Sep 30, 2026, 11:30 PM UTC

Tehran has affirmed that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington fulfills its conditions, which include lifting petroleum sanctions, unfreezing assets, and halting military operations. Despite US President Donald Trump rejecting an Iranian proposal to reopen the strategic waterway within seven days in exchange for reduced military pressure, Iranian officials stated they are still awaiting a "definitive position" from Washington.

Simultaneously, military tension around the passage has heightened. Following a US strike on Iran's Larak Island and nighttime naval escorts for commercial oil tankers, Iranian forces responded by deploying rocket-launched naval mines into the strategic corridor.

Sources: Expresso, Expresso das Ilhas, Jornal Económico, RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal)

At a conference in Geneva, 128 United Nations member states established a formal definition for autonomous weapons systems, marking an initial step toward potential international regulation. The consensus follows joint warnings from the UN and the Red Cross regarding the moral risks of automated targeting.

Simultaneously, Germany’s Ministry of Defense confirmed updated doctrine permitting weapon systems to execute certain functions partially without human intervention at every step. Ministry representatives stated that "the decision on the use of military force remains with humans." To maintain technological sovereignty, Germany also rejected software from American vendor Palantir, opting to build an independent artificial intelligence platform for real-time operational analysis.

Sources: Correctiv, Der Spiegel, Der Standard, Die Zeit, ESUT

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held high-level talks at the White House during Xi's three-day state visit to the United States. According to official statements, discussions covered key international security issues, including the war in Ukraine, regional tensions in the Middle East, and security on the Korean Peninsula.

The summit comes shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested American officials to press Beijing to use its influence over Moscow for de-escalation. Analysts noted Trump personally welcoming Xi upon his arrival as an unusual protocol gesture aimed at signaling diplomatic importance. While Beijing emphasized maintaining global stability, observers continue to assess potential diplomatic trade-offs regarding China's support for Russia.

Sources: Liga net, NV, Радіо Свобода, Українська правда.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko accused Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), of forging documents and arranging a sham adoption to evade legal liability.

NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) rejected the claims, stating that Kryvonos was never formally served with a notice of suspicion and describing the allegations as a political attack on independent institutions.

Following his video statement, Kravchenko reportedly left Ukraine in a government vehicle, leading President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to request his immediate dismissal by parliament. The confrontation comes as NABU investigates a suspected criminal organization involving current and former lawmakers and officials in the President's Office.

Sources: NEXTA, OCCRP, The Insider, Радіо Свобода, Українська правда

German investigative authorities have linked a failed explosive drone plot at Leipzig/Halle Airport directly to Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU. Classified investigative documents cited in media reports identify a Russian national and GRU operative as the logistical coordinator behind the August attempt, which targeted four Ukrainian cargo aircraft.

The incident forms part of a broader pattern of suspected state-sponsored hybrid warfare across Germany. Regional and federal authorities are currently investigating more than 100 cases of potential foreign sabotage, including unauthorized drone reconnaissance over military sites, damage to deep-sea cables, disinformation campaigns, and concealed weapons caches intended for future operations. German security officials maintain that these coordinated efforts aim to undermine public trust and destabilize democratic institutions.

Sources: Correctiv, Der Standard, FAZ, ORF, Tagesschau