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UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has reinstated an arms embargo and other sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program following a process triggered by European powers that Tehran has warned will be met with a harsh response.
Britain, France and Germany initiated the return of sanctions on Iran at the UN Security Council over accusations it had violated a 2015 deal that aimed to stop it developing a nuclear bomb. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
The end of the decade-long nuclear deal originally agreed by Iran, Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Russia and China is likely to exacerbate tensions in the Middle East, just months after Israel and the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
UN sanctions imposed by the Security Council in resolutions adopted between 2006 and 2010 were reinstated at 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday (0000 GMT on Sunday). Attempts to delay the return of all sanctions on Iran failed on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN this week.
“We urge Iran and all states to abide fully by these resolutions,” the foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany said in a joint statement after the deadline passed.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed in a statement on Sunday that the bloc would “now proceed to implement the re-imposition of all previously lifted UN and EU nuclear-related sanctions without delay.”
Israel hailed the reimposition of sanctions on its arch foe as a “major development,” citing what it called Tehran’s ongoing violations over the nuclear program.
“The goal is clear: prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. The world must use every tool to achieve this goal,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.
Iran calls in ambassadors
Tehran has warned of a harsh response to the reimposition of sanctions. Iran said on Saturday it was recalling its ambassadors to Britain, France and Germany for consultations. But Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday Iran had no intention of leaving the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Russia has disputed the return of UN sanctions on Iran.
“It is unlawful, and it cannot be implemented,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters at the UN earlier on Saturday, adding that he had written to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning that it would be “a major mistake” for him to acknowledge a return of UN sanctions on Iran.
The European powers had offered to delay reinstating sanctions for up to six months to allow space for talks on a long-term deal if Iran restored access for UN nuclear inspectors, addressed concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engaged in talks with the United States.
“Our countries will continue to pursue diplomatic routes and negotiations. The reimposition of UN sanctions is not the end of diplomacy,” the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany said, urging Iran to “return to compliance.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement President Donald Trump has been clear that diplomacy is still an option for Iran and a deal remains the best outcome for the Iranian people and the world.
“For that to happen, Iran must accept direct talks, held in good faith, without stalling or obfuscation,” Rubio said, adding that until there was a new deal it was important for countries to implement sanctions “immediately in order to pressure Iran’s leaders.”
Rial falls to record low
Iran’s economy is already struggling with crippling US sanctions reimposed since 2018 after Trump ditched the pact during his first term.
Iran’s rial currency continued to weaken over fears of new sanctions. The rial fell to 1,123,000 per US dollar, a new record low, on Saturday, from about 1,085,000 on Friday, according to foreign exchange websites, including Bon-bast.com.
With the return of UN sanctions, Iran will again be subjected to an arms embargo and a ban on all uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities, as well as any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Other sanctions to be reimposed include a travel ban on dozens of Iranian citizens, asset freezes on dozens of people and entities and a ban on the supply of anything that could be used in the nation’s nuclear program.
All countries are authorized to seize and dispose of any items banned under UN sanctions and Iran will be prohibited from acquiring an interest in any commercial activity in another country involving uranium mining, production or use of nuclear materials and technology.

CAIRO: Israeli tanks moved deeper into Gaza City’s residential districts on Sunday, as local health authorities said they have been unable to respond to dozens of desperate calls, expressing concern about the fate of residents in the targeted areas.
Witnesses and medics said Israeli tanks had deepened their incursions in the Sabra, Tel Al-Hawa, Sheikh Radwan and Al-Naser neighborhoods, closing in on the heart and the western areas of Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering.
The Israeli military launched its long-threatended ground offensive on Gaza City on September 16 after weeks of intensifying strikes on the urban center, forcing hundreds of Palestinians to flee although many still remain.
Trump scheduled to meet Netanyahu
Hamas, which Israel has demanded surrender, said Sunday it had not received a new proposal from mediators, after US President Donald Trump said Friday that “a deal on Gaza” seemed likely. Trump is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Israel separately said that Ambassador Mike Huckabee would travel to Egypt to meet with Egyptian officials “as part of regular diplomatic consultations conducted between US embassies in the region.”
Egypt is among those mediating between Israel and Hamas.
The Civil Emergency Service in Gaza said late on Saturday that Israel had denied 73 requests, sent via international organizations, to rescue injured Palestinians in Gaza City.
Israeli authorities had no immediate comment. The military earlier said forces were expanding operations in the city and that five militants firing an anti-tank missile toward Israeli troops had been killed by the Israeli air force.
At least five killed in air strike
Over the past 24 hours, the air force had struck 140 military targets across Gaza, including militants and what it described as military infrastructure, the military said.
At least five people were killed in an air strike in Gaza’s Al Naser area, local health authorities said. Medics reported 16 more deaths in strikes on houses in central Gaza, bringing Sunday’s death toll to at least 21.
Israel’s military siege has caused a humanitarian catastrophe across Gaza. Four health facilities in Gaza City have shut down this month, the World Health Organization has said. Some malnutrition centers have also closed, the UN says.
Thousands remain in Gaza City
The World Food Programme estimates that between 350,000 and 400,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City since last month, although hundreds of thousands remain. The Israeli military estimates that around a million Palestinians were in Gaza City in August.
Israel began its assault on Gaza nearly two years ago after an attack led by the Hamas killed about 1,200 people, with 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 65,000 Palestinians in the enclave, according to Gaza’s health authorities, displaced the entire population, and crippled the territory’s health system.