Russia's Ministry of Digital Development said individuals attempted to sabotage communications lines in the Russian Far East to disrupt elections.

US Central Command commander Brad Cooper said in a Sept. 19 video the main shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared of sea mines and thousands of vessels have transited. He said Gulf partners have moved more than 1 bln barrels of crude through the strait. Over the past two weeks volumes of crude, cargo and LNG transiting the area hit a six‑month high. Cooper added that under a US-enforced blockade Iranian exports via those routes are zero.

MOFCOM said China opposes unilateral sanctions without UN authorization or an international-law basis and opposes so-called secondary sanctions against third parties. It reiterated that Chinese economic and trade cooperation is conducted on an equal, mutually beneficial basis, is not aimed at third parties and will not accept third-party interference or coercion. MOFCOM said it will closely monitor US follow-up measures and reserves the right to take all necessary actions to safeguard China’s sovereignty, development interests and the legitimate rights of Chinese firms. It urged the US to address differences through dialogue and consultation to keep bilateral trade stable and to help maintain the global trade order and supply-chain security.