Briefing

A UN investigation says there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the US committed war crimes in Iran. It examines at least two February air strikes, including one on a school that killed more than 150 people, most of them children. The attacks became an early symbol of the war’s human cost and intensified Iran’s calls for retaliation.

United StatesIranwar crimesUnited Nations

A United Nations-backed panel of experts said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe US forces committed war crimes during the conflict with Iran. It cited two airstrikes, including one on a primary school in Minab that killed about 150 civilians.

USIranwar crimesUnited Nations

The United Nations says there is evidence that the United States committed war crimes in Iran. China is urging Iran to rein in Yemen’s Houthi rebels, while Canada and Europe pursue a new alliance. The United States has also acknowledged possessing weapons in space, in remarks intended to deter Russia and China.

United StatesIranwar crimesUnited Nations

Former U.S. CENTCOM Deputy Commander Robert Harward discusses on “America Reports” President Donald Trump’s upcoming decisions on the conflict with Iran, along with the regional response to the Houthis and the strategic challenges facing the Middle East.

Donald TrumpIran conflictHouthisMiddle East

President Donald Trump must soon decide how to handle US forces stationed in the Middle East because their current numbers cannot be sustained for long, Axios reports, citing sources. Trump had ordered the military to maintain those levels through year-end in case full-scale combat with Iran resumes. He told Axios he would soon decide whether to invade and destroy Iran.

Donald TrumpIranUS troopsMiddle East

US President Donald Trump plans to meet representatives of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss the war with Iran. He said he wants to hear directly where the regional allies stand and how they are doing.

Donald TrumpIran warUN General AssemblyMiddle East allies

The Trump administration has asked Congress to approve a proposed $24.3bn sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is seeking US help in its war with Yemen’s Houthis, while US officials and lawmakers have raised concerns that China could gain access to the aircraft’s technology.

United StatesSaudi ArabiaF-35arms sales

The US State Department has approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, saying the deal will strengthen regional security and stability.

United StatesSaudi ArabiaF-35arms sale

The US State Department has approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia. The approval comes as the kingdom becomes increasingly drawn into the Middle East war.

United StatesSaudi ArabiaF-35 fighter jets

Iran thanked Russia and China for vetoing a US-drafted UN Security Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of the panel assisting the Iran sanctions committee. Iranian diplomats also thanked Somalia and Pakistan for abstaining.

IranRussiaChinaUN Security Council

Russia and China vetoed a US-sponsored resolution to extend the UN panel of experts monitoring Iran sanctions. The panel supports the revived 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee under Resolution 1929.

RussiaChinaIran sanctionsUnited Nations

Five people familiar with the matter say US officials met representatives of Yemen’s Houthis in Oman over the weekend. The reported talks came days after the Iran-backed militia seized a strategic section of Red Sea coastline in a broad offensive that routed Saudi-backed forces. President Donald Trump has so far rejected Saudi appeals for military help against the Houthis.

Donald TrumpHouthisSaudi ArabiaOman

Thousands are fleeing Yemen by sea as fighting intensifies between Iran-backed Houthi militants and Saudi-backed government forces. Families who reached Djibouti described their perilous journey and the terrifying scenes they left behind.

YemenDjiboutiHouthi militantsarmed conflict

The US administration is prepared to authorize Germany’s transfer of ten MIM-104E GEM-T Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine in a $29.6 million deal. The State Department said Kyiv seeks to strengthen air defenses against ongoing Russian attacks and already has ammunition of the same type.

UkraineUnited StatesGermanyPatriot missiles

French President Emmanuel Macron, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Jordan’s King Abdullah II met in Paris to seek international backing for Lebanon’s army and review a deployment plan. The talks also addressed efforts to end Israeli attacks and creating a new force to replace UNIFIL in southern Lebanon.

LebanonFrancediplomacyIsraeli attacks

The Trump administration has approved visas for senior Iranian officials to attend next week’s U.N. General Assembly high-level session in New York, despite the United States and Iran being at war.

United StatesIranUnited Nationsvisas

The Trump administration will permit an Iranian delegation to attend next week’s United Nations General Assembly, though it will face some restrictions, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday.

IranUnited Nations General AssemblyTrump administration

Top Iranian officials have been cleared to travel to New York next week for the UN General Assembly, though it remains uncertain whether they will meet US officials. President Donald Trump told Axios he faces a major decision on Iran.

Donald TrumpIranUN General AssemblyUS-Iran relations

Donald Trump says progress has been made toward establishing a US military base in Poland.

Donald TrumpPolandUS military base

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that efforts to establish a U.S. Army base in Poland are making progress, crediting Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s “bold leadership.”

Donald TrumpPolandUS Army base

US President Donald Trump says Washington and Warsaw have made significant progress toward establishing a US Army base in Poland. He says the location could be announced soon if the plan moves forward, calling it a historic step for the US-Polish alliance.

United StatesPolandmilitary basealliance

Russians are voting for the first time since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022. United Russia, the governing party for more than two decades and backed by President Vladimir Putin, faces questions over whether opposition parties can mount a challenge. Al Jazeera’s Dmitry Medvedenko reports from Moscow.

Russia electionUnited Russiaopposition partiesVladimir Putin

Russia’s first voters arrived at polling stations in the Far East after voting began. Central Election Commission surveillance showed dozens of people at some Kamchatka stations within minutes of opening, collecting ballots and entering voting booths. State Duma and other elections run from September 18 to 20.

Russia electionsState DumaKamchatkapolling stations

Russia began voting on September 18, 2026, for deputies to the ninth State Duma, along with regional and local elections held under the Single Voting Day framework. The legally designated date is the third Sunday of September, September 20 this year, but the Central Election Commission scheduled voting over September 18-20. Introduced in 2005, the system has been held annually in September since 2013.

RussiaelectionsState DumaSingle Voting Day

The European Union has proposed making Canada its first associate member, taking the relationship beyond the existing trade agreement. Experts say closer ties could open opportunities in jobs, investment, travel, defence and education, as Canada seeks to diversify its alliances amid an escalating trade dispute with the United States. Canadians shared their views on whether a stronger European partnership would benefit the country.

CanadaEuropean Uniondiplomacytrade

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed a proposal for Canada to become the European Union’s first associate member, calling closer European ties a matter of sovereignty and shared values. President Donald Trump dismissed the idea as “laughable” and warned that he could impose heavy tariffs on the EU—or even halt trade—if he viewed the move as hostile.

Donald TrumpCanadaEuropean Uniontariffs

US President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to impose very serious tariffs on Europe or halt trade with the EU if he viewed its proposal to make Canada the bloc’s first associate member as hostile. He dismissed the plan as “laughable.”

Donald TrumpEuropean UnionCanadatrade

VOA Focus highlights next week’s meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Trump is expected to personally go to a US military base to receive Xi’s plane. Before the summit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, while CSIS examined tariffs, the Taiwan Strait and Iran.

Donald TrumpXi JinpingUS-China relationssummit

A White House official says Donald Trump plans to soon sign bipartisan legislation allowing tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian oil and gas. The House passed the bill 262-159 on Sept. 16 after Senate approval. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said new sanctions would complicate efforts to reach peace in Ukraine.

Donald TrumpRussia sanctionstariffsUkraine war

The SEC has created a five-year pathway for regulated US stocks to trade on blockchain-native venues, following the Senate’s failure to advance the CLARITY Act. The exemption gives qualifying tokenized-securities venues temporary relief from some exchange and dealer-registration rules, while imposing limits on symbols and volume plus transparency, recordkeeping and technology safeguards.

Tokenized securitiesSECCrypto regulationBlockchain

The SEC’s five-year experiment creates a new U.S. route for DeFi-style trading venues, tokenization companies and liquidity providers. Synthetic stock tokens, however, remain outside the framework.

tokenized stocksSECDeFi

A US regulator is opening a pathway for tokenised stock trading. Blockchain-based representations of traditional equities can trade around the clock and be used more readily as collateral.

tokenized stocksblockchainsecurities regulation

The U.S. government has approved up to $414 million in financing for a uranium project in Niger, the developer says. Sources described the deal as a win for Washington two years after Niger expelled all U.S. forces.

United StatesNigeruraniuminvestment

Two new malaria cases were reported near Frankfurt Airport this week, including a death in the Schwanheim district. It is the third death in a cluster attributed to an infected Anopheles mosquito that arrived in Germany by plane; two airport workers died in July and August.

GermanymalariaFrankfurt Airport

Steve Belichick has resigned as North Carolina’s defensive coordinator as the school concludes an investigation into its football program. Belichick, the son of head coach Bill Belichick, is leaving the position while UNC addresses the probe.

college footballNorth Carolinacoaching resignation

King Charles hosted a private summit on Thursday with some of the most prominent figures in artificial intelligence and the U.K. government.

artificial intelligenceKing CharlesUnited Kingdom