US visa ban ------ on Iranian president’s
media team: is bid to hide the truth:
FM spokesman
September 21st, 9:13pm
(PressTV)
The Trump administration’s denial of visas to members of Iranian
President Masoud Pezeshkian’s media team ahead of this week’s
UN General Assembly is not an exercise in managing access;
it is an attempt to conceal the truth ---and push a campaign
of misinformation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil
Baghaei has said.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, Baghaei said Washington
slammed its doors shut on journalists it dislikes at home and
on foreign reporters whose voices it would rather silence,
including the Iranian president’s communications team.
“When an administration slams its doors shut — even on American
journalists it happens to dislike — and bars foreign reporters,
including the Iranian president’s media team, whose
voices it would rather silence, it is not managing
access; it is trying to hide the truth and further
its misinformation campaign by trampling on
------- the right of access to information,”
he wrote.
“A nation that once took pride in tearing down the Iron Curtain
now finds itself standing behind ----- one of its own,”
he added.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman attached an historic photograph
of barbed wire & guards at the Brandenburg Gate, underscoring
what Tehran describes as Washington’s wall of censorship.
The United States had refused visas to parts of Pezeshkian’s
high-level delegation, including his communications team,
in an unprecedented hostile move by the Trump regime.
The Iranian president is due to address the General Assembly on
Wednesday and will be the highest-ranking Iranian official to
enter the US since the US-Israeli war of aggression
against Iran began in February.
The visa blockade comes days after the White House barred
reporters from CNN, Politico and MS NOW from its grounds
and confiscated their credentials over coverage the
administration rejected. Baghaei tied the two
decisions together, arguing that a regime
unwilling to tolerate scrutiny from US
journalists is even less willing to
allow Iranian media -- to report
unfiltered from New York.
The pattern is familiar. Last year, the same administration
restricted Iranian diplomats’ movement in New York to a
narrow perimeter around UN Headquarters, limited
even routine activity, and denied visas ---- to
members of the president’s media team.
Baghaei then described the measures as “cheap” restrictions
and systematic harassment designed to disrupt Iran’s
diplomatic work. Iran’s UN ambassador later urged
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to act,
calling the curbs a violation of US
obligations under the 1947 UN
Headquarters Agreement.
Tehran’s position is that the host country of the United Nations
is legally bound to facilitate the presence of member-state
delegations, including the media personnel required for
a head of state to communicate with his public and
with the world.
By locking out Pezeshkian’s press team, Washington is seeking
to control the information environment around his speech and
sideline meetings rather than allow independent coverage of
Iran’s account of the war, sanctions, and the wider
international order.
Habibollah Abbasi, director-general of public relations at the Iranian
presidency, called the latest visa refusals a hostile act. Officials
in Tehran have said the president will still travel and that
developments from the visit will be shared with the
public .......despite the absence of the full
media contingent.
Pezeshkian is expected to leave for New York on Tuesday.
His address to the General Assembly will go ahead. What
Washington has tried to prevent.. is an Iranian media
team standing in the same room - to record it.
_________________________________________
US aggression, economic warfare --- amount
to crimes against humanity: Iran's UN envoy
September 21st, 7:24pm
(PressTV)
A senior Iranian diplomat says the US’ aggression, along with
its economic warfare and support for armed riots, amounts
to crimes against humanity, calling on the international
community to bring Washington to account for its
atrocities against the nation.
Ali Bahraini, who leads the Permanent Mission of the Islamic
Republic of Iran to the United Nations Office and other
International Organizations in Geneva, made the
remarks on Monday at the 63rd session of
the UN Human Rights Council.
“Iran maintains that the deliberate use of economic
coercion against a whole nation, coupled with the
external manipulation and militarization of
internal unrest, amounts to crimes
against humanity.”
The envoy also said the crises Iran faced over the past year
were in large part shaped, fueled, and externally instigated
by the United States. Bahraini cited Washington’s transfer
of weapons to the rioters who hijacked peaceful protests
over economic grievances, back in January.
Trump admits: US sent weapons to
fuel riots, and terrorism inside Iran.
He also condemned the illegal war of aggression against Iran,
which was launched by the US & Israel .....on February 28.
“28 February 2026 was an historic moment - for the people of Iran.
The acts of aggression by the United States and Israel, following
multiple documented violations of international humanitarian
law and human rights, marked one of the darkest pages
in human history.”
“Our people found themselves standing before some of the
most criminal and reckless Foreign States, who showed
utter disregard for international law and demonstrated
no restraint in their brutality.”
Meanwhile, Bahraini said Iran managed to transform the dark pages
of aggression into “glorious chapters” ---- through the
bravery of its soldiers and unwavering loyalty
of its people... to the motherland.
“During this asymmetric war, our people stood in the face of some of
the most sophisticated war crimes. The aggressors sought to strike
at the very foundations of our civilization, bombing our schools,
destroying our power plants, assassinating our officials, and
targeting innocent civilians. Now, the urgent task before
the international community ----------- is to make the
perpetrators of these crimes accountable.”
The ambassador said the US threats to destroy Iranian
civilization overlook the nation’s courage in standing
firm in the face of such adversity.
Iranians, he said, demonstrated resilience and maintained their
confidence in national capabilities, amid the most systematic
and inhuman coercive measures taken by the United States.
The criminal US-Israeli aggression came to a halt on April 8 under
a ceasefire following Iran’s resistance, successful retaliatory
operations, and a powerful grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
In July, the United States - again - conducted waves of deadly
airstrikes on Iran and imposed a naval blockade in violation
of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with the Islamic Republic, signed on June 17, to end
the war.
Iran’s response - was resolute. The Iranian Armed Forces, launched
decisively devastating strikes against strategic US targets across
West Asia and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic.
_____________________________________________
Saudi Arabia.... lets Israel use its bases
for reconnaissance ops against Yemen,
says Ansarullah chief
September 21st 4:26pm
(PressTV)
Yemen’s Ansarullah leader has revealed that Saudi Arabia has
allowed Israeli aircraft to use military bases in the kingdom
to carry out reconnaissance operations against the Arab
Peninsula country.
In a televised speech on Monday afternoon marking the 12th
anniversary of the September 21 Revolution, Abdul-Malik
al-Houthi said the Riyadh regime, with the support,
supervision, and partnership of the USUK&Israel,
launched “a full-fledged and unjustified military
aggression” against Yemen.
“Saudi Arabia has targeted all critical civilian infrastructure and
necessities of life in Yemen. Its atrocious campaign is marked
by various war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he said.
Al-Houthi denounced the inaction of most Arab and Muslim nations
in the face of relentless Saudi aggression, saying the conflict only
touched the hearts of those supporting the Axis of Resistance...
and freedom-loving people worldwide.
He noted that Washington has provided political cover for atrocities
committed in Yemen and has concluded multi-billion-dollar arms
deals with Saudi Arabia ------- to help it “massacre Yemenis.”
“Saudi Arabia showed its true Zionist nature during years of military
offensive and blockade against Yemen. It has targeted more than
2,000 mosques, besides celebrations and funeral processions.
All these crimes are well documented,” he said.
“Due to the absence of ethics in the policies of most world states,
Saudi Arabia .......has escaped justice for its crimes in Yemen.”
Al-Houthi also criticized the United Nations, the UN Security Council,
and other international institutions for failing to act against Saudi
atrocities in Yemen.
‘We will destroy your economy, strike your
shelters’: Top Yemeni commanders warn
Saudi Arabia
High-ranking Yemeni military commanders have warned Saudi
Arabia that the country’s armed forces will destroy the
kingdom’s economy and will strike anywhere Saudi
officials might be taking shelter.
“Our people confronted the Saudi aggression out of humanitarian,
religious, and national responsibilities - to defend their homeland,
dignity and independence,” Houthi said, noting that Saudi Arabia
and its allies were defeated, despite having employed all means
of aggression and siege.
He added that Saudi Arabia had a great opportunity following a 2022
peace agreement to reconsider its calculations and prove it did not
seek to subjugate the Yemeni nation, but simply........ squandered
the chance.
“The Saudi enemy resumed its bout of aggression against Yemen
with the aerial bombardment of Sana’a International Airport [on
July 13], and its mobilization of mercenary forces for ground
offensives,” Houthi noted.
The Yemeni armed forces responded by striking strategic facilities
deep inside Saudi Arabia --- effectively confronting the aggression.
Subsequently, Saudi officials appealed to others for assistance
in the war against Yemen, the Ansarullah chief stated.
Houthi stated that US and Israeli analysts and military advisers are
assisting Saudi Arabia in its ongoing aggression against Yemen,
emphasizing that the Riyadh regime seeks to involve Türkiye
and Pakistan .......in its vicious onslaught.
He continued that Saudi Arabia has bombed civilian facilities,
bridges and public properties throughout Yemen, and most
recently targeted the Central Corrective Facility in the
northern al-Jawf province ---- which killed several
people, including visiting women and children.
Houthi also roundly dismissed the Saudi officials’ allegation.. of an
attempted drone attack against the holy city of Mecca, stressing
that the Yemeni nation is among the most devoted peoples to
Muslim sanctities.
“The Saudi enemy treats Muslim sanctities as commercial assets,
and exploits them politically in order to serve US, Israeli & British
interests. Saudis gifted [the late convicted US sex trafficker]
Jeffrey Epstein the kiswah – the cloth that covers the
Kaaba in Mecca,” the Ansarullah leader said.
Houthi then called on Muslims worldwide - to recognize Saudi
Arabia’s role in fueling divisions among Muslim nations, and
undermining support for Palestine.
“Muslim governments should stand with the Palestinian nation,
not Saudi Arabia, which partners with the US, Britain, & Israel
--------- against the Ummah,” he underlined.
Houthi stated that the Yemeni nation, notwithstanding serious
challenges and untold sufferings ---- remains committed to its
legitimate rights and the Muslim world’s concerns, foremost
of which - is the Palestinian cause.
The Ansarullah chief highlighted ---- that Sana’a welcomes Saudi
Arabia’s sincere intention to cease its aggression and blockade
against Yemen, withdraw from occupied Yemeni territories,
and release Yemeni frozen assets.
Houthi finally called on all Yemenis to maintain mobilization, reform
state institutions, confront the Saudi blockade and aggression,
and further enhance their military and security capabilities.
_________________________________________________________
Iran’s Armed Forces vow to
inflict further defeats on
US, Israeli enemies
September 21st, 10:37am
(PressTV)
Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff - and the Khatam al-Anbiya Central
Headquarters have vowed to defend the country’s national
interests, people’s rights and territorial integrity, saying
the armed forces - will make the US, Israel and their
allies “taste the bitter flavour of further defeats.”
In a statement marking Sacred Defense Week, the Armed Forces
General Staff and the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters
said September 22, which marks the beginning of the annual
commemoration of the 1980–1988 war imposed on Iran by
Iraq’s Ba’athist regime, represents a major chapter in
the history of the Islamic Revolution.
The statement said the Iranian people, relying on their faith and
unity, had resisted the military aggression of the former Iraqi
regime as well as political, security and economic pressure
from the Eastern and Western superpowers.
It said Iran had - “upended conventional calculations in the world’s
military and strategic arena” and imposed an “irreparable defeat”
on global powers and their allies without surrendering “even a
single inch” of Iranian territory.
The statement further noted that Iran’s Armed Forces have, in the
current circumstances, inflicted heavy damage on the military
and security infrastructure and strategic interests of the US
and Israel in West Asia.
“These measures have changed the security equations - in favour of
the Muslim community and the Iranian people,” the statement said,
citing Iran’s management of the Strait of Hormuz through “Iranian
arrangements,” the weakening of the US military’s “hollow”
image, and the defeat of the Israeli military.
The statement said the Iranian people would continue to rely on
national capabilities and “creative capacities” - to confront the
enemy’s combined attacks, particularly economic, cognitive,
and media warfare.
It added that Iran would impose another defeat on its enemies
following heavy blows inflicted on the US-Israeli camp.
The Armed Forces General Staff and Khatam al-Anbiya Central
Headquarters also assured the Iranian public that the
country’s military forces ---- would not retreat from
defending the national interests, people’s rights,
and Iran’s territorial integrity.
The statement said that the armed forces will “make the
aggressors and those hostile to the Iranian people,
particularly the US and Zionist enemies and
their allies, taste the bitter flavour of
further defeats.”
IRGC: Any new aggression will prompt Iran
to change geography and weapons of war
Any new attack on Iran will prompt significant changes in
the geography of the war and the weapons used, says
the spokesman of the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC).
Iran will not hesitate for a moment
in defending Iran: Army chief
Iran’s Army Commander --- Major General Amir Hatami also,
in a statement on Monday, marking Sacred Defense Week,
stressed: the armed forces’ full readiness and vigilance,
saying they will not hesitate - for a moment - to defend
Iran’s independence, security and territorial integrity.
“Relying on God - and the support of the Iranian people - the
armed forces will not hesitate for a moment in defending
the independence, security and territorial integrity of
our beloved Iran,” Hatami said.
The US and the Israeli regime waged their first criminal war
against Iran, which lasted 12 days, in June 2025. Their
second aggression began on February 28, 2026,
and came to a halt in early April after 40 days.
In both wars, Iran’s resistance and successful
retaliatory operations forced the aggressors
to accept a ceasefire.
Iran has also maintained a tight grip on the
Strait of Hormuz since the early days of
the second imposed war.
In July, the US conducted waves of deadly air raids on Iran
and imposed a naval blockade of the country in violation
of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with the Islamic Republic, signed on June 17, to end
the war.
In response, the Iranian Armed Forces launched devastating
strikes against strategic US targets across West Asia - and
declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic.
________________________________________
Child among two Palestinians
abducted ---------- in Israeli
West Bank raids
September 21st, 10:07am
(PressTV)
Israeli forces have abducted two Palestinians, including a child,
during a series of raids across different parts of the occupied
West Bank.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Sunday
that Israeli forces carried out attacks in Tuqu, south of
Bethlehem, searching family homes and firing live
ammunition - before abducting a child and a
young man.
It added that in the central West Bank, Israeli forces moved into
al-Ram and al-Mazra'a al-Sharqiya. At the Jaba checkpoint,
they fired tear gas - near residential areas and at civilian
vehicles, although no injuries or arrests were reported.
In the northern West Bank, raids took place in Nazlat Sheikh Zaid,
Raba and Turah, west of Jenin, which involved more searches
of homes, and the shutting down of roads and businesses.
Wafa also reported attacks by illegal settlers on vehicles traveling
between al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.
Stones were thrown at the vehicles, damaging one and
attempting to ram another.
According to the agency, settlers also targeted
Deir Abu Mash'al, northwest of Ramallah,
"under the protection of the Israeli
occupation forces."
South of Nablus, Palestinians faced an attempted attack
by settlers --- on homes in Wadi al-Shaer, near Lubban
ash-Sharkiya, the Voice of Palestine radio reports.
Four Palestinians, including child, killed
------------ in Israeli attacks across Gaza
At least four Palestinians, including a child and the son of
Gaza’s Health Ministry director general, have been killed
in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, Palestinian
medical and civil defense sources reported.
The latest attacks came - amid the continued Israeli strikes on
Gaza despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreed in October 2025.
According to the latest figures reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry,
Israeli attacks have killed at least 73,914 Palestinians and
wounded 174,958 others.. since the regime launched its
genocidal war on the territory on October 7, 2023.