Trump to put Iran nuclear threat at center of upcoming UN General Assembly speech
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said President Donald Trump plans to use his upcoming U.N. General Assembly address to make the case that Iran must be prevented from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Trump said he expects Operation Epic Fury to “end soon” and when it does, “gas prices are going to drop.”
CENTCOM leader: ‘Momentum is building’ in Strait of Hormuz as 1 billion barrels of crude shipped
U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video message Saturday that “momentum is building” in the Strait of Hormuz as “the volume of crude oil, cargo, and liquid natural gas these past two weeks is higher than at any point in the past six months.”
“CENTCOM forces have supported more than one billion barrels of crude oil leaving the Gulf. That's one billion barrels of crude oil out through the Strait of Hormuz in the last couple of months,” Cooper said. “We've reached this significant milestone while assisting over 2,000 commercial ship transits through the strait by providing coordinated protection. Clearly, momentum is building. Primary transit lanes in the strait are clear of mines. Thousands of ships have passed through the strait.”
“Over one billion barrels of crude have been shipped from Gulf partners through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran has exported zero barrels thanks to our iron-clad blockade,” Cooper continued. “Even with this progress, we remain clear-eyed and laser-focused as we work with our teammates in the U.S. Interagency as well as all six partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council, known as the GCC, as well insurance and shipping companies to increase the volume of traffic flow through the Strait of Hormuz. The effort is paying off. The volume of crude oil, cargo, and liquid natural gas these past two weeks is higher than at any point in the past six months.”
Cooper also said “the average American doing this important work is in their mid-20s.”
“They're pilots, maintainers, logisticians, culinary specialists, air defenders, intelligence analysts, and members of every other career field that make up America's military, the greatest force on earth,” he added. “To all our service members and partners, stay focused and keep up the great work.”
Fuel storage facility at Saudi Arabia airport was hit by ‘airborne attack’: report
The black smoke seen rising from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday is a result of an “airborne attack” on a jet fuel storage facility, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper, citing three officials with knowledge of the incident, reported that a strike hit jet fuel facilities at the airfield, but it’s unclear whether the damage was caused by a drone or missile.
There have been no immediate claims of responsibility in the wake of the incident.
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen were widely condemned earlier this week after they attempted to launch a drone at Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Iran says ‘sustainable security’ in Middle East ‘cannot be dictated from outside the region’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, following recent calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to the negotiating table, said Saturday that “in the Middle East, sustainable security cannot be dictated from outside the region,” a report said.
“Regional security must belong to the region itself. The countries of the region must be able to discuss their security, stability, development and common future and find their own solutions without the intervention of foreign powers,” Araghchi was quoted as saying by Iran’s Mehr news agency.
“Decades of foreign intervention, military pressure, and endless wars in the Middle East have proven an undeniable truth. Military intervention does not create security, and the exertion of pressure and coercion does not lead to peace,” he reportedly added. “Instead, war has been normalized as a primary instrument of international relations and has led to the perpetuation of patterns of perpetual confrontation and conflict.”
USS Abraham Lincoln makes 'first return to American soil in nine months'
The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said Saturday that the USS Abraham Lincoln has arrived in Guam following a lengthy deployment in the Middle East in support of the U.S.-Iran war.
“Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., and the embarked staffs of Carrier Air Wing 9 and Destroyer Squadron 21, arrived in Guam for a brief logistics stop,” the 7th Fleet said.
“The stop on Naval Base Guam marks CSG-3 personnel’s first return to American soil in nine months, during which personnel will be afforded on-base liberty,” it added.
USNI News reported Saturday that the USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed for 302 days and is currently making its way to the U.S. west coast.
Photos show black smoke rising near Riyadh airport after Saudi Arabia warned of potential ‘danger’
Images are emerging Saturday showing black smoke rising near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after the country warned locals of potential “danger.”
"An alert has been issued by the National Platform for Early Warning in Emergency Situations in the city of Riyadh to warn of a danger," the Saudi Civil Defense agency wrote on X late Friday, before adding in a follow-up post that "the danger has been lifted from the city of Riyadh."
Reuters reported Saturday that one of its journalists in Riyadh heard booms in the area before the all-clear message was given.
Smoke was seen rising near the King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (Reuters)
The warning for Saudi Arabia’s capital came days after the country said it destroyed a Houthi drone that tried to enter the airspace near the city of Mecca.
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have been targeting Saudi Arabia during the U.S. war against Tehran.
Israel’s military strikes back at Hezbollah after ‘explosive device’ injures 2 soldiers
The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that it struck infrastructure belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group after two of its soldiers were injured in southern Lebanon.
“The strike was conducted in response to a Hezbollah explosive device in the Security Zone, that lightly injured 2 IDF soldiers that were in an IDF engineering vehicle,” it said.
“Among the targets struck were observation posts and infrastructure from which Hezbollah terrorists operated to advance and execute attacks against IDF soldiers,” Israel’s military added.
Iranian regime executes man accused of spying for Israeli intelligence agency: report
Iran has killed a man who was convicted of sharing missile site intelligence to Israel during last year’s “12-day war,” a report said.
Hossein Pedaran was hanged after Iran’s Supreme Court upheld his death sentence on charges of espionage and intelligence cooperation, Reuters reported Saturday, citing Iran’s Mizan news agency.
Iranian authorities claimed Pedaran gave information over to Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, Reuters added.
The Department of War said "Operation Rising Lion — also known as the Iran-Israel war — was an armed conflict between those two countries in which Israel launched a number of surprise attacks on key Iranian facilities, both nuclear and military.”
Pakistan tells Iran that ‘dialogue and diplomacy’ is only way to reach peace in Middle East
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar told his Iranian counterpart Saturday that “dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable means to ensure peace and stability in the region.”
Pakistan has acted as a key mediator between the U.S. and Iran during Operation Epic Fury.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Dar and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during a phone call Saturday, “agreed to maintain close cooperation and to meet in New York on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.”
Dar also “stressed the importance of uninterrupted energy supplies and the safe and expeditious passage of ships, particularly given their implications for developing countries and global supply chains.”
UN Security Council says attacks from Iran-backed Houthis 'risk further expanding the conflict’
The U.N. Security Council said recent military escalation, attacks and threats from the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen “risk further expanding the conflict, threatening maritime security and international trade.”
In a statement, the council's 15 members called for “practical cooperation” to prevent the Houthis from acquiring arms, military training, financing and other military-related assistance needed to carry out their attacks, which have targeted Saudi Arabia and territory in Yemen along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The message came as Saudi Arabia warned of a “hostile aerial threat” and issued a string of emergency alerts across the kingdom, including in its capital, late Friday and early Saturday, according to The Associated Press.
No casualties were reported after the alerts were lifted. However, Reuters released an image showing smoke from the fuel storage depot at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Saudi authorities didn't say what prompted the alerts or the cause of the audible explosions, but they previously reported intercepting incoming Houthi missiles and drones.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
China urges US, Iran to resume talks as Beijing offers 'constructive role
China is urging the U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations as Iranian officials and media increasingly look to Beijing as a potential diplomatic bridge between Tehran and Washington, according to Iran International.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during talks in Beijing on Wednesday that China was prepared to play a "constructive role" in resolving international disputes.
Wang also called on Washington and Tehran to rebuild their negotiating mechanism and hold substantive consultations on unresolved issues.
Araghchi said after the meeting that decisions made in consultation with China would "decide future strategic balance in the region, with immeasurable knock-on effects."
The discussions come ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's planned meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington next week. China has not publicly offered to mediate directly between the U.S. and Iran, according to Iran International.
Yesterday's Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.
Trump to put Iran nuclear threat at center of UN address, Waltz says
President Donald Trump plans to use his upcoming U.N. General Assembly address to make the case that Iran must be prevented from obtaining a nuclear weapon, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz said Friday.
The president will also discuss the administration's efforts in Gaza, including its 20-point peace plan, Waltz told reporters.
Trump's U.N. visit will include a meeting with leaders from six Gulf Arab countries as Washington weighs its next steps in the war with Iran.
Waltz said Trump is also scheduled to hold meetings with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The president is set to address the General Assembly next week as world leaders gather in New York.
Live Coverage begins here