Iran-US war latest: Iranian president hits out at ‘bully’ Trump but says Tehran is ready for dialogue

US walks out at UN after Iran accuses them of 'terrorism'Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian accused Donald Trump of a "bullying mentality" as he vowed that Tehran would not surrender and said the US has no respect for international lawSpeaking at the United Nations on Wednesday, Pezeshkian said his country remained open to diplomacy to end the conflic but threats would only harden Iran's resolve, rejecting Trump's warning that he could annihilate Iran if no deal were reached."The remarks made by the US president yesterday ... are a sign of a bullying mentality. ... The Iranian people will not bow to pressure”, he said.“Those who are terrorists and train terrorists call us terrorists”, he added.The US delegation walked out at the start of Pezeshkian’s speech, after Tehran’s delegation did the same for Trump’s speech on Tuesday. It comes one day after Trump said that US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff had held a productive meeting with Iranian officials.Earlier on Tuesday, the 80-year-old Republican delivered a combative speech at the UN, during which he said he could “annihilate” the Iranian government and “drive them into hell” if a peace deal is not reached.Hard-liners in Iran criticise talks with USHard-line figures in Iran have attacked the country's top diplomat for engaging with the US at the UN, triggering pushback from rival factions in Tehran.In an X post, lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei demanded that Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi explain the decision to meet with "the aggressor enemy".Ali Ahmadnia, a media official for Iran's president, responded by posting an AI-generated image depicting Araghchi as a wounded warrior. "How can a soldier be on the battlefield while the home front is being weakened from within?!" Ahmadnia wrote on X. "The Iranian delegation in New York operates in full coordination with the relevant institutions." Alisha Rahaman Sarkar24 September 2026 04:56War-torn Ukraine and Iran discuss keeping tensions lowUkrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said he discussed ways of keeping tensions in check at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi."Diplomacy is about direct conversation, even in challenging circumstances," Sybiha wrote on X."Our ‌conversation focused on mutual steps ‌to prevent further aggravation of tensions between our countries. We agreed to keep existing channels of communication open."Sybiha said ⁠the two ministers exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and Europe "as well as various tracks of ongoing peace efforts"."I reiterated Ukraine's position in support of a sooner restoration of peace and stability in both our regions." Alisha Rahaman Sarkar24 September 2026 04:45EU urges Iran to resume cooperation with IAEAEuropean Council president Antonio Costa said he spoke with Iran's ⁠president ​Masoud Pezeshkian ⁠and urged Iran ⁠to resume ​its ⁠cooperation with ‌the International Atomic Energy Agency.Costa ‌also called ‌for an end ⁠to Iran's strikes against its neighbours and the full restoration of freedom ‌of navigation ​in the ‌Strait ⁠of Hormuz Alisha Rahaman Sarkar24 September 2026 04:35Oil prices edge lower as Iran says it is open to diplomacyOil prices edged lower today, after climbing 4 per cent in the previous ‌session, as Iran said it remained open to diplomacy to end the US-Iran war, though the two countries remain far apart on ways to do so.Brent crude futures fell 94 cents, or 0.9 per cent, to $102.13 a barrel, while ​West Texas Intermediate futures eased 59 cents, or 0.7 per cent, to $91.56. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar24 September 2026 04:25Watch: Trump continues to make ominous threats against Iran at Middle East meeting at UNTrump continues to make ominous threats against Iran at Middle East meeting at UNAlex Croft24 September 2026 03:00Pentagon officially adds one more soldier death to US count from Iran warJasmine Fernández reports:The Pentagon updated its official casualty database to list 19 total U.S. military deaths related to the war with Iran after quietly adding a new fatality.The change occurred following the death of a female Army officer who suffered a fatal medical emergency Friday while traveling to the Middle East, as reported by The Washington Post.A U.S. defense official speaking on the condition of anonymity told the outlet that the casualty was logged into the database sometime after Monday afternoon. The death was reported earlier by Task & Purpose. Her identity has not been released.The addition brings the total number of documented fatalities in the Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS, to 19, up from 18 recorded earlier in the week. The database also lists more than 820 service members wounded in action.However, current and former officials indicate the public count remains incomplete. Five U.S. officials told the publication last week that at least 22 service members have died in the region since military action began on February 28, while a sixth official placed the figure at 23.Some of those unrecorded deaths involve military personnel deployed to the region during active hostilities, even if not directly killed in combat.In response to reports regarding the accounting discrepancies, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected claims of intentional omissions.“Even if we wanted to attempt to hide a combat death, we never would and we never could,” Hegseth said.Alex Croft24 September 2026 01:30Full report: Iranian president accuses US of ‘terrorism’ and flouting international law in defiant UN speechIran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian launched a defiant attack on the United States and Israel at the UN, the day after President Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic.The US leader warned he could send Iran to “hell” during his combative address to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, seven months after the war he started alongside Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.In his address to the gathering in New York on Wednesday, Pezeshkian insisted that Iran would never surrender and held up images of children killed in a strike on a primary school in Minab.Maira Butt reports:Alex Croft24 September 2026 00:00Iran, Taiwan and AI: What's at stake as Trump rolls out the red carpet for China's XiIran, Taiwan and AI: What's at stake as Trump rolls out the red carpet for China's XiAlex Croft23 September 2026 23:00Macron says Strait of Hormuz risk was 'underestimated' but refuses to blame TrumpFrench president Emmanuel Macron said the risk posed by the Strait of Hormuz "was probably underestimated" but declined to blame US president Donald Trump for the escalating crisis.In an interview with ABC News, Mr Macron said the main objective of his meeting with Mr Trump on Monday was to find a deal to reopen the strait and address the global energy crisis, which has driven up the price of petrol, diesel and jet fuel.He said that when the war began, "the Iranian regime discovered they had this card in their hands", referring to Iran's ability to close the strait. Asked whether this had been a blind spot for Mr Trump, Mr Macron said: "I will not here blame anybody. We are where we are. I think the US is the one able to fix this issue, and we need you."He added that the situation with the strait "was probably underestimated, and today we have to fix this issue."Asked whether France would offer its military to help reopen the strait, Mr Macron said he did not want to enter a confrontation with any country, but that France was "ready to be more engaged in order to protect some capacities in order to make this transit possible."Mr Macron also criticised the decision to go to war with Iran, saying that "having a regime change by bombing a country is not something I think feasible", adding that it was "not a good option, because it doesn't work" and that the US had made the same mistake "several times in the past decades."Responding to Mr Trump's complaints that European allies were not doing enough to support US military spending, Mr Macron said France respected the US and considered itself a "good ally", but that allies should be consulted and strategised with before a war is launched.Alex Croft23 September 2026 22:01In pictures: Life continues for ordinary Iranians in TehranPeople walk on a street in Tehran, Iran (Reuters)It comes as Donald Trump launches bombastic threats against the country (Reuters)Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian will speak at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday (Reuters)Alex Croft23 September 2026 21:00