Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, said that the country would be open to allowing inspections of its nuclear facilities in exchange for permanent sanctions relief (Guardian), a proposal that comes amid continuing tensions between the two countries in the Strait of Hormuz.
 
Speaking in New York, where he was attending a UN conference, Zarif said that Iran could immediately approve (WaPo) more robust international nuclear inspections, as well as “other substantial moves.” It was not immediately clear how the United States would reply to the offer, and later that day President Donald J. Trump said that an American warship had destroyed a “provocative” Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials denied losing any of their drones (WSJ). Washington further tightened its sanctions (Treasury Department) on Iran yesterday, levying new measures against five people and seven businesses.

Leaders of South Korean political parties, including both President Moon Jae-in and the opposition, say they will work together (Yonhap) to respond to mounting trade challenges with Japan. In recent days, Japan has restricted the export of some industrial materials to South Korea and threatened further measures.
 
Philippines: More than two thousand police officers have been fired (AP) and seven thousand more sanctioned for abuses during anti-drug operations under President Rodrigo Duterte, a government spokesperson said.

Federal officials arrested Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (Dawn) yesterday as part of an investigation into gas contracts signed during his 2017-2018 tenure as prime minister. Opposition politicians criticized the probe as a political reprisal by current Prime Minister Imran Khan.
 
Afghanistan: A Taliban attack in the city of Kandahar yesterday killed twelve people (RFE/RL) and wounded dozens more, officials said.

A Moroccan court issued death sentences (Guardian) to three men who killed two tourist women last December, filming the act and pledging allegiance to the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The executions would be the country’s first since 1993. 

Soldiers and police in the Democratic Republic of Congo will ensure that people wash their hands and check their temperature (AP) as part of heightened efforts to stem the spread of Ebola, the health ministry said. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency this week.
 
CFR’s John Campbell writes that the public health emergency designation will likely unlock much-needed international assistance.

Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange (Reuters) sixty-nine Ukrainians being held by Russia for 208 people imprisoned in Ukraine, as part of a diplomatic process to address the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine holds parliamentary elections Sunday (BBC) that the new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, hopes will bolster his position. Zelensky has proposed direct talks (Al Jazeera) with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
 
CFR’s Global Conflict Tracker examines the rift between Russia and Ukraine in the countries’ border region.
 
UK: The House of Commons voted to make it harder for the next prime minister to suspend parliament (FT). The frontrunner for the post, Boris Johnson, has considered such a suspension as a means for delivering a no-deal Brexit.

Mexico is not ready to sign an agreement (Al Jazeera) that would require it to be a final destination for U.S. asylum seekers, says its ambassador to the United States. Martha Barcena said the United States must instead speed up its processing of asylum claims. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to visit Mexico on Sunday.
 
CFR looks at Trump’s moves to end U.S. asylum on its southern border in the context of U.S. postwar immigration policy.
 
Argentina: The country designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization (NYT) and ordered a freeze on its assets. The move comes on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that killed eighty-five people, which officials have blamed on the militant group.

European Council President Donald Tusk and Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney joined international criticism (WaPo) of chants at a Trump rally on Wednesday against Somali-born U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, which called to “send her back.” Trump afterward said (NYT) he was “not happy” with the chant.

World hunger has risen for three years to levels last seen in 2010 and 2011, says a new report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN). The report says “regression is the norm” for almost all indicators relating to agriculture, food security, and nutrition.