The vessel, MV Cape Dao, was transiting to India. (Representational/ File photo)A tanker was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, wounding two crew members, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said, citing military authorities. The two crew sustained minor injuries, while the vessel was continuing to its next port of call, it added.
Meanwhile, Iran has issued a stark warning that it will respond with “painful” force against US bases and interests if Washington and its allies move forward with a new large-scale military strike, with Tehran’s security establishment saying it has received credible information that such an attack is currently being prepared. The warning comes as the month-long standoff between the US and Iran shows no sign of breaking, even as fresh violence flares across the wider region from the occupied West Bank to the Red Sea and global energy markets remain rattled by the ongoing conflict.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Trump said he was in “deciding mode” over the next phase of the conflict, teasing that “very big things” could unfold soon. He outlined three possible paths forward: a total military defeat of Iran, a sustained economic squeeze to weaken the country, or a negotiated deal to end the war.
Follow the latest world news and major international developments here. This live blog is a rolling curation of the day’s key global stories, with updates added as events unfold and the news agenda changes. The headline, introduction and Top Developments section will be refreshed throughout the day to reflect the stories that matter most at that moment.
Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco loaded about 14 million barrels of crude oil on seven VLCCs on Sunday inside the Mideast Gulf, data from TankerTrackers.com showed, as the kingdom increased loadings from Gulf export terminals after an attack disrupted crude shipments via its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea.
UKMTO WARNING 140-26
— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) September 21, 2026
Click here to view the full product.⤵️https://t.co/WVkFIoPW0l#maritimesecurity #marsec pic.twitter.com/CVFhhsDnvU
Palestinian prisoners’ rights organisations have demanded that Israel release Palestinian journalist Bushra al-Tawil, stating that she’s been held in solitary confinement for nearly a month.
The groups have accused Israeli authorities of intensifying the isolation of female detainees during an unchecked scabies outbreak in jails, Al Jazeera reported.
A senior official with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels said the group has assured US President Donald Trump's administration that it won’t attack U.S. vessels in the Red Sea, even as he warned countries against joining Saudi Arabia in Yemen’s revived civil war.
The comments came as the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Saudi Arabia's capital over the weekend. Iran’s top diplomat will stop in Qatar on his way to the United Nations’ annual gathering of world leaders.
And the head of the CIA has been in Egypt meeting with its president. An Israeli was fatally shot in the occupied West Bank, while Israel's military said it killed a man who attempted to ram his vehicle into troops elsewhere in the Palestinian territory.
IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi says there will be “significant changes” in Iran’s defensive and counteroffensive operations in the event of a new attack by the US.
“Those changes include a shift in the geography of war, and a shift in weapons and military equipment,” he told Alalam news network. “We will bring new weapons with new capabilities into the battlefield, and the world will be astonished.”
He added, “Our targets are also no longer necessarily the same as the previous targets. We have new targets that have not yet been struck.”
Iran would use new weapons and target locations not previously attacked if the United States launched a new offensive against it, Revolutionary Guards spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said on Monday, according to the Fars news agency.
"If a new aggression occurs, we will certainly change the weaponry and the geography of the war," Mohebbi said, adding that Tehran was prepared for a prolonged conflict.
Bangladesh has raised fuel prices by up to 17.4%, piling fresh pressure on consumers and businesses, as the government moved to stem mounting losses from surging global oil prices and higher shipping costs linked to the Middle East conflict.
The new rates, effective from Monday, are expected to raise transportation and production costs across the import-dependent economy, adding to inflationary pressures at a time when industries, including the country's key garment export sector, are already grappling with an acute energy crunch.
Mike Waltz, the US envoy to the UN, says US President Donald Trump is determined to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon and will continue to apply “maximum pressure to that end”.
In a post on X, Waltz also said the door is still open for Iran to return to the “negotiating table if they do so in good faith”.
The post included a clip of a part of Waltz’s remarks at an event in New York hosted by Al-Monitor. In the footage, Waltz called the US-Israel war on Iran the continuation of a 47-year conflict.
President Trump is determined to ensure Iran can never hold the world hostage with a nuclear weapon, and he will continue to apply maximum pressure to that end.
— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) September 21, 2026
At the same time, the door is open for Iran back to the negotiating table if they do so in good faith. @almonitor pic.twitter.com/sGZlqnKTPk
Four people have reportedly been killed in Yemen’s al-Jawf province as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces continues.
Houthi rebels spokesperson Yahya Saree has alleged that the Saudi forces have carried out 28 airstrikes across Yemen in the past 24 hours, ANI reported. In a statement on his official Telegram channel, Saree said on Sunday: "Over the past 24 hours, Saudi warplanes launched 28 airstrikes using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft, taking off from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases. These strikes targeted the governorates of Taiz, Al-Jawf, and Marib, bringing the total number of airstrikes since the start of the Saudi escalation against our country and people to 760."
The US envoy to the UN, Mike Waltz, said US President Donald Trump wants to ensure Iran gets hold of a nuclear weapon and will continue to apply “maximum pressure to that end”.
In a post on X, Waltz also said the avenues are still open for Iran to return to the “negotiating table if they do so in good faith”.
US President Donald Trump said the only options that are left in relation to the war are “to obliterate Iran, letting it rot economically, or reach a deal”, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani warned against “cycles of escalation” in the Gulf. He said the region needs a “framework in which sovereignty is respected” and that no state can pose a “threat to another”.
A senior official with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels said the group has assured US President Donald Trump's administration that it won’t attack US vessels in the Red Sea, even as he warned countries against joining Saudi Arabia in Yemen’s revived civil war.The comments came as the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Saudi Arabia's capital over the weekend.
Iran’s top diplomat will stop in Qatar on his way to the United Nations’ annual gathering of world leaders. And the head of the CIA has been in Egypt meeting with its president.
An Israeli was fatally shot in the occupied West Bank, while Israel's military said it killed a man who attempted to ram his vehicle into troops elsewhere in the Palestinian territory.Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Sunday.
Iran and the United States exchanged new threats on Sunday, with President Donald Trump warning Iran would fail economically or face its leadership being wiped out if it didn’t make a deal, and the Iranian military saying it would retaliate harshly to any fresh attack.
The conflict has looked stalemated for months, with no sign either side was ready for concessions even as it has deepened a global energy crisis, cratered swathes of Iran’s economy and spilled over into new regional escalations.
In a phone call with a Fox News reporter, Trump said Iran’s leaders should make a deal, rot economically or be wiped out, the reporter said.
Iran’s central military command has warned that any US attack would trigger Iranian retaliation against US bases and interests, state media reported.
Qatar condemned in the strongest terms the Houthi group's targeting of Riyadh, with a ballistic missile, and its attempt to target Saudi Arabia's civilians and civilian facilities in the cities of Bisha, Taif, Khurs, and Yanbu.
Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that these attacks represent reprehensible aggressive behavior and unacceptable recklessness with civilian lives, a blatant violation of the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia, and a clear breach of the rules of international law.
Oil prices slid on Monday as investors eyed a recovery in shipments from Saudi Arabia despite ongoing attacks by Yemeni Houthis that have escalated tension in the Middle East while the US and Iran remain in a stalemate.
Brent crude futures dropped 81 cents, or 0.78%, to $103.06 a barrel at 0031 GMT after settling down 0.91% on Friday.
US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $99.41 a barrel, down 89 cents, or 0.89%, following a 1.58% loss in the previous session.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked "sensitive" sites in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Saturday with missiles and drones, as well as an Aramco facility in the Red Sea city of Yanbu, a key oil export hub.
The attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Aramco's East-West pipeline have prompted the state energy firm to increase exports through the Strait of Hormuz this month and next after halting some shipments via Yanbu.
Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthis' Supreme Political Council, warned that Saudi Arabia will have to "pay compensation" for what he called an "unjust blockade" on Yemen, declaring a new policy of "blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation." He added that international shipping through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb remains safe and faces no threat from Yemen, with the sole exception of Saudi vessels, which he said would be targeted "until this criminal regime desists."
Citing the deteriorating security situation in Saudi Arabia, the US government has announced that its employees stationed in the kingdom must now obtain special authorization before travelling — for both official and personal purposes — to the cities of Taif and Yanbu. The US Mission said regular and emergency consular services remain available to American citizens, who are urged to contact their nearest embassy or consulate for assistance, and strongly encouraged all US citizens in the country to stay vigilant and follow the safety guidance outlined in the full travel alert.
Saudi Arabia: Due to the ongoing security situation in Saudi Arabia, U.S. government employees who work in Saudi Arabia now require special authorization for all official and personal travel to the cities of Taif and Yanbu. Regular and emergency consular services are available… pic.twitter.com/Hzdxaal5pl
— TravelGov (@TravelGov) September 20, 2026
Iran received information that the United States, with the backing of some regional countries, was preparing to resume actions against Iran, the country's central military command said in a statement on Sunday, according to state media.
The military said that any US attack would trigger sustained strikes on US bases and interests in the region, the report added, warning that regional countries supporting US aggression against Iran would be considered parties to the conflict.
The crisis over the Strait of Hormuz could delay some QatarEnergy expansion projects because critical equipment is unable to reach Qatar, its CEO Saad al-Kaabi said, adding that QatarEnergy was currently producing only a "very minute" volume of liquefied natural gas.
A few LNG trains under QatarEnergy's North Field East (NFE) expansion are due to start up in 2027, with the North Field South (NFS) expansion set to begin production in 2028, Kaabi said at the Qatar Economic Forum in New York.
The US virtual embassy in Iran has issued a security alert warning all citizens not to travel to Iran “for any reason” and to leave the country.
In a statement posted to its website, the embassy said that “Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports. This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly”.
In comments to Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Tingst, Trump again said he is in a “deciding mode” and "very big things" are going to happen in the near future regarding the US-Iran war.
Trump also added that he will probably be open to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian who will go to New York to take part in the UN General Assembly later this week. Regarding the recent escalation by the Houthis in Yemen, Trump stated that the Iran-backed group agreed not to fight the US.
BREAKING: President Trump told Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent @TreyYingst that he is in a “deciding mode” and "very big things" are going to happen in the near future regarding the US-Iran war.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 20, 2026
Trump said, "My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They… pic.twitter.com/JcAXh9QN84
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