US envoy plans Oslo nuclear meeting with Iran’s Araghchi– Axios

The sanctions targeted companies linked to Iraqi-British businessman Salim Ahmed Said and expanding pressure on Iran’s petroleum trade and shadow fleet.

Said’s network, operating since at least 2020, used ship-to-ship transfers and forged documents to sell blended Iranian-Iraqi oil to global buyers, the Treasury said.

“Treasury will continue to target Tehran’s revenue sources and intensify economic pressure to disrupt the regime’s access to the financial resources that fuel its destabilizing activities,” said Secretary Scott Bessent.

The Treasury Department also sanctioned several vessels accused of secretly transporting Iranian oil, increasing pressure on Iran’s "shadow fleet," it said.

Several senior officials and one entity linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah-controlled financial institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan was also targeted.

These officials conducted millions of dollars in transactions that ultimately benefited Hezbollah while concealing their involvement, according to the department.

This latest action, part of the US maximum pressure campaign on Iran, marks the eighth round of oil-trade-related sanctions since 2021.

All US-linked assets of the targeted entities are now frozen, and Americans are barred from dealings with them. The designations also expose foreign firms to secondary sanctions, heightening the cost of facilitating Iran’s oil trade.

“They killed my brother — I will kill those who did it,” mourners shouted, according to video footage shared with Iran International.

Others cried, “Iranians will die before accepting humiliation,” while crowds sang the anthem “Ey Iran,” long a rallying cry at anti-government protests.

The victims, named by local sources as Mehdi Abaei and Alireza Karbasi, were shot outside Hamedan during what state authorities called a security operation. Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported that forces opened fire on their vehicle near the Tareek-Darreh area after suspecting it of drone-related activity.

“Officers first fired warning shots, then issued a stop order before targeting the car directly,” Fars wrote.

The young men were on a recreational off-road trip — a common pastime in the area — and had no known political links, according to local reports.

One other passenger was also wounded.

The Armed Forces Judicial Organization of Hamedan confirmed the deaths and said a formal probe was underway.

“A case has been opened and field investigations are ongoing,” its local chief told state media.

Authorities have not released the names or ranks of those involved in the shooting. Sources familiar with the case said the unit responsible was affiliated with the Basij paramilitary.

The killings occurred during a wave of heightened domestic surveillance and arrests following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas.

Iranian authorities have detained at least 700 people on suspicion of collaboration with Israel, with hundreds reportedly arrested in Tehran. Simultaneously, checkpoints have been deployed across major cities, and a public hotline has been created to report “suspicious behavior.”

The state has also escalated its campaign of deporting Afghan refugees.

“Iran remains committed to the NPT and its Safeguards Agreement,” Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, calling reports of a full suspension “fake news.”

He said that, under the new law passed by parliament, Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA will now be coordinated through the Supreme National Security Council, citing security concerns following Israeli and US attacks on nuclear facilities.

The remarks came after Germany’s foreign ministry said Iran’s move “sends a devastating message” and “eliminates any possibility of international oversight” of its nuclear program.

Araghchi accused Germany of siding with Israel and the US, saying Berlin had supported strikes on safeguarded nuclear sites and “repudiated” its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal by demanding “zero enrichment” in Iran. “To Iranians, what truly ‘sends a devastating message’ is Germany’s support for unlawful attacks,” he said.

Following the strikes, Iran passed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA under its safeguards agreement unless its security demands are met. The agency said inspectors remain in the country and it awaits formal clarification.

“The Parliament of Iran has voted for a halt to collaboration with the IAEA until the safety and security of our nuclear activities can be guaranteed,” Araghchi wrote on X following the passage of the law.

Iranian officials have since sharply escalated criticism of the IAEA, with a senior judiciary official threatening Director General Grossi with trial in absentia, and a hardline newspaper calling for his arrest and execution. France, Germany, and the UK issued a joint statement condemning the threats.

US says strikes set back Iran’s nuclear program

The Pentagon said Wednesday that last month’s airstrikes on Iran’s key nuclear sites had set back its program by up to two years.

“We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. “All of the intelligence that we've seen leads us to believe those facilities, especially, have been completely obliterated.”

The June 22 strikes hit Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan with bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Fordow sustained “serious and heavy damage,” though he insisted Iran would not back down from enrichment, which he described as a source of “national pride and glory.”

Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris were formally charged this week with spying for Israel’s Mossad, conspiracy to overthrow the regime, and “corruption on earth,” AFP reported, citing diplomatic and family sources on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the charges against the two French citizens are “totally unjustified and baseless,” adding: “If it is indeed confirmed that they are facing these charges, we would consider them completely unjustified and unfounded.” He stressed that their release is “an absolute priority” for the French government.

He added, “We have always told our interlocutors from the Iranian regime that any decision on sanctions will be conditional on resolving this issue.” His remarks echoed earlier comments on the possibility of triggering the snapback mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal.

The two were arrested in May 2022 during a trip to Iran and remain in detention in Tehran.

The pair’s family says they still have no access to independent lawyers. Kohler’s sister told AFP they had seen a judge who confirmed the charges, but no further details were provided. In May, France filed a case against Iran at the International Court of Justice, accusing Tehran of arbitrary detention and violations of international law.

President Emmanuel Macron has previously referred to the pair as “state hostages,” accusing Iran of detaining foreigners to exert pressure on Western states. Iran denies the claim.

Since the end of the 12-day Israeli campaign on June 24, Iran has carried out multiple executions and arrested hundreds on charges of espionage and collaboration with Israel.

Earlier warning tied snapback to nuclear behavior

On Wednesday, Barrot separately warned that France, along with Germany and the UK, could invoke the so-called snapback mechanism under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal if Tehran refuses stricter curbs on its nuclear and ballistic programs.

“With a simple letter in the mail, we can reimpose on Iran a global embargo on weapons, nuclear equipment, banks and insurance,” Barrot told Le Monde. “It is essential that our security interests be taken into account.”

The snapback provision allows remaining participants in the deal to restore UN sanctions lifted under the agreement if Iran is found to be in breach. The United States, which exited the accord in 2018 under President Donald Trump, can no longer trigger the process itself.

“We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters. “All of the intelligence that we've seen leads us to believe those facilities, especially, have been completely obliterated.”

The June 22 strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan using bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles, a mission US officials have described as a success.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that the Fordow facility had sustained major damage. “What we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,” he told CBS News, adding that the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is still evaluating the site.

Despite the damage, Araghchi said Iran would not abandon its nuclear efforts. “Our peaceful nuclear program has turned into a matter of national pride and glory,” he said. “People will not easily back down from enrichment.”

IAEA says enrichment could resume within months

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said on Sunday that Iran retains enough technical capacity to resume uranium enrichment in a matter of months. “They could have, in a matter of months—or even less—a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium,” he told CBS.

“Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared,” Grossi said. “There is still something there.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed that view, saying the program could recover if the government chooses to act. “If there is this will on our part, and the will exists in order to once again make progress in this industry, we will be able to expeditiously repair the damages and make up for the lost time,” he said.

Tehran suspends cooperation with UN watchdog after strikes

Tehran has since enacted legislation suspending cooperation with the IAEA under its safeguards agreement, unless its demands—including guarantees for its nuclear facilities and scientists—are met. The IAEA said on Wednesday it had not yet received formal clarification and that its inspectors remained in Iran.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials and state media have escalated criticism of the agency. A senior judiciary official said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi could face trial in absentia for “deceptive actions,” while a hardline newspaper called for his arrest and execution. France, Germany, and the UK condemned the threats in a joint statement and reaffirmed support for the agency.

Despite the damage to key facilities, Iran has not ruled out further enrichment. “People will not easily back down,” Araghchi said. President Donald Trump warned earlier that any resumption of enrichment would be met “without question” by further military strikes.