Day 203 | Iran war spreads to Yemen, as Trump hopes for an end soon

Saudi Arabia’s embassy in the United States said the potential sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets reflects the development of Saudi-US defense cooperation and the strength of their strategic partnership.

The US State Department approved the potential $24.3 billion sale, saying the deal would enhance security for a “major non-NATO ally” and support political stability and economic progress in the Gulf region.

The Saudi embassy said decades of security cooperation between the two countries had contributed to regional stability, strengthened collective defense capabilities and advanced shared security interests.

The potential sale would mark a major expansion of Saudi Arabia’s advanced military capabilities if finalized.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Seoul will not deploy military troops to support any US intervention in the war in Iran that could draw South Korea into the conflict, according to Yonhap.

Speaking at a news conference, Lee said the government could take limited measures to protect South Korean merchant ships and secure oil transport routes.

Iranian media have published photos of Mojtaba Khamenei visiting Hezbollah members who were injured in the 2024 pager explosions in Lebanon. The images were reportedly taken during a visit two years ago and were republished on the anniversary of the attack.

The pager explosions took place on September 17, 2024, across several areas of Lebanon, killing and injuring members of Hezbollah and others. A second wave targeting other communication devices followed the next day.

The newly published images show Mojtaba Khamenei visiting injured Hezbollah members following the blasts, according to Iranian reports.

 

 

 

 

 

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The United States is offering up to $15 million for information that could help disrupt the financial mechanisms of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program said the IRGC uses digital asset platforms and other financial channels to move illicit funds, evade sanctions and maintain access to the international financial system.

The offer comes amid a broader US campaign targeting Iran’s financial networks. The Treasury Department has accused Iranian actors of using digital asset exchanges and front companies to launder funds and support the IRGC.

Washington has also recently imposed sanctions on Iranian-linked cryptocurrency networks and sought the forfeiture of about $61 million in cryptocurrency allegedly tied to black-market Iranian oil sales.

The State Department says the $15 million reward is available for information leading to the disruption of the IRGC’s financial mechanisms and those of its affiliated branches.

The United States has formally withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council, ending Washington’s participation in the body and its plans to seek a seat in future elections.

The move follows a broader review by the Trump administration of US participation in international organizations. In January, the White House directed US agencies to withdraw from a range of UN bodies, while an earlier executive order specifically stated that Washington would not participate in the Human Rights Council or seek election to it.

The withdrawal comes as the Human Rights Council holds its 63rd regular session in Geneva. The session began on September 7 and is scheduled to run until October 7, according to the UN council’s official calendar.

The decision is part of a wider restructuring of US engagement with international institutions under the Trump administration, which has announced withdrawals from multiple UN and other multilateral bodies.

The White House has rejected a UN human rights report finding “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran on February 28, including an attack on a school in the southern city of Minab.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the findings, saying the UN Human Rights Council had “accomplished nothing for human rights while spouting unserious nonsense for decades,” according to The Washington Post. She also said the only party in the conflict to have committed war crimes was the Iranian government.

The UN fact-finding mission said the two US airstrikes killed at least 178 civilians. One of the attacks struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, where Iranian authorities reported that 168 people were killed, most of them children.

The mission concluded that the school was “the intended point of impact,” rather than collateral damage. Earlier reporting by The Washington Post also found evidence indicating likely US involvement in the strike.

The Trump administration has not publicly accepted responsibility for the attack or released the findings of a Pentagon investigation into the incident. The Pentagon investigation remained pending months after the strike.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted an oil tanker flying the Togo flag while the vessel was transiting the Strait of Hormuz through what it described as an unauthorized route.

The IRGC has repeatedly warned commercial vessels against using routes it considers unauthorized, saying ships must follow designated passages through the strategic waterway.

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