Iran informed that US plans to resume action, state media reports

Iran has received information that the United States, with the backing of some regional countries, was preparing to resume actions against Iran, the country's central military command said in a statement on Sunday, according to state media.

Reuters reported that the military said any US attack would ⁠trigger sustained strikes on US bases and interests in the region, the report added.

It warned that regional ​countries supporting ‌US aggression ⁠against Iran would ⁠be considered parties ‌to ​the conflict.

Alex Croft21 September 2026 01:30

Arab and Muslim nations condemn Houthi attack on Riyadh

Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait said the Houthi attack on Riyadh was a threat to regional security and stability and a violation of international law.

The nations in separate statements said their governments stand with Saudi Arabia in support of its sovereignty and protection of its civilians.

The Muslim World League also condemned the attack on civilians and civilian infrastructure as a violation of “all religious values as well as international and humanitarian laws and norms.”

It was the first time the Saudi capital has been targeted since the escalation in fighting with the Iran-backed rebels opened a new front in the Iran war.

Saudi Arabia said the attack was intercepted.

Some residents in Riyadh heard an explosion, and later some saw a plume of smoke near the airport.

There were no reports of casualties or damage.

Alex Croft21 September 2026 00:00

Watch: US Air Force officer recalls 'free-falling' to ground with damaged parachute after plane was shot down over Iran

Alex Croft20 September 2026 23:00

Tourists turn to the Balkans and Brazil: How the Middle East conflict has redrawn our holiday map

Turkey, Romania and Hungary are out – while Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia are in.

Reading the latest Eurocontrol numbers on travel to Europe, it seems that western Balkans countries are proving increasingly attractive to travellers this summer, while many turn away from nations to the east. Europe’s air traffic management coordinator Eurocontrol released data last week showing that Europe experienced record air traffic this summer – with an average of 35,959 daily flights – but that that traffic distribution was “influenced throughout summer 2026 by the Middle East crisis”.

Shweta Sharma20 September 2026 22:00

Iran mobilisation drive extends to children under 15

The spokesman for Iran’s mass mobilisation campaign has said children under 15 could be introduced to military concepts, according to Iran International.

While the main organisation of volunteers would be based around adults over the age of 18, younger people would be brought into the initiative, a spokesman for the Janfada campaign told Iranian news agency ILNA.

“The stronger their value system is formed from childhood, and the more familiar they become with concepts such as patriotism and self-sacrifice, the more significant the impact can be on their future,” Sasan Zare said.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 21:01

US Central Command estimates Iran war cost at $43.6 billion

US Central Command has said the cost of the war with Iran reached about $43.6 billion as of 3 September, according to a new assessment submitted to members of Congress and reported by Associated Press.

The estimate represents the latest assessment of the costs of the conflict.

According to the report, the cost of weapons and munitions used by US forces increased by more than $6 billion in just over a month, reaching about $28.1 billion, compared with $21.7 billion in a previous estimate.

The reported costs include the operation of warships, aircraft and military bases, as well as equipment losses and medical support for US forces.

It does not include damage to US bases in the Middle East from Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 20:02

Inflation too high across US economy amid war, says Federal Reserve chief

Inflation in the US is too high across all sectors of the economy, not just in rising oil prices, Minneapolis Federal Reserve president Neel Kashkari said on Sunday.

Crude oil prices soared after hostilities intensified with the US and Iran attacking and sinking some oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi Arabia closing its vital East-West pipeline ​due to aerial attacks in the widening Middle East war.

"So even if we strip out energy, which is really volatile, and strip out food - they matter a lot - but in terms of where the economy is going, inflation is still too high," Kashkari told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures."

He supported the unanimous vote last week to raise interest rates by a quarter percentage point to 3.75 per cent-4 per cent.

Kashkari was one of three officials to dissent at the Fed's prior meeting in favour of a hike when the majority of the Federal Open Market Committee then opted to leave rates unchanged.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 19:01

Iran informed that US plans to resume action, state media reports

Iran has received information that the United States, with the backing of some regional countries, was preparing to resume actions against Iran, the country's central military command said in a statement on Sunday, according to state media.

Reuters reported that the military said any US attack would ⁠trigger sustained strikes on US bases and interests in the region, the report added.

It warned that regional ​countries supporting ‌US aggression ⁠against Iran would ⁠be considered parties ‌to ​the conflict.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 18:00

Full report - Stressed Trump’s stark warning on Iran: ‘If and when do I blow the entire nation up?’

Donald Trump once again issued a grave threat to destroy the “entire country” of Iran during a phone call with a Fox News reporter on Sunday.

The president told Fox’s Trey Yingst that for him, the “question” was “if and when” it would be required to “blow the entire nation up” if Iran’s government did not submit to his demands.

It’s at least the second time the president has directly threatened to target Iran for widespread carnage, presumably affecting civilians. U.S. forces have already been criticized for strikes that have hit civilian areas, including a girls’ school in Minab in February, which killed 120 school children.

It comes as the president is facing staggeringly low polling on the war itself and is watching both his own popularity and the Republican Party’s sink like a stone as a result. A Fox News poll out this weekend found that 71 percent of Americans think that Trump lacks a plan to end the war altogether and new escalating conflicts between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia threaten to further disrupt the region.

The Independent’s Washington correspondent John Bowden reports:

Alex Croft20 September 2026 17:14

Strait of Hormuz crisis could delay QatarEnergy expansion projects, says CEO

The crisis over the Strait of Hormuz could delay some QatarEnergy expansion projects because critical equipment is unable to reach Qatar, its CEO Saad al-Kaabi said on Sunday.

He said that QatarEnergy was currently producing only a "very minute" volume of liquefied natural gas.

A few LNG trains under QatarEnergy's North Field East (NFE) expansion are due to start up in 2027, with the North Field South (NFS) expansion set to begin production in 2028, Kaabi said at the Qatar Economic Forum in New York.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 16:34