The United States voted with Russia, North Korea, Iran and 14 other Moscow-friendly countries Monday against a U.N. resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine.

President Trump met with French President Macron yesterday. Macron corrected Trump on how much Europe has financially supported Ukraine. Also, the U.S. sided with Russia, North Korea and Iran at the United Nations against the resolution calling for Russia's immediate withdrawal from Ukraine.

This week's Farda Briefing looks at growing fears in Iran that failing to strike a deal with the United States will lead to Tehran becoming a bargaining chip in Washington’s dealings with Russia and European powers.

Since the end of last year, more than a thousand container ships from the so-called shadow fleet have been sanctioned by the West. Meanwhile, according to data from the International Maritime Organization,

The report came about a month after the UN human rights chief said Iran had executed 901 prisoners in 2024. Volker Turk said it was "deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year”. "It is high time Iran stemmed this ever-swelling tide of executions,” he said.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons but no other state has enriched to that level without producing them. Read more at straitstimes.com.