Sanctions

Trump Declares Emergency Over Cuba, Targets Oil Exports, Cites Hamas, Hezbollah Ties

President Trump issued an executive order on Thursday declaring a national emergency over Cuba and detailing a policy of implementing secondary sanctions on countries exporting oil to Cuba.  In the executive order, the Trump administration claims that Cuba hosts and cooperates with “dangerous adversaries” on its territory: ...

U.S. to Sanction Iran’s Shadow Fleet as Details of Protest Crackdown Surface

On Friday, the U.S. announced that it had imposed sanctions on nine vessels and eight entities that are part of Iran’s shadow fleet, according to a press statement from State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott. The imposition of sanctions on Iranian shadow fleet vessels is a move of U.S. escalation against the Iranian ...

U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Iranian Officials Over Crackdown on Protests

The U.S. on Thursday unveiled a new round of sanctions targeting Iranian officials accused of involvement in the violent suppression of nationwide anti-regime protests that have swept across Iran and directly challenge the country’s theocratic leadership. Among those sanctioned is the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, ...

Tehran Shopkeepers Shut Stores Over Economic Hardship, Currency Volatility

Some shopkeepers in Tehran closed their stores on Monday in protest against economic hardships and sharp swings in Iran's embattled currency, Iranian media reported, following similar demonstrations a day earlier. State news agency IRNA said some shopkeepers and traders at Tehran's bazaar "have closed or partially closed their stores," adding ...

Syria Welcomes Lifting of US Sanctions

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday welcomed the permanent lifting by the United States of the so-called Caesar sanctions, paving the way for the return of investments to the war-ravaged nation. The US Congress on Wednesday permanently ended the sanctions imposed on Syria under Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December last year. The ...

Syria Applauds Canada’s Decision to Remove Sanctions

Syria on Friday welcomed the Canadian government’s decision to lift sanctions on Damascus, calling it a positive step that acknowledges the humanitarian and economic toll such measures have had on the Syrian population and key sectors of the country’s economy. In a statement, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said the ...

Iran Says New Framework Needed to Access Bombed Nuclear Sites

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a new approach should be taken for the monitoring of the country's nuclear sites attacked in a recent war with Israel. Tehran is under pressure from Western powers to allow inspectors from the UN's nuclear watchdog into the facilities. "We need a method or a framework for how to inspect ...

Lebanon Faces Donor Backlash After Decision Extending Disability Benefits to Hezbollah Fighters

Lebanon is facing mounting diplomatic backlash after the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) extended state and donor-funded disability benefits to the thousands of Hezbollah fighters wounded in Israel’s September 2024 operation targeting Hezbollah’s communication devices. What the ministry described as a humanitarian exemption is now being ...

United States Lifts Sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa

The United States on Friday lifted sanctions imposed on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a day after the United Nations Security Council made a similar decision, ahead of his scheduled meeting next week with U.S. President Donald Trump. According to a notice published on the U.S. Treasury Department’s website, Washington removed the ...

Trump says 'Open' to Considering Lifting Iran Sanctions

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has asked for heavy US sanctions against Tehran to be lifted -- and that he is open to having a discussion about it. "Frankly, Iran has been asking if the sanctions could be lifted. Iran has got very heavy US sanctions, and it makes it really hard," Trump said during a dinner with Central Asian ...

New U.S. Sanctions Target Hezbollah Financial Intermediaries

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday new sanctions against several individuals accused of transferring tens of millions of dollars from Iran to Hezbollah in 2025 through Lebanese money exchange houses. According to the Treasury, these networks exploit Lebanon’s largely cash-based and informal financial system to fund the ...