US defense chief keeps two aircraft carriers in Mideast for another week

France, Britain and Germany (the E3) will reimpose sanctions on Iran if it does not abide by its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Al-Hadath reported citing a French official.

"Reimposing sanctions on Iran would not be blackmail but rather the implementation of an agreement," the official was quoted as saying.

The official said "time is pressing for all parties as the 2015 agreement nears its expiration in October. There is now an urgent need for a new agreement with Iran."

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman on Friday dismissed a warning by the French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot that Tehran is on the "cusp of developing" a nuclear weapon, calling it "simply absurd."

"This false statement, coupled with the Minister’s open threats to reimpose sanctions, reinforces the suspicion that France's nagging posture risks evolving into a spoiling role. That won't add any credit to France and its status in Europe and globally," Esmaeil Baghaei said.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Friday criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not publicly declaring in English what Israel’s “five necessary basic conditions” are for a nuclear deal between Iran and the US.

“Absolutely no uranium enrichment, removing all enriched material from Iran, destroying centrifuges, disassembling the ballistic missile program, and close and unrestricted supervision" are the Israeli conditions listed by Lapid.

Iran on Friday condemned the US President Trump’s announcement of secondary sanctions on countries purchasing Iranian oil, calling it a violation of international law.

"Iran condemns the continuation of these illegal sanctions and pressure on Iran’s trade partners," Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement also emphasized Iran’s commitment to diplomacy, following indirect talks with the US over the nuclear issue. "We have outlined our demands, including the removal of unjust sanctions," the Ministry added.

The comments follow a statement from US President Donald Trump, who declared that any country purchasing Iranian oil or petrochemical products would face sanctions, blocking them from conducting business with the US.

“All purchases of Iranian oil, or petrochemical products, must stop, NOW!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

A senior Iranian cleric warned on Friday that increased US threats and sanctions during nuclear negotiations could backfire, putting Washington at risk.

“The United States is escalating threats and sanctions during the negotiations — with these threats, they are endangering themselves,” said Mohammad Baqer Mohammadi Laeini, the Supreme Leader’s representative in Mazandaran Province, during Friday prayers in Sari.