WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, September 19, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, September 20, 2017.

Iran FM slams Trump ‘hate speech’

The Iranian foreign minister has criticized the US president's anti-Tehran comments at the United Nations, calling them “ignorant hate speech”. Mohammad Javad Zarif says Donald Trump’s address belongs in medieval times, which is unworthy of a reply. At the UN General Assembly, Trump accused Tehran of supporting terrorism. The US president said Iran was using its resources for exporting chaos to the region. He also called Iran’s nuclear deal with the P-5+1 group of countries “an embarrassment”, and one of the worst agreements Washington had ever been involved in.

Macron backs Iran nuclear deal

The French president has staunchly supported the Iran nuclear deal and warned that renouncing it would be a grave error. Emanuel Macron hailed negotiation as the only means of settling disputes anywhere in the world and called the Iran nuclear deal the result of a dialog-based approach. He said the same policy should be applied to North Korea. His comments were met with applause. The French president also touched upon the issue of Syria and expressed his country's commitment to a peaceful solution to the crisis there.

UK-Saudi new military deal

Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom have signed a new military and security deal despite criticisms about the UK’s weapons used in the Saudi war on Yemen. The Framework Agreement on Military and Security Cooperation was signed by Saudi Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman and British Defense Minister Michael Fallon. The Saudi and British officials also reviewed the mechanism of joint coordination in military fields. London has sold three billion pounds worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia since 2015 and is planning to invest over three billion pounds more in the Arab kingdom over the next decade. Based on a report by charity War Child, British weapons manufacturers have earned more than 6 billion pounds from trade with Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the war in Yemen.

US wants change in Iran nuclear deal

US secretary of state says the nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries has to be changed. In an interview with Fox News, Rex Tillerson said if the deal was not revised, the United States could not remain a party to the pact. He expressed concern about the so-called sunset clauses, which allow for some of the deal's restrictions on Iran's nuclear program to expire over time. He said the provision was not a sensible way forward. The remarks echo a similar call made by Israeli prime minister in his address to the UN General Assembly meeting on Tuesday.

US ‘institutional racism’

US police are facing mounting criticism over the law enforcement response to days of protests in the city of Saint Louis. The American Civil Liberties Union signaled it would sue Saint Louis police department for its treatment of demonstrators. The group called on the city officials to preserve video and other evidence related to the rallies. The civil rights group said police conduct since Friday made it clear that the actions of officers needed to be addressed. Meanwhile, the city’s mayor has slammed what she called institutional racism in the country. Mayor Lyda Krewson noted that the legacies of racism should be addressed. Saint Louis has been grappling with days of protests, with some turning violent, after a white police officer was acquitted of murdering a black man back in 2011.

Hurricane Maria

A maximum-strength hurricane is ripping through Central America, causing a trail of death and destruction along its path. The US National Hurricane Center says the Category Five storm has maximum sustained winds of 270 kilometers per hour. Earlier, the hurricane made landfall in the US Virgin Islands, where it cut all communications and blew away roofs of buildings. Maria then made its way northwest, flooding the streets of the French Island of Guadeloupe and killing at least one person. The devastating hurricane is predicted to slam Puerto Rico over the next couple of days. The US territory’s governor says the scale of destruction could be worst in generations. This is the second Category Five hurricane to hit the Caribbean this month.

Qatar slams blockade

The Qatari emir has condemned the “unjust boycott” against his country by the Saudi-led group of states. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that the blockading group interferes in the internal affairs of many countries and accuses those who oppose it of terrorism. He also blamed those states for supporting tyrannical regimes and harboring terrorists. Sheikh Tamim however renewed calls for unconditional dialog to resolve the political dispute.

Trump’s tirade against North Korea

The US president has once again threatened North Korea with destruction if it continues with “its hostile behavior”. Donald Trump says the North Korean leader is on a suicide mission. He added that the US is ready and capable of confronting Pyongyang if necessary. Trump thanked Russia and China for joining other countries at the UN Security Council and urged other nations to work together to isolate Pyongyang until it stops its hostile behavior. Over the past weeks, North Korea has test fired two missiles over Japan. The move led the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against the country.

Disastrous quake in Mexico

Search and rescue operations are underway to retrieve the possible survivors of a deadly quake that struck central Mexico. Mexican officials put the number of casualties from the 7.1 tremor at 149. An unaccounted number of people are also speculated to have been trapped under the rubble. Nearly four million people have lost power and several major gas leaks have been reported in the disaster zones, where a state of emergency has been declared. The quake happened on the anniversary of another tremor, which killed tens of thousands of people in Mexico City 32 years ago. This year’s quake came hours after the country practiced drills to mark the anniversary of the 1985 disaster. Less than two weeks ago, another powerful quake left nearly one hundred people dead in the country’s south.

Rouhani on Rohingya crisis

The Iranian president says disregard for the violation of the basic rights of Muslim people in Myanmar would foment extremism and destabilize the region. Hassan Rouhani was speaking at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Myanmar. He said the OIC has a clear responsibility to support the Rohingya Muslim population. Rouhani called for a meaningful response to the horrific situation. The Iranian president stressed that the international community should take all available measures to force Myanmar to put an immediate end to the violence and bring those responsible to justice. He said the government of Myanmar should understand that forcing people out of their homeland will not solve the crisis.

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