Al Jazeera

By Tracy J. Jawad, Mohammed R Mhawish, Umut Uras, Yasmeen Eltahan, Mariem Bah, Virginia Pietromarchi, Federica Marsi, Daniel Khalili-Tari, Mahmoud Sayed, Marthe van der Wolf, Noor Kareem, Kristina Harazim and Faisal Aziz Khan

Here’s what happened today

    We’re about to close this live page. But before we go, here’s a look at some of the latest developments:

    US President Donald Trump claimed the war on Iran would end, and oil prices would fall “immediately” after the US midterm elections in November.

    He also said that Washington was not looking for a deal with Tehran, but that negotiations “could happen”.

    Iranian state media has reported more projectiles hitting the city of Sirik, as well as explosions on Qeshm Island and in Minab.

    The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said Tehran is ready for dialogue with nations in the region, adding that “security in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman must be ensured through cooperation among littoral states and without the interference of foreign powers”.

    Iran has sharply criticised the International Atomic Energy Agency after its board of governors passed a resolution referring the country to the United Nations Security Council for the first time in 20 years over its refusal to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities.

    Yemen’s Ambassador to Qatar, terming the Houthis as “the aggressors”, has said that the ongoing Houthi offensive to seize strategic ground along the Red Sea is aimed at allowing “Iran, through its Houthi proxy, to tighten its grip on maritime routes”.

    An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson says a restricted area extending from Chabahar in Iran into parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea will be announced, and any ship that passes through the area will be sanctioned.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says Houthis are independent actors, not proxies of Iran

    Iran’s foreign ministry has rejected earlier comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called the Houthis “agents and proxies of the Iranians”.

    In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the Houthis are “an independent actor that makes its own decisions; it takes orders from no one and acts as nobody’s proxy.

    “The roots of instability in the region lie in US military interventions and hegemonic policies. If Washington genuinely wanted peace, it would take one simple step: end its malign and destabilizing interventions in our region,” he added.

Yemen envoy warns of wider war as Houthis threaten Bab al-Mandeb Strait

By Osama Bin Javaid

    The war in Yemen is threatening to open a new front as the Iran-allied Houthi rebels try to advance along the Red Sea coast, through the mountain chains of Taiz province, and edge closer to strategic ground that overlooks one of the world’s most vital maritime arteries.

    For the internationally recognised Yemeni government, this is an offensive with global consequences.

    In Wednesday’s interview with Al Jazeera, Yemen’s ambassador to Qatar, Rajeh Badi, a former government spokesman, said that his government and its armed forces had not violated any truce since 2021.

Trump’s timeline of ending war by November cause for ‘head scratching’

    US President Donald Trump’s claim today that the war on Iran will end “immediately” after the US November midterm elections appears more of a hope than a realistic deadline, says Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at The Middle East Institute.

    “My own reaction – and having looked at other reactions available to us – is one of essentially scratching our heads. What is the American president talking about ” Vatanka told Al Jazeera.

    He added that it was difficult to rationalise the idea that Iran is just waiting on the November 3 congressional elections.

    “In fact, what I think Iranians are waiting for is something that they can look at and say, diplomatically, ‘This was worthwhile’, which takes us to the substance of the disagreement – whether it is reopening the Strait of Hormuz, or the future of Iran’s nuclear programme,” he said.

    “That will only change if negotiations are resumed. And the two sides can, perhaps, be willing to be able to find common ground. That’s how you get this war ended for good. Otherwise, I just can’t see how this conflict’s going to end.”

    Vatanka said Trump’s latest assertion also suggests that he is hoping that renewed US sanctions and economic pressure will compel Iranians to give up.

    “But again, that is just a hope, because nobody knows”, he said.

Share Trump’s timeline of ending war by November cause for ‘head scratching’ on social media

    The diplomatic ties mark a shift in Slovenia’s policy under Prime Minister Janez Jansa, reversing measures against Israel by the previous administration.

Pakistani diplomat hopeful of better US-Iran deal soon

    Pakistan’s ambassador to Russia says he believes the US and Iran could soon agree on a better framework to end the war than the previous memorandum of understanding, according to Iranian news outlet ISNA.

    “Despite the recent escalation of tensions in the region, we believe that a better understanding will soon be achieved between the United States and the Islamic Republic,” Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said, ISNA reported, citing Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.

    Pakistan emerged as a key mediator during the previous round of talks between Washington and Tehran to end the conflict. Islamabad has continued its efforts behind the scenes to get both countries to return to negotiations. Qatar has also been trying to mediate an end to the war.

‘Several areas’ in Sirik hit by projectiles, IRNA says

    Iran’s state news agency IRNA said the projectiles were fired by the “enemy”.

Explosions heard in Minab County, Sirik; officials say sounds originated from sea

    Multiple explosions have been heard in the city of Sirik and Minab County, according to the Fars news agency.

    Fars also confirmed the explosions heard on Qeshm Island, which we reported a short while ago.

    The news outlet quoted the Hormozgan governorate as saying that the sounds originated from the sea.

Explosion heard near Iran’s Qeshm Island: State media

    A reporter for the state media outlet IRNA says that a loud explosion was heard a few moments ago on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

    “It is not yet clear whether the sound originated from the sea or if the explosion occurred within Qeshm,” IRNA says.

Iran ready for dialogue and cooperation with region: Foreign ministry

    The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said Tehran is ready for dialogue and cooperation with nations in the region to “foster mutual trust, achieve sustainable security, and promote economic progress”.

    Iran believes “security in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman must be ensured through cooperation among littoral states and without the interference of foreign powers”, the ministry said in a statement.

    The ministry also said that Iran “categorically rejects” claims that it interferes in Yemeni affairs. The Iranian statement pointed to “the insistence of certain Arab League member states on making baseless accusations against Iran rather than focusing on supporting the Palestinian people and confronting the Zionist regime”.

    The hostilities in Yemen resurfaced earlier in September when the Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, launched a large-scale offensive against government forces.

Iranian First VP says US has no right to moralise over Iran’s nuclear programme

    Iran’s First Vice President says the resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board is a double standard and that Tehran will continue to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

    “The approval of the Board of Governors’ resolution against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, proposed by the atomic bomb possessors, the perpetrators of Hiroshima, and the violators of the JCPOA, is a symbol of today’s world’s double standards,” Mohammad Reza Aref said.

    “Those who threaten our infrastructure and civilisation have no qualification to judge. The Iranian nation stands firm on its legal rights and the strategic path of peaceful nuclear energy.”

    The resolution was drafted by the US, UK, Germany and France and calls for Iran to be reported to the UN Security Council for refusing access to inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog.

Two Palestinians injured in Israeli military raid south of Nablus

    Two Palestinians have been injured in an Israeli raid on the town of Awarta just south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

    Wafa reported that soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas and sound grenades, triggering clashes with residents.

    The Palestinian Red Crescent said two 24-year-old men were transported to hospital for treatment, Wafa reported.

Iranian MP suggests IAEA resolution on Tehran’s nuclear programme is merely symbolic

    Iranian lawmaker Hassan Ghashghavi says a resolution passed by the IAEA to report Tehran to the Security Council over its refusal to allow nuclear inspections by the UN watchdog will “lead nowhere”.

    “Last year, there was much ado about the reimposition of the UN nuclear sanctions,” Ghashghavi said in a post on X.

    “Now, once again, to cap off America’s military attacks, they have issued a new resolution in the IAEA Board of Governors, even though they know it will lead nowhere, just as in the past. Europe and America will pay the price for their division of labour.”

    Earlier today, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board passed the resolution drafted by the US, UK, France and Germany. Tehran, along with Beijing and Moscow, opposes the resolution.

    It’s not clear what, if any, actions the UN Security Council can take against Iran, with permanent, veto-wielding members China and Russia able to use their status to oppose any measures.

Israeli strikes hit three areas in southern Lebanon

    New Israeli air attacks have hit three areas in southern Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera’s team on the ground.

    The attacks targeted the villages of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in Nabatieh governorate, al-Mansouri in the South governorate and around Wadi al-Saluqi.

Rubio vows to ‘strangle’ Iran economically

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said US forces will continue to target Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for attacks on their warships, adding that Washington aims to “strangle” Tehran economically.

    “At the end of the day, they continue to fire at our naval ships, and when they fire at our naval ships, they pay a price in tankers,” Rubio told reporters. “They lose a lot of tankers, they don’t hit our ships, but they lose five tankers.”

    “They’ll continue to pay a price for that; in the meantime, we’ll continue to strangle them economically,” he added.

Iranian lawmaker urges US military to leave Gulf

    Ebrahim Azizi, chair of the Iranian Parliament’s national security committee, has mocked US military personnel in a post on X, urging them to leave the Gulf.

    “Iran’s navy just sent a clear message: the security and stability of the Persian Gulf are managed by Iran. To the remaining forces: Save what’s left of your gear and head home while you still can, and focus on defending your own borders!” said Azizi.

Syrian foreign ministry labels Netanyahu’s Golan stop an illegal violation of sovereignty

    Syria’s Foreign Ministry says Israel has violated its “territorial integrity” as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured Jabal al-Sheikh (Mount Hermon) today.

    The ministry wrote on social media that Netanyahu’s entry into Syria today was “illegal” as he visited Israeli troops occupying the Syrian territory.

    The ministry stated that “the continuation of Israeli incursions and attacks inside Syrian territory constitutes a dangerous escalation that threatens security and stability in the region”.

    It also called for a return to the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement, which includes a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.