Iran condemns U.S. plans to announce new sanctions Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stands with members of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces at the grave of Iraqi paramilitary commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed alongside Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020, in Najaf, Iraq, on Friday. CAIRO/WASHINGTON - Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners, including China. After nearly six months of war since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28, the sides are not firing at each other but also showing no sign of pursuing peace talks. Oil shipments are at a virtual standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran threatening to strike any unauthorized oil tankers that try to transit the vital waterway, and Iran's economy is already under immense pressure from sanctions. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

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What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain? UAE trade embargo could shut Iran's key economic escape route: Here's why The United Arab Emirates announced an indefinite trade embargo on Iran on Wednesday, accusing Iranian forces of firing two ballistic missiles at its territory. Iran denied launching missiles and described the reported attack as a "false flag operation" by Israel and the United States. The UAE's embargo has been described as highly significant by analysts, who say Iran is heavily reliant on its neighbour for critical imports and access to financial markets. "In many ways, the embargo being put on by the UAE is even more significant than the embargo being put on by the United States," Mark Kimmitt, a retired US general and former assistant secretary of state, told Al Jazeera, referring to US sanctions and the ongoing American naval blockade of Iranian ports. The recent developments come shortly after the June 17 memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran lapsed on Monday, with little prospect of being renewed.

Is the war entering a new phase? 'Long-range sanctions': Ukraine hopes strikes cause Russia fear and losses Then come indistinguishable shouts of male voices, followed by a crescendo - a loud sound like scissors tearing through wrapping paper. "Like an orchestra, every part has to work together in order for us to achieve effective strikes," says Colonel Ray, commander of the Kairos Battalion of the Magyars Birds Brigade. The drone, roughly the length of a compact SUV with a wingspan of nearly 6 metres (19.7 feet), climbs into the night. Where exactly it is headed is known only to him.

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Latvian intelligence says Russia is preparing military provocations against Baltic states or Poland, including drones and missiles, to pressure NATO to stop supporting Ukraine.

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Could Israel sabotage the deal? Leaders of the G7 have pledged at a summit in France to strengthen Ukraine's air defences and increase pressure on Moscow's war economy, including by tightening sanctions on the Russian oil and gas sectors. "We, the Leaders of the G7, stand united in our unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity," a statement released on Wednesday said. They added that the bloc, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, was "ready to consider extending to Ukraine the benefit of licenses to allow for an increase in Ukraine's military production". President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who joined the summit on Tuesday and also held bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has been pressing allies for more than a year to allow Ukraine to produce its own interceptors because of a shortage of US anti-ballistic systems and interceptors.

Two people were killed in a Russian drone attack on a home in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, local authorities say. Two children, 11 and 15, were also injured in the attack which took place on the eve of new talks between Ukrainian and American negotiators in the US. Negotiations on ending the war have been on hold since the start of the latest conflict in Iran. President Volodymy Zelensky wants his negotiators to discuss the US decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil - implemented by Washington to help keep down global energy prices. Talks mediated by the US have so far failed to stop the fighting in Ukraine or change Russia's demands, and there is little hope of a breakthrough.