UKMTO reports second vessel attack in Hormuz within hours

The developments come as President Masoud Pezeshkian is preparing to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly, creating another potential diplomatic opening as tensions remained high around the Strait of Hormuz.

Revolutionary Guards spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said Monday a renewed attack on Iran would change both the scale of Tehran’s response and the geographical reach of the conflict.

“We will introduce new weapons with new capabilities into the battle, and the world will be astonished,” Mohebbi said, adding that Iran had identified targets that had not previously come under attack.

He said the Revolutionary Guards had prepared for a prolonged conflict and would change the “geography of the war” if Iran came under renewed attack.

Iran’s armed forces separately pledged in a joint statement to make the United States, Israel and their allies “taste the bitterness of further defeats,” while Army Commander Amir Hatami said the military remained on full alert.

The warnings came as the risks of the conflict remained visible at sea.

Two tankers were struck in separate incidents while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.

One tanker entering the waterway was hit by an unknown projectile, leaving two crew members with minor injuries. The vessel remained under its own power and continued toward its next port, with no environmental damage reported.

Hours later, the master of an LPG tanker traveling out of the strait reported that the vessel had been hit by debris from unknown projectiles. Its crew was safe and the tanker continued toward its destination.

The incidents came amid a sharp decline in commercial shipping through the strategic waterway. Seventeen commodity vessels crossed the strait over the weekend, compared with 37 a week earlier, according to shipping data cited by Reuters.

Before the war began on February 28, about 125 large commercial vessels typically passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day.

The Revolutionary Guards also said Monday that they had shot down another US MQ-1 drone over the strait. The force has announced several drone interceptions over the waterway in recent days but has provided limited supporting evidence.

Mediators push for return to talks

Against that backdrop, regional governments were intensifying efforts to prevent another round of fighting and restart negotiations between Iran and the United States.

Qatar has been exchanging proposals with Washington and Tehran for nearly two weeks, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said, adding that mediators were traveling between capitals in search of common ground.

Pakistan has also been involved in the diplomatic push. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni in Tehran on Monday, weeks after taking part in Pakistani mediation efforts aimed at ending the Iran-US conflict.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said before the visit that it was not aware of any specific US message or proposal being carried by Naqvi.

Neither Washington nor Tehran has publicly indicated that an agreement is close.

Pezeshkian, meanwhile, was due to leave for New York on Tuesday to attend the UN General Assembly, bringing Iran’s president to the United States at a time of heightened diplomatic activity.

US pressure continues alongside diplomacy

The mediation effort has not brought an easing of US economic pressure.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that Washington intends from September 23 to use secondary sanctions to effectively shut Iranian airlines out of international operations by targeting companies that provide them with fuel, landing services and ticketing.

“When Iranian airlines land at an airport, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system,” Bessent told CNBC.

Bessent said the United States was also discussing enforcement of sanctions on Iran with Chinese officials, following talks with Vice Premier He Lifeng and financial authorities.

The combination leaves diplomacy unfolding under growing pressure rather than replacing it: regional mediators are trying to reopen negotiations while Washington tightens Iran’s economic isolation and Tehran warns that renewed military action would bring a broader response.

With attacks continuing around Hormuz and neither side signaling that a deal is near, the mediation effort is increasingly focused on preventing the current confrontation from opening into another, wider phase.

One advertisement offered eight frozen embryos for one billion rials (about $4400), although it was unclear whether the price applied to each embryo or the entire group, Jahan-e Sanat newspaper reported on Monday.

Another seller advertised 18 frozen embryos and asked prospective buyers to suggest a price. Similar advertisements for embryos, eggs, sperm and surrogacy services have appeared on Instagram and Telegram.

The advertisements directed prospective buyers away from the original platform to continue discussions elsewhere, with little information about the people offering the embryos or how any transfer would take place.

Iranian law provides for donation, not direct sales

Iranian legislation passed in 2003 permits embryo donation to infertile married couples under specified conditions, with implementing regulations adopted the following year also covering frozen embryos.

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Under those regulations, embryo donation is defined as the voluntary and free transfer of one or more embryos to authorized infertility treatment centers. Written consent from the couple providing the embryo is required, and transfers must take place through authorized specialist centers.

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Prospective recipients must apply jointly as a married couple to a court and meet requirements covering infertility, legal capacity, health, drug use and Iranian citizenship.

The regulations therefore provide a formal route for donating frozen embryos but do not define them as commodities that can be sold directly between individuals.

Sociologist points to poverty and intermediaries

The online advertisements could reflect a combination of financial hardship among potential sellers and the desperation of couples struggling with infertility, sociologist Alireza Sharifi-Yazdi told Jahan-e Sanat.

“Behind this are a number of digital intermediaries who operate on Instagram, Telegram, and similar platforms and exploit the poverty and financial vulnerability of families, particularly women, as well as the desperation and confusion of infertile couples,” Sharifi-Yazdi said.

He distinguished regulated infertility treatment from an informal market in which intermediaries seek to profit from reproductive services.

Some infertile couples may turn to such channels after unsuccessful treatments including intrauterine insemination, or IUI, and in vitro fertilization, or IVF, he said.

Lengthy adoption procedures and the cost and waiting times associated with infertility treatment can also make unofficial alternatives appear easier, Sharifi-Yazdi added.

The financial circumstances of people offering embryos, he said, are another part of the picture, with worsening poverty potentially making them more susceptible to intermediaries seeking to profit from their situation.

Questions over oversight and identity

Sharifi-Yazdi also raised concerns about the possible consequences for children born following informal embryo transactions, including questions about their genetic parentage and legal status.

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Modern DNA testing could allow children conceived through such arrangements to discover that the people raising them are not their genetic parents, potentially creating psychological and legal complications later in life, he argued.

Iran also lacks a transparent centralized national system through which people seeking to donate embryos without payment can readily register and navigate the legal process.

Rising foreign exchange rates, sanctions and difficulties obtaining specialized equipment have become major challenges for the industry, where many mines still rely on traditional or semi-mechanized methods, said the report.

“There is an inverse relationship between the exchange rate and the provision of equipment; the more expensive foreign currency becomes, the less financial capacity employers have to provide safety,” Ebrahim Rahimian, executive secretary of the Tabas Workers’ House, told ILNA.

Many components used in mine monitoring and safety systems are imported and have no domestically produced alternatives, Rahimian said.

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Employers, he added, still have options to obtain equipment if they prioritize worker safety, including raising the necessary funds to purchase imported products at market exchange rates.

Deadly record in Iran’s mines

Workplace accidents, according to ILNA, remain a persistent problem in Iran, with coal mines among the most dangerous workplaces because of the conditions involved in underground extraction.

A collapse at the Parvadeh Tabas Coal Company mine killed a worker on April 29 in one of the latest fatal accidents.

A methane explosion at a coal mine in Tabas killed 53 workers in September 2024, drawing renewed attention to safety standards in Iran’s mining industry.

The economic pressures affecting mine operators have intensified as the rial has lost value, making imported machinery and specialized equipment more expensive.

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Sharp currency fluctuations have also complicated financial planning for businesses as Iran contends with sanctions and persistent inflation.

Underground mines need advanced monitoring

Coal miners working underground require more than personal protective equipment such as boots and gloves, Rahimian said.

Advanced systems, he added, are needed to continuously monitor gas concentrations and pressure in layers above underground workings, providing information directly connected to workers’ safety.

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Workers at mining companies in Tabas, Kerman, Zarand and Jiroft continue to operate using traditional or semi-mechanized methods, with only one company providing an exception, according to Rahimian.

Training is another essential part of reducing the dangers workers face underground, particularly in preparing them to respond to emergencies, he said.

“Continuous training and retraining is the minimum right of the workforce and must not be stopped at any cost.”

The combination of aging mining practices, costly imported safety technology and mounting economic pressure has left workers exposed to hazards that previous deadly accidents have already demonstrated can carry severe consequences.

Trump told Fox News he was in a “deciding mode” over Iran and expected “very big things” soon. The network described the options under consideration as military action, allowing economic pressure to continue or reaching an agreement.

“My question is, if and when, do I blow the entire nation up? They better behave,” Trump told Fox News.

Trump also said he would probably be open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the UN General Assembly, leaving diplomacy on the table despite his warnings.

Hormuz remains central

Iranian officials continued to present the Strait of Hormuz as a source of leverage. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf responded to a September 17 JPMorgan oil-market report that said the bank no longer had a baseline view for how the conflict would end.

“This endgame cannot be modeled. It will be opened, and Iran's hand is already on the lever,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.

JPMorgan said assumptions underlying its earlier outlook had been overtaken by events and that it could no longer confidently model an endgame.

“For the first time since the start of the Iran conflict, we don't have a baseline view. We simply don't know how to model the endgame,” the report said.

Pressure around the waterway was also visible in maritime traffic. US Central Command said its forces had redirected 109 commercial vessels to ensure compliance by September 20.

A separate maritime security update from the UKMTO-linked Joint Maritime Information Center recorded four tankers involved in attacks or suspicious activity near the Strait over the past week. Two cases were recorded on September 17 and another two on September 18.

The economic consequences remain significant for Persian Gulf producers. QatarEnergy chief executive Saad al-Kaabi said normal gas operations could resume within weeks of the Strait reopening, but warned that disruption to shipments of critical equipment could delay the country’s expansion plans.

Iran keeps diplomatic channel open

Iranian officials also emphasized their willingness to negotiate. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran did not want war and considered conflict harmful to both the country and the wider world, but would not yield to force or intimidation.

“We do not want war and conflict and consider them harmful not only to the people of our country but to the world. At the same time, we will in no way yield to force and bullying,” Pezeshkian said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left for New York with a diplomatic delegation to attend the UN General Assembly, state media reported. Araghchi made a brief stop in Qatar before continuing to New York.

The index measuring manufacturers’ raw material inventories fell to 39.3 in August from about 44.5 in July, while the Purchasing Managers’ Index for the overall economy dropped to 46.9, according to the survey. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.

Continued depletion of raw material inventories, combined with weakness elsewhere in the supply chain, could become one of the “most serious constraints on industrial production growth” in the coming months, the Iran Chamber of Commerce warned.

War damage adds to supply pressure

Part of the shortage cannot be explained by restrictions on imports alone. Iran was a major producer and exporter of several affected products, including petrochemicals and steel, before the war.

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Major petrochemical facilities in Asaluyeh and Mahshahr and the Mobarakeh Steel and Khuzestan Steel complexes were targeted during the war. Asaluyeh and Mahshahr together accounted for roughly three-quarters of Iran’s petrochemical production before the strikes.

Mobarakeh and Khuzestan Steel also sustained damage to production infrastructure.

The chamber attributed pressure on raw material stocks to limited access to foreign currency, difficulties with imports and customs clearance, goods being held at customs, logistical disruptions and higher procurement costs.

The oil and gas products sector recorded the lowest raw material inventory index at 23.3, followed by vehicles and related parts at 28.7. Rubber and plastics and the clothing and leather industries each recorded 32.2.

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Only the food industry and the wood, paper and furniture sector recorded raw material inventory readings above 50.

Input costs climb

Manufacturers also reported a sharp rise in raw material costs, with the purchase-price index increasing to 88.2 in August from 80.4 in July.

The index exceeded 100 for oil and gas products, while machinery and household appliances and non-metallic mineral products recorded readings above 92. Raw material purchase-price indices were above 50 across every industrial sector surveyed.

Other major PMI components remained below 50, including output or service activity at 47.8, new customer orders at 47.5, suppliers’ delivery times at 48.6 and employment at 47.3. All deteriorated from July except employment, which was unchanged.

Consumer prices were more than 84% higher in August than a year earlier, while annual inflation stood at about 69%, according to the Statistical Center of Iran.

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The sharp increase in manufacturers’ input costs adds to inflationary pressure on consumer prices. The Chamber warned that shrinking inventories could also reduce production capacity and disrupt or halt some production lines if current conditions persist.