US sanctions

Ukraine War: Putin’s daughters targeted by US sanctions

The US has imposed sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle, including his daughters.

The list also includes the family of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and major banks.

The measures follow new revelations of atrocities by Russian troops in Ukraine, including images of bodies of civilians scattered on the streets of Bucha, near the capital Kyiv.

Russia says, without evidence, the images are staged by Kyiv officials.

US sanctions drone-maker DJI

On Thursday, the Treasury Department put the companies on an investment exclusion list, banning US citizens from buying and selling shares in them.

It has been alleged that DJI's drone technology has been used for the surveillance of Uyghur Muslims in China.

However the ban is largely symbolic as DJI is not a publicly-traded company.

Consumers in the US can continue to buy and use DJI drones.

Iran nuclear deal: US sanctions will not be lifted for talks, says Biden

Mr Biden was speaking in a CBS News interview aired on Sunday.

But Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Tehran would only return to compliance if the US first lifted all economic sanctions.

The 2015 deal sought to limit Iran's nuclear programme, with sanctions eased in return.

Former President Donald Trump, however, withdrew the US from the deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, leading Iran to roll back on a number of its commitments.

North Korea vows to retaliate against US over sanctions

The sanctions, which were unanimously passed by the UN on Saturday, were a "violent violation of our sovereignty," the official KCNA news agency said.

Separately, South Korea says the North has rejected an offer to restart talks, dismissing it as insincere.

The sanctions will aim to reduce North Korea's export revenues by a third.

The UN Security Council decision followed repeated missile tests by the North which have escalated tensions on the peninsula.

North Korea: US vows sanctions and will activate Thaad system 'within days'

The announcements from the Trump administration come amid rising fears about the North's military advances.

The Thaad system was originally not expected to be in use until late 2017. Many South Koreans oppose it, fearing they will become a target.

North Korea has vowed to conduct more missile and nuclear tests.

Speaking to members of the US Congress on Wednesday, Adm Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, said Thaad would be "operational in the coming days to be able to better defend South Korea against the growing North Korea threat".

Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei warns US on sanctions

"If this sanction is implemented, this is definitely a violation of the agreement, without any doubt," Khamenei said in an address on state television.

"And they should know that the Islamic Republic will definitely react towards it."

The US Congress voted last week to extend the Iran Sanctions Act for another 10 years.

However, the Obama administration is working to stave off any additional sanctions and encouraging American companies to do business with Iran, a US official tells CNN.

 

US sanctions North Korea's Kim Jong-un for the first time

A statement from the US Treasury named Mr Kim as directly responsible for violations in his country.

Ten other top North Korean officials have also been blacklisted. There has been no response yet from the North Korean government.

The measures freeze any property the individuals have in the US and prevent US citizens doing business with them.