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Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took part in a government-organised rally on Friday, pledging to defend their country in the biggest such show of support since the United States and Israel launched attacks in February. The Iranian government has been trying to strengthen national unity as the country’s economy comes under increasing pressure from a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and new US sanctions aimed at further hurting Tehran’s economy. The number of people who volunteered to receive basic military training and help defend Iran varied in official estimates. The campaign, called “Janfaday-e Iran,” meaning “those who sacrifice their lives for Iran,” saw volunteers march through central Tehran in military uniforms while carrying flags and receiving cheers from crowds. State media have spent days urging Iranians to join the campaign, saying training with assault rifles would begin soon. The volunteers are expected to provide an additional layer of security alongside Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard and its volunteer Basij force. Tehran’s Guard chief, Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh, told state television that more than 600,000 people had registered for the programme, while more than 1 million were expected to undergo training. The broadcaster estimated Friday morning that more than 300,000 people had gathered in the streets. Hossein Taeb, the newly appointed head of the Basij, said in a speech at the start of the rally that the volunteers would be prepared for “full-fledged defense” and that similar rallies would soon be held in other cities. Taeb said the new trainees would become a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies. President Masoud Pezeshkian, military commanders and other senior officials watched the march. Some demonstrators stepped on US and Israeli flags, while others chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” “I am here to tell (US President Donald) Trump that we Iranians have no fear about his threats against our homeland,” said Marzieh Afaghi, 24, who attended the rally with her husband and toddler. “No one in history could invade Iran and remain there,” she said. The rally also featured Iranian military equipment, including anti-aircraft systems. Female Revolutionary Guard members wearing black headscarves were seen sitting beside machine guns mounted on trucks. The Guard also displayed drones that have been widely used against ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has asserted control over the strategic waterway since the war began, severely disrupting shipments of oil and natural gas from the Gulf region to global markets. Volunteers could strengthen crackdown capabilitiesFriday’s rally also highlighted the possibility that hardliners such as Taeb within Iran’s leadership could have greater support to deal with future protests against the country’s theocratic system. Iran witnessed some of its largest nationwide protests in January, shortly before the war began. The demonstrations initially focused on the struggling economy but later expanded to broader grievances. Activists have said a government crackdown killed more than 7,000 people and led to tens of thousands of arrests. Those figures could not be independently verified by The Associated Press. In May, Iranian government officials said more than 30 million people in the country, which has a population of about 90 million, had volunteered through an online form or at public gatherings to sacrifice their lives for the theocracy.

A week after Iran-backed Houthi rebels swept along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, expanding their control toward a key maritime chokepoint and threatening Saudi Arabia’s oil exports, the group appears to be turning its attention to the country’s oil-rich east. The Houthis’ biggest territorial expansion in years has reignited Yemen’s 12-year civil war and pushed global fuel prices higher. It has also provided Iran with another potential source of leverage as the United States has begun easing Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, located on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula. The Houthis have also launched attacks on Saudi oil facilities and tankers. An attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, blamed on Iran-backed militias in Iraq, has added to the kingdom’s security concerns and unsettled global markets. The rebel offensive has forced about 125,000 Yemenis to flee their homes. More than 150,000 people have been killed in the civil war, which has at times pushed Yemen close to famine. The rebels now appear to be targeting Yemen’s oil-rich eastern regions. Standing in their way are the Saudi-backed government and various armed groups that were still fighting each other as recently as January. Saudi Arabia’s most important ally, the United States, appears to be staying out of the conflict for now. Houthis fighting on several frontsThe Houthis captured the important Red Sea port city of Mokha before seizing several islands near the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which about 12% of global trade passes during peacetime. The rebels are also only 32 kilometres (20 miles) from Djibouti, a small African country that hosts US and other foreign military bases. The Houthis launched their first major advance from their northern stronghold in 2014, capturing the capital Sanaa and large parts of northern Yemen. Saudi Arabia intervened the following year, and fighting continued until a ceasefire in 2022. Heavy fighting has been reported in recent days in and around Marib, a central city in an oil-rich province of the same name. Previous Houthi offensives failed to capture the city, which is also a major military base for Saudi-backed forces. The Houthis are also threatening Taiz, a western city that has remained a major front line throughout much of the conflict. Pressure grows on the world’s largest oil exporterThe Houthis want Saudi Arabia to end a long-running blockade on areas under their control. “It is Saudi Arabia that closed the Bab el-Mandeb strait to shipping traffic to and from Yemen and imposed an unjust blockade on the country,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, told The Associated Press. Saudi Arabia and its allies have struggled for years to contain or deter the Houthis and could consider a diplomatic solution to stop the attacks. Such a move could eventually require concessions from the United States to Iran, the only country considered to have significant influence over the Houthis. The United States bombed Houthi targets under both the Biden and Trump administrations but has shown little interest in intervening this time. The Houthis also appear keen to avoid drawing the US into the conflict, saying they are targeting only Saudi-linked shipping. Red Sea shipping traffic recovers for nowShipping company Windward reported that daily traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait fell from 35 crossings before the Houthi advance to 25 afterward. However, traffic has since recovered, reaching 45 crossings on Sunday. The Houthis could still broaden their targets beyond Saudi ships and tankers. During their self-declared blockade of Israel at the height of the Gaza war, the rebels attacked ships in the Red Sea that had no known connection to the conflict. “At the moment, their focus is on Saudi-linked shipping,” said Valentin d’Hauthuille, a Middle East analyst at conflict monitor ACLED. However, he said the Houthis could “extend the criteria according to which vessels are assessed to be ‘Saudi-linked’ to increase pressure on both Saudi and the global economy.” Diplomatic efforts underway, but challenges remainRegional mediators have begun efforts to ease tensions, but a diplomatic agreement appears unlikely without progress in the wider conflict involving Iran. Iran wants the United States to lift a blockade and sanctions that have severely damaged its economy. Washington, meanwhile, wants the Strait of Hormuz fully reopened and seeks an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear programme. Neither side has shown signs of changing its position since a preliminary agreement collapsed over the summer. Oman hosted a meeting between US and Houthi representatives last weekend, according to a Houthi official and another person familiar with the talks who spoke to AP this week. They requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly about the meeting. The United States says it has remained in “constant contact” with Saudi Arabia, a close ally that receives billions of dollars in American military assistance. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently visited Egypt, which has played a role in regional mediation. A Turkish government official said this week that Ankara was also holding talks with Iran and the United Arab Emirates to try to reduce tensions. The Houthi attacks are the first major test of a new defence pact involving Saudi Arabia, NATO member Turkey and nuclear-armed Pakistan. However, officials from Turkey and Pakistan said they have not received a request from Saudi Arabia for military assistance. Humanitarian crisis deepensThe latest fighting has killed eight civilians and wounded 32 others, according to the UN humanitarian office, which estimates that about 125,000 people have been displaced. The Health Ministry of the Saudi-backed government says the Houthis have killed about 150 civilians since Sept 3. Saudi Arabia said Thursday that debris from a Houthi drone intercepted over the kingdom killed one person and injured two others. Yemen was already the poorest Arab country before the civil war. The conflict and Saudi-led blockade have contributed to widespread hunger in recent years. The Houthis’ detention of UN and aid workers has also disrupted international assistance in areas under their control. Experts say the rebels have struggled to pay government employees, contributing to unrest, while much of the tax revenue they collect has been directed toward their military operations. The UN humanitarian office, known as OCHA, said only 20% of its humanitarian appeal for Yemen has been funded. It warned that “millions risk losing access to food, healthcare, nutrition, water and protection services.” “The needs are extremely high right now,” said Sara Ahmed, a supervisor with Doctors Without Borders in Mokha. She said medical workers are operating in difficult conditions to keep essential services running while hearing airstrikes nearby. Mahida Ahmed fled the fighting in Mokha and is now staying at a displacement camp in Aden, where the Saudi-backed government is based. She said she fled quickly with her children and left all her belongings behind, while her husband remains stranded in Mokha. “This war has been completely devastating for us,” she said.

A roadside bomb hit a security forces convoy in northwestern Pakistan, killing six soldiers, while troops killed 10 suspected militants in several raids, the military and local police said Friday. The bomb attack took place Thursday in Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said. The military said security forces killed 10 militants during several intelligence-based operations targeting suspected hideouts in North Waziristan and Hangu districts on Thursday. Pakistani security forces have suffered casualties in militant attacks this year. In June, three members of the country's Rangers force were killed and four others wounded in clashes with militants. The military referred to the dead militants as "Khawarij," a term used by the Pakistani government for members of the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The TTP is a separate group from Afghanistan's Taliban but is allied with it. The Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan's Taliban government of allowing cross-border militant attacks and providing shelter to TTP members. Kabul has consistently denied the allegations.

Vanuatu has ended the search for people missing after a passenger ferry sank in rough seas off the country’s coast, with 39 people believed to have died, an official said Friday. No additional survivors or bodies have been recovered since last weekend, when 14 survivors and two bodies were found. The ferry MV Matui was carrying 53 people when it sank on Sept 11 while traveling between the islands of Santo and Ambae, Lloyd M. Fikiasi, deputy commissioner of Vanuatu’s Maritime Safety Authority, told The Associated Press. Officials said earlier this week that the sinking was not reported for a full day and that the number of people aboard remained unclear for several days. Fikiasi said some people initially reported missing were later found not to have traveled on the ferry. While two bodies were recovered last weekend, the sea search ended Thursday, with 37 people still missing. The maritime authority this week filed criminal complaints with police against the owners of Tui Shipping, the company’s management and the ferry’s master over alleged breaches of maritime law, according to local news reports. Vanuatu’s Daily Post reported that the vessel was not authorized to carry passengers and that inspectors had warned the company about overloading personnel and cargo a day before the sinking. “This loss appears to be the result of strong winds and marine warnings not being heeded, and possibly of negligence including overloading of the vessel,” Prime Minister Jotham Napat said Sunday. The country’s meteorological service had issued a marine warning about strong winds and high seas on the day the ferry sailed. Napat on Friday visited survivors and bereaved families on Santo and Ambae, where he urged people to remain calm and pledged an independent investigation into the sinking. He had earlier said he cancelled a scheduled visit to the U.N. General Assembly in New York to deal with the disaster. A national memorial service will be held on Sept. 27, Napat said.

Russia began voting Friday in a parliamentary election held under tight Kremlin control, with the ruling United Russia party expected to retain its dominant position in the State Duma. The election comes at a difficult time for Russia, more than four years after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war has affected the country's economy and political environment, while Ukrainian drone attacks have damaged oil refineries, warehouses and other infrastructure. Public concern has also grown as the fighting has increasingly affected daily life inside Russia. United Russia, the main pro-Kremlin party, is expected to maintain its strong majority in the lower house alongside several other parties that support President Vladimir Putin. Authorities have tightened restrictions ahead of the first wartime parliamentary election since the 2022 invasion. The Kremlin moved to suppress signs of dissent before three days of voting began in Russia's Far East on Friday. The only party on the ballot that openly criticized the war was later removed from the election, while several anti-war politicians have been jailed or forced to leave the country. For the first time, residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed are included in the election. Ukraine has rejected the vote as illegal. With Putin facing no immediate political challenge and the election outcome largely predictable, analysts say the Kremlin sees the vote as a way to demonstrate public support for the war and reinforce its political legitimacy. "Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters, that we are a united people, bound by shared values, historical memory, and love for the Motherland," Putin said in an address before voting began. Economic pressure grows after summer attacksA wave of Ukrainian long-range drone attacks over the summer brought the effects of the war closer to millions of Russians. The attacks added to pressure on an economy that has slowed after initially receiving a boost from heavy military spending. The government has raised taxes and increased domestic borrowing to manage a widening budget deficit. Attacks on Russian oil refineries caused a serious fuel shortage that reached its peak in June. The situation improved for several weeks before shortages returned in August. A series of attacks on warehouses operated by online retailers Wildberries and Ozon caused further economic disruption. Hundreds of thousands of individual sellers lost merchandise, affecting businesses across the country. The developments also affected public sentiment. President Vladimir Putin's approval rating has declined, although it remains relatively high. The independent Levada Center put his approval at 76% in August, down from 87% in September 2025. Some members of Russia's political and economic elite have also voiced concerns. Andrei Klepach, chief economist at state-owned VEB.RF bank, warned of possible social unrest. "We won't win the competition in this war of attrition," he said at a seminar. "Our costs are mounting. I'm almost sure that we will come to face a social crisis." Klepach was dismissed the day after his comments were published. Putin maintains war objectivesPutin has acknowledged that Ukrainian attacks have caused significant damage but said Russia's economy can withstand the pressure. He accused Ukraine of opening a "Pandora's box" and threatened a major response. Russia subsequently increased missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities and introduced more jet-powered drones, taking advantage of Ukraine's shortage of air-defense interceptors. Moscow also intensified attacks on Ukrainian Black Sea ports, disrupting exports of grain and other agricultural products that provide important revenue for Ukraine. The escalation has raised concerns that the Kremlin could consider another large-scale mobilization. A partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists in 2022 prompted hundreds of thousands of Russians to leave the country, creating domestic political pressure. Since then, the Kremlin has relied mainly on volunteers, offering relatively high salaries and other benefits to attract recruits. Military experts, however, have warned that the number of volunteers has declined while Russian battlefield losses remain high. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly claimed that Moscow could announce another mobilization after the election. Putin has dismissed the claims as "nonsense." At a Sept 5 meeting in the Kremlin with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, followed by a phone call with US President Donald Trump, Putin said Russia had the advantage on the battlefield. His comments indicated that Moscow would maintain its demanding position in any negotiations to end the war. Anti-war parties and candidates sidelinedIn July, Russia's Central Election Commission approved 11 parties to take part in the parliamentary election, including Yabloko, the only party openly opposed to the war. Several weeks later, however, the Supreme Court removed Yabloko from the ballot following an appeal by the nationalist Motherland party. The appeal argued that Yabloko's anti-war position amounted to support for violating Russia's territorial integrity. Kremlin observers described the decision as evidence of disagreements within the authorities over how much political competition should be allowed. Tatyana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center said there had been concern that the campaign could turn into a debate over peace and the war. "The risks that the campaign would turn into a struggle for and against peace — that is, a dispute about the war — were quite high, and this clearly was not part of the plan," she said. Maxim Kruglov, a deputy chairman of Yabloko and former Moscow city council member, was convicted in June of spreading false information about the military and sentenced to seven years in prison. Last month, a court in the Pskov region convicted another Yabloko member, Lev Shlosberg, for speaking out against the war and sentenced him to more than 11 years in prison. Half of the Duma's 450 seats are filled through party-list voting, while the rest are decided through single-constituency races. With Yabloko removed from the party-list ballot, authorities also prevented many of its individual candidates from running in single-constituency races for the Duma and regional legislatures. Liberal politician and war critic Boris Nadezhdin, who sought to challenge Putin in the 2024 presidential election, left Russia last month. He had been designated a "foreign agent" and said he feared possible imprisonment. United Russia expected to retain controlUnited Russia currently holds more than two-thirds of the Duma's seats and is expected to remain the dominant political force despite public fatigue over the war and economic difficulties. Some Russian reports suggest the Kremlin may allow the party's share of the vote to decline slightly, while still ensuring it retains control of parliament. "United Russia may be allowed to slip a little … to bring its actual sort of declared results more in line with probably its real results," said analyst Mark Galeotti, head of Mayak Intelligence. He added that the Kremlin would ensure United Russia remained "absolutely dominant within the Duma." One purpose of the election, he said, is to create "legitimating rituals to give the impression that mass consensus is behind the Kremlin." Other parties in Russia's so-called systemic opposition — the Communist Party, Liberal-Democratic Party and A Just Russia Party — are also expected to retain seats. All have generally supported Putin's policies and the war. Galeotti said Ukrainian attacks have increased anxiety in Russia but could also strengthen calls for a tougher response against Kyiv, particularly among people who do not expect to participate directly in the fighting. Chris Weafer, CEO of Macro-Advisory Ltd., said the attacks had affected public morale but did not pose an immediate threat to the Kremlin's political control. "There has been a 'rally around the flag' anyway since the start of conflict and the opinion polls consistently show the very high level of support," he said. Although the election outcome is largely predictable, Weafer said the Kremlin is particularly interested in voter turnout and the public narrative surrounding the vote, which can be used to claim broad public support for its policies.

Growing military spending is putting increasing pressure on Russia's wartime economy, widening the budget deficit and adding to concerns among consumers and businesses as economic growth slows. Economists, however, say the situation does not point to an immediate financial crisis or economic collapse. Strong oil revenues, supported by higher prices linked to the war in Iran, are helping the government finance its 4 1/2-year-old invasion of Ukraine, at least for now. Low unemployment and increased government spending in poorer regions have also helped limit public dissatisfaction. The situation supports the Kremlin's message of economic stability ahead of Russia's tightly controlled parliamentary election, which began Friday and ends Sunday. But economists warn that longer-term problems are weakening the economy's foundations and could eventually lead to a crisis. Consumers and businesses grow more pessimisticConsumer confidence has declined from its peak in 2024-25, when increased military spending boosted economic growth and wages. More recently, consumers have faced higher gasoline prices and shortages caused by Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries. Many small businesses have also lost goods and customers following attacks on online retailers Wildberries and Ozon. Economic growth has also slowed from more than 4% annually in 2023-24. The government expects growth of just 0.6% this year. The economy contracted in the first quarter before recovering somewhat in the second. The consumer sentiment index compiled by independent Russian pollster Levada Center fell to 94 during the summer, down from 116 in spring and summer 2025. A reading below 100 indicates that negative sentiment outweighs positive sentiment. People interviewed about the election in Moscow mainly raised concerns about pensions and rising prices. Alexander Vertukhin, a 72-year-old retired military prosecutor, said the government should focus on ensuring "a decent standard of living for pensioners." "I'm doing fine, both financially and in every other respect," he said. Dmitry Kirillin, 26, said he wanted housing and travel within Russia to become more affordable and for pensioners to be able to live comfortably rather than simply survive. "I'd like prices to rise more slowly, if that's possible in the current situation," he added. Chris Weafer, CEO of consultancy Macro-Advisory Ltd., said gasoline shortages and strikes on Wildberries had made the war more noticeable to ordinary Russians but did not amount to a crisis. He described the economy as being in "tolerable stability" and said the public was "grumbling" but not protesting. "The economy is under strain — it's stagnant to the effect that it's stable but not growing," Weafer said. "But it's not facing recession either." He said most people were "not that affected" by Ukrainian strikes and that disruptions to shopping habits were unlikely to change public support for the Kremlin. President Vladimir Putin's approval rating has fallen in recent months but remains above its level before the war began in 2022. Budget deficit risesA major sign of economic pressure is Russia's growing budget deficit and the government's efforts to raise additional revenue. Putin's government has increased the value-added tax paid by consumers, raised other fees and tightened taxes on small businesses. Despite these measures, the deficit has continued to grow. By the end of July, the deficit had reached 2.8% of annual economic output, nearly twice the original target for the year. Resources in Russia's reserve fund had fallen to 1.6% of GDP, leaving the government increasingly dependent on borrowing from domestic banks. That borrowing comes at a high cost, with interest rates on Russian bonds reaching as much as 17%, according to Janis Kluge, an expert on Russia's finances at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Budget pressure is "adding to doubts about how long Russia can sustain the war," Kluge wrote in a recent report. Russia's central bank has kept interest rates high to control inflation driven by military spending. High borrowing costs are putting pressure on civilian businesses, which do not receive the same preferential access to credit as defense companies. Private lending by Russian banks to defense-related companies has also increased, providing another source of war financing. Such borrowing is not fully reflected in official deficit figures. Economists warn of long-term risksWestern sanctions have limited Russia's access to new investment, potentially reducing productivity and long-term economic growth. Some economists warn that high military spending, weak growth, rising debt and expensive borrowing are gradually weakening the economy's structural foundations, even though it has not collapsed. The current path is "unsustainable," according to Torbjörn Becker of the Stockholm School of Economics. However, he said the timing of any potential crisis remains uncertain. Higher oil prices provide reliefHigher oil prices linked to the war in Iran have provided Russia with additional revenue. Oil export earnings, which had fallen below $10 billion a month before the Iran war, increased to $15.8 billion in June and $13.8 billion in July. Russia's budget pressures "may effectively disappear for as long as elevated energy prices persist," Becker wrote. He argued that stronger action against Russia's sanctions-evading oil tanker fleet should be a priority to reduce that revenue. War spending boosts poorer regionsMilitary spending and enlistment bonuses have brought more money into Russia's poorer regions outside Moscow and St. Petersburg. Defense factories are operating at high capacity, while the national unemployment rate stands at 2.2%. The Uralvagonzavod tank factory in Nizhny Tagil increased its workforce from about 20,000 to more than 38,000 after the invasion of Ukraine as it moved to round-the-clock production, according to a recent report by the Center for Strategic & International Studies on Russia's defense industry. Kupol, a company producing drones and surface-to-air missiles, is the largest industrial enterprise in Russia's Udmurtia region and more than doubled its output in 2025. However, shortages of skilled workers are limiting production in defense companies and other sectors. The problem has been compounded by the departure of several hundred thousand mostly younger Russians amid fears of conscription and political repression. Kremlin says economy remains stableKremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said monthly deficit figures could fluctuate and that the situation was not a cause for concern. "Macroeconomic stability is absolutely ensured," he said. However, Andrei Klepach, chief economist at Russia's state-owned VEB.RF development bank, warned in a speech that sanctions and economic isolation were causing Russia to fall behind in global technological and economic competition. "We're falling behind in the technological and economic competition in the world," he said, adding, "we can't win the competition in this war of attrition." Klepach was later fired.

The world is deeply divided and the U.N.’s most powerful body is paralyzed when it comes to ending conflicts. But there’s a way forward. So says the United Nations’ top official. On his way out of office at year’s end after nearly a decade, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres — known for doom-and-gloom speeches about the state of the planet — said Thursday he finds hope and possibility in the coming years. But that, he says, is only if the world’s governments can finally cooperate on curtailing conflict, upending inequality and grappling with the arriving juggernaut of artificial intelligence. “I believe in a number of fundamental things that need to be done, and need to happen for the world to be better — and I’m determined to fight to make those things happen,” Guterres told The Associated Press in a sit-down interview four days before world leaders convene for their annual meeting at the U.N. General Assembly. His message to leaders and ministers from the U.N.’s 193 member nations coming to U.N. headquarters was no-nonsense: You need to very seriously analyze the fact that the world is facing at least three existential problems -- runaway artificial intelligence, galloping climate change, and escalating inequality that is becoming a serious driver of instability and conflict. Guterres also warned that the “huge geopolitical divide” and paralysis in the Security Council have created an environment of impunity with powerful countries flouting international law and the U.N. Charter. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the attacks on Iran by the United States, both veto-wielding council members, are examples. “Many countries say, ‘If superpowers can violate the law, why can’t we?’” the secretary-general said. “And so what we are seeing around the world is more and more situations in which countries simply do not care. They do whatever they want, knowing that there will be total impunity.” Behavior by nations, he says, is adding fuel to the fire The violations and impunity have caused death and enormous destruction, he said, and the combination of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the broader Middle East conflict are having “a dramatic impact” on the world economy. Food and energy prices are going up, interest rates are rising and developing countries face enormous difficulties in responding to the needs of their people. He expressed hope that these problems will force people to realize that the obstacles can’t be eliminated alone and require international cooperation. That’s especially true, he said, with reforms of the institutions formed by the victorious World War II powers — the U.N., especially the Security Council, and the major global financial institutions, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. They must be overhauled to reflect the realities of the 21st century world where there are emerging economies and powers, he said, and their importance must be reflected in global institutions. As U.N. chief, the secretary-general has no army, no intelligence service and not much money. But, Guterres said, he has two powers — to speak out on global issues and to convene the world’s nations. Because of geopolitical divides, Guterres said the United Nations has “no leverage” on promoting peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. But he said he has been firm in defending the U.N. Charter and the territorial integrity of countries, and in condemning “horrible violations of human rights.” He condemned Hamas’ “intolerable” attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and he also condemned “the horrible situation that Israel has created in Gaza with levels of death and destruction that have no parallel in the history of the United Nations.” The United Nations is not “in a transactional approach to politics,” he stressed. It must be “a reference of values and principles for the whole world, because someone must affirm that the law of force cannot prevail over the force of law.” “That, of course, sometimes limits our capacity to negotiate an agreement because one of the sides is a clear violator that doesn’t like to listen to the truth. But that will never, never make us move away from what are the values in which a civilized society must be based,” the U.N. chief said. He says the AI revolution is sure to loom over this year’s UNGA leaders’ meeting This year’s global gathering is also certain to spotlight the future of the U.N. and the threat of AI getting out of human control. Guterres has called for international cooperation and guardrails for AI, which he called “a universal problem.” To deal with the escalating problem, he said, countries developing AI at “a higher capacity” should exchange information, establish mechanisms for transparency, have some guardrails and “help create what ideally would be a multilateral mechanism to guarantee that risks can be avoided.” As for the United Nations., it has serious financial issues, largely due to the U.S. failure to pay billions of dollars to its regular operating budget and the separate budget for the U.N.’s far-flung peacekeeping operations. But it has avoided a financial meltdown and is in the throes of major reforms, which the Trump administration has pressed for. Even with less resources, Guterres said, the U.N. has been able to maintain its activities, “and I think we demonstrated that we have the best control of public expenditure in any organization of any country in the world.” Guterres has dealt with U.S. President Donald Trump for nearly six of his 10 years at the helm of the U.N., and he stressed the importance of the U.S.-U.N. relationship, which he said has sometimes been difficult, sometimes easier. Now, he said, the U.N. is cooperating with the U.S. on peace negotiations in the Western Sahara and other parts of the world. When he meets Trump on Tuesday, the opening day of the global gathering, Guterres said he plans to raise peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, “and I hope that these two objectives might be able to unite the efforts of not only the U.S. and the U.N. but the whole of the international community.”

The United States will allow top Iranian officials to attend next week's high-level United Nations (UN) meetings in New York, local media reported on Thursday, citing the U.S. Department of State. The decision was made "consistent with our host country obligations," the department was quoted as saying, adding the delegation will be "under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the purchase of luxury and other goods per our policy." The 81st session of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week will start on Tuesday at the UN Headquarters in New York City. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Wednesday.   

The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Friday a "violating" oil tanker that sought "illegal" passage through the Strait of Hormuz was struck the previous night and brought to a halt. In a statement published on the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News, the navy said the Togo-flagged oil tanker, named "Trend," was stopped after it caught fire following the strike. The vessel attempted to cross the strait "illegally" after being "deceived and provoked" by the U.S. Army, it said, warning that attempting illegal passage through the waterway will lead to nothing but "destruction." The navy added that its forces are still in control of the Strait of Hormuz with strength and will not let passage by any "aggressor." Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.

The number of migrants and refugees reaching Europe by sea has fallen significantly this year, but more people have died or gone missing while attempting the increasingly dangerous journeys, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Thursday. Nearly 60,000 migrants and refugees had reached European shores by sea as of Sept 15, down almost 40 percent from the same period last year, according to the UN migration agency. However, nearly 2,300 people died or went missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean this year, compared with nearly 2,000 during the corresponding period in 2025. “Nearly every death and disappearance at sea is preventable,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said, urging authorities to strengthen international cooperation to save lives, tackle human trafficking and create legal pathways for migration. The Central Mediterranean route to Italy recorded the sharpest decline in arrivals, with more than 21,000 reaching Italy this year, compared with over 48,000 during the same period last year. Despite the decline, deaths on the route rose to 996 this year from 844 during the corresponding period last year. Since taking office in 2022, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made reducing irregular migration a key priority, including through agreements with North African countries such as Tunisia and Libya and measures targeting humanitarian groups involved in migrant rescues in the Mediterranean. In Greece, migrant arrivals fell by around 5,000, while deaths increased by 47 percent, according to IOM. The agency attributed part of the increase to more migrants attempting to reach the Greek island of Crete from eastern Libya, a longer and more hazardous sea route than the Aegean crossing from Turkey. Deaths on migration routes to Spain also remained high despite an overall decline in arrivals. The routes include the dangerous Atlantic crossing from West Africa to the Canary Islands. At least 97 people died on the Spanish side of the border with Morocco during the July 30-31 Ceuta border crisis alone, according to IOM. The agency warned that the actual death toll is likely to be significantly higher, as many shipwrecks and disappearances cannot be confirmed and remain unrecorded. The AP has reported that authorities have become increasingly less transparent about incidents involving migrants at sea, making it difficult to establish the full scale of deaths and disappearances.