Russia Says Israel, US Pledge Staff Safety at Iran Nuclear Plant
President Vladimir Putin said Russia sought and received assurances from Israel and the US that they'd ensure the safety of Russian staff working at Iran's nuclear power plant at Bushehr.
Russia is concerned about the situation around Iran's nuclear facilities amid the conflict with Israel, Putin told a plenary session on Friday at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. It has always supported Iran's right to peaceful nuclear development, he said.
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CNN
36 minutes ago
- CNN
US law enforcement reexamining Hezbollah intel, but there's no indication of credible threats
Intelligence and law enforcement agencies are reexamining known or suspected Hezbollah associates in the US, looking for possible threats that could arise as tensions with Iran increase, though there's no indication of credible threats at this time, law enforcement officials told CNN. The moves come amid warnings from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of possible repercussions against the US as President Donald Trump weighs military action against Iran and as the president has mentioned the possibility of the Israeli government attempting to kill the Iranian leader. While US intelligence officials view the greatest danger to be against US military bases and US interests in the region, they are also acting out of an abundance of caution to try and prevent any domestic threats, the sources said. The prospect of Iranian threats inside the US has long been a concern to law enforcement officials, particularly after the US killed Qasem Soleimani, the top Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps general, during the first Trump administration and the Iranians vowed reprisals against former US government officials. Last year, the Justice Department announced arrests in an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Trump and others. The US also accused Iranian-affiliated hackers with breaching the Trump campaign, raising the prospect that Iran could use cyber attacks to retaliate against the United States. The FBI is monitoring potential threats and keeping close watch on groups with suspected ties to Iran, a law enforcement official said. The biggest concern, however, remains lone wolf attacks and the continued hit list of current and former US officials from Iran – including against Trump himself. In recent years, however, Iran-related threats have emerged from criminal groups that could be hired to carry out attacks, and not from domestic groups associated with fundraising for Iranian-affiliates such as Hezbollah and Hamas, US officials noted. Late last year, the Justice Department charged two US citizens for allegedly helping Iranian officials surveil an anti-regime advocate in New York. The department also brought charges in a case involving an Afghanistan national allegedly tasked by the IRGC to carrying out assassinations against US and Israeli citizens inside the US, including Trump. 'There's always a threat,' one federal law enforcement official told CNN of Iran. 'The difference is when it's specific and credible.' Security postures around several key areas in the US Capital, including the White House, Pentagon and Israeli embassy, have increased since the current conflict between Israel and Iran began earlier this month. But officials told CNN those increases are part of a normal security protocol activated when any conflict of this size begins around the globe. One Secret Service official told CNN the agency was under a high level of vigilance but was not currently monitoring a new increase in credible and actionable threats from the country. When it comes to Iran, one of the FBI's primary points of focus inside the US is money. The agency continues to investigate how terrorist organizations, sometimes connected to Iran, retrieve funding from groups inside the US – which became a significant issue in the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas in 2023. Sources stressed that while there was no current uptick in the already heightened threat posed against the US by Iran, that story could quickly change. 'It just depends,' one source said of whether Trump decides to engage the US military against Iran, adding that assessments are being run on a continued basis. One issue that has been increasingly difficult for the FBI and other law enforcement groups to thwart is the threat of a lone wolf attack. Over the past several months, the US has seen multiple attacks by singular individuals who never communicated their intentions with others or online – a threat that quickly becomes nearly impossible to stop or fully prepare for.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump on DNI Tulsi Gabbard's Iran assessment: "She's wrong"
Washington — President Trump on Friday said his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was "wrong" when she testified in March that Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon, marking the second time in a week the president has dismissed the assessment of the intelligence director he selected. The White House this week said Iran has everything it needs to build a nuclear weapon and needs only the green light from Iran's supreme leader, with the ability to ready a nuclear weapon within weeks. Mr. Trump said Iran was "very close to having" a nuclear weapon. In March, Gabbard testified on Capitol Hill that the U.S. "continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003." Gabbard later insisted she and the president are on the same page. Mr. Trump dismissed his intelligence community's public assessment of Iran on Friday, and Gabbard specifically, as the White House says the president will decide whether to join Israel in its strikes on Iran within two weeks. When the president arrived in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Friday, a reporter asked him: "What intelligence do you have that Iran is building a nuclear weapon? Your intelligence community had said they have no evidence that they are at this point." "Well then, my intelligence community is wrong," Mr. Trump responded. "Who in the intelligence community said that?" "Your director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard," the reporter answered. "She's wrong," Mr. Trump said, moving on to the next question. The president previously dismissed Gabbard's testimony earlier this week, on his way back from a G7 summit in Canada. A reporter noted that Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon. "I don't care what she said," the president told reporters aboard Air Force One. "I think they were very close to having one." In a post on X, Gabbard accused media outlets of "taking my testimony out of context." "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly," Gabbard wrote. Vice President JD Vance wrote on X on Tuesday that "Tulsi's testimony was in March, and a lot has changed since then." The president has been briefed on the risks and the benefits of bombing Fordo, Iran's most secure nuclear site, multiple sources told CBS News this week. His mindset is that disabling it is necessary because of the risk of weapons being produced in a relatively short period of time. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that the president will make a decision on whether to join Israel's strikes within two weeks and allow the diplomatic path to play out. "Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," the president said in a statement read by Leavitt at the White House press briefing. The Iranian foreign minister met with a group of European diplomats in Geneva on Friday. Asked Friday if a strike could be possible before the two-week deadline is up, the president said: "I'm giving them a period of time. We'll see what that period of time is. I'm giving them a period of time. But two weeks would be the maximum." SpaceX Starship upper stage blows up Hurricane Erick approaches Mexico with destructive winds, major storm surge Massachusetts governor says Trump's tariffs are hurting U.S., Canadian economies
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
U.S. strike on Iran now seen as 62% likely
U.S. strike on Iran now seen as 62% likely originally appeared on TheStreet. With missiles flying between Israel and Iran, markets crashing, and everyone refreshing X every 10 seconds, Polymarket, a crypto prediction platform, might be one of the only places offering some clarity. One of the most-watched markets on Polymarket right now is centered on a sobering question: Will the US launch military action against Iran before June 30, 2025? With tensions soaring in the Middle East, this market has attracted over $6 million in trading volume, making it one of the largest geopolitical prediction markets of the year. Polymarket, which launched in 2020, didn't rise overnight. Its traction skyrocketed in the past year, especially around major political events. In 2024 alone, users wagered over $8 billion on predictions related to elections. As of now, the odds are sitting around 62% for "Yes", indicating traders increasingly believe that U.S. intervention is imminent. According to Polymarket's official rules, the market will resolve to "Yes" if there is a confirmed US military action on Iranian soil, airspace, or maritime territory, or against any Iranian embassies or consulates — between March 31 and June 30, 2025. This must be officially acknowledged by the U.S. government or widely confirmed through credible reporting. Examples include airstrikes, naval actions, or any form of kinetic military engagement. Cyberattacks, economic sanctions, or covert diplomacy won't count. If a qualifying military strike is confirmed before June 30, the market will resolve early, locking in profits for 'Yes' holders and losses for 'No' holders. Missiles are flying, cities are on edge, and the world is holding its breath. Over the past few days, Israel and Iran have been locked in a dangerous tit-for-tat that's escalated fast. It began with Israel launching a pre-emptive airstrike on Iran. In response, Iran vowed the 'largest and most intense missile attack in history' on Israeli soil. Since then, Iran has launched multiple volleys of missiles targeting central and northern Israel, while Israeli air defenses and drones have intercepted several of them. Tel Aviv, Haifa, and even areas near the Natanz nuclear site in Iran have sounded air raid sirens as explosions rocked the region. As tensions spiral, Trump, who left the G7 summit early, is back in Washington, issuing ominous warnings. On Truth Social, he told residents of Tehran to evacuate the city immediately. The New York Times reported that he's considering using the U.S.'s most powerful 'bunker buster' bomb to target Iran's Fordo nuclear facility. Markets are already feeling the heat. Oil prices have spiked, Bitcoin dipped sharply, and investors are rattled. U.S. strike on Iran now seen as 62% likely first appeared on TheStreet on Jun 17, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
