24 September 2026
Iran War
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly that Iran would never bend the knee to aggression. Pezeshkian held up a photo of the deceased Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and stated that his country did not start the war. Unlike Trump, Pezeshkian did not mention the peace talks with the United States.
Iranian hardliners condemned Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over contacts with US officials in New York. Hardliners believe that he spoke to US officials without the approval of the government, saying that he should be the executioner of policy and not a policy-maker. The IRGC has echoed this saying that Araghchi did not have approval to talk to Steve Witkoff.
Iranian forces clashed with gunmen in Iran’s southeast Sistan and Baluchestan province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan. Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, commander of the IRGC’s Shahid Sajjad Operational Headquarters, was killed in the ambush. Indicating that he was the target. Iranian security forces have clashed with Baloch armed groups in the past, and the ethnic Baloch are attempting to gain self-determination on either side of the Iran-Pakistan border.
Gaza
The Board of Peace announced a six-month, $2.45 billion blueprint to begin reconstructing Gaza. The Board of Peace believes Gaza’s reconstruction will cost $35.2 billion in the medium term and another $71.4 billion over the next ten years. Israel occupies 60% of the strip, and Hamas has yet to disarm under the proposed peace plan.
Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on the gradual handover of the Turkish military base in Mosul. The Bashiqa-Zilkan base was established in 2015 after the ISIS onslaught, and Türkiye deployed over 900 soldiers with heavy weaponry. This comes as Türkiye is working on a peace process for the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The Shingal Resistance Units (YBS), a group affiliated with the PKK, justified their presence because of the Turkish deployment. Iraq is attempting to rein in militias and armed groups under government authority.
Ukraine-Russia War
President Putin will be invited to the G20 summit in Miami. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed this after meeting with Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Russia remains a member of the G20, although Russia was kicked out of the G8 following its illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014. The Kremlin is weighing whether to accept the US invitation. Zelensky believes Miami may be his best chance to secure a trilateral meeting with the Russian leader.
President Zelensky, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, highlighted that Russia enlisted fighters from 47 countries, including North Korea, Ghana and India, to fight against Ukraine. Zelensky also stated that Ukraine transferred the two North Korean PoWs to South Korea.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the United Nations Security Council that Russia will continue its offensive even if peace negotiations were to occur.
Southern Europe
The CIA warns that Russian shadow fleet tankers could launch drones against targets in southern Europe. The CIA believes that Russia could attack with drones with a range of 600 kilometres at Spain, France and Italy. The drone would likely be the Gerbera, which can travel 600 kilometres at about 160 km/h. The payload of the 2-metre drone is between four and five kilograms, so it would not cause mass destruction, but could target specific infrastructure. According to the Spanish paper El Mundo, the threat traces back to the alert about CIA director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow last month.
Baltic States
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have requested 500 million euros to bolster their anti-drone defences. They sent the request to the European Commission to address what they see as a growing threat to their sovereignty. Russian drone incursions have increased over the past year, and there have been incidents of Ukrainian drones entering their territory as well due to Russian electronic warfare.
Poland
A fire that broke out overnight at a Starlink satellite communications station in central Poland is being called an act of sabotage. The station, owned by the state-owned telecommunications company Exatel, transmits internet traffic through Poland and Ukraine and SpaceX uses it to provide connectivity via Starlink terminals.
A Russian military helicopter entered Polish airspace, prompting fighter jets to be scrambled, and ground forces were put on standby. The Mi-8 helicopter entered Polish airspace from Kaliningrad Oblast and remained there for 42 seconds, entering 300 metres into Polish territory.
Central African Republic
The International Criminal Court found former Central African Republic rebel Mahamat Said Abdel Kani guilty of overseeing torture and other crimes. This included whipping, body mutilation and withholding food and water until some inmates drank urine out of desperation. He headed a feared prison unit that held political prisoners. He was a top commander in the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group, which ousted President François Bozizé in 2013 amid a civil war. His sentence, which may be life in prison, will be handed down later.
Afghanistan
Pakistan conducted strikes at 10 locations in Afghanistan after Pakistan shot down eight Taliban drones the day before. Pakistan claims that it struck terrorist hideouts and support infrastructure, including drone launching and storage sites. It is also being reported that Pakistan targeted special forces loyal to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Social Media Wires
Footage of Pakistan’s strikes on Afghanistan
Houthi rebels using Iranian anti-tank munitions
Featured Photo: “CIA Warns of drone incur”, Mehr News, Wikimedia Commons 2026
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The Wires Brief is a daily breaking-news report that incorporates wire service news and social media updates. DefRep cannot verify the authenticity of social media reporters nor the accuracy of social media updates. Feature photos are altered with grayscale and cropping.