Middle East updates: UN sanctions on Iran come into effect

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering granting safe passage abroad to the leaders of Hamas in the Gaza Strip under certain conditions. 

"If Hamas leaders are escorted out of the country, yeah, if they finish the war, release all the hostages, we [will] let them out," he told the US broadcaster Fox News.

Netanyahu is set to meet with US President Donald Trump on Monday at the White House to discuss a new Gaza plan prepared by the US leader.

The 21-point plan includes the immediate release of the remaining 20 hostages in Gaza in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinians being held in Israel. 

The plan would also entail the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the besieged coastal strip.

According to reports, the plan will eliminate Hamas' role in the administration of the Gaza Strip and prevent Israel from annexing the area.

Trump has been raising hopes for a breakthrough in negotiations to end the Gaza war, emphasizing that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, as some of Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners are demanding.

Iran has dismissed the UN sanctions on its nuclear program as unlawful, after they were reinstated by Germany, France and Britain. 

"The measure taken by the three European countries is flawed from a legal and procedural point of view and is therefore null and void," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a letter he posted on X.

The letter was written to UN Secretary General António Guterres. 

Araghchi said he expected Guterres to prevent the three European countries and the United States from exploiting the UN for their political purposes.

Western powers fear Iran is seeking to build a nuclear bomb though Tehran has repeatedly insisted its nuclear activities are solely for civilian purposes. 

Hamas' armed wing said that contact has been lost with two hostages due to intensive Israeli strikes in Gaza City over the past 48 hours.

"The (Ezzedine) Al-Qassam Brigades announce the loss of contact with the two prisoners ... due to the brutal military operations and violent attacks in the Sabra and Tal al-Hawa neighbourhoods over the past 48 hours," the group said in a statement.

They were referring to areas within Gaza City where Israeli forces have stepped up air and ground assaults.

Untied States President Donald Trump has said on his social media platofrm Truth Social that there is "a real chance for greatness in the Middle East."

However, Trump did not provide any specific details or a timetable, days after saying he was close to forging a deal to end the war in Gaza.

"We have a real chance for Greatness in the Middle East. All are on board for something special, first time ever. We will get it done," he wrote in a Truth Social post.

The US leader is set to meet his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday at the White House, with the main focus being to reach a framework for a deal, according to Washington officials.

On Friday, Trump said talks between the US and Middle Eastern nations were intense and both Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants were aware of the discussions.

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, his far-right coalition partners at home are increasing pressure on him to annex parts of the West Bank and continue the Gaza war to achieve a total military defeat of Hamas.

The Israeli premier relies on his far-right partners to remain in power.

Netanyahu does not have a mandate to end the war without an absolute victory over Hamas, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on X.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has also reportedly set conditions to end Israel's military offensive, such as the total disarmament of Hamas and the annexation of parts of the West Bank without recognizing a Palestinian state.

The calls come as Trump recently said he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, an area Palestinians hope would be part of a future state.

A private fleet of boats carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip has resumed its journey after pausing for a couple of days due to stormy weather, according to ship-tracking service MarineTraffic.

Weather conditions have now improved.

The boats, including 52 mostly small vessels and carrying activists from dozens of countries, are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF). "Sumud" means steadfastness in Arabic.

It's unclear if the flotilla will be able to reach Gaza, however.

Israel has warned it may use force to prevent it from reaching the strip.

Israeli authorities have urged the activists to redirect the aid to the Israeli port of Ashdod, from where they said it could be transferred to Gaza under controlled conditions.

But the flotilla organizers have insisted on delivering supplies directly to Gaza.

Last week, activists reported drone attacks on the fleet of ships, as well as flash grenades and disrupted radio communications.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Germany's capital, Berlin, over the weekend protesting against the Gaza war.

Police said about 60,000 people took part in the massive rally, while organizers put the figure closer to 100,000.

"Our protest will continue as long as necessary," organizer Basem Said said on Sunday.

Amnesty International and Medico International, which co-organized the "All Eyes on Gaza" rally, have once again urged the German government to do more to secure Palestinian rights.

They have also demanded that Berlin end its support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

The Gaza conflict began on October 7, 2023, following a large-scale attack by Hamas and other militant groups on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people.

Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Germany, the US, the EU and several others.

According to the Gaza health authorities, controlled by Hamas, more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict so far. The figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Israel has welcomed the reinstatement of broad UN sanctions against Iran, saying they were a direct response to what it called violations committed by the Islamic republic in its nuclear program.

"This is a major development in response to Iran's ongoing violations, especially on its military nuclear programme," the foreign ministry said on X. "The goal is clear: prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. The world must use every tool to achieve this goal."

Tehran has slammed the reimposition of the so-called "snapback" sanctions and vowed a harsh response.

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.

Widespread UN sanctions against Iran came back into force at midnight GMT for the first time in a decade after last-ditch nuclear talks with Western powers failed.

The sanctions will once again freeze Iran's overseas assets, ban arms deals with Iran and penalize ballistic missile development, among other measures.

The "snapback" sanctions were triggered by Britain, France and Germany at the UN Security Council. They argued that Iran violated the 2015 deal to stop it from developing a nuclear weapon, although Iran denies this.

"We urge Iran to refrain from any escalatory action and to return to compliance with its legally binding safeguards obligations," the three European countries' foreign ministers said in a joint statement.

"The reimposition of UN sanctions is not the end of diplomacy." 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also called on UN member states to "immediately" implement sanctions to "pressure Iran's leaders to do what is right for their nation, and best for the safety of the world."

Iran said on Saturday it was recalling its ambassadors to Britain, France and Germany for consultations.

Earlier, on Friday, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian downplayed the threat of sanctions as he left New York.

"It is not like the sky is falling," he said.

The Lebanese government has agreed to disarm non-state groups including Hezbollah but wants guarantees that Israel will withdraw. Israel says it will not deescalate until disarmament begins.

DW gained rare access to the frontline.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the UK, France and Germany — dubbed the E3 — have been left with "no choice" but to reapply punitive sanctions on Iran that were lifted in 2015 under the JCPOA nuclear deal.

Wadephul said Iran had not complied with its obligations under the agreement, intead pursuing a nuclear porgram "which goes far beyond any plausible civilian use."

Read more about what Wadephul had to say about the snapback sanctions in our updates from the UN General Assembly. 

Syria has issued an arrest warrant for former president Bashar Assad.

Assad, who had been in power since 2000, was overthrown in December 2024, ending more than 50 years of rule by the Assad family.

Assad fled to Russia after he was ousted by a rebel alliance led by Islamists, including current president Ahmed al-Sharaa. 

"An arrest warrant has been issued in absentia against criminal Bashar al-Assad on charges related to the 2011 Daraa incidents," Syrian state media outlet SANA said.

The charges refer to a crackdown in 2011 by government forces in the southern city of Daraa against a peaceful pro-democracy uprising against Assad's regime.

The brutal crackdown quickly spread into a wider civil war that led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and widespread destruction that continued until Assad's ouster.

Rights groups accused the Assad's government of locking up hundreds of thousands of people and subjecting them to forced disappearances and torture.

"The arrest warrant includes charges of premeditated murder, torture leading to death, and deprivation of liberty," the judge told SANA.

The warrant can be distributed through Interpol to allow the case to be pursued "internationally," the report added. 

Since Assad was overthrown, the new government has struggled to maintain security in the deeply divided and ethnically diverse country.

Iraq's Oil Ministry said oil exports to Turkey from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region had resumed on Saturday after a deadlock which lasted for two and a half years.

Crude oil reached Turkey through a pipeline from the Kurdistan region, which is situated in northern Iraq.

The pipeline resumed its functionality at 06:00 local time (03:00 GMT, 05:00 CEST), according to a statement from the ministry, after an agreement was reached between Iraq's federal government, the Kurdistan regional government and foreign oil producers.

"Operations started at a rapid pace and with complete smoothness without recording any significant technical problems," the Iraqi Oil Ministry said.

On Friday, Iraq's oil minister told media outlets that around 180,000-190,000 barrels worth of crude oil per day will flow to Turkey's Ceyhan port.

Kurdish authorities had previously sold oil exports independently through the port of Ceyhan, with no oversight from the federal government in Baghdad, until the process was deemed illegal by the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris and exports were frozen in March 2023.

The federal and Kurdish authorities reached a deal on Thursday with international oil companies operating in Kurdistan.

United Nations and European sanctions are set to be imposed on Iran once more, unless a last-minute breakthrough before the early hours of Sunday.

Those sanctions would include; an arms embargo, a freezing of assets and a travel ban on Iranian figures.

Importantly it would also target Iran's nuclear arms productions, with a ban on uranium enrichment and a ban on activity connected to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons also imposed.

Finally it would require authorization for countries to inspect Iran Air aircrafts and Iran Shipping Lines cargo for banned goods.

Lebanese militant group and political party Hezbollah will commemorate on Saturday one year since its then-chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed by Israel .

Large crowds are expected in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon's south and east, which are seen as Hezbollah strongholds. 

The group's new secretary-general, Naim Qassem, is set to make an address. 

Earlier this week, Hezbollah projected the portraits of Nasrallah and his heir apparent Hashem Safieddine, who was also killed by an Israeli strike last October, on the towering rocks off the coast of Beirut.

The projections defied orders by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Beirut's governor, prompting tensions.

Nasrallah led Hezbollah for over 30 years

Nasrallah became secretary general of Hezbollah in 1992 and led the Iran-backed Shi'ite religious, political and military group for more than 30 years.

Under his stewardship Hezbollah managed to force Israeli soldiers from southern Lebanon in 2000, ending an 18-year occupation.

The group became Lebanon's most influential political and military force with Nasrallah in charge.

In September 2024, as tensions flared between the group and Israel for over a year since the Oct 7, 2023 terror attacks, Israel struck a Hezbollah complex in Beirut with a number of bunker-busting bombs, killing Nasrallah and leading to a war that saw at least 4,000 Lebanese killed.

A US-brokered ceasefire in November 2024 halted fighting, although Israel has continued to target what they say are Hezbollah militants and facilities.