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Iranian-American Journalist Jailed in Tehran Pleas for US Help

Iran's Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)
Iran's Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)
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Iranian-American Journalist Jailed in Tehran Pleas for US Help

Iran's Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)
Iran's Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)

An Iranian-American journalist sentenced to 10 years in a notorious Tehran prison called on Washington to provide medical help for him and other US detainees, CBS News reported Friday.

Reza Valizadeh, who holds both Iranian and US citizenship and worked for US-funded Persian-language Radio Farda, is in prison on charges of collaborating with a hostile government, according to his lawyer.

A voice message from the journalist obtained by CBS News comes amid a shaky truce as Tehran and Washington conduct slow-moving negotiations to resolve a war launched by President Donald Trump in February.

Valizadeh said in the two-minute recording that he and three other Americans held at Tehran's Evin prison were sick and being denied medical treatment.

"While the four of us are suffering from various diseases and are deprived from real medical services, the US government could have at least demanded real medical services for us in exchange for the release of Iranian sailors," he says.

"Even if treating our diseases is a big demand, it would have at least asked the Iranian authorities to reduce not all the physical pressure and mental torture against us in captivity, but at least some of it."

AFP was not able to verify the authenticity of the recording. CBS News said the recording was recent and had been made after Iranian authorities loosened wartime communication restrictions last week.

Valizadeh's lawyer Ryan Fayhee told CBS News that Valizadeh was suffering from persistent coughing, back pain and dental problems.

"He's survived an airstrike on the prison, he survived the prison itself," Fayhee said, referring to an Israeli strike which damaged parts of the facility in June last year.

The United States said in 2024 it was aware of Valizadeh's detention and called on Iran to free him.

Rights groups have denounced conditions in Iran's prisons, where detainees suffer from overcrowding and shortages of food, water, hygiene supplies, medicine and medical care.

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World

US, Iran Separately Talk with Mediators in Latest Bid to End War

An Iranian missile is displayed under the country's national flag in a military exhibition commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war at Baharestan Square, in Tehran, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP)
An Iranian missile is displayed under the country's national flag in a military exhibition commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war at Baharestan Square, in Tehran, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP)
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US, Iran Separately Talk with Mediators in Latest Bid to End War

An Iranian missile is displayed under the country's national flag in a military exhibition commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war at Baharestan Square, in Tehran, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP)
An Iranian missile is displayed under the country's national flag in a military exhibition commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war at Baharestan Square, in Tehran, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP)

US and Iranian officials spoke separately with mediators on Monday as part of a renewed effort to end seven months of war, according to officials of both countries.

Any further talks are expected to focus on an amended version of a seven-day proposal that Iran presented last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.

The war began in late February with US and Israeli attacks on ‌Iran, killing ‌thousands of people over seven months and shocking global markets ‌as ⁠vital waterways for ⁠oil remained choked. The US and Iran have twice previously agreed to ceasefires in mediated peace talks, in April and June. Those agreements quickly unraveled.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who remained in New York after attending the General Assembly, said Iran expected to receive the US response to its latest ceasefire proposals and its conditions for restoring passage of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state ⁠news agency IRNA.

"If the Americans claim they are seeking ‌an agreement or a peaceful solution, we ‌have presented that solution," Araqchi said.

US officials separately spoke with mediators on Monday, US President Donald ‌Trump told reporters at the White House, without giving further details.

TRUMP HAS ‌FLAGGED FURTHER TALKS THIS WEEK

Iran's seven-day plan envisages an end to all hostilities in Iran and Lebanon, the unfreezing of billions of dollars' worth of Iranian assets, an end to sanctions on Iranian oil and the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ‌ports.

Iran would then allow the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for oil tankers, and the ⁠two sides would ⁠also resume talks on Iran's nuclear program and Trump's wish to seize or eliminate its highly enriched uranium.

Trump said on Saturday he had rejected Iran's proposal, saying Iran wanted a swift agreement because of the crippling economic pressure it is under. However, he also told Axios on Sunday that he expected US negotiators to engage in further talks this week.

Araghchi said on Sunday that mediators had not formally conveyed a US rejection, and that Iran was awaiting Washington's definitive position before deciding its next steps.

"Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met," he said on Sunday, adding that only a negotiated solution could resolve the impasse.

World

Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Says North Korea Prepares to Deploy Another 10,000 Troops to Russia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 23, 2026. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 23, 2026. (Reuters)
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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Says North Korea Prepares to Deploy Another 10,000 Troops to Russia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 23, 2026. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 23, 2026. (Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday there are more than 8,000 North Korean troops on Russian territory and preparations are underway to deploy another 10,000 troops.

Citing "new data" on the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia, Zelenskiy said they were "being selected for training and subsequent deployment to Russia."

The Ukrainian president ‌said in ‌August that up to ‌50,000 North ⁠Korean soldiers could be ⁠sent to fight for Russia, and called on South Korea to provide support for Ukraine's air defense.

South Korea announced in July a $100 million aid package for Ukraine, although it excluded lethal weapons.

Zelenskiy's comments on Monday ⁠came after Seoul and Kyiv were ‌at odds over ‌his announcement last week that Ukraine had transferred ‌two captured North Korean soldiers to ‌South Korea.

Seoul expressed regret over his announcement, citing an agreement to keep the transfer confidential. South Korea also protested against what it called a ‌false statement from the Ukrainian presidential office denying that such a confidentiality ⁠agreement ⁠existed.

North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine since 2024, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates, with most deployed in the Kursk region to help repel a Ukrainian incursion.

Pyongyang has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, as well as ballistic missiles, long-range artillery systems and multiple-launch rocket systems, according to Ukrainian and independent assessments.

World

Iran Says Filed Complaint to UN Aviation Watchdog over US Flight Restrictions

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
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Iran Says Filed Complaint to UN Aviation Watchdog over US Flight Restrictions

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)

Iran has lodged a complaint with the United Nations over US sanctions against its aviation sector that have forced the cancellation of flights, state media reported Monday. 

This month the United States imposed restrictions on the entire aviation industry in Iran and vowed to take a hard line against companies that assist it, said AFP. 

As the sanctions took effect last Wednesday, major airlines were forced to cancel international flights after several countries implemented bans. 

"To defend the legitimate rights of the aviation industry and counter illegal restrictions imposed by America, Iran has drafted and submitted a formal protest to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)," said civil aviation chief Abouzar Shiroudi, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency. 

The ICAO is a UN agency based in Montreal, Canada that sets and regulates standards for civil aviation. 

"In cooperation with the foreign ministry, we have also filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice at The Hague," Shiroudi added. 

For Iranians wishing to enter or exit their country, destinations in neighboring Türkiye are now the primary options for flights. 

Routes also remain available to Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Russia, Malaysia and Thailand, with flights to the United Arab Emirates suspended. 

An official from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport said Sunday that around 30 international destinations were still being served by Iranian airlines.