Iran, Oman agree on safe shipping lane in Hormuz

Iran and Oman have reached an understanding on establishing a safe shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.

The understanding concerns a transit route through the strategic waterway, with the two sides continuing discussions on technical aspects of the arrangement.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: Iran and Oman have reached an understanding on establishing a safe shipping lane in the Strait of Hormuz.

— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) September 19, 2026

The negotiations have focused on establishing safe shipping routes while safeguarding the sovereign rights and security interests of both Iran and Oman, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

Iran says it has conveyed conditions to re-engage in talks

Earlier, Iran said it has conveyed its conditions to mediators for re-engaging in negotiations aimed at ending the war with the US, Al Jazeera cites Iran’s Security Chief Mohsen Rezaei as saying in an interview.

The conditions include ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian funds, and ending the naval blockade, Rezaei says, adding that consultations were continuing with Qatari and Pakistani mediators and that Tehran was awaiting a response from US President Donald Trump.

Araghchi tells French FM to ‘stop crocodile tears’ over human rights allegations

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi hit back at recent statements by his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot where Barrot accused Iran of human rights violations, criticising Paris for its silence over the killing of Iranian schoolchildren by the United States.

Addressing Barrot in a post on X, Araghchi said, “1.5mn Algerians were slaughtered by France in their War of Independence. Less than 1/10 of them have been recorded by Paris, which refuses any apology for its colonial crimes.”

“Stop your crocodile tears @jnbarrot. Your silence when the US massacred our schoolkids said it all,” he added.

1.5mn Algerians were slaughtered by France in their War of Independence. Less than 1/10 of them have been recorded by Paris, which refuses any apology for its colonial crimes.

Stop your crocodile tears @jnbarrot. Your silence when the U.S. massacred our schoolkids said it all. pic.twitter.com/IZrp8tCmWg

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) September 19, 2026

The Minab school strike killed 168 people, including 120 students and 26 teachers. More than 110 people were wounded.

Investigations indicate three precision-strike Tomahawk missiles hit the school. The school was struck three separate times, according to Press TV.

South Korea to contribute 'substantively' to Hormuz navigation efforts, top diplomat tells US counterpart

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Friday reiterated Seoul's willingness to contribute "substantively" to efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz in a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department.

Cho called on Rubio to maintain close communication on the issue, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to Yonhap news agency.

The remarks come after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ruled out sending combat troops to the Strait of Hormuz, as Seoul considers contributing to efforts to ensure freedom of navigation there amid pressure from Washington.

The two sides also reaffirmed their "solid" commitment to the bilateral alliance and agreed to continue efforts to achieve the "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" and promote peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Cho said Seoul would act as a peacemaker to actively support the Trump administration's efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea.

"The minister and secretary agreed to continue close communication and cooperation regarding North Korea policy, including efforts for North Korea-U.S. dialogue," the ministry said.

Cho also told reporters that he called on Rubio to work together to ensure that ongoing consultations on South Korea's strategic investment projects in the US produce positive results.

Under last year's bilateral trade deal, Seoul committed to investing $350 billion in the US.

"Secretary Rubio said that the State Department will also make its efforts to ensure that the consultations will be successfully concluded," he added.

State Department Spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement that both sides pledged ongoing collaboration across key strategic sectors, including semiconductors.

Rubio reiterated the importance of "cooperating to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and also underscored the critical need for a fair, transparent, and equitable business environment for American companies operating in the Republic of Korea."

He also stressed the importance of securing supply chains for key industries.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to North Korea's "complete denuclearisation" and stressed the importance of US-Japan-South Korea cooperation in regional security, Pigott said.

US bases in Middle East suffer severe damage from Iranian attacks: report

US military bases in the Middle East have sustained heavy damage from Iranian strikes, according to photos and videos obtained by ABC News, as the Pentagon assesses the toll of a war Washington launched more than six months ago.

The report said the images show damaged buildings and an aircraft at three bases in Kuwait and a Saudi base hosting US assets, some of which were evacuated.

One photo appears to show an E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft, valued at $270 million, damaged in late March at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, the report noted.

"These bases have been irreparably damaged. And if we choose to rebuild them, it's going to be a decades-long undertaking," said a senior US service member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Read: Trump says Iran seeking deal as US considers next move

The service member accused the Pentagon of a lack of transparency, saying: "There are drone strikes and ballistic missile strikes actively landing on bases every day."

A Pentagon inspector general report released Monday indicated "hundreds of buildings and structures" were damaged. The watchdog estimated the war's cost at $33 billion, while the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office put it at $38 billion.

The Defence Department said 18 US service members have been killed and 824 wounded since the war began on February 28. The deadliest attack came on the second day, when six soldiers were killed at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said force protection is a top priority, though he acknowledged that some Iranian weapons get through.

Efforts ongoing to return to Islamabad MoU: Iranian interior ministry

Ali Zeynivand, a spokesperson for Iran’s interior ministry said on Saturday that, “Efforts and international diplomatic mediations to resolve issues and return to the Islamabad agreement are ongoing.”

BREAKING: Efforts ongoing to return to Islamabad MoU, says Iran's interior ministry

🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/iRiRvinNaJ pic.twitter.com/JEl2ZLbwDm

— Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) September 19, 2026

Iran demands that “the other party adhere to its commitments in this agreement”, said Zeynivand in a press briefing, according to Al Jazeera, which cited the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The official stressed it was an “agreement that has been approved by the Supreme National Security Council and confirmed by the supreme leader, and is considered an official decision of the system”.

“Active diplomacy continues with the president’s participation in the Shanghai and Brics meetings in India and Kyrgyzstan, and through intensive consultations,” Zeynivand added.

Yemeni forces claim Houthi drone shot down in Al Jawf

Yemeni government forces say they shot down a Houthi drone in the Al-Jawf governorate, Al Jazeera reported on Saturday.

BREAKING: Yemeni government forces say they shot down Houthi drone in al-Jawf governorate

🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/QSozbHLmys pic.twitter.com/Hx5ALK8wEG

— Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) September 19, 2026

Yemeni government forces say they have shot down a Houthi drone in the northern governorate of al-Jawf.

Yemeni warplanes strike Houthi positions east of Taiz city

Yemeni government warplanes carried out airstrikes on Houthi positions around the Al-Qasr roundabout east of Taiz city, state-run Aljoumhouriya TV reported on Friday.

The broadcaster did not provide details on casualties or damage from the strikes.

The airstrikes came amid intensified fighting across Taiz province in southwestern Yemen, including areas west of the city near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Read more: Yemeni airstrikes hit Houthi sites as clashes intensify in Taiz, Lahj: official

The Taiz Military Axis said government forces repelled a Houthi attack on the Al-Kadahah front in western Taiz.

It said troops forced the attackers to retreat after inflicting casualties, without providing figures.

Al-Kadahah is strategically located along the road linking Taiz with Mokha, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the government accounts.

Earlier on Friday, the Yemeni army said 30 Houthi fighters were killed and 60 wounded in clashes and airstrikes around the Al-Dharifah junction in the Al-Wazi’iyah district in western Taiz.

Fayyad Alnoman, assistant undersecretary at Yemen’s Information Ministry for television affairs, later told Anadolu that government forces and the Popular Resistance recaptured Jabal al-Bazilah and the Madkhulah area on the Aghbarah front following heavy fighting.

The developments come amid rapidly shifting front lines in Yemen, particularly along the western coast.

The Houthis have recently advanced in parts of Al Hudaydah and Taiz provinces, and taken strategic areas, including Mokha, as well as Red Sea islands including Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to media reports.

Government forces, meanwhile, have reported advances in Al-Jawf province toward Al-Hazm, the provincial capital, while fighting continues on fronts in Marib, Al-Dhalea and Al-Bayda.

The latest escalation began in early July and is the most intense since years of relative calm following the April 2022 truce.

Fighting has accelerated in September, particularly along the western coast and areas surrounding the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the national capital, Sanaa, and several provinces in September 2014. That prompted a Saudi-led Arab coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.

Saudi Arabia issues air raid alert in Riyadh, explosions heard

Explosions were heard in Riyadh, AFP journalists reported, after an air raid alert is issued by Saudi Arabian authorities, regularly targeted in recent days by Houthis in Yemen.

This is the first time the capital has been directly affected since a conflict in neighbouring Yemen intensified in July.

“The area is under a hostile aerial threat,” a message received shortly before 3am local time (5am PKT) by residents of the Saudi capital warned, urging them to stay indoors.

AFP journalists then heard two explosions, and the alert was lifted about half an hour later by Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency.

US troop deaths during Iran war exceed Pentagon count by at least four: WSJ

More ​US troops have died during ‌the US-Israeli war with Iran than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed, the Washington Post reported ​on Friday.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ​denied the report.

The Post, citing five unidentified ⁠officials, reported that there had been ​at least 22 military fatalities, four ​more than were listed in the data available on the Pentagon's public database.

The newspaper also reported, ​citing another unidentified official, that not ​all of the undisclosed deaths were directly tied ‌to ⁠the months-long conflict but involved US personnel who were in the Middle East amid ongoing hostilities.

Hegseth, in a ​post on ​X, called ⁠the report "a complete LIE."

This is DISGUSTING and FAKE. A complete LIE.

Shame on the Washington Post — they’re worse than Iranian state media. https://t.co/vU9OkSOnLB

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) September 18, 2026

The Post did not immediately respond ​to a request for comment. ​In ⁠its story, the newspaper said the Pentagon had declined to address its questions ⁠about ​the discrepancy in casualty ​accounting.

Yemeni official says government forces retook 2 positions between Taiz, Lahj

Yemeni government forces have retaken two positions between the western provinces of Taiz and Lahj following clashes with the Houthis, a government official said on Friday.

“The armed forces and Popular Resistance on the Al-Aghbara front, located between Al-Wazi'iyah district in Taiz province and the Al-Subaiha area in Lahj province, regained Al-Bazla mountain and the Madkhula area after fierce battles with the Houthi militia,” Fayyad al-Numan, assistant undersecretary at Yemen’s Information Ministry, told Anadolu.

Government forces inflicted casualties and equipment losses on the Houthis during the fighting and targeted reinforcements belonging to the group, said Al-Numan.

“The armed forces also targeted other positions and military vehicles belonging to the Houthi militia in Al-Hartha village in the Al-Dharifa area of Al-Wazi'iyah district, west of Taiz,” he added.

The Al-Aghbara front is considered strategically important because of its location between Lahj and Taiz, linking it operationally to fronts across both provinces, according to media reports.

There was no comment from the Houthis on the fighting, which comes amid shifts in territorial control and escalating fighting on several fronts in Yemen.