Iran Imposes Sanctions on 61 Americans

An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
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Iran Imposes Sanctions on 61 Americans

An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

Iran said on Saturday it had imposed sanctions on 61 more Americans, including former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, for backing an Iranian dissident group, as months of talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal are at an impasse.

Others blacklisted by Iran's Foreign Ministry for voicing support for the exiled dissident group Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) included former President Donald Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House national security adviser John Bolton, Iranian state media reported.

The sanctions, issued against dozens of Americans in the past on various grounds, let Iranian authorities seize any assets they hold in Iran, but the apparent absence of such assets means the steps will likely be symbolic.

Giuliani, Pompeo and Bolton have been widely reported to have taken part in MEK events and voiced support for the group, Reuters said.

In January Iran imposed sanctions on 51 Americans, and it blacklisted 24 more Americans in April in its latest sanctions moves.

Iran's indirect talks with the United States on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact began in November in Vienna and continued in Qatar in June. But the negotiations have faced a months-long impasse.

In 2018, then-US President Trump abandoned the deal, calling it too soft on Iran, and reimposed harsh US sanctions, spurring Tehran to breach nuclear limits in the pact.



Pope Says Weapons Cannot Lead to ‘Lasting Peace’

 Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with members of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of Deputies, in Madrid, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP)
Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with members of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of Deputies, in Madrid, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP)
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Pope Says Weapons Cannot Lead to ‘Lasting Peace’

 Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with members of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of Deputies, in Madrid, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP)
Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with members of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of Deputies, in Madrid, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP)

Pope Leo XIV on Monday called global peace a "true moral imperative" and said weapons could only lead to a "temporary silence" not a "genuine and lasting peace".

"Peace emerges as a political aspiration and, even more so, as a true moral imperative," he said in a speech to the Spanish parliament, calling for "patient dialogue" instead of rearmament in Europe and beyond.

"Weapons may impose a temporary silence but they can never build a genuine and lasting peace," he said.

He said that escalating conflicts and polarization were ‌pushing the ‌world into a "profound ‌spiritual ⁠and cultural crisis".

He also firmly ‌reiterated his opposition to increased European ⁠military ⁠spending - calling it "troubling" - and urged help for the world's migrants.


Iran Says Return to Hostilities Will Affect Talks with US

An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-Israeli mural on a street in Tehran, Iran June 8, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-Israeli mural on a street in Tehran, Iran June 8, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Iran Says Return to Hostilities Will Affect Talks with US

An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-Israeli mural on a street in Tehran, Iran June 8, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-Israeli mural on a street in Tehran, Iran June 8, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iran said Monday that the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East war will have consequences for ongoing talks with the United States to reach peace in the region. 

"It is perfectly natural that the diplomatic process initiated to put an end to this imposed war would be affected," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP. 

He added that the United States held responsibility for the resumption of fighting with Israel, saying Israel's actions "cannot be separated" from US policy. 

"Without a doubt, as I said, the actions of the Zionist regime in the region cannot be separated from US policies," he stressed. 

"No one believes that the Zionist regime would carry out any action without prior coordination and cooperation with the United States," he said. 

Baqaei added, however, that Pakistan's mediation efforts to end the war with the US were continuing. 

"Diplomatic consultations are naturally continuing in all circumstances," he said. 


China Says Hopes Israel, Iran Maintain Ceasefire

 Israeli anti-air defense system interceptors, after missiles were launched towards Israel from Iran, as seen from Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jun 8, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli anti-air defense system interceptors, after missiles were launched towards Israel from Iran, as seen from Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jun 8, 2026. (Reuters)
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China Says Hopes Israel, Iran Maintain Ceasefire

 Israeli anti-air defense system interceptors, after missiles were launched towards Israel from Iran, as seen from Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jun 8, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli anti-air defense system interceptors, after missiles were launched towards Israel from Iran, as seen from Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jun 8, 2026. (Reuters)

China said it was "deeply concerned" Monday by fresh attacks between Israel and Iran, expressing hope that a fragile truce in the Middle East war would be respected.

"Resuming hostilities is not in any party's interest," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news briefing, adding: "It is hoped all relevant parties will fulfil their commitment to a ceasefire."

Israel and Iran traded fire early Monday in retaliatory strikes that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a full-scale regional war, while Yemen’s Houthi militants also fired at Israel and warned they would target Israel-affiliated ships in the Red Sea, further escalating tension.

Israel launched strikes on central and western Iran early Monday in response to missile fire from Tehran and Iran retaliated with waves of attacks, in the most serious crossfire since an April ceasefire was reached.

Explosions could be heard in central Israel as air defenses sought to intercept incoming Iranian fire.

Tehran warned of retaliation on Sunday after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without warning in defiance of Washington’s request days ago to stand down.

Monday marked the 100th day of the Iran war, launched Feb. 28 when Israel and the United States killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders.

The war raged until the two sides reached a ceasefire on April 8, but efforts at a permanent end to the hostilities have been challenged by Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas once passed in peacetime, as well as fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group.