US Reinforcing Military Presence In Middle East As Iran Tensions Rise

UK police said in a statement released on October 2 that two Iranian men had been charged with plotting a terror attack on Manchester's Jewish community in September.

The statement identified the suspects as Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, adding that they were allegedly in contact with an overseas third party, possibly in Iran, in connection with the plot.

In a separate incident last week, five British men in their 20s were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences near RAF Fairford, an airbase in western England used by the US military to target Iran. They were released on bail as the investigation continued.

British counterterrorism detectives said there was no connection between the latest case and the one involving the Fairford base.

"While this incident and the investigation into the RAF Fairford incident are not connected in any way, I want to reassure the public that CTP, working with our national security partners, are using the full range of our capabilities to protect the UK from any hostile acts," Counter Terrorism Policing Counter Terrorism Policing coordinator Vicki Evans said,

With reporting by Reuters

WASHINGTON -- As the conflict between the United States and Iran reverberates across the region, Iraq is facing growing pressure from the war's economic and security fallout, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told RFE/RL in Washington.

Iraq has been hit by attacks, disruptions to oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, and the risk of being drawn deeper into a confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Hussein said Baghdad wants the United States and Iran to return to negotiations and is prepared to facilitate talks if both sides approach Iraq.

At the same time, Hussein described the end of the US military mission in Iraq as “a new chapter” in Iraqi sovereignty and in the relationship between Baghdad and Washington, saying the two countries plan to strengthen ties.

RFE/RL: After two decades, the US military mission in Iraq has ended. What does this historic moment mean for Iraq?

Fuad Hussein: It is a new page in our political situation, because the Americans were there from 2003 in Baghdad. I am talking about Baghdad until 2011. Then they left, and because of the attacks of the terrorists and [Islamic State, also known as ISIS] terrorist groups, once again the Americans came back -- but not only the Americans. Many allies came back to Iraq to fight and destroy the terrorist organization. We worked together. We fought together. We are, in the first place, thankful to the American people, to the American government, and to other allies who were with us when we were in need, and we fought together, we destroyed ISIS.

So this is important in our history. And now they left. That doesn't mean we are going to have a different policy, different relationship. We are going to strengthen our relationship with the United States, but in different other fields, of course: economy, energy, political. But also, we are planning to start discussions with the American side, so that we can have a security agreement on a bilateral level.

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Forty-six countries submitted a joint statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council on September 30, condemning Iran's escalating use of the death penalty.

The signatories expressed particular concern over the execution of people arrested during the January 2026 protests and called on Iran to immediately halt executions.

The statement, supported by all European Union members except Poland, as well as 20 other countries including Britain, Canada, Ukraine, and Switzerland, was delivered by Liechtenstein's representative, Daniel Batliner.

"No one should be subjected to execution for exercising fundamental rights such as freedom of expression or demanding to be heard," the statement said.

Citing findings and reports by United Nations experts, including the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, the signatories said Iran's use of the death penalty against protesters was aimed at "instilling fear, suppressing dissent, and deterring peaceful expression and assembly."

The countries also expressed concern about the lack of fair trials consistent with international standards, the use of torture and ill-treatment, coerced confessions, and enforced disappearances. They called on Iran to end those practices, particularly executions of protesters.

The statement said at least 31 people had been executed in connection with the protests, with dozens more sentenced to death or at imminent risk of execution.

UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato welcomed the statement, saying: "The need for a moratorium pending abolition has never been greater."

The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran also called on Iranian authorities in July to immediately halt executions and move toward a complete moratorium on the death penalty.

The flow of crude from the Persian Gulf has recovered to near-prewar levels, but the latest data shows that much of the oil is reaching markets through routes and shipping arrangements that did not exist before the war, raising the question as to whether Iran is losing its leverage in the Strait of Hormuz.

At least 16.5 million barrels per day of crude left the region between September 1 and 28, matching the prewar average when Iran is excluded, according to commodity analytics firm Kpler.

But while crude levels have risen, the refinery bottleneck that has caused a global spike in diesel prices persists. European Union figures published on October 1 showed diesel pump prices at record levels. Prices have also surged in the United States despite the recovery in oil exports.

The route, meanwhile, has changed dramatically.

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WASHINGTON -- US authorities designated the A7 financial network as a "significant transnational criminal organization" in the latest step by Western authorities to try and choke the sprawling Kremlin-backed scheme to evade sanctions.

The move, announced by the US Treasury Department on October 1, comes as A7 -- backed by a fugitive Moldovan oligarch and a major Russian Defense Ministry-linked bank -- continues to grow, by some expert accounts, exponentially.

Treasury said the A7 network of companies, known as subagents, disguised payments involving sanctioned entities as legitimate commercial transactions, helping Russian and Iranian entities move money outside traditional banking channels, including to facilitate Iranian oil sales and weapons procurement.

"Treasury is dismantling the financial infrastructure that allows Iran and other adversaries to evade sanctions, move illicit funds, and undermine the integrity of the global financial system," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

To read the full report, click here.

US President Donald Trump warned on October 1 that Iran would be "hit hard" if Tehran is found to have been involved in an incident aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Israel, as the United Arab Emirates launched an investigation into whether the cockpit attack was linked to terrorism.

Asked at the White House whether he believed Iran was involved in the incident, Trump said: "Based on what I'm hearing, I would say the answer is yes, but we're looking into it right now."

Asked whether the United States would retaliate if Iranian involvement were established, Trump said: "They will be hit hard, don't worry."

Trump did not provide evidence for the claim, and there has been no public evidence linking Iran to the incident. Israeli officials told Reuters that their initial assessment was that the co-pilot likely acted alone.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was too early to determine whether the co-pilot had links to Iran. In an interview with Fox News, however, Netanyahu said information obtained about the co-pilot indicated he had undergone "extremist Islamist indoctrination." He did not provide details supporting the claim.

The incident occurred on September 30 aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers and eight crew members. Saudi Arabia said the co-pilot attacked the captain, injuring both pilots, before the aircraft made an emergency landing in Tabuk.

The UAE attorney-general has ordered a special investigation into the incident, including whether it was connected to "terrorist activity or purpose" or was pre-planned or directed.

The UAE has urged the public and media not to speculate about the cause before the investigation is completed.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran did not load any crude oil onto tankers in September, a claim supported by preliminary data from several tanker-tracking companies.

"Iran loaded ZERO crude oil onto tankers in September," Bessent wrote on X on October 1, adding that the Trump administration was cutting off the Iranian government's "most critical source of revenue."

Preliminary tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg showed no Iranian crude loadings during September. Kpler and Vortexa also recorded zero Iranian crude loadings during the month.

Iran had loaded an estimated 220,000 to 255,000 barrels per day of crude oil and condensate in August, according to Kpler and Vortexa data cited by Reuters.

Iran has continued supplying some Chinese buyers from oil held in floating storage in Asian waters, including near Singapore, but those stocks are expected to decline without new cargoes leaving Iranian ports.

Bessent said the policy was part of Operation Economic Outcast, which he described as an effort to sever the economic lifelines sustaining the Iranian government.

The Treasury Department launched Operation Economic Outcast on August 24, describing it as a government-wide campaign targeting Iran's financial connections and networks involved in oil smuggling, sanctions evasion, and other sources of revenue.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 1 that he hoped the Strait of Hormuz would reopen to shipping and that sanctions against Iran would eventually be lifted.

Speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club in Moscow, Putin said Russia's proposal to take custody of Iran's enriched uranium, if it is removed from Iran, remains on the table.

Putin said Iran, the United States, and Israel had initially agreed to the proposal to transfer Iran's enriched uranium to Russia. But, he said, Washington later hardened its position and demanded that the uranium be sent only to the United States. Putin said Iran subsequently adopted a tougher stance.

The Russian president's comments followed an April 13 statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said Russia remained ready to take in Iran's enriched uranium as part of a potential agreement with Washington.

"The offer still stands, but has not been acted upon," Peskov said at the time. He said the proposal had been put forward by Putin in contacts with the United States and regional countries.

In his October 1 remarks, Putin reiterated that Moscow was willing to take the material and said the proposal could help resolve the impasse over Iran's nuclear program.

Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent was estimated by the International Atomic Energy Agency at about 440 kilograms before the June 2025 attacks. However, the agency has since said it has lost continuity of knowledge regarding Iran's declared nuclear-material inventories and cannot independently verify the current location and status of the stockpile.

The fate of the stockpile has remained a central issue in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, alongside questions over future uranium enrichment and international verification.

British counterterrorism officers arrested a 27-year-old dual British-Iranian citizen in London on October 1 as part of an investigation into suspicious activity linked to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

The man was detained in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, according to Reuters and Britain's Counter Terrorism Policing. Investigators also questioned a 26-year-old British man under caution and searched two London properties.

The investigation began on September 27, when police detained five British men close to RAF Fairford. The men, who were between 23 and 25 years old and lived in London, had been traveling in three vehicles that attracted the attention of police. They were initially detained under the Explosives Act and were later investigated on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

All five were released on police bail the following day and remain under investigation. Police have emphasized that their release was not an indication that the case had been closed and said restrictions had been imposed on those released.

Subsequent searches of the vehicles found no improvised explosive devices, police said. Officers did, however, recover a quantity of petrol.

RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base in Gloucestershire, is regularly used by the US military and has supported US bomber operations against Iran.

The new arrest came as British officials were examining a possible Iranian connection to the incident. On September 30, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” that Iran had been involved, while declining to discuss details that could affect the ongoing investigation.

Tehran has rejected the allegation. On October 1, Iranian authorities summoned Britain's ambassador in Tehran, Hugo Shorter, to protest the British government's claims.

British authorities have not publicly explained what specific evidence led to the latest arrest. Counterterrorism police have described the case as complex and said investigators are pursuing several lines of inquiry, including the possibility of involvement by a foreign state.