News

A former CIA official warned of security risks that could accompany the rise of the Alternative for Germany party, particularly if it entered a state government and gained influence over a regional intelligence service, amid European accusations that Moscow is conducting covert operations and hybrid attacks.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said direct talks with Israel began about a year ago and that Tel Aviv backtracks whenever the two sides approach an agreement. He linked any lasting peace to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from territories they seized after the fall of the former regime, and discussed the foreign military presence, the transitional process and Damascus's regional relations.

A fact-check of US President Donald Trump's address to the United Nations General Assembly found discrepancies between several of his claims and available data, covering the US and Venezuela's share of global oil, the outcome of the Gaza ceasefire, the impact of strikes on drug trafficking, and the value of foreign investment and tax cuts.

NATO’s deputy supreme allied commander Europe warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin has become more reckless and more willing to take risks, urging alliance members to avoid being drawn into an excessive response. Meanwhile, US, British and Baltic officials ruled out Moscow seeking a direct military confrontation with NATO.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told US envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting in New York that Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz include lifting the naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending the war on the fronts Iran calls the “resistance fronts”, according to Iranian state media.

French President Emmanuel Macron rejected Donald Trump’s portrayal of his Gaza plan as a diplomatic victory, stressing that humanitarian access had not been restored despite the declared peace. In his final address to the United Nations General Assembly before the end of his term, Macron also warned against undermining the international order and the growing reliance on force and impunity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country and the United States were seeking to end the war with Russia before winter, announcing Kyiv’s readiness for a reciprocal truce covering energy facilities. The Kremlin, meanwhile, stressed that Moscow wants lasting peace, not a temporary ceasefire.

A CNN/SSRS poll found that fewer Americans approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of foreign affairs and the war with Iran, with support also declining among Republicans. The poll also recorded a rise in the share describing Israel as an enemy, less than 50 days before the US congressional midterm elections.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called before the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened and negotiations to resume to resolve the regional crisis. He called for a collective security system in the Gulf and addressed the war in Gaza and developments in Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.

France, in coordination with the United States, has begun preparing a Security Council draft resolution to establish an international mission to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal seeks to separate the security of the waterway from tensions with Iran, amid rising oil prices and fears that threats could spread to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned in his address to the United Nations General Assembly of Israeli expansion in the region, particularly in Syria. He criticised the international community’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reaffirming Jordan’s commitment to a just peace, support for Palestinians and UNRWA, and the protection of its borders and water security.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York that the international organisation’s ability to contain wars was declining. He called for Security Council reform and for the UN to restore its role in dialogue and mediation, saying its credibility had reached its lowest level.

Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Security Council reform and an end to the dominance of the five permanent members over its decisions. He urged countries that have not recognised Palestine to do so, increase pressure to begin rebuilding Gaza and support a political path leading to a two-state solution.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a more balanced and representative multilateral system, stressing the limited capabilities of major powers. He also called for climate justice and responsible safeguards for artificial intelligence development, and proposed launching a US-China dialogue on the technology.

Iraqi sources reported an intensive security and political presence by the Houthi movement in Iraq, coordinated with Iraqi factions and Lebanese Hezbollah. They said the group uses joint security headquarters in Jurf al-Sakhar, while Haji Hamed, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's official in charge of the Iraqi file, organises this presence.

Former US President George W. Bush joined a fundraising event hosted by Senator John Cornyn in Dallas to support Republican candidates in key Senate races, while Texas party candidate Ken Paxton was absent from the list of beneficiaries, signalling continued divisions between the party’s traditional wing and the wing aligned with Donald Trump.

Beijing rejected unilateral US sanctions on Iran’s civil aviation sector, while Washington warned of barring Iranian aircraft from fuel and services at airports and threatening providers with exclusion from the dollar-based system. The US restrictions target 36 entities, including 27 airlines.

Foreign ministers from eight Arab and Muslim countries called for adherence to the ceasefire in Gaza and implementation of the comprehensive plan in all its phases, including the delivery of aid, restricting weapons and a full Israeli withdrawal. They also rejected forced displacement and settlement expansion, and called for sustained US engagement to ensure all parties fulfil their commitments.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has urged the United States to adopt an approach based on halting the development of new nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in North Korea in return for sanctions relief, arguing that demanding denuclearisation under current circumstances could prevent an agreement.

Russian missile and drone strikes targeted industrial and military facilities, energy infrastructure and ports in several Ukrainian regions, killing four people and injuring others, according to Ukrainian officials. A strike on an energy facility also cut electricity to around 100,000 customers in the northern Chernihiv region.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees expects the number of people displaced within Yemen to rise from 130,000 to around 230,000 in the coming months, amid renewed fighting between government forces and the Houthis, while the number of refugees travelling by sea across the Red Sea to Djibouti is expected to increase to 10,000.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said President Donald Trump was open to meeting his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, in New York, as Qatari, Pakistani and French efforts seek to revive talks between Washington and Tehran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing war and reciprocal economic pressure.

Israeli air strikes targeted Wadi Zibqine, while artillery shelling hit Majdal Zoun and the surrounding valleys, amid explosions and military movements in towns across southern Lebanon. The operations are part of ongoing strikes that have also affected other towns since Monday, despite a decline in the intensity of hostilities since late June.