WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. imposed sanctions on 10 people and firms from Iran and Venezuela over allegedly contributing to Iran's drone trade and ballistics program which the Trump administration says threatens the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East.
The Treasury Department said the latest measures are intended to support the reimposed United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, further squeezing the Islamic Republic. Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful.
Included in Tuesday's sanctions is a Venezuelan firm and its chairman, accused of purchasing Iranian drones; three Iranian men connected with efforts to procure chemicals used for ballistic missiles; and a group of Iran-based people and firms connected to Rayan Fan Group, a holding company previously sanctioned by the U.S.
In February, President Donald Trump reimposed a “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran in an effort to to block its development of nuclear weapons. The campaign included U.S. led strikes on three critical Iranian enrichment facilities this summer after a week of open conflict between Israel and Iran, sparked by a sudden barrage of attacks by Israel against Iran’s nuclear and military structure.
This week, Trump warned Iran that the U.S. could carry out further military strikes if the country attempts to reconstitute its nuclear program as he held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida.
“Treasury is holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons around the world,” said Treasury's Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, John K. Hurley. “We will continue to take swift action to deprive those who enable Iran’s military-industrial complex access to the U.S. financial system.”
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Iran continues to violate UN restrictions. “Iran’s ongoing provision of conventional weapons to Caracas is a threat to U.S. interests in our region," he said.
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
PARIS (AP) — Power problems and a stuck train interrupted rail services through the undersea Channel Tunnel connecting the United Kingdom and continental Europe on Tuesday, operators said, stranding passengers during the busy end-of-year holidays.
At Paris' Gare du Nord station, Jamie and Issy Gill scrambled to find a flight back to the U.K. after their Eurostar train to London was canceled, desperate to be reunited with their baby boy after a getaway in the French capital.
“We came for my 30th birthday,” Issy Gill said, wiping away tears.
Jamie Gill said they'd take a roundabout route back, with a flight via Birmingham on Wednesday.
Eurostar — which runs passenger trains between London and Paris and other European destinations — blamed “overhead power supply issues in the Channel Tunnel” and a failure aboard a train operated by LeShuttle, which transports vehicles and their passengers between the ports of Calais, France, and Folkestone, England.
On Tuesday afternoon, Eurostar said the tunnel was partially reopening but with only one of its two train lines, allowing Eurostar services to resume in the evening — although with expected continued delays and longer journey times than usual. It advised passengers to rebook their journeys on other days.
The 50-kilometer (32-mile) Channel Tunnel, more than half of it undersea, has revolutionized U.K.-Europe rail travel since its inauguration in 1994. But because it’s the only fixed cross-English Channel rail link, train services tend to be vulnerable to severe disruptions.
The Gare du Nord station heaved with frustrated passengers trying to book plane or bus tickets.
“I’m disgusted, disheartened,” said Sarah Omouri, a French traveler whose plans to celebrate the New Year in London were dashed.
“It’s been maybe a year since we’ve had a vacation,” she said. “We were made to get on the train, to get off, get on again, and get off again. Now we’re told that everything is fully booked for several days. It's ruined.”
In London, would-be traveler John Paul had expected to enjoy a romantic river cruise in Paris and a trip to the Eiffel Tower with his partner, Lucy, but their Eurostar got turned back before reaching the continent.
“We got probably about an hour down the track, maybe 40 minutes, and then they basically said the train’s got to stop, because the train ahead got a braking issue,” the 46-year-old Paul said.
“They kept telling us that the driver was trying to fix the brakes on this other train and that the other trains were then backed up," he said. "There’s no clear information and, obviously, we’ve lost a lot of money, haven’t we?”
The Channel Tunnel's operator, Eurotunnel, said that the power supply problem started overnight Monday in part of the tunnel, impacting passenger and vehicle travel by rail in both directions.
Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
Travellers wait for Eurostar services at St Pancras International station in London, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Travelers wait at the Gare du Nord station after an incident related to the power supply to trains occurred last night in part of the Channel Tunnel, affecting train and shuttle traffic. Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Travellers queue for Eurostar services at St Pancras International station in London, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 after Eurostar asked train customers not to travel because of disruption in the Channel Tunnel. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
The screen board displays the trains' arrival status at St Pancras International train station in London, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 after Eurostar asked train customers not to travel because of disruption in the Channel Tunnel. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Travelers queue for Eurostar services at St Pancras International station in London, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Passengers queue to enter the Eurotunnel site in Folkestone in Kent, England, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
FILE - A train coming from London leaves the Northbound Channel tunnel in Calais, northern France, on Jan. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
