Trump Says Won’t Unfreeze Iran Assets Before Deal

 A man walks past anti-US graffiti painted on the wall of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP)
A man walks past anti-US graffiti painted on the wall of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP)
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Trump Says Won’t Unfreeze Iran Assets Before Deal

 A man walks past anti-US graffiti painted on the wall of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP)
A man walks past anti-US graffiti painted on the wall of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP)

US President Donald Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he will not unfreeze Iranian assets before reaching an agreement with Tehran.

Asked whether he would be willing, as part of a potential agreement, to unfreeze Iranian assets or lift certain sanctions against Iran, Trump replied: "No."

"(That) comes after. If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking," he said in the interview with NBC, recorded Friday.

Iran has demanded that billions in frozen assets be unblocked.

Trump reiterated that he knows exactly where the enriched uranium is located in Iran and wants to recover it one way or another, while remaining vague about whether he would send in US troops to do so.

"If we make a deal, if we make a deal now we're friendly, we'll all go together" to recover this uranium, he said. "We'll take it out and destroy it."

The fate of the enriched uranium is one of the most difficult points in reaching an agreement to end the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran.



Hegseth Plays Down Impeachment Risks, Says Ready to Defend His Record

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth observes while President Donald Trump meets with Stephen Hubbard, a released Russian prisoner, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, 30 October 2026. (EPA)
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth observes while President Donald Trump meets with Stephen Hubbard, a released Russian prisoner, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, 30 October 2026. (EPA)
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Hegseth Plays Down Impeachment Risks, Says Ready to Defend His Record

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth observes while President Donald Trump meets with Stephen Hubbard, a released Russian prisoner, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, 30 October 2026. (EPA)
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth observes while President Donald Trump meets with Stephen Hubbard, a released Russian prisoner, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, 30 October 2026. (EPA)

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday played down the risks of an impeachment push against ‌him ‌and said ‌he ⁠was ready to defend ⁠his record at the Pentagon.

"We're not worried about that," ⁠Hegseth said, ‌when ‌asked if he ‌had enough ‌Republican support to defeat articles of impeachment.

Hegseth's remarks ‌came as Republican Representative Thomas Massie is ⁠attempting ⁠to force a vote on articles of impeachment against Hegseth in the House of Representatives.


Paraguay’s New President Asks All Ministers to Resign Amid Bank Crisis

Paraguay's interim President Pedro Alliana attends the swearing in ceremony of ministers at the government palace in Asuncion on November 9, 2026. (AFP)
Paraguay's interim President Pedro Alliana attends the swearing in ceremony of ministers at the government palace in Asuncion on November 9, 2026. (AFP)
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Paraguay’s New President Asks All Ministers to Resign Amid Bank Crisis

Paraguay's interim President Pedro Alliana attends the swearing in ceremony of ministers at the government palace in Asuncion on November 9, 2026. (AFP)
Paraguay's interim President Pedro Alliana attends the swearing in ceremony of ministers at the government palace in Asuncion on November 9, 2026. (AFP)

Newly appointed Paraguayan President Pedro Alliana on Monday asked all ministers to resign as the country endures a major banking crisis that has locked millions of people out of their accounts.

Former vice president Alliana took office on Friday when senators impeached Santiago Pena over the collapse of Ueno Bank, to which Pena is linked.

Alliana said he had instructed his new chief of staff Rolando de Barros to "ask ministers, secretaries and the highest state authorities who hold positions of trust to submit their resignations."

"My goal is to strengthen coordination within the Government and ensure more efficient management," he wrote on X, adding that "all institutions will continue to operate with complete normality."

Almost three million people lost access to their money when Paraguay's Central Bank seized Ueno on November 3, a move that triggered massive protests.

The Central Bank began restoring deposits Thursday through a guarantee fund, and by Saturday had returned about $160 million to nearly 1.2 million people.

Pena, who came to power in 2023, owned shares in the bank's holding company until he sold them last year.

He is accused of using his influence as president to steer millions in government deposits to Ueno and of hiding or downplaying its financial woes despite warnings about questionable loans and solvency issues.

Authorities placed the ex-leader under house arrest immediately after his impeachment and raided his home over the weekend as part of the probe into the bank collapse.


Worker Killed in Drone Strike on Ukraine Nuclear Plant, Says IAEA

Anti-drone nets cover a road leading to the frontline settlement of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, southeastern Ukraine, 08 November 2026. (EPA)
Anti-drone nets cover a road leading to the frontline settlement of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, southeastern Ukraine, 08 November 2026. (EPA)
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Worker Killed in Drone Strike on Ukraine Nuclear Plant, Says IAEA

Anti-drone nets cover a road leading to the frontline settlement of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, southeastern Ukraine, 08 November 2026. (EPA)
Anti-drone nets cover a road leading to the frontline settlement of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, southeastern Ukraine, 08 November 2026. (EPA)

A drone strike on Monday killed an employee of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the UN's nuclear watchdog said.

Captured by Russian forces in March 2022 shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia is Europe's largest nuclear facility and has repeatedly been at the center of safety concerns during the war.

"The IAEA has been informed that one employee (of the plant) was killed in a drone attack today, in the latest incident affecting plant personnel and further endangering nuclear safety and security during the military conflict," the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a post on X.

An employee of the nearby Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant, a conventional fossil-fuel power station, was also killed by a drone on Monday, the IAEA said.

The Vienna-based agency last reported that an employee was killed in a drone attack at the nuclear plant in late October, reportedly a welder at a repair workshop.

IAEA director general Rafael Grossi "strongly condemns the deadly strikes and says they represent unacceptable attacks violating indispensable nuclear safety pillars", the organization said.

"All such attacks on nuclear plant workers must stop immediately" and "all nuclear plant personnel must be able to carry out their important work without undue stress or fear", the IAEA said.

Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse the other of attacking the site, which sits on the banks of the Dnipro River near the war front line.

IAEA teams have had a permanent presence at the plant since September 2022. Zaporizhzhia's six reactors have been shut down since 2022.