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US Issues Iran-Related Sanctions against China-Based Entities

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Issues Iran-Related Sanctions against China-Based Entities

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)

The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on entities and individuals in Iran, the United Arab Emirates and China whom it accused of being part of an Iranian weapons procurement network, as President Donald Trump seeks to ramp up pressure on Tehran.

The US Treasury Department announced sanctions on six entities and two individuals in action taken in coordination with the Department of Justice, accusing them of responsibility for procurement of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) components on behalf of a leading manufacturer for Iran's drone program.

"Iran’s proliferation of UAVs and missiles - both to its terrorist proxies in the region and to Russia for its use against Ukraine - continues to threaten civilians, US personnel, and our allies and partners," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

"Treasury will continue to disrupt Iran’s military-industrial complex and its proliferation of UAVs, missiles and conventional weapons that often end up in the hands of destabilizing actors, including terrorist proxies."

Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tuesday's action targeted one Iranian-based entity and two people based in Iran, one entity based in China and four UAE-based entities, according to the Treasury statement.

The Treasury said it was the second round of sanctions targeting "Iranian weapons proliferators" since Trump restored his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran, which includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero in order to help prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Trump's February memo, among other things, ordered Bessent to impose "maximum pressure" on Iran, including sanctions and enforcement mechanisms on those violating existing sanctions.

Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program.

In his first 2017-21 term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed strict limits on Tehran's uranium enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump also reimposed sweeping US sanctions.

Since then, Iran has far surpassed that deal's limits on uranium enrichment.

Western powers accuse Iran of having a clandestine agenda to develop nuclear weapons capability by enriching uranium to a high level of fissile purity, above what they say is justifiable for a civilian atomic energy program. Tehran says its nuclear program is wholly for civilian power purposes.

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US Tanker Approached by Iranian Gunboats in Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessel watches an American warship in the Strait of Hormuz, May 19, 2023. (AP)
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessel watches an American warship in the Strait of Hormuz, May 19, 2023. (AP)
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US Tanker Approached by Iranian Gunboats in Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessel watches an American warship in the Strait of Hormuz, May 19, 2023. (AP)
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessel watches an American warship in the Strait of Hormuz, May 19, 2023. (AP)

British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech said Tuesday that a US-flagged tanker was approached and challenged by Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz, before continuing on its way.

The Stena Imperative was approached by three pairs of small armed boats belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards while transiting the strait approximately 16 nautical miles (30 kilometers) north of Oman, the company said.

The gunboats hailed it by radio, ordering the captain "to stop the engines and prepare to be boarded", but the ship increased speed and maintained course, the firm added, stressing it did not enter Iranian territorial waters.

"The vessel is now being escorted by a US warship," Vanguard Tech said.

Earlier, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported the incident without specifying the nationality of the ship or the boats that approached it.

The Iranian news agency Fars said a vessel, whose nationality it did not specify, had entered the country's territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz illegally, at which point Iranian units "requested" that it present the necessary permissions.

"The vessel had no legal authorization to be in these waters," Fars said. "It was therefore warned and immediately left Iranian waters."

The strait, a key passage for the global transport of oil and liquefied natural gas, has been the scene of several incidents in the past.

A senior Iranian official from the naval forces of the Revolutionary Guards threatened last week to block the passage in the event of a US attack.

World

NATO Says ‘Planning Underway’ for New Arctic Mission

The Danish Navy ocean patrol vessel F357 Thetis is pictured during a visit of Denmark's Defense Minister at the army contribution in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 31, 2026. (AFP)
The Danish Navy ocean patrol vessel F357 Thetis is pictured during a visit of Denmark's Defense Minister at the army contribution in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 31, 2026. (AFP)
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NATO Says ‘Planning Underway’ for New Arctic Mission

The Danish Navy ocean patrol vessel F357 Thetis is pictured during a visit of Denmark's Defense Minister at the army contribution in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 31, 2026. (AFP)
The Danish Navy ocean patrol vessel F357 Thetis is pictured during a visit of Denmark's Defense Minister at the army contribution in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 31, 2026. (AFP)

NATO said Tuesday that military planning has started for a new mission to bolster security in the Arctic, after US President Donald Trump made protecting the region central to his demands for Greenland.

"Planning is underway for a NATO enhanced vigilance activity, named Arctic Sentry," said Martin O'Donnell, a spokesman for NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

"The activity will even further strengthen NATO's posture in the Arctic and High North," he added, without providing further details.

Trump's threats against Greenland last month plunged the transatlantic alliance into its deepest crisis in years.

The unpredictable US leader backed off his desire to take control of Denmark's autonomous Arctic territory after saying he had struck a "framework" deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater American influence.

NATO said it would take steps to boost its presence in the Arctic after Trump used the alleged threat of Russia and China to justify his designs on Greenland.

Meanwhile Denmark and Greenland have kicked off talks with the United States over the territory and are expected to renegotiate a 1951 treaty governing American troop deployments on the island.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that NATO countries back having a "permanent presence" in the Arctic, including around Greenland, as part of efforts to step up security.

World

WHO Appeals for $1 Bn for World’s Worst Health Crises in 2026

Displaced Palestinian children gather at a tent camp in Gaza City, February 3, 2026. (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinian children gather at a tent camp in Gaza City, February 3, 2026. (Reuters)
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WHO Appeals for $1 Bn for World’s Worst Health Crises in 2026

Displaced Palestinian children gather at a tent camp in Gaza City, February 3, 2026. (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinian children gather at a tent camp in Gaza City, February 3, 2026. (Reuters)

The World Health Organization on Tuesday appealed for $1 billion to tackle health crises this year across the world's 36 most severe emergencies, including in Gaza, Sudan, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The UN health agency estimated 239 million people would need urgent humanitarian assistance this year and the money would keep essential health services going.

WHO health emergencies chief Chikwe Ihekweazu told reporters in Geneva: "A quarter of a billion people are living through humanitarian crises that strip away the most basic protections: safety, shelter and access to health care.

"In these settings, health needs are surging, whether due to injuries, disease outbreaks, malnutrition or untreated chronic diseases," he warned.

"Yet access to care is shrinking."

The agency's emergency request was significantly lower than in recent years, given the global funding crunch for aid operations.

Washington, traditionally the UN health agency's biggest donor, has slashed foreign aid spending under President Donald Trump, who on his first day back in office in January 2025 handed the WHO his country's one-year withdrawal notice.

Last year, WHO had appealed for $1.5 billion but Ihekweazu said that only $900 million was ultimately made available.

Unfortunately, he said, the agency had been "recognizing ... that the appetite for resource mobilization is much smaller than it was in previous years".

"That's one of the reasons that we've calibrated our ask a little bit more towards what is available realistically, understanding the situation around the world, the constraints that many countries have," he said.

The WHO said in 2026 it was "hyper-prioritizing the highest-impact services and scaling back lower-impact activities to maximize lives saved".

Last year, global funding cuts forced 6,700 health facilities across 22 humanitarian settings to either close or reduce services, "cutting 53 million people off from health care", Ihekweazu said.

"Families living on the edge face impossible decisions, such as whether to buy food or medicine," he added, stressing that "people should never have to make these choices".

"This is why today we are appealing to the better sense of countries, and of people, and asking them to invest in a healthier, safer world."