Daily World Briefing, Jan. 16

U.S. sanctions 13 entities, 11 individuals allegedly linked with Iran

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is imposing sanctions on 13 more entities and 11 more individuals allegedly linked to Iran, according to a statement from the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The individuals sanctioned are all Iranian citizens, including those tied to Iran's law enforcement forces or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and at least three connected to the energy sector, the updated Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list showed.

The entities targeted include a prison in Iran's Alborz province and eight companies based in the United Arab Emirates.

Russia condemns interference, incitement, threats of force against Iran: envoy

Russian UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Thursday that his country condemns all forms of external interference, incitement to violence, and threats of use of force against Iran.

At a Security Council meeting on the situation in Iran, Nebenzia called on the United States to put an end to its escalatory actions.

He noted that "the extremely dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric" in recent days by the U.S. leadership has gone as far as openly calling for the takeover of state institutions of Iran and threats to assist the protesters.

France to send extra forces to Greenland in coming days: Macron

A first team of French military personnel is already on the ground in Greenland and will be reinforced in the coming days with extra "land, air and maritime assets," French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday during his New Year address to the armed forces at the Istres air base.

Earlier in the day, Macron said on X that at Denmark's request, France had decided to take part in joint exercises organized by Denmark in Greenland.

In his address, Macron said France and its European partners must continue to be present "wherever their interests are threatened, without escalation, but uncompromising on respect for territorial sovereignty."

Danish PM says differences with U.S. over Greenland persist after meeting in Washington

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday described recent talks with the United States on Greenland as difficult, noting that Washington's ambition to take over Greenland remains unchanged despite a firm Danish rejection.

In her first comments following Wednesday's talks in Washington, Frederiksen said in a press release, "It was not an easy meeting, and I would like to thank the two ministers for clearly and distinctly stating the Kingdom's views and for countering the American claims. That was important."

Frederiksen confirmed that a working group would be established but underscored the persistent deadlock. "However, that does not change the fact that there is a fundamental disagreement, because the American ambition to take over Greenland is intact," she said. "It is obviously serious, and therefore we will continue our efforts to prevent that scenario from becoming a reality."

U.S. entities file lawsuit against federal agents' crackdown in Minnesota

The U.S. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Minnesota and three other law firms filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court on Thursday, seeking to halt what they described as federal agents' "illegal practices" in the state of Minnesota.

The lawsuit against the Trump administration was filed on behalf of three community members and a class of similarly situated individuals, according to a press release from the ACLU of Minnesota, which said their constitutional rights had been violated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other federal agents.

"In their lawsuit, the three Minnesotans challenge the administration's policy of racially profiling, unlawfully seizing, and unlawfully arresting people without a warrant and without probable cause. This is a violation of Minnesotans' constitutional rights to equal protection and against unreasonable seizures," the press release said.

NASA crew returns to Earth earlier than planned due to astronaut medical issue

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 astronauts returned to Earth early Thursday after one of the crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) experienced a medical issue last week.

The four-member SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of California at about 3:41 a.m. Thursday (1141 GMT) after an approximately 10-hour journey.

The crew arrived at the ISS on Aug. 2 last year and had originally been scheduled to remain aboard the station for about six months. NASA decided to conclude the mission ahead of schedule after one astronaut experienced a medical issue on Jan. 7.

Kremlin says necessary to continue talks with U.S. on Ukraine

The Kremlin said Thursday that it is necessary and important to continue its dialogue with the United States on Ukraine.

Commenting on the possible visit of U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and entrepreneur Jared Kushner to Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia expects such a visit to take place as soon as the dates are agreed upon.

Peskov said Moscow agrees with U.S. President Donald Trump's comment that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is holding back the peace process, adding that the situation for Ukraine is worsening daily as its decision-making corridor is narrowing.■