September 17, 2026
Stephen Quillen, Federica Marsi, Mahmoud Sayed and Tracy J. Jawad
“Iran deeply appreciates Russia and China for their consistent and principled positions and decisive actions today,” it said in a post on X, adding that they “prevented yet another cynical attempt by the United States and its allies to abuse the Security Council for their political purposes”.
US expands Iran sanctions to include digital asset venture BitBank
The United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has added Iranian digital asset venture BitBank to its Specially Designated Nationals List, as part of what it says is its ongoing sanctions against Iran.
The designation also targets BitBank’s developer, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, and three associates of Iranian financier Babak Zanjani: Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein, Mohammad Mahdi Zaker Hossein and Seyed Adel Heidari.
According to the Treasury Department, BitBank is controlled by Zanjani, who was previously designated by OFAC and whose network has been targeted over alleged sanctions evasion and illicit financial activity. The Treasury claimed the entities and individuals form part of an Iranian digital asset infrastructure used to evade sanctions.
The action comes under “Operation Economic Outcast,” the Trump administration’s US campaign targeting Iran and entities accused of supporting it.
“Today’s designations of Iranian digital asset infrastructure make perfectly clear that efforts to finance the Iranian regime using cryptocurrencies are not beyond OFAC’s reach,” said US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “If you support the Iranian regime, the Department of the Treasury will sanction you.”
Trump says US has been ‘very protective’ of Gulf countries
President Donald Trump says that the US has guarded Gulf Cooperation Council countries well, before a meeting with Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week.
“I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them,” Trump told Axios.
Trump added that he might meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, as well.
Trump says deciding on whether to ‘annihilate’ Iranian foes
US President Donald Trump says he’s approaching a crucial decision on whether to “annihilate” his Iranian foes.
“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not?” Trump told Axios.
“It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me,” he added, saying Iran is in direct contact with the US and that Tehran wants to reach a deal.
Trump said that no ships have reached Iran since a US blockade was reinstated in July after a memorandum of understanding between the two countries failed to end the war.
US military says 104 commercial vessels redirected in Iran blockade
US Central Command (CENTCOM) says it has redirected 104 commercial vessels in its blockade of Iran as of today.
The updated tally of redirected vessels added one vessel since its last update on Tuesday.
CENTCOM said in a social media post that it is ensuring compliance with the US blockade on Iranian maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz.
UN fact-finding mission on Iran attacks puts ‘significant pressure’ on Trump administration
Kimberly Halkett
Reporting from Washington, DC
There has been no response from the White House, the Pentagon or the State Department to the UN fact-finding mission finding “reasonable grounds” to believe the US was behind attacks on a school and sports facility in Iran.
The US has previously said the attack on the Minab school in Iran was under investigation, but it has not publicly released any official position on what transpired.
When it comes to the UN findings, there is no binding or legal responsibility on the part of the US to act. What the findings do, however, is put significant pressure on the Trump administration.
Stephen Quillen, Federica Marsi, Mahmoud Sayed and Tracy J. Jawad
- US President Donald Trump says he’s approaching a crucial decision on whether to “annihilate” his Iranian foes.
- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says fighting along Yemen’s Red Sea coast has displaced an estimated 125,000 people.
- A UN fact-finding mission has
found “reasonable grounds” to believe the US was behind two attacks in Iran,
including on a school in Minab in February, which it says constituted war crimes.
- Yemeni government forces are trying to prevent Houthi advances on several fronts, including the strategically important Kahbub mountains near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Taiz, with Saudi Arabia providing air strike support in areas around the city.
- Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi has described Saudi claims that a drone attack targeted Mecca as “an ugly lie” and said his fighters are primarily targeting Saudi military sites and oil infrastructure.
- Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif says the time has come to implement the Mecca mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye following Houthi attacks on the kingdom.
- One person has been killed and two others injured in a drone interception in Saudi Arabia’s southwest governorate of Taif, reported Saudi state TV.
“Iran deeply appreciates Russia and China for their consistent and principled positions and decisive actions today,” it said in a post on X, adding that they “prevented yet another cynical attempt by the United States and its allies to abuse the Security Council for their political purposes”.
US expands Iran sanctions to include digital asset venture BitBank
The United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has added Iranian digital asset venture BitBank to its Specially Designated Nationals List, as part of what it says is its ongoing sanctions against Iran.
The designation also targets BitBank’s developer, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, and three associates of Iranian financier Babak Zanjani: Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein, Mohammad Mahdi Zaker Hossein and Seyed Adel Heidari.
According to the Treasury Department, BitBank is controlled by Zanjani, who was previously designated by OFAC and whose network has been targeted over alleged sanctions evasion and illicit financial activity. The Treasury claimed the entities and individuals form part of an Iranian digital asset infrastructure used to evade sanctions.
The action comes under “Operation Economic Outcast,” the Trump administration’s US campaign targeting Iran and entities accused of supporting it.
“Today’s designations of Iranian digital asset infrastructure make perfectly clear that efforts to finance the Iranian regime using cryptocurrencies are not beyond OFAC’s reach,” said US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “If you support the Iranian regime, the Department of the Treasury will sanction you.”
Trump says US has been ‘very protective’ of Gulf countries
President Donald Trump says that the US has guarded Gulf Cooperation Council countries well, before a meeting with Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week.
“I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them,” Trump told Axios.
Trump added that he might meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, as well.
Trump says deciding on whether to ‘annihilate’ Iranian foes
US President Donald Trump says he’s approaching a crucial decision on whether to “annihilate” his Iranian foes.
“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not?” Trump told Axios.
“It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me,” he added, saying Iran is in direct contact with the US and that Tehran wants to reach a deal.
Trump said that no ships have reached Iran since a US blockade was reinstated in July after a memorandum of understanding between the two countries failed to end the war.
US military says 104 commercial vessels redirected in Iran blockade
US Central Command (CENTCOM) says it has redirected 104 commercial vessels in its blockade of Iran as of today.
The updated tally of redirected vessels added one vessel since its last update on Tuesday.
CENTCOM said in a social media post that it is ensuring compliance with the US blockade on Iranian maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz.
UN fact-finding mission on Iran attacks puts ‘significant pressure’ on Trump administration
Kimberly Halkett
Reporting from Washington, DC
There has been no response from the White House, the Pentagon or the State Department to the UN fact-finding mission finding “reasonable grounds” to believe the US was behind attacks on a school and sports facility in Iran.
The US has previously said the attack on the Minab school in Iran was under investigation, but it has not publicly released any official position on what transpired.
When it comes to the UN findings, there is no binding or legal responsibility on the part of the US to act. What the findings do, however, is put significant pressure on the Trump administration.
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