US Says Iran Must Address its Concerns for Sanctions Relief Beyond Nuclear Deal

Police stand outside a hotel where a meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, is held in Vienna, Austria, April 20, 2021. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
Police stand outside a hotel where a meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, is held in Vienna, Austria, April 20, 2021. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
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US Says Iran Must Address its Concerns for Sanctions Relief Beyond Nuclear Deal

Police stand outside a hotel where a meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, is held in Vienna, Austria, April 20, 2021. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
Police stand outside a hotel where a meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, is held in Vienna, Austria, April 20, 2021. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

The United States said on Thursday if Iran wanted sanctions relief beyond that of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal - an apparent reference to removing Iran's Revolutionary Guards from a US terrorism list - it must address US concerns beyond the pact.

"We are not negotiating in public, but if Iran wants sanctions lifting that goes beyond the JCPOA, they will need to address concerns of ours beyond the JCPOA," a State Department spokesperson said, referring to the 2015 deal by the acronym for formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"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," Reuters quoted the spokesperson as saying. "Iran needs to make a decision."

The US spokesperson was responding to a top Iranian official who earlier said Iran will not give up on its plans to avenge the 2020 US assassination of Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, despite "regular offers" from Washington to lift sanctions and provide other concessions in return.

The Quds Force is the foreign espionage and paramilitary arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that controls its allied militia abroad. The Trump administration put the IRGC on the State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations in 2019, marking the first time Washington had formally labeled another nation’s military a terrorist group.

"Under any return to the JCPOA, the United States would retain and aggressively use our powerful tools to address Iran’s destabilizing activities and its support for terrorism and terrorist proxies, and especially to counter the IRGC," the State Department spokesperson said.



New Zealand MP Who Called Opponents Spineless over Gaza Is Ejected from Parliament a 2nd Time 

In this image made from video, New Zealand lawmaker Chlöe Swarbrick talks to the media after she was thrown out of Parliament, in Wellington, New Zealand, Tuesday, Aug.3, 2025 (Chino Barrett-Lovie/Stuff via AP)
In this image made from video, New Zealand lawmaker Chlöe Swarbrick talks to the media after she was thrown out of Parliament, in Wellington, New Zealand, Tuesday, Aug.3, 2025 (Chino Barrett-Lovie/Stuff via AP)
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New Zealand MP Who Called Opponents Spineless over Gaza Is Ejected from Parliament a 2nd Time 

In this image made from video, New Zealand lawmaker Chlöe Swarbrick talks to the media after she was thrown out of Parliament, in Wellington, New Zealand, Tuesday, Aug.3, 2025 (Chino Barrett-Lovie/Stuff via AP)
In this image made from video, New Zealand lawmaker Chlöe Swarbrick talks to the media after she was thrown out of Parliament, in Wellington, New Zealand, Tuesday, Aug.3, 2025 (Chino Barrett-Lovie/Stuff via AP)

A New Zealand lawmaker who was thrown out of Parliament for calling her opponents spineless during a fiery debate about a Palestinian state was ejected again on Wednesday when she refused to apologize for the remark.

Chlöe Swarbrick, co-leader of the left-leaning Green Party and part of the opposition bloc, was ordered to leave parliament on Tuesday over a speech in which she called for government lawmakers “with a spine” to endorse her proposal for New Zealand to impose sanctions on Israel over the war in Gaza.

She was hit with a three-day ban — lengthy by New Zealand parliamentary standards — but returned the next day only to be ejected a second time.

Her censure came amid fraught scenes in Parliament in Wellington on Tuesday as opponents rebuked the government for not moving to recognize an independent Palestinian state, days after neighboring Australia pledged to do so. Countries including France, Britain and Canada are also expected to recognize a state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

“We are one of the very few countries in the world who so far refuse to acknowledge the absolute bare minimum,” Swarbrick said.

The Green party lawmaker was abruptly ejected from the debating chamber when she urged government politicians to join her in a proposal to sanction Israel, which currently wouldn’t have enough votes to pass into law.

“If we can find six of 68 government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,” Swarbrick said, referring to other Members of Parliament.

“That is completely unacceptable to make that statement,” Speaker Gerry Brownlee interrupted. “Withdraw it and apologize.”

The Green politician refused. Brownlee told her to leave the debating chamber for the rest of the week.

“Happily,” Swarbrick said.

The standoff resumed when Swarbrick took her seat again on Wednesday despite the ban and Brownlee asked again if she would apologize. Swarbrick declined and was ejected once more, yelling “free Palestine” as she went.

Brownlee took the serious step, rare in New Zealand’s Parliament, of taking a vote to “name” Swarbrick for her misconduct, a ruling that means a legislator is formally suspended with their pay docked. The vote passed, with all government lawmakers endorsing it.

Opposition lawmakers claim double standards

The measure provoked fresh debate in Parliament about punishments for unruly behavior. Government lawmakers voted in June to enact unprecedented lengthy bans of opposition Māori Party lawmakers who performed a haka chant to protest a controversial vote.

On Wednesday, opposition politicians decried Swarbrick’s penalty as unusually severe, with lawmaker Willie Jackson highlighting his own ban of just 30 minutes for calling one of his colleagues a liar, before he was allowed to resume his seat without an apology.

In another recent example, a government politician used an eye-watering expletive without censure, supporters of Swarbrick said.

Several others had escaped punishment in recent years when using the word “spineless” about their opponents. Opposition leader Chris Hipkins said it was unprecedented for a lawmaker to be ejected from Parliament for a second day over the same offense.

Brownlee, however, said he had drawn a line when Swarbrick directed a personal insult at all 68 government lawmakers, including him.

“We have so many threats and other stuff being directed at Members of Parliament,” he said. “If we don’t change the behavior in here, nothing will change outside.”

Meanwhile, the government continues to mull recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon Wednesday made his most strident rebuke yet of Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the Israel leader “has lost the plot” on the “human catastrophe” in Gaza.

“I think Netanyahu has gone way too far,” Luxon told reporters. “He is not listening to the international community and that is unacceptable.”

While senior New Zealand officials, including Luxon, have said recognition of Palestine from their government was “a matter of not if, but when,” his Cabinet has yet to endorse a change of position. A decision will be made in September after further consideration, Luxon said Monday.