Supporters Gather Ahead of Verdict in Jimmy Lai’s Landmark Hong Kong National Security Trial 
Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers, Raising Venezuela Tensions and Oil Prices 
Trump Weighs Reclassifying Marijuana as Schedule III, Potentially Transforming U.S. Cannabis Industry 
Sydney Bondi Beach Shooting Sparks Calls for Stronger Protection of Jewish Community in Australia 
Lukashenko Urges Swift Ukraine Peace Deal, Backs Trump’s Push for Rapid Resolution 
European Leaders Tie Ukraine Territorial Decisions to Strong Security Guarantees 
Trump Taps Former DHS Official Troy Edgar for U.S. Ambassador Role in El Salvador 
Syria Arrests Five Suspects After Deadly Attack on U.S. and Syrian Troops in Palmyra 
European Leaders Launch International Claims Commission to Compensate Ukraine for War Damage 
Lukashenko Says Maduro Welcome in Belarus Amid Rising U.S.-Venezuela Tensions 
Zelenskiy Signals Willingness to Drop NATO Bid as Ukraine, U.S. Hold Crucial Peace Talks in Berlin 
Korea Zinc Plans $6.78 Billion U.S. Smelter Investment With Government Partnership 
Jimmy Lai Convicted Under Hong Kong National Security Law in Landmark Case 
Ukraine Claims First-Ever Underwater Drone Strike on Russian Missile Submarine 
Special Prosecutor Alleges Yoon Suk Yeol Sought North Korea Provocation to Justify Martial Law 
Relations between the US and Iran have come under intense strain, with tensions escalating following the death of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. Iranian officials are still seeking to avenge Soleimani’s death in its refusal to accept the sanctions getting lifted from the country.
According to Reuters, a top Iranian official said Thursday that Tehran would not abandon the plans to avenge Soleimani’s killing despite receiving offers from Washington that sanctions will be lifted, among other concessions in return. This comes amidst the stalled talks between Iran and the US over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. The US, under Donald Trump, withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed sanctions as part of the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign on Iran.
While talks appeared to come close to an agreement back in March, the ongoing invasion of Ukraine has put the discussions on pause. The pause was due to the last-minute Russian demands as well as the issue of whether the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would be removed from the foreign terrorist designation.
The US State Department has since responded, saying that if Iran wanted sanctions relief that goes beyond the nuclear deal, it would have to address Washington’s concerns on the other issues.
“If Iran wants sanctions lifting that goes beyond the JCPOA, they will need to address concerns of ours beyond the JCPOA,” said the department’s spokesperson. “Conversely, if they do not want to use these talks to resolve other bilateral issues beyond the JCPOA then we are confident that we can very quickly reach an understanding on the JCPOA and begin reimplementing the deal.”
The discussions have been transpiring for months in an effort to restart the nuclear deal, with officials on both sides expressing optimism that a deal could be made. Back in March, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan explained what Washington intends to do should the deal with Iran fall through.
Sullivan said that if diplomacy fails, the US will work with allies to increase pressure on Iran, noting at the time that there are several outstanding issues that need to be resolved before an agreement could be made.
