Tehran, Sep 20: A senior Iranian security official said Iran has not yet decided whether to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), adding that any decision on the issue will depend on Washington’s behavior.

In an interview on Saturday, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei said the country is still committed to a religious decree issued by its late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which prohibits developing atomic weapons.

“However, we do not know what will happen in the future,” he noted, stressing that it is in Washington’s interest to accept Iran’s conditions for ending the war, which include ending hostilities on all fronts, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and lifting the anti-Iran naval blockade, Xinhua news agency reported.

He added that consultations with Qatari and Pakistani mediators are continuing, and Iran has informed them of its conditions for negotiations with the United States.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump will put Iran’s nuclear ambitions at the centre of his United Nations diplomacy next week, with talks planned with Gulf leaders and US officials warning of further consequences for entities doing business with Tehran.

Trump will address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday before meeting Gulf Cooperation Council leaders in New York. Officials said Iran would be a major subject of discussion, but did not confirm whether the president or other US representatives would meet Iranian officials.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

On June 18, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts. Under the MoU, they were scheduled to hold negotiations within a period of 60 days, which ended on August 17, to reach a final agreement, but the talks’ fate remains unclear following a series of recent escalations between the two countries.

New Delhi, Sep 19: Continuing with its humanitarian assistance to Nepal, India on Saturday sent another 11 tonnes of relief supplies to support the Himalayan nation’s recovery from the devastating flash floods.

“Dispatched another 11 tonnes of relief material to Nepal, including medicines, forensic supplies, tents, hygiene kits, sleeping bags and other essential supplies. India continues to support Nepal’s recovery. Neighbourhood First,” External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar posted on X.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), this was the 9th Indian Air Force (IAF) plane carrying relief material as Nepal struggles to recover from the deadly flash floods of August 26, which have caused widespread destruction, left over 1300 people dead, and thousands still missing.

On Friday, Nepal’s Finance Minister, Swarnim Wagle, thanked the Government of India for its support in rescue and relief efforts following the recent flash flood in Rasuwa, the Embassy of Nepal in India stated.

“Dr. Swarnim Wagle, Finance Minister of Nepal, met Dr. S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India, in New Delhi. Minister Wagle thanked the Government of India for its support in rescue and relief efforts following the recent flash flood in Rasuwa,” the Embassy wrote on X.

“The two Ministers discussed ways to deepen the longstanding Nepal-India friendship and strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in investment, energy and connectivity,” it added.

Last week, relief and rescue items, including materials for tunnel rescue and forensic supplies, sent by India were handed over to Mahabir Pun, Nepal’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation.

“The 8th Indian flight with relief and rescue items, including materials for tunnel rescue and forensic supplies, reached Kathmandu and were handed over to Nepal’s Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mahabir Pun,” Ambassador of India to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, said on X.

India expedited the delivery of relief supplies, equipment and expert personnel to Nepal through nine special flights since August 26 in the wake of the devastating flash floods.

Sanaa, Sep 19: Yemen’s Houthi group has said that Saudi warplanes launched 26 airstrikes on the southwestern province of Taiz over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of strikes across Yemen this week to 300 as air operations intensified alongside ongoing ground battles on several fronts.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on social media platform X on Friday (local time) that Saudi F-15 fighter jets carried out the 26 strikes on Taiz after taking off from Khamis Mushait Air Base in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Sarea added that this week’s 300 airstrikes across nine Yemeni provinces involved F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets operating from Saudi air bases of Khamis Mushait and King Fahd, reports Xinhua news agency.

Saudi authorities had no immediate comment.

The reported strikes came as heavy fighting continued Friday around the Kahbub mountain range in the southern province of Lahj, near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, while clashes persisted across southwestern Taiz and in oil-rich Marib farther northeast.

The latest escalation follows significant Houthi advances along Yemen’s southwestern Red Sea coast earlier this month. Yemen’s conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government.

Meanwhile, explosions were heard in the Saudi capital Riyadh early Saturday. Local residents received air defence alerts via mobile apps.

The Saudi Directorate of Civil Defence later issued a statement on X saying the danger has passed in Riyadh and Al-Kharj and urged residents to continue following its instructions and avoid gathering or filming.

Earlier, it had warned: “An alert has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform for Emergency Cases in Al-Kharj Governorate to warn of a danger.”