Independent filmmakers in Iran face a fresh wave of repression and extreme economic hardship because of the war, risking choking off a mainstay of world cinema, industry insiders say.

Despite heavy censorship and regular prosecutions, acclaimed directors from Asghar Farhadi, Jafar Panahi to Mohammad Rasoulof have been winning Oscars and heaps of awards at top European festivals for years with their movies about life in the Islamic republic.

Italy and Spain have called on the EU to sanction Israel's far-right national security minister, who posted a video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla forced to their knees with hands bound.

A global outcry erupted after Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir published a video Wednesday showing the heavy-handed treatment of foreign activists from the flotilla who were detained at sea by Israel and awaiting deportation at the southern port of Ashdod.

By Parisa Hafezi and Rami Ayyub

DUBAI, May 21 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main U.S. demands at peace talks.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's order could further frustrate U.S. President Donald Trump and complicate talks on ending the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

At least four Iranian footballers and one of their entourage went to the US embassy in Ankara Thursday to submit visa applications for the World Cup, an AFP correspondent said.

The squad arrived in Turkey's southern Antalya resort on Monday for a training camp ahead of the 2026 tournament that is being co-hosted by United States, which began bombing Iran alongside Israel on February 28, sparking war.

A ceasefire agreement has halted hostilities since April 8.

By Jana Choukeir

May 21 (Reuters) - Israel faced mounting international criticism after its national security minister released a video showing detained Gaza flotilla activists kneeling with their hands bound following the interception of aid vessels in international waters.

Below are some national and international reactions to the footage posted on X by the minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, on Wednesday:

EUROPEAN UNION

Israel said on Thursday it had deported all the foreign activists seized by Israeli forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, following global outcry over their treatment in custody.

Some 430 activists from countries around the world had been placed in detention in Israel after they were intercepted at sea on Monday while making the latest in a string of attempts to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory.

By Rami Ayyub

JERUSALEM, May 21 (Reuters) - Gaza flotilla activists who were detained by Israel and later pinned to the ground to the taunts of Israel's far-right police minister have been released from prison and will be deported to Turkey on Thursday, officials said.

The activists were arrested at a port in southern Israel after the Israeli navy intercepted their protest flotilla in international waters. Their treatment by police officers under Itamar Ben-Gvir's direction drew an international outcry and a rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Wealthy countries topped their $100 billion annual climate finance goal for poorer nations for the third straight year in 2024, the OECD said Thursday, but questions are growing over their ability to meet a new larger pledge.

Developed nations had long fallen short of their commitment to mobilise $100 billion a year by 2020, finally hitting the target for the first time in 2022 after the deadline was extended to 2025.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope of progress on ending the war with Iran, as he looked to Pakistani mediators to help advance efforts to strike an agreement.

Previous comments by President Donald Trump had suggested weeks of stop-start negotiations to strike a permanent end to the war were teetering on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed attacks.

"I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran today. So hopefully that'll advance this further," Rubio told reporters on Thursday.

By Feras Dalatey

May 21 (Reuters) - Syria will attend the G7 summit in France next month as a guest nation and be represented by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, three sources familiar with the matter said, marking Syria's first participation in a summit of the group since the forum was founded in 1975.

An invitation to Sharaa to attend the June 15-17 summit in Évian-les-Bains, southeastern France, was hand-delivered to Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh, who attended the group's financial talks earlier this week in Paris, one of the sources said.