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American senators introduce bill to send frozen Russian funds to Ukraine

By
IFP Media Wire
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The Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) Implementation Act 2.0 is based on previous legislation passed in April 2024, which aimed to provide assistance to Ukraine.

“Given Russia’s brutality against the Ukrainian people, it was only right that Russian government funds in the United States be seized and repurposed to help Ukraine rebuild its country under the REPO Act,” Republican Senator Jim Risch said.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators also planned to introduce legislation on Sept. 19 to tighten sanctions on Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, the Financial Times reported. Moscow uses the vessels to evade sanctions on Russian oil.

“Now, the REPO Implementation Act will encourage our allies to use the Russian assets in their countries to do the same, and ensure that the assets under U.S. control are used pragmatically,” Risch added.

The legislation seeks to transfer all of the $5 billion of frozen Russian assets held in the U.S. to an “interest-bearing account” and have U.S. President Donald Trump repurpose at least $250 million from the account every 90 days to assist Ukraine.

“Repurposing Russia’s frozen sovereign assets is a necessary step to ensure Ukraine has the resources to defend itself and rebuild its communities. Importantly, this approach allows us to continue supporting Ukraine without additional cost to American taxpayers. This legislation demonstrates the strong, bipartisan resolve in Congress to keep standing with Ukraine,” Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen stated.

The REPO Act would also encourage the U.S. Secretary of State to work with allies to repurpose at least 5% of the assets or $15 billion to benefit Ukraine every 90 days and require reports on Russian assets held outside the U.S.

About $300 billion in Russian assets are frozen, most of which are held in Europe. The EU has remained cautious over transferring the funds to Ukraine amid concerns it could disparage trust in the bloc’s banking institutions.

In an effort the maintain support for Ukraine, the European Commission is considering a new plan to transfer billions of euros of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine by replacing the funds with EU-backed bonds, Politico reported on Sept. 12, citing multiple officials familiar with the matter.

Meanwhile, Germany, which once opposed transferring the funds to Ukraine, has shifted its position and now supports using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s needs, Bloomberg reported, citing undisclosed sources familiar with the matter.

 

Date harvest begins in Ghazavieh, Iran’s Khuzestan province

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Ghazavieh, located on the outskirts of the provincial capital Ahvaz, is known for its scenic orchards that produce a significant share of the region’s dates each year.

Khuzestan is among the country’s top three provinces for date production, holding one of the largest shares in national output.

The crop is also an important export commodity for Iran, generating considerable value in foreign markets.

Local farmers and landowners in Ghazavieh cultivate several varieties, including kharak (unripe dates), rutab (semi-ripe dates), and fully ripened dates.

According to agricultural authorities, total production in Khuzestan’s date groves is expected to reach 230,000 tons this year. That figure represents a 23 percent increase compared to last year’s harvest.

More in pictures:

IRGC warns US, Israel against miscalculation

By
IFP Media Wire
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IRGC

The statement stressed that effective deterrence stems from constant readiness, innovative strategy, tactics and operations, and the continuous development of advanced defensive and military technologies — lessons learned from Iran’s past defenses.

It said that if the enemy commits any fresh miscalculation or aggression, the Islamic Republic will hold the initiative on the battlefield.

Reflecting on 37 years since the Iran–Iraq War, the IRGC said Iran’s armed forces—guided by the Supreme Leader’s directives—have achieved a high degree of self-sufficiency, deterrence, and combat readiness, vividly demonstrated during the recent 12-day defense.

The IRGC assured the Iranian people that, alongside other armed forces, it is constantly strengthening its offensive and defensive capabilities and strategic capacities.

Finally, the statement warned that any hostile act by adversaries—especially the Israeli regime and the deceitful, hegemonic US government—against Iran’s national interests, security, or territorial integrity will be met with a decisive, crushing, timely, and regret-inducing response from the country’s armed defenders, particularly the IRGC.

 

Trump warns Taliban of ‘bad things’ if Bagram Air Base not returned to US

By
IFP Media Wire
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“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, signing his name to the end of the post.

Trump just days ago said the United States wanted to wrest back control of Bagram Air Base.

During a joint press conference in Great Britain with that country’s prime minister, Trump stated that the U.S. was “trying to get it back” because the Taliban needed things from the United States.

He also added the base’s proximity to China was a reason why his administration wanted it back.

“But one of the reasons we want that base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. So a lot of things are happening,” the president stressed during the presser.

Bagram was once the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan during the U.S. war in that country, the longest conflict in the nation’s history. It was abandoned in 2021 when the Joe Biden administration withdrew U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

Trump has regularly criticized the Biden administration’s handling of Afghanistan.

In speaking about the base this week, Trump complained that it had been given back to Afghanistan for nothing.

China and the Taliban have slammed Trump’s statements about retaking control of Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announces suspension of cooperation with IAEA

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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IAEA

The decision came a day after the United Nations Security Council declined to permanently lift sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

In a statement released Saturday, the SNSC criticized the move by Britain, France, and Germany, collectively known as the E3, as reckless and unjustified, particularly in relation to Iran’s civilian nuclear program.

According to the statement released after the council meeting chaired by President Massoud Pezeshkian, “despite initiatives by the Foreign Ministry to resolve outstanding issues and proposals for further engagement with the IAEA, ill-considered measures by three European countries have effectively led to a halt in cooperation.”

The meeting also addressed regional developments, including the adventurism of Israel.

Officials reiterated that Iran seeks to expand efforts aimed at fostering peace and stability in the region.

The council further reviewed international developments, particularly sanctions and military operations by the US and Israel against Iran.

It assigned the Foreign Ministry to continue consultations in line with national interests and the SNSC’s decisions.

US senators seek to sanction Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’: FT

By
IFP Media Wire
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Iran Oil Tanker

Russia’s shadow fleet has been increasingly targeted by Western sanctions as Ukraine’s international partners seek to limit Russian oil revenues, which help fund Moscow’s war machine.

The shadow fleet includes hundreds of older, often uninsured or poorly maintained tankers. These typically operate under the flags of other countries and have little transparency, making it difficult for regulators to enforce sanctions.

The proposed Shadow Fleets Act, sponsored by U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen, would expand penalties on vessels that have allowed Russia to skirt Western energy restrictions since its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Lawmakers said the measure would also target Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects and Moscow’s defense industrial base.

“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin will use every trick in the book to evade U.S. sanctions, and the U.S. is cracking down on this illicit shadow fleet of ships that he uses to fund his war,” Risch announced in a statement.

The bill has support from both Republican and Democratic parties, including President Donald Trump allies Lindsey Graham and Tom Cotton, according to the Financial Times.

It follows other recent proposals in Congress to escalate economic pressure on Moscow, including efforts to label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over its deportation of Ukrainian children.

The push comes as Trump’s diplomacy with Putin has failed to yield results. The U.S. president hosted Putin in Alaska in August, warning of consequences if Moscow rejected a ceasefire deal.

So far, Trump has not imposed any major sanctions on Russia apart from the imposition of a 25% tariff on India in August over its purchases of Russian oil.

The European Union is also moving ahead with new measures. The European Commission proposed on Sept. 19 a sweeping new sanctions package that includes a complete import ban on Russian LNG by 2027, penalties on 118 shadow fleet vessels, and restrictions on Russian banks and third-country traders helping Moscow bypass restrictions.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated the package is a response to Moscow’s “contempt for diplomacy and international law” after Russian drones recently violated Polish and Romanian airspace.

EU says to target India and China over ‘breaching Russia sanctions’

By
IFP Media Wire
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Member states will now discuss the proposed package, which must be unanimously approved before being adopted.

The new proposed measures, revealed on Friday, extend beyond the bloc to target foreign energy firms, including in China, which are alleged to be “purchasing oil in breach of the sanctions,” the commissioner claimed.

Russia has emerged as one of the largest suppliers of oil to both China and India since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The two countries have pushed back against Western demands to reduce their reliance on Russian crude, citing domestic economic needs and national interests. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Western nations against adopting a “colonial” tone toward China and India and trying to “punish” them.

The package also proposes to ban imports of Russian liquefied natural gas into EU markets, adds 118 vessels from what Brussels claims is a Russian “shadow fleet” to the blacklist, and places major Russian energy traders Rosneft and Gazpromneft under a full transaction embargo.

Von der Leyen said the measures also seek to close “financial loopholes,” extending transaction bans to more Russian banks as well as lenders in third countries. For the first time, EU sanctions will also cover cryptocurrency platforms, blocking digital transactions. She added that foreign banks tied to Russian “alternative payment systems,” along with entities in special economic zones, will also face restrictions.

The EC is “in parallel” working on a new solution to finance Ukraine, “based on immobilized Russian assets,” von der Leyen continued.

“With the cash balances linked to these assets, we can provide Ukraine with a reparations loan,” she stated, adding that “The assets themselves will not be touched, and the risk will be carried collectively.”

Von der Leyen said the 19th package of measures against Moscow was drawn up in response to an escalation in the Ukraine conflict, citing missile strikes on Kiev and alleged Russian drone incursions into Poland and Romania. Moscow has dismissed the accusations as “unfounded.”

“We’re increasing the pressure. With our 19th package of sanctions covering energy, financial services and trade restrictions,” von der Leyen stated.

 

President Pezeshkian: Europe, US Cannot Stop Iran through snapback

By
IFP Media Wire
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In his first reaction to Europe and its allies’ attempts to reinstate UN sanctions, President Pezeshkian said: “They try to close paths, but minds and ideas either find a way or create one.”

He added that while these countries may be able to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iranian scientists will rebuild them — and create even more advanced ones.

The United Nations Security Council has voted not to permanently lift economic sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.

A resolution on Friday to block the sanctions fell in the Security Council by a vote of four to nine, meaning sanctions will return by September 28 if no significant deal is reached beforehand.

Iran has condemned the move, spearheaded by the E3 – Germany, the UK, and France- supported by the US, as politically-motivated.

Trump confirms US ‘making money’ from Ukraine war

By
IFP Media Wire
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US Weapons

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump praised the deal he signed in July under which the US sells weapons to fellow NATO members, which then deliver them to Ukraine.

“We’re not spending any more on the war. You know, we’re being paid for everything we’ve sent, unlike Biden. He gave them $350 billion, and it was shocking,” Trump said, stressing that “the war is being funded by NATO.”

“In fact, I don’t want to make money on that war, but we are actually making money on that war because they are buying our equipment, as you know,” the president added.

Trump has frequently criticized former US President Joe Biden for approving large military aid packages for Kiev and described President Volodymyr Zelensky as “the greatest salesman on earth.” He also insisted that NATO members in Europe should bear the primary burden of supporting Ukraine.

The US president reopened direct negotiations with Russia earlier this year but recently acknowledged that mediating an end to the conflict has been more difficult than he initially anticipated.

Moscow has maintained that no amount of Western weapons could deter its army from victory, arguing that the NATO countries are de facto participants in the conflict.

 

Iran makes wrestling history with dual world titles

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The Iranian Greco-Roman team secured its title two days before the end of the World Championships, currently hosted in Croatia.

Despite the competition still underway, Iran’s commanding lead over second-placed Georgia made the outcome decisive.

On the second day of Greco-Roman matches on Friday, Iran clinched two gold medals and one silver, further widening its advantage.

On Saturday, Mohammad Hadi Saravi is set to compete in the final, while Danial Sohrabi will wrestle for bronze.

Iran entered Saturday’s bouts with 80 points, 35 points clear of Georgia, before guaranteeing the championship following a Georgian wrestler’s loss in the 63kg category.

The Iranian freestyle team had already sealed victory earlier in the week.

This double triumph marks the first time in history that Iran has captured world titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling at the same event.

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