Day 207 | IRGC threatens to expand war's geographic scope

Yemen’s government forces said they targeted Houthi fighters and military equipment in Al Bayda governorate and the Al Mokha area.

US President Donald Trump tells the United Nations General Assembly that he had to choose whether to "annihilate" Iran if it fails to make a deal to end the Middle East war. 

"Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?" Trump says, while adding that he believed an agreement was possible after US midterm elections in November.

Loud explosions rocked the city of Taiz in southwestern Yemen on Tuesday, according to local reports.

Earlier in the day, authorities in Taiz raised the city’s alert level and deployed additional security personnel amid heightened security measures.

The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.

US President Donald Trump reportedly told his advisers that he would like to arrange a meeting with Iranian officials at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly “if the conditions are right,” according to CNN citing a US official.

The official added that nothing is currently scheduled, and that it is unclear whether the Iranians are open to such a meeting.

The king of Saudi Arabia denounced Yemen's Houthis as a "terrorist militia" in a rare statement Tuesday reacting to an attack that authorities said targeted the holy city of Mecca last week.

King Salman, 90 years of age, praised the armed forces and security services for defending the country, and condemned the recent Houthi attempt "to target Mecca", calling it "a provocation to Muslims around the world", according to the official Saudi news agency.

Earlier today, the Yemen's Houthis accused Saudi Arabia on Tuesday of launching a wave of deadly strikes that killed civilians and prison inmates, as Riyadh seeks to repel an offensive that has seen the Iran-backed group seize strategic territory.

The recent Houthi takeover of Yemen's Red Sea coast has left hundreds dead and heightened fears over global trade and shipping through the vital Bab al-Mandab strait.

It has also forced thousands to flee, with the United Nations on Tuesday forecasting the number of displaced could swell from over 130,000 today to more than 230,000 in the coming months.

The gains made by the Houthis have cemented the hold of Iran and its regional allies over two key waterways in the Middle East -- and the straits of Bab al-Mandab and Hormuz -- which are major shipping arteries for global flows of energy.

Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's internationally-recognised government, has sought to contain the Houthi advance with airstrikes.

The Houthis have retaliated with attacks on Saudi territory, including a strike targeting the capital Riyadh for the first time in years.

The strike came days after Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of targeting the holy city of Mecca, though the fighters denied the claim.

For coverage of the high-level general debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, visit the link below: 

Read more: World leaders gather in New York as 81st UN General Assembly General Debate opens

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi requested and will receive protective security from the US State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service during his visit to New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly, according to Axios.

A State Department letter dated September 18, addressed to Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, confirms receipt of a diplomatic note requesting protective security support for Araghchi.

After a thorough analysis of threats, the Diplomatic Security Service agreed to provide a protective detail.

Araghchi arrived in New York on September 21 to lead Iran’s diplomatic delegation at the high-level week of the General Assembly.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also expected to attend.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi asked the State Department to get a U.S. government security detail while he is in New York for UNGA. After review of the threats against him he will get a security detail from the Diplomatic Security Service pic.twitter.com/QdBpc0FHnP

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) September 22, 2026

The visit takes place amid ongoing tensions stemming from a conflict that began with US and ‘Israeli’ strikes on Iran earlier in February.

As the host country of the United Nations headquarters, the United States has obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement to facilitate the participation of member state representatives.

The Diplomatic Security Service routinely provides protective details for visiting foreign dignitaries, while heads of state typically receive US Secret Service protection.

Iranian officials attending this year’s session face movement restrictions and other limitations consistent with US policy.

Araghchi has stated that Iran’s primary objective at the assembly is to defend the rights and interests of the Iranian people on the international stage.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has dismissed the US account of a dramatic rescue of a downed Air Force officer as pure fiction and “Hollywood propaganda.”

Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, the IRGC spokesperson, made the remarks in an interview with Iran’s official news agency IRNA on Wednesday.

He was responding to a recent CBS “60 Minutes” interview in which the American airman, identified only by the call sign Bravo, described surviving the shoot-down of his F-15E Strike Eagle over central Iran in early April and enduring more than a day in mountainous terrain before US forces extracted him.

Mohebbi claimed that no rational person could accept the US narrative.

“No sound mind would accept their narrative because it is fictional and unacceptable,” he told IRNA.

He mocked Bravo’s account of falling at roughly 160 kilometers per hour with a damaged parachute that failed to open and still surviving after crashing into a mountainside.

The general framed the television segment as an attempt to manufacture a success story from what Iran calls a failed American aggression.

“The story… was akin to the scripts of Hollywood movies and a clear attempt to manufacture an achievement from the failed aggression on Iran,” Mohebbi said.

He added that the United States has a long history of inventing such tales about its military operations abroad.

In related comments carried by Iranian outlets, Mohebbi accused Washington of splicing together unrelated video clips to create heroic scenes.

He noted that images circulating at the time showed wreckage of the downed F-15 being collected in a wheelbarrow, undercutting claims of a seamless US operation.

“The U.S. is embarrassing itself with these actions. These films (pilot interview) will definitely not only fail to bring any achievement… but will also become a source of ridicule,” he said.

According to U.S. officials, the two-man F-15E crew was on a strike mission in April against Iranian industrial sites linked to drones and missiles when Iranian air defenses hit the jet over Isfahan province.

Both airmen ejected; the pilot (call sign Alpha) was recovered within hours, while Bravo, the weapons systems officer and a colonel, hid with injuries for roughly 36 hours before a complex extraction involving special forces, dozens of aircraft, electronic jamming, and a CIA deception campaign.

US accounts, including statements from President Donald Trump and Central Command, described the rescue as successful despite Iranian claims at the time that the operation had been thwarted and multiple American aircraft destroyed.

No US personnel were reported captured.

Iranian state media had previously publicized rewards for the capture of any downed pilots and released images of what it said was wreckage from the rescue effort.

• The Wall Street Journal reported declining US stocks of air-defense interceptors.
• Trump says the US has more munitions than any other country and is increasing production.

US President Trump pushed back forcefully Tuesday against a wave of reports claiming that the United States is dangerously depleted of munitions nearly seven months into its war with Iran, dismissing the reports as false.

“The cowards and traitors would love to say the United States is low on munitions. It’s not true,” the US president wrote on his social media platform.

“We have more munitions than we could ever possibly think of using, and are building them up now at levels we have never seen before,” he wrote.

The dispute stems from a report by the Wall Street Journal that said General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had briefed the White House on declining inventories of US air-defense interceptors amid the conflict.

Read more: Trump cuts Camp David retreat short, ahead of schedule: Axios

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington is willing to meet Tehran at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

“We’re open to that. I don’t think anything is scheduled at this point, but we’re certainly open to something like that, especially if it has the prospects of leading to something positive and ultimately achieving the goal of what this is all about,” Rubio said in statements to NBC.

“And that is the fact that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. They just simply can’t,” he added.

• Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says Iran's missile capability has no geographic limits, according to state media
• Ghalibaf, also Iran's chief negotiator with the US, vows Tehran won't back down amid ongoing economic, military and diplomatic pressure

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tuesday the country's missiles are capable of hitting any target it chooses, with no restrictions on range or reach, state media reported.

Ghalibaf, who also serves as Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the United States, said that amid the current mix of economic, military and diplomatic pressure facing the country, "Iran will never yield or bring the country to a halt."

He further stated that Iran would continue to "respond with strength," as it has done previously, adding that Tehran has "rendered the enemy powerless in every area."

Read more: Iranian FM says trust in UN has been lost

• An Iranian airline says it has received no official notice suspending flights to Istanbul, Baku or Najaf.
• The statement comes amid US sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector.
• Reports citing Iraqi officials say Baghdad plans to suspend Iranian airlines, creating conflicting accounts.

Iran air said Tuesday it has not received any official notification from Turkey, Azerbaijan or Iraq regarding the suspension of its flights to Istanbul, Baku or Najaf.

The statement comes amid uncertainty surrounding international flights operated by Iranian carriers following new US sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector.

The airline’s claim regarding Iraq conflicts with reports citing two Iraqi government sources, who said Baghdad would suspend Iranian airlines from Tuesday morning in line with US sanctions.

The developments follow US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s warning that Iranian airlines would face sweeping restrictions from Sep. 23, with foreign companies providing services to the carriers potentially exposed to US sanctions.

The conflicting reports leave the immediate status of Iranian flights to the three destinations unclear.

Read more: Bessent says all Iranian airlines will shut down worldwide in 2 days

• He cited strikes on schoolchildren in Minab and on Lamerd, asking whether those killed were terrorists, and noted homes, hospitals, and other facilities have been hit.
• He also addressed Israel's war on Gaza, saying food and water have been blocked from reaching women, children, and the elderly.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticized the United States and ‘Israel’ Tuesday over escalating violence in the Middle East, in remarks made ahead of the UN General Assembly.

Pezeshkian argued that advances in technology and artificial intelligence have given the two countries the means to commit any act while framing it as counterterrorism. "Now, with the tools, technology and artificial intelligence at their disposal, they can carry out any crime they wish. Yet, unfortunately, they claim they are acting against terrorists," he said.

He then pointed to strikes on schoolchildren in Minab and on the town of Lamerd, questioning the justification offered for such attacks. "Were our innocent schoolchildren in Minab terrorists? Were those in Lamerd terrorists? They claim to be attacking terrorists yet they strike homes, hospitals, and other facilities. Is it terrorists they have a problem with?"

Turning to Gaza, Pezeshkian also condemned ‘Israel's’ ongoing war in the territory, describing the blocking of food and water from reaching women, children and the elderly as unacceptable given the parties' claims to defend human rights. "In Gaza, they have blocked food and water from reaching women, children, and the elderly. It is shameful that they do this while claiming to uphold human rights."

Read more: Iran's Pezeshkian says Iran, UAE agreed to move past tensions

• Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in New York on Monday, one day ahead of President Masoud Pezeshkian, to lay groundwork for Iran's UN General Assembly delegation.
• En route, Araghchi stopped in Doha for talks with Qatari officials, who have mediated US-Iran tensions during the war.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in New York on Monday, a day ahead of President Masoud Pezeshkian, as Tehran's delegation prepared for a high-stakes appearance at the United Nations General Assembly under tight US travel restrictions.

Pezeshkian departed Tehran early Tuesday and will become the highest-ranking Iranian official to enter the United States since the countries went to war after US and ‘Israeli’ strikes on Iran in February.

Araghchi flew to New York via Doha, where he held talks with Qatari officials, who have mediated between Washington and Tehran during the conflict. After landing in New York on Monday, he spoke by phone with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the General Assembly agenda, Iranian state media reported.

"Our most important objective is to use a major international platform to defend the legitimacy, rights, and interests of the Iranian people," Araghchi told Iranian journalists.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Araghchi would hold talks with "numerous officials and foreign ministers" during the session and described him as head of Iran's delegation.

H.E. Dr. Abbas Araghchi in New York ahead of President Pezeshkian — a new diplomatic battle unfolds at the UN, with public diplomacy in full play. pic.twitter.com/OW6pkh8TsD

— Iran In Hyderabad (@IraninHyderabad) September 22, 2026

The US State Department said Washington had authorized Iran's "core delegation," including Pezeshkian, to attend High Level Week but confirmed the group would be smaller than last year and would face restrictions on movement and on buying luxury goods, in line with sanctions policy. Iranian state media said Washington had denied visas to several delegation members, including communications staff.

Pezeshkian is due to address the General Assembly on Wednesday and hold bilateral meetings with foreign leaders, as well as separate talks with Iranian expatriates and U.S. think tank representatives, according to state media.

Before leaving Tehran, Pezeshkian said Iran would "powerfully defend our positions in international forums," adding the country had emerged from recent hardships "with our heads held high."

The visit comes against a tense regional backdrop. Houthi forces have made rapid gains in Yemen and stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on energy infrastructure and shipping, prompting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to press President Donald Trump for US intervention. 

Iran's military said Sunday it had information the US was preparing renewed action against Iran, and warned any strikes would trigger sustained retaliation against US bases and interests in the region.

Read more: US says Iranian UN officials barred from luxury shopping in New York

• Araghchi made his remarks upon arriving in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly, according to his Telegram channel.
• He said Iran's main goal is to use the UN platform to defend the legitimacy, rights, and interests of the Iranian people.
• He said the UN has lost credibility and trust because it failed to uphold world peace and security.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that trust in the United Nations has been eroded. He spoke upon his arrival in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly.

"This visit takes place following the cowardly war waged against us by the US and the Zionist regime, the subsequent developments, and in reality, amidst a situation that effectively remains a state of war," Araghchi said, according to remarks posted on his Telegram channel.

He added that Iran's primary objective at the gathering is to use the international platform to defend the legitimacy, rights and interests of the Iranian people.

Araghchi said the UN has lost credibility and trust due to its failure to uphold world peace and security, noting that this year's General Assembly opens under the theme "restoring trust."

"This reflects a universal acknowledgement that trust in the organisation has eroded, or vanished entirely, due to its failure to effectively maintain international peace and security," he said.

He further accused certain nations of acting with impunity. "Certain nations arrogate to themselves the right to act with impunity, disregarding international institutions, international law, and even the collective conscience of humanity; they claim immunity for themselves and their allies," Araghchi said.

He concluded: "Consequently, we see a criminal entity like the Zionist regime given free rein to commit whatever acts it chooses, while Western and European nations, which style themselves as champions of human rights and humanitarian law, remain silent."

Read more: US denies visas to Iranian president's media team, AFP says

• The group warned that continued support fuels a "dangerous pattern of escalation" threatening global trade and stability.
• The statement was issued after a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) have jointly urged Iran to stop providing military backing to Houthi forces operating in Yemen, warning that such support fuels a dangerous cycle of escalation threatening both global trade routes and broader international stability.

The appeal came in a joint statement issued after the ministers met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Representatives from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States used the statement to denounce ongoing Houthi attacks in Yemen as well as strikes directed at Saudi Arabia.

“We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith,” the ministers said. 

The G7 functions as an informal coalition of leading industrialized democracies, convening regularly to address matters of global governance, economic security and other pressing international concerns.

Read more: Six killed in Saudi strike over Mokha, Houthis say

For coverage of the previous day, visit the link below.

Read more: Day 206 | Iran warns of ‘painful’ response if US launches new attack