Operation Midnight Hammer: What we know so far
People at a protest following the US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday, June 22.
Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times Demonstrators gathering outside the Wilshire Federal Building on June 22 in Los Angeles, during a rally opposing the US strikes on Iran./AFP A man holding a bucket with burning wood near US Marines standing guard during a protest against the US joining with Israel in attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, at a federal building in Los Angeles.
REUTERS/David Swanson A man holding a sign near US Marines standing guard at a protest outside the Westwood Federal Building in Los Angeles on June 22, condemning the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Bing Guan/AFP Demonstrators gathering outside the Wilshire Federal Building on June 22 in Los Angeles, during a rally opposing the US strikes on Iran./AFP US Marines standing guard at a protest condemning the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, outside the Westwood Federal Building in Los Angeles, on June 22.
Bing Guan/AFP
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Straits Times
22 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Syria president vows those involved in church attack will face justice
The authorities said the attacker was affiliated with the Islamic State group. PHOTO: AFP DAMASCUS - Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed on June 23 that those involved in a 'heinous' suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, as he called for unity in the diverse, multi-faith country. The shooting and suicide bombing on June 22 at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the health ministry said, raising an earlier toll of 22 killed. The Islamist authorities who took power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December said the attacker was affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group, which has not yet claimed the attack. 'We promise... that we will work night and day, mobilising all our specialised security agencies, to capture all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and to bring them to justice,' interim President Sharaa said in a statement. The attack follows incidents of sectarian violence in recent months, with security one of the greatest challenges for the new authorities. The attack 'reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity of the government and the people in facing all that threatens our nation's security and stability', he added. Interior Minister Anas Khattab and intelligence services chief Hussein al-Salameh held an emergency meeting to discuss the investigations, the ministry said in a statement. The attack was the first suicide bombing in a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. It was also the first attack of its kind in the Syrian capital since Mr Assad's ouster. A prayer service at the church is scheduled for 6pm (11pm Singapore time). Foreign condemnation Since the new authorities took power, the international community has repeatedly urged them to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after the recent violence. Interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said on June 22 that 'the security of places of worship is a red line, and all efforts will be made to ensure people's freedom to perform their religious rites'. IS 'aims to sow sectarian division and incite all components of Syrian society to take up arms, seeking to show that the Syrian state is unable to protect its communities and citizens', he told a press conference. The top cleric of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority, Grand Mufti Osama al-Rifai, condemned acts of violence and terrorism in a statement on June 23. 'We express our complete rejection of targeting places of worship and terrorising believers,' he said. Foreign condemnation of the attack continued to roll in on June 23. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not allow extremists to drag Syria back into chaos and instability, vowing that Turkey would 'continue to support the Syrian government's fight against terrorism'. Turkey, which is close to the new authorities, has repeatedly offered its operational and military support to fight IS and other militant threats. French President Emmanuel Macron also denounced the 'horrible' attack, while the EU said it 'stands in solidarity' with Syria in combating ethnic and religious violence. 'It is a grave reminder of the need to intensify efforts against the terrorist threat and to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh and other terrorist organisations,' spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said, using another name for IS. Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed anger after the attack on the Greek Orthodox Church, calling on the new authorities 'to take concrete measures to protect all ethnic and religious minorities'. Syria's Christian community has shrunk from around one million before the war to fewer than 300,000 due to waves of displacement and emigration. IS seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of the civil war, declaring a cross-border 'caliphate' in 2014. The jihadists were territorially defeated in Syria 2019 but have maintained a presence, particularly in the country's vast desert. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
22 minutes ago
- Straits Times
‘Regime change' is only solution in Iran, Shah's son says
Asked whether he wanted to lead a future transition or be a new Shah, Mr Reza Pahlavi said he was not seeking political power. PHOTO: REUTERS 'Regime change' is only solution in Iran, Shah's son says Follow our live coverage here. PARIS - The last heir to the Iranian monarchy urged Western states on June 23 to accept that the collapse of the current Iranian authorities is necessary to deliver lasting peace and regional stability. The United States, which bombed Iranian nuclear sites on June 21, has said it wants to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons, not to open a wider war. Officials in Washington said the goal of the US bombing was not "regime change" but, in a social media post on June 22, US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of Iran's hardline clerical rulers being toppled. "Now is the moment to stand with the Iranian people. Do not repeat the mistakes of the past. Do not throw this regime a lifeline. The destruction of the regime's nuclear facilities alone will not deliver peace," Mr Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the toppled Shah, told a press conference in Paris. "You are right to be concerned about stopping nuclear weapons and securing regional stability, but only a democratic transition in Iran can ensure these goals are achieved and are lasting." The Iranian authorities did not immediately comment on Mr Pahlavi's remarks. Mr Pahlavi has lived in exile for nearly four decades, since his father, the US-backed shah, was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It is unclear how much support Mr Pahlavi has in Iran. Many Iranians remember the Shah's repressive secret police, Savak, and there have been pro- and anti-monarchy slogans during mass demonstrations in Iran in the past. Without providing evidence, Mr Pahlavi, who is based in Washington, said the ruling system in Iran was collapsing and that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his family and other senior officials were making preparations to flee the country. "This is our Berlin Wall moment. But like all moments of great change, it comes fraught with danger," he said, referring to the collapse of the wall that divided East and West Berlin in 1989 as the Soviet-led Communist bloc crumbled. Fragmented opposition Iran and Israel have been waging an air war since Israel launched airstrikes on June 13, saying it wanted to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes. Asked whether he wanted to lead a future transition or be a new Shah, Mr Pahlavi said he was not seeking political power. He said he saw the cornerstone of a transition based on Iran's territorial integrity, individual freedoms and equality of all citizens, as well as separation of religion and state. Opposition to Iran's clerical government is fragmented, with no clear recognised leader and a multitude of ethnic groups. Mr Pahlavi said his teams were working on a future economic plan and that he wanted to convene a national unity gathering that would include activists, dissidents and groups from across the ideological spectrum to agree on the transition principles. It would also bring together business leaders, professionals and experts, he said, without giving a time frame. He said he had also created a platform for Iranian security, police and military officials to join him if they wanted to abandon the government. Asked about hesitations among some Western leaders over the potential consequences of the authorities collapsing, he said: "It's not that they need to advocate for regime change. It is that they simply have to recognise that regime change is the only ultimate solution." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
22 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump warns against rising oil prices following Iran attack
Oil on June 23 began to erase earlier gains, however, as fears began to fade of an immediate disruption of oil supplies in the region. PHOTO: AFP WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump demanded that energy producers keep down oil prices following US military strikes on Iran, which drove prices higher amid fears the attack could provoke a wider conflict in the Middle East. 'EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I'M WATCHING! YOU'RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON'T DO IT!' Mr Trump posted on social media on June 23. In a subsequent post, Mr Trump urged the Energy Department to 'DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!' Energy Secretary Chris Wright responded in a post on X that 'we're on it.' Iran has warned that Mr Trump's decision to join Israel's military offensive with attacks on its three main nuclear sites would trigger retaliation. Tehran could close the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf that carries about a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade. Higher oil prices would squeeze US consumers whose bank accounts have been stretched in recent years by inflation, a development that could inflict political pain on Mr Trump and Republicans. If the strait is shut to shipping, crude could soar past US$130 per barrel, according to a Bloomberg Economics estimate. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier on June 23 that the US is 'actively and closely monitoring this situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian regime would be foolish to make that decision.' Oil on June 23 began to erase earlier gains, however, as fears began to fade of an immediate disruption of oil supplies in the region. Global benchmark Brent initially surged to US$81.40 a barrel, but later dropped to below US$77. Mr Trump's directive for more US drilling cannot, on its own, spur more oil and gas development. US oil executives have shown little appetite in recent years to dramatically boost output, with the price of West Texas Intermediate below the cost of production at some sites. Oil companies generally are plotting investment decisions in the US based on long-term price forecasts – not the temporary spike spurred by the attacks on Iran and the fear of supply disruption in the Mideast. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
