France To Send Troops To Saudi Arabia Amid Houthi Attacks
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on September 24 that Paris would send military personnel and defense systems to Saudi Arabia to help protect the country's key Red Sea oil port of Yanbu.
"We are going to send military resources, that is to say, soldiers, radar systems and defense systems, to protect this site," Macron said in an interview with French broadcasters TF1 and France 2.
The aim would be "not to get us involved in any conflicts, but to protect this site," the French president added.
Macron's comments came as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels said they had targeted "sensitive sites" in Riyadh and an oil facility in Yanbu for the second time in a week.
Yemen descended into civil war in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, ousting the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government. A 2022 truce had mostly held until recently.
In July, a spate of attacks began after the Houthis welcomed an Iranian plane in Sanaa.
Earlier this month, Houthi rebels seized nearly all of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, giving the militant group control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key chokepoint for global trade.
The Houthis have also intensified attacks on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, the group’s foe and the world’s biggest oil exporter.
Riyadh has been forced to temporarily shut down a crucial oil pipeline after a drone attack that it blamed on a pro-Iranian militia in Iraq.
With reporting by AFP.
Iran, US Remain Far Apart Despite Renewed Talks
Iran and the United States remain far apart on ending their nearly seven-month war despite renewed diplomacy, an Iranian official said on September 23, as President Masud Pezeshkian rejected US pressure in an address to the UN General Assembly.
Iran and the United States remain far apart on ending their nearly seven-month war despite renewed diplomacy, an Iranian official said on September 23, as President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected US pressure in an address to the UN General Assembly.
The official told Reuters that Tehran was reviewing Washington’s response to Iranian proposals focused on lifting a US naval blockade and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but said “there are still many differences” between the sides.
The comments followed the first indirect US-Iran talks in months, which produced no publicly announced concessions.
Pezeshkian told the UN that Iran would not “bend at the knee” under pressure, a day after US President Donald Trump threatened in his UN address to “annihilate” Iran if no agreement was reached. Pezeshkian nevertheless said Tehran remained open to negotiations.
The two leaders also clashed over Iran’s nuclear program. Pezeshkian said Tehran did not seek nuclear weapons but would not relinquish peaceful nuclear technology, while Trump accused Iran of pursuing a bomb and vowed: “I will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
He also defended Iran’s restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas before the war and has become a central point of contention in negotiations with Washington
Also on September 23, European Council President Antonio Costa said he had spoken with Pezeshkian and urged Iran to restore freedom of navigation, halt strikes on its neighbors and resume cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
IRGC Commander Reported Killed In Clashes In Iran’s Southeastern City Of Saravan
Iranian security forces and unidentified gunmen have reportedly engaged in heavy fighting in the southeastern city of Saravan, according to Iranian media and reports from the region.
A senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed during an operation in the country’s restive southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported.
The agency identified the victim as Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, who headed the Shahid Sajjad operational base in Saravan, near Iran’s border with Pakistan.
The statement did not provide details about the circumstances of Zarifi’s death or identify who IRGC forces were fighting during the operation.
Fighting reportedly began around 1300 local time, in the Jihadabad area of Saravan, located in the Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
Videos published by Haalvsh, a rights group and media organization, captured the sound of sustained gunfire as security forces blocked roads leading to the site of the clashes. Other footage showed a drone flying over the area, heavy smoke rising above the neighborhood, and a building on fire.
These videos have not been independently verified.
Iranian state media and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said security forces had targeted what they described as a “terrorist” group, which it said had intended on carrying out an assassination operation but was identified and targeted based on information received from the public.
Five members of the group were reportedly killed and others arrested, while weapons and ammunition were seized. The IRGC said that one of its guards was killed.
The reports could not be independently confirmed by RFE/RL.
Sistan-Baluchestan, which borders both Pakistan and Afghanistan, is predominantly populated by people of Baloch ethnicity. Unlike in the rest of Iran, most of the population is Sunni Muslim.
The province has seen a long-running insurgency involving Baloch armed groups, with militants frequently targeting figures associated with the Iranian state. On September 14, unidentified attackers assassinated the pro-government Sunni Baloch cleric Yousef Gorgij outside his home in Zahedan, the capital of the province.
Iranian MP Says Pezeshkian-Trump Meeting 'Likely'
- By RFE/RL
Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, an Iranian lawmaker and member of parliament's National Security Commission, said he thinks it is "likely" that Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump will meet in New York during this week's United Nations General Assembly.
"It would not be bad if the Iranian president had a meeting with him [Trump], but the nature of the relationship between the two countries is much more complicated than solving problems with a meeting," he said in an interview with the Iranian news outlet Didban.
Ardestani added that while a meeting between the two failed to materialize last year during the UNGA even though Pezeshkian was prepared to hold talks, "I think it is likely that their meeting will take place this time."
White House officials have given no indication that Trump will meet with his Iranian counterpart in New York, though the president himself said last week he would "probably" meet with Pezeshkian.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and his delegation on September 22 at the General Assembly -- the first direct contact between the two sides since June -- that the US leader called "very productive."
Prior to that, Trump said during a speech to the UNGA that he would either strike a deal with Iran or “annihilate” it.
The possibility of a Trump-Pezeshkian meeting has already drawn criticism from hard-line figures in Iran.
Iran Cancels Some International Flights As US Sanctions Bite
Iranian airlines canceled some international flights on September 23 after the United States tightened sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry as part of efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran.
Flights from Iran to Baghdad, Muscat, Qatar, Georgia, and Azerbaijan were suspended, a Tehran travel agent told AFP, while services to destinations such as China and Turkey continued despite some cancelations.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the measures on September 21, vowing to “shut down” Iranian carriers and threatening penalties against countries and companies that provide them with services.
The full impact remained unclear. Mahan Air, one of Iran’s largest carriers, operated a flight to Guangzhou after the sanctions took effect, while China said it opposed the measures.
Iraq has not publicly announced whether it will enforce the restrictions, although officials told AFP that Baghdad would comply. Iranian authorities were in talks to reroute Baghdad services to Najaf, a major destination for Shi'a pilgrims.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian flew to New York on September 22 for the UN General Assembly aboard Ashianeh, a little-known Iranian airline that does not appear to be under US or EU sanctions.
With reporting by AFP
Why Saudi Arabia’s Oil Is Getting Harder To Ship
The crises in the Middle East are creating a growing challenge for Saudi Arabia: how it gets its oil to global markets. Shipping costs are rising, oil recently topped $105 a barrel, and global inventories are being rapidly drained. (Video by Kian Sharifi and Kenan Cerimagic)
Iranian Hard-Liners Up In Arms After Araqchi-Witkoff Meeting In New York
- By Kian Sharifi
For days, both Iranian and US officials were signaling that some level of interaction between the two sides would take place in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
So, it came as little surprise when news broke that White House Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had met on September 22.
But that did not stop hard-liners inside Iran from railing against the government of Masud Pezeshkian, with some going as far as demanding impeachment proceedings.
Read more here
Oil Falls Below $100 Per Barrel After US-Iran Talks
Oil prices fell on September 23 after US President Donald Trump said American and Iranian representatives had held “very good” and “very productive” talks at the United Nations, raising hopes of progress towards easing the seven-month Middle East conflict.
Brent crude fell to $98.41 a barrel in afternoon Asian trading, while US West Texas Intermediate dropped to $89.23, putting both benchmarks below $100.
Trump said the three-hour meeting with Iranian mediators on September 22 would be followed by another “in the very near future,” hours after telling the UN he faced a “big decision” on whether to reach a deal with Tehran or “annihilate the Islamic republic and do it quickly.”
The conflict has disrupted regional energy flows, with Iran keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and fighting in Yemen squeezing Red Sea exports.
Prices also eased as Saudi Arabia reportedly restarted its East-West Pipeline, with exports expected to resume later this week.
With reporting by AFP
Iran Says Araqchi Met Witkoff At UN
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met US special envoy Steve Witkoff on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 22 and outlined Tehran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported.
Iran's state broadcaster IRIB, citing an unnamed source, said the meeting took place at Witkoff's request and that Tehran agreed to it in order to convey its conditions for reopening the strategically important waterway.
According to IRIB, those conditions include the immediate lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and an end to fighting on what Tehran calls the “resistance” fronts -- a reference to conflicts involving Iran-aligned groups in the region.
There was no immediate public confirmation of the meeting from the United States.
The reported encounter comes as Tehran and Washington explore a possible return to diplomacy amid their months-long conflict and tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas shipments.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters earlier on September 22 that Iran could reopen the strait to Gulf shipping within seven days if Washington eased military pressure and lifted its blockade on Iranian ports.
Tehran had previously communicated its latest proposal to Washington through mediators, a senior
Iranian official told Reuters. The Araghchi-Witkoff encounter, if confirmed, would mark a shift to direct contact between senior US and Iranian officials as world leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly.
US President Donald Trump, however, struck a hard line in his UN address on September 22, "warning that he could “annihilate the Islamic republic" if no deal was reached to end the conflict. Trump nevertheless said he believed Washington and Tehran would reach an agreement after the US midterm elections in November.
US Senators Call On Rubio To Prioritize Release Of Ex-RFE/RL Journalist Held In Iran
A bipartisan group of four US senators has written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to make the release of former RFE/RL journalist Reza Valizadeh, who has been imprisoned in Iran since September 2024, an “urgent priority.”
The letter was signed by Democratic Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and David H. McCormick of Pennsylvania.
“We ask that his freedom and welfare be an urgent priority through all available diplomatic channels with Iranian officials,” the senators wrote in a letter published on September 22, the second anniversary of Valizadeh being placed in pretrial detention while visiting family in Iran.
Valizadeh, a US-Iranian dual citizen, is serving a 10-year sentence on charges of “collaborating with a hostile government.” The US State Department has condemned his imprisonment and designated him as wrongfully detained.
Valizadeh worked for RFE/RL’s Persian-language service, Radio Farda, from 2012 to 2022. The senators said the charges against him stem from his US citizenship and his work for Radio Farda, where he reported on corruption and repression in Iran.
The appeal comes as world leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly, which Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian is attending. Trump said earlier this week that he would “probably be open” to meeting Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the gathering.
The senators said Valizadeh’s health had “significantly deteriorated” at Tehran’s Evin Prison and that he had been denied medical care, including an inhaler needed for his asthma.
“With every day of continued detention, Mr. Valizadeh’s life is in danger,” they wrote.