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US Senators Urge Extension of Iran Energy Sanctions

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

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UN Experts Slam Swiss Penalties Over Anti-Israel Student Protests

Palestinians walk along tents at a makeshift camp for displaced people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians walk along tents at a makeshift camp for displaced people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP)
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UN Experts Slam Swiss Penalties Over Anti-Israel Student Protests

Palestinians walk along tents at a makeshift camp for displaced people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians walk along tents at a makeshift camp for displaced people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP)

United Nations experts on Tuesday harshly criticized a top Swiss university's decision to pursue the criminal prosecution of students who peacefully protested against its partnerships with Israeli institutions.

"Peaceful student activism, on and off campus, is part of students' rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and must not be criminalized," 10 independent UN experts said in a statement.

The experts pointed to criminal penalties sought by the publicly funded Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) as mass student protests over Israel's war in Gaza rocked universities in many countries in May 2024.

Around 70 students had staged sit-ins at ETHZ, demanding transparency and disengagement from research linked to the Israeli military.

The experts, including the special rapporteurs on the right to education, to free expression, and on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories, pointed out that police were reportedly called within minutes.

"A large security presence (was) deployed, and the sit-ins forcibly dispersed, despite no teaching being interrupted and no violence occurring," the statement said.

After the protests, 38 ETHZ students received "penal orders" -- mainly fines of up to 2,700 Swiss francs ($3,500) -- including 17 who opted to appeal, it said.

"Recent court decisions have upheld trespass convictions against five students, while acquitting two others on procedural grounds," the statement said.

However, all students involved, including those acquitted, were required to bear court and administrative costs, amounting to at least 2,400 Swiss francs per person, a spokeswoman for the experts told AFP.

Decisions for the remaining 10 students are still pending.

The experts, who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, but who do not speak on behalf of the United Nations, called on the Swiss authorities and judicial system to "take full account of Switzerland's human rights obligations".

"Universities and states must ensure that expressing solidarity with human rights causes and demanding accountability from state institutions, especially in relation to well-documented instances of international crimes, do not lead to intimidation, prosecution, or long-term harm to students' futures," they said.

World

Rule of Law 'Routinely Challenged', Says ICC Head

The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. (Reuters)
The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. (Reuters)
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Rule of Law 'Routinely Challenged', Says ICC Head

The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. (Reuters)
The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. (Reuters)

The global rule of law is frequently coming under threat, the president of the International Criminal Court warned on Tuesday, vowing to stand up for justice and victims of atrocities.

At a ceremony marking the opening of the ICC's judicial year, Tomoko Akane said international justice was facing an "extraordinary moment."

"The ICC, as well as other judicial institutions around the globe, have been facing significant pressures, coercive measures and attempts to undermine their function," she said.

"Values and premises that we have accepted as a given, as well as the very notion of the rule of law, are being routinely questioned and challenged," added Akane.

The ICC is facing the most difficult period in its history.

Furious at arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the United States has slapped sanctions on top ICC officials, including judges.

This has hindered the court's ability to function and affected the lives of those sanctioned.

In addition, Russia has sentenced ICC officials to jail terms, in retaliation for arrest warrants against President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war.

"Now, more than ever, we must return to the fundamental ideas upon which we stand, the values of justice and humanity that transcend borders," said Akane.

She revealed the court had issued "numerous" further arrest warrants, although these have not yet been made public.

The ICC, based in The Hague, tries individuals suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

On Monday, it announced a major step in one of its most high-profile cases.

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will face a so-called "confirmation of charges" hearing on February 23, after judges passed him fit.

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France’s President to Meet Denmark, Greenland Leaders

France's President Emmanuel Macron waits before the arrival of Indonesia's president at the Elysee palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron waits before the arrival of Indonesia's president at the Elysee palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
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France’s President to Meet Denmark, Greenland Leaders

France's President Emmanuel Macron waits before the arrival of Indonesia's president at the Elysee palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron waits before the arrival of Indonesia's president at the Elysee palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)

France's president will meet the leaders of Denmark and Greenland in Paris on Wednesday for "a working lunch", his office said Tuesday.

Emmanuel Macron will "reaffirm European solidarity and France's support for Denmark, Greenland, their sovereignty and their territorial integrity", the presidency said.

The meeting comes days after US President Donald Trump backed down from threats to seize Greenland, a mineral-rich Arctic island that is an autonomous Danish territory.

The three leaders will discuss "security issues in the Arctic and the economic and social development of Greenland, which France and the European Union are ready to support", Macron's office said.

Faced with Russian threats and US ambitions for Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen have been making rounds with European allies this week including talks in Hamburg and Berlin ahead of visiting Paris Wednesday.

Trump earlier this month had threatened to seize Greenland and impose tariffs on any European countries, including France, Germany and Britain, that opposed him.

Trump later backed down on the threat to take the territory after meeting NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte last week.

Trump and Rutte had agreed on what the US leader called a "framework", the details of which have not been disclosed.

France has positioned itself at the forefront of European solidarity with Denmark, and is planning to open a consulate in the Greenland capital of Nuuk next month.