عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

US Senators Urge Extension of Iran Energy Sanctions

Iranian flag [Getty]
Iranian flag [Getty]
    London - Washington - Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

US Senators Urge Extension of Iran Energy Sanctions

Iranian flag [Getty]
Iranian flag [Getty]

A bipartisan group of senators on Friday introduced a bill to permanently extend the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, which allowed the US to impose sanctions on Iran’s energy sector.

The bill was introduced by Republicans Tim Scott and Bill Hagerty, and Democrats Maggie Hassan and Jacky Rosen.

It aims to extend the restrictions imposed in the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) of 1996 beyond 2026, when they are set to expire.

The US Congress has extended the Act numerous times since it first expired in 2011.

On December 1, 2016, ISA was extended for a further ten years.

“The United States, Israel, and our Arab partners remain concerned about the looming threat that a nuclear Iran poses to the stability of the region,” said Senator Scott in a statement on Friday.

He added that US sanctions are a necessary deterrent for this dangerous and unstable regime, which is why the bill will make the cornerstone of sanctions on Iran permanent.

For her part, Rosen argued that the 1996 bill “helped bring Iran to the negotiating table”, and that the new legislation “ensures we maintain the full range of our economic and diplomatic tools to prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.”

Last Tuesday, Senator Hagerty issued a statement to announce his support for the bill.

“As Iran increases its nuclear and ballistic missile threats and its support for terrorism and militancy in the Middle East, the United States should not ease sanctions and make it easier for the regime to continue its malign behavior,” he said.

Also, Senator Hassan stressed that this bipartisan legislation is important for restraining Iran's ability to pursue weapons and technology that threaten the US national security.

In 1996, ISA allowed the president to impose secondary sanctions on Iran’s energy sector.

Throughout the years, ISA provisions were expanded to include other Iranian industries.

In 2010, the Act was amended to require the United States to slap sanctions on foreign companies that invest more than $20 million a year in Iran's oil or gas sector.

The bipartisan bill comes as the US and Iran appear to be close to a nuclear deal, after the European Union sent a final offer for reaching a deal on nuclear talks that started between both sides 16 months ago.

Iran responded to the text, and reportedly asked for reassurances that the US respects Tehran’s red lines.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Wildfires Advance in Forest South of Paris

This handout satellite photograph taken on July 8, 2026 and released by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows the smoke from a wildfire in a mountainaera near Die, southern France. (Photo by Handout / 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
This handout satellite photograph taken on July 8, 2026 and released by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows the smoke from a wildfire in a mountainaera near Die, southern France. (Photo by Handout / 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
TT
TT

Wildfires Advance in Forest South of Paris

This handout satellite photograph taken on July 8, 2026 and released by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows the smoke from a wildfire in a mountainaera near Die, southern France. (Photo by Handout / 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
This handout satellite photograph taken on July 8, 2026 and released by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows the smoke from a wildfire in a mountainaera near Die, southern France. (Photo by Handout / 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)

Wildfires raging in a forest south of Paris have devoured more land overnight, firefighters said on Tuesday, ahead of France's national day celebrations.

The fire erupted Sunday in the sprawling Fontainebleau forest some 60 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of the capital, former royal hunting grounds that today are dotted with quiet villages and are popular with hikers and climbers.

A second, smaller fire erupted a day later and the blazes have now scorched more than 1,900 hectares (4,700 acres) -- an area roughly three times the size of Gibraltar, firefighters said on Tuesday.

With some 850 firefighters battling the flames with the help of specialized aircraft, authorities are hoping to gain the upper hand on the flames during the day, said Paul-Edouard Laurain, spokesman for the regional firefighters.

France is on Tuesday celebrating July 14 national day, which is usually accompanied by evening fireworks.

With the region sweltering through its third heatwave in as many months, many towns throughout France have cancelled their annual firework displays, but many are usually set off illegally.

This year's celebrations coincide with a World Cup semifinal match in which France is taking on Spain in the evening local time and which, win or lose, will likely see fans spilling outside to either celebrate or mourn once the final whistle blows.

The fires have forced some 1,000 people in and around Fontainebleau to flee their homes.

Authorities are probing whether the fires were started deliberately and two people have been arrested on suspicion of arson.

The scale of the fire led to the deployment of four Canadair aircraft -- an unprecedented move in the greater Paris region -- as well as two Dash planes and three water-bombing helicopters.

A total of 187 water drops were carried out by Monday evening, said the commander of the rescue operations, Jean-Marc Sicard.

World

Iran Executes Two Men Convicted of Links to ISIS

A woman rides on her scooter on a street in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP)
A woman rides on her scooter on a street in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP)
TT
TT

Iran Executes Two Men Convicted of Links to ISIS

A woman rides on her scooter on a street in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP)
A woman rides on her scooter on a street in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP)

Two members of the ISIS group were executed after they were convicted of armed rebellion against the country, Iranian state television reported Tuesday. 

The report identified the men as Mohieddin Abdollahi and Hossein Palani. It said they belonged to an ISIS cell that formed after the group’s territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria and had planned attacks inside Iran. 

According to the report, Iranian security forces identified the cell’s hideout in the Bamo mountain area near the Iraqi border before it could carry out its plans.  

Several militants were killed and others arrested during the operation, in which three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard were also killed.  

Authorities said they also seized weapons, ammunition and other equipment. 

The two men were convicted of armed rebellion against Iran, and were hanged after the Supreme Court upheld their death sentences. The judiciary did not disclose where the executions were carried out. 

World

Trump Wants South Carolina Governor to Appoint Graham’s Sister to Serve Remainder of Late Senator’s Term

President Donald Trump listens to Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia (AP) 
President Donald Trump listens to Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia (AP) 
TT
TT

Trump Wants South Carolina Governor to Appoint Graham’s Sister to Serve Remainder of Late Senator’s Term

President Donald Trump listens to Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia (AP) 
President Donald Trump listens to Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia (AP) 

The sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham is weighing on Congress as it returned from a two-week holiday break on Monday to grapple with key defense and national security legislation during a compressed four-week summer work period.

 

The Senate opened on Monday with Graham's desk draped in black with a vase holding white flowers atop it.

 

Graham died late on Saturday. His sudden death came shortly after he returned to Washington from a trip to Ukraine.

 

US President Donald Trump said Monday he wants South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve the remainder of the late senator’s term which ends next January.

 

“I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump said in a post on social media. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”

 

The senator played major role in critical negotiations with Democrats and members of his own party to resolve key legislative issues.

 

Following his death, Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren posted on X: “Even though we disagreed on much, he was always willing to negotiate, with humor and wit.”

 

Graham’s absence deprives the Senate of a reliable Republican vote as the US holds its federal elections next November. Also, the party is scrambling to contain a widening rift and regain Trump’s confidence due to a clash over surveillance, Iran and SAVE America Act.

 

Graham served as a liaison between Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the White House, smoothing over tensions regarding Trump's demands to pass the SAVE America Act and attach it to budget reconciliation packages.

 

Praising Graham on Sunday, Thune called him “a trusted adviser and colleague to me and many others, and numerous presidents and heads of state have relied on his counsel.”

 

As chair of the Senate Budget Committee, Graham sought a new budget package to circumvent opposition from Democrats and pass Republican priorities such as additional defense funding, new tax cuts and some Trump-backed voter restrictions.

 

In the wake of his death, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson is poised to take over the Budget Committee.

 

Graham’s Replacement

 

Republican South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Monday appointed the sister of Graham to fill his vacant Senate seat until the first week of January.

 

Darline Graham Nordone is expected to be sworn in as early as this week, allowing Thune to maintain Republicans' ‌53-47 majority in the Senate.

 

She will fill out her brother's term, which ends the first week of January, when a new Congress will be sworn-in.

 

South Carolina's Republican Party will hold a special primary election on August 11 with a runoff on August 25 if no candidate wins a majority. Whoever captures the party nomination will face a difficult race against Democrat Annie Andrews in the November 3 general election.

 

A number of South Carolina Republicans have already expressed interest in taking over Graham’s seat, including Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman.