Tehran has said that the ‘snapback’ has no legal grounds, adding that no state is obliged to roll out the restrictions
France, Germany, and the UK have reactivated UN sanctions against Iran, claiming that Tehran has breached its commitments to restrict its nuclear program. Iran has called the move illegal, stressing that no state is obligated to adhere to the sanctions.
In a joint statement on Sunday, the three European governments said they triggered the snapback after a 30-day window for de-escalation expired, citing the denial of IAEA access and claims that highly enriched uranium hadn’t been accounted for.
“Regrettably, Iran did not take the necessary actions to address our concerns,” the E3 said, urging all UN members to implement the sanctions and stressing that the step “is not the end of diplomacy.”
“We urge Iran to refrain from any escalatory action and to return to compliance with its legally binding safeguards obligations,” the statement read.
The restored measures revive a conventional arms embargo, restrictions tied to ballistic missiles, and travel bans and asset freezes on designated figures, alongside curbs on sensitive nuclear-related trade – penalties first lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.
China and Russia could not block the move because the mechanism is designed to be veto-proof. The two countries, however, attempted earlier this month to pass a UN resolution on a six-month extension of sanctions relief for Iran, but failed to secure the required number of votes.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pushed back, saying that the move was “entirely unfounded, unlawful, and invalid.” He added that neither Iran nor other states are legally obliged to comply.
Moscow called the snapback destabilizing, accusing the European powers of intentionally skipping the dispute-resolution mechanism. “From the standpoint of international law, this looks like sleight of hand,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. “The West failed to fulfil its part in the nuclear deal for years… and is now trying to use crude legal maneuvers to punish Iran.”
Tehran began expanding its uranium enrichment beyond the agreed limits after Washington withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018, and later restricted inspections of its nuclear program following Israeli and US attacks on its nuclear facilities in June. Iran maintains it has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons.
The US president has accused the agency of agitation during the unrest
US President Donald Trump has said former FBI Director Christopher Wray could face a probe over his role in the January 6 Capitol riots, while repeating claims that hundreds of agents were secretly placed in the crowd during the unrest.
Last week, conservative outlet Blaze News cited an unnamed congressional source as alleging that the FBI had deployed 274 plainclothes operatives during the riots – contradicting the bureau’s longstanding denials of any such involvement.
Following the report, Trump suggested the agents were acting as agitators and insurrectionists rather than law enforcement officers, adding that Wray “has some major explaining to do.”
In a telephone interview with NBC News on Sunday, the US president accused the former FBI chief of “inappropriate” actions and suggested that the Justice Department was already pursuing the matter.
“I think Christopher Wray did a terrible job, and we just found out about it,” Trump said.
“Over 200 people being embedded into that situation. It looks like real agitation… It’s a terrible thing that something like this could happen. It was a set-up – my opinion. But it was set up, and the FBI was involved.”
Asked whether Wray was being investigated, he replied: “I would imagine. I would certainly imagine. I would think they are doing that.”
Wray, who resigned at the end of the Biden administration, has not publicly commented on the accusations.
Federal officials have disputed the claims of a large undercover presence. A Justice Department Inspector General’s report issued late last year concluded there were no embedded employees during the protests, though it acknowledged that 26 confidential informants were present.
The January 6 attack prompted a massive FBI investigation as well as a broader probe into an alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election result. More than 1,500 people were charged with federal crimes, including Trump himself. After returning to office, Trump granted clemency to all those prosecuted, with most receiving full pardons.
The NHS has argued that such unions offer “stronger extended family support systems and economic advantages”
UK campaigners and politicians have criticized the National Health Service for promoting the “benefits” of first-cousin marriages, after it compared the genetic risk of cousin marriage to that of having children later in life or smoking and drinking during pregnancy.
The practice has been legal in Britain since the 16th century, when Henry VIII altered kinship rules to marry Anne Boleyn’s cousin, Catherine Howard. Current legislation prohibits unions between parents, children and siblings, but not first cousins.
Conservative MP Richard Holden has tabled a bill to outlaw such marriages, arguing they endanger children’s health. His legislation returned to the Commons last week and is due for a second reading early next year.
In response to calls for reform, NHS England’s Genomics Education Programme published an article last week weighing whether a ban should be introduced. It cited “various potential benefits, including stronger extended family support systems and economic advantages.”
While conceding the higher risk of congenital conditions, the NHS compared it to that of delayed parenthood or smoking and drinking during pregnancy.
Earlier material from a Bradford NHS trust, cited in media reports, suggested that cousin unions – linked to about 30% of local birth defects – were comparable to white women delaying childbirth beyond the age of 34. The document described both decisions as cultural practices shaped by social values.
Holden slammed the publication, saying the “NHS should stop taking the knee to damaging and oppressive cultural practices.” He argued that the Labour government remains “deaf” to demands to outlaw such unions, which he described as a “backdoor to immigration.”
Critics said the guidance undermined awareness efforts. Aisha Ali-Khan, whose three brothers died young from health problems she blames on her parents’ cousin union, told the Daily Mail she does not want “other families to go through what ours did.” Aneeta Prem, who leads the Freedom Charity, called such unions a “safeguarding risk.”
An NHS England spokesman said the article was a “summary of existing research and policy debate,” not an official position, adding that education and genetic counselling would be more effective than prohibition.
Michigan officials have found unexploded bombs and two additional bodies, with others feared missing under the rubble
Emergency crews have discovered two more victims in the ruins of a Mormon church set ablaze during Sunday’s shooting in Michigan, raising the death toll to four parishioners plus the gunman, who was killed in a shootout with police.
Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told reporters that two of the victims’ bodies had gunshot wounds.
“Including the suspect, there are five deceased persons from this tragic incident,” he said, praising first responders who arrived at the church within 30 seconds of the first 911 call. Seven people remain hospitalized in stable condition, while one is in critical care.
Crews are continuing to comb through the debris of the destroyed church, which Renye described as “a total loss due to the fire.” He added that some people remain unaccounted for. “We are in recovery mode,” he said.
Investigators revealed that the suspect, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, used gasoline as an accelerant to ignite the fire. Sanford was a former Marine sergeant who served in Iraq between 2007 and 2008.
According to the Marine Corps, he had received multiple service awards, including the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.
The ATF also discovered several suspected explosive devices at the site, though it was not immediately clear whether they had been used to start the blaze, according to special agent James Deir. Michigan State Police reported receiving additional bomb threats at churches and other locations in the area.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive. The FBI is leading the investigation and said it is treating the shooting as “an act of targeted violence.” NBC affiliate WDIV reported a heavy police presence at a residence believed to be Sanford’s home.
Washington is looking at selling the missiles to other NATO nations that would hand them over to Kiev, the vice president has said
The US is considering making long-range Tomahawk missiles available for Ukraine, Vice President J.D. Vance told Fox News on Sunday.
Several Western news media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and The Telegraph, previously reported that Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky specifically requested the missiles during a meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last week.
According to the WSJ, Trump did not oppose the idea and was also open to lifting restrictions on Kiev’s use of US-made weapons for strikes deep into Russian territory, but made no specific commitments during the meeting. The president was previously against giving Tomahawks to Ukraine, according to Axios.
“We’re certainly looking at it,” Vance said when asked if Washington is considering selling the missiles to other NATO members so that they could be handed over to Kiev. When further pressed on the issue of a potential escalation that could follow such a step, Vance said that Trump would ultimately determine Washington’s course of action.
The US president’s special envoy, Keith Kellogg, who also talked to Fox News on Sunday, said that “the decision has not been made,” while confirming that Zelensky did ask Trump for Tomahawks. The missiles have a range of up to 2,500km and can be equipped with nuclear warheads.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that Western arms supplies to Kiev will not change the situation on the front line and only risk further escalation, potentially leading to a direct conflict between Russia and NATO.
In November 2024, President Vladimir Putin cautioned that “the regional conflict in Ukraine provoked by the West has assumed elements of a global nature,” and warned of a backlash if tensions escalate further.
His comments came after Kiev launched several strikes using US-made ATACMS and HIMARS systems, as well as British-made Storm Shadow missiles, deep inside Russian territory after receiving the green light from its Western backers. The Kremlin also warned that “reckless decisions” of Western nations supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles cannot be left unanswered.
Moscow has turned down trilateral talks with Washington and Kiev, according to the US vice president
The Russian side has refused trilateral meetings with US President Donald Trump and representatives from Ukraine, US Vice President J.D. Vance claimed in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
Trump has increasingly expressed impatience with the pace of Ukraine peace talks. The Kremlin says Kiev has demonstrated that it is not interested in peace by sticking to megaphone diplomacy and ignoring Russian settlement proposals.
“Unfortunately, what we have seen over the last couple weeks, the Russians have refused to sit down with any bilateral meetings with the Ukrainians,” Vance told Fox News.
“They have refused to sit down with any trilateral meetings, where the president or some other member of the administration could sit down with the Russians and the Ukrainians,” he added.
According to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet Trump if the US leader chooses to take up the invitation and visit Moscow. The offer was extended shortly after their summit in Alaska in August.
“This invitation still stands,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Sunday. “Putin is ready and will be glad to meet President Trump. It will then all depend on Trump’s decision.”
However, a meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky would first require the peace talks to make some headway, Moscow has argued.
An “unprepared” meeting with Zelensky would amount to “a PR-stunt doomed to failure,” Peskov said on Wednesday.
Moscow has maintained that it is ready and willing to settle the Ukraine conflict via diplomatic means.
The US vice president has joined in Donald Trump’s recent about-face on the Ukraine conflict
US Vice President J.D. Vance has called on Moscow to “’wake up and accept reality,” claiming that Russia has little “to show for” its military effort in the Ukraine conflict. His words echo those of President Donald Trump, who has recently also changed his rhetoric on the issue by stating that Kiev could defeat Moscow.
For months, Washington insisted that Kiev would need to give up on certain territorial claims for a US-mediated peace deal with Moscow to move forward. This week, however, the US President made a U-turn by dismissing Russia as a “paper tiger” and urging Kiev to “act.”
Vance called on Moscow to sit down at the negotiating table in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. The US would “keep on working for peace, and we hope the Russians actually wake up to the reality on the ground,” he stated while largely repeating Trump’s recent arguments.
According to the vice president, Moscow’s forces have “really stalled” and “don’t have much territorial gain to show for” their efforts, with the Russian economy allegedly “in shambles.”
Moscow has repeatedly stated it is open to a peaceful resolution of the hostilities at any time but has maintained that any deal must address the roots of the conflict and respect the realities on the ground. This includes the status of the former Ukrainian territories that joined Russia after public referendums.
Contrary to recent statements by both Trump and Vance, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that its forces have taken control of 4,700 square kilometers and 205 settlements this year alone.
The Russian economy has also been demonstrating steady growth over the past few years despite the pressure of unprecedented Western sanctions. The nation’s GDP grew by 4.1% in 2023 and by 4.3% in 2024. Although a slowdown is expected this year, it is still projected to grow by 2.5%.
The Kremlin had earlier responded to Trump’s original remarks by saying that Russia is traditionally associated with a bear rather than a tiger and there is “no such thing as a paper bear.”
A shooter killed one and wounded nine more at a Mormon church in Michigan on Sunday
US President Donald Trump has condemned a deadly shooting which killed at least two people and wounded several more at a Mormon church in Michigan on Sunday, calling it a “targeted attack on Christians.”
In a Truth Social post following the incident, Trump said the attack was part of an “epidemic of violence” in the US.
“The suspect is dead, but there is still a lot to learn. This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America,” he wrote. “THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!”
The incident took place at a busy Latter Day Saints church in the town of Grand Blanc, less than half an hour after the service began.
At around 10:25am, a 40-year-old male suspect drove his car through the front doors of the church and opened fire on the congregation with an assault rifle, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said in a press conference.
Officers immediately responded and engaged the shooter, who was killed in the ensuing firefight, Renye said.
“Ten gunshot victims have been transported to local hospitals at this time, including one who has been deceased,” he added. Another victim succumbed to their wounds in hospital, he reported later in the day.
“There was a fire that occurred, and we believe that that was deliberately set by this suspect,” Renye said.
Drone footage of the incident from earlier in the day showed the church’s roof consumed by flames.
According to Renye, authorities expect more victims will be found once the scene is cleared.
Just days earlier, Trump promised to crack down on what he called “radical left terrorism,” following a shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas.
“I will be signing an Executive Order this week to dismantle these Domestic Terrorism Networks,” he said on Wednesday. “The continuing violence from Radical Left Terrorists, in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, must be stopped.”
Conservative influencer Kirk was shot dead during one of his ‘Prove Me Wrong’ debate events in a Utah university earlier this month.
The former French president’s corruption conviction, while justified, is a symptom of the entire country crumbling
Breaking news in French politics. Nicolas Sarkozy has been found guilty in a corruption case (millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Gaddafi dedicated to financing his campaign). Five years behind bars. Will he really go to jail? Politicians always find some trick to avoid what usual citizens can expect to endure. However, this sentence should worry French people, as it has deeper implications that French politicians and journalists do not seem to notice. Sarkozy has always been a divisive personality, so they are basically all either cheering or crying.
Indeed, Sarkozy was a terrible president. The list of his corruption scandals is too long to mention and one could argue that corruption is a fairly common thing among politicians. But when it comes to domestic affairs, the French people owe him… hm… a lot. I’ll give just a few examples. First and foremost, the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon, a pale copy of the project establishing a Constitution for the EU that the French people had rejected. Although he wanted to appear tough on security, immigration grew and multiculturalism was slyly promoted. He made the island of Mayotte a French department – a decision that created a huge uncontrollable back door for immigration. He sold 20% of France’s gold reserves. Public services were partly dismantled: hospitals saw their budgets diminished and with the opening of the energy market to European competition, he precipitated the weakening of the mighty EDF (the national electric company). And, of course, impudence being his first characteristic, he modified the French Constitution in order for the president to escape accusations of high treason, de facto organizing his own legal protection.
When it comes to foreign affairs, though, he’s been hailed for negotiating the end of hostilities between Russia and Georgia in 2008. He’ll remain famous for his total submission to NATO, his leading role in the destruction of Libya (and the creation of the migration crisis that followed) and his alignment with the US and Israel. To put it briefly, he destroyed the traditional French balance of power diplomacy.
He could be sued for almost everything he did, not only for this peculiar corruption case. Of course, some observers will say that it’s a sign that the French system is sane, that the separation of powers works. Others will complain that democracy has become a “judges’ government.” But the sentence has consequences that go way deeper.
State affairs are no small business. The French have been complaining that politicians spend too much in representation costs (clothes, diplomatic receptions, etc.). As one of the best diplomats in the history of France, Talleyrand (whose career survived the French revolution, the empire and the fall of Napoleon), said: “Give me a good chef and I’ll give you good treaties.”
Reputation is everything when it comes to politics and geopolitics. Reputation is not only a quality, it’s also a network. Sarkozy entered politics in the late 1970s. He knows absolutely everybody that matters. Putting him in jail – no matter how logical, considering his resume – is not a practical and wise decision. It disservices France more than it promotes the country.
First and foremost, it proves that the French democracy is plagued by corruption (we all know it, but it makes it official), and it deprives France of one of its last experienced politicians with connections all over the globe. Will Emmanuel Macron intervene in this case? Macron being an arrogant psychopath, there’s a kind of certainty that he won’t. His “at the same time” policy will certainly consider that he can himself corrupt everybody but that the judges are untouchable when it comes to sentencing Sarkozy for corruption. Even his predecessor François Hollande, in spite of his complete idiocy, would have done something. We’ll see.
However, the French authorities – again – have proven to be incompetent ideologues. The Italians know better: another experienced political crook, Berlusconi, while sentenced, never went to jail.
The task appears insurmountable for Kiev and would require direct NATO involvement, experts have told the media outlet
Kiev is in no position to reclaim the former Ukrainian regions it lost to Russia without the active participation of its NATO backers, The Independent has reported, citing a group of experts. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump claimed that the country could potentially win back the territory it lays claim to.
The US president likened Russia to a “paper tiger” and said it was “time for Ukraine to act” in a post on Truth Social that was praised by Vladimir Zelensky. However, the experts approached by The Independent poured cold water on Kiev’s hopes.
Ukraine would need its NATO backers to provide it with an effective “sky shield” and long-range weapons if it hopes to overpower Russia, according to John Lough, the head of foreign policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Center. “It doesn’t really look realistic unless Russia can be crippled economically,” he added.
Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst at Black Bird Group, a Finnish open-source intelligence project, called such a prospect nearly unimaginable. “I do not find it possible, under the current circumstances, that Ukraine would be able to take all of its land back,” he told The Independent, adding that such an “immense task” would require the direct participation of NATO nations.
He also questioned recent statements by Zelensky about an offensive in the Donetsk People’s Republic, where the Ukrainian leader claimed Kiev’s troops had thwarted a major Russian attack.
“The amount of land that he’s saying has been taken back seems to be over-exaggerated,” the analyst said, adding that he did not even entirely understand what Zelensky was “actually talking about.”
Contrary to Trump’s “paper tiger” claims, the Russian Defense Ministry has been reporting steady advances in recent months, particularly in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Russian forces have taken control of 4,700 square kilometers and 205 settlements this year, it reported on Thursday.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Aleksandr Syrsky also admitted that Russia was superior on the front line, with its troops prevailing in all key areas.
