Jun 25, 2019

Iran says U.S. sanctions on Khamenei mark end of diplomacy

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photo: Iranian Leader's Press Office handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi tweeted Tuesday that new U.S. sanctions imposed on the country, including on its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, marks the "permanent closure of the path of diplomacy."

What they're saying: "Trump's desperate administration is destroying the established international mechanisms for maintaining world peace and security," Mousavi said in the tweet, translated by Reuters.

The big picture: Escalating tensions with Iran in recent weeks led Trump to authorize and then cancel a military strike on Thursday, calling it a disproportionate response to Iran's downing of an unmanned U.S. drone. The new sanctions form part of the "maximum pressure" campaign that the Trump administration has embarked on following the president's withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

What he's saying: Trump stressed during an interview with The Hill on Monday he hoped the sanctions could one day be lifted.

This article has been updated with Trump's comments and to give more context.

Go deeper: Timeline: How Trump and Tehran came to the brink of war

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World coronavirus updates: Confirmed cases top 1 million

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens and confirmed plus presumptive cases from the CDC

Novel coronavirus infections have hit the 1 million mark after "near exponential growth" that's reached "almost every country," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday.

The big picture: The global death toll exceeded 50,000 on Thursday, per Johns Hopkins data. Italy has reported nearly 14,000 deaths. Governments around the world have introduced public health and economic measures to try and curb the impact of the virus.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 6 p.m. ET: 1,007,997 — Total deaths: 52,771 — Total recoveries: 210,055 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 6 p.m. ET: 236,339 — Total deaths: 5,648 — Total recoveries: 8,861 — Map.
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What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
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Judge declines to delay Wisconsin April 7 primary, extends absentee deadline

Photo: Darren Hauck/Getty Images

A federal judge on Thursday declined to delay Wisconsin's April 7 primary election, saying he doesn't have the authority to do so.

Why it matters: Wisconsin is the only state scheduled to vote next Tuesday that has not yet delayed its primary.

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