2025-09-27 22:11

U.N. sanctions lifted under 2015 deal kick back in Iran has warned it will retaliate, could hurt IAEA work IAEA inspections halted since Israeli, US bombing Step ends incentive West hoped would get quick concessions Issue appears headed for tense, drawn-out standoff UNITED NATIONS/VIENNA, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The "snapback" re-imposition of U.N. sanctions on Iran lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal sends Western powers back to the drawing board on how to contain and monitor Iran's nuclear programme, diplomats and analysts say. European powers France, Britain, and Germany - known as the E3 - had hoped the threat of snapback would make Iran yield to demands such as quickly letting U.N. nuclear inspectors return to nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the U.S. in June, and resuming talks with the United States on its atomic activities. Sign up here. But despite a last-minute rush of diplomatic activity at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, the E3 said Iran had done too little for them to stop snapback going into effect on Sunday at 0000 GMT, a month after they set the 30-day process in motion. "This snapback mechanism is the West's last bullet. Once they pull the trigger, they'll have nothing left," a hardline Iranian lawmaker said in the dying hours of negotiations on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of those talks. "The stick they've been holding over our heads — once it's used, it's gone. They won't have any more leverage." US PLAYED ITS TRUMP CARD Western diplomats argue that, on the contrary, the U.S. and E3 will have the leverage of offering to lift these and other sanctions. But getting sanctions lifted is an arduous process less likely to yield quick concessions like the ones the E3 had recently sought. "The U.S. played its 'trump card' in bombing key Iranian sites. And while the nuclear programme has certainly been set back, it has not been eliminated," said Eric Brewer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative think-tank. "Iran is not willing to meet U.S. terms for a deal. But the U.S. still clearly needs a deal for any sustainable solution. So in many ways we're back to where we started," he said. The sanctions snapping back require Iran to suspend all enrichment-related activities and ban imports of anything that could contribute to those activities or to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems like ballistic missiles. They will also re-impose an arms embargo and targeted sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities. The 2015 deal between Tehran and major powers restricted Iran's atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief. It worked as planned for two years until President Donald Trump pulled Washington out in 2018 and re-imposed U.S. sanctions. Tehran responded by rapidly expanding uranium enrichment to the point Israel and the U.S. said they had no choice but to bomb Iran's atomic sites in June. Western powers say there is no civilian justification for Iran's advanced uranium enrichment, fearing it is moving towards nuclear weapons. Iran denies seeking the atom bomb. IRAN PLANS TO RESPOND With snapback kicking in, Iran has said it will retaliate diplomatically, indicating it might scale back cooperation with the IAEA even further just as Western powers and the IAEA are demanding answers on the status of its large stock of highly enriched uranium. "If the snapback mechanism is triggered and sanctions return, we will definitely reconsider our relationship with the IAEA. Restrictions on inspections will certainly be tightened," a senior Iranian official said shortly before it kicked in. After Israel launched its bombing campaign, Iran's parliament passed a law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and requiring inspections to be approved by its Supreme National Security Council. Iran and the IAEA announced an agreement this month that was supposed to pave the way towards a full resumption of inspections but there has been little progress since then. E3 diplomats said they would return to what has been their strategy since 2003: a mixture of pressure and dialogue. IRAN'S RISKY GAMBIT In contrast to a decade ago, however, major powers are divided after events like the war in Ukraine, making it harder to pressure Iran into an agreement. Russia and China made a last-gasp attempt to avert snapback at the U.N. Security Council on Friday afternoon, which failed. "Iran's cooperation with the IAEA is already limited and could deteriorate further, but I don't think it will take the leap to pull out of the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty)," one E3 diplomat said, adding that he did not think China or Russia would accept Iran rushing to the bomb. "And if they did, Israel wouldn't." An Israeli official said Israel had no reason to renew strikes on Iran for now unless Tehran advanced its nuclear programme clandestinely, adding: "They know we are watching". The diplomatic stand-off appears set to enter a tense, drawn-out phase, with uncertainty over what Iran is doing on the ground likely to grow while IAEA inspectors are absent. "For the Iranians, the nuclear programme's growth was their key point of leverage before the war - now it is its opacity," said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group. "But it's a risky gambit: If Iran attempts to revive elements of its programme and is detected despite the absence of (IAEA) inspectors on the ground, it will only fuel concern over its intentions." https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/snapback-sends-west-back-drawing-board-irans-nuclear-programme-2025-09-27/

2025-09-27 21:26

Sept 27 (Reuters) - Humberto has strengthened quickly to become a powerful Category 5 hurricane and is forecast to continue strengthening through the weekend, the U.S. Hurricane Center said on Saturday. The hurricane was located about 350 miles (563.27 km northeast of the northern Leeward islands, packing maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour (257.5 km/hour). Sign up here. Humberto will likely remain a powerful major hurricane for the next several days, the Miami-based forecaster said, adding that swells generated by Humberto will impact parts of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda beginning tonight and continuing through next week. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/humberto-strengthens-into-category-5-hurricane-us-nhc-says-2025-09-27/

2025-09-27 15:27

Gen Z protests sparked by pension reform, longstanding discontent President Boluarte's approval rating at 2.5%, Congress at 3% Peru's mining industry affected by unrest, Hudbay Minerals shuts down mill LIMA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Peru's youth are rallying for another round of protests against President Dina Boluarte on Saturday, a week after demonstrations in the capital led to clashes with police, leaving over a dozen police officers, protesters and journalists injured. The protests erupted on September 20 following reforms to the country's pension system that required all Peruvians above the age of 18 to join a pension provider, but were also fueled by longstanding anger against Boluarte and Congress. Sign up here. "There's been a low, simmering level of discontent in Peru and it's been that way for actually quite some time," said Jo-Marie Burt, a visiting professor at Princeton University's program in Latin American studies who has researched Peruvian politics for decades. The discontent, Burt said, has been fueled by corruption scandals, economic insecurity, rising crime and anger over a lack of accountability over dozens of protesters who were killed by security forces when Boluarte assumed power in late 2022 after former President Pedro Castillo was removed from office and arrested. The Institute of Peruvian Studies' July report , opens new tab shows Boluarte's approval rating at 2.5%, with Congress' at 3%. Aside from the unrest in Lima, protests have rattled the country's mining industry. Hudbay Minerals (HBM.TO) , opens new tab said on Tuesday it temporarily shut down its mill in Peru amid ongoing unrest. Peru is the world's third largest copper producer and a major producer of gold and silver. PERU'S YOUTH TAKE TO THE STREETS Peru's Gen Z protests follow youth demonstrations in Indonesia and Nepal. A common feature in the demonstrations has been a skull in a straw hat, a symbol from the Japanese manga "One Piece" about treasure-hunting pirates. Leonardo Munoz is one of the protesters in Lima embracing the symbol. "The main character, Luffy, travels from town to town freeing people from tyrannical, corrupt rulers in towns of slaves," Munoz said. "It represents what’s going on in various countries. That’s what is happening now in Peru.” According to Peru's INE statistics agency, 27% of Peru's population is between the ages 18 and 29. "We're tired of this being normalized. Since when have we normalized death, since when have we normalized corruption, extortion," said Santiago Zapata, a student protester. "My generation is coming out to protest now because we're tired of being silenced, made to feel afraid when the government we elected should fear us." DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING IN PERU AND ABROAD The protests, Burt says, are unfolding in a wider context in which democracies across the globe are under pressure, and follow the administration's efforts to weaken courts, watchdogs and prosecutors. “It’s very reminiscent of what happened in the 1990s under Fujimori, when the justice system was essentially captured to consolidate authoritarian control,” she said. While there's less pressure from the United States to uphold democracy abroad, and worries persist about the administration eroding electoral institutions ahead of the 2026 elections, Burt noted, past protests in Peru helped in "holding the line from institutions being taken over" and even toppled presidents. "Democratic forces, even when there's almost total control by these authoritarian systems, can mobilize and act in unexpected ways that can have a positive result," Burt said, adding that a key factor will be if the protests can be sustained over time. “The opera is not over yet.” https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/perus-gen-z-rallies-against-president-boluarte-protesting-over-pensions-2025-09-27/

2025-09-27 15:17

Sept 27 (Reuters) - Kuwait will add 14.05 gigawatts of power generation capacity by 2031, the electricity minister said on Saturday, as the country seeks to meet rising demand and secure supplies. Kuwait, a major oil producer, has been grappling with power shortages caused by rapid population growth, urban expansion, soaring temperatures and maintenance delays at some plants, forcing the government to impose planned power cuts in some areas since last year. Sign up here. Subaih Al-Mukhaizim, minister of electricity, water, and renewable energy, said on X that the country successfully managed the summer of 2025 despite temperatures reaching 51 degrees Celsius (124 degrees Fahrenheit) on some days, noting that peak summer electricity load fell 0.17% year-on-year, compared with expectations for a 4% increase. The projects include the 2.7 GW second and third phases of the Al-Zour North power plant, signed in August with a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and the Gulf Investment Corporation at a cost exceeding 1 billion dinars ($3.27 billion), backed by local and international banks. They also cover the first and second phases of the Shagaya renewable energy project, with a combined capacity of 1.6 GW, to be built under a public-private partnership model, while the third and fourth phases will add 3 GW in cooperation with China. The program also features the first phase of the Khairan power and water desalination plant, set to add 1.8 GW under a PPP scheme, with bidding opened to pre-qualified consortiums in September. In addition, parts of the 7.2 GW Nuwaiseeb project will be built, with a portion scheduled for completion after 2031 and into the next decade, ministry spokesperson Fatma Abbas Johar Hayat told Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/kuwait-plans-14-gw-new-power-projects-by-2031-2025-09-27/

2025-09-27 15:11

ROME, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Italy has received 10 bids for the former Ilva steel plant, but only two of the bidders are interested in purchasing all of the company's assets, national steelmaker Acciaierie d’Italia said in a statement on Saturday. In a blow to the government, the two groups that were initially frontrunners for the tender, Azerbaijan's Baku Steel Company working with Azerbaijan Investment Company and India's Jindal Steel International, have withdrawn. Sign up here. The two bidders still interested in taking all of Ilva are Bedrock Industries, a privately held U.S. investment company, and a consortium involving the U.S. private equity firm Flacks Group and Slovak steel trader Steel Business Europe. Eight additional offers, including from Renexia (Toto Group), Industrie Metalli Cardinale and Marcegaglia targeted single assets held by Ilva. Based in Taranto, Ilva was once Europe's largest steel plant, but has long been hobbled by poor management and concerns about its environmental impact. It has faced years of financial turmoil, with the state repeatedly injecting funds to keep it afloat, citing its strategic importance. Italian media said Baku Steel abandoned its investment plans after local opposition would have prevented the deployment of a regasification vessel that was needed for its project to power more environmentally friendly electric furnaces. Jindal Steel has shifted its focus to Germany's Thyssenkrupp, which is also on the market. The latest tender round closed at midnight on Friday. Acciaierie d’Italia said its commissioners would need "an adequate period of time" to examine all the offers, focusing on employment aspects, decarbonisation, and investment amounts to ensure the sustainable development of the plant. Italy's metalworkers' union UILM said in a statement the tender had been "a total failure", adding that the two investment funds bidding for all of Ilva's assets lacked industrial credibility. "To avoid the total closure of the former Ilva and an unprecedented environmental, employment and economic disaster, there is only one way forward: nationalisation," UILM said. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/italy-receives-10-bids-ilva-steel-major-contenders-withdraw-2025-09-27/

2025-09-27 15:07

PENGASSAN orders halt of energy supply to Dangote Refinery Dangote Refinery calls union's actions lawless Dispute adds pressure on refinery amid crude shortages LAGOS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Nigeria's oil workers' union has ordered members to cut off gas supply to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, escalating a labour dispute after hundreds of workers were dismissed and threatening to disrupt fuel supply in Africa's most populous nation. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) directed branches at major oil firms to enforce an immediate halt to crude and gas deliveries to the refinery. Sign up here. The union accused Dangote management of "misinformation and propaganda" instead of addressing the alleged wrongful disengagement of unionised employees, according to a letter dated September 26 seen by Reuters. The Dangote Refinery said on Friday it had laid off a small number of workers, citing sabotage in various units. That sparked criticism from an oil workers' union which said over 800 Nigerian workers were fired and allegedly replaced with foreign nationals mostly from India. DISPUTE ADDS FURTHER PRESSURE TO DANGOTE REFINERY "Crude oil supply valves to the refinery should be shut" and loading of vessels headed there halted immediately, PENGASSAN General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa wrote. Dangote Refinery said the dismissals were part of a reorganisation to improve safety and efficiency. It said late on Saturday that "absolutely no law gives PENGASSAN the right to direct its branches to 'cut off' gas and crude oil supplies to Dangote Refinery or at all," or to interfere or disrupt its contracts with vendors and suppliers. The dispute mounts pressure on the $20 billion refinery, which said it would suspend petrol sales in naira from September 28 due to crude supply shortfalls and foreign exchange mismatches. The move has raised concerns about rising fuel prices and further strain on Nigeria's fragile currency. PENGASSAN said chairs of union chapters at oil majors must "report promptly the progress of the directive," signalling a coordinated shutdown could disrupt the country's fuel supplies. https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/nigerias-oil-union-orders-halt-gas-supply-dangote-refinery-over-mass-sackings-2025-09-27/