NewsTrump ramps up Iran pressure, exits UN council amid controversy. This is what happened in the news overnight
Trump ramps up Iran pressure, exits UN council amid controversy. This is what happened in the news overnight
It happened while you were sleeping. Here's what global agencies reported during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
- U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to return to the "maximum pressure" policy on Iran, although he stated that he does so regretfully. Signing the new order just before a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said it is "very harsh" towards Iran, adding he would prefer not to do it. While the document's text is unknown, the "maximum pressure" policy during his first term involved severe sanctions against Tehran, particularly on Iranian oil transactions.
- President Trump also decided to withdraw funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and to exit the UN Human Rights Council.
- Moments later, during a joint press conference with the Israeli Prime Minister, Trump announced that the U.S. will take control of the Gaza Strip. He indicated that America will flatten the area and create "an unlimited number of jobs" there.
- Authorities have recovered the bodies of all 67 victims from the Potomac River in Washington less than a week after an American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter. The identities of 66 of them have been confirmed. Thus, the search operation has concluded.
- The spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismailis, a branch of Shia Islam, Aga Khan IV, died in Lisbon at the age of 88 on Tuesday. He had been residing in the capital of Portugal, a country of which he was a citizen, for several decades. The death of Aga Khan IV, also known as Prince Karim al-Hussayni, was confirmed Tuesday evening by the foundation he led. Aga Khan IV, who also held British, Canadian, and Iranian citizenship, was considered one of the most reformist figures in the contemporary Islamic world.
- The former "world's top-ranked player" is retiring. Two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep announced she is ending her tennis career after losing in the first round of her home tournament in Cluj. Halep, whose career was stalled due to a doping suspension shortened after an appeal last year, lost 6-1, 6-1 to Italy's Lucia Bronzetti in her first match of 2025 before announcing her decision. The 33-year-old Romanian delayed starting the season due to knee and shoulder pain.
- Movies can be watched practically anywhere. In the village of Inhaa-be, the first cinema in the territory of the Indigenous people of the Amazon has opened. During the inauguration, the documentary "Traces of Resistance" and eight short films showcasing the talents of Indigenous people from across Brazil were shown.
