FIRST ON FOX: Europe must reinstate harsh United Nations sanctions on Iran, U.S. lawmakers insisted in a new resolution that accused Tehran of repeated violations of the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration.  

The bipartisan legislation calls on the U.K., France and Germany to invoke "snapback" sanctions on Iran through the UN Security Council immediately – and follow the U.S.’s lead under President Donald Trump’s "maximum pressure" executive order to isolate Iran over its nuclear activity. 

"Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and their actions have led to the murder of American servicemembers," said Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., the number two Republican on Senate Foreign Relations Committee and lead sponsor of the bill, which has 11 cosponsors in the Senate. 

"Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon would threaten our security and the security of our allies. Snapback sanctions are key to ensuring that President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign is successful." 

IRAN'S COVERT NUCLEAR AGENCY FOUND OPERATING OUT OF TOP SPACE PROGRAM LAUNCH SITES

Reps. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., issued companion legislation in the House. 

Under the 2015 Iran deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran evaded U.N., U.S. and E.U. sanctions in exchange for promises not to pursue a nuclear weapon. But Iran eventually cut off independent inspectors' access to its sites and resumed nuclear activities. 

A "snapback" provision of the agreement said that any of the nations privy to the deal – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, U.S. or Germany – could demand the export controls, travel bans and asset freezes be reimposed. 

But the U.S. pulled out of the nuclear deal entirely under President Donald Trump’s first administration and imposed its own "maximum pressure" sanctions regime. The Biden administration subsequently issued sanctions waivers and toyed with the idea of returning to a nuclear deal with Iran, but ultimately those efforts faltered.

Tenney urged the European nations to invoke the snapback sanctions before the deal expires in October 2025. 

"Invoking snapback sanctions will restore all the UN sanctions on Iran that were lifted by the Obama administration’s failed Iran nuclear deal," she said. 

Iran is "dramatically" accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, below the 90% needed for a nuclear weapon, according to U.N. nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi. Western states have said there is no civilian use for 60% uranium. 

TRUMP REINSTATES ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN

Britain, France and Germany told the U.N. Security Council in December they were ready to trigger the snapback of all international sanctions on Iran if necessary. 

Trump himself said he was "torn" over a recent executive order that triggered harsh sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, adding that he was "unhappy to do it."

"Hopefully, we're not going to have to use it very much," Trump told reporters.

But he reiterated, "We're not going to let them get a nuclear weapon."

Trump suggested first trying a "verified nuclear peace agreement" over military escalation. "I would much rather do a deal that’s not gonna hurt them," the president told Fox News on Monday, adding that "I’d love to make a deal with them without bombing them."

Iran viewed the president’s remarks as a threat and took negotiations off the table. 

​​"No problem will be solved by negotiating with America," said Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khameni, citing past "experience." 

He called for the country to further develop its military capabilities. 

"We cannot be satisfied," Khamenei said. "Say that we previously set a limit for the accuracy of our missiles, but we now feel this limit is no longer enough. We have to go forward."

"Today, our defensive power is well known, our enemies are afraid of this. This is very important for our country," he said.

If you listen to the Democrats these days you will hear lamentations about the deep cuts the Trump Administration is making to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Lives will be lost, they insist.

But, curiously, outside of the United States, there has been a deafening silence in regard to this massive shift in how America goes about funding various projects around the world, and even some support for the changes from unlikely quarters.

Take the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, who shocked his CNN interviewer this week by saying of the cuts to USAID, "President Trump has unconventional ways of dealing with things. I completely agree with him." When pressed on the support his nation's people may lose, he replied, "We might learn some lessons."

HOW USAID WENT WOKE AND DESTROYED ITSELF

The point that Kagame is making, and it is a wise one, is that Africa needs to be more self-sufficient and not permanently a needy client state of global powers, including America. USAID and the State Department dole out most of the roughly $70 billion in annual foreign aid from the U.S. But much of USAID's funding is passed directly to various groups and projects that may or may not align with the recipient's government. 

In Hungary, President Viktor Orban has gone a step further than applauding Trump’s USAID actions. His nation is making it illegal for many anti-government organizations to accept foreign aid from our country.

"Now is the moment when these international networks have to be taken down, they have to be swept away," Orban said this week, alleging that American foreign aid funds have been used in attempts to "topple" his government.

Orban has a point. There is a fine line between, for example, exporting the American value of a free press by funding Hungarian news outlets, and interfering in Hungarian elections, especially if the news outlets are essentially mouthpieces for opposition parties.

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, seconded Orban’s assessment in an X post in which he wrote that most nations don’t want the aid. "While marketed as support for development, democracy, and human rights, the majority of these funds are funneled into opposition groups, NGOs with political agendas, and destabilizing movements."

U.S. foreign aid serves two basic purposes. The first is economic: We buy a certain amount of allegiance from developing nations with our largesse, as well as eventual access to their markets.

The second is informational: We get a megaphone to try to make those nations more like America and less like China. 

USAID is an independent agency established by President John F. Kennedy, but President Trump has moved to put it under Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Although Rubio has proposed deep personnel cuts, he has assured Americans that important, life-saving, economic aid that is in line with America’s interests will be protected by his department. And few argue we should simply shut down medical clinics or stop sending mosquito nets to Africa.

Even Kagame envisions his continent being weaned off of a need for foreign assistance, not quite going cold turkey.

No, where the real issue lies is in the informational purpose of foreign aid. What started out as an opportunity to spread the basic American ideals of freedom and democracy turned into anti-democratic attempts to affect political change in other nations that border on imperialism.

Moreover, the side order of wokeness that comes with American foreign aid these days, in areas like gender and sexuality, are not only unwelcome in many third world nations, but it can actually retard those societies’ natural evolution towards greater tolerance.

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It is difficult at the moment to understand exactly what changes are being made to foreign aid. Beyond the dramatic removal of agency names on buildings and announced layoffs, it's not clear what aid we are keeping and what we are disposing of.

Ultimately, it is Rubio who has put himself in charge of foreign aid and the future of USAID. It is his responsibility to separate the wheat from the chaff, the programs that both save lives and advance American interests, versus those driven by partisan ideology.

What is not acceptable to the American people, or it seems to many global leaders, is that American foreign aid continues with the status quo. Trump was elected to make concrete changes to how we influence and interact with the world.

Trump and Rubio earned and deserve this chance to dramatically change and fix an aspect of our foreign policy that has been broken for decades, that has lost sight of its mission and that has often wrought more harm than good.

This can be a new age for American foreign aid, and a much more successful one. 

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., weighed in on President Donald Trump's ongoing tariff feud with Colombian President Gustavo Petro – but not every social media user bought her comments.

The spat between Trump and Petro began when the Colombian leader refused to accept two deportation flights over the weekend, prompting Trump to unleash retaliatory measures. Both world leaders threatening to raise tariffs on imported products by 25% to 50%, and Trump ordered a travel ban and visa revocations for all Colombian government officials.

"I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people."

"Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures."

COLOMBIAN LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

In an X post on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez insisted that American consumers are the only party that pay tariffs.

"To ‘punish’ Colombia, Trump is about to make every American pay even more for coffee," the New York congresswoman said in a post. "Remember: WE pay the tariffs, not Colombia."

"Trump is all about making inflation WORSE for working class Americans, not better," she added. "He’s lining the pockets of himself and the billionaire class."

Petro appeared to be a fan of AOC's post, reposting it on his own X account.

While tariffs do have the potential to inflate prices, the importer, which is the company or entity bringing the goods into the U.S., will pay the actual tariff to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

But inflated prices are not guaranteed – sometimes, tariffs can reduce the world price of an object as suppliers rush to retain access to the large U.S. market. It is possible that coffee suppliers in different countries, such as Vietnam and Brazil – which produce more coffee than Colombia – would lower or maintain their prices.

BILLIONAIRES COZY UP TO TRUMP WITH SEVEN FIGURE INAUGURAL DONATIONS AFTER PAST FEUDS WITH PRESIDENT

Ocasio-Cortez's tweet racked up over 47,000 likes from supporters as of 8 p.m., but received scorn from Trump supporters and tariff advocates.

"World record. 35 minutes and the tweet already aged like hot milk," the social media account Catturd wrote, referencing Petro's immediate offer to transport Colombian migrants on his presidential plane.

"Who wants to tell her that there are other countries that export coffee, not just Columbia," California State Assembly Bill Essayli wrote. 

Conservative commentator John Cardillo echoed Essayli's sentiment, suggesting that the South American country "should take their illegal aliens back."

"Plenty of other nations grow coffee beans," Cardillo wrote on X. "We can buy the coffee from them."

Activist Adam Lowisz responded to Ocasio-Cortez by insisting that the Democratic politician "doesn't understand how tariffs work."

"Coffee from Colombia will increase in price, so we will purchase coffee from suppliers in other countries who do take back their illegals," the conservative X user wrote. "Businesses will hesitate to invest in Colombia any further if they continue to be bad actors."

Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's office for additional comment.

Fox News Digital's Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report. 

Colombia’s president issued a decree Friday giving him emergency powers to restore order in a coca-growing region bordering Venezuela that has been wracked in recent days by a deadly turf war among dissident rebel groups.

President Gustavo Petro's decree, which can be extended, gives him 90 days to impose curfews, restrict traffic and take other steps that would normally violate Colombians' civil rights or require congressional approval.

AT LEAST 80 PEOPLE KILLED IN NORTHEAST COLOMBIA AS PEACE TALKS FAIL, OFFICIAL SAYS

It is the first time in more than a decade that a Colombian president has used such an extreme measure and underscores the seriousness of the current conflict in a country that for decades was paralyzed by political violence.

However, it applies only to the rural Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, where the Colombian state has struggled for decades to gain a foothold. In the past week, at least 80 people have been killed and an estimated 36,000 more displaced as fighting intensifies between the National Liberation Army, or ELN, and holdouts from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Petro's conservative opponents have criticized the move, accusing the former guerrilla of riding roughshod over the constitution. But some activists have celebrated it, saying they are hopeful the move translates into better infrastructure, health care and schools in the traditionally lawless region.

"Why are the armed groups here? Because the last government hasn't made investments. They've abandoned us," Jaime Botero, an activist in the town of Tibu, told The Associated Press.

Earlier this week Petro reactivated arrest orders against 31 top ELN commanders that had been suspended as part of an effort to woo the the Cuban revolution-inspired insurgency into a peace deal to end its 60 year war against the state. Petro also suspended all peace talks, which have advanced slowly since he took office in 2022.

The ELN has traditionally dominated in Catatumbo but has been losing ground to holdouts from the FARC, a guerrilla group that largely disbanded after signing a peace deal in 2016 with the government.

The current conflict is spilling across the border into Venezuela, where some of those fleeing the violence have sought refuge.

The current whereabouts of the ELN peace negotiators is unknown. But Cuba's government this week said they are not there, leading some to speculate they may be hiding in Venezuela, which is one of the sponsors of Petro's peace initiative with the ELN.

Germany’s ambassador to the U.S. has warned that President-elect Trump’s administration will "undermine" democratic principles with a "maximum disruption" agenda, according to a report.

Reuters reported that it viewed a confidential briefing document signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis that describes the incoming Trump agenda as "a redefinition of the constitutional order - maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states."

"Basic democratic principles and checks and balances will be largely undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and media will be robbed of their independence and misused as a political arm, Big Tech will be given co-governing power," reads the document, which was dated Jan. 14.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team for comment but did not immediately hear back.

TRUMP INAUGURATION: WHO IS EXPECTED TO ATTEND, AND WHO IS BOYCOTTING?

Michaelis said recent actions by Trump and billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk could lead to a "redefinition of the First Amendment." 

"One is using lawsuits, threatening criminal prosecution and license revocation, the other is having algorithms manipulated and accounts blocked," the document reads, per Reuters.

Musk supported Trump throughout the election, and was tapped by the president-elect to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency. 

GERMANY ACCUSES ELON MUSK OF TRYING TO INTERFERE IN ITS NATIONAL ELECTIONS

Last month, Germany accused Musk of attempting to interfere in the country's upcoming parliamentary elections on behalf of the country's far-right political party, German Alternative for Germany, citing recent social media posts and a weekend op-ed doubling down on his endorsement.

Meanwhile, Michaelis even claimed that Trump could force his agenda on states using broad legal options and that "even military deployment within the country for police activities would be possible in the event of declared 'insurrection' and 'invasion'."

The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, however, bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement unless Congress overrides the federal law.

Despite what Michaelis says in the reported document, the German foreign ministry has acknowledged Trump won the democratic election and said it will "work closely with the new U.S. administration in the interests of Germany and Europe."

President-elect Trump confirmed Friday that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping days before Trump will be inaugurated into office.

"I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A.," Trump posted on Truth Social.

"It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!"

China's state news agency Xinhua had first reported the call, which comes three days before Inauguration Day.

TIKTOK CEO TO ATTEND INAUGURATION WITH FRONT-ROW SEAT AT TRUMP'S INVITE

Trump had extended an invitation to Xi to attend the inauguration ceremony on Monday. Incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital last month Trump hopes to create "an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too."

Xi declined to attend, but he is sending one of his top representatives, Vice President Han Zheng, to Washington, D.C. in his stead. 

China's foreign ministry made the announcement Friday morning before the two leaders spoke, the South China Morning Post reported.

"We stand ready to work with the new US government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relationship, and find the right way for the two countries to get along," the ministry said.

XI JINPING WARNS TRUMP US WOULD ‘LOSE FROM CONFRONTATION’ WITH CHINA AS RENEWED TRADE WAR LOOMS

On the campaign trail, Trump threatened to slap steep tariffs on Chinese-made products, renewing fears of a trade war once he assumes office. Now questions abound whether Trump will keep that promise amid deteriorating U.S. relations with Beijing. 

China has been threatening U.S. allies like the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan in the South China Sea. They’ve been accused of sending Chinese nationals to spy on U.S. military bases and sent what was believed to be a surveillance balloon across the U.S.

While Trump ushered in an era of steep trade competition and increased support for Taiwan in his first term, President Biden did not necessarily warm the relationship. 

REPUBLICANS PROPOSE BILL THAT WOULD DOUBLE TARIFFS ON CHINESE IMPORTS AND END FAVORED TRADE STATUS

Trump increased duties by at least 10% during his first term on over $300 billion worth of goods. Biden did not lift those tariffs. 

That was on top of export controls on a variety of items that started under Trump and furthered under Biden.

If Trump successfully raises tariffs to 60%, it could reduce China’s exports by $200 billion and cause a one percentage point drag on GDP, said Zhu Baoliang, a former chief economist at China’s economic planning agency, at a Citigroup conference. 

Last year, China exported about $500 billion worth of goods to the U.S., about 15% of all of its exports. 

Officials with the Trump transition team have reportedly been in talks with the Chinese government ahead of Trump's inauguration. Trump said earlier this month that he thought he and Xi would "probably get along very well." 

Xi had called Trump in November to congratulate him on his election win and had warned the U.S. would "gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation" with China.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized that Greenland is not for sale, as President-elect Trump has ramped up calls for the U.S. to acquire the island.

Frederiksen's comments to a Danish TV station come as the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., paid a visit to Greenland on Tuesday. The trip is a personal one and Trump Jr. is not expected to meet with any government officials. 

The Danish prime minister said in an interview that Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede "has been very, very clear – that there is a lot of support among the people of Greenland that Greenland is not for sale and will not be in the future either," according to The Hill.

DONALD TRUMP JR ARRIVES IN GREENLAND AS HIS FATHER SAYS DENMARK ‘GIVE IT UP’

She reportedly told Danish television station TV 2 that Greenland will choose its own future and said, "We need to stay calm and stick to our principles," while praising the U.S. as a key Danish ally. 

In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump said he was "hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA'." The Republican attached a video that purportedly shows a Greenlander asking the U.S. to buy his country.

TRUMP ESCALATES PLANS TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND AFTER RESIDENT PLEADS: ‘DENMARK’S USING US'

Trump's son arrived Tuesday in Nuuk, the Arctic territory's capital. He met with locals, visited cultural sites and shot video for a podcast. The president-elect posted a video showing a plane emblazoned with the word "TRUMP" landing in Nuuk.

"Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland," Trump wrote. "The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!" 

CANADA’S TRUDEAU ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION FOLLOWING PARTY PRESSURE AMID CRITICISMS OF TRUMP, BUDGET HANDLING

Trump also spoke with locals over speakerphone in video that supporters shared online.

A source familiar told Fox News Digital on Monday that Trump Jr. is "popping in for a quick day-long trip to shoot some fun video content for podcasting. He will not be meeting with any government officials or political figures."

Trump has previously flirted with the idea of buying the territory from Denmark, claiming it is of vital national security interest to the United States. 

At a press conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate Tuesday afternoon, the president-elect again said, "Denmark should give it up." 

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Sunday announced that he would meet with far-right politician Herbert Kickl as speculation grows that he will ask the Freedom Party leader to form a government.

Van der Bellen made the announcement after meeting with Chancellor Karl Nehammer and others at his presidential palace. Nehammer has announced his intention to resign after coalition talks between his conservative Austrian People's Party and the center-left Social Democrats collapsed over the budget.

Nehammer has ruled out working with Kickl, but others within his party are less adamant. Earlier Sunday, the People's Party nominated its general secretary, Christian Stocker, as interim leader, but the president said Nehammer would remain chancellor for now.

Van der Bellen said that he had spent several hours talking to key officials, after which he got the impression that "the voices within the People's Party who exclude working with the Freedom Party under its leader Herbert Kickl have become quieter."

GERMANY ACCUSES ELON MUSK OF TRYING TO INTERFERE IN ITS NATIONAL ELECTIONS

The president said that this development has "potentially opened a new path," which has prompted him to invite Kickl for a meeting on Monday morning.

Kickl's Freedom Party topped the polls in the autumn's national election with 29.2% of the vote, but Van der Bellen tasked Nehammer with putting together a new government because no other party was willing to work with Kickl.

That decision drew heavy criticism from the Freedom Party and its supporters, with Kickl saying in October that it was "not right and not logical" that he did not get a mandate to form a government.

"We are not responsible for the wasted time, the chaotic situation and the enormous breach of trust that has emerged," Kickl said Sunday afternoon on social media. "On the contrary: It is clear that the Freedom Party has been and continues to be the only stable factor in Austrian politics."

Stocker addressed reporters on Sunday afternoon and confirmed that he had been appointed "unanimously" by his party to serve as interim leader. "I am very honored and happy," he said.

He also welcomed the decision by the president to meet with Kickl and said that he now expects that the leader of the party that emerged as the clear winner from the last election would be tasked with forming a government.

"If we are invited to negotiations to form a government, we will accept this invitation," Stocker added.

In the past, Stocker has criticized Kickl, calling him a "security risk" for the country.

In its election program titled "Fortress Austria," the Freedom Party calls for "remigration of uninvited foreigners," for achieving a more "homogeneous" nation by tightly controlling borders and suspending the right to asylum via an emergency law.

The Freedom Party also calls for an end to sanctions against Russia, is highly critical of Western military aid to Ukraine and wants to bow out of the European Sky Shield Initiative, a missile defense project launched by Germany. The Freedom Party has also signed a friendship agreement in 2016 with Putin’s United Russia Party that it now claims has expired.

Kickl has criticized "elites" in Brussels and called for some powers to be brought back from the European Union to Austria.

Austria was thrown into political turmoil on Friday after the liberal party Neos pulled out of coalition talks with the the People's Party and the Social Democrats. On Saturday the two remaining parties, who have only a one-seat majority in Parliament, made another attempt to form a government — but that also ended in failure after a few hours, with negotiators saying they were unable to agree on how to repair the budget deficit.

A South Korean court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been impeached and suspended from power over his decision to impose martial law on Dec. 3, investigating authorities said.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials confirmed the Seoul Western District Court approved the warrant.

SOUTH KOREA DEADLY PLANE CRASH: US SENDS INVESTIGATORS TO COUNTRY STILL REELING FROM DISASTER THAT KILLED 179

This is the first ever arrest warrant issued for an incumbent president in South Korea, according to local media.

On Monday, South Korean investigators sought an arrest warrant for Yoon over this month's short-lived imposition of martial law.

Yoon is facing a criminal investigation into possible insurrection charges.

The court declined to comment.