September 2, 2026 is being dominated by the rapidly escalating U.S.-Iran conflict, with new U.S. strikes on Iran followed by Iranian attacks against U.S. and allied targets in Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq, while fighting around the Strait of Hormuz is disrupting shipping and pushing up energy-market risks. Europe is simultaneously dealing with the Russia-Ukraine war and heightened concerns about Russian hybrid activity, while the Middle East remains volatile from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and the wider Iran conflict. In Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak has become a major international health emergency, while Zambia’s disputed election continues to generate political controversy. Australia is dealing with economic and security consequences from the Iran conflict, a major Pacific drug-smuggling initiative and the aftermath of devastating Nepal-Tibet flooding.
Current country and regional updates
- Afghanistan: Austria has deported an Afghan national from Vienna to Kabul, while Afghanistan continues to face severe humanitarian and rights concerns; an Afghan girls’ school that fled the country has opened a permanent campus in Rwanda.
- Australia: June-quarter economic growth beat expectations, increasing speculation about another Reserve Bank rate rise; markets also fell amid higher oil prices following fresh U.S.-Iran strikes.
- Austria: Austria has carried out a new deportation of an Afghan national to Kabul, highlighting Europe’s continuing effort to increase removals to Afghanistan.
- Bahrain: Iranian attacks have targeted U.S. interests in Bahrain as the Iran conflict expands across the Gulf, increasing regional security concerns.
- Canada: Canada is being affected by the wider global market and energy shock caused by escalating fighting around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
- China: President Xi Jinping is visiting Egypt and calling for a new Middle Eastern security framework, while Beijing says it is prepared to work with regional countries to protect maritime shipping.
- Colombia: Colombia remains under a major political transition after nationalist candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won the presidency earlier this year, marking a significant rightward political shift.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola has become one of the world’s most serious current health emergencies, with more than 3,000 reported deaths and over 6,100 confirmed cases; WHO is urging a major acceleration of the response.
- Egypt: Xi Jinping’s first Egypt visit in a decade is focusing on bilateral relations and the escalating Middle Eastern crisis; separately, a South Sinai bus crash has killed at least 21 people.
- France: France is closely watching the expanding Iran conflict and its consequences for European security, energy prices and regional diplomacy.
- Germany: German authorities say a drone incident at Leipzig Airport showed signs of a Russian hybrid operation connected to the Ukraine war; the EU is considering additional Russia sanctions.
- Iran: The United States has launched another wave of strikes against Iranian targets, while Iran has retaliated against U.S. and allied positions; an Iranian wedding gathering near Sirik was reportedly struck, causing multiple deaths and injuries.
- Iraq: Iranian retaliation has included attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq as the conflict expands beyond Iran’s borders.
- Israel: The Israel-Iran conflict remains central to regional instability, while Israeli forces and settlers are facing renewed international scrutiny over attacks affecting Palestinian communities and mosques in the West Bank.
- Jordan: Iran has claimed missile attacks against Jordanian and U.S. military facilities following the latest American strikes on Iran.
- Lebanon: Fighting and Israeli military activity remain major concerns despite a government agreement intended to halt fighting; Save the Children reports continuing severe effects on children.
- Malta: A Maltese businessman was acquitted of conspiring to murder investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, a major development in one of Malta’s most prominent criminal cases.
- New Zealand: New Zealand is assisting Kiribati with disposal of unexploded World War II-era munitions, while Pacific governments continue strengthening regional security cooperation.
- Nicaragua: The United States says it intends to use a regional organization to isolate Nicaragua, adding to Washington’s continuing pressure on the government.
- Palau: Australia and Palau are strengthening their relationship, including an extension and expansion of direct Qantas service between Brisbane and Koror.
- Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin has exchanged increasingly harsh rhetoric with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as strikes continue in the Ukraine war.
- South Korea: South Korea is participating at ministerial level in the Pacific pre-COP process, while the broader region remains focused on North Korean, Chinese and U.S. security developments.
- Switzerland: Police say the gunman involved in a deadly rave-party shooting in Aarau acted alone, according to the latest investigation.
- Thailand: The USS Abraham Lincoln has arrived in Thailand following a lengthy Middle East deployment, highlighting the continuing U.S. military presence in the Indo-Pacific.
- Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says Turkey’s expanding relationships with Russia, China and other Eastern powers do not mean Ankara is abandoning the West; he also supports measures to protect Black Sea commercial shipping.
- Ukraine: Russian and Ukrainian strikes continue, while Ukraine is warning foreign airlines about using Russian airspace amid escalating security concerns.
- United Kingdom: Prime Minister Andy Burnham faced his first parliamentary questioning as Britain continues debating its domestic and foreign-policy response to a rapidly changing international environment.
- United States: Washington says its latest military operation against Iran has been completed, while markets are reacting to higher oil prices and renewed geopolitical risk. U.S. stocks subsequently rebounded, with the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq all gaining about 0.5% on September 2.
- Venezuela: Chevron is expanding its Venezuelan operations and plans to increase production, making Venezuela’s oil sector increasingly important as the Iran conflict threatens Middle Eastern supplies.
- Zambia: President Hakainde Hichilema has begun his second and final term amid disputes surrounding the election and arrests, increasing scrutiny of Zambia’s democratic trajectory.
- European Union: EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas says the bloc is pursuing additional sanctions against Russia following the alleged drone incident at Leipzig Airport.
- State of Palestine: Palestinians are facing renewed violence and displacement in the West Bank, including reported attacks on mosques and continuing demolitions; Gaza’s humanitarian crisis also remains severe.
