Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
US Pushes Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Before Summer Amid Escalating Attacks 
New York Legalizes Medical Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients 
Pentagon Ends Military Education Programs With Harvard University 
Trump Allows Commercial Fishing in Protected New England Waters 
Federal Judge Restores Funding for Gateway Rail Tunnel Project 
Nighttime Shelling Causes Serious Damage in Russia’s Belgorod Region Near Ukraine Border 
U.S. Lawmakers to Review Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein DOJ Files Starting Monday 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Norway Opens Corruption Probe Into Former PM and Nobel Committee Chair Thorbjoern Jagland Over Epstein Links 
China Warns US Arms Sales to Taiwan Could Disrupt Trump’s Planned Visit 
Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
U.S. Announces Additional $6 Million in Humanitarian Aid to Cuba Amid Oil Sanctions and Fuel Shortages 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
U.S. to Begin Paying UN Dues as Financial Crisis Spurs Push for Reforms 
Iran and the United States have been going back and forth for the last few months. Now, the latter has retaliated as President Donald Trump signed on Monday a new set of sanctions aimed explicitly at Iran’s high-ranking leaders.
The sanctions were signed on Monday through an executive order with provisions that Trump described to contain “hard-hitting sanctions.” The US President specifically mentioned that actions aimed at Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as high-profile officers and aides working in his office. The latest sanctions will prohibit Khamenei and his aides from accessing their assets and financial resources that are placed within territories where the United States has jurisdiction.
Trump reiterated that the new set of sanctions is in response to Iran’s actions in recent months. He specifically recalled one of the latest incidents where a US drone was shot by Iranian forces last Thursday. US officials claimed that the $110 million unmanned aerial vehicle was flying over international waters, but Iran claimed it was over their territory.
While talking to the press on Monday, Trump said that the new sanctions show America’s “strong and proportionate response” to Iran’s recent actions. Speaking particularly about last week’s incident, Trump maintained that the action of the Iranian forces was ultimately the fault of Khamenei.
Aside from resolving this particular issue, Trump reiterated the government’s ultimate demands from Iran, including its denuclearization and end to its alleged “engagement in and support for terrorism.” Trump added, “[Khamenei’s] office oversees the regime’s most brutal instruments, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
Al Jazeera's Tehran correspondent Dorsa Jabbari reports, however, that Trump’s newly signed sanction may have minimal effect on Iran’s Supreme Leader. Jabbari noted that Khamenei has not even left Iran since 1989. Meanwhile, Iran also responded on Monday by warning they are willing to repeat their actions if a foreign entity is caught “trespassing Iranian territory.”
