United News of Bangladesh

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi confirmed Thursday the complete and final withdrawal of U.S-led coalition forces from Iraq, declaring the full realization of national sovereignty. In a national address, al-Zaidi said October 1 marks the beginning of a "new chapter in Iraq's journey". He noted that the date also signals the launch of a government initiative to tackle weapons existing outside state authority under a structured roadmap concluding no later than June 30, 2027. "The government will work toward the complete disarmament of all non-Iraqi armed groups present on Iraqi territory, in a manner that safeguards the country's security and stability and ensures control of its borders," al-Zaidi said. His remarks came one day after he formally announced the termination of the U.S.-led coalition's mission to combat the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq. Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq-an umbrella coalition of local armed factions-rejected demands to surrender its weaponry on Wednesday, stating it is not bound by any schedule or agreement arranged by any political or governmental body. The U.S-led coalition was originally established in 2014 to support Iraqi forces after IS militants captured vast territories across Iraq and Syria. With coalition support, Iraqi forces dismantled the extremist group's territorial hold in 2017, though coalition operations continued against remaining militant pockets.

Iranian officials indicated Wednesday that Tehran has received an official U.S. response to its latest proposal aimed at ending the seven-month war, despite U.S. President Donald Trump publicly rejecting the offer just days earlier. The officials did not disclose the contents of the response or say whether Washington had rejected the proposal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented the U.S. response to President Masoud Pezeshkian during a Cabinet meeting, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told the state-run IRNA news agency. “We will make every effort to bring the agreement to fruition and will firmly stand up for the rights of the Iranian people,” Pezeshkian said. “The agreement must now be based on a win-win strategy.” The Cabinet meeting came after Araghchi returned to Iran from New York, where he had traveled for last week’s U.N. General Assembly. Iranian officials held indirect talks with U.S. officials there and also met with Qatari and Pakistani mediators on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders. Araghchi and his delegation were instructed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to leave New York earlier than scheduled, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the decision. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing an internal administration process. The Iranian delegation left New York very early Tuesday. Araghchi briefed the Cabinet on his New York trip and the meetings he held there, including Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Mohajerani said had been conveyed through mediators. Araghchi said last week that he had proposed reopening the strait within a week if the U.S. agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other conditions. Trump quickly rejected the proposal, saying Iran wanted a deal because it was “losing so badly” and that the offer “would not be acceptable.” Despite Trump’s public rejection, mediators continued efforts to broker an agreement between Iran and the U.S. to end the fighting and reopen the strait, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday announced new sanctions against people and companies around the world that it accused of serving as financial facilitators or enablers of Iran’s military supply chain. The latest measures are part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign, which aims to cut off “critical financial lifelines” to Iran’s already heavily sanctioned government. Ten people and entities in Iran, Hong Kong and Pakistan now face sanctions over allegations that they procured weapons and weapons components for Iran’s defense ministry as the country fights its seven-month war against the U.S. Iran’s economy spirals further Iran’s economy, which was already under severe pressure before the war began, has deteriorated sharply since the conflict started in late February. The country’s currency fell to a record low on Tuesday, with traders in Tehran exchanging more than 2.5 million rials for one U.S. dollar. The decline reflected the continuing impact of the war in the Middle East on Iran’s economy. The latest drop came only 27 days after the rial reached its previous record low of 2.2 million to the dollar on Sept. 2. The currency has repeatedly fallen to new lows since the war began in February. Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, threatened to “blow them up” if the U.S. and Iran fail to reach a deal soon. “It’s going to end very soon, one way or the other,” Trump said. At the beginning of the conflict, Trump predicted that the war would last only weeks. More recently, he said he expects it will continue until after the Nov. 3 midterm elections in the U.S. Iranians face soaring medicine prices amid blockade, sanctions Medicine prices are soaring in Iran, while some treatments have become difficult to find, forcing patients and their families to struggle as a U.S. blockade and intensified sanctions put further pressure on the country’s pharmaceutical industry. Prices of some medicines have more than tripled, adding to the financial burden on Iranians seven months into the war with the United States and Israel. Prices of food and other goods have also surged, while unemployment has increased and the currency, which reached a record low this week, has lost half its value. The war has become an economic endurance test. Iran has sought to push up global energy prices through attacks on oil shipping routes in the region, while the United States has sought to damage Iran’s economy by blockading its ports since June and imposing increasingly stringent sanctions. Iran executes two men over violence during January protestsAlso on Wednesday, Iran executed two men over their involvement in violence during nationwide anti-government protests in January, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Citing the country’s judiciary, IRNA said the men participated in unrest in the northeastern city of Mashhad that resulted in the deaths of four members of the security forces earlier this year. Their death sentences were upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court before they were executed Wednesday morning. The unrest began Dec. 28 amid public anger over Iran’s collapsing currency and deteriorating economy. It quickly spread across the country, with demonstrators increasingly calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. Iranian authorities responded with a deadly crackdown. Rights groups say thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands arrested, while Iranian authorities have reported a substantially lower death toll.

A pilot on a FlyDubai flight carrying dozens of Israelis from the United Arab Emirates allegedly stabbed the other pilot and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft on Wednesday, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Passengers and crew members overpowered the attacker, allowing the aircraft to make an emergency landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The captain and first officer were injured, according to the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk. The flight issued an emergency alert and descended sharply from about 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet within a minute before making an erratic turn near the Jordanian border, according to Flightradar24. Netanyahu said a passenger and a crew member entered the cockpit as the aircraft began to descend and regained control, while other passengers and crew subdued the attacker. Israeli security personnel and air marshals were also among those who intervened, according to a person familiar with the investigation. Israel scrambled fighter jets amid fears of a possible hijacking. FlyDubai confirmed that an altercation occurred in the flight deck and said the aircraft was secured by crew members, who diverted and landed safely. Saudi authorities arrested one pilot, Netanyahu said, though the identity was not immediately disclosed. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment. The incident comes days before the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, amid heightened security concerns in the country.

At least four Palestinians were killed and 10 others injured on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike targeting a civilian vehicle in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City, Palestinian medical and security sources said. Medical sources at Al-Shifa Medical Complex confirmed that the bodies of the four victims killed in the attack were brought to the facility, while 10 injured individuals were admitted for medical treatment. According to Palestinian security sources, an Israeli drone fired at least one missile at the civilian vehicle, causing the casualties.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard has called on Americans to take to the streets and protest President Donald Trump's policies, claiming that Washington's war in the Middle East has failed, as fresh developments unfolded across the region on Tuesday. Guard spokesman Gen. Hossein Mohebbi delivered what he described as a “letter to the American people” at a news conference in Tehran, urging them to reconsider their choice of leaders ahead of the US midterm elections. He said the conflict could end only if Washington acknowledged defeat and withdrew, while accusing the US of using Iran's nuclear programme as a pretext to “plunder Iran's wealth” and turn the country “back into a colony.” In remarks to The Associated Press later, Mohebbi encouraged Americans to stage street protests against Trump's policies and denounce what he described as the US government's war-mongering approach. He said military action and economic sanctions would not force Tehran to surrender. The message came weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 US midterm elections, in which Trump's Republican Party is seeking to retain control of Congress. Meanwhile, Iran's currency fell to a new record low on Tuesday, with the US dollar trading at more than 2.5 million rials in Tehran, reflecting further economic deterioration amid the conflict. The rial had previously reached a record low of 2.2 million to the dollar on Sept. 2 and has repeatedly weakened since the war began in February. Settlers prevent Palestinian family from returning home In the occupied West Bank, more than 100 Israeli settlers clashed with Israeli soldiers who were escorting a Palestinian man back to his home in the village of Jalud. Mahmoud Tubasi, the homeowner, said soldiers initially took him to the house but rioting settlers forced him and his family to leave in a military vehicle. He said settlers have surrounded the property for about two months, preventing the family from returning. The Israeli military said the overnight effort to return the family “was not completed” and that three officers were injured after settlers threw rocks, blocked roads and set Palestinian property on fire. Israeli police said three settlers suspected of involvement in the violence were arrested. The incident drew condemnation from Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gidon Saar and President Isaac Herzog. The latest violence comes as the Israeli military faces difficulties in containing an escalation in settler attacks. Rights groups have accused the military of cooperating with settlers. Israeli strike kills Hamas commander, two others An Israeli airstrike on an apartment west of Gaza City killed two people, including a Hamas commander, according to the Israeli military. The military said Izz al-Din Bik, a commander in Hamas' northern Gaza brigade, was involved in planning attacks and recruiting members for the militant group. Hamas did not immediately confirm his death. Officials at Shifa Hospital said five other people were wounded in the overnight strike. More than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which maintains detailed casualty records generally considered reliable, does not distinguish between civilians and militants. It says women and children account for about half of those killed.

Iran’s currency fell to a new record low on Tuesday, with traders in Tehran exchanging more than 2.5 million rials to the U.S. dollar. The latest decline came just 27 days after the rial hit its previous record of 2.2 million to the dollar on Sept. 2. The currency has repeatedly reached new lows since the war began in February. Meanwhile, Iran’s top diplomat said indirect negotiations with the United States aimed at reopening the critical Strait of Hormuz have become “more serious,” while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ chief spokesman spokesman Gen. Hossein Mohebbi on Tuesday called on Americans to take to the streets and protest the conflict. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian media late on Monday that the “current focus is solely on the Strait of Hormuz.” Araghchi made the comments shortly before departing New York — where he attended last week’s gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly — and after meeting with Pakistani and Qatari mediators. Araghchi said that the Qatari intermediaries were expected to soon engage with the U.S. side. “They are set to raise the matter with the American side once more, after which the final US response will be conveyed to us”, Araghchi said. “If there is a response, the Qataris will convey it to us and a decision will be made in Tehran on that basis.” U.S. and regional officials have confirmed to The Associated Press that mediators are working with Iran and the U.S. on trying to broker a deal to end the fighting and open the strait.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret weekend trip to the United Arab Emirates to meet President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with the talks reportedly focusing on claims that the Emirati leader had warned Netanyahu of a possible Hamas attack before the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel. Two people briefed on the visit confirmed Monday that Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed met for about an hour on Sunday. The meeting was first reported by Israel's Channel 12 television. One of the sources said Netanyahu asked Sheikh Mohamed to reject a recent report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz alleging that the Emirati leader had cautioned him about an impending Hamas attack shortly before Oct. 7, 2023. A source with firsthand knowledge of the meeting and a regional official briefed on the talks spoke on condition of anonymity because the visit was not publicly announced. Netanyahu's office had previously denied the Haaretz report and did not immediately comment on the meeting. Israel's Shin Bet security service filed a complaint with the country's chief military censor against Channel 12, accusing it of a serious breach of censorship rules. The agency said the report's timing endangered the prime minister, military personnel and operations. The UAE Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the reports but said it maintains "open and direct lines of communication" with Israel and shares relevant intelligence. The UAE's state-run WAM news agency later confirmed Netanyahu's visit, saying the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday that the European Union is seeking observer status in a Saudi-led maritime security coalition aimed at protecting the kingdom's energy exports. Kallas said the EU also wants to expand its naval mission in the Red Sea, known as ASPIDES, to help escort commercial vessels through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and protect shipping from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. She said the need for additional ships "is bigger than it's ever been," as the EU faces pressure over energy supplies amid the war in Iran. In Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei praised Iranian forces for what he described as preventing "enemy forces" from freely operating in the Strait of Hormuz. In a message broadcast Monday, Khamenei said Iran's adversaries no longer approach the strategic waterway from closer than the Arabian Sea. He made the remarks marking the second anniversary of the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. Khamenei has not appeared publicly since the initial attacks of the war on Feb. 28, which killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In Yemen, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said a strike by Saudi-backed forces on a residence in Taiz province killed three women and an elderly man and injured three others. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim. The World Health Organization said Sunday that it had recorded 164 deaths and 645 injuries in Yemen between Sept. 19 and Sept. 26. Since Aug. 6, the conflict has killed 838 people and injured 3,643 others, while more than 180,000 people have been displaced. In Gaza, an Israeli strike on a rooftop in Gaza City killed a woman and injured her husband and another person, according to officials at Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military said it was aware of the strike and was investigating. A separate Israeli strike on a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp later Monday critically injured one person, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. The Israeli military said it had targeted a "military operative" but gave no further details. Gaza's Health Ministry said more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago, with women and children accounting for about half of the deaths. International organizations regard the ministry's records as generally reliable. Meanwhile, Iran and the UAE renewed a dispute over the ownership of three Gulf islands — Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb during the closing hours of the U.N. General Assembly. The islands were seized by Iran in 1971 from territory that later became part of the UAE and are located near the Strait of Hormuz. UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar accused Iran of occupying the islands in a speech earlier in the day. Later, Nasser Asadi of Iran's U.N. mission rejected the criticism, saying Tehran maintains full sovereignty over the islands.

A Saudi airstrike on a residential house in Yemen's southwestern Taiz province killed four people-three women and an elderly man-and injured three others, Houthi-run media reported on Monday. Saudi warplanes also struck a school in Taiz’s Al-Ta'iziyah district for the third time, destroying the remaining structure completely, though no casualties were immediately reported. In the northern Houthi stronghold of Saada, Saudi aircraft launched two airstrikes on Adh Dhahir district, while artillery shelled populated villages in Razih district. Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the unverified claims. Escalating clashes between Yemeni government forces and Houthis follow the group's recent capture of the strategic port city of Mocha and Mayyun Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The civil war erupted in late 2014 when Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition intervention in March 2015.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday and met President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with Iran the main focus of their talks, Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported. Netanyahu traveled to the UAE on a private plane and spent the day in the country, Kan said. There was no immediate official announcement of the visit from either government. Israel and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 2020 under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords.

The Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 74,000, with 74,016 killed and 175,068 wounded since October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday   Despite a U.S.-brokered October 10 ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians-about half women and children-and seven Israeli soldiers have died in ongoing strikes. The peace process remains stalled as Israel controls over half of Gaza, reconstruction hasn't begun, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to withdraw until Hamas disarms   Meanwhile, Israel's leading Jewish opposition parties pledged Saturday to unite against Netanyahu in next month's elections-the first since October 7, viewed as a security failure referendum Key attendees included main challenger Gadi Eisenkot, former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, center-left leader Yair Golan, and hawkish chief Avigdor Lieberman. They vowed to boost turnout, combat fake news, and outline a new government.