NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman recently showcased an unidentified X-plane rendering, hinting at potential future developments in high-speed aviation. “It will not be long before NASA once again is flying as high and as fast as we had in decades past… and then even more,” Isaacman said.

Russia’s Kuibyshev oil refinery caught fire again overnight, with local residents reporting large flames rising from the western side of the facility. The refinery was struck by Ukrainian attack drones the previous day.

Following the first direct U.S.-Iran meeting since the MOU framework collapsed, Iranian news outlets have confirmed the talks and reported that Tehran has set several preconditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. According to the reports, those conditions include the immediate lifting of the U.S. blockade on vessels traveling to and from Iran, the release of all frozen Iranian assets, and an end to conflicts involving all “resistance” fronts.

Russia’s Moscow oil refinery has completely halted operations following a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday, according to Reuters. Both of the refinery’s primary crude distillation units caught fire in the attack, with repairs expected to take several weeks.

According to Russian state-backed media and the Kremlin press pool, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The two reportedly discussed the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the escalating confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, and opportunities to expand cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is preparing to resume oil exports from its western port of Yanbu after the East-West Pipeline was restarted, according to Reuters, citing people briefed on the matter. The pipeline was struck earlier this month by Iran-backed groups in Iraq, in a notable attack amid the ongoing escalation between the Houthis, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The developments come as Iran has called for restrictions on both of the region’s major maritime chokepoints—the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait—adding further pressure to regional energy and shipping routes.

According to Axios, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asked the United States for protection while attending the United Nations General Assembly. After assessing the threats against Araghchi, the U.S. State Department agreed to provide him with protection from Diplomatic Security Service agents.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States cannot afford to fall behind in the global artificial intelligence race. “We cannot afford to not be at the leading edge of AI because it’s going to happen,” Rubio said. He emphasized the rapid pace of AI development, noting that new and more advanced models are emerging every few months. “AI is changing every day, every six months, every three months, a new model comes out that’s more advanced than the previous one. And it’s moving so fast that by the time you build guardrails around what you have now, you have something new and you have to build new guardrails,” he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized NATO allies that denied the United States access to their overseas military bases during the Iran conflict. “If that’s going to be denied to us, then we’ve lost the biggest reason for us to be in NATO,” Rubio said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is controlled by what he called “lunatic clerics” who must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. “Think about it. The thousands and thousands and thousands of their own people they’ve killed. Imagine if they had a nuclear weapon and the ability to use that,” Rubio said. He also argued that fuel prices would be significantly higher than they are now if the Iranian government possessed a nuclear weapon.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico are suing the Trump administration after their White House press credentials were revoked and their reporters were denied entry to the White House grounds. The outlets said they were filing the lawsuit to protect their First Amendment rights, arguing that the administration revoked their credentials because it objected to their reporting. The lawsuit names President Trump, White House communications director Steven Cheung, Chief of Staff Susan Wiles and Secret Service Director Sean Curran. President Trump announced the ban September 18th, accusing the three outlets of reporting “FICTION and LIES” about his administration and saying other outlets could also face restrictions. The ban was enforced the following day, when reporters' credentials were deactivated and confiscated. The organizations are asking a federal judge in Washington to temporarily block the ban and restore their permanent White House credentials. The White House has not publicly responded to the lawsuit as of this morning.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Iranian airlines will face a worldwide shutdown beginning September 23 under new U.S. measures. “If they land, 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 said. The measures will also include continued sanctions targeting Iranian banks, alongside the aviation restrictions.

According to the Financial Times, citing a number of people familiar with the matter, during his call yesterday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. President Donald J. Trump pressed his Ukrainian counterpart to limit strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, citing the global energy market for his reasonings.

Putin's United Russia party is on track to win the Duma elections, with exit polling showing it received just over 50% of the vote. The anti-war Yabloko party was banned from the election.

BNO News: "Limon Verde, a local reporter who spoke with the man’s wife, told CBS Austin that she said her husband was shot twice in the back. The reporter also described witness video sent to him, saying an ICE SUV attempted to block the man’s vehicle. He said the man tried to drive away as agents approached, and they began shooting. A blue Toyota Corolla at the scene had bullet holes and damage to its passenger-side door. Footage posted on social media by Beto Luna showed the man inside the vehicle after the shooting. He appeared to speak to the person recording, but his words were unclear. The uploader added a message in Spanish asking anyone who knew the man’s family to notify them, saying he had been shot by ICE. The man’s identity has not been publicly released."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he spoke to U.S. President Donald J. Trump earlier today and that the two would be meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week. This comes amidst renewed efforts by the Trump administration to realize some level of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, despite many analyzing that following Russian elections, where Russian President Vladimir Putin’s party has so far swept the exit-polls, President Putin is expected to announce expanded mobilizations.

Donald Trump is returning to the White House from Camp David a day earlier than planned, according to White House correspondent Joey Garrison. No idea if it’s related to the U.S. travel alerts this afternoon.

Footage of Ukrainian forces from the 66th Mechanized Brigade intercepting dozens of Russian Molniya attack drones near their positions in Lyman this summer.

After a widespread State Department alert for the Middle East, U.S. President Donald J. Trump is set to return early from Camp David, citing the potential for significant escalation in the region due to the Houthi’s attacks against Saudi Arabia, the president will return early from Camp David.

Egypt has told Saudi Arabia it prefers diplomacy over military escalation in Yemen, sources told Al-Akhbar. Cairo's position centers on protecting Saudi economic and security stability through naval, air and intelligence means rather than ground involvement. Egyptian officials warned that a war against the Houthis would amount to indirect confrontation with Iran and make Egypt a target. Threats to oil tankers in the Red Sea could push Egypt to act to protect freedom of navigation, but not inside Yemen.