Iranian president makes nuclear program offer but insists bomb 'unholy'

Officials from Turkey and Pakistan met with Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on Friday to discuss the threat posed by Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom and shipping routes in the region.

The meeting follows weeks of Houthi missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia and comes under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed last month, Fox News foreign correspondent Jeff Paul reported on "Special Report."

The agreement treats an attack against one of the three countries as an attack against all of them.

The talks also come as the Houthis expand their presence along Yemen's Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical route for international shipping.

Yemen's vice president warned that maritime security would remain at risk as long as the Houthis operate outside the authority of the country's government.

The meeting adds to growing regional efforts to support Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks, with several European and Middle Eastern countries offering military or defensive assistance.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that he does not believe Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons, according to Iranian state media.

“Based on assessments, I believe Iran is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons,” Guterres said during their meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.

The reported comments come as Iran's nuclear program remains a key issue in diplomatic efforts involving Tehran and Washington. Iranian officials have repeatedly denied seeking a nuclear weapon.

IRNA also reported that Guterres plans to travel to the region next week, where he intends to encourage countries to support diplomatic efforts.

Guterres also reportedly discussed the Strait of Hormuz, stressing the global importance of keeping the waterway open because of its impact on food supplies and the international economy.

An Iran-backed militia is urging supporters to prepare for sit-ins at Iraqi airports as a dispute grows over restrictions on Iranian airlines.

Akram al-Kaabi, leader of Harakat al-Nujaba, issued the call Friday and said the demonstrations should move forward if flights with Iran are not restored, according to Iraq's Shafaq News.

“We will not wait long,” al-Kaabi said.

The militia leader also accused Washington of exerting control over Iraq's aviation decisions and criticized Iraqi political groups over their response to the restrictions.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Friday that Baghdad had informed Tehran of the restrictions, which took effect Wednesday, and planned to raise the sanctions with Washington.

Harakat al-Nujaba is an Iran-backed Shiite militia active in Iraq and Syria that the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization.

Retired Gen. Jack Keane, a Fox News senior strategic analyst, praised military cooperation between the U.S. and Israel in confronting Iran and its proxies following an 11-day trip to the region.

Keane told "Life, Liberty & Levin" that he met with senior Israeli civilian and military leaders and traveled to Gaza and Lebanon during the trip.

He described cooperation between U.S. Central Command and the Israel Defense Forces as the strongest he has seen between the U.S. and an ally in decades.

"This is the best cooperation, collaboration we have had in some time with an ally, and you have to go all the way back to World War II to find an ally that is capable and proven in combat as the United States military," Keane said.

Keane also pointed to what he described as mutual respect between American and Israeli troops as they confront a shared adversary.

"They they are one one team in a sense against this common enemy."

Retired Gen. Jack Keane, a Fox News senior strategic analyst, warned Friday that China's military support for Iran is accelerating, pointing to intelligence assistance and supplies used in Tehran's ballistic missile program.

Keane said on "The Story" that Beijing's support for Tehran should come as no surprise, pointing to growing cooperation among China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

He said China provided Iran with intelligence support as well as solid fuel and thousands of components used to develop ballistic missiles.

Keane said U.S. and Israeli intelligence monitored the buildup and grew alarmed by the pace of Iran's ballistic missile development and the potential challenge it posed to Israel's defenses.

His comments came after President Donald Trump raised concerns about Chinese assistance to Iran during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi laid out a step-by-step timeline Friday for reopening the Strait of Hormuz if Washington accepts Tehran's proposal.

Under the plan, the U.S. would first have four or five days to take steps Iran says were previously established in a memorandum of understanding. The strait could then reopen on the sixth day, with negotiations beginning one day later.

“The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan. So if they accept this plan tomorrow, the seven-day will start from tomorrow,” Araghchi told reporters on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

“All those actions that the United States should take are not new. They are all already in the MOU,” Araghchi said.

“If there is seriousness in the U.S. side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” he added.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that Tehran supports returning to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and renewed negotiations, while thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping for backing the diplomatic framework.

"I appreciate President Xi Jinping’s thoughtful and responsible support for a return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and for resolving differences through dialogue and diplomacy," Pezeshkian wrote on X.

Pezeshkian said Iran wants the parties to honor commitments previously reached under the agreement and establish conditions for further negotiations.

"Iran shares this approach and underscores the importance of returning to that understanding, honoring the commitments already agreed upon, and creating the conditions necessary for serious, substantive, and results-oriented negotiations to move forward," he wrote.

The Iranian president also pointed to what he described as common ground between Tehran and Beijing on sovereignty, de-escalation and regional stability, saying it could provide a basis for continued cooperation.

Qatar's prime minister warned Friday that restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz are effectively cutting off his country and other Gulf states from a critical shipping route.

“The blockade may be imposed on Iran, but it’s also a blockade imposed on the countries, especially Qatar,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. “We can’t get ships out – it’s very difficult and challenging.”

Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as Qatar's foreign minister, called for countries to work together to restore secure navigation through the strait, arguing that disruptions to the international waterway extend far beyond Iran.

“For us, in order to protect our people and future generations, we should end this manipulation and blackmailing of waterways,” he said.

Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar opposes shipping restrictions imposed by any country or party, characterizing such measures as “strong-arming.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of choosing aggression over diplomacy during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

Araghchi pointed to Iran's participation in the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and Tehran's diplomatic efforts over the past two years as evidence of its willingness to negotiate.

“This commitment was demonstrated through the negotiations that concluded in the JCPOA, its implementation, and Iran’s continued efforts to pursue diplomacy over the past two years, even while facing US-Israeli acts of aggression," he said. "The United States chose the opposite path. Aggression, threats, assassination, economic warfare, and a blatant disregard for international law and the UN Charter.”

The remarks come as U.S. and Iranian officials engage in renewed diplomacy surrounding the Strait of Hormuz during the U.N. General Assembly in New York

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Friday that a potential agreement with Iran would not eliminate the threat Tehran poses to the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding region.

"Don't be fooled - any deal with the Iranian regime won't deliver stability to energy prices, because the threat to the Strait and the wider region will remain. But when Iran is defeated, we'll see prices go down and the world become a much safer place," Pompeo wrote on X.

His comments come as the U.S. and Iran engage in renewed diplomacy over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials have proposed talks aimed at reopening the critical shipping route within seven days.

Oil prices fell more than 2% Friday as prospects for an agreement raised hopes that traffic through the Strait could resume. 

European Union countries should consider cutting gas and electricity demand as the Iran war puts pressure on energy supplies and prices, the bloc's energy chief warned Friday.

European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen made the recommendation in a letter to EU energy ministers obtained by Reuters.

“We are facing a price crisis linking to a supply crisis,” Jorgensen wrote.

Jorgensen urged governments to consider measures that would reduce gas and electricity consumption or help maintain injections into gas storage facilities for as long as needed.

The warning comes as disruptions tied to the Iran conflict continue to affect global oil and gas markets.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The Iran-backed Houthis have told the Trump administration that American vessels will not be targeted in the Red Sea, a senior official with the group told The Associated Press.

Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis' political bureau, said the message was relayed amid indirect communications between the two sides through Oman.

“We confirmed that we are not targeting the United States, or any other nation, in the strait, with the sole exception of the Saudi enemy,” al-Bukhaiti told the AP. “That remains the case.”

Al-Bukhaiti said the Houthis would continue targeting Saudi Arabia until Riyadh ends its blockade of Houthi-held areas of Yemen. He also warned that the group could fight on multiple fronts if other countries join Saudi Arabia in the conflict.

President Donald Trump said last weekend that his administration had held discussions with the Houthis and indicated the group wanted to avoid a confrontation with the U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A senior Iranian official invoked the White House while discussing Tehran's missile capabilities Friday, saying Iran wants to develop weapons with enough range to reach the U.S.

Iranian Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohammad-Jafar Ghaempanah made the remarks on Iranian state television.

Ghaempanah said he had previously told Saudi officials about Tehran's desire for longer-range missiles, arguing that such weapons could allow Iran to target the White House rather than U.S. military bases in Saudi Arabia.

He did not provide additional details about the reported conversation with Saudi officials.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used his United Nations General Assembly address Friday to highlight Islamabad's diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran and warn about the economic fallout from the conflict.

“At this critical moment, Pakistan chose to act swiftly,” Sharif told the assembly.

Sharif pointed to Pakistan's role in bringing the U.S. and Iran together while emphasizing the costs of the fighting.

“Precious lives were lost. Economies suffered,” Sharif said.

He also warned that continued U.S.-Iran attacks and the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz threaten the global economy.

Pakistan has served as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, including in negotiations surrounding the Islamabad Memorandum signed in June.

Sharif also condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. 

Crude oil prices fell over 2% Friday as Iranian officials signaled a willingness to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.

After closing at $94.61 on Thursday, West Texas Intermediate oil futures fell below $92 before creeping back up slightly Friday.

Prices for Brent crude also dropped precipitously, falling from a Thursday close of $100.22 to near $97 by Friday afternoon.

The biggest drops came shortly after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi revealed that Iranian mediators have submitted a plan to the White House to begin talks to open the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.

Iranian and U.S. negotiators have been engaging in diplomatic sidebars through intermediators throughout the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, with reports indicating both sides are making progress in renewing peace talks.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Friday that the U.S. has redirected 122 ships from the waters near Iran in a post on X.

“As of Sept. 25, CENTCOM forces have redirected 122 commercial vessels to ensure strict compliance,” the post read.

The post also shared a photo of U.S. Marines in action in the region.

“U.S. Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit train aboard USS Boxer (LHD 4) as the ship sails in regional waters and continues to support enforcement of the U.S. blockade against Iran,” the post read.

The U.S. has enforced a naval blockade near Iran since July 14, following an initial implementation from April 13 to June 18.

The United Nations Security Council condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia in "the strongest terms" Friday.

The members of the Security Council condemned, in the strongest terms, continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including attacks impacting civilian and energy infrastructure, which have resulted in the injury of civilians, including women and children,” Jerome Bonnafont, says the rotating president of the Council said in a statement.

Houthi missile and drone attacks have targeted energy and civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, including in the capital Riyadh.

The Iran-backed terror group, which has been mired in a civil war with Yemen's Saudi-backed government since 2014, began escalating attacks directly on Saudi Arabia in July this year, launching a ballistic missile barrage at the southern part of the kingdom in response to a Saudi attack on Sana'a International Airport in Yemen.

Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday that the country was suspending all diplomatic relations with Iran.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Government of Colombia, reports that, effective September 19, 2026, it formally severed diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran," the Ministry wrote in a statement posted to X.

"This sovereign decision aligns with the pillars guiding the Government's foreign policy regarding national and hemispheric security, as well as the fight against transnational crime, taking into account alleged links between the Iranian government and international terrorist groups and other narcoterrorist groups that threaten the country's security," the statement continued.

Colombia also condemned Iran for human rights violations both within Iran's sovereign borders and through attacks on non-belligerent countries in the Middle East.

The Ministry stipulated that the cessation of diplomatic relations did not mark an end to consular relations.

"The defense of national sovereignty constitutes an indispensable axis of Colombian foreign policy. In this context, national diplomacy will protect borders, reject any form of external interference, and promote the defense of citizens and the interests of Colombia before the international community," the post concluded.

Three Iraqi airports suspended flights from Iranian airlines this week, joining numerous Middle Eastern and European nations in complying with U.S. sanctions.

Iraq's Erbil and Sulaimaniya airports suspended flights Friday, joining the Sulaimaniya airport which suspended flights earlier in the week.

The move now means Iranian carriers are suspended from flying in all Iraqi airports.

Iraq's Civil Aviation Authority ordered the airports to suspend the flights on Wednesday amidst threats of secondary sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department,

"Any foreign firm or individual enabling sanctioned Iranian airlines—including through aircraft transfers, cargo services, or general sales agent support—will face serious consequences for supporting the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism," read a Treasury Department sanctions announcement from Sept. 8.

Iraq joins other Middle Eastern nations — including Azerbaijan, Oman, Iraq, Georgia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates — in making the move.

President Donald Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping that any aid China provided Iran during the ongoing war would be unacceptable, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue revealed during a Friday interview.

"We made it very clear to them weeks ago that, you know, any help that they would give Iran, whether it be direct or indirect, whether it be intelligence or parts or military equipment, was totally unacceptable. President Trump made that very clear again yesterday. This is an ongoing drumbeat," Perdue told CNBC on Friday.

"These two leaders are beginning to develop a relationship of somewhat trust and also working on the issues. I mean, this was a very candid and open conversation, and every time they talk, I think we see a different level of intimacy about these difficult issues that we're dealing with," Perude added.

Trump hosted Xi and other Chinese dignitaries for a state dinner at the White House on Thursday night.

The dinner followed warnings from U.S. lawmakers that Iran was using Chinese satellite imagery to aid bombing campaigns on U.S. military bases in the Middle East, including during an attack on a base in Jordan that resulted in the deaths of three U.S. service members.

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian denied using Chinese satellite imagery during a Thursday interview with Fox News' Bret Baier.

The military chiefs of Turkey and Pakistan will travel to Saudi Arabia to talk defending the country against Houthi attacks after discussing the conflict during the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.

In August — shortly before the Houthis began launching attacks on Saudi Arabia — Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed on to the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement which offers security guarantees to each party in the event one is attacked.

Numan Kurtulmuş, the Parliamentary speaker in Turkey, indicated Friday that the meeting between the three nations could shape the Mecca Defense Pact into a broader agreement "for the Muslim world."

Reuters contributed to this report.

France will send troops and defense systems to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city Yanbu to secure the city's energy facilities from Houthi attacks, French President Emmanuel Macron revealed Thursday.

"This is the agreement we have finalized with the Saudis: we are going to send military resources, that is to say, soldiers, radar systems and defense systems, to protect this site - not to get us involved in any conflicts, but to protect this site," Macron told French media Thursday.

France is one of many European countries to signal support for Saudi Arabia as the kingdom continues to deal with Houthi missile and drone attacks, joining the United Kingdom, Italy, Greece and others.

On Thursday, Greek operators manning a Patriot missile interceptor within Saudi Arabia successfully halted at least six Houthi missiles from striking Saudi Arabia.

Iranian mediators have submitted a plan to the White House to begin talks to open the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday.

Araghchi also said that Iran would seek concessions laid out in the previously agreed upon Islamabad Memorandum.

The memorandum, which the U.S. and Iran signed in June, opened a 60-day window for negotiating and offered Iran a termination of sanctions, oil wavers and a lifting of the U.S. naval blockade in the Persian Gulf in exchange for an opening of the Strait and for a commitment to reducing nuclear stockpiles.

Aragachi's admission comes as reports of sidebars between U.S. and Iranian negotiators revealed both sides' willingness to engage in a phased reopening of the Strait and a removal of the naval blockade.

New York Police Department (NYPD) officers arrested 103 people during anti-Israel protests in New York during the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, according to the NYPD.

All 103 people were released with summons for disorderly conduct.

The ranks of arrestees included high-profile politicians and activists, including actress Susan Sarandon, New York City Council member Chi Ossé and Democratic Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier.

Chevalier, the Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives seat in New York's 13th Congressional district, touted her arrest in a series of posts on X.

"Darializa was just arrested while peacefully protesting Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations," her campaign account posted Thursday.

"Our government has unlimited funds to arm a genocide against Palestinians but tells us there's nothing left to feed and house our own people. Stop arming Israel!" the post continued.

"As the Democratic Nominee for New York's 13th Congressional District, I refuse to allow a war criminal to roam the streets of our city unchallenged. I refuse to be complicit in genocide," another post concluded.

Ossé, a staunch ally of New York's mayor Zohran Mamdani, also posted photos of his arrest with the caption "Free Palestine. Netanyahu burn in hell."

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, during a Thursday interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, denied that Iran used Chinese satellite imagery to conduct a strike on a U.S. military base in Jordan that resulted in the death of three service members.

"I’m specifically unaware of these purported images that you talk about," Pezeshkian told Baier.

"Now, what do militaries do with one another between two countries? It is their own business within their own guidelines," he added.

Pezeshkian's denial comes as Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., and Todd Young, R-Ind., warn that China is providing intelligence support to the Islamic Republic.

The pair specifically lobbied President Donald Trump to raise the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the pair's state dinner on Thursday night.

“The president should make clear that we know that China is collaborating with the Iranian regime, and we're prepared to take some sort of action," Young said Thursday.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s U.N. address on Thursday, declaring that the walkouts sent a louder message than any “publicity stunt."

“The criminal Netanyahu came to the General Assembly to turn the podium of this international institution into a loudspeaker for justifying war and aggression; but the exit of 77 delegations from the hall spoke louder than any speech,” Gharibabadi said on X.

“The world will not be fooled by narrative-building. History will judge the crimes, occupation, and aggression, not the publicity stunts in New York,” he said.