Top US geophysics society awards highest honor to Iranian-American scientist

“Today, the Council agreed to reimpose a number of restrictive measures in relation to Iran's nuclear proliferation activities, that had then been suspended with the entry into force of the Joint Plan of Action (JCPOA or Iran nuclear deal) in 2015,” the Council of the EU said in a press release.

The decision followed the reintroduction of UN sanctions after the Security Council declined to extend relief, triggered on August 28 when France, Germany and the United Kingdom (the E3) said Iran was in “significant non-performance” of its commitments.

The Council said the measures include both UN Security Council sanctions adopted since 2006 and EU autonomous measures. They cover:

- Travel bans and asset freezes for listed individuals and entities, and a prohibition on providing funds or economic resources.

- Economic and financial sanctions, spanning trade, banking and transport.

- Trade restrictions, including bans on imports and transport of Iranian crude oil, natural gas, petrochemical and petroleum products; the sale of energy equipment, gold, precious metals, diamonds, certain naval equipment and software.

- Financial sector measures, including freezing assets of the Central Bank of Iran and major commercial banks.

- Transport restrictions, reinstating measures to bar Iranian cargo flights from EU airports and prohibit maintenance or servicing of Iranian cargo aircraft or vessels carrying prohibited materials.

The Council stressed these steps followed earlier commitments. “In October 2015 the Council adopted declaration 2015/C 345/01 lifting all EU nuclear-related sanctions in accordance with the JCPOA and stressing that the EU would reintroduce sanctions in case of significant non-performance by Iran,” it said.

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  E3 says Iran left no choice but to reimpose UN sanctions

E3 says Iran left no choice

On Sunday, the E3 foreign ministers said Tehran’s breaches had left no alternative. “We welcome the re-instatement since 20:00 EDT on 27 September of Resolutions 1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, 1835, and 1929 after completion of the snapback process,” they said. “We urge Iran and all states to abide fully by these resolutions.”

The ministers accused Iran of “exceeding all limits on its nuclear program” since 2019, noting it held enriched uranium “48 times the JCPOA limit” and at least 10 significant quantities of highly enriched uranium outside of monitoring. “Iran has no credible civilian justification whatsoever for its HEU stockpile,” they said.

They insisted diplomacy remained possible. “The reimposition of UN sanctions 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.”

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  Tehran says no obligation to comply with revived UN resolutions

Tehran says no obligation to comply

Iran rejected the move outright. “The Islamic Republic of Iran rejects the claim of the three European countries and the United States regarding the return of previous resolutions that ended under Resolution 2231 in 2015, and emphasizes that no obligation is created for UN member states, including Iran,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

It added: “Any attempt to revive terminated resolutions is legally baseless, morally unacceptable and logically flawed.”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi separately wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Security Council President Sang Jin Kim, saying the alleged return of sanctions was “null and void.”

He urged them “to prevent any attempt to revive the sanctions mechanisms, including the Sanctions Committee and the Panel of Experts.”

Araghchi accused the Europeans of “defaulting on their commitments, misusing the JCPOA dispute settlement process, and even justifying military attacks against safeguarded nuclear facilities in Iran.”

Tehran said all nuclear-related restrictions under Resolution 2231 must expire on October 18, 2025. “Iran will not recognize any effort to extend, revive or enforce them after that,” the ministry said.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said the move was "a precautionary measure to protect Canadians from the risk of Salmonella infection.”

Importers must now prove shipments do not originate from Iran, or they will be blocked or sent for testing.

“An outbreak investigation is ongoing, led by the Public Health Agency of Canada, with more than 100 laboratory-confirmed Salmonella infections in Canada and numerous food recall notifications linked to pistachio kernels and products originating from Iran,” read a statement by CFIA.

At least 16 people have been hospitalized, though no deaths have been reported. The Public Health Agency of Canada said 75% of cases were among women, warning that children, the elderly and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable.

The CFIA said the restrictions will remain in place until food safety reviews are complete, with penalties ranging from fines to license suspensions or legal action for violations.

Iranian pistachios have faced bans in the past.

Last year, the European Union temporarily halted imports after detecting high levels of aflatoxin, a toxic mold byproduct.

Other Iranian produce, including peppers, kiwis and potatoes, has also been rejected by Russia, India and Pakistan in recent years over contamination concerns.

“My Swedish colleague sent me the video on Friday. My first reaction was that it was amusing. But I immediately added, 'sad too’,” Valtonen told Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest daily newspaper.

She added that she does not change her clothing based on who she is meeting and avoids events that require covering the face or hair.

Valtonen said she raises women’s rights in every meeting with Iranian officials, including this week’s talks.

Iranian state television blurred Valtonen’s legs in a news broadcast of her meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard’s legs were also blurred in the same broadcast. The footage was widely shared on social media, including by Iranian women's rights activist and journalist Masih Alinejad.

Finland’s National Coalition Party, which Valtonen represents, also reacted on Instagram, calling the incident “a sad example of the trampling of women’s rights.”

"This is a reminder of how women around the world are still controlled and erased from visibility. Every woman has the absolute right to be seen, heard, and live freely," the party wrote on a post on Instagram.

"The National Coalition Party stands firmly for women’s rights — both in Finland and globally," it added.

Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi told state television on Saturday night that the agreement between Riyadh and Islamabad was positive and proposed Iran, Iraq and others also take part.

“Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iraq can reach a collective defense pact,” he said, while acknowledging that US influence over Riyadh and Islamabad may limit such moves.

Earlier in September, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact in Riyadh, bolstering their decades-old security partnership a week after Israel’s strikes on Qatar. Riyadh insisted the deal was not a response to specific events but the culmination of years of talks.

The agreement, described by a senior Saudi official as a “comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means,” says that aggression against either country will be considered an attack on both.

Pakistan, the only Muslim-majority nuclear power, has long stationed troops in the kingdom and provides technical and operational support to its military.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the pact alongside Pakistan’s powerful army chief Asim Munir.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Safavi said Iran launched more than 500 long-range missiles during the June conflict but admitted weaknesses in air defense and intelligence.

“Foreign assessments show 60% believe Iran won, because Israel did not achieve its objectives,” he said, without mentioning any source.

He added Iran was rebuilding damaged radar and missile systems and would “certainly increase” its offensive capabilities.

“The enemy could not tolerate us striking Haifa’s refinery and power plants,” Safavi said, adding that Iranian missiles destroyed advanced Israeli sites and pilots.

Safavi warned the conflict was “not fully over” and called for strengthening diplomacy, media, and military readiness. “We must continue the path of power-building. Offensive power is not only in air and space but in all domains,” he said.

In a joint statement on Sunday, the so-called E3 foreign ministers said the snapback mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231 had been triggered on August 28 and completed late on September 27, restoring six previous resolutions imposing international sanctions.

“We welcome the re-instatement since 20:00 EDT on 27 September of Resolutions 1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, 1835, and 1929 after completion of the snapback process,” the ministers said. “We urge Iran and all states to abide fully by these resolutions.”

The measures include restrictions on arms transfers, missile development and proliferation-related activities. They had been lifted in 2015 when Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

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  Tehran says no obligation to comply with revived UN resolutions

The E3 said Iran had “exceeded all limits on its nuclear program” since 2019 and was now holding enriched uranium “48 times the JCPOA limit.”

According to a September 4 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran possesses 10 “significant quantities” of highly enriched uranium (HEU) outside of monitoring, an amount that “cannot exclude the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear explosive device.”

“Iran has no credible civilian justification whatsoever for its HEU stockpile,” the statement said. “No other country without a nuclear weapons program enriches uranium to such levels and at this scale.”

The ministers said they had made repeated efforts to avoid snapback, including invoking the JCPOA dispute resolution mechanism in 2020 and participating in talks aimed at restoring the deal in 2020 and 2021.

In July 2025, the E3 offered Iran a one-time extension of snapback if Tehran agreed to resume unconditional talks with Washington, return to compliance with its safeguards obligations and address its HEU stockpile. “Iran did not engage seriously with this offer,” they said.

On September 19, the UNSecurity Council rejected a resolution to maintain sanctions relief for Iran. “The outcome of the vote was an unambiguous no,” the ministers said, adding that the decision “sent a clear signal that all states must abide by their international commitments.”

The statement stressed that “the reimposition of UN sanctions is not the end of diplomacy.” It urged Tehran “to refrain from any escalatory action and to return to compliance with its legally binding safeguards obligations.”

France, Germany and the UK said they remained committed to working with all parties “towards a new diplomatic solution to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”