Iran puts Hormuz ball on Washington as Trump tees up America.gov and justices await Monday briefs
A senior Iranian official says nuclear concessions are off the table; Russia could restart most Black Sea grain terminals if attacks stop; Republicans question Xi’s red-carpet welcome.
World Brief Now5 PM CT · Fri, Sep 25
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters at the United Nations on Friday that Tehran has given Washington a "concrete" seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and that "the choice now rests with the United States," Reuters reported. Speaking separately, Araghchi said the seven-day clock would start when the United States accepts the plan, with U.S. steps in the first four or five days, the strait reopening on day six and talks on day seven, Iran International reported. A senior Iranian official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, said Iran would show no flexibility on its nuclear program even if Washington accepted the Hormuz proposal, and that the waterway would stay closed until "all of Iran’s conditions are met," including lifting the U.S. naval blockade, releasing frozen funds and waiving oil sanctions.
Russia could quickly restart up to 80% of its grain-terminal capacity in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov if a ceasefire halts mutual attacks, a Reuters analysis of industry data showed Friday. Three terminals accounting for about 20% of capacity — including NKHP at Novorossiysk, hit Aug. 12 — suffered heavy damage and could take months to repair; terminals with combined capacity of about 53 million tons are idle mainly for security reasons but could resume, out of roughly 67 million tons total in the region. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is leading an international push to restore Black Sea grain trade; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said India, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries are involved, while the Kremlin said Russia is finding alternate export routes.
The Trump administration will unveil America.gov at an all-day event Tuesday in Washington featuring President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Fox News Digital reported exclusively Friday. A White House official described the site as "a new front door for the federal government" meant to give Americans a one-stop shop for information now spread across agency websites. U.S. Chief Design Officer Joe Gebbia, who heads the National Design Studio, told Fox the launch is about making it "easy to just access government"; confirmed attendees include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp.
Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told Fox News he would have advised against inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping for "such a lavish welcome," citing "troubling issues" with Xi and the Chinese Communist Party; Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said rolling out the red carpet for "a despot from China" is "kind of not good," and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Xi and other autocrats are "no friend." White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump was reciprocating Xi’s hospitality from a summer Beijing summit and would "forge relationships with anyone in order to advance our national interests." Separately, the White House released an official wrap Friday quoting Trump that the meeting was one of "Friendship, Strength, and Success" and that "I think our farmers are going to be very happy."
Solicitor General D. John Sauer has asked the Supreme Court to take up Genalo v. D.C., a dispute over whether certain criminal aliens held for removal are entitled to a bond hearing when detention grows prolonged, Fox News reported Friday. The petition seeks to revive a constitutional question left open after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pardon mooted Genalo v. Black; the case centers on a Dominican national facing removal after drug-trafficking and domestic-violence charges who, according to ICE, had previously been removed six times. Federal law requires mandatory custody for some criminal aliens, but the Second Circuit has held that prolonged detention triggers a bond hearing at which the government must justify continued custody, creating a circuit split the administration wants resolved nationwide this term.
The Supreme Court docket in DHS v. D.V.D., No. 26A406, still shows Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Sept. 24 order directing respondents to answer the government’s stay application on third-country removals by 4 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 28, with no further order entered Friday afternoon. Friday’s major Court action remains the 6-3 stay allowing DHS to use its expanded SAVE database for voter-citizenship checks while the case continues; Justice Jackson, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Kagan, dissented. Separately, Jackson criticized the Court’s emergency docket in Thursday remarks at the University of the District of Columbia, calling its use "problematic" and urging more restraint, the New York Post reported, citing remarks first reported by The Washington Post.
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