Latest war news. UN inquiry accuses the United States of war crimes in Iran

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has once again called for a genuine ceasefire in Gaza. “The peace plan for Gaza must be fully implemented, ensuring unrestricted humanitarian aid,” said Guterres, insisting that “the creeping annexation of the West Bank” must cease. “There will be no peace in the Middle East without the two-state solution,” he added. “It is time for an immediate ceasefire, as a first step towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.” “We must not forget,” he concluded, “the tragic suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.”

Il segretario generale delle Nazioni Unite Antonio Guterres si rivolge ai delegati durante una riunione sul Trattato di non proliferazione nucleare presso la sede delle Nazioni Unite a New York, Stati Uniti, il 27 aprile 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/Foto d'archivio

A United Nations fact-finding mission on Iran states that it has substantial grounds to believe that the United States was responsible for two military attacks on a school and a sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes. This is reported by Reuters on its website. The report also concludes that the Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during the bloody crackdown on anti-government protests. The UN experts say they have found substantial grounds to believe that US forces are responsible for the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in the town of Minab, where, according to Iranian officials, more than 150 people were killed, including around 120 pupils, mostly children. According to the report, the United States acted on intelligence suggesting the presence of a senior Iranian military commander at the site, but failed to verify this information adequately before launching the attack. The UN experts state that the school was a clearly identifiable civilian building and found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. The experts reached a similar conclusion regarding the attack on a sports centre in Lamerd. The UN mission’s investigation also found that the Iranian authorities carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians during the protests that broke out at the end of December last year, involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression.

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has announced that three “terrorists” affiliated with the United States and Israel were killed during an operation in the south-east of the country, during which a further nine suspects were arrested and large quantities of weapons were seized. The suspects, believed to be members of “Takfiri (infidel) terrorist groups affiliated with the American-Zionist enemy”, were killed during clashes with security forces in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, “before they could carry out acts of sabotage or terrorism”, according to a ministry statement reported by the ISNA news agency. “The arrested mercenaries — who had entered the country illegally after receiving military training, as well as training in explosives and assassination techniques abroad — intended to undermine peace and public security in the southern counties of the province by fomenting instability”, adds the statement, whilst on 7 September Tehran had also announced that it had dismantled “terrorist” cells as they were entering the country, again in the same region.

An explosion is reported to have taken place in the Strait of Hormuz. This is according to the Saberin news agency, which is linked to pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the number of merchant ships passing through the strait yesterday fell to just three, compared with 12 the previous day and well below the ten-year average of around 17, according to preliminary vessel tracking data published today. Shipping traffic has fallen further this week due to the intensification of the war in the Gulf. Saudi warplanes have bombed Yemen, whilst Houthi fighters have launched drones and missiles at Saudi cities.

Israeli forces carried out several raids this morning in the West Bank, whilst Israeli settlers stormed a village south of Nablus to perform Talmudic rituals, according to reports from the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Troops stormed the al-Ein camp, west of Nablus, forcing residents to evacuate and turning a house into a military outpost. They did the same in towns north of Tulkarem, also converting the home of a released prisoner into an outpost. In the western part of Nablus, schools and nurseries suspended lessons for the entire day to ensure the pupils’ safety. According to Wafa, at dawn, dozens of settlers stormed the village of Awarta, south of Nablus, to perform religious rites under the protection of the Israeli army.

Soldati israeliani durante un’incursione dell’esercito nel campo profughi di Al-Ain, in Cisgiordania, nei pressi di Nablus, giovedì 17 settembre 2026. (Foto AP/Majdi Mohammed)

The former Iranian diplomat Abbas Khameyar has rejected recent statements by US President Donald Trump, according to which Iran is pushing for direct talks. “I don’t believe any further efforts have been made beyond those already underway in recent weeks,” he told Al Jazeera. There is a US narrative, he said, “with tweets and statements from President Trump claiming that the Iranians are phoning, begging and asking for a meeting. But nobody believes it, and that is not how things have unfolded.” Khameyar added that in recent weeks, Iran’s diplomatic activity had not gone beyond the existing framework, which focuses on ensuring the implementation of the existing Memorandum of Understanding rather than on launching new negotiations. Khameyar stated that Tehran continues to insist on international guarantees before any agreement can be considered reliable, but expressed doubts about the mediators currently available. “None of these mediators can provide such a guarantee: neither the Pakistanis, nor the Qataris, nor the Omanis,” he said. The diplomat added that Trump’s public statements are primarily aimed at a domestic audience, noting that many of the president’s statements and tweets “are intended to manage the energy market and appeal to the American electorate, whom President Trump ultimately wishes to win over”.

Gaza’s civil defence authorities have released an updated report stating that 21 people died and a further 45 were injured following the collapse of the al-Saada building, which occurred in the early hours of yesterday in the western part of Gaza City. According to the figures, a further 30 people managed to evacuate the building safely within the first hour following the collapse. The agency also clarified that these figures represent the total number of occupants following a review of the casualty figures.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the Chief of the Pakistani Army, Asim Munir, discussed the latest regional developments in a telephone conversation that took place during Araghchi’s visit to Beijing. This was reported by Iranian media. The talks come at a time when negotiations between the United States and Iran remain at a standstill, with no agreement currently in sight.

Il Capo di Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito e Capo delle Forze Armate del Pakistan, il feldmaresciallo Syed Asim Munir, incontra Andrew Fox, fondatore e amministratore delegato di Powerus, una società con sede negli Stati Uniti specializzata in soluzioni per la difesa e le infrastrutture critiche, presso il Quartier Generale (GHQ) a Rawalpindi, in Pakistan, 16 settembre 2026. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)/Foto fornita tramite REUTERS

Donald Trump is expected to meet with Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next Tuesday to discuss the next steps regarding the conflict with Iran. This is reported by Axios, which, citing three sources with direct knowledge of the matter, adds that the meeting is expected to focus on US ideas for a post-conflict strategy, whilst the US President and his senior team are working on a plan for ‘the day after’, which is expected to be finalised after the mid-term elections. A wider audience of leaders from Arab and Islamic countries could attend the meeting.

“Well, let’s hope we’re nearing the end of the war.” President Donald Trump said this, noting that Tehran “wants to reach an agreement”, whilst discussing efforts to bring the conflict to an end. “They want a deal. We’ll see how it turns out,” he added as soon as he stepped off Air Force One in North Carolina. He is heading to an event in Gastonia in support of Michael Watley – the Republican candidate for the Senate in the state – where the electoral race is very tight ahead of the mid-term elections, with Democrat Roy Cooper appearing to have the lead in the latest polls.

Cuba has offered to send experts to Iran to help repair healthcare facilities damaged during the war. This was announced by the Cuban ambassador to Tehran, Nicolás Lefebvre, during a meeting with Mohammad Hossein Ayati, the head of international cooperation at the Iranian Ministry of Health. According to Diario de Cuba, the offer also covers the restoration of the Iranian Pasteur Institute’s facilities damaged by bombing. The talks also covered strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the health and pharmaceutical sectors, including the production and procurement of Iranian medicines and medical equipment, as well as the development of new joint projects. Cuba and Iran have been collaborating for over 30 years in the fields of vaccines and biotechnology, with agreements and initiatives that have consolidated bilateral scientific and health relations.