Here's the latest
• Iran president speaks: In his UN General Assembly address, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will never bend to US President Donald Trump and asserted Iranians have been “the victims of terrorism.” A US delegate in the room walked out.
• Trump on Iran: The US president said yesterday that he faces a decision between annihilating Iran or making a deal to end the war. The US said delegations from both countries held talks on the sidelines through mediators.
• Zelensky gives remarks later: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said he was ready for trilateral talks with Russia and US to end the war in Ukraine, is also speaking today.
• Eyes on Venezuela: Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez will address UNGA more than eight months after the US captured her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, who is currently being held in a Brooklyn detention center. Trump met with her last night as Washington maintains political pressure on Venezuela to enact reforms.
Why the Strait of Hormuz remains a critical sticking point in the Iran war
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian brought up the Strait of Hormuz earlier in his speech to the UN General Assembly. Months after the US and Israel launched the war with Iran, the strait remains at the center of the conflict and the global energy crisis.
Talks between Persian Gulf diplomats and Iranian officials — which were set to discuss an Omani plan for reopening the waterway to tanker traffic — were postponed indefinitely earlier this month.
Why it’s so significant: There are few places more strategically important to the global economy than the waterway, located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Before the war, around 20% of global oil production flowed through the strait.
The waterway is only about 24 miles across at its narrowest point. Bolstered by sea mines, missiles and miles of coastline, Iran has long had the upper hand for controlling the shipping lane.
The US initially underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the strait — a strategic error that Tehran has capitalized on by leveraging its ability to threaten commercial shipping and prolong the war.
The current state-of-play: Despite shipping traffic remaining depressed, US President Donald Trump has insisted the state of the waterway is acceptable for now. In recent weeks, more tankers have moved through the strait due to the US military clearing mines and escorting vessels through the passage.
But commercial ships still face the threat of Iranian attacks, and there are questions around how long the US military can credibly maintain its substantial commitment of ships and resources to the strait.
What happens next: Trump administration officials have privately indicated they want to refocus negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program and not reopening the strait, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Iranian officials have signaled that they would be open to nuclear negotiations with the US — but only when the strait issue is resolved and the US lifts its blockade of Iranian ports, a regional source told CNN.
As a result, getting the ball rolling on a framework to reopen the waterway is likely a critical step to pave the way for talks on an overall end to the war.
CNN’s John Liu, Chris Isidore, Nadeen Ebrahim, Kylie Atwood, Zachary Cohen, Lauren Kent, Annette Choi and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
Ahead of Zelensky's remarks at UNGA, catch up on the status of the war in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will speak at the UN General Assembly later today.
Get up to speed on what’s been happening on the ground as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds past four and a half years, with no sign of stopping anytime soon:
- No letup with strikes: Russia continues to hit Kyiv and other cities throughout Ukraine with drones and missiles, as Ukraine has been hammering Russian fuel infrastructure for months. Today, Russia targeted warehouses in Odesa, areas of Kyiv and a Zaporizhzhia shopping center. Over the weekend, Ukraine carried out its largest-ever drone attack on the Russian capital and surrounding area as voting in parliamentary elections entered the final day. Earlier this month, a Russian drone hit a train near Ukraine’s border with Poland as a group of former Western officials traveled out of the country, and NATO countries on the alliance’s eastern flank remain on high alert.
- Trump claims agreement: US President Donald Trump last Tuesday said Ukraine and Russia agreed to stop hitting each other’s energy targets amid concerns over the global spike in fuel prices — but both Zelensky and the Kremlin later described it as a proposal rather than a firm agreement.
- Russian missile attacks: Russia has increasingly been launching high-speed missile attacks across Ukraine, exploiting Kyiv’s shortage of US-made Patriot air defense interceptors. That shortage has been compounded by a global supply crunch due to the Iran war.
- Ukraine targets logistics hubs: Ukraine, meanwhile, has recently struck deep into Russian territory, sparking fuel shortages. Kyiv has also stepped up attacks on Ozon logistics hubs in Russia — a competitor to the frequently targeted e-commerce giant Wildberries — as it seeks to undermine Moscow’s war-driven economy.
- First visit from US envoys: Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner pushed for a return to trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine in a meeting with top Ukrainian officials earlier this month, which marked their first trip to Kyiv since the war began. The talks followed intensive meetings between the US team and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Russia hit Kyiv a day after the visit.
CNN’s Laura Sharman, Svitlana Vlasova, Darya Tarasova, Ivana Kottasová, Sophie Tanno, Lex Harvey, Chris Isidore, Matt Egan, Nathan Hodge, Clare Sebastian, Zahra Ullah, Anna Chernova, Katharina Krebs, Kosta Gak, Sophie Tanno, Billy Stockwell and Victoria Butenko contributed reporting.
Rubio: 'No discussion' of extending US final withdrawal from Iraq
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there has been “no discussion” of extending the US’ final withdrawal from Iraq, which is slated for the end of this month.
The US military presence in Iraq is scheduled to officially end on September 30 after more than two decades, following a 2024 agreement to withdraw remaining troops after the end of the ISIS campaign.
Still, Baghdad has struggled to deal with the militias within its country. Iranian-backed militia in Iraq have launched waves of strikes on US and allied interests amid the war in Iran.
Rubio, who met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the UN General Assembly on Monday, said al-Zaidi did not ask the US to extend its presence.
President Donald Trump also saw al-Zaidi “briefly” on Tuesday night, Rubio told reporters in New York.
Responding to a question from CNN, Rubio said the US has “zero doubt” of al-Zaidi’s commitment to try to control the Iraqi militias but noted that it is “a massive challenge.”
The top US diplomat said the Iraqi prime minister has “achieved certain things” with regard to the militias, noting that “at least three militias have disarmed and have basically joined the national government.”
“As we’ve told him, we want him to succeed. We think he gives the world and Iraq the best chance to succeed. I think he has the right intentions. I think he has the right motivations. He’s very intelligent and a very willing partner in this regard, and we’re going to do everything we can to help him achieve the results,” he said.
“Nothing would be more important for Iraq than to deal with this and to bring all the arms in that country under the control of the national government,” Rubio added.
Rubio says there was no breakthrough in US-Iran talks at UN
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that US-Iran talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly were “a continuation of conversations that have occurred in the past,” but not a major breakthrough.
Rubio also appeared to indicate that a return to the Memorandum of understanding (MoU) that was struck between the US and Iran earlier this year was no longer on the cards from the US perspective.
“They killed the MOU, they strangled it,” Rubio said, pointing to the Iranian strikes which led to the temporary ceasefire collapsing in June.
But Rubio refused to characterize the US demands during the meeting with any specificity. The meeting was led on the US side by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Rubio acknowledged the challenge posed by the severe threats to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz but said that US military escorts to keep oil moving through the critical waterway will continue. He once again put emphasis on the overall focus being stopping Iran’s nuclear weapons program, saying that issue is not a political one for Trump.
“The core issue here is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. We make that point in every interaction with them,” Rubio said.
Rubio reiterated his past position that the Iranians in the negotiations are not always able to make commitments on behalf of the regime.
“The ultimate decision making in Iran lies in the hands of people that are strong believers in Iran, the revolution, and that makes interactions problematic because you can deal with the people that represent Iran, the state, and you can reach agreement on some points, and you can even discuss the potential for agreement on other points,” Rubio said. “But they have to take that back to Iran the revolution, and it’s there where it’s often failed.”
Trump meeting with Delcy Rodriguez was short but important, Rubio says
President Donald Trump’s meeting with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez was short but important, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday.
Trump and Rodriguez met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Rubio, speaking to reporters in New York, said they discussed economic reforms and the political transition process.
On the economy, the top US diplomat said that “debt structuring” is a key step toward fixing the economy so that there is reinvestment in the country.
Rubio told reporters the political transition process is underway
Rubio said they don’t want someone to be elected and inherit “a complete catastrophe.”
Asked about reports that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was thrice denied entrance to Venezuela, Rubio suggested he was unaware of the specific reports. He noted that Machado is “very brave” and he has known her for a long time, but noted that “there’s like 8 million Venezuelans” who have left that the US wants to be able to return.
Iran warns neighboring countries against complying with US airline restrictions
As world leaders gather in New York and Washington signals potential diplomatic contacts with Tehran, a senior Iranian security official warned neighboring countries against complying with new US restrictions targeting Iranian airlines.
Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said countries that cooperate with measures limiting Iranian commercial flights could face retaliatory action.
Speaking in an interview with Iran’s semi-official Student News Network (SNN) on Wednesday, Rezaee said countries should refrain from joining Washington’s “adventurism” and avoid imposing restrictions on Iranian commercial flights, passenger services and cargo transit.
“If countries in the region cooperate with air transport sanctions against Iran, the airports and aviation routes of those countries will likewise face closures and disruptions in response,” Rezaee said, according to SNN.
Rezaee also signaled a tougher Iranian position on diplomacy, saying future talks with Washington, as well as any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, would depend on the United States meeting Tehran’s conditions first.
The remarks come after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Monday that Iranian airlines would effectively be forced to stop operating from September 23 because of secondary sanctions on air service providers.
Argentine president raises Falkland Islands dispute at UN speech
During his United Nations General Assembly speech, Argentine President Javier Milei expounded on a decades-old territorial dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands, a rocky archipelago in the South Atlantic that Argentina has long claimed as its own.
The United Kingdom has controlled the Falklands since 1833, and fought a brief war over the islands in the early 1980s after the Argentine military dictatorship attempted to seize the territory by force.
The UK won that war, and issue has been dormant for most of the ensuing decades. Milei revived the dispute earlier this month when he announced plans to sanction companies involved with oil extraction near the Falklands. Days before, US President Donald Trump – a Milei ally – had suggested that the US was reconsidering its position on Argentina’s claim.
At the UN, Milei described efforts to extract fossil fuels around the islands as “illegal and illegitimate,” and dismissed the island’s roughly 3,600 residents as a population “implanted by the occupying power on a territory whose sovereignty is in dispute.”
Alongside his criticisms of Britain, the Argentine president devoted some invective to the United Nations itself.
“It’s become a useless organization whose only purpose is to sustain a caste of fatally arrogant parasites masquerading as well-intentioned bureaucrats,” Milei said, roughly a minute into his speech, before quoting one of his ideological heroes, the libertarian economist Ludwig von Mises: “Good people do not think about controlling the lives of their fellow human beings.”
What the Iranian president said during his speech, in which a US delegate walked out
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian just delivered his address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, prompting the only US delegate in the room to walk out only minutes into his speech.
Here are some of the key lines from the address:
- Pezeshkian started his speech to the assembly by highlighting the deadly US strike on an Iranian elementary school at the outset of the war, saying Iranians have “been the victims of terrorism.”
- He stressed that Iran is seeking nuclear technology “for progress, not to threaten societies with weapons,” adding that his country wishes “to cooperate and collaborate for security.”
- Pezeshkian told world leaders that Tehran would not allow any nation to use the Strait of Hormuz to “impose their aggressions upon us.”
- The Iranian leader also said his country will “never bow our head or bend at the knee,” calling on other countries to collaborate in order to pursue “true peace and stability” in the face of what he described as “bullying.”
CNN’s Billy Stockwell and Maureen Chowdhury contributed to this reporting.
"We will never bow our head," Iran's president says
Iran will “never bow our head or bend at the knee,” the country’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said a short while ago, calling on other countries to collaborate in order to pursue “true peace and stability” in the face of what he described as “bullying.”
Noting US President Donald Trump’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, the Iranian leader said that Trump “must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying.”
Pezeshkian said that “a world without power is dangerous, but a world that only understands the language of war and (bullying) will not be safe.”
Pezeshkian called on countries around the world to work together in the pursuit of peace.
“Either we will build it together, or we will have to live under insecurity together. We seek to think about a worthy future in which security, fairness, justice, human dignity will become unalienable rights for all people, for all humans,” the Iranian leader continued.
Iran denied access to "our own waterways," country's president says
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told world leaders at the UN General Assembly that Tehran would not allow any nation to use the Strait of Hormuz to “impose their aggressions upon us.”
“They close access for us to our own waterway,” Pezeshkian said.
Still, the president said he sought cooperation in order to achieve security in the region. “Iran does not see her neighbors as security rivals,” he added.
Traffic via the critical waterway, through which one-fifth of global crude oil typically flows, has reduced significantly since the war started in February.
For context: The US military’s blockade of Iranian ports was reimposed in July after the collapse of the tentative ceasefire between the US and Iran. On Monday, US Central Command said US forces had redirected 110 commercial vessels to ensure compliance with the blockade.
Iranian president on nuclear technology: “We seek energy for progress”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country is seeking nuclear technology “for progress, not to threaten societies with weapons.”
“And we wish to cooperate and collaborate for security,” he said.
“We seek energy for progress,” Pezeshkian said, pushing back against international sanctions and what he described as the stigmatization of Iran’s nuclear program.
“But for our country, peaceful nuclear technology is part of our inherent progress,” Pezeshkian said, citing needs for advancements in industries including agriculture and “supply of electrical energy.”
Pezeshkian also said Iran’s defense systems are a necessity to protect the country from attacks.
“Iran must be powerful, so as to avoid being threatened, to avoid its future being threatened,” he said. “Our defensive systems have been built so that no one can think that bombing of Iranian cities will go unanswered. That is why we have the military power we do for defense.”
Earlier this month the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency asked the body to hold Iran accountable for failing to stick with safeguards meant to prevent the development of nuclear weapons, according to diplomatic officials.
US delegate walks out of Iranian president's UNGA address
Only a few minutes into Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s address at the United Nations General Assembly, the sole US delegate in the room walked out.
Pezeshkian began his speech by rebutting US President Donald Trump’s address at UNGA yesterday, saying that “the United States president described us as terrorists. We have been the victims of terrorism.”
He highlighted the killing of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the bombing of a school on the opening day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran that killed 156 people, and another attack on a sports hall the same day.
As he said this, the US delegate stood up and walked away.
"We have been the victims of terrorism," Iran's president says
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian started his speech to the UN General Assembly today by highlighting the deadly US strike on an Iranian elementary school at the outset of the war.
Pezeshkian said he came from “an Iran where, in truth, they bombed a school. You see, these children; these children perished under bombs with weapons used by the United States and Israel,” he said.
At least 120 children and 26 teachers were among those killed when the school in the southern city of Minab was struck on February 28, according to Iranian officials.
Earlier this month, the US Department of Defense said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.
The strike on the elementary school may have been a war crime, a UN fact-finding mission concluded in early September. In response, a White House spokesperson said, “The only party in this conflict that has committed war crimes is the Iranian regime.”
NOW: The president of Iran is now speaking at UNGA
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is now delivering remarks to the United Nations General Assembly, as the conflict with his country approaches the seven-month mark.
Rubio and Lavrov kick off meeting on sidelines of UN
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have begun their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The US and the Russian press pools were brought into the meeting room at the beginning, where the delegations sat facing each other at a long table. Rubio’s delegation included top State Department officials, Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, and Deputy National Security Adviser Mike Needham. The Russian delegation included Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia and Ambassador to the US Alexander Darchiev.
After a few moments to allow for photos, the pool shouted questions, including when the US would impose sanctions under the new Graham law. Neither answered, though Lavrov seemed to question why the press corps was “silent” at the beginning.
Amid stalled Gaza ceasefire plan, Board of Peace briefing public on sidelines of UNGA
The Trump-led Board of Peace is delivering a “high-level” briefing on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday morning amid the stalled Gaza ceasefire plan.
The Board of Peace, which was created earlier this year and tasked with leading the Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction effort, has struggled to make substantive progress, with Hamas refusing to disarm and Israel carrying out near-daily strikes in Gaza.
In August, the board once again demanded that Hamas disarm before Israel would be required to withdraw its forces from Gaza. But Hamas has refused to unilaterally turn over its weapons, insisting on a phased approach with steps taken concurrently by both Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is set to speak on Thursday at the UN, rejected the latest US-backed peace plan for Gaza which was laid out in a 15-point plan, leaving the future of the effort in doubt.
What to know about US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace
US President Donald Trump touted his Board of Peace during his remarks to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, calling it a “significant group of people.”
Earlier this year, Trump said that the international body he formed to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, “might” one day replace the United Nations.
But as Trump and other world leaders on the board attend this week’s General Debate, the Board of Peace has struggled to make tangible progress on peace efforts in the Middle East, and questions linger about its mission and effectiveness.
There will be a “high-level” briefing for the Board of Peace this week, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
What is the Board of Peace? Trump initially pitched the board as a group overseeing the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, but its stated mission has since expanded to tackle conflicts the world over.
Members of the panel, which Trump chairs, include several Gulf states, Turkey, Pakistan, Argentina and others, but most of the US’ European allies have not joined. Permanent membership carried a $1 billion price tag.
Despite major financial and personnel commitments Trump says board members have pledged, tangible progress has been scarce. The board still has yet to enter Gaza, and Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave have continued.
In July, Trump said the Board of Peace had reached a breakthrough in Gaza that involved Hamas surrendering its weapons as part of a 15-point peace plan. A senior Hamas official said that commitment was contingent on Israel upholding its obligations under the October ceasefire agreement.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in August that Israel rejected the peace plan, demanding the full disarmament of Hamas before any Israeli forces withdraw.
CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, Helen Regan, Kara Fox, Alejandra Jaramillo, Jeremy Diamond, Tal Shalev and Oren Liebermann contributed reporting.
How things currently stand in the US-Iran war
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to speak at today’s United Nations General Assembly, nearly seven months since US-Israeli strikes started the war with Iran.
Here are some of the latest developments on the conflict:
Diplomacy
Despite the US and Iran reaching a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war back in June, fighting has continued in the months since.
US President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire was “OVER!” in early July, after Iran’s targeting of three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz prompted an exchange of strikes.
In subsequent months, Trump stressed his disinterest in diplomacy and instructed US officials to end talks. Earlier this month, however, he said he was open to the “concept” of reopening negotiations with Iran.
Yesterday, Trump said that he has a “big decision” to make on Iran — casting it as a choice between striking a deal after the US midterm elections in November or annihilating Iran.
Later in the day, he said that members of his administration met with the Iranian delegation at the UN General Assembly for about three hours, in what he described as a “very good meeting.”
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have met with their counterparts in countries including Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and China in recent weeks.
In comments made at the start of this month, Pezeshkian said that, if the US “returns to its commitments under the aforementioned memorandum of understanding,” his country “will immediately reciprocate.”
Fighting
Since the ceasefire broke down in July, the US has launched a number of attacks on Iran, with Tehran also targeting American bases in the region and vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Then, after a period of relative calm lasting for more than a month, the US and Iran began exchanging regular strikes at the end of August.
On August 30, the US military stuck Iran’s Larak Island, where it said forces were observed preparing to launch mines into the strait.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed retaliation, firing missiles into Jordan, though they were intercepted, according to a US official.
In an update on September 8, the US military said it had “destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers” after the IRGC “targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles.”
Fighting has appears to have quietened, with no US strikes on Iran being publicly reported for more than two weeks.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Mostafa Salem, Aida Karimi, Maureen Chowdhury and Kit Maher contributed to this reporting.
Iranian president will talk about a deadly school strike. Here's a reminder of what happened
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he will use his General Assembly address to highlight the deaths of dozens of children in a strike on an elementary school in southern Iran at the outset of the war.
Here’s a recap of what happened:
On February 28, at the start of the US-Iran war, the US struck the Shajareh Tayyiba school in Minab, southern Iran, while the US military was attacking a neighboring Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facility, CNN has reported. At least 156 people, including 120 children and 26 teachers, were killed, according to Iranian officials.
The strike was considered one of the worst civilian casualty incidents in recent US military history.
In March, two sources briefed on the preliminary findings of an ongoing internal investigation told CNN that US Central Command created target coordinates for the strike that hit the school using outdated information provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which contributed to the mistake.
US President Donald Trump had initially asserted that Iran might be to blame for the strike, though when pressed on why no one in his own administration seemed to be publicly supporting that claim, he responded: “Because I just don’t know enough about it.”
The Pentagon’s internal investigation remains stuck in limbo, as the stage where Defense Intelligence Agency analysts review satellite imagery and other intelligence sources has not yet been ordered by the Pentagon, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN in July.
This month, a United Nations fact-finding mission concluded in a new report that the strike may have been a war crime. The findings by the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission still need to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council, but could later be used by international courts like the International Criminal Court.
Ukraine and Iran are involved in separate but overlapping conflicts
The leaders of Ukraine and Iran are set to speak at the United Nations General Assembly today amid a pair of ongoing conflicts that, while separate, have contributed to tensions between the countries.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, while Iran has been at war with the US and Israel since late February this year.
Though Tehran and Kyiv are nearly 1,500 miles apart as the crow flies, the wars have overlapping factors, as Iran and Russia are close strategic and military allies.
Many of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine have been carried out using Iranian-made Shahed drones, and Tehran has sent missiles and other weaponry to aid Moscow’s war effort.
Shortly after the Iran war broke out earlier this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to help other countries, including the US, fend off Iranian drones and missiles.
Around the same time, CNN reported that Russia was helping Iran with advanced drone tactics and providing intelligence about US military positioning.
Ukraine has posted drone experts in the Middle East to help allies counter Iranian attacks, according to Zelensky. Kyiv has also signed defense agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
In late July, tensions flared further when Ukraine struck ships in the Caspian Sea involved in transporting military goods from Iran to Russia.
Iran condemned the attack, which killed one person, and threatened retaliation.
The next day, the foreign ministers of each country held a phone call.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stressed that his country’s actions were aimed at defending Ukraine “from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said later that Syviha assured him the attack was unintentional.
CNN’s Kylie Atwood, Max Saltman, Nina Subkhanberdina, Natasha Bertrand, Jim Sciutto, Zachary Cohen, Jennifer Hansler, Nick Paton Walsh, Svitlana Vlasova, Victoria Butenko, Ivana Kottasová, Kosta Gak, Tim Lister, Karina Tsui, Billy Stockwell and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this reporting.
