Iran US war tensions sharpened on this Monday. A spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said the world will be “astonished” by the new weapons Tehran will use if the US attacks again. Iranian lawmakers have also submitted a bill to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The warnings come as the Strait of Hormuz remains tense, fighting rages in Yemen and diplomats gather at the UN General Assembly in New York.
What did Iran say about new weapons in the Iran US war?
IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi told local media that Iran will bring new weapons with new capabilities to the battlefield. He said the world “will be astonished.” Al Jazeera carried the remarks. He also said Iran’s targets may no longer be the same as before, and that the IRGC has new targets it has not yet struck. Mohebbi described a shift in the “geography of war” if there is a new US attack.
Tehran says it has learnt the US may be planning a new round of strikes. It warned of retaliation “without limitations.” The US has not confirmed any such plan in the reports reviewed.
Why are Iranian lawmakers pushing to leave the NPT?
Lawmaker Hossein-Ali Haji Deligani told an open session on Sunday that the bill has gone to Parliament’s Presiding Board with triple urgency. It needs approval from Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf to reach a floor debate. He pointed to the recent referral of Iran’s case to the UN Security Council by the IAEA Board of Governors. He said Tehran must avoid further costs.
There are other signals. A statement signed by 130 lawmakers has urged Parliament to start the legal process for withdrawal. One lawmaker has also called for the tests needed to develop a nuclear weapon. The government has sounded different. In an interview with India Today, published September 14, President Masoud Pezeshkian said, “If we were seeking nuclear weapons, we would not have joined the NPT.” He is now in New York for the UN General Assembly.
What is the NPT and how can a country leave it?
The NPT is a 1970 treaty that aims to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Iran signed it in 1968 and ratified it in 1970 as a non nuclear weapon state. Tehran says its programme is peaceful.
The treaty allows a country to exit with three months’ notice if extraordinary events have put its supreme national interests at risk. Parliament has not yet voted on the bill, and no notice of withdrawal has been given.
Why do Hormuz traffic numbers differ in the Iran US war?
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says the threat level around the Strait of Hormuz remains “severe.” Its independent monitoring shows only a handful of vessels moving through, while US Navy data showed an average of over 30 transits a day over the previous 72 hours. UKMTO also recorded at least three security incidents in that period. On September 18, a tanker caught fire after an attack.
| Source | Traffic reported |
| UKMTO independent monitoring | A handful of vessels, single digits over the weekend |
| US Navy data | Average of over 30 transits a day (previous 72 hours) |
| Kpler data via Reuters | A dozen commodity vessels over the weekend, versus 35 the week before |
| Historical average (JMIC, via Skuld) | About 138 vessels a day |
Counting methods matter here. Some Middle Eastern producers still export oil on tankers with their transponders off. That affects what tracking shows. The reasons for the gap have not been officially explained. Before the war, the strait carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. That is why India and other import dependent economies watch it closely.
What did Qatar’s prime minister propose?
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. He spoke on Sunday, September 20, at the Qatar Economic Forum event in New York.
Al Thani said the region needs a “framework in which sovereignty is respected” and no state can pose a threat to another. He called for a security framework that brings Gulf countries and Iran together. “Iran is our neighbour,” he said. He described the fallout of the war as an “earthquake” and warned against repeated cycles of escalation.
What could happen next in the Iran US war?
Several points remain unconfirmed:
- Whether Iran’s Parliament will schedule a debate on the NPT bill
- Whether Tehran will show the new weapons Mohebbi mentioned
- Whether the US will carry out the new strikes Iran says it expects
- Whether diplomacy at the UN General Assembly can reduce tension
For now, the US and Iran as being in a stalemate. Washington has stepped up sanctions pressure while signalling that diplomacy remains an option.