Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before the United Nations General Assembly today (Thursday) that Israel defends many countries whose delegates left the hall in protest against his speech, while he launched a sharp attack on his country’s critics, addressing Iran, Gaza, Syria and Turkey, as well as Britain and France.
Dozens of delegates left the hall when Netanyahu began his speech, while a mixture of cheers and boos rose, and the majority of seats appeared empty after the mass withdrawal.
Netanyahu described those who withdrew from the hall as “moral cowards,” and asked anyone else who felt the same way as them to leave before he began his speech, according to what was reported by Reuters news agency.
The President of the General Assembly, Khalil Rahman, has repeatedly said: “Adhere to order in the hall.”
Iran and Gaza
Netanyahu spoke about the war in the Middle East, and said that launching an attack on Iran “was one of the easiest decisions I had to make.”
He said: “In defending itself, Israel is also defending many countries whose delegations have just left this hall. In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders secretly thank us even for destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Netanyahu rejected the allegations of genocide in Gaza, calling them “the biggest lie of this century.”
He also described the young Israeli settlers who practice violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as “a bunch of deviant juveniles, numbering approximately 150 people, who throw stones and cut down olive trees.”
He added: “I can’t stand it.” I will not adopt (the logic of applying) individual justice” outside the framework of the law.
Letters to Shara and Erdogan
Netanyahu addressed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, addressing him: “I tell the Syrian president that the Jews have been present in the Golan Heights since the time of Moses,” in response to al-Sharaa’s demand, before the United Nations, for Israel’s withdrawal from the Golan Heights, which it has occupied since 1967.
He also referred to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a “tyrant,” and said, “The latest country to become a hotbed for spreading anti-Semitic lies is Türkiye... Erdogan is a tyrant.” It hosts the leaders of the terrorist movement Hamas.”
Netanyahu attacked Britain and France against the backdrop of their colonial past, saying: “They accuse Israel, little Israel, of colonialism. What kind of colonialism is this?” Who accuses us? Among them are some in Britain and France,” he added, adding that countries like these two countries “created this term.”
He stressed "defending our state because we have no other choice."
A tribute to Trump and a message to Mamdani
Netanyahu pointed out that Israel has no greater partner than US President Donald Trump, and thanked him.
He also directed his speech to New York Mayor Zahran Mamdani, saying: “You will not be able to silence me,” after the latter’s attack on Netanyahu and his accusation that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.
Netanyahu said in response: “Many Jews no longer feel safe in New York since the election of Zahran Mamdani as its mayor.” He added: “Israel is falsely and repeatedly accused of committing genocide... The lies you and other anti-Semites spread about Jews and the Jewish state have real consequences.”
The war between Iran and the United States continues to have a direct impact on shipping and energy traffic in the region, with shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important global sea lanes, remaining at much lower levels than usual. At a time when Tehran is intensifying its diplomatic efforts to end the war and lift the blockade imposed on its ports, Washington is moving to tighten pressure on Iranian oil exports, while the repercussions of the sanctions have extended to the aviation sector.
Limited movement through Hormuz
Preliminary traffic data showed that 10 ships transporting goods crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, up from seven ships the previous day, but they remained below the ten-day moving average of about 17 ships per day.
Nine ships entered the strait; Among them are ships loaded with minerals, grains, and other dry goods, in addition to a large gas tanker that was empty, while one ship loaded with fertilizers left, according to data available until Thursday dawn. These numbers do not include ships that may have crossed the strait after turning off their transponders, to avoid detection of their movement.
These numbers reveal the extent of the decline in navigation traffic, compared to what was the situation before the outbreak of war on February 28 last. The strait usually witnessed the passage of about 125 large commercial ships daily, including oil and gas tankers, container ships, and bulk cargo.
Ship traffic through Hormuz represented a corridor for about 20 percent of the global daily supplies of crude oil and liquefied natural gas, which makes the continued decline in traffic through it have repercussions beyond the region.
Confiscated Iranian tankers cross the Atlantic
The continued decline in shipping traffic in Hormuz coincided with talks between Iranian and American officials in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings. In an attempt to find a formula to end the war.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi renewed the parties' call to settle the US-Iranian conflict through dialogue, saying, in a comment on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's statements regarding the Strait of Hormuz, that all parties must search for a peaceful option.
In a development related to the movement of oil, navigation tracking data showed that three oil tankers linked to Iran, and confiscated by the United States, were sailing on Thursday in the Atlantic Ocean, carrying approximately six million barrels of Iranian crude.
The tankers did not specify their destination via transmitters and receivers, but specialized ship tracking data indicated that they were heading towards the United States. The value of the shipment is estimated at approximately $600 million.
Among the tankers is the "Majestic
Other data shows that “Majestic X” and “Tiffany” are currently located off the coast of northern Brazil.
The United States confiscated the two tankers last April after they were loading oil from Iran, while tracking device data identified China and Singapore as their destinations when confiscated.
As for the third tanker, “Lenor,” it entered the Atlantic Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope route off South Africa on Tuesday. Washington confiscated it in June in the Indian Ocean.
The US Department of Defense says that the tanker seizures come as part of its efforts to dismantle “illicit networks” and intercept sanctioned ships that provide material support to Iran.
Iranian and Ukrainian contacts
In parallel with communications related to the war, the foreign ministers of Iran and Ukraine held a meeting on Thursday, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings, according to the semi-official Iranian Mehr Agency.
The meeting is the first of its kind between the two ministers since tensions escalated between the two countries in July, following a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea.
Menelaus Ledrius, Secretary-General of the International Gas Union, said that global gas markets are increasingly taking into account the continued scarcity of supplies beyond the winter because the war on Iran is disrupting liquefied natural gas exports from the Gulf region and complicating Europe’s efforts to rebuild its gas reserves.
These forecasts come at a time when Europe is competing with Asia for LNG shipments. In an attempt to refill storage facilities before winter, amid still ongoing uncertainty about the impact of the conflict on exports from Qatar; One of the largest suppliers of liquefied natural gas in the world.
Yedrios stated that gas futures prices indicate that traders expect prices to continue to rise and the risks that threaten supplies until next summer, before they begin to decline. EU member states represent more than 90 percent of the global gas market.
“The market currently indicates expectations that the conflict will continue for a longer period,” Yedrios said, according to Reuters.
Iran has threatened to expand the geographical scope of the war in the event that it is exposed to new American and Israeli strikes, all the way to the Indian Ocean, and perhaps beyond it, at a time when diplomatic efforts are continuing to end the war through Pakistani and Qatari mediation, while Israeli statements indicate preparations for a new round of confrontation with Tehran. In parallel with the military and political escalation, new US sanctions began to weigh heavily on Iranian air traffic, with international flights canceled and Iranian companies prevented from reaching major regional destinations.
Tehran waves the Indian Ocean
In the context of the Iranian escalation, Yahya Rahim Safavi, advisor to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned on Thursday that any new American and Israeli attacks could lead to an expansion of the conflict “to the Indian Ocean.”
Safavi said, in a video clip broadcast by the Fars Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, that the scope of the confrontation currently extends from the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea, adding that “it is possible that this scope will expand, in response to a possible war, to the Indian Ocean, or perhaps beyond it.”
The mention of the Indian Ocean, for the first time, represents a more extensive geographical reference in previous Iranian threats, in which officials spoke of the possibility of expanding the scope of the war if American strikes resumed. The region gains strategic importance due to the presence of the US-British military base, Diego Garcia, located about 4,000 kilometers from the Iranian coast.
This comes as Iran continues to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important sea lanes for global energy trade. About 20 percent of the world's oil passed through the strait before the outbreak of war.
Iranian negotiations and conditions
The threats come at a time when Iranian and American officials held talks this week in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings. In an attempt to find a way out of the war.
Tehran presented seven conditions: Among them are the lifting of sanctions imposed on its economy and the unconditional release of its frozen assets abroad. But statements by both parties indicate that the gap between them continues to widen. In Israel, an official said that the possibility of a new round of strikes against Iran was “a matter of time,” according to what was reported by Israeli media.
Israel: We are ready to resume strikes
The Israeli official said that, according to its assessments, his country had observed an intensification of attempts to transfer and fortify the Iranian nuclear project in the Jabal al-Ax area near the Natanz facility. He added that Israel is “defensively and offensively ready” for the possibility of renewed war with Iran and on other fronts, noting that its forces will move again against nuclear facilities and any sites linked to them if Tehran crosses what he described as “red lines,” whether with the participation of the United States or alone.
At the same time, the official stressed the continuation of “strong and permanent coordination” with Washington, considering that economic pressures and disagreements within the Iranian regime may push Tehran to take military responses in the region, including against Israel.
He also said that Israel does not see, according to his assessment, a real opportunity to reach an agreement between Washington and Tehran, despite continued contacts and mediations.
Sanctions hit Iranian aviation
In conjunction with the political and military escalation, new US sanctions began to put direct pressure on the Iranian aviation sector. Iranian airlines canceled their flights to the Emirates, after US sanctions measures entered into force.
The government agency ISNA reported that all flights operated by Iranian airlines to the Emirates had been canceled since midnight on Wednesday, while a passenger told Agence France-Presse that an Iran Air flight from Tehran to Dubai was canceled shortly before its departure time.
Dubai is one of the most prominent regional destinations for Iranian airlines, and has been a major stop for Iranian passengers heading to Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as an important destination for businessmen coming from Iran.
In early September, the United States imposed sanctions on the Iranian aviation sector, while warning foreign companies against providing services or assistance to it. Washington gave these companies until September 23 to comply, including stopping the supply of fuel to Iranian aircraft.
Failure to comply with sanctions exposes foreign companies to the risk of being blacklisted and cutting off their dealings with the dollar-based financial system.
With the entry into force of the sanctions, the main Iranian airlines were forced to cancel a number of their international flights, after neighboring countries closed their airspace to flights coming from Iran. On Thursday, Turkmenistan joined these countries.
Iranian Civil Aviation Organization spokesman Majid Akhwan said that Turkmenistan's refusal to allow Iranian aircraft to cross its airspace led to the return of a flight heading from Tehran to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, to Imam Khomeini Airport.
Despite the restrictions, some small Iranian airlines still operate international flights, especially to China and Armenia. Iran includes 27 airlines, but most of them focus on domestic flights, while Iran Air and Mahan Air handle the bulk of international flights under normal circumstances, especially to neighboring countries, Russia and China.
