities, four more than were listed in the data available on the Pentagon’s public database.
The newspaper also reported, citing another unidentified official, that not all of the undisclosed deaths were directly tied to the months-long conflict but involved US personnel who were in the Middle East amid ongoing hostilities.
Hegseth, in a post on X, called the report “a complete LIE.”
The Post did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In its story, the newspaper said the Pentagon had declined to address its questions about the discrepancy in casualty accounting.
Alex Croft19 September 2026 18:00
Tehran lays out to Trump fresh conditions for ending war, says security chief
Tehran has laid out fresh conditions to end the war with the US, security chief Mohsen Rezaei has said.
The conditions include ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian funds and ending the naval blockade, he said in an interview according to Al Jazeera.
Iran is now awaiting a response from Donald Trump, Rezaei added.
Discussions with Qatari and Pakistani mediators are ongoing, he added, as the delegations work to bring an end to the stalemate which has seen the war drag past the six-month mark.
(Reuters)
Alex Croft19 September 2026 17:00
Turkey pulls license of Iranian bank suspected of Revolutionary Guard links
Turkey’s banking watchdog, the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency, revoked the operating license for the Istanbul branch of Iran’s Bank Mellat.
The agency said Saturday that it made the decision to protect depositors or the stability of the Turkey’s financial system.
The announcement comes as the United States is demanding other countries tighten economic measures against Iran.
Bank Mellat has been subject to Western sanctions for years and was named in 2019 as having links to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The U.S. Treasury Department earlier this month imposed sanctions on a Turkish investment bank and two subsidiaries over alleged ties to Iran.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain19 September 2026 16:00
Trump says he is banning media outlets CNN, MS NOW, Politico from White House
Donald Trump said on Friday he is banning three major news outlets – CNN, MS NOW and Politico – from the White House in his latest threat to the independent press.
The move is almost certain to face legal challenges as free speech experts said it conflicts with the US Constitution’s First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press.
Trump accused the outlets of “reporting FAKE NEWS” in a social media post, and said they “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States.”
Trump added, “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
Representatives of all three outlets could be seen working in the White House on Friday afternoon following Trump’s post.
The White House was informing all three they would be banned from the White House grounds as of Saturday, Fox News reported, citing an unnamed senior White House official.
Trump said there was no specific incident that prompted the ban, telling reporters in the Oval Office, “It’s really just cumulative stories over the past few years.”
Trump added, “I don’t have to let them into my, into the people’s house.” When asked what he meant by others “to follow,” Trump mentioned the New York Times and the Washington Post as what he called “fake news.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain19 September 2026 15:15
Iranian state actors targeting UK dissidents, activists and journalists with spyware
Dissidents, activists and journalists were targeted by state actors that impersonated their contacts on messaging apps to trick them into downloading spyware called Chosen Brick, the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, warned.
The malware gave agents access to the person’s contacts, emails and social media messages as well as a device’s microphone and content on the screen.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain19 September 2026 14:45
Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel
Iran’s state TV reported on Saturday that a man identified as Hossein Pedram was executed after being convicted on charges of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad.
The report said Pedram passed on to Israel classified information on “sensitive military sites” in Iran’s Isfahan province. It didn’t say how he accessed the classified information.
Pedram was reportedly arrested after those sites, which included missile bases, were targeted in the 12-day air war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in June last year.
A recent surge of executions in Iran prompted an international outcry by human rights groups.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain19 September 2026 14:15
UN Security Council condemns Houthi attacks
The UN’s most powerful body said late Friday that the Houthis’ military escalation, attacks and threats “risk further expanding the conflict, threatening maritime security and international trade,” while undermining regional and international efforts to secure peace in Yemen.
It warned that continued escalation would exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the country.
The council’s 15 members called for “practical cooperation” to prevent the Iran-backed Houthis from acquiring arms, military training, financing and other military-related assistance needed to carry out their attacks.
They stressed that all countries must enforce the UN arms embargo against the rebel group.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain19 September 2026 13:45
