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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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World

EU Opens Second Membership Negotiation Area with Ukraine

Smoke rises in the city during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 11, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises in the city during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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EU Opens Second Membership Negotiation Area with Ukraine

Smoke rises in the city during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 11, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises in the city during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 11, 2026. (Reuters)

The European Union on Tuesday opened up a second area of membership negotiations with Ukraine, as Kyiv pushes for faster progress in its bid to join.

The move comes after the 27-nation bloc formally kicked off a first phase of membership talks with Ukraine last month after a long delay caused by opposition from Hungary.

Joining the EU involves candidate countries negotiating their way through six "clusters" of subjects to align with the bloc's laws on everything from the environment and agriculture to justice.

On Tuesday, EU Europe ministers meeting in Brussels with their Ukrainian counterpart opened the talks on security, defense and foreign policy.

Despite the momentum forward, the move falls short of hopes in Ukraine and Brussels to launch negotiations on all six "clusters" by the start of Europe's summer holiday break.

War-torn Ukraine -- which applied to join in the wake of Russia's 2022 invasion -- still faces a long and arduous journey to gain full EU membership.

But Kyiv was not the only would-be EU member making progress.

"Today is a super Tuesday for EU enlargement," said EU commissioner Marta Kos.

"Today's momentum must now be turned into delivery on the ground."

Moldova -- which asked for membership at the same time as Ukraine -- was also opening its second area of talks.

Montenegro, frontrunner to be the bloc's next month, was meanwhile wrapping up some more negotiation topics, along with Albania.

World

Heavy Rain Collapses Roof and Kills 11 People in Northwest Pakistan

A woman walks along a road amid heavy monsoon rain in Lahore, Pakistan, 12 July 2026. EPA/A. HUSSAIN
A woman walks along a road amid heavy monsoon rain in Lahore, Pakistan, 12 July 2026. EPA/A. HUSSAIN
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Heavy Rain Collapses Roof and Kills 11 People in Northwest Pakistan

A woman walks along a road amid heavy monsoon rain in Lahore, Pakistan, 12 July 2026. EPA/A. HUSSAIN
A woman walks along a road amid heavy monsoon rain in Lahore, Pakistan, 12 July 2026. EPA/A. HUSSAIN

Eleven people were killed overnight when heavy rain caused the roof of a mud-brick house to collapse in northwest Pakistan, police and rescue officials said Tuesday.

The accident occurred in Kohat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to Bilal Faizi of the provincial emergency service, The Associated Press said.

Rescuers recovered 11 bodies, mostly women and children, and handed them over to relatives for burial, Faizi said.

Heavy monsoon rains also lashed the Gilgit-Baltistan region on Monday, triggering landslides that blocked several roads and damaged homes, according to a statement from regional emergency services.

The government advised tourists to avoid travel to northern Pakistan because of the risk of landslides and flash flooding.

Pakistan experiences heavy monsoon rains every year and the downpours frequently trigger floods and landslides that cause deaths and widespread damage.

In 2022, unprecedented monsoon rains and flooding submerged nearly a third of the country, killing 1,739 people and causing an estimated $30 billion in damage.

World

North Korea Urges ‘Maximum Vigilance’ as Typhoon Bavi Approaches

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the second plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released June 23, 2026, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the second plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released June 23, 2026, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
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North Korea Urges ‘Maximum Vigilance’ as Typhoon Bavi Approaches

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the second plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released June 23, 2026, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the second plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released June 23, 2026, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)

North Korea warned of heavy rain and strong winds on Tuesday as Typhoon Bavi drew near, with leader Kim Jong Un urging "maximum vigilance" to prevent damage.

Natural disasters tend to have an outsized impact on isolated North Korea due to its weak infrastructure and economy.

The typhoon is expected to weaken into a low-pressure system before crossing the country's central region via the Yellow Sea between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Pyongyang's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

The country's weather agency issued warnings for heavy rainfall and strong winds, the paper said.

All officials and workers are "urged to remain on maximum vigilance and take steps to minimize damage," Kim was quoted as saying.

Rodong said rainfall of 80-120 millimeters (3.1-4.7 inches), with downpours of 30-60 millimeters per hour, is forecast on Tuesday across parts of the country's northern and central regions.

The southern regions, among others, are set for 150-200 millimeters of rain, as well as winds of 10-15 meters per second along the west coast and in some inland areas.

North Korea has stepped up disaster prevention efforts, the Korean Central News Agency reported last week.

Heavy rain also battered South Korea recently, dumping up to 200 millimeters in some areas.

Hundreds of residents in the central Chungcheong province evacuated the area or were stranded by flooding.

A man in his 70s was reported missing after being swept away by a swollen river in the southern region of Gyeongsang, according to broadcaster KBS.

Seoul's weather agency forecast rain across the country from Tuesday through Wednesday, with heavy downpours expected in central regions and the southern province of Jeolla.

Scientists say human-driven climate change is making extreme weather more frequent, prolonged and intense.

Last summer was South Korea's hottest on record, and both Koreas recorded their warmest June.

This year's return of El Nino, a natural Pacific warming pattern linked to heat, drought and heavy rain across parts of Asia, has added to the risks.

North Korea also suffers chronic power shortages, and experts say most residents lack air conditioning.

The impoverished country was hit by severe flooding in its northern regions in 2024, with South Korean media reporting that as many as 1,500 people could be dead or missing -- estimates Pyongyang dismissed at the time.