Iran Tells Europeans To Abandon ‘Worn Out' Threats Amid Nuclear Sanctions Debate
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has called on European powers to halt threats against Tehran, including warnings about reinstating UN sanctions.
Tehran's top diplomat wrote on X on July 18 that he told his British, French, and German counterparts, as well as the EU foreign policy chief, during a joint call that Europe 'should act responsibly' and abandon 'worn-out policies of threat and pressure.'
He said the EU and the European trio, the so-called E3, have 'no moral or legal ground' to trigger the 'snapback' of UN sanctions.
On July 15, French Foreign Minister Jean‑Noel Barrot told fellow EU ministers that the E3 is prepared to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran unless Tehran offers a 'firm, tangible and verifiable commitment.'
The Europeans reiterated the same stance during the call with Araqchi, according to a French diplomatic source cited by Reuters, who said Iran was pushed to reach a 'verifiable and lasting' deal with the United States.
Under the 2015 nuclear agreement — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — long‑standing UN restrictions on arms sales, banking, and nuclear‑related technology were lifted a decade ago.
European governments can still invoke the deal's 'snapback' mechanism before an October 15 deadline, a step that would restore those sanctions and give them a narrow but significant source of leverage in current negotiations.
Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the wake of the US and Israeli bombing of its nuclear sites last month.
The European are pressing for UN nuclear inspectors to resume work in Iran, aiming in part to prevent Tehran from reorganizing its nuclear program after the damage caused by the strikes.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal, China and Russia — longtime supporters of Iran in such negotiations — cannot veto a snapback of sanctions. Although the formal window to trigger the mechanism closes in October, European governments could opt to postpone the move beyond that deadline to keep the door open for further talks.
Iranian and US negotiators were scheduled to meet in Oslo last week but the meeting was postponed, with apparently no new date agreed upon.
'Any new round of talks is only possible when the other side is ready for a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial nuclear deal,' Araqchi wrote on X.
Speaking at a press briefing this week, US President Donald Trump said that while Iran is eager to engage in talks, he is in 'no rush' to do so, noting that 'we obliterated their sites' in the June 22 strikes on nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Here are the 10 most expensive cities for the ultra-rich in 2025 — and the quiet power shift shaping the next luxury capitals
For the third year running, Singapore ranked as the world's most expensive city for high-net-worth individuals, according to the latest Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report from Julius Baer Group, a Swiss wealth management group. London moved into second place, nudging Hong Kong into third — but behind these familiar frontrunners, a quiet transformation could soon redraw the global map for the super wealthy The 2025 edition of the report, published on Monday, tracked the cost of what it called "living well" — meaning the ability to afford and regularly spend on 20 luxury goods and services that high-net-worth individuals typically enjoy. These include private school fees, luxury property, watches, fancy dinners, and business class flights. Pricing data was collected across 25 cities between November 2024 and March 2025, and each city was ranked based on the weighted-average total cost of all 20 items, converted into US dollars. To complement the price index, Julius Baer also conducted a separate Lifestyle Survey, polling 360 high-net-worth individuals across 15 countries in February and March 2025 to understand how the wealthy are spending and investing. While the methodology is robust, it does not account for geopolitical shifts that followed, including the Trump administration's April tariff announcements, and its relatively small sample size may limit broad conclusions. Still, the findings point to a clear shift in momentum: while the podium remains stable, several key cities — especially in Asia and the Middle East — are climbing fast, suggesting a broader power shift in global luxury hubs. The top 10 most expensive cities for the wealthy in 2025 Singapore. London. Hong Kong. Monaco. Zurich. Shanghai. Dubai. New York. Paris. Milan. The quiet rise of new luxury capitals Several emerging cities climbed the rankings at an unexpected pace, especially in Asia and the Middle East. Dubai jumped five spots to 7th place, edging closer to European strongholds like Monaco and Zurich. Bangkok and Tokyo both rose six positions, landing at 11th and 17th, respectively, driven by rising costs of fashion, watches, and property. Bangkok's "growing upper-middle class has had a direct impact on the expansion of the local luxury market," Rishabh Saksena, cohead of Julius Baer's global asset class specialists, told Business Insider. "Increased wealth has mechanically driven demand for luxury goods and services, allowing the development of luxury malls, fine dining, and experiences such as spas," he said. "Additionally, the city benefits from Asia's long-standing appeal as a global tourism destination." Tokyo's rise reflects a similar trend. " Tokyo, and Japan more broadly, has long been a culturally rich and influential region, with a strong luxury market, especially in areas such as fashion, fine dining, and experiences," Saksena added. "The recent global shift among HNWIs toward valuing experiences over goods has further enhanced Tokyo's attractivity and appeal." Meanwhile, Shanghai, which topped the index in 2022, fell from 4th to 6th place — a sign that its dominance may be fading So Paulo and Mexico City also dropped notably in the rankings. "Dubai is nipping at the heels of the bastion cities in the region for wealth and lifestyle — London, Monaco, and Zurich — in a trend that is likely to continue as the Emirate ups the ante on offering an attractive residence proposition for HNWIs," the report said. Behind the movements is a growing desire among the ultrawealthy for stability, wellness, and future-focused cities. The report also notes that Dubai's appeal lies in tax advantages, luxury infrastructure, and a booming property market, while Bangkok and Tokyo benefit from regional economic momentum and cultural cachet. What's driving the change? The global average cost of "living well" actually declined 2% in US dollar terms between 2024 and 2025 — a rare drop in a sector typically shielded from macroeconomic headwinds. Yet, beneath that decline are sharp regional contrasts: Business class air fares jumped 18.2% globally, driven by a shortage of jets and booming demand for premium pleasure travel. Luxury goods like handbags and jewellery fell in price, reflecting shifting consumer priorities. Private school fees soared in cities like London, where new tax rules drove up costs by over 25%. More broadly, high-net-worth individuals increasingly prioritize experiences over possessions and longevity over status. These include spending more on wellness, curated travel, and health services, especially in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. "The main shift we've seen recently is the growing move toward aspirational consumption among HNWIs, who increasingly value experiences over physical goods," Mark Matthews, Head of Research Asia at Julius Baer, told BI. "This trend varies from one location to another. Markets with a long cultural history of luxury goods (e.g., Switzerland with watches or Germany with cars) tend to show a slower transition toward 'experience-based' spending," he added. Data from the Lifestyle Survey backs this up. While luxury spending growth has cooled in Europe — where only 36% of high-net-worth individuals reported spending more on hotels — HNWIs in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America continue to ramp up their spending on high-end fashion, jewellery, and watches. In APAC, 65% reported increasing spending on both hotels and watches, and 63% on women's fashion. In the Middle East, 52% spent more on hotels and 50% on fine jewellery. Across the board, travel and hospitality remain top spending priorities, with fine dining and five-star hotels leading the way. A Eurasian future? The report also hints at a broader geopolitical rebalancing in how — and where — the world's wealthy choose to live. "There is already talk of many wealthy Americans decamping to Europe for the next four years — and possibly forever," Julius Baer's report said, citing affluent individuals looking for political stability and strong institutions. Cities like London, despite Brexit and political change, remain magnets for global wealth thanks to world-class education, healthcare, and cultural capital.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Robert Schmuhl: Winston Churchill responded to political defeat by linking arms with America
Winston Churchill knew political defeat but never quite like the one he suffered nearly 80 years ago on July 26, 1945. For this notable tippler, it was more humiliating than losing his seat in Parliament to a prohibitionist opponent two decades earlier. In the United Kingdom's election of 1945, Churchill won his own campaign to remain in the House of Commons — but the Conservative Party he led received a drubbing. Labour captured 393 seats to 197 for the Conservatives. Churchill, prime minister since 1940, was immediately shown the door of 10 Downing Street. Clementine Churchill tried to console her husband of 37 years: 'It may be a blessing in disguise.' Her distraught spouse snapped: 'At the moment, it's certainly very well disguised.' Churchill's loss couldn't have come at a worst time, as far as he was concerned. The Potsdam Conference, involving the 'Big Three' of President Harry Truman, Soviet leader Josef Stalin and Churchill, was in full swing. Decisions about the postwar world, Germany's future and concluding hostilities against Japan remained unresolved. The new prime minister, Clement Attlee, replaced Churchill at the conference eight days before it ended. Between April and late July of that year, Franklin Roosevelt had died, and Churchill was removed as head of the British government. Key World War II architects were no longer making decisions, leaving Stalin senior partner of the alliance battling the Axis powers. But why, people today ask, did Churchill lose? British voters regarded Churchill an inspiring wartime commander. He rallied people during dark hours and many months of fighting alone against Adolf Hitler's Germany. But as much as they admired him under fire, the United Kingdom citizenry harbored doubts about Churchill's capability to switch gears and lead in peacetime with different social and economic demands. To them, it was time for a change. Dejected from rejection, Churchill went off on an Italian holiday to paint — and plot. The trouncing cast him in a new role, leader of the opposition, but he continued to scrutinize world affairs, as he'd done the decade before with Nazism and fascism on the rise. Less than a year after being tossed out, he visited Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, to speak truth about power. He sounded the alarm that former ally Stalin was responsible for an 'iron curtain' descending across Europe, creating Soviet satellites to Kremlin rule. From Churchill's perspective, the 'Soviet sphere' operated with pernicious intentions. 'I do not believe that Soviet Russia desires war,' he argued. 'What they desire is the fruits of war and the indefinite expansion of their power and doctrines.' Churchill's return to global attention received mixed reviews. Some commentators labeled his speech unduly bellicose; others applauded his courage to define ominous realities. Churchill deliberately chose the U.S. rather than his homeland to plant his flag against Soviet expansionism. As prime minister, he'd made five transatlantic trips for extended meetings with Roosevelt. He understood America was the 'leader of the free world,' and he wanted to strengthen ties between his country and this one. In his 'iron curtain' speech, Churchill spoke of the need for 'a special relationship.' He even proposed common citizenship. That phrase 'special relationship' entered common parlance and still reverberates in transatlantic affairs affecting the two nations. But Churchill did more than compose and deliver memorable orations. He kept brawling in the political arena, winning back 10 Downing Street in 1951 and remaining in power until he resigned in 1955 at the age of 80. Churchill considered Russia 'a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.' That convoluted, inscrutable description holds true today, as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin seem to talk past each other whenever they address the war in Ukraine and other subjects. By contrast, America was an open book to Churchill and, in his opinion, 'at the pinnacle of world power.' He wanted the British empire, then showing definite signs of decline, to link arms in facing the future. With shrewd foresight, he conducted personal diplomacy to nurture the 'special relationship,' scheduling regular parleys with presidents. Between 1946 and his last White House visit in 1959, he met with Truman and Dwight Eisenhower six times in Washington and New York. On the day Churchill resigned 70 years ago this past April, he told his cabinet, 'Never be separated from the Americans.' The decade between his humiliation of 1945 and his departure as prime minister was marked by cataclysmic change and unrelenting Cold War danger. Yet as storm clouds gathered, he worked to disperse them. During those years as before, he championed freedom and democracy. 'Trust the people' was his mantra — and his bulldog determination helped him rebound from defeat to return to the world stage, this time as a seeker of peace.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Today in History: Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin walk on the moon
In 1775, 250 years ago, Major Joseph Vose of Milton led about 400 soldiers and rowers on a raid on Boston Light, which was held by British troops. The patriots stripped the lighthouse of furniture and the island of gunpowder and set afire the lighthouse. This was the latest in a series of raids -- including off Cape Ann -- destroying light houses and other navigation aids thought to benefit the British. Vose's forces also stripped the Nantasket Peninsula of grains. In 1917, America's World War I draft lottery began as Secretary of War Newton Baker, wearing a blindfold, reached into a glass bowl and pulled out a capsule containing the number 258 during a ceremony inside the Senate office building. Advertisement In 1944, an attempt by a group of German officials to assassinate Adolf Hitler with a bomb failed as the explosion only wounded the Nazi leader. In 1951, Jordan's King Abdullah I was assassinated in Jerusalem by a Palestinian gunman who was shot dead by security. In 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon after reaching its surface in their Apollo 11 lunar module. In 1976, America's Viking 1 robot spacecraft made a successful, first-ever landing on Mars. In 1977, a flash flood hit Johnstown, Pa., killing more than 80 people and causing $350 million worth of damage. In 1990, Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, one of the court's most liberal voices, announced he was stepping down. In 1993, White House deputy counsel Vincent Foster Jr., 48, was found shot to death in a park near Washington, D.C.; it was ruled a suicide. In 2006, the Senate voted 98-0 to renew the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act for another quarter-century. In 2007, President George W. Bush signed an executive order prohibiting cruel and inhuman treatment, including humiliation or denigration of religious beliefs, in the detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects. In 2012, gunman James Holmes opened fire inside a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight showing of 'The Dark Knight Rises,' killing 12 people and wounding 70 others. (Holmes was later convicted of murder and attempted murder, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.) In 2015, the United States and Cuba restored full diplomatic relations after more than five decades of frosty relations rooted in the Cold War. Advertisement
