Iranian state broadcaster hit as Iran urges Trump to make Israel halt war
TEL AVIV/DUBAI: An Israeli strike hit Iran's state broadcaster on Monday (Jun 16) while the head of the UN nuclear watchdog indicated extensive damage to Iran's biggest uranium enrichment plant and Iran called on the US to force a ceasefire in the four-day-old aerial war.
Israeli forces have stepped up their bombardment of Iranian cities, while Iran proved capable of piercing Israeli air defences with one of its most successful volleys yet of retaliatory missile strikes.
"If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X.
"Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue. It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu."
Sources told Reuters that Tehran had asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press US President Donald Trump to use his influence on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and push for an immediate ceasefire. In return, Iran would show flexibility in nuclear negotiations, said the two Iranian and three regional sources.
Netanyahu told troops at an air base that Israel was on its way to achieving its two main aims: wiping out Iran's nuclear programme and destroying its missiles.
"We are on the path to victory," he said. "We are telling the citizens of Tehran: 'Evacuate' — and we are taking action."
Iranian media said Iran was preparing for the "largest and most intense missile attack" yet against Israel, including against military and intelligence targets.
NATANZ DAMAGE
Israel launched its air war on Friday with a surprise attack that killed nearly the entire top echelon of Iran's military commanders and its leading nuclear scientists. It says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in coming days.
Israel said it hit Iranian F-14 fighter planes at Tehran airport on Monday, and its airstrikes have also put at least two of Iran's three operating uranium enrichment plants out of action.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the BBC on Monday it was very likely all the roughly 15,000 centrifuges operating at Iran's biggest uranium enrichment plant at Natanz were badly damaged or destroyed because of a power cut caused by an Israeli strike.
There had been very limited or no damage at the separate Fordow plant, he said.
Tehran's retaliation is the first time in decades of shadow war and proxy conflict that missiles fired from Iran have pierced Israeli defences in significant numbers and killed Israelis in their homes.
Iran says more than 224 Iranians have been killed, most of them civilians. Media published images of wounded children, women, and the elderly from cities across the country.
State TV broadcast scenes of collapsed presidential buildings, burned-out cars, and shattered streets in Tehran. Many residents were trying to flee the capital, describing queues for petrol and bank machines that were out of cash.
"I am desperate. My two children are scared and cannot sleep at night because of the sound of air defence and attacks, explosions. But we have nowhere to go. We hid under our dining table," Gholamreza Mohammadi, 48, a civil servant, told Reuters by phone from Tehran.
In Israel, 24 people have been killed so far in Iran's missile attacks, all of them civilians. Round-the-clock television images showed rescuers working in ruins of flattened homes.
"It's terrifying because it's so unknown," said Guydo Tetelbaum, 31, a chef in Tel Aviv who was in his apartment when the alerts came in shortly after 4am (9am, Singapore time). He went to a public shelter and was inside when the door was blown in.
Trump has consistently said the Israeli assault could end quickly if Iran agrees to US demands that it accept strict curbs to its nuclear programme.
"I'd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately before it's too late," Trump said at a G7 meeting in Canada.
Talks between the United States and Iran, hosted by Oman, had been scheduled for Sunday but were scrapped, with Tehran saying it could not negotiate while under attack.
On Monday, Iranian lawmakers floated the idea of quitting the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, a move bound to be seen as a setback for any negotiations.
'PAYING THE PRICE'
Before dawn on Monday, Iranian missiles struck Tel Aviv and Haifa, killing at least eight people and destroying homes.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the latest attack employed a new method that caused Israel's multi-layered defence systems to target each other so missiles could get through.
Global oil prices eased on Monday, suggesting traders think exports could be spared despite Israeli attacks on domestic Iranian oil and gas targets.
The sudden killing of so many Iranian military commanders and the apparent loss of control of airspace could prove to be the biggest test of Iran's system of clerical rule since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran's network of regional allies who could once have been expected to rain rockets on Israel - Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon - have been decimated by Israeli forces since the start of the Gaza war.
Netanyahu has said that, while toppling the Iranian government is not Israel's primary aim, it believes that could be the outcome.
Art teacher Arshia, 29, told Reuters his family was leaving Tehran for the town of Damavand, around 50 km to the east, until the conflict was over.
"My parents are scared. Every night there are attacks. No air raid sirens, and no shelters to go to. Why are we paying the price for the Islamic Republic's hostile policies?" said Arshia, who withheld his surname for fear of reprisal from authorities.
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CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Energy, investments, geopolitics: Why China's Israel-Iran mediation push is about more than peace
BEIJING/SINGAPORE: China is positioning itself as a mediator in the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran - but analysts say its diplomatic overtures are as much about shielding national interests as they are about regional peace. While Beijing publicly calls for calm, analysts say factors like energy dependence, strategic ties with Iran, geopolitical rivalry with the United States, and fears of a wider conflict that could undermine its investment and infrastructure footprint, underpin its push for peace. But despite its deepening economic ties with Tehran and the broader Middle East, observers say China's limited influence over the key players, particularly Israel, makes meaningful intervention an uphill task. They add that even as Beijing publicly backs Tehran, it is unlikely to risk wading into the conflict to tilt the balance in Iran's favour. Doing so would risk escalating tensions with the United States and undermining China's carefully calibrated position as a neutral actor in the region. 'China would be drawn into a regional conflict with global repercussions, which is surely something Beijing has no appetite for,' said Andrea Ghiselli, a lecturer in international politics at the University of Exeter. 'This is a very difficult position for Chinese diplomacy.' Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-partisan US think tank focused on foreign policy and national security issues, said it reveals a larger problem for Beijing. 'Today's crisis and China's seeming inability to have any influence on its outcome spotlights the gap between Beijing's great power rhetoric and its limited reach in the Middle East.' PLAYING PEACEMAKER - OR NOT? The conflict erupted on Friday (Jun 13) when Israel launched surprise attacks on targets across Iran. Described by Israel as necessary 'preemptive' strikes to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the salvo sparked swift retaliation from Tehran, which has consistently denied seeking nuclear arms. Attacks have continued back and forth since then. More than 200 people have been killed, most of them civilians. China has joined a growing chorus of international calls for restraint as fears grow that the region could be on the cusp of a broader conflagration. Foreign Minister Wang Yi held phone calls with his Israeli and Iranian counterparts on Jun 14. He told both men that China was willing to play "a constructive role" in de-escalating the conflict, reported China's foreign ministry. Chinese President Xi Jinping repeated the refrain in comments reported by state news agency Xinhua on Tuesday, calling for urgent de-escalation. He added that China 'stands ready to work with all parties to play a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the Middle East'. Some reports have focused on the possibility of China playing mediator. The country has in recent years actively positioned itself as a global peacemaker, distinct from US influence. 'China is a neutral party, and can play a very important mediating role,' Wang Huiyao, founder and president of the Chinese think tank Center for China and Globalization (CCG), told CNA, highlighting China's 'good' track record in the Middle East and lack of 'historical baggage'. Beijing brokered a Palestinian unity deal in war-torn Gaza in July 2024. The year before, it brokered a historic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, mediating the rapprochement alongside Iraq and Oman without direct involvement from the US or Europe. The latest outreach follows a familiar pattern in Chinese diplomacy, where Beijing seeks to project calm and offer mediation without committing to direct intervention. In past conflicts, including in Syria and Yemen, China issued similar calls but played only a limited follow-up role. But most of the other analysts CNA spoke to believe China doesn't have sufficient leverage to meaningfully mediate the Israel-Iran conflict. In particular, it wields 'practically no influence' with Israel, said Jonathan Fulton, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Middle East Programs. He told CNA that China's stance on the Israel-Palestinian conflict since Oct 7, 2023 - when Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel - has significantly eroded its diplomatic credibility with Tel Aviv, leaving Beijing with 'very little leverage' in Israeli eyes. 'China's always been very clear that it supports the Palestinians, and in this case, it was very overt. I think the Israelis have come to realise that China doesn't offer any kind of support for them in this situation.' Ghiselli from the University of Exeter described the Israel-Iran conflict as a war they have 'prepared for decades'. 'True or not, they think they are fighting for their survival. Nothing else matters. Moreover, neither of them is dependent on China in a way that would allow Beijing to force them to stop,' said Ghiselli, who is also head of research for the China-Mediterranean project at the University of Turin. 'China is not like the US, which could just stop the Israeli war machine by withdrawing its support.' Sun Degang, professor of political science at Fudan University and director of its Center for Middle Eastern Studies, similarly noted that Beijing's mediation efforts hinge on political will from both sides to engage - something that seems to be lacking. 'I don't think Israel is ready to accept China's mediation,' he told CNA. 'It wants to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities and implement regime change in Iran.' FDD's Singleton said China lacks the trust, intelligence channels, and 'coercive sticks' to influence Israeli or Iranian war planning. 'At best, it can pass messages; it almost certainly cannot broker terms or enforce compliance,' he said, adding that ceasefire mediation only works when both parties want it. 'Right now they don't.' FACTORS SHAPING BEIJING'S POSITIONING Willingness to mediate aside, China has also made clear it backs Iran in the conflict. In the phone calls with his Israeli and Iranian counterparts, Wang Yi expressed as much while calling Israel's behaviour "unacceptable". Meanwhile, Xi on Tuesday singled out Israel's military actions against Iran as escalating tensions in the Middle East. 'We oppose any actions that infringe upon the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of other countries. Military conflict is not the solution to problems, and rising regional tensions do not align with the common interests of the international community,' he said. Analysts say that economic and geopolitical factors underpin China's position. 'Beijing's stance is driven by energy dependence, fear of US sanctions, rivalry optics with Washington, and a need to keep Saudi and Emirati doors open,' said FDD's Singleton. Fudan University's Sun said the willingness of BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states to support multilateral mediation efforts could shape China's approach, referring to these regional groupings that involve several Middle Eastern nations. But it ultimately depends on how far China is willing to risk a possible failed mediation attempt that could expose the limits of its diplomatic reach and standing as a global peacemaker, he added. The Atlantic Council's Fulton said China sees Iran as a source of 'cheap oil' and a foil to US ambitions in the Gulf and the broader Middle East. He described the bilateral relationship as 'transactional' and 'deeply asymmetrical'. According to media reports, China purchases nearly 90 per cent of Iran's oil exports, often through independent refiners to circumvent US sanctions. China and Iran inked a 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership in 2021, in a wide-ranging accord that also formally inducted Tehran into Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. Fulton said China is likely 'quite worried' about the Iranian regime's survival. 'I think they see a vulnerable partner in a very dangerous situation,' he said. Israel has wiped out nearly the entire top echelon of Iran's military commanders and its leading nuclear scientists. It has also said it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in the coming days. China would much prefer that the current Iranian regime tide the conflict through, as its downfall would spell regional instability and unpredictability, said Ghiselli from the University of Exeter. Analysts have pointed out how China views Iran as a strategic partner in counterbalancing American influence in the Middle East. Western sanctions on Tehran have also created space for Chinese companies to fill. Still, Ghiselli said Beijing is unlikely to take proactive steps to assist Tehran, such as by extending military assistance. 'Iran needs more than diplomatic support or missile components. It needs air defences and new fighter jets. China could provide them, but there would be no way to put them to use immediately,' he said. Wading directly into the fray would also inflame already-heightened tensions with the US - a scenario China is keen to avoid, he added. The Group of Seven nations, which includes the US, expressed support for Israel in a statement issued late on Jun 16 and labelled its rival Iran as a source of instability in the Middle East. 'China's direct involvement in the conflict would propel the rivalry (with the US) to another level, in a moment in which Beijing wants to stabilise the relations with Washington to ease the pressure on its economy and tech development,' Ghiselli said. Similarly, FDD's Singleton said tilting too far towards Iran would invite US sanctions on China, alienate its Gulf partners and expose the limits of Beijing's alternative-power narrative. '(Thus) underscoring China's lack of credibility as a serious Middle East power broker and all but relegating it to the sidelines,' he added. As hostilities between Israel and Iran rage on, China will likely adopt a 'reactive approach', 'waiting and hoping' that the Iranian administration does not fall while preparing for a 'post-Ayatollah scenario', said Ghiselli from the University of Exeter. 'In any case, democracy rarely follows when an authoritarian regime collapses. While not ideal, I think China would accept the emergence of a more secular, military-led regime,' he said. 'Chinese analysts have long argued that the policies of the current Iranian leadership were too extreme and counterproductive, given the dire situation of the Iranian economy.' Sweeping Western sanctions and government mismanagement have hit Iran's economy hard. Its rial currency has collapsed in value, inflation has surged drastically, and frequent blackouts amid an energy crisis have hobbled industrial output and daily life. RISKS OF A REGIONAL SPILLOVER While the conflict remains confined to Israel and Iran for now, there are fears it could spill over to the region. This would carry significant risks for both China and the wider world, analysts say. There has been speculation that Iran could move to block the crucial Strait of Hormuz as retaliation. Tehran has in the past threatened to close it in retaliation for Western pressure. Disruption to oil transport through the Strait of Hormuz - the sole maritime artery linking Gulf exporters to global markets - could restrict trade and send energy prices soaring. It accounts for nearly one-fifth of global oil shipments. This is widely deemed to be bad news for China, the world's top importer of crude oil. Beijing sources around 40 per cent of its crude oil from the Middle East, with major suppliers including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. 'China is the largest trading partner of the Middle East and the predominant importer of Gulf oil. It wants to promote its Belt and Road Initiative in the region,' said Sun from Fudan University. A regional conflagration also risks spiking global oil prices, which would increase China's import bill and strain an economy already feeling the heat from US tariffs, elevated local government debt and an ageing population. Oil prices surged to their highest in three years on Friday in the wake of Israel's attack on Iran, although rates have since fallen back. A spillover of the conflict into more of the Middle East would also threaten the well-being of Chinese nationals in the region, alongside the millions of other foreigners. According to reports, there are an estimated 1 million Chinese citizens in the Middle East, likely more when including the transient population of Chinese visitors, merchants, and contract workers. China's embassies in Israel and Iran have already urged Chinese citizens to leave the respective countries as soon as possible. Even as the trajectory of the conflict remains in flux, analysts say there's a chance the regional risks can be kept in check. 'Oil prices remain steady, regional players are sitting on their hands, and absent proxy escalation (means) the fallout may stay contained,' said FDD's Singleton, calling it 'early days'. 'Though a protracted fight could still redraw risk calculations across the Gulf and in the Indo-Pacific.' A regional escalation would be a 'nightmare scenario', said the Atlantic Council's Fulton.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Japan, South Korea pledge closer ties after Ishiba-Lee meeting on sidelines of G-7 summit
KANANASKIS, Alberta - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed to step up cooperation in their first in-person talks, in an early indication of the direction of future relations between the two countries after Mr Lee took office. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in the Canadian Rockies on June 17 , just days before the 60th anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Japan. 'We are inseparable, like neighbours sharing a front yard. We may have small differences and disagreements, but I hope that we can overcome them and develop a more cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship in many ways,' Mr Lee said to Mr Ishiba, a televised broadcast showed. The meeting builds on a dialogue that began with a phone call about a week ago. Left-leaning Lee, who has been critical of Japan in the past, became president after winning a June 3 vote triggered by the ouster of his conservative predecessor. The two leaders agreed to beef up trilateral cooperation with the US to respond to geopolitical risks including North Korean issues, and reaffirmed their commitment to shuttle diplomacy between the neighbours , a statement from the South Korean president's office said. 'The two leaders affirmed that they will continue to work closely together, as well as within the trilateral framework with the US, on responding to North Korea on issues that include nuclear, missiles, and abductees,' according to a separate statement from the Japanese government. Mr Lee had also planned to meet with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G-7 summit, but the talks were cancelled after Mr Trump cut short his trip amid the Israel-Iran conflict. The possibility of a three-way meeting among the leaders in Canada had also been floated in South Korean local media reports. The relationship between Japan and South Korea, as well as their trilateral ties with the United States, is under scrutiny given a tendency for new leaders in Seoul to walk back on progress made by predecessors, as well as interest over how the US will engage in the Indo-Pacific under Mr Trump. Despite his past criticism of both the US and Japan, Mr Lee is likely wanting to emphasise continuity in relations with Japan and the US at least at the start of his administration. Still, on the campaign trail, Mr Lee suggested a more balanced approach for South Korea going forward regarding its relations with the US and China. He also called for renewed dialogue with Pyongyang. Mr Ishiba's predecessor Fumio Kishida and former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol developed close ties during their time in office, bringing a thaw in relations between the two nations after lingering tensions stemming from Japan's colonial rule over the Korean peninsula from 1910-1945. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Trump administration disbands group focused on pressuring Russia, sources say, World News
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration shelved in recent weeks an inter-agency working group it had set up to formulate strategies for pressuring Russia into speeding up peace talks with Ukraine, according to three US officials. The effort, which was established earlier in the spring, lost steam in May as it became increasingly clear to participants that US President Donald Trump was not interested in adopting a more confrontational stance toward Moscow, said the officials. Despite pledging during his campaign to end the war in Ukraine on the first day of his presidency, Trump in recent months has grown increasingly frustrated that his push has yielded no breakthroughs. He has begun saying that the United States may abandon its efforts to broker peace altogether. In light of that threat, the working group's task seemed increasingly irrelevant, added those officials, who requested anonymity to describe sensitive internal discussions. "It lost steam toward the end because the president wasn't there. Instead of doing more, maybe he wanted to do less," one of the officials said. The death of the working group, the existence of which has not been previously reported, is likely to deepen European allies' concerns over Trump's at-times conciliatory tone toward Russia and his reluctance to express full-throated support for Ukraine ahead of a pivotal summit of Nato allies later this month. On the first day of a meeting of Group of Seven leaders in Canada on Monday, the Republican president said removing Russia from the former Group of Eight over a decade ago had been a mistake. The final blow for the working group came roughly three weeks ago, when most members of the White House National Security Council — including the entire team dealing directly with the Ukraine war — were dismissed as part of a broad purge, according to the three officials. The effort was set up and coordinated by high-ranking NSC staffers, the officials said, though it included participants from the State Department, Treasury Department, the Pentagon and intelligence community. Among those working on the effort was Andrew Peek, the top NSC official for Europe and Russia, who was removed in May. It is unclear precisely who gave the order to discontinue the effort, but the officials suggested the depth of the NSC cuts made its continuation largely untenable. Since the effort's dissolution, Trump's broader peacemaking efforts, which had been a central element of his campaign pitch, have hit a challenging stretch. Despite some successes — such as a US-brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan — Trump has made little tangible progress in achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of a full-blown regional war in the Middle East has risen rapidly with the Israel-Iran conflict. The dissolution of the group also follows a March suspension of work by some US national security agencies on a coordinated effort to counter Russian sabotage and disinformation operations, Reuters reported at the time. Nevertheless, Trump could choose to adopt a firmer stance toward Russia regardless of the fate of the working group, which was set up to develop options for the president "if he wanted to get tougher on Russia," one of the officials said. Some Trump allies, including Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, have publicly advocated for an expansive new round of sanctions directed at Russia, citing Moscow's effective rejection of US ceasefire proposals and the Kremlin's continual attacks on civilian targets as proof of Putin's recalcitrance. Trump has said he is considering such measures, but he has also regularly faulted both sides for the ongoing hostilities. The White House did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the Treasury Department, the State Department or the Pentagon. [[nid:719195]] The Ukrainian and Russian embassies in Washington also did not respond to requests for comment. 'Deep frustration' The working group was formed in March or April at a time when some close Trump advisers were growing increasingly sceptical of the Kremlin's willingness to reach a deal, while Trump's rhetoric suggested he might be interested in modifying his accommodating stance toward Putin. In an interview with NBC News in late March, he said he was "very angry" and "pissed off" at the Russian leader for raising questions about the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. NSC spokesman James Hewitt said in an April 1 statement to Reuters that there was a "deep frustration with the Russian government over negotiations." Among the topics discussed within the working group was how the US could incentivise or pressure former Soviet states, as well as other Eastern European and Asian nations, to limit the flow of goods and energy into and out of Russia, said the officials. It is unclear if Trump was aware of the working group's formation or subsequent dissolution. The NSC removals left few high-ranking people on the Russia file, complicating the prospects for any robust inter-agency debate on the topic. While reluctant to discuss the details of the options drawn up by the group due to the sensitive nature of the work, US officials said the group was still brainstorming ideas when it was dissolved. The group's work was unrelated to the Russia sanctions package in the US Senate. Ideas ranged from tailored economic deals designed to peel some countries out of Russia's geopolitical orbit to covert special operations efforts, the officials said. One official mentioned the possibility of creating an incentive structure to push Kazakhstan to more vigorously crack down on sanctions evasion. The country, like other post-Soviet states, has been used by traders to bypass some Western-imposed import restrictions on Russia since Moscow's expanded invasion began in 2022. The Kazakhstani embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. [[nid:718992]]
