Ayatollah Ali Khamenei releases video message congratulating Iran on 'victory' over Israel
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has declared "victory" over Israel and claimed his country "delivered a hard slap to America's face", in his first public statement since a ceasefire was declared in the war between the two countries.
Khamenei spoke in a video broadcast on Iranian state television, appearing and sounding more tired than he did in his last video released seven days ago.
He told viewers that the United States had only intervened in the war because "it felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed", adding that the US "achieved no gains from this war".
"The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America's face," he said, an apparent reference to an Iranian missile attack on an American base in Qatar on Monday, which caused no casualties.
He also said the US would "definitely pay a heavy price" should it attack Iran again, adding that Iran "has access to key US centres in the region and can take action whenever it deems necessary".
The 86-year-old Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war on earlier this month, when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and targeted top military commanders and scientists.
Following a massive American attack on Sunday that hit Iran's nuclear sites with bunker-buster bombs, US President Donald Trump was able to help negotiate a ceasefire that came into effect on Tuesday.
AP
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Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
'Nothing was taken': US President Donald Trump insists all Iranian nuclear materials destroyed, despite speculation some was moved
United States President Donald Trump has insisted "nothing" was removed from Iran's nuclear facilities prior to strikes from American bombers. Posting to social media following a fiery press conference by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, President Trump moved to shut down speculation nuclear materials had been taken from Iran's Fordow site prior the the attacks. "Nothing was taken out of (the) facility," he wrote. "Would take too long, too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!" The President and others in his administration have repeatedly insisted all of Iran's nuclear assets were "obliterated" by US strikes, although the International Atomic Energy Agency has raised concerns over almost half a tonne of enriched uranium it says remains unaccounted for. Watch all the live coverage and analysis from our hosts and experts amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict with a Streaming Subscription.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Can Trump bomb Iran and still be 'America First'?
Sam Hawley: Donald Trump was elected on the promise of putting America first and staying out of foreign conflicts. So the US president's decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities caused the first and very public split among his Make America Great Again base with influential figures like Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon leading the charge against it. Today, senior political correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Molly Ball, on the fighting MAGA factions and what it means for Trump. I'm Sam Hawley on Gadigal land in Sydney. This is ABC News Daily. Molly, there has been a ceasefire in the Iran-Israel war this week. Just tell me, how big a win is that for Donald Trump? Is Donald Trump a peacemaker? Molly Ball: That is certainly the impression he would like everyone to take away from this episode. I think we are all waiting to learn more about the results of this American intervention in the conflict between Israel and Iran before we can say for sure that that's the case. But the case being made by the Trump administration is that this was an overwhelming victory, that the United States got involved in a very limited fashion and was able to deploy overwhelming force to bring the parties to heel, to bring everyone to the negotiating table and force a very quick end to this conflict in a way that leaves everyone better off and leaves the nuclear threat from Iran potentially permanently, or at least in the very long term, disabled. I think the caution is that there's still a lot that we don't know about what is left of Iran's nuclear capabilities and whether this ceasefire will hold. But for now, as Trump was boasting in the Netherlands, the administration would like this to be seen as an overwhelming success. Donald Trump, U.S President: That had ended the war. I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima. I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki. But that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war. This ended that with a war. If we didn't take that out, they'd be fighting right now. Sam Hawley: All right, well, let's unpack how this all played out for Donald Trump and his MAGA base, because there really is a fascinating backstory to this. To understand it, it's good to remember that the MAGA movement is all about isolationism, making America great again, America first. Molly Ball: Well, on the one hand, yes. Trump has distinguished himself among Republicans by being relatively skeptical of the use of military force, and in particular, being a very harsh critic of the wars that the US was still somewhat embroiled in when he began campaigning for president in 2015, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was very critical of the administration, former President George W. Bush, for going into Iraq under what he, and I think most people would term, false pretenses. Donald Trump, 2015: And I said, if you go after one or the other, in this case, Iraq, you're going to destabilize the Middle East. That's what's gonna happen. You're gonna destabilize the Middle East. And that's exactly what happened. We totally destabilized the Middle East. We have now migrations, largely because of what's happened afterwards. You know, Iraq was horrible. It was stupid to go in. We should have never gone in. Molly Ball: He also vowed to pull the United States out of Afghanistan, although it was his successor, Joe Biden, who ended up rather messily completing that task. And he has consistently said that he believes in peace. He doesn't believe in nation building or expending American resources on fighting other countries' battles abroad. I think he and many of his allies would argue that he is not an isolationist per se, but he stands for America first, which means that we only become involved when we see it in our clear national interest to do so. And there's a skepticism of multilateralism and of large-scale foreign alliances that of course we've seen play out over both of Trump's terms. Sam Hawley: Well, let's Molly, step through how all this played out. When Israel first started its strikes on Iran on the 13th of June, Donald Trump's administration was really like, we have nothing to do with this. The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stressed that Israel was acting on its own. Just remind me about the initial response. Molly Ball: That's right. It was this very interesting dance that played out where at first it did appear that the administration wanted to separate itself from what was happening. And this came after some weeks, if not months, of Trump seeming to distance himself from Israel and from Prime Minister Netanyahu. Trump recently took his first foreign trip to the Middle East. He went to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region, but he did not visit Israel, as is somewhat traditional for American presidents to do. So the initial impression of what was unfolding in the Middle East was that the administration was distant from this and was even potentially disapproving of it. We've subsequently reported that there was a lot of discussion and argument within the administration between different officials who had different views of the conflict. But it was only a matter of hours until Trump himself weighed in. And he seemed much more eager than his own Secretary of State to sort of take ownership of what was happening. He was saying no, no, that he had spoken to Netanyahu before this happened, that he approved of what was happening and viewed the US as much more of a partner in the conflict. So those early signals turned out to have been a bit of a red herring. Sam Hawley: So then Trump grows more publicly supportive of the Israeli strikes. And at that point, it becomes pretty clear, doesn't it, that there's a split emerging in the MAGA world. And there are these two factions. Just explain those. Molly Ball: You know, for many in Trump's political base, I'm thinking of extremely Trump loyal politicians, elected officials, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Congresswoman from Georgia. She spoke very strongly against any kind of American involvement. The media personality, podcaster Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, who of course is very close to Trump and introduced him at the Republican convention last summer, also spoke very strongly against what was happening as well as the sort of MAGA propagandist and former Trump White House strategist, Steve Bannon. So you did have these very prominent forces who are seen as sort of speaking for the populist nationalist Trump ideology, who were all counseling very strongly against any kind of American involvement. Sam Hawley: So these figures, Molly, they're going pretty hard against America getting involved in this conflict between Israel and Iran. You mentioned, of course, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a big supporter of Donald Trump's. She was on CNN. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican Congresswoman : The MAGA is not a cult and I'm entitled to my own opinion. I can support the president at the same time as I say, I don't think we should have foreign wars. Sam Hawley: And she also appeared on Steve Bannon's podcast, War Room. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican Congresswoman : Six months in, six months in, Steve, and here we are, turning back on the campaign promises and we bombed Iran on behalf of Israel. Yes, it was on behalf of Israel. And you wanna know the people that are cheering it on right now? Their tune is going to drastically change the minute we start seeing flag-draped coffins. Sam Hawley: And there was this exchange between Tucker Carlson on his podcast with the Republican Ted Cruz. Tucker Carlson, podcast host: How many people live in Iran, by the way? Ted Cruz, US Senator: I don't know the population. Tucker Carlson, podcast host: At all? Ted Cruz, US Senator: No, I don't know the population. Yeah, I- Tucker Carlson, podcast host: How could you not know that? Ted Cruz, US Senator: I don't sit around memorising population tables. Tucker Carlson, podcast host: Well, it's kind of relevant because you're calling for the overthrow of the government. Sam Hawley: They're really not holding back. Molly Ball: That's right. I think these are also voices that have tended to be a bit more skeptical of the American relationship with Israel than many in the Republican Party and on the right have traditionally been. On the other hand, you know, other voices both in the political movement and certainly in the administration were counseling that this was something that we should be involved in, you know, reminding Trump that he has always said for many years that for Iran to have a nuclear weapon would be bad for the United States, bad for Israel, and bad for the world. And this was invoked by Trump repeatedly as he began to accelerate his threats toward the Iranians, talking about the ultimatum that he had given for the negotiation of a new nuclear deal, which had elapsed and which he said was the reason that the Israeli strikes were happening when they did, and basically saying that if they weren't going to negotiate, this was going to be the consequence. And then there was this period of waiting where it wasn't at all clear what he was going to do. And he in fact came out and said, nobody knows what I'm going to do. And the world was sort of on tender hooks for about a week. Sam Hawley: So on the one side, there's these isolationists, Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and then of course on the other side, there's this deeply pro-Israel camp. A fascinating split though, right, in the MAGA world. Molly Ball: It is a fascinating split, although in retrospect, it looks perhaps less significant if it does turn out to be the case that this was simply a matter of a limited strike and not, you know, a years-long American-involvement in a new war. I think it's a very interesting point. in terms of the American involvement in a new war. I think if that were what was happening, we would see much more dissent. If all it was was an airstrike, I think very few people would ever have argued that America first means that the United States never deploys any kind of military force. And indeed in Trump's first term, there were several occasions in which he deployed American military force, but the point is that there are not ground troops, there are not Americans dying in another country, and there is not a prolonged entanglement in a foreign conflict. So I think everyone's being cautious and wary and wants to see how this plays out, but if in fact that was the end of it, then I don't think there's a lot of hurt feelings on either side. Sam Hawley: Yeah, although there was a fair bit of concern, wasn't there, when Trump then went a bit further and started talking about the idea of regime change in Iran? Molly Ball: Well, regime change is very much what the America first movement is against. It's sort of a part and parcel of the nationalism that Trump and his allies believe in, that countries should look out for their own interests and should not be fighting the battles of others and recklessly spill American blood and treasure. I think if you did have the United States setting out to change the Iranian regime, you would likely have much more dissent from MAGA World. If he then embarked on something that looked similar to those regime change wars of the past, he would come in for quite a bit of criticism. Sam Hawley: All right, well, Molly, the MAGA base that supported his actions say he should get a Nobel Peace Prize. I think that's what Donald Trump would really like. But if the strikes didn't actually obliterate Iran's nuclear program and there is deep uncertainty over whether or not they did, there'd still be, wouldn't there, some seemingly unhappy people within MAGA? Or do they just let that go? Molly Ball: I think that remains to be seen. I think the lodestar of the MAGA movement is and will always be Donald Trump. His critics would call it a cult of personality, but they believe very deeply in his wisdom and his decision making. So there is a lot of trust in him. There is a lot of willingness to be guided by what he sees as best and by the arguments that he makes, even when they can sometimes be quite inconsistent. I think we're all waiting to learn more about what the end result of all this has been and how tenuous this momentary peace actually is. Trump has said many times that he wants and believes he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, whether that's because of the competitiveness that he feels with former President Obama or simply a manifestation of his rather sizable ego. But if it does turn out that this is the beginning of a lasting peace in the Middle East, it sounds far-fetched, but that would certainly be a remarkable thing if it were to happen. Sam Hawley: And what about those early critics, Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Molly, we do know that Donald Trump likes to surround himself with true loyalists. So is he really going to keep them in the fold or would he prefer them not to be there anymore? What do you reckon? Molly Ball: I don't think anybody's getting exiled or kicked out of the movement for this. And I think a vigorous debate was had that was quite interesting and quite revealing about the sort of contours of the Trump movement. But at the end of the day, people come and go from Trump's orbit, but as long as he feels that they ultimately believe in what he believes in and have his sort of political best interests at heart, he doesn't tend to kick them out. Sam Hawley: Molly Ball is a senior political correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. This episode was produced by Sydney Pead. Audio production by Sam Dunn. Our supervising producer is David Coady. I'm Sam Hawley. ABC News Daily will be back again on Monday. Thanks for listening.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Pentagon chief backs Trump on success of Iran strikes
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted Thursday that American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites were a success, backing President Donald Trump and berating the media for covering an intelligence report that questioned the results of the operation. American B-2 bombers hit two Iranian nuclear sites with massive GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs last weekend, while a guided missile submarine struck a third site with Tomahawk cruise missiles. "President Trump created the conditions to end the war, decimating -- choose your word -- obliterating, destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities," Hegseth told journalists at the Pentagon, referring to a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. Trump has called the strikes a "spectacular military success" and repeatedly said they "obliterated" the nuclear sites. On Thursday, he insisted that Iran did not manage to move nuclear materials -- including enriched uranium -- ahead of the US military action. "Nothing was taken out of facility. Would take too long, too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. However, US media revealed a preliminary American intelligence assessment earlier this week that said the strikes only set back Iran's nuclear program by months -- coverage sharply criticized by Hegseth. "Whether it's fake news CNN, MSNBC or the New York Times, there's been fawning coverage of a preliminary assessment." The document was "leaked because someone had an agenda to try to muddy the waters and make it look like this historic strike wasn't successful," Hegseth said. Trump has also lashed out at coverage of the intelligence report, calling for journalists to lose their jobs. - 'Get a big shovel' - Hegseth did not definitively state that the enriched uranium and centrifuges at the heart of Iran's controversial nuclear program had been wiped out, but cited intelligence officials -- although giving little detail -- as saying the nuclear facilities were destroyed. "If you want to know what's going on at Fordo, you better go there and get a big shovel, because no one's under there right now," Hegseth said, referring to the deep-underground nuclear site. Among the officials cited by Hegseth was US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who said the previous day that "Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed." He also referred to a statement by CIA chief John Ratcliffe that said: "A body of credible intelligence indicates Iran's nuclear program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes." Ratcliffe pointed to a "historically reliable and accurate" source of information indicating that "several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years." International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, speaking Thursday on French radio, meanwhile said Iran's uranium-enriching centrifuges had been knocked out. "Given power of these (bombs) and the characteristics of a centrifuge, we already know that these centrifuges are no longer operational," Grossi said. Israel launched an unprecedented air campaign targeting Iranian nuclear sites, scientists and top military brass on June 13 in a bid to end the country's nuclear program, which Tehran says is for civilian purposes but Washington and other powers insist is aimed at acquiring atomic weapons. Trump had spent weeks pursuing a diplomatic path to replace the nuclear deal with Tehran that he tore up during his first term in 2018, but he ultimately decided to take military action. The US operation was massive, involving more than 125 US aircraft including stealth bombers, fighters and aerial refueling tankers as well as a guided missile submarine.
