US-Iran war highlights: Scott Bessent says all Iranian airlines to be shut down on Sep 23

The United States has refused to issue visas to members of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's delegation, including his communications team, for this week's trip to the UN General Assembly, Iranian state media reported Monday, as per AFP.

Bessent has threatened secondary sanctions on countries, saying, "You cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system," in an interview with CNBC.

As per a report by Houthi-run al-Masirah television, the Saudi-led coalition carried out an airstrike in Hayfan district in Yemen’s Taiz.

The British military said an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker as it entered the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, injuring two crew members. The vessel continued toward port under its own power.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military remains on alert as much of the country shuts down for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, the Associated Press reported.

Houthi fighters were pushing to seize strategic heights in Yemen on Monday to cut off the Red Sea coast from remaining areas held by Saudi-backed forces, after a report that President Donald Trump had called off US strikes on the group at the last minute, Reuters reported

A new shuttling system is reshaping the Middle East oil market, as producers seek to keep exports flowing despite the escalating regional conflict. The question now is whether this complex, expensive process is a stopgap measure or the global energy market’s new normal. (Reuters)

The IRGC spokesman said on Monday that a renewed US attack would prompt Iran to change both the geography of the conflict and the weapons it employed, Iran International reported.

“We will introduce new weapons with new capabilities into the battle, and the world will be astonished,” IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi was quoted as saying on Monday, adding that Iran had new targets that had not previously come under attack.

The IRGC spokesman said on Monday that most US military bases surrounding Iran have been disabled by Iranian missile and drone attacks.

“All these bases came under attack from Iran’s missiles and drones, and most were knocked out of action,” Hossein Mohabbi said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday that its aerospace force had tracked and destroyed another US military MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel would retaliate forcefully if Iran attacked it again and would not wait for US approval, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told Newsmax on Sunday.

“If Iran will make the mistake and attack Israel again, we will not wait for anyone,” Danon told “Sunday Report.” “We will retaliate, and we will hit them hard.”

Danon said Israel was coordinating closely with the United States but believed any resolution involving Iran must prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear capabilities, curb its ballistic missile program and end its support for allied armed groups.

He also pointed to disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, saying Iran’s actions were affecting the wider global economy.

The Houthis said Sunday that Saudi Arabia launched 28 strikes in several areas of Yemen in the past 24 hours, as the pro-Iran group and the country's Riyadh-backed government clash in the revived civil war.

"The Saudi air force carried out 28 strikes targeting the governorates of Taiz, Al-Jawf, and Marib, using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft that took off from the Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said, in a statement.

The US Virtual Embassy in Iran, in a security alert, said the regional security environment remained complex and warned of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures and other travel disruptions.

“Do not travel to Iran for any reason. U.S. citizens should leave Iran now,” the alert said. It also warned that procedures at Iran's land borders could change with little notice and advised travellers to check the entry requirements of countries they may seek to enter.

American citizens were advised to enrol in the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates and facilitate contact with US diplomatic authorities during emergencies.

The alert also advised citizens to avoid demonstrations, large gatherings and areas with heavy police presence, while maintaining a low profile at locations publicly associated with the United States.

In case of an aerial attack, Americans were instructed to stay away from windows and glass doors, avoid fallen debris and monitor official communications.

The United States warned that fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis could "escalate rapidly" after a missile attack targeted Riyadh for the first time since the Yemen conflict resumed.

US President Donald Trump cut short a weekend at Camp David, a secluded presidential complex in rural Maryland, to return unexpectedly to the White House.