Dubai, Sep 26 (AP) US President Donald Trump has posted an image of the Strait of Hormuz labelled “Trump Strait” shortly after Iran proposed a deal to open the waterway within a week if the US meets certain conditions.
Meanwhile, Iranian media outlets say the country’s president has left New York after the United Nations gathering of world leaders that included Iran’s indirect talks with the United States. And Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted another missile it blames on Iran -backed Houthis in neighbouring Yemen.
Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. More coverage of the UN General Assembly is available here.
Trump posts a map calling key waterway ‘Trump Strait’
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Trump posted an image early Saturday morning on his Truth Social platform of the Strait of Hormuz labelled “Trump Strait,” in the first public indication of his thinking after Iran proposed the new deal and suggested it might help Trump ahead of the midterm elections.
The White House on Friday said only that US officials were having positive and constructive conversations with mediators on the Iran war. Earlier in the week, Iran held hours of indirect talks with the US.
Iranian outlets say the country’s president has left New York
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Semiofficial media outlets in Iran reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian has departed New York for Tehran after the annual UN gathering of world leaders.
Pezeshkian’s speech to the gathering pushed back against Trump’s latest threat to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic, but he ended by saying Tehran remains open to diplomacy.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told journalists Friday night that under Tehran’s proposal, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear program in seven days if the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted a missile fired by Houthis
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Saudi Arabia’s military spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, claimed early Saturday that a ballistic missile launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen was intercepted and destroyed. He said it was fired toward the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.
The Associated Press couldn’t immediately verify that independently. There was no immediate statement of responsibility, though it can take days for the Houthis to issue one.
A regional body representing Arab Gulf states, the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemned the latest Houthi attacks as a “grave escalation and threat to regional security” and urged the international community to respond.
Iraq seeks exemptions to US sanctions on Iranian airlines
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Iraq said it is in direct contact with the US to secure exemptions from sanctions on Iranian airlines as Washington continues economic pressure on Tehran.
The Iraqi prime minister’s office said the aim is to get exemptions for certain airports, noting flights for humanitarian reasons such as medical treatment, education and religious pilgrimages.
Many pilgrims in neighbouring Iran visit sites such as Karbala and Najaf.
Israeli settlers seize more water sources in the West Bank
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Israeli settlers have intensified efforts to seize natural springs and heritage sites in the occupied West Bank. The springs are vital for drinking water, tourism and agriculture and increasingly inaccessible to the 2.8 million Palestinians living there.
In the Jordan Valley, settlers cut a water pipe to a Palestinian village, redirecting it to a pool they named after Herod, the Roman-appointed king of Judea. Israeli rights groups say the move is part of a broader effort to claim heritage sites.
The struggle for water access highlights the ongoing contest for control of the West Bank, where Palestinians have faced shortages since 1967.
(PTI News)
