US Bans Palestinian Authority President From Attending UN, But Admits Iranians
The Palestinian Authority’s (PA) foreign ministry on Thursday condemned the US decision to bar Palestinian officials from attending the UN General Assembly for a second year in a row.
The US has denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week, repeating a move that drew widespread criticism last year.
Abbas still barred as US approves visas for Iran’s President Pezeshkian & FM Araghchi…
In a statement on Wednesday, the US State Department said it would extend visa restrictions to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the decision as an “unjustified measure that contradicts efforts to restore confidence, develop Palestinian-American relations, and create the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability in the region”.
The State Department said it was extending the restrictions on PA officials as “a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace”. Abbas is among those barred from entering the US for the gathering.
In other news:
Trump extends sanctions on Iran, Houthi supporters march in Sanaa
- US President Donald Trump has signed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law, extending existing US sanctions on Iran.
- Tens of thousands march through the streets of Sanaa in support of the Houthis and against Saudi Arabia, as fighting heats up in western Yemen.
- Yemeni government forces claim they have killed 30 Houthi fighters and wounded more than 60 during clashes in the al-Wazi’iyah district of Taiz.
- The UN has warned that Yemenis are facing “multiple concurrent health risks” amid rising violence that has displaced more than 112,000 people in two weeks.
Something unusual is unfolding across Iran as multiple pre-strike warning signs appear at once.
▪️ Isfahan air defenses reportedly moved to heightened alert and dispersal, while aircraft were reported entering western Iranian airspace before turning back.
▪️ Unusual drone, fighter and air-defense activity has been reported across northwestern Iran near Urmia, Jolfa and Hadishahr.
▪️ GPS spoofing and electronic warfare intensified around Tehran, while some municipal buildings were reportedly evacuated.
▪️ Six ballistic-missile launchers and a UAV platform were reportedly moved into a civilian tunnel between Khorramabad and Borujerd.
▪️ Fresh explosions were reported around the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. F-16 movements toward Jordan were separately tracked.
None of this confirms another major strike is imminent, but this many wartime indicators appearing together suggests the Islamic Republic believes something may be coming or is preparing for another escalation.
The Islamic Republic tried to stop Trump from attacking it by offering $500 billion in potential business for American companies.
Hassan Qashqavi, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, says the Islamic Republic sent its economic diplomacy team into pre-war negotiations with a massive proposal covering oil and gas, mining, aviation, transportation and infrastructure.
The calculation was simple: Trump is a businessman, so give American companies enough economic interest in Iran that confrontation becomes more costly for the United States.
That exposes an extraordinary hypocrisy. For decades, Iranians were told that confronting the United States justified sanctions, isolation and economic sacrifice. Yet when the Islamic Republic itself faced attack, it was prepared to entice American corporations with hundreds of billions of dollars in opportunities across Iran.
The $500 billion was not cash. It represented proposed projects and potential investment, but the strategy behind it is what matters. Islamic Republic officials believed American commercial interests might protect them where missiles, proxies and military deterrence could not.
“Death to America” was imposed on Iranians for decades. When the Islamic Republic itself was in danger, it went looking for a $500 billion deal with Trump. https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/2099599874903900610/video/1
