• Shooter drove vehicle into church, fired assault-style weapon.
• Suspect died in gunfire exchange with police officers.
• Authorities expect more victims in church ruins.

At least two people were killed and several others injured Sunday after a shooter targeted a Mormon church in Michigan, authorities said, in the latest deadly tragedy that US President Donald Trump called part of a national “epidemic of violence.”

The suspect, a 40-year-old man from a nearby town in the northern US state, was shot dead by law enforcement responding to the attack, in which the church was also set ablaze, police said, without specifying any possible motive.

Trump called the shooting “horrendous” and said on his Truth Social platform, it “appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.”

Images from the scene showed emergency services escorting people on stretchers and a large plume of dark smoke at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, about 60 miles (97 kilometres) east of the capital Lansing.

Debbie Horkey, who lives near the church, told AFP: “My husband heard people screaming, one lady yelling for help.”

Local police chief William Renye said the suspect drove his vehicle into the church and then began firing at people inside with an assault rifle.

He told reporters the service was active with “hundreds of people within the church.”

Authorities believe the gunman also deliberately set fire to the church before he was killed by responding police officers, Renye said.

Ten gunshot victims were transported to the hospital, the official said, of whom two have died.

He added that the fire had been extinguished but that “we do believe that we will find additional victims once we have that scene secure.”

‘Epidemic of violence’

FBI agents are on the scene to assist the investigation, director Kash Patel said on X.

“Violence in a place of worship is a cowardly and criminal act. Our prayers are with the victims and their families during this tragedy,” he wrote.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also said she had been briefed on the incident.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called Sunday´s attack a “tragic act of violence.”

“Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved,” it wrote on X.

The United States, where firearms are readily available, has a long history of gun violence.

But tensions have soared in recent weeks after a series of high-profile attacks, including the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Utah and a deadly shooting at a federal immigration facility in Texas.

Sunday’s attack also comes a month after a mass shooting at a Catholic church and school in Minnesota, in which two children were killed while attending Mass, and several others were severely injured.

Political divisions have grown even deeper in the wake of the attacks, with Trump launching a campaign to target left-wing groups he accuses of being “domestic terrorists.”

In his Truth Social post Sunday, Trump wrote: “THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a staunch Republican and Trump ally, said he had ordered the formation of task forces to work with law enforcement to better protect places of worship in his state after the Michigan shooting.

“The fundamental principle that thou shalt not kill must be strongly reaffirmed as a core tenet of our society and must be aggressively enforced by law enforcement,” he wrote on X.

• Iran will firmly defend its national rights, says foreign ministry.  
• Says all nations must refrain from recognising this illegal situation.
• Rubio urges Iran to “accept direct talks, held in good faith”.
  

Iran on Sunday condemned as “unjustifiable” the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear programme, after the collapse of talks with Western powers and Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear sites.

The measures, which bar dealings linked to the Islamic republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile activities, took effect overnight after Western powers triggered the so-called “snapback” mechanism under the 2015 nuclear accord.

“The reactivation of annulled resolutions is legally baseless and unjustifiable… all countries must refrain from recognising this illegal situation,” the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will firmly defend its national rights and interests, and any action aimed at undermining the rights and interests of its people will face a firm and appropriate response,” it added.

The return of the sanctions ends months of tense diplomacy aimed at reviving nuclear talks derailed since June, when Israeli and US forces bombed Iranian nuclear facilities.

Despite the reimposition, Western leaders stressed channels for dialogue remained open.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, on Sunday said the reimposition of sanctions “must not be the end of diplomacy”.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Iran to “accept direct talks, held in good faith”.

He also called on UN member states to “immediately” implement sanctions to “pressure Iran’s leaders to do what is right for their nation, and best for the safety of the world”.

The British, French and German foreign ministers said in a joint statement they would continue to seek “a new diplomatic solution to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon”.

However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday rejected any nuclear negotiations that would cause “new problems”.

“We have always declared our readiness for a logical, fair and just dialogue based on clear criteria, but we will never accept a negotiation that causes us new problems and issues,” Pezeshkian said, according to ISNA news agency.

“The country is ready to face any situation,” he noted, adding that “our path is to stand firm, rely on the power of the people, and move with dignity towards a bright future.”

‘No choice’ 

Iran had allowed UN inspectors to return to its nuclear sites, but Pezeshkian said in previous remarks that the United States had offered only a short reprieve in return for handing over its whole stockpile of enriched uranium, a proposal he described as unacceptable.

An 11th-hour effort by Iran allies Russia and China to postpone the sanctions until April failed to win enough votes in the Security Council on Friday, leading to the measures taking effect at 3:30 am in Tehran (0000 GMT) on Sunday.

Germany, which triggered the return of sanctions alongside Britain and France, had “no choice” as Iran was not complying with its obligations, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.

“For us, it is imperative: Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon,” he told the UN General Assembly.

“But let me emphasise: we remain open to negotiations on a new agreement. Diplomacy can and should continue.”

Iran has long contended that it is not seeking nuclear weapons.

Newspapers in the Islamic republic gave contrasting reactions to the reimposition of the sanctions.

The ultraconservative newspaper Kayhan, which opposes dialogue with the United States, suggested the sanctions would have been imposed even if Iran had engaged in negotiations.

The reformist daily Ham Mihan wrote: “The big question is whether Russia and China will maintain their position”.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday made clear Moscow would not enforce the sanctions.

Economic impact 

The sanctions are a “snapback” of measures frozen in 2015 when Iran agreed to major restrictions on its nuclear programme under a deal negotiated by former president Barack Obama.

The United States had already imposed massive sanctions when President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in his first term.

Iran and the United States had held several rounds of Omani-brokered talks earlier this year before they collapsed in June when first Israel and then the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities.

On the ground, Iranians lamented the likely impact of the new sanctions on an already squeezed economy.

“The current (economic) situation was already very difficult, but it’s going to get worse,” said an Iranian engineer who asked to be identified only by his first name Dariush.

“The impact of the renewed sanctions is already evident: the exchange rate is increasing, and this is leading to higher prices,” the 50-year-old said, complaining that the standard of living is “much lower” than it was two or three years ago.

The economic strain was underscored on Sunday when the Iranian rial plunged to a record low against the US dollar on the black market, trading at around 1.12 million per dollar, according to the currency-tracking websites Bonbast and AlanChand.

Police in India registered a criminal case against leaders of Tamil actor Vijay’s political party after a stampede at his rally killed 39 people, a senior police official said on Sunday.

The dead included children, and more than 50 people were injured in Saturday’s stampede in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where Vijay was campaigning for his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party ahead of state elections early next year.

Tamil Nadu police filed the case, the first step toward potential charges, “against TVK party senior leaders Bussy Anand, Nirmal Kumar and V.P. Mathiyalagan, and the investigation is underway,” senior police official V. Selvaraj told Reuters.

“TVK originally sought permission for a gathering of 10,000 people, but the actual crowd was more than double,” he said.

Vijay, one of Tamil cinema’s most bankable actors for three decades, has drawn massive crowds since launching his party last year. He said he was “heartbroken” by the stampede in the Karur district, pledging support for the victims’ families.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced compensation of 1 million rupees ($11,300) per family.

The state has appointed a commission led by a retired judge to investigate the cause of the stampede.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X that the incident was “deeply saddening”.

During the rally, footage from local media showed thousands of people surrounding a large campaign vehicle on top of which Vijay was speaking. He was seen throwing water bottles at fainting supporters and calling for police help when the crowd became uncontrollable.

Vijay’s TVK has targeted the state’s ruling party, DMK, and Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.