TEHRAN -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday slammed the U.S.-led West for its expansionist policies that undermine national independence and sovereignty, according to Khamenei's official website.

"The Americans and westerners are constantly seeking to expand their sphere of influence in various regions, including East and West Asia, and to undermine the independence and sovereignty of nations," Khamenei said in a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the capital Tehran. (Iran-Slam-US-Expansionism)

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JERUSALEM -- Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid plans to visit Turkey on Thursday, his office announced Sunday, amid months of thawing ties and Israeli fears that its tourists could become a target for Iranian attacks.

During his upcoming snap visit, Lapid is expected to meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Lapid's office said in a statement, without providing further details. (Israel-Turkey-Iranian Attack)

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TEHRAN -- Iranian foreign minister has called the U.S. approach to the Vienna talks "unconstructive," Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.

Making the remarks in a telephone conversation with the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who also serves as EU coordinator of the Vienna talks, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticized the United States for "its unconstructive and hasty moves to get a resolution (recently) approved at the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors." (Iran-US-Vienna talks)

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JERUSALEM -- Israel on Sunday suspended entry permit expansion for Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip after militants fired rockets from the enclave on Saturday.

"Following a situation assessment, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz decided to freeze the increase of permits," the minister's office said in a statement, citing as the reason a rocket fired early on Saturday from Gaza towards southern Israel. (Israel-Gaza-Entry Permits)