Iran

Russia and China vetoed a US-drafted resolution to extend the mandate of an expert panel monitoring the implementation of UN sanctions on Iran. The measure received 11 votes in favour, while Pakistan and Somalia abstained, amid disagreement over the legality of reimposing sanctions on Tehran.

US President Donald Trump said he would soon decide on the course of the war with Iran, while keeping open the option of returning to wide-ranging military operations. At the same time, US officials confirmed that Iranian forces had shot down at least two US MQ-1 drones in recent days.

The Institute for Science and International Security said images taken on September 13 showed accelerated reconstruction work at the Talgahn 2 facility inside the Parchin military complex near Tehran, after it was hit by Israeli forces. The images showed a cover concealing parts of the site, along with construction equipment and new concrete fortifications.

US Central Command said its forces had diverted 104 commercial vessels as part of the naval blockade of Iranian ports. The new figure follows its announcement that 100 vessels had been diverted during the 60 days since operations resumed on July 14, 2026.

Iran Human Rights said it had verified the identities of more than 4,200 people killed during the January 2026 protests, including 420 women and 281 people under 18. It said the figure represents a minimum, while Iranian authorities had reported 3,117 deaths.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday it had asked a Swedish diplomat to leave the country, a day after Stockholm expelled an official at the Iranian embassy. Tehran summoned the Swedish ambassador to protest his country’s policies, while Sweden said its decision was linked to activities that violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

US President Donald Trump plans to meet with leaders or foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council states in New York next week to discuss the course of the war with Iran and ideas for the period that follows, as he says the confrontation is nearing its end and Tehran wants to reach an agreement.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Tehran and Washington to exercise restraint and resume substantive consultations during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Beijing. He urged measures to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and affirmed China’s readiness to strengthen cooperation with Iran and defend its legitimate rights and interests.

US and regional officials said Iran diversified the missiles, trajectories and warheads used against US forces, increasing pressure on interceptor systems. They said dozens of Patriot missiles and more than 12 THAAD missiles were launched to counter a single attack, while the Pentagon denied reports that US munitions had run out.

Several explosions were heard on Qeshm Island in southern Iran overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, while local sources said the sounds came from the sea. The incident follows similar events on the island in recent days, amid regional tensions and a sharp decline in ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that rebuilding the US interceptor missile stockpile could take at least five years even with increased production, warning that depleted Patriot, THAAD, SM-3 and SM-6 missiles could limit Washington’s capabilities in a potential military confrontation with China.

Satellite images taken on September 11, 2026, showed continued construction and fortification work at the entrances to the Jabal al-Fas tunnel complex, south of Iran’s Natanz facility. The changes include surface structures, access roads and concrete barriers, amid growing US interest in activity inside the site.

A US official said US forces destroyed two small boats used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in an attempt to seize a US unmanned maritime vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. In a different account, Iranian media said the strike targeted two fishing boats off the coast of Hormozgan, leaving fishermen missing.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said an oil tanker exploded and caught fire after striking sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement, carried by Fars News Agency on Monday, did not specify when the incident occurred, and the circumstances could not be independently verified.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said an oil tanker exploded and caught fire after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while US President Donald Trump said Washington was open to reaching an agreement with Tehran, without announcing the start of new talks or setting terms.

Tehran summoned the Austrian chargé d’affaires on Monday after Austria denied entry to Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, to attend an International Atomic Energy Agency meeting in Vienna. Iran’s Foreign Ministry described the visa decision as unjustified and accused the United States of pressuring the Austrian government.

Austria denied Mohammad Eslami entry to attend a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors in Vienna because of international sanctions and a travel ban imposed on him. A US official said a request for an exemption from the ban had not been approved by the UN sanctions committee.

Qeshm Island Governor said an Iranian commercial vessel was targeted early Sunday between Qeshm and Hengam islands, killing one person and injuring 3 others. The incident coincided with a British report that a vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, amid growing concerns over energy supplies.

Iranian state media reported that two explosions were heard from the sea near Qeshm Island in Hormozgan Province on Saturday evening, amid escalating confrontation between Iran and the United States and disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s main routes for energy supplies and trade.

Electoral and economic concerns are prompting aides to US President Donald Trump to favor limiting escalation with Iran until the November 3 midterm elections, according to informed sources. Pressure is growing as support for the war weakens and fuel prices rise, while the conflict’s end remains dependent on military and economic developments and shipping routes.

Two explosions were heard on Iran’s southern Qeshm Island from the direction of the sea on Saturday evening, with no official explanation of their nature or causes. The sounds came after similar explosions that official sources in Hormozgan said resulted from air-defence systems activity, amid rising tensions and disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Russia plans to increase the number of specialists working at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant to about 150, after staff evacuated by Rosatom following the outbreak of war in February began returning. The move comes as the Russian company continues a project to build two new nuclear units at the plant.

BRICS countries called for the utmost restraint and urged the avoidance of any actions that could further escalate tensions in the Middle East during their summit in New Delhi on Saturday. The statement came as the war between the United States and Iran continued and shipping traffic declined in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the main routes for global energy supplies.

U.S. officials said Iran obtained high-resolution satellite imagery of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base from Chinese entities before a July attack that killed three U.S. soldiers. The officials did not accuse the Chinese government of direct involvement, while a White House official denied that foreign assistance had enhanced Tehran’s ability to attack the United States.