The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday issued new sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear program, just days before senior American and Iranian officials are expected to hold talks in the Middle East sultanate of Oman.

Five entities and one person based in Iran are cited in the new sanctions for their support of Iran's nuclear program. The designated groups include the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and subordinates Iran Centrifuge Technology Company, Thorium Power Company, Pars Reactors Construction and Development Company and Azarab Industries Co.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Israel would be the "leader" of a potential military strike against Iran if Tehran doesn't give up its nuclear weapons program.

Trump made the comments ahead of this weekend's scheduled talks involving U.S. and Iranian officials in the Middle East sultanate of Oman. Trump earlier this week said the talks would be "direct" while Iran has described the engagement as "indirect" talks with the U.S.

Iran and the United States will hold talks in the sultanate of Oman on Saturday in an attempt to jump-start negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.

President Donald Trump insists they'll be direct negotiations. However, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he'll be speaking indirectly through a mediator to U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.

The two top scorers in the Champions League meet when Barcelona hosts Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Raphinha, having a standout season with 11 Champions League goals for Barcelona, will face Dortmund forward Serhou Guirassy, who has 10 along with Bayern Munich's Harry Kane.

Arsenal's win over Real Madrid conclusively sealed England's long-expected fifth guaranteed entry in the Champions League next season.

Amid growing disgruntlement among its fans, Manchester City announced Wednesday the club is freezing ticket prices for the 2025-26 season.

City said the price freeze related to general-admission season tickets and match-by-match tickets for Premier League games and came after a consultation meeting with a fan engagement group.

German election winner Friedrich Merz sealed a deal Wednesday to form a new government that aims to spur economic growth, ramp up defense spending, take a tougher approach to migration and catch up on long-neglected modernization.

The agreement paves the way for new leadership in the 27-nation European Union's most populous member, which has Europe's biggest economy. It follows months of political drift and weeks of negotiations as the continent faces uncertainty over the Trump administration's sweeping tariffs and its commitment to European allies' defense.

Passover is a major Jewish holiday, celebrated over seven or eight days each year, commemorating the exodus of ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt, as recounted in the Bible. It is considered the most widely observed of any Jewish holiday, symbolizing freedom and the birth of a Jewish nation.

This year, the celebrations again occur amid anxieties and divisions among many Jews related to the unresolved Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and the specter of widespread antisemitism.

The main auditorium of the Islamic University of Gaza is a gutted, burned-out wreck. Giant holes have been blasted through its blackened walls. The banks of seats are mangled and twisted.

And now the stage, once the scene of joyous graduation ceremonies, is crowded with the tents of the displaced. The campus has become a refuge for hundreds of families in northern Gaza since Israel broke a ceasefire in March and relaunched the war.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Wednesday that his country will offer temporary shelter to Palestinian medical evacuees and children orphaned by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

"We are ready to evacuate those who are injured or traumatized, and orphans, if they want to be evacuated to Indonesia, and we are ready to send planes to transport them," Subianto said, adding that he has instructed his foreign affairs minister to discuss evacuation plans with the Palestinian authorities at once.