UN confirms reactivation of sanctions on Iran

The United Nations confirmed on Sunday that sanctions against Iran have been reactivated.

"Pursuant to the process set forth in paragraphs 11 and 12 of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), effective on 27 September at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, all provisions of resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008) and 1929 (2010) have been re-applied in the same manner as they applied before the adoption of resolution 2231 (2015) on 20 July 2015," said a note to correspondents from the Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.

The note said that accordingly, the sanctions list maintained by the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1737 has been re-established and includes 43 individuals and 78 entities that were listed before the adoption of resolution 2231.

Iran rejects reinstatement of UNSC sanction resolutions

Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday it considers the action taken by France, Britain and Germany, collectively known as the E3, and the United States, to reinstate the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanction resolutions on Iran as "illegal and unjustified."

The ministry made the announcement in a statement, hours after UN sanctions against Iran came back into force 10 years after having been lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between the country and world powers.

It said that Iran "rejects the claim by the three European countries and the United States about the reinstatement of the previous resolutions that have been terminated under Resolution 2231 (that endorses the JCPOA) in 2015, and stresses that no obligation arises for UN members, including Iran, from the annulled resolutions' provisions and mechanisms."

Israeli warplanes strike Hezbollah targets in S. Lebanon

Israeli warplanes struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the Israeli military and Lebanese sources said, marking the latest flare-up along the Israel-Lebanon border despite a ceasefire reached last year.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli aircraft carried out multiple raids on areas around Kfar Remen and Al-Jarmaq, firing air-to-ground missiles that triggered powerful explosions. A drone also targeted a house in Houmine al-Fawqa, near Nabatieh, while other drones flew at low altitude over nearby villages.

Hamas says communication lost with 2 Israeli hostages in Gaza

Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said on Sunday that it had lost communication with two Israeli hostages due to intensified Israeli attacks in Gaza City.

In a press statement, Al-Qassam said communication with the hostages, identified as Omri Miran and Matan Angrest, was cut off during the past 48 hours amid heavy Israeli bombardment and military activity in the Sabra and Tel al-Hawa neighborhoods.

Al-Qassam warned that the lives of the two hostages were in "real danger," demanding Israeli forces withdraw south of Street No. 8 and halt air operations for 24 hours to allow attempts to secure the captives.

Putin ready to meet Trump in Moscow: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Moscow, but the decision rests with the U.S. side, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

Peskov told Russia's TASS news agency that the invitation extended by Putin to Trump remains on the table.

Peskov added that Putin is ready and willing to hold the meeting with Trump in Moscow. "Everything depends on Trump's decision," he said.