U.S. forces leave Iraq after twelve years.
Today's events
Iraq mission ends.
Central Command completed the departure of U.S. forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base on Sept. 30, closing Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq; its task force now runs the counter-ISIS mission from Jordan.1Sep 30 · CENTCOMSyria arms embargo.
State removed Syria from the list of countries under a blanket denial policy for arms exports, effective Oct. 1; transfers of defense articles and services will now be reviewed case by case.2Oct 1 · StateCuba travel and banking.
Treasury's sanctions office barred indirect financial transactions with entities on the Cuba Restricted List and scrapped authorizations for “U-turn” payments, group people-to-people travel, and professional meetings in Cuba.3Sep 30 · TreasuryAutonomous Warfare Command.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced a new four-star combatant command for autonomous and robotic systems, plus five other initiatives, in a “State of the Force” address at Quantico.4Sep 30 · War Dept.Steel overcapacity.
Trade Representative Jamieson Greer chaired a Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity ministerial in Milwaukee that reached consensus on the “Milwaukee Framework,” a joint-action plan against subsidized overproduction.5Sep 30 · USTRCash-machine thefts.
State and Treasury sanctioned 11 targets linked to Tren de Aragua, among them FBI most-wanted fugitive Anibal Alexander Canelon Aguirre, who ran a scheme forcing U.S. cash machines to dispense cash.6Sep 30 · StateEbola pledges.
The United States convened a Group of 20 ministerial on the Congo outbreak; donors pledged more than $470 million in new money — $267 million of it American — lifting global pledges past $2 billion.7Sep 30 · StateInflation print.
The price index for personal consumption rose 3.4 percent over the year in August, 3.0 percent excluding food and energy, while consumer spending jumped $190.8 billion on the month.8Sep 30 · BEACisco flaw exploited.
A hex-encoding vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager (CVE-2026-76504) entered the known-exploited catalog with evidence of active attacks, triggering federal remediation deadlines.9Sep 30 · CISA
This week
Xi's state visit.
Trump hosted Xi Jinping in Washington September 24–25. The White House fact sheet set lower tariffs on $30 billion of goods in each direction, committed China to import at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in 2027 and 2028, and recorded agreement that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and that no country may impose tolls on international waterways. First in the Sept 26 and 27 dailies.1Sept 25 · WHMinerals inventory.
The Geological Survey published a database of 1,271 known critical-mineral deposits across 41 states and Puerto Rico on September 29; 412 hold documented resources but no production, and nine of the ten minerals at highest supply risk occur domestically. It followed by one day the White House announcement of a $15 billion Mesabi Metallics steel mill in Iowa, fed by the first new U.S. iron-ore mine in 50 years. First in the Sept 29 and 30 dailies.5Sept 29 · USGSStablecoin rulebook.
The Federal Reserve proposed its first rules for the payment-stablecoin issuers it supervises, voted out September 24 and published September 29 under the GENIUS Act. Issuers would have to back coins fully with short-term Treasury bills and other liquid assets, meet capital standards, segregate customer assets, honor redemptions, and stop tying. Comments close November 30. First in the Sept 25 daily.6Sept 29 · Fed. Reg.Iran's Russian suppliers.
The State Department sanctioned Yakovlev, the Russian jet maker that has delivered nearly all 24 Yak-130 combat trainers Iran ordered, and weapons shipper MG-FLOT on September 29; Treasury designated ten more suppliers to Iran's defense ministry. The action hit the supply chain rather than Iranian buyers, four days after the summit recorded agreement that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. First in the Sept 30 daily.7Sept 29 · State
Allied Governments
Operation Shader closes.
The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed British personnel have left Iraq with the coalition; across the decade Britain trained more than 111,000 Iraqi troops, including 21,000 Peshmerga, and struck 2,300 Daesh targets.aSep 30 · UK MoDRussian claims checked.
Britain told the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that Russia's claim of taking 5,300 square kilometres and 220 settlements in 2026 is unsupported by open-source analysis.bSep 30 · UK FCDOAlliance stocktake.
Britain's ambassador in Washington said allied security agencies disrupted cyber criminals behind 120 attacks and $115 million in ransom payments, and welcomed the new British prime minister's first meeting with Trump.cSep 30 · UK FCDO
Voices
“ISIS no longer poses a systemic threat to Iraq's national security and Iraqi security forces … now possess the capacity, leadership, and operational independence to unilaterally manage threats to their homeland.”
Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander · Sep 301
“The Department of State is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations … to remove Syria from the list of countries subject to a policy of denial …”
ITAR Syria Country Policy Revision, final rule · Oct 12
“[This] rule adds a prohibition on indirect financial transactions with entities or subentities on the Cuba Restricted List … including removing authorizations for group people-to-people travel and professional meetings in Cuba.”
Cuban Assets Control Regulations, OFAC final rule · Sep 303
“Today, with … Autowarcom, we institutionalize — and we supercharge — the era of [super intelligence], robotics and autonomous systems, all in order to win.”
Sec. of War Pete Hegseth, Quantico · Sep 304
“Under President Trump, the U.S. steel industry is undergoing a renaissance on the strength of tariffs, trade deals, favorable tax treatment, improved energy policy, and the American entrepreneurial spirit.”
Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer, Milwaukee · Sep 305
“This is a warning to anyone who finances or does business with [Tren de Aragua] … the United States is coming for you and your assets, no matter where you hide.”
Spokesman Tommy Pigott, State Dept. · Sep 306
Sources
- U.S. Central Command, “U.S. Forces End Operation Inherent Resolve Mission in Iraq,” September 30, 2026. centcom.mil/…/end-operation-inherent-resolve-iraq
- Federal Register (Dept. of State), “International Traffic in Arms Regulations: Syria Country Policy Revision,” final rule effective October 1, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/itar-syria-country-policy-revision
- Federal Register (Treasury / OFAC), “Cuban Assets Control Regulations,” final rule effective September 30, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/cuban-assets-control-regulations
- U.S. Dept. of War, “Hegseth Delivers ‘State of the Force’ Address, Outlines Series of New Initiatives,” September 30, 2026. war.gov/News/…/hegseth-state-of-the-force
- Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, “Ambassador Greer Issues Statement Following the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity,” September 30, 2026. ustr.gov/…/global-forum-steel-excess-capacity
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Sanctioning Money Launderers Linked to Tren de Aragua’s Multi-Million-Dollar Theft Scheme,” September 30, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/tren-de-aragua-money-launderers
- U.S. Dept. of State, “G20 Chair’s Statement: Ebola Ministerial on Accelerating Collective Action to Defeat Ebola,” September 30, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/g20-ebola-ministerial
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Personal Income and Outlays, August 2026,” released September 30, 2026. bea.gov/news/2026/personal-income-and-outlays-august-2026
- CISA, “CISA Adds One Known Exploited Vulnerability to Catalog” (CVE-2026-76504, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager), September 30, 2026. cisa.gov/news-events/…/kev-cve-2026-76504
- UK Ministry of Defence, “Conclusion of the Global Coalition’s military mission in Iraq,” September 30, 2026. gov.uk/government/news/…/coalition-military-mission-iraq
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, “Russia’s battlefield claims do not withstand examination: UK statement to the OSCE,” September 30, 2026. gov.uk/government/speeches/…/uk-statement-to-the-osce
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, “Renewal Not Rupture: The Future of the UK-US Relationship,” September 30, 2026. gov.uk/government/speeches/…/renewal-not-rupture-uk-us