Guy Birchall

The sanctions regime was originally created by the EU in 2023 to address Iranian military support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

The analysis states Ukraine’s ongoing strikes are also constraining Russia’s oil refining and energy revenues, a key source of income for Moscow’s military.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would respond with ‘unity and strength.’

EasyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis said despite the conflict in Iran ‘creating near-term uncertainty,’ the airline ‘is well placed to manage the current environment.’

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte rebuffed the claims the same day the airport in Lithuania’s capital city of Vilnius suspended flights due to a drone warning.

Citizens in Vilnius were ordered to take shelter in the latest of a spate of drone incidents over the Baltic states

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics called the statements form Moscow ‘lies’ in a post on X.

Following Bessent’s announcement, a pair of Democratic senators criticized the move as an ‘indefensible gift’ to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The law was passed by the Israeli Parliament in March, but has now come into effect after being signed off by the commander of the IDF Central Command.

The announcement of the strikes follows a May 15 operation that killed the second-in-command of ISIS globally in northeastern Nigeria.