Day 208 | Trump weighs agreement against destruction of Iran
US President Donald Trump delivered an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, stating that he is weighing a critical decision on the future of the nearly seven-month war with Iran.
Addressing world leaders, Trump framed Washington's strategic options as a choice between negotiating a formal settlement or escalating military and economic pressure to annihilate the Iranian state.
"I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before? Or do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?" Trump told the Assembly.
Despite the stark rhetoric at the podium, direct diplomatic contact took place behind closed doors. A U.S. delegation including senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Iranian officials on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.
Trump confirmed that the meeting lasted approximately three hours and reported that discussions went smoothly, though he did not outline specific terms or concessions.
While Washington evaluates its next steps, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed his government's resolve upon arriving in New York for the summit. Pezeshkian stated that his delegation would "firmly defend" Iran's position throughout the war and use the United Nations forum to "convey Iran's plight" to the international community.
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Read more: Day 209 | Iran's President: ‘We will never bend the knee’
Houthis say more than 400 ships transited Bab al-Mandeb
The Houthis said 408 commercial ships transited the Bab al-Mandeb Strait between September 11 and September 21, averaging about 40 vessels per day.
The group said the figure excludes Saudi ships and claimed navigation through the strategic waterway is proceeding normally and safely.
The Houthis have been seeking to pressure Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government, over the Saudi-led blockade of areas under Houthi control.
US Central Command says 115 vessels rerouted under Iran blockade
US Central Command said it has rerouted 115 commercial vessels so far as part of the maritime blockade imposed on Iran.
US will live up to defence agreement commitments with Saudi Arabia: Rubio
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington will honor its commitments under a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, as he addressed the Houthi military campaign.
“We have a very strong defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, and we will live up to our commitments in that agreement,” Rubio told reporters at a press conference.
Rubio said Washington was concerned about the situation, adding that Saudi Arabia had faced attacks not only from the Houthis but also, he claimed, from Shia militias in Iraq that he described as Iranian proxies.
“We don’t like what’s happening. Obviously, it’s very disturbing,” Rubio said.
Iran media attacks Araghchi over Witkoff talks
Iranian media has attacked Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over his reported engagement with US envoy Steve Witkoff during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, questioning whether the contact was authorized by Iran’s senior policymaking bodies.
Tasnim News Agency reported Wednesday that Araghchi’s interaction with Witkoff took place without coordination with or approval from relevant institutions, including the Supreme National Security Council.
It rejected claims that the move had been coordinated.
“Accordingly, Araghchi should be held accountable before the relevant institutions and the Iranian people for what the report described as a ‘wrong action’ contrary to the national interests, including explaining what calculations led him to make what it called a ‘major mistake,’” Tasnim News Agency said.
The report cited a recent statement by Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei that Iran’s seven conditions were supposed to be conveyed again through “mediators,” arguing that this indicated Araghchi had no mandate to go beyond that framework and engage directly with Witkoff.
What the meeting was about
The criticism followed reports that Araghchi and Witkoff held contact on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly as part of efforts to end the US-Iran war and address the status of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported that Araghchi conveyed Tehran’s conditions for reopening the strategic waterway, including lifting the US naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending the war on all fronts.
Witkoff said the US and Iranian delegations held lengthy discussions through mediators, while Iranian and US accounts have differed over whether Araghchi and Witkoff met directly.
The dispute comes as rifts are reportedly growing between the IRGC hardliners and some “pragmatists” in Iran who seek to end the war through talks.
Deal with Iran will involve hard work over a period of time, says Rubio
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any agreement with Iran would require sustained negotiations and hard work over time.
Speaking to reporters in New York, Rubio said President Trump has “a number of options available,” including military options.
Rubio also said the US would continue efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, where Washington has been protecting shipping amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.
UAE sanctions country's branches of Iran's Bank Melli
The UAE's central bank said Wednesday that it had imposed sanctions on the Emirati branches of Iran's Bank Melli, accusing it of violating local laws including on money laundering and terrorism.
The bank said in a statement that "it has been decided to prohibit all branches of Bank Melli Iran operating in the UAE from conducting any financial transactions to and from Iran, including trade finance and fund transfers".
Senior Iranian lawmaker questions FM Araghchi’s authority to attend meeting with US officials
An Iranian lawmaker has questioned Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s authority to meet senior US officials in New York, arguing that the talks could have signaled weakness from Tehran.
Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said the Foreign Ministry is responsible for implementing policy rather than setting it.
“The foreign minister must explain on the basis of which authorisation and policy his meeting with the representative of the aggressor enemy was conducted,” Rezaei said in a post on X.
Araghchi met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to discuss the war.
Trump described the meeting as “very good,” saying it lasted three hours and that another meeting would take place in the “very near future.”
Three gunmen killed in clashes in southeastern Iran
Three gunmen were killed in clashes between Iranian security forces and a group described as “terrorist” by Iranian state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency in Saravan, southeastern Iran.
Tasnim reported that the clashes took place in the city, but did not provide further details on the identity of the group or the circumstances of the fighting.
Houthis say they are “one alliance and one body” with Iran
Major Gen. Abed Mohammad Al-Thawr, an adviser to Yemen’s Houthi Defense Ministry, said that the movement coordinates with Iran and forms “one body” with it, stressing coordination with the Islamic Republic and Lebanon’s Hezbollah in battles across the region.
“We are one alliance and one body. What affects Iran will affect us, and what affects us will affect Iran,” he said.
“There is coordination and joint cooperation between us, Iran and Lebanon. We are part of the resistance axis (...) and there is one command for the battle, with each side providing the others with information they can benefit from,” he added.
Al-Thawr said the Houthis support Iran and “will not allow our airspace or waters, the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden or Arabian Sea to be used to strike Iran. Whoever tries to do so, we will strike them.”
Two casualties in strike on cargo vessel in Hormuz
A cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an "unknown projectile" on Wednesday, causing a fire and two casualties, a British maritime agency said.
"The Company Security Officer of a cargo vessel reports being struck by an unknown projectile. The vessel is on fire and adrift," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. "All crew have been evacuated with 2 casualties reported."
