Iran Summons Hungarian Ambassador, Condemns EU and UK Sanctions

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
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Iran Summons Hungarian Ambassador, Condemns EU and UK Sanctions

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

 Iran's foreign ministry summoned Hungary's ambassador on Tuesday to protest against new European Union sanctions on Tehran, and denied Western allegations that it has transferred ballistic missiles to Russia, Iranian state media reported.

The EU agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on seven people and seven organizations, including airline Iran Air, for alleged links to Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia. Britain, which is not in the EU, also imposed new sanctions.

Hungary's ambassador was summoned because Budapest holds the 27-nation EU's rotating presidency.

Last month, the United States, citing intelligence it said had been shared with allies, said Russia had received ballistic missiles from Iran for its war in Ukraine.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei denied his country provided ballistic missiles to Russia, according to Reuters.

"Some European countries and the UK have unfortunately claimed without evidence that Iran has militarily intervened in this conflict which is totally refuted," Baghaei said, referring to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Baghaei condemned the fresh sanctions saying that imposing new sanctions by the European Union and the UK on Iranian individuals and entities goes against international law.

The sanctions would halt all flights by Iranian airlines to Europe, the Secretary of the Association of Iranian Airlines, Maqsoud Asadi Samani, told Iran's ILNA news agency.

The sanctions listings also include Saha Airlines and Mahan Air and Iran's Deputy Defense Minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari.

Also facing sanctions under the EU move are prominent officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and the managing directors of Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries and Aerospace Industries Organization.

The sanctions include an asset freeze and a travel ban to the European Union.

 

 

 

 

 



Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
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Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters

President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, two US officials told Reuters on Sunday.

"Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do, we're not even talking about going after the political leadership," said one of the sources, a senior US administration official.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top US officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program.

They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off of the plan.

The officials would not say whether Trump himself delivered the message. But Trump has been in frequent communications with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

When asked about Reuters report, Netanyahu, in an interview on Sunday with Fox News Channel's "Special Report With Bret Baier," said: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that."

"But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States," Netanyahu said.

Trump has been holding out hope for a resumption of US-Iranian negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program. Talks that had been scheduled for Sunday in Oman were canceled as a result of the strikes.

Trump told Reuters on Friday that "we knew everything" about the Israeli strikes.