U.S. President Donald Trump has again said Iran is keen to reach a deal quickly, but a senior Iranian security official rejected the claim, saying Tehran will not negotiate until its conditions are met.
This concludes AnewZ’s live coverage of the latest developments across the Middle East for today.
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the war with Iran would enter a “much different phase in a couple of months”, with Washington shifting its focus towards preventing Tehran from rebuilding its military capabilities.
Vance said the U.S. considers the first phase of the conflict complete, describing its objectives as destroying Iran’s nuclear programme, conventional military and ability to project power.
He said the next phase would focus on preventing Iran from rebuilding those capabilities while maintaining stability, adding that Tehran was still occasionally targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States accused Iran of violating UN Security Council resolutions by supplying Yemen’s Houthis with weapons, financing, training and technical assistance.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting on Yemen on Tuesday, the U.S. representative described Iran as the “principal violator” of resolutions 2140 and 2216 and called for stronger enforcement of measures restricting support for the group.
Washington also condemned recent Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and called on the group to halt its military advances and attacks.
Several explosions were heard on Iran’s Qeshm island early Wednesday, according to state news agency IRNA, citing local sources.
The sounds appeared to have come from the direction of the sea, IRNA reported. The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.
More than 100,000 people have been displaced by renewed fighting in Yemen, as escalating hostilities along the country’s western coast force thousands from their homes, according to the UN refugee agency.
UNHCR said more than 2,400 people have also crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to seek safety in Djibouti.
The displacement comes amid intensified fighting between Houthi and Yemeni government forces and escalating cross-border attacks involving Saudi Arabia.
U.S. Central Command said American forces have redirected 103 commercial vessels as part of Washington’s maritime blockade against Iran as of September 15.
CENTCOM released footage of an MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter operating from the USS Rafael Peralta in the Arabian Sea as the ship enforced the blockade.
The U.S. military campaign against Iran had cost the Pentagon an estimated $38.1 billion as of August 1, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The CBO said replacing munitions accounted for $21.7 billion of the total, including $13.1 billion for missile defence interceptors.
It estimated that each additional month of hostilities could cost between $2 billion and $3 billion, depending on the intensity of fighting.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie has introduced eight articles of impeachment against U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of “high crimes and misdemeanors” over his handling of several U.S. military operations.
The charges include allegations that Hegseth waged war against Iran without congressional authorisation, failed to minimise civilian casualties and carried out unlawful military operations in Yemen and elsewhere.
Massie introduced the resolution as a privileged measure, requiring the House to take it up within two legislative days. The allegations have not been adjudicated.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense lifted emergency alerts in Jazan, Khamis Mushait and Abha on Tuesday, minutes after warning residents of a potential danger.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense said the potential danger in Khamis Mushait has passed, after earlier issuing an early warning for the city.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense issued early warnings of a “potential danger” in Jazan, Abha and Khamis Mushait, urging residents to follow official safety instructions.
The alerts come amid heightened security concerns following a series of Houthi missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.
The six-month-old U.S. war against Iran has cost $38 billion so far and that amount is projected to rise by $3 billion a month, Congress's nonpartisan bookkeeper reported on Tuesday.
The war is expected to increase inflation by 0.5 per cent in the first three months of 2027, according to the Congressional Budget Office accounting.
The mounting costs have strained U.S. munitions stockpiles and driven up energy prices, raising concerns about the country's ability to respond to other potential conflicts and adding pressure on an already stretched federal budget.
Iran will not backdown on its nuclear programme, Iranian diplomat Behrouz Kamalvandi has told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Conference in Vienna, Austria, Iranian news agency Fars has reported.
He added that Iran was one of the first members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has remained committed to its obligations, according to Fars.
Iran has ruled out negotiations with the United States until its conditions are met, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei has said, Iranian newspaper Tehran Times reported.
He warned that strategic equations surrounding oil and regional waterways have changed and that attempts to contain the consequences of the conflict will not alter what lies ahead, according to the newspaper.
Iran's state media company, IRIB, has shared of video on X of what it says is a supertanker which hit a mine in the Strait of Hormuz earlier on Tuesday.
Earlier, Iranian news agency Fars reported that the vessel, called Algaya, was involved in an accident while trying to pass through a 'prohibited zone' in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz.
The idea that Iran is defenceless is "fiction," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said in a post on X, alongside a page from a U.S. report which includes information about damage caused to American bases in the Middle East by Iranian strikes.
Oil should be flowing through Saudi Arabia's vital East-West pipeline within days, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told American news network CNBC on Tuesday, after the kingdom was forced to temporarily close it after attacks by Iran-related groups.
Britain, the U.S. and the Netherlands have issued a joint cybersecurity advisory detailing spyware they say is used by Iranian state-linked actors to target dissidents, activists and journalists.
Britain's National Cyber Security Centre said Iranian state-linked cyber actors had used a spyware family known as “CHOSEN BRICK” to steal emails, messages and other sensitive information through “spear-phishing” campaigns on messaging platforms including WhatsApp and Telegram.
“The details of this cyber campaign reveal how Iran ruthlessly uses digital surveillance in pursuit of its aim to repress critics of the regime, stealing emails and messages and accessing devices,” Paul Chichester, Director of Operations at the UK's cyber security agency, said in a statement.
Oil loadings at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu have been suspended, according to shipping industry sources.
The suspension comes days after Saudi Arabia closed its East-West pipeline following an attack by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis. Saudi Aramco declined to comment.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he will meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this weekend, ahead of a planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.
Bessent said Trump and Xi would continue discussions on Iran and China's financial links to Tehran, which Washington has been seeking to shut out of western financial systems.
The U.S. military destroyed two Iranian small boats on Monday after Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) tried to steal a naval drone patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. news website Axios has reported, citing American officials.
The U.S. military initially didn't disclose the strike, and Iranian media presented it as a drone strike on fishing boats, according to Axios.
Reuters
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed the need to ensure freedom and security of navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea during talks on Tuesday, the Egyptian presidency said.
Sisi also expressed support for Saudi measures to protect its security and stability, and for efforts to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution to the Yemen crisis, the presidency said.
More than 100,000 people have been internally displaced by renewed fighting in Yemen and thousands more have fled across the Bab al-Mandab Strait to Djibouti, the UN refugee agency has said.
“Humanitarian access remains a major challenge. Insecurity, damaged roads, telecommunications disruptions and movement restrictions are affecting operations,” UNHCR said in a statement.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure while advancing along Yemen's Red Sea coast towards the Bab al-Mandaab Strait, a key shipping route.
Saudi and Yemeni air forces have bombarded Houthi targets in response.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will head to Beijing on Wednesday for an official visit, Tehran's Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said.
Araghchi will hold talk with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on key regional and international issues, according to a post on the Iranian government's X account.
A ship has exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting naval mines, Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has said.
IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency reported that the Algaya supertanker was involved in an accident while trying to pass through a prohibited zone in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz.
Efforts to contain the blaze failed, leaving the ship fully on fire, an IRGC statement said.
The IRGC Navy added that the incident was the predictable result of ignoring Iran’s maritime security regulations.
Freedom of passage must be allowed in the Strait of Hormuz, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said. Speaking in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, he also said that mutual attacks in the Persian Gulf were harming peace efforts and said these must stop immediately.
He added that the pre-war status quo should be re-instated, adding Ankara was in touch with all involved parties to find a solution to the matter.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated their shared belief that conflict in the Middle East must be resolved through “political and diplomatic means,” during a meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.
A Panama-flagged oil tanker is being towed to an Omani port after a fire broke out in its engine room following an attack, Oman's Maritime Security Centre had said.
The tanker, called El Gaia, was about 103 nautical miles northeast of Musandam when it was attacked, the agency said. An Omani naval vessel evacuated 23 crew members, while two remain missing.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence issued an alert on Tuesday warning of potential danger in Mecca, home to Islam’s holiest site, for the first time since the latest escalation with Yemen’s Houthis.
The alert was lifted just minutes later. Brief warnings were also issued for the provinces of Taif and Jeddah, state television reported.
A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday.
No damage or environmental impact was reported, and authorities were investigating the incident.
China on Tuesday called for political and diplomatic solutions to the U.S.-Iran war, after a Pentagon inspector general report warned that the conflict had caused strategic ammunition shortages.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing was closely following developments in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region and urged the parties involved to resolve their disputes through political and diplomatic means.
The Pentagon report said four months of war with Iran had led to “strategic inventory shortfalls”, highlighting bottlenecks in the U.S. defence industrial base.
It said expanding production would require significant lead time, with shortages of solid rocket motors, high-grade explosives and propellants, as well as skilled manufacturing labour.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit China on 16 September, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
During the visit, Araghchi is expected to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
More than 137,000 school-aged children in Yemen are facing major disruption to their education as fighting intensifies, UNICEF said on Monday.
The UN agency is setting up temporary classrooms and child-friendly spaces, while providing protection services to children affected by the conflict.
“Children shouldn’t lose their future to conflict,” UNICEF said.
Renewed clashes have displaced families in western Taiz province and along Yemen’s western coast, with UN agencies providing emergency aid to more than 14,000 newly displaced people.
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a civil forfeiture claim for $61 million in cryptocurrency allegedly linked to Iran’s black-market oil sales.
U.S. prosecutors said Iran used cryptocurrency networks in China and elsewhere to launder more than $1.5 billion in illicit oil proceeds, which they said helped fund the military and terrorist activities.
The action is the latest in a series of U.S. legal moves against Iran as fighting between the two countries continues.
A Pentagon inspector general report has found that weapons used during the four-month U.S. war with Iran caused “strategic inventory shortfalls” and exposed bottlenecks in the defence industry’s ability to replenish stocks.
The report said the U.S. faces lengthy production times for solid rocket motors, high-grade explosives and propellants, as well as shortages of skilled manufacturing workers.
The Pentagon estimated the conflict had cost $33.4 billion by 29 June, including $22.3 billion in spent munitions and $3.7 billion in equipment losses.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for alternative routes around the Strait of Hormuz to help safeguard energy supplies and ease pressure on fuel prices.
Speaking as he hosted Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi in Paris, Macron said, “Securing our energy supplies by working toward de-escalation and developing alternative routes to the Strait of Hormuz means reducing pressure on prices at the pump.”
Al-Zaidi is also due to visit Germany as part of a European tour focused on expanding economic, energy, trade, investment and security ties with Iraq.
Yemen’s government-aligned forces said Monday that the Houthis mobilised more than 76,000 personnel during recent fighting along the western coast, alleging that Iranian and Lebanese experts helped direct the operations.
The National Resistance Forces said the Houthis launched 130 ballistic missiles, 145 drones and 15 explosive-laden boats between 9 August and 9 September, including attacks on positions held by forces led by Lieutenant General Tariq Saleh.
The renewed fighting has raised fears of a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen after a relative lull since 2022.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s anti-terrorism body on Monday condemned fresh U.S. strikes on Iran, reaffirming the group’s opposition to military action against the Islamic Republic.
The statement was issued at the 46th meeting of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure in Islamabad, attended by delegations from member states including China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Russia.
The council also expressed condolences over the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and reaffirmed support for Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while calling for de-escalation and regional stability.
Russia took over the council’s chairmanship from Pakistan.
Australia’s Energy Minister Chris Bowen will travel to Saudi Arabia next week to meet his counterpart as the escalating Middle East conflict raises concerns over global fuel supplies.
Australia imported 84 per cent of its petroleum demand last year and currently has 41 days of petrol reserves, Bowen said.
He ruled out another fuel tax cut, saying the government would not respond to every daily move in oil prices.
Oil prices rose about 1 per cent on Monday, while an attack on a Saudi pipeline threatens up to 4 per cent of global supply.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply at the start of the week as attacks across the Middle East intensified, according to shipping data.
Four commodity vessels passed through the strategic waterway on Monday, down from 10 the previous day, preliminary figures from Kpler showed on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence has lifted emergency warnings issued in six cities, including Yanbu, a major Red Sea oil hub, after authorities said the threat had passed.
Alerts had been sent to residents in Jeddah, Abha, Jazan, AlUla, Taif and Yanbu amid heightened tensions and a recent increase in attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement.
The Houthis have intensified strikes targeting Saudi territory and energy facilities, while their forces have been moving along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints.
U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that Iran is keen to reach a deal quickly, saying Tehran is eager to negotiate an agreement with Washington.
But Iran has pushed back strongly against that assessment. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, dismissed Trump’s message as a distraction and said on X that there would be “no talks until Iran’s conditions are met”.
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A supertanker which was cruising through the Strait of Hormuz was targetted by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, according to an Iranian news agency which said the vessel was “violating” navigation rules at the Strait of Hormuz on 1 October.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to foment internal divisions in Iran after failing to defeat the country militarily, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.
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