The U.S. Department of State has denied visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation, barring them from attending next week’s U.N. General Assembly in New York in person.

The State Department cited the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and PA’s failure to meet commitments under U.S. law, including unilateral statehood efforts, legal actions against Israel and what it described as the glorification of terrorism.

“It is in our national interest to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for glorifying terrorism,” the State Department said in a statement.

Abbas could address the General Assembly virtually. According to The Jerusalem Post, the U.N. is considering allowing Abbas to address the General Assembly remotely.

If approved, it would mark the second consecutive year Abbas has been unable to travel to New York for the annual gathering.

President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that Iran’s navy and air force have been “decimated,” praising U.S. troops for sinking nearly 160 hostile vessels.

“We have the Strait open, we have all this thing and they’ve been decimated,” he said of Iran. “Their navy is gone, their air force is gone. Think of it, their navy, 159 ships.”

“Every one of them is at the bottom of the sea.” “In all the months that has been, not one ship going to Iran has gotten through that blockade, not one,” he said of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

“So I just want to thank our military, say, God bless our military because they’re the greatest, the greatest in the world. And that will end soon,” he said of the conflict.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the war with Iran could reach what he called “a really good conclusion” even before the November election, suggesting the conflict could end sooner than he previously expected.

“So now they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said at a rally in North Carolina.

“We took out the nuclear capacity, but then we had to go back in them again,” Trump said before describing conversations with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others.

“I told my guys, all of my people. Todd, everybody. “I said, we got to make a little journey down to the Middle East because we can’t let this crazy nation have a nuclear weapon, and we stopped them.

“Their nation is destroyed,” Trump said of Iran.

“It’s a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done. It’s going to be a really good conclusion.”

“It’s going to and it’s going to happen. It’s going to I say it’s going to be a little bit after the election, but maybe not. Maybe it’s before the election,” Trump added.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran is seeking a deal with Washington as his administration works toward ending the war, telling reporters in North Carolina that Tehran “very much” wants an agreement.

“We’ll hopefully work toward the end of the war,” Trump said.

“They want to make a deal. We’ll see how that works out,” Trump said before stating that Iran was “very much wanting to make a deal” and that Washington was dealing “directly” with Tehran.

At least two foreign tankers bound for the United States were targeted in cyberattacks that are now under investigation by the U.S. government, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Citing U.S. officials, the outlet said the attacks came amid concerns that Iran or other adversaries could be looking to widen the conflict in the Middle East.

U.S. Coast Guard and FBI agents boarded the tankers on Aug. 21 and Aug. 24 after the vessels arrived in the Gulf of America.

The inspections of the foreign-flagged ships “were designed to ensure integrity of the vessel’s operational and information technology systems following indications that the networks of both vessels were compromised,” according to statements from the Coast Guard and FBI.

The tankers were attacked while transiting the Strait of Gibraltar, a critical chokepoint for global energy markets, earlier in August.

The attacks raised concerns that hackers were attempting to disrupt the maritime passage or target a U.S. port, with a cyberattack potentially causing risks for fire, explosions or an oil spill.

Iran on Wednesday accused German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of distorting Tehran’s regional role after he called for an end to what he described as Iran’s military nuclear program and its support for regional proxies.

“The German chancellor speaks of Iran’s ‘war,’ its ‘military nuclear program,’ and Iran’s ‘proxies,'” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on X.

“It was #USrael — not Iran — that launched a war of aggression, and Germany failed to show even the minimum moral courage required to deplore that.”

“Those Berlin labels ‘proxies’ are independent actors with their own clear causes and calculations,” he added.

“They are fighting for self-determination, freedom, and dignity against occupation, aggression and subjugation.”

He further insisted that Iran has no “military” nuclear program “no matter how often the Israeli fabricated ‘big lie’ is repeated by Israeli apologists.”

American diplomats recently met with Houthi representatives at the U.S. Embassy in Oman to discuss escalating tensions in the Red Sea, according to reports.

Axios reported that the meeting was organized with the assistance of the Omani government and was aimed at preserving the 2025 ceasefire and ensuring that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait remains open.

The source said U.S. Embassy diplomats represented Washington at the meeting in Muscat, but the ambassador did not attend.

Houthi representatives also made clear that they want the ceasefire with the U.S. to continue and said their attacks were aimed only at Saudi vessels amid renewed fighting.

Despite Saudi Arabia’s calls for military intervention, the United States has so far refused to act.

On Monday, speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews and Vice President JD Vance said: “We’ve been in constant contact with the Emiratis, the Saudis, and others who are affected in the region.”

“It’s something the United States administration is very much on top of, We’ve also been engaged in direct conversations with the Houthis themselves, so we actually feel like we are on top of the situation,” he said.

“It’s a very fluid and dynamic thing, but we’re going to keep on monitoring it, making sure that America’s best interests are represented,” Vance added.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) showcased its military maintainers keeping aircraft, vessels and vehicles mission-ready on Wednesday.

“Skilled maintainers across all branches of the U.S. military keep aircraft, ships, land-based vehicles and more at peak readiness,” CENTCOM said in a post shared on X.

U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Wednesday he would not clear the Trump administration’s proposed $2.8 billion sale of bombs to Israel.

“The Trump administration’s proposed sale of 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, some of the most destructive munitions in our arsenal, raises grave, unresolved concerns about how these munitions could be used in densely populated areas of Gaza and Lebanon,” Meeks said.

Meeks said the administration had not provided sufficient assurances that the Israeli government would use the weapons in accordance with U.S. and international law.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister praised the Iranian people’s resilience Wednesday, saying their opposition to its adversaries had protected the country’s sovereignty and forced its enemies “to their knees.”

“Two hundred nights have passed since the streets of Iran have borne witness to the presence of a people who have not bowed before the enemy,” Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post shared on X.

“Two hundred nights, a narrative of the solidarity and steadfastness of a nation that has kept the name and prestige of Iran alive through its resilience,” he added, before stating that this is “two hundred pages from the history of a nation that has brought its enemies to their knees.”

Turkey condemned a Houthi drone attack targeting Mecca on Wednesday, expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

“I strongly condemn the vile attack attempt targeting the sanctity and security of Mecca al-Mukarramah using an unmanned aerial vehicle,” said Burhanettin Duran, communications director for the Turkish presidency in a post shared on X.

“Every attempt to attack the Haramayn al-Sharifayn, the sacred value of the Islamic world, wounds the collective conscience of us all,” Duran added, saying that protecting the peace and security of Mecca is a matter of utmost sensitivity for all Muslims.

“As our President, His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has always stated, the Islamic world needs sound judgment, dialogue, and lasting peace, not new conflicts,” he said.

Duran also reaffirmed that Turkey stands firmly with Saudi Arabia.

Iran secured a seat on the General Committee of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s General Conference over U.S. objections Sept. 15, creating hurdles for international diplomacy at the U.N. over the country’s nuclear program.

“Despite U.S. efforts to obstruct Iran’s participation in the General Committee, #IAEA Member States made their choice: they voted in favor of Iran,” Iran’s Mission to the United Nations in Vienna said in a post shared on X.

“This is a clear reminder that the international community will not allow unilateral pressure to dictate the collective decisions of the IAEA,” it said.

The Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced Wednesday that it had hosted a meeting with global financial institutions to advance Operation Economic Outcast.

In a statement, it said the meeting focused on sharing actionable intelligence to shut down illicit revenue streams, weapon procurement and money laundering networks linked to Iran and that exploit U.S. correspondent banking.

“Treasury continues to sever every economic lifeline Tehran has left. Financial institutions are in lockstep with the U.S. government in support of Operation Economic Outcast, and we will continue to work closely with the private sector in the fight against the murderous Iranian regime,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf took a swipe at the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, writing on X “Let’s see if a hike could open [the] Strait of Hormuz or produce a single barrel.”

The remark comes as the Federal Reserve is holding a closely watched monetary policy meeting this week as the market expects the central bank to hike interest rates amid concerns about stubborn inflation.

Persistent inflation above the Fed’s 2% long-run target has prompted concern among policymakers and has shifted the market’s outlook to anticipating a rate increase this week, with the CME FedWatch tool showing a 92.5% chance of a 25-basis-point hike versus a 7.5% probability of rates staying at their current level.

“You can’t 25bp a chokepoint and r* isn’t neutral. It’s Strait of Hormuz risk premium, and We set it,” Ghalibaf added. “Stay unanchored!”

He titled his post “Straits Taylor Rule” in an apparent reference to Taylor rules, which the Fed describes as “simple monetary policy rules that prescribe how a central bank should adjust its interest rate policy instrument in a systematic manner in response to developments in inflation and macroeconomic activity.”

FOX Business’ Eric Revell contributed to this post.