Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Hague Prosecutor Seeking to Resume Afghan War Crimes Probe VOA 27 Sep 2021 -- The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Monday asked the tribunal for permission to resume a war crimes investigation into the actions of the Taliban and Islamic State-Khorasan in Afghanistan.
• International Prosecutor Says Will Focus On Taliban, Islamic State For Alleged Afghan War Crimes RFE/RL Gandhara 27 Sep 2021 -- The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) says he is seeking urgent authorization to resume investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, focusing on the actions of the Taliban and the Islamic State's local affiliate.
• ICC's chief prosecutor to 'de-prioritize' probe into US war crimes in Afghanistan Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- Under immense pressure by the United States, the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC)'s new chief prosecutor says he wants to focus his investigation in Afghanistan on the Taliban and to "de-prioritize" a probe into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by US forces.
• OSI 'surge' pivotal to historic Afghan evacuation mission US Air Force 27 Sep 2021 -- In the span of 24 hours, Ramstein Air Base, Germany and Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, transformed into the United States' two primary evacuation hubs for Operation Allies Refuge, supporting the most expansive humanitarian airlift in the history of the U.S.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Global Missile Defense From Space Got More Affordable, DOD Official Says DoD News 27 Sep 2021 -- The Defense Department hopes, within the decade, to have a meshed network of low Earth orbit satellites — linked together and to warfighters — providing real-time global awareness of missile threats and the ability to respond.
• US Army's Exercise Saber Junction 21 a great success Army News 27 Sep 2021 -- Saber Junction 21 began early September in Grafenwoehr Training Area with live-fire artillery exercises before making its way to Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, where it ended on Sept. 24. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment served as the primary training audience for the multinational exercise with more than 3,000 participants from 13 nations.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction mission in Southern Europe bolsters stability, security in the region Army News 27 Sep 2021 -- The rolling hills of the Romanian countryside provide a serene backdrop as an excavator fills a truck with fresh earth as part of one of many ongoing construction projects here in support of a broader effort to enhance the U.S. deterrence posture in Eastern Europe and bolster the security and capacity of U.S. allies and partners.
• UNITAS LXII Opening Ceremony Takes Place in Lima US Navy 27 Sep 2021 -- Naval and Marine forces from Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Spain, South Korea, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and the United States gathered for the opening ceremony for UNITAS LXII, the longest running multinational maritime exercise, in Lima, Peru, Sept. 27.
• NATO Secretary General meets virtually with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi NATO 27 Sep 2021 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met virtually with State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi of the People's Republic of China on Monday (27 September 2021). The Secretary General and the Foreign Minister discussed NATO-China relations and exchanged views on current international security challenges.
• Deputy Secretary General: NATO will set the standard for ethical use of new technologies NATO 27 Sep 2021 -- In a virtual address to the "AI and Cyber – An Abundance of Potential" conference on Monday (27 September 2021), Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană stressed that NATO is determined to set the standard for the ethical use of emerging and disruptive technologies.
• Bahrain to join US drone 'task force' for operations in Persian Gulf Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- The Al Khalifah regime in Bahrain has agreed to cooperate with a new task force of the US Navy that will integrate unmanned aircraft into maritime operations, according to reports.
• US Navy Says Bahrain Has Agreed to Join Its New Drone and AI-Powered Persian Gulf Task Force Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- Earlier this month, the US Navy's 5th Fleet, responsible for naval operations in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and part of the Indian Ocean, announced the creation of a new naval task force in Bahrain equipped with the latest US airborne, waterborne and underwater military drones.
• Belarus warns of joint response with Russia to Ukraine's drills with US, NATO Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- Belarus has voice concerned over Ukraine's military exercises with the United States and other NATO countries near its borders, warning of a joint response with Russia to the drills.
• Kremlin Warns Over NATO Infrastructure In Ukraine RFE/RL 27 Sep 2021 -- The Kremlin has reiterated that any expansion of NATO military infrastructure in Ukraine would cross one of President Vladimir Putin's "red lines" as Belarus's authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka accused Washington of using training centers as a guise for setting up bases for the Western military alliance.
• Moscow Warns Possible Expansion of NATO Infrastructure in Ukraine Would Violate Russia's 'Red Lines' Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- This summer, the Western-backed government in Kiev pressured the North Atlantic Alliance to take steps to "immediately" begin the process to accept Ukraine into the alliance, with the country's ambassador to Germany warning before that that Kiev may be forced to develop nuclear weapons if NATO doesn't allow it to become a member in a timely manner.
• Beijing Blasts Quad Security Dialogue, Says It Causes 'Discord' in Asia-Pacific Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- The so-called Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, better known as the Quad, is an informal security pact between the United States, Australia, India and Japan explicitly designed to confront China militarily and diplomatically in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Exclusive: CH-6 drone makes debut at Airshow China, 'powerful UAV affordable, reliable' Global Times 27 Sep 2021 -- China will display the CH-6 high-altitude, long-endurance drone, the latest entry to the renowned CH drone series, at the Airshow China 2021 to be held in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province from Tuesday to Sunday. Its chief engineer said on Monday that the aircraft is characterized by high performance as well as affordability, reliability and ease of use.
• China to speed up research into new strategic weapons for air force: J-20 chief designer Global Times 27 Sep 2021 -- Yang Wei, chief designer of China's J-20 stealth fighter jet, said that during the country's 14th Five-year Plan (2021-25), Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) will develop the capability of H-6 series bombers and will speed up research into new strategic weapons and equipment, to further strengthen long-range strategic strike capability for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force.
• Taipei says needs long-range weapons to counter China Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- Chinese Taipei's defense minister Chiu Kuo-cheng says the self-ruled island is in need of long-range weapons to properly deter mainland China.
• Taiwan's military reverses course on conscript training CNA 27 Sep 2021 -- Conscripts in Taiwan will again be assigned to field military units across the country, including those on offshore islands, after concluding their basic training, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Monday.
• New ejection seats for F-5E jets to be installed by 2022: Air Force CNA 27 Sep 2021 -- Taiwan will take delivery later this year of the first set of new ejection seats for its F-5 fighter jets, which will improve pilots' chances of survival if they have to eject from the aircraft, the country's Air Force said Monday.
• DPRK Fires 'Unidentified Projectile' Moments Before Envoy Speaks at UN General Assembly - Reports Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported early on Tuesday morning that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had fired one "unidentified projectile" into the Sea of Japan.
• Successful Maiden Flight Test of Akash Prime Missile India PIB 27 Sep 2021 -- A new version of the Akash Missile – 'Akash Prime' has been successfully flight tested from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha on 27 September 2021. The missile intercepted and destroyed an unmanned aerial target mimicking enemy aircrafts, in its maiden flight test after improvements.
• Bold new strategy to fuel UK's world-class space sector UK MOD 27 Sep 2021 -- Government unveils new plans to strengthen the UK as a world class space nation.
• Johnson to consider using army as UK's petrol pumps run dry Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to consider using the army to supply the country's petrol stations running dry because of panic buying and a shortage of drivers.
• New measures to further ease fuel supply chain pressures UK MOD 27 Sep 2021 -- The UK government has today announced further measures to help further ease supply chain pressures and spikes in localised demand for fuel.
• Security Council marks 25th anniversary of Test Ban Treaty with call for nuclear weapons-free world UN News 27 Sep 2021 -- The Security Council on Monday marked the 25th anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, with calls for its entry into force and the elimination of nuclear weapons everywhere.
• Czech Republic Will Purchase Israeli-Made Air Defenses to Replace Soviet Gear Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- The Czech Republic will buy Israeli-made SPYDER surface-to-air missile systems for 13.7 billion korunas ($630 million) to replace Soviet-era systems in its possession, Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said on Monday.
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 27 Sep 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan At the Signing of the Singapore-United States Third-Country Training Program (TCTP) Memorandum of Understanding Renewal US Dept. of State 27 Sep 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don US Dept. of State 27 Sep 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Singapore Foreign Minister Balakrishnan US Dept. of State 27 Sep 2021
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, September 27, 2021 The White House 27 Sep 2021
• Department Press Briefing – September 27, 2021 US Dept. of State 27 Sep 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Sept. 27, 2021
• Pentagon And Lockheed Martin Agree To F-35 Production Rebaseline Lockheed Martin 27 Sep 2021 -- The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) industry team have agreed on an F-35 production rebaseline that ensures predictability and stability in the production process while recovering the aircraft shortfall realized over the last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other Conflicts

• 27 September 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 27 Sep 2021
• Spy Fish? China Tests Manta Ray Submersible Drone in South China Sea Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- Chinese researchers from a military-linked university have completed the first open sea test in the Paracel Islands of a bionic robot that looks and swims like a manta ray, Chinese media reported.
• Briefing with Senior State Department Official On Ongoing Efforts to Facilitate the Departure of U.S. Citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and Other Priority Groups from Afghanistan US Dept. of State 27 Sep 2021
• Public Displays of Corpses Signal Return of Hard-Line Afghan Taliban VOA 27 Sep 2021 -- For weeks since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in mid-August, many Afghans had been wondering if the militants would resume meting out public punishments of the sort that made them notorious during their first rule in the 1990s.
• Some 100 Americans Still Waiting to Leave Afghanistan VOA 27 Sep 2021 -- As some 100 American citizens are still waiting to leave Afghanistan, the State Department said Monday that the biggest hurdle to their evacuation remains the "unpredictability" of the Taliban.
• Afghanistan On Brink Of Economic Collapse, Norwegian Aid Agency NRC Warns RFE/RL Gandhara 27 Sep 2021 -- The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has warned Afghanistan's economy is on the verge of collapse and the country faces a humanitarian catastrophe after the collapse of the government last month and subsequent takeover by Taliban militants.
• Beijing Cautiously Backs Taliban's Hopes Of International Recognition In Afghanistan RFE/RL Gandhara 27 Sep 2021 -- China is calling for sanctions against Afghanistan to be lifted as part of a wider push by Beijing to gain international political support for the Taliban's rule in the country.
• Afghanistan Won't Address UN Amid Competing Claims For Ambassador's Seat RFE/RL Gandhara 27 Sep 2021 -- Afghanistan will not address the United Nations General Assembly on September 27 after the ambassador for the government ousted by the Taliban withdrew his name from the schedule.
• Ousted Afghan President Ghani Says Facebook Account 'Hacked' RFE/RL Gandhara 27 Sep 2021 -- Deposed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says his Facebook account was hacked after a statement posted in his name called for international recognition of the Taliban-led government.
• Taliban Unpredictability Poses Biggest Constraint for US Evacuation Efforts, State Department Says Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- The unpredictability of the Taliban's decision making regarding whom they allow to leave Afghanistan remains the biggest constraint to the Biden administration's efforts US citizens and others, a senior State Department official said on Monday.
• China ready to work with Malaysia to strengthen communication and properly handle differences on South China Sea issue: Chinese Defense Minister Global Times 27 Sep 2021 -- China is ready to work with Malaysia to oppose hegemonism and power politics, strengthen communication and properly handle differences on the South China Sea issue, jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and inject more positive energy into the turbulent world, said Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister, Wei Fenghe, on Monday during a conversation with Malaysian Defense Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, through video link.
• Yemen: Endless suffering of children continues due to war, aid crisis UN News 27 Sep 2021 -- The Yemen conflict killed or maimed 2,600 children as hostilities intensified in 2019 and 2020; that's according to a new report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed conflict in the country.
• Yemen asks international community to exert pressure on Houthi coup leaders and their sponsors to 'end bloodshed' UN News 27 Sep 2021 -- The war in Yemen has caused a human catastrophe, torn society apart, and triggered "waves of mass displacement, repression and enforced disappearance", the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs said on Monday, the final day of the UN General Assembly's annual debate.
• Syria will continue fight against terrorism, work to end foreign occupation: Mikdad Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has lashed out at the United States and Turkey for occupying territories in the Arab country, calling on Washington and Ankara to withdraw their forces and stop "plundering" the country's wealth.
• Syria committed to 'combating and eradicating terrorism', General Assembly hears UN News 27 Sep 2021 -- In his speech to the high-level debate at the UN General Assembly on Monday, Fayssal Mekdad, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Syria, reaffirmed his country's commitment to combat terrorism and aim to 'restore security and stability'.
• Myanmar Military Targets Sagaing Villages With Airstrikes During Weekend Clashes Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's military launched airstrikes on villages in northwestern Sagaing region as clashes with anti-junta joint forces intensified over the weekend, leaving at least 15 government troops dead and causing thousands of civilians to flee their homes to safety, sources said Monday.
• Chin Residents Flee to India After Fighting by Myanmar Forces And Local Militias Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- More than 100 residents of a town in Myanmar's Chin state are across the border to India daily to escape ongoing offensives by the military junta in the western state, following clashes that erupted between national forces and local joint militia groups on Sept. 18, a civil society group and residents said.
• Statue Of Pakistan's Founder Blown Up, Soldier Killed In Balochistan RFE/RL Gandhara 27 Sep 2021 -- A statue of Pakistan's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was destroyed in Balochistan while a paramilitary soldier was killed in separate attacks in the restive southwestern province.
• Russia Plans To Spend $12 Billion In Separatist-Held Parts Of Ukraine: Documents RFE/RL 27 Sep 2021 -- Russia plans to spend 900 billion rubles ($12.4 billion) over the next three years on financial support in the parts of eastern Ukraine that are held by Russia-backed separatists, according to government documents obtained by the Donbas.Realities desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.
• 34 killed in attack on village in northwestern Nigeria Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- About three dozen people have been killed and several others injured in an attack by a group of heavily-armed gunmen in a village in Nigeria's northwestern state of Kaduna.
• Armenia, Azerbaijan Mark One-Year Anniversary Of Start Of Karabakh War RFE/RL 27 Sep 2021 -- People in Azerbaijan and Armenia have marked the first anniversary of the start of the six-week war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in which more than 6,600 people died and which ended with Azerbaijan regaining control of large swaths of territory.
• NATO-Led Force In Kosovo Steps Up Patrols Near Border With Serbia RFE/RL 27 Sep 2021 -- The NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo has stepped up patrols on the border with Serbia amid worsening tensions between the two Balkan foes over a dispute about license plates.
• Serbia-Kosovo tensions brewing as Belgrade deploys armored vehicles at border Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia seem to have entered a new phase as the Serbian army deployed four armored vehicles close to the frontier after the government in Belgrade accused Pristina of "provocations" by sending special police units to the border.
• Paris Says France Not 'Abandoning' Mali by Upgrading Its Military Presence in Sahel Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- Changes to the French military presence in Africa's Sahel region constitute neither France's withdrawal from Mali nor a unilateral decision, the French foreign ministry said on Monday.
• Rwanda Massacre Mastermind Dies VOA 27 Sep 2021 -- Theoneste Bagosora, a former Rwandan army colonel regarded as the architect of the 1994 genocide in which more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and Hutus who tried to protect them were killed, died in a hospital in Mali on Saturday.

News Reports

• Afghanistan, Myanmar Skip UN General Assembly VOA 27 Sep 2021 -- Afghanistan will not address the U.N. General Assembly, in the wake of the Taliban takeover and potential competing claims of representation at the world body.
• Niger: Climate change is another pandemic with devastating effects UN News 27 Sep 2021 -- Apart from disastrous economic consequences, the COVID-19 pandemic has also amplified the climate and security crisis in the Sahel, said Niger's Minister of Foreign Affairs during the country's turn to speak at the UN General Assembly.
• Iran nuclear programme at 'critical point', Israeli Prime Minister warns UN News 27 Sep 2021 -- With Iran's nuclear programme at a "watershed moment", the country must be stopped from acquiring a nuclear weapon, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Monday in his inaugural speech to the UN General Assembly.
• Hungary Signs New Long-Term Gas Supply Deal With Russia RFE/RL 27 Sep 2021 -- Hungary has signed a new 15-year natural-gas supply deal with Russia's state-controlled energy giant Gazprom in a move sharply criticized by Ukraine.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on September 27, 2021 PRC MofA 27 Sep 2021
• China believes more countries will stand up to resist illegal unilateral sanctions, political framing: Chinese FM Global Times 27 Sep 2021 -- China believes more countries will stand up to all kinds of illegal unilateral sanctions, long-arm jurisdiction, and political framing, jointly uphold international fairness and justice and safeguard the basic norms governing international relations, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday in a phone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart.
• Britain Warns Citizens of Hong Kong Extradition Threat VOA 27 Sep 2021 -- Concerns are growing over the reach of the national security law that China imposed on Hong Kong as Britain warned several of its citizens that they could face arrest and extradition to the former British colony.
• Chinese public security chief vows to smash 'color revolution' plot in Hong Kong Global Times 27 Sep 2021 -- The police force must focus on cutting off the hostile mastermind home and abroad who harmed national security and smashing plot of launching the "color revolution" in Hong Kong, Chinese Public Security Minister Zhao Kezhi said on Sunday. He called on the police to continue to shoulder responsibility in helping to maintain the stability of the special administrative region and cracking down on radical secessionists.
• China Says Hong Kong Crackdown 'Must Continue' After Vigil Organizer Disbands Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- Following the dissolution of a group that once organized candlelight vigils marking the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen massacre, a top Chinese official warned on Monday of attempts to foment a 'color revolution' in Hong Kong.
• China Gives Hero's Welcome to Returning Huawei Exec Meng Wanzhou Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s state propaganda machine cranked into high gear over the weekend with the return of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou following her release from house arrest in Vancouver.
• China Vows to Stop Building Coal Plants Overseas, But What Does That Mean? VOA 27 Sep 2021 -- When Chinese President Xi Jinping last week announced his country will stop building coal power plants overseas, environmental activists were jubilant.
• British warship passing through Taiwan Strait CNA 27 Sep 2021 -- British Royal Navy warship HMS Richmond was passing through the Taiwan Strait on Monday morning, according to a tweet from the frigate.
• British Warship Passes Through Taiwan Strait, Angering China Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- China strongly condemned Monday the passage of a British frigate through the Taiwan Strait as the U.K. looks to bolster its presence in the Indo-Pacific.
• UK warship's Taiwan Straits transit 'meaningless display of presence' Global Times 27 Sep 2021 -- Mirroring the US move in August, a UK warship from the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group sailed through the Taiwan Straits on Monday, showing its presence in a provocative manner. Chinese experts said the symbolic move will not bring the UK back to its former imperial glory, but only destroy peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.
• Chinese military opposes British warship's sailing through Taiwan Strait PLA Daily 27 Sep 2021 -- The British Royal Navy frigate HMS Richmond sailed through the Taiwan Strait on September 27 and openly hyped it up. The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) sent naval and air forces to track and monitor the British warship in the whole course, said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, in a written statement released on Monday.
• 'Evil intentions': China condemns UK after warship sails through Taiwan Strait Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- China has accused Britain of an act of provocation in the Taiwan Strait after a British frigate sailed through the strategic waterway.
• China Slams UK for Harbouring 'Evil Intentions' After British Warship Sails Through Taiwan Strait Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- Earlier on Monday, the official Twitter account of warship HMS Richmond posted a picture of the vessel navigating the contentious Taiwan Strait after "a busy period working with partners and allies in the East China Sea."
• British Warship Plows Through Taiwan Strait Amid Beijing-Taipei Tensions Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier called for more efforts to ensure peace and security in the Taiwan Strait, as a US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the USS Barry, conducted what it stated was a "routine" transit through the sensitive waterway, in a mission implemented "in accordance with international law".
• US Ready to Meet With North Korea Without Preconditions, State Dept. Says Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- The United States is ready to hold a meeting with the North Korean leadership without preconditions to resolve the pressing issue of the Korean peninsula denuclearization, US Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter said on Monday.
• Iran says IAEA biased report could disrupt constructive cooperation IRNA 27 Sep 2021 -- Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi on Monday called on the IAEA not to disrupt the constructive process with "purposeful and biased reports".
• Iran says IAEA report on Tessa complex in Karaj "isn't accurate" IRNA 27 Sep 2021 -- Iran's ambassador to the Vienna-based international organizations Kazem Gharibabadi said on Sunday night that the report of the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the cameras of Tessa complex in Karaj is "beyond the agreed terms" and not accurate.
• Iran warns IAEA: Spiteful reports will undermine constructive cooperation Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- Iran has rejected a complaint by the UN nuclear watchdog that it was denied access to a nuclear site in violation of an understanding reached earlier this month, warning the agency that "wrong and spiteful" reports would disrupt constructive cooperation between the two sides.
• Iran decries 'inaccurate' IAEA report Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- Iran's permanent ambassador to the international organizations in Vienna decries the UN nuclear agency for accusing the Islamic Republic of non-cooperation with the organization.
• Iran Denies IAEA Access to Karaj Nuclear Facility Due to Ongoing Sabotage Probe Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- The leadership of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been informed that the agreement on access to surveillance cameras is not applicable to the centrifuge assembly facility in Karaj, as now it is being examined in the June sabotage case, an Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) spokesman said on Monday.
• IAEA Claims Iran Failed to Fully Honor Agreement on Nuclear Monitoring Equipment Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- The UN watchdog earlier revealed that it had reached an agreement on September 12 with Iranian officials that would allow inspectors to monitor equipment tied to the nation's nuclear technology program.
• UN Nuclear Watchdog Says Iran Denying Monitoring Access At 'Indispensable' Site RFE/RL 27 Sep 2021 -- Iran has not allowed international inspectors access to a centrifuge-component-manufacturing workshop as agreed under a monitoring deal reached two weeks ago, the UN nuclear watchdog says.
• Iran's IRGC says 2 of its members killed in fire at research center in Tehran Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says two of its members have succumbed to injuries in a fire that broke out at one of its research centers in the capital, Tehran.
• Israeli PM Says Iran Crossed All Nuclear 'Red Lines' RFE/RL 27 Sep 2021 -- In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Iran had crossed "all red lines" in its nuclear program, and vowed that Israel "will not allow" Tehran to acquire a nuclear weapon.
• Israeli PM Bennett Accuses Iran of Seeking to Dominate Mideast 'Under Nuclear Umbrella' Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- Tel Aviv has spent over a decade accusing Tehran of secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, and has threatened to take unilateral military action against the Islamic Republic to prevent it building a nuke. Iran denies that it has any plans to pursue nukes, and has urged the international community to pressure Israel to dismantle its own WMDs.
• Myanmar's UN Envoy Skips Address Amid US-China Brokered Deal With Junta Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations withdrew from addressing the General Assembly on Monday as part of a U.S.-China-brokered deal that will see him maintain a "low profile" until a U.N. decision on who will represent the country expected later this year, according to sources familiar with the situation.
• Young People Discouraged by Life in Myanmar Queue For Passports to Leave the Country Radio Free Asia 27 Sep 2021 -- Young people disheartened by life in Myanmar following the February military coup are trying in growing numbers to leave the country, hoping to escape army rule and find work to help support their families, sources in the country say.
• Goodbye Chancellor Merkel, Hello Chancellor Merkel VOA 27 Sep 2021 -- The joke in Berlin before Germans went to the polls Sunday was that the country's longstanding chancellor, Angela Merkel, would have to delay her retirement from politics, and would end up delivering the traditional New Year's address to the nation come January.
• Ukrainian Cabinet Dissolves Naftogaz Supervisory Board, Temporarily Takes Over, Reports Say Sputnik 27 Sep 2021 -- The Ukrainian government has fired the remaining three members of the Supervisory Board of state energy company Naftogaz, taking over its functions until a new line-up is announced, the RBC Ukraine news agency reported on Monday, citing a source.
• Tunisians Protest Saied's Power Grab VOA 27 Sep 2021 -- Hundreds of people took to the streets of the Tunisian capital, Tunis, Sunday to protest President Kais Saied's recent decrees bolstering the already near-total power he granted himself two months ago.
• Tunisians protest against President Saied's 'power seizure' as opposition deepens Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- Thousands of protesters have rallied in the Tunisian capital to voice their anger at President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers, calling on him to resign and demanding the constitution be respected.
• Sudan agrees with tribal protesters to allow South Sudan oil exports Press TV 27 Sep 2021 -- Sudan's government has reached an agreement with tribal protesters to allow the resumption of South Sudan's oil exports through the Red Sea.
• Ahead Of Elections, Bulgaria Urged To Improve Press Freedom RFE/RL 27 Sep 2021 -- Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is urging Bulgaria to take concrete action to support local media outlets that disseminate reliable news and information, saying the country "combines all of the problems for press freedom that exist in various parts of Europe."
• European Commission Endorses Romania's Multibillion Euro Recovery Plan RFE/RL 27 Sep 2021 -- The European Commission has backed Romania's nearly 30 billion euro ($35.1 billion) recovery and resilience plan, setting out the reforms and public investment projects that the Eastern European country plans to implement with the support of the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).