⚡️🇺🇸 — The Donald Trump administration submitted an emergency directive to change USPS procedures for mailing ballots, requiring states to upload mass lists of eligible voters to a new USPS online portal that was not yet operational at implementation. The policy required USPS to block ballots addressed to individuals absent from those lists and mandated tracking barcodes on ballot envelopes, requiring structural envelope modifications.

A USPS whistleblower report identified a procedural vulnerability in the hastily developed data-sharing system: a barcode error on one envelope could result in withholding and non-delivery of the entire mail batch rather than only the defective ballot. The directive also prioritized federal criminal prosecution of state election officials who sent or received ballots intended for non-citizens or other ineligible voters — CNN.

➡️ The U.S. Supreme Court initially allowed the administration to proceed in late August on technical grounds concerning the timing of the lawsuit, but a lower federal court blocked the policy days later, followed over the weekend by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington, D.C., who issued an injunction placing the USPS rule on hold. On the following Monday, the Supreme Court, ruling on the administration’s third emergency appeal, blocked the policy in a three-sentence unsigned order.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, citing a strong government interest in enforcing the rule to increase the visibility of Federal Ballot Mail and detect election fraud. Justice Brett Kavanaugh separately concurred, saying USPS might have regulatory authority to make the changes but agreed the policy should remain blocked because state and local election officials lacked sufficient time to implement the logistical and technological requirements before the elections. The challenge was brought by a coalition of two dozen Democratic-led states, including Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, voting-rights groups, a bipartisan coalition of election administrators and former governors.

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⚡️🇺🇸🇰🇵🇮🇷 — U.S. federal court in Virginia ruled in favor of a lawsuit brought by 47 American citizens who were victims of the October 7, 2023 and their family members, finding North Korea and Iran jointly legally liable for the attack on Israel. According to the ruling, Pyongyang provided Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad with training, weapons and expertise in tunnel construction — Ynet.

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⚡️🇺🇸🇮🇷 — The U.S. Defense Department inspector general’s first report on the war with Iran, covering February 28 through June 30, found a shortfall of U.S. munitions and supply-chain “bottlenecks” as the Trump administration works to replenish weaponry. The Pentagon is working to streamline procurement and production lead times and stockpile critical materials, components and selected munitions. The congressionally mandated report estimates the war cost roughly $33.4 billion, including $22.3 billion in expended munitions, $3.7 billion in equipment losses and $7.4 billion in other expenditures, while excluding facility-repair costs. NBC News had previously reported estimates of $80–100 billion based on three U.S. officials and three people familiar with internal cost assessments, while the Pentagon publicly put the cost at $37.5 billion in July.

The report also provides one of the first government confirmations that Iran targeted the U.S. Navy’s main regional logistics hub in Bahrain with drones and ballistic missiles. It does not address the U.S. strike on an elementary school in Minab during the initial hours of the conflict; the military had not released its internal investigation, although the investigation was being finalized in June — NBC News.

➡️ More than 20,000 U.S. military and diplomatic personnel were displaced and relocated during the opening phase of the conflict and subsequent weeks. Medical evaluations for injured U.S. personnel were mostly conducted locally, in some cases using local ambulances and treatment facilities, after airlift capabilities were repositioned because of security concerns.

➡️ The inspector general documented damage and losses to U.S. aircraft and other military equipment, including the destruction or extensive damage of four F-15E fighters and an F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, while an A-10 Warthog was destroyed. Twelve KC-135 refueling aircraft and nine other aircraft were also destroyed. More than 30 MQ-9 drones had been destroyed by June, according to the report citing the Congressional Research Service.

The State Department sustained more than $208 million in damage across Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, including $184 million to diplomatic facilities and $25 million linked to delays in construction projects.

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⚡️🇺🇸🇮🇷 — The U.S. House of Representatives postponed a vote on a resolution calling for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from combat operations with Iran, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent.

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🚨🇸🇦🇾🇪 — Three people, including two children, were killed and two others injured in Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the Dhubab and Maqbanah districts of Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province, according to al-Masirah citing the Ministry of Health.

➡️ Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence issued and subsequently lifted urgent warnings across several areas, including Jeddah, Yanbu, Taif, Jazan and Al-Ula. Local media also reported that dozens of missiles and drones targeted oil and military facilities in the same areas, as well as Abha, but the specific targets and engagement outcomes were not clear or independently verifiable at the time of reporting.

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🚨🇺🇸🇮🇷 — Two fishing boats near Bandar Kargan in the Persian Gulf were struck by a U.S. drone attack on Monday night, according to Hormozgan Province’s deputy governor.

Several fishermen aboard the boats were reported missing following the attack, with rescue and search operations underway in the area. Further details on the incident are pending additional official reports — Tasnim.

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⚡️🇺🇸🇮🇷🇨🇳 — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced a civil forfeiture complaint seeking approximately $61 million in cryptocurrency allegedly derived from black-market sales of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and petroleum products. These funds were intended to finance the Iranian Government and its military components, including the IRGC, which the complaint identifies as a designated terrorist organization.

The complaint alleges that Chinese companies Blessed Trust and Hexa Whale used trading accounts at the UAE-based cryptocurrency exchange Binance to launder these proceeds, funneling them to the Iranian government, its agents, and proxies to finance "terrorist and other activities." Both firms allegedly presented themselves to financial and cryptocurrency-service providers as wealth-management, virtual-asset-custody, or commodities-brokering businesses while, in fact, providing “on-ramp” services to convert fiat currency into cryptocurrency, including through U.S.-based issuers. Their clients allegedly include companies in China’s petroleum sector. All facts described in the complaint are allegations and have not been established as facts.

➡️ The complaint further alleges that a network of interrelated unhosted cryptocurrency addresses, known as “Entity A,” received and distributed more than $1.5 billion in these illicit proceeds, including transfers to IRGC-related money-services businesses, IRGC-related cryptocurrency addresses, and an Iranian cryptocurrency exchange.

According to the filing, Blessed Trust, Hexa Whale, and associated individuals facilitated these transfers through transactions designed to obscure the nature, source, and ownership of the funds. The companies also allegedly used the U.S. financial system to send or receive tens of millions of dollars as part of the scheme.

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⚡️🇮🇷🇺🇸🇮🇱 — IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brig. Gen. Seyed Mojtaba Mousavi urged Iranians to preserve national unity and solidarity as nightly commemorations of the
Prophet’s birth continue.

Mousavi praised what he described as sustained public demonstrations defending Iran’s identity, independence and existence, saying they had demonstrated national resolve and encouraged IRGC personnel serving on defensive fronts.

He called on the public to support the government, political figures and Iranian forces while following the guidance of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and said the demonstrations represented continued commitment to avenging the "Imam’s martyrdom" and achieving victory.

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⚡️🇮🇷🇺🇸 — Iran's Security Council Secretary Mohsin Rezaei:

Don’t get distracted by the U.S. president’s mixed signals—from “no negotiations” to “we’re ready to talk.” The stakes around oil and the straits have changed. Damage control won’t stop what’s coming.
No talks until Iran’s conditions are met. Period!

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🇮🇷❌🇺🇸 — NEW: The IRGC has shot down a US MQ-1 drone over the western part of the Strait of Hormuz using a new generation air defense system, operating under Iran's integrated air defense network — IRGC.

➡️ This is the second US drone downed by Iran within 24 hours.

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🇮🇱❌🇱🇧 — Israeli artillery shelling targeted Ali al-Taher hill a short while ago.

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⚡️🇧🇭🇸🇦🇾🇪 — Bahrain has strongly condemned Houthi ballistic missile and drone strikes on the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Taif on September 14, resulting in civilian casualties and material damage to homes and vehicles.

Bahrain expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and called on the UN Security Council to take a firm stance and hold those responsible accountable — Bahraini Foreign Ministry.

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⚡️🇮🇱🇸🇦🇾🇪🇾🇪 — NEW: Israel and Saudi Arabia have held talks mediated by U.S. Central Command aimed at helping Riyadh defend itself against Houthi attacks through intelligence assistance, according to Middle Eastern diplomatic sources cited by the Jerusalem Post.

The Houthis have intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past week, including a drone strike on oil pipelines and pumping facilities that led to a partial shutdown of the main pipeline, and an attack on civilians inside a mosque near the Yemen-Saudi border. The group also seized strategically located islands along the Red Sea and barred Saudi vessels from passing through Bab al-Mandeb, imposing what sources described as an economic and diplomatic blockade.

The Saudi request for assistance is likely focused on intelligence support to build a broader picture of Houthi military deployments and identify potential plans for future operations. The IDF has already demonstrated intelligence and operational capabilities in the maritime arena around the Strait of Hormuz, assisting the U.S. in building layers of intelligence on Iranian force locations.

The security situation has raised concerns beyond Riyadh, based on a scenario in which the U.S. reaches understandings with Iran and the Houthis, leaving Saudi Arabia and other countries exposed to continued attacks. Bloomberg reported that Saudi Arabia also asked Britain for aid in repelling the Houthis and defending its oil infrastructure, with PM Burnham agreeing to send military advisers but not yet committing to further support.

Meanwhile, security officials said Trump's decision to allow Saudi Arabia to develop a civilian nuclear program has caused significant concern within Israel's security establishment, given the kingdom's energy resources and proximity to Israel. The issue was raised with Trump, who linked any progress on the civilian nuclear file to Saudi-Israeli normalization. Both sides remain optimistic that a roadmap for a diplomatic agreement can soon be presented, particularly amid growing regional threats.

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⚡️🇾🇪🇾🇪🇸🇦🇸🇾 — Sources among the Houthis in Sanaa told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar that the West Coast battle, which ended in the defeat of Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, foiled a Saudi plan to export the Syrian scenario to Yemen — a plan they say Riyadh had been working on for over a year.

The sources claimed extremist fighters were recruited from Syria through Saudi territory, with Syrian Salafist factions trained in the Saudi regions of Al-Wadiyyah and Sharura over recent months.

Houthi intelligence sources claimed Sanaa received information confirming Riyadh transferred hundreds of extremist elements from Syria into Yemen through its territory.

➡️ The sources also alleged a Turkish role in transporting Syrian extremists to the frontlines in Ma'rib, Al-Jawf, Aden, and Hadramout.

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⚡️🇮🇱 — Yedioth Ahronoth military correspondent Yossi Yehoshua reported that the Israeli military had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for a year about a deficit reaching tens of billions of shekels, but urgent action was repeatedly delayed.

Yehoshua said the funding crisis has now become more acute because transfers cannot be approved during the election period, prompting a senior military officer to contact opposition leader Yair Lapid. Lapid reportedly refused to approve additional funds without cuts to allocations for the governing coalition, triggering accusations between the sides.

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🚨🇸🇦🇾🇪 — Alert Sirens in Southern Saudi Arabia.

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🇮🇷❌🇺🇸 — A fourth MQ-1 drone has been intercepted and destroyed in the eastern airspace of the Strait of Hormuz by the IRGC's advanced air defense system, according to IRGC.

The downing occurred within the past few days and was carried out under the country's integrated air defense network.

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