Morning Briefing: Sept. 14, 2026

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including Sweden’s left-wing opposition holding a narrow lead in the country’s general election according to an initial exit poll, Yemen's internationally recognized government deciding to ban the entry and circulation of all Iranian goods and products, and US President Donald Trump saying that Iran "wants to make a deal" to end the war, forecasting a rapid decline in domestic fuel costs once hostilities cease.

TOP STORIES

• Sweden's left-wing opposition leads right-wing bloc in first exit poll

Sweden's left-wing opposition is leading the country's governing right-wing bloc by 4.5 percentage points, according to the first exit poll released by public broadcaster SVT.

The Social Democrats, Green Party, Left Party and Center Party secured a combined 51.3% in SVT’s polling station survey compared with 46.8% for the Moderate Party, Christian Democrats, Liberals and Sweden Democrats.

The Social Democrats remain the largest party in the exit poll, receiving 28.4%, although this represents a decline from the 30.3% they won in the 2022 parliamentary election.

• Yemen bans entry, circulation of all Iranian goods, products

Yemen's internationally recognized government decided to ban the entry and circulation of all Iranian goods and products, according to the state-run Saba news agency.

The National Committee for Regulating and Financing Imports approved the measure during a meeting chaired by Central Bank of Yemen Governor Ahmed Ghaleb, who also heads the committee.

The committee said the decision was taken “in accordance with the requirements of the higher national interest.”

• Trump forecasts end to Iran war around November US midterm elections

US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran "wants to make a deal" to end the war, forecasting a rapid decline in domestic fuel costs once hostilities cease.

"Look, it could end before the midterms, but it'll end after the midterms," he told reporters, adding that gasoline prices are "going to drop like a rock" following the conclusion of the hostilities.

Trump noted that Iranian officials are "calling constantly" to secure an agreement, though he cautioned that his administration will only accept a favorable settlement, warning: "I'm not going to make a deal that's no good."

NEWS IN BRIEF

• US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt military strikes against Russian diesel refineries, warning that the operations are creating global fuel shortages.
• Oman announced the postponement of a regional meeting scheduled for Monday in its southern city of Salalah to discuss arrangements for a new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Several electricity generators at hospitals in the Gaza Strip have stopped operating due to shortages of oil, spare parts and fuel, the Health Ministry said.
• A fire broke out aboard a vessel after it was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said.
• The European Union strongly condemned the latest Russian strikes near the Ukraine-Poland border, including an attack on a passenger train reportedly carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, EU Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni told Anadolu.
• Israeli forces advanced into the Tal Ahmar area near the village of Ain al-Nouriyah in the northern countryside of Syria’s Quneitra province, Syria’s state-run Alikhbaria TV reported.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping called on expanded BRICS members and partner countries to keep industrial and supply chains "stable and unimpeded" amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Iran war.
• Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged Muslim scholars and communities to keep pace with artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies, warning that falling behind could leave them vulnerable to outside influence.
• US President Donald Trump said he expects to discuss “almost everything” with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting set for Sept. 24 at the White House, including trade and automobiles, while also addressing questions about Boeing, the war in Ukraine, Gaza, artificial intelligence (AI) and US defense production.
• Voters in the Muslim-majority Bangsamoro autonomous region in the southern Philippines began casting ballots in its first parliamentary elections.
• Israel’s Culture Minister Miki Zohar vowed to act to revoke the Israeli citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after their Gaza war documentary NAZA won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.
• Advanced artificial intelligence systems must remain firmly under human oversight while developers pursue deliberate pacing to ensure safe deployment, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Satya Nadella said.
• A mosque in the Belgian capital Brussels' Laeken district was defaced with a swastika in what Brussels Minister for Local Government and Equal Opportunities Ahmed Laaouej described as an "Islamophobic act."
• Authorities have evacuated more than 31,000 people in China's southern Hainan province as continued heavy rains battered parts of the island, state media reported.
• German far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) leader Alice Weidel called on Ukrainians living in Germany to return to their country, particularly young men of military age.
• German lawmaker Robin Wagener said he had been traveling by train on the same line hit by a Russian drone attack near the Polish border, warning that Russia was an “immense danger to Europe’s security.”
• The integration of all armed groups in Syria under the central state structure is essential to strengthening the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity and social unity, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Syria launches 1st locally issued internationally accepted payment card

Syria launched its first locally issued electronic payment card accepted internationally in a move aimed at developing the country’s digital payments system and reconnecting its banking sector with global payment networks.

The card was launched by QNB Syria in cooperation with Mastercard during a meeting attended by Central Bank of Syria Governor Mohammad Safwat Raslan.

The central bank said in a statement that the launch marks “a new milestone in the development of Syria’s electronic payment and transfer system,” ranging from the restoration of acceptance for international cards to the issuance of local cards linked to global payment networks.

• White House economic adviser downplays market risks from AI safety warnings

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett dismissed concerns that recent warnings by technology executives over artificial intelligence risks would trigger market turmoil.

"I don't expect that that's what's going to happen," Hassett told US broadcaster CNN, describing an essay published by Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei as a "very thoughtful letter" outlining the need to pace developments while ensuring firms demonstrate their systems are safe.