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Italy Does Not Object the G7 Imposing New Sanctions on Israel’s Enemies

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (Reuters)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (Reuters)
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Italy Does Not Object the G7 Imposing New Sanctions on Israel’s Enemies

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (Reuters)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (Reuters)

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, said that his country, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7, does not mind the group imposing new sanctions on individuals participating in actions against Israel in the wake of the Iranian attack.

Tajani said fresh sanctions would need the backing of all the G7, which includes Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Japan, Britain and the United States. He also suggested that any new measures would be focused on individuals rather than whole nations.

“If we need to have more sanctions for people clearly engaged against Israel, supporting for example terrorism, supporting Hamas, it is possible to do it. But we need to be very serious and to work all together,” he told Reuters.

The Italian foreign minister described the Iranian attack as a “big mistake” for Tehran but “positive” for Israel, as it had revealed the efficiency of its air defenses that shot down most of the drones and missiles with help from the US, Britain, France and Jordan, Reuters reported.

The agency also quoted him as saying in English: “The message coming from Tehran on this, (is) going in the right direction. This is only one attack. Also the reaction of the Israeli government has been positive.”

The Italian minister had a phone call with his Iranian counterpart before the attack to urge caution.

“For us it is important to protect Italian soldiers” working in the area under the auspices of the United Nations, he said, adding that Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen had to stop attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which is vital to world trade.

Reuters reported that Tajani also reiterated that Italy was firmly opposed to any Israeli invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah and repeated his call for a ceasefire, while also calling on Hamas to set free all the Israeli hostages it took during the Oct. 7 attack.

He stressed that an Israeli attack on Iran would only create more hurdles to restoring stability in the region. His comments came ahead of a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers on April 17-19 on the Italian island of Capri.

“All together we want to protect Israel, but we want to achieve stability and peace,” he said, quoted by Reuters.

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World

2 Roadside Bombs in Northwest Pakistan Kill at Least 7

Volunteers transfer the body of a victim, killed in twin roadside blasts, to a hospital in Bannu on June 20, 2026. (Photo by Karim ULLAH / AFP)
Volunteers transfer the body of a victim, killed in twin roadside blasts, to a hospital in Bannu on June 20, 2026. (Photo by Karim ULLAH / AFP)
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2 Roadside Bombs in Northwest Pakistan Kill at Least 7

Volunteers transfer the body of a victim, killed in twin roadside blasts, to a hospital in Bannu on June 20, 2026. (Photo by Karim ULLAH / AFP)
Volunteers transfer the body of a victim, killed in twin roadside blasts, to a hospital in Bannu on June 20, 2026. (Photo by Karim ULLAH / AFP)

Two roadside bombs in restive northwestern Pakistan killed at least seven people on Saturday, authorities said.

The first targeted a vehicle, while the second went off as rescuers responded to the blast in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, senior police official Yasir Afridi said, adding both were controlled remotely.

Afridi said five people were killed in the first blast and two in the second, The Associated Press reported. Three people were also wounded, he said. A search operation to find those responsible is underway.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who have been blamed for similar attacks in the past.

President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the bombings. In a statement, he conveyed condolences to the families of those killed and prayed for the speedy recovery of the wounded.

Without naming any group, Zardari issued a warning to “internal and external handlers of terrorism” who provide safe havens, logistical support and financial assistance to militant networks.

Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, Afghanistan’s Taliban, who seized power in Kabul in 2021.

Pakistani officials say many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuary across the border in Afghanistan.

World

One killed and Several Injured in Train Collision North of London

An injured man walks as emergency service workers gather near the scene of a collision involving two trains near Bedford, Britain, June 19, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Dr Pete Knapp/via REUTERS
An injured man walks as emergency service workers gather near the scene of a collision involving two trains near Bedford, Britain, June 19, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Dr Pete Knapp/via REUTERS
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One killed and Several Injured in Train Collision North of London

An injured man walks as emergency service workers gather near the scene of a collision involving two trains near Bedford, Britain, June 19, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Dr Pete Knapp/via REUTERS
An injured man walks as emergency service workers gather near the scene of a collision involving two trains near Bedford, Britain, June 19, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Dr Pete Knapp/via REUTERS

A train driver was killed and dozens more injured in a collision between two commuter services about 60 miles (100 km) north of London on Friday afternoon.

East Midlands Railway, which operated both London-bound trains involved in the crash, confirmed in a statement on X on Saturday that the driver of one of the services had been killed.

A ⁠video posted on ⁠social media by one of the passengers showed what appeared to be the front of one train entangled with the back of another, with the carriages appearing to remain upright on the tracks.

The East ⁠of England Ambulance Service said that in addition to a person who died at the scene, 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured and 56 had minor injuries.

"My thoughts are with the family of the person who has sadly lost their life, and with those who have been seriously injured," Reuters quoted Prime Minister Keir Starmer as saying ⁠in a statement.

The cause of the incident was not immediately known, and transport minister Heidi Alexander said an investigation was underway.

Peter Knapp, a doctor who said on social media site Bluesky he was on board one of the trains, described a "sudden crash" with one carriage off the rails and said he had sustained minor injuries.

World

Obama on Iran Deal: We’re Maybe a Little Bit Worse Off

US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict that has roiled the Middle East since late February (AFP)
US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict that has roiled the Middle East since late February (AFP)
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Obama on Iran Deal: We’re Maybe a Little Bit Worse Off

US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict that has roiled the Middle East since late February (AFP)
US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict that has roiled the Middle East since late February (AFP)

Former US President Barack Obama said while he is happy to see a ceasefire, it seems like the United States is “worse off” now than before President Donald Trump launched the war on Iran in February.

The former president noted that under the Iran nuclear deal negotiated during his administration, “Iran had agreed not to develop nuclear weapons.”

“This administration, or a prior version of this administration, pulled out of it, which caused then Iran to develop more nuclear capacity,” Obama said in an interview with “TODAY” co-host Craig Melvin that aired Friday.

“We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, you know, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died. And it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse off,” Obama said.

Trump signed a memorandum of understanding during a dinner at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday night. It sets a 60-day deadline for negotiators to reach a more permanent deal to end the conflict.

Switzerland announced on Friday that planned talks following up on the deal to end the Middle East war had been postponed, hours after US Vice President JD Vance’s departure for the Alpine country was cancelled.

“The planned talks between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed,” the Swiss foreign ministry said in a message to AFP.

“Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks. The relevant preparatory work at Burgenstock is continuing,” it added, without providing a new date for the talks.

Nothing on Missiles

Trump and his administration sought to defend the memorandum.

On Thursday, Vance defended the “win-win” US-Iran agreement as critics slammed its vague provisions.

Trump said on social media that those who see problems with the memorandum are “fools” and either “jealous, bad people, or stupid.”

But AFP quoted experts as saying that although Iran suffered billions in damages and heavy blows from US and Israeli airstrikes, Tehran emerged from the conflict in a stronger geopolitical position.

They said Iran was already engaged in indirect talks before the war, and has now greater influence over the Strait of Hormuz.

Also, the memorandum mentioned nothing about Iranian conventional military forces (including missiles and drones) or support for proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.

Experts expect Iran to make no concessions on these two files in future talks.

Richard Haass, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote on Thursday: “Nothing in the MOU prejudices, one way or the other, the future status of the stock of enriched uranium in Iran, new enrichment-related activities, or inspections.”

“It's a much worse situation strategically for the US now than it was back in the 2010 to 2015 time period,” said Alan Eyre, distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute.

“The Iranian nuclear program is a lot more advanced now” -- though its nuclear facilities and enrichment ability were set back by US strikes last year -- and “there's a lot less bilateral trust,” said Eyre, one of the negotiators of the 2015 deal.

By attacking Iran, Washington has already played what would have been a major card: the threat of military force.

“We used it, and they're still standing. So what are we going to threaten them with?” Eyre said. “We have failed strategically, despite our military preeminence. Iran succeeded in that Iran's goal in this war was to survive.”

The memorandum of understanding -- signed by Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday -- says Iran “reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons,” but provides no mechanism for that to be verified or enforced.