🌆 COMBATE Evening Roundup | September 23, 2026

• Iran hands Witkoff its terms for reopening Hormuz — FM Araghchi told the US envoy in New York that Tehran will reopen the strait only if Washington lifts its naval blockade, releases frozen assets and ends the war on all fronts. Witkoff said mediators shuttled between the sides "throughout the day."

• Trump at UN: Iran deal or "annihilation" — Trump said he faces a "big decision" between letting Iran rebuild or quickly annihilating it, predicting a deal just after November's midterms. He threatened to strike Pickaxe Mountain and urged all states to quit the ICC; Iran's delegation walked out.

• Tehran denies talks despite Trump's claims — Ambassador Jalali said Iran holds no negotiations with Washington and that Trump "lies every day," after Trump claimed a "very productive" three-hour meeting via mediators with envoys Witkoff and Kushner.

• US weighs diesel export ban — Treasury Secretary Bessent said Washington may fully or partially ban diesel exports to tame record prices, depending on refinery capacity for domestic demand.

• Russia strikes military cargo ship in Odessa port — The Defense Ministry said a vessel delivering military supplies to Ukraine's forces was hit in Odessa; Rubio separately flagged Ukrainian attacks on oil tankers tied to US firms near the CPC terminal.

• Xi Jinping departs for first US state visit in 11 years — Beijing called the exchange of leaders' visits within half a year "a historic milestone" amid trade and geopolitical friction.

• Another Saudi F-15 reported downed in Yemen — Unofficial reports say Yemeni forces downed an F-15 over Hodeidah and captured two Saudi pilots; Sanaa's armed forces have not confirmed.

• Trump berates Mexico and Cuba from UN podium — He branded Mexico the "epicenter" of cartel violence and vowed Cuba's government will fall; Havana's delegation walked out and Mexico insisted on law over force.

• Lithuania opens door to stationing nuclear weapons — Parliament passed a first-reading constitutional amendment lifting the ban on weapons of mass destruction, as Vilnius signed a 10-year US LNG supply deal.

• UN expert: US drug-boat strikes may be crimes against humanity — An expert documented 68 attacks and 223 deaths in a year, rejecting Washington's self-defense justification.

• Guterres warns of Gaza "ethnic cleansing" in farewell — The outgoing UN chief said unprecedented destruction in Gaza and Israeli measures in the West Bank verge on ethnic cleansing, urging reform of the postwar order.

• Qatar proposes Gulf-Iran security architecture — Doha called for a new regional framework built on dialogue, mutual guarantees and economic interdependence with Tehran.

📖 Full report: https://telegra.ph/COMBATE-Digest---combate-20260923-0000Z-09-23

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