New US sanctions target Iranian defense procurement

Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal have raised concerns about the possibility of President Donald Trump ordering a military strike on Iran without first consulting Congress.

“Donald Trump is not a king. He's a president. He has an obligation to consult with Congress,” Warner said in a video posted on his X account.

Jayapal added in a post on X, “The idea that the US would potentially deploy a bunker buster bomb in Iran without Congressional approval ... flies in the face of our Constitution.”

Arab League foreign ministers will convene an extraordinary meeting in Istanbul on Friday to discuss the Iran-Israel conflict, Reuters reported citing an unnamed regional diplomatic source.

Iran's UN envoy Amir-Saeid Iravani accused Israel of “gross violations of international law”, and urged the UN to take action.

“If the council fails to act now, it will send a message that international law and resolutions apply selectively," he told security council Friday.

Israel's UN envoy Danny Dannon accused Iran of deliberately targeting a hospital, saying the country was a wolf posing as sheep.

"We do not apologize for neutralizing a threat," Dannon told security council. "We're acting where international community hesitated."

Addressing Iranian counterpart directly, Dannon said: “Mr Iravani, you are not a victim. You are not even a diplomat. You are a wolf pretending to be a diplomat and we are done pretending otherwise.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that Moscow is not seeking to mediate in the Iran-Israel conflict but is proposing ideas, adding that he believes a resolution can be found.

Asked whether Russia is unreliable for not helping Iran, Putin said those who say such things are provocateurs.

Hezbollah chief said this week that the group will not remain neutral in the Iran-Israel conflict.

May Farhat reports from Beirut on hopes and fears of ordinary Lebanese.