Iranian broadcaster hit; Tehran urges Trump to make Israel halt war
TEL AVIV/DUBAI (Reuters) -- An Israeli strike hit Iran's state broadcaster on Monday, with the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog indicating extensive damage to Iran's biggest uranium enrichment plant, and Iran called on the U.S. to force a ceasefire in the aerial war.
Late on Monday, Israel said it hit Iran's broadcasting authority, and footage showed a newsreader hurrying from her seat as a blast struck. Israel's military said the building also served as a communications center used by Iran's armed forces.
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Asahi Shimbun
24 minutes ago
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: Trump trashes American values championed in Statue of Liberty
A demonstrator dressed like the Statue of Liberty holds a placard during a No Kings Day protest against President Donald Trump's policies, outside City Hall, in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 14. (REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE) The sky was said to be overcast on June 17, 1885, when a ship arrived in New York Harbor. On board was the Statue of Liberty—a gift from France, disassembled and packed in 214 crates for shipment across the Atlantic. The assembled statue holds the Declaration of Independence in its left hand and a torch in its right. A bronze plaque inside the statue's pedestal is inscribed with a poem, including these famous lines: 'Give me your tired, your poor,/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,/ The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.' The words reflect the founding spirit of the United States of America—a new world whose doors are wide open and where everyone is given a chance. Donald Trump's presidency embodies the ultimate antithesis of that. His administration forcibly seizes immigrants, send troops against protesters and contrives to block foreign students from studying at Harvard University. I can only say that Trump has trashed America's founding spirit. The nationwide 'No Kings' anti-Trump rallies held over the weekend were the largest-scale protests since the start of his second presidency. Internationally, the rallies were also known as 'No Dictators' or 'No Tyrants' protests. Who could have imagined such demonstrations being held in the United States, of all places—not in some emerging nation or dictatorship. America had its declaration of independence, and then the Civil War, before it got to where it is today. We tend to think that society inevitably changes in the direction of freedom and democracy. But if we don't speak out, society can fall apart all too readily. The United States may be at a critical crossroads today. The Statue of Liberty faces the sea, as if to illuminate the world with its torch. I want to make it turn around and see what is going on behind it. —The Asahi Shimbun, June 17 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
The Mainichi
38 minutes ago
- The Mainichi
Israel orders 300,000 people in Tehran to evacuate while Trump issues ominous warning
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate the middle of Iran's capital as Israel's air campaign on Tehran appeared to broaden on the fourth day of an intensifying conflict. An Iranian television anchor fled her studio during a live broadcast as bombs fell on the headquarters of the country's state-run TV station. U.S. President Donald Trump posted an ominous message on his social media site later Monday calling for the immediate evacuation of Tehran. "IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON," Trump wrote, adding that "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media shortly after Trump's post that he was returning from the G7 summit in Canada a day early due to the intensifying conflict between. Israel says strikes have set back nuclear program Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes have set Iran's nuclear program back a "very, very long time," and told reporters he is in daily touch with Trump. "The regime is very weak," he added. Israel says its sweeping assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists, is necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. The strikes have killed at least 224 people since Friday. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organized effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so. Iran has retaliated by launching more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured. The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval. Israel's military issues evacuation warning affecting up to 330,000 people Earlier Monday, Israel's military issued an evacuation warning to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that houses the country's state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The city, one of the region's largest, is home to around 9.5 million people. Israel's military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes. State-run television abruptly stopped a live broadcast after the station was hit, according to Iran's state-run news agency. While on the air, an Iranian state television reporter said the studio was filling with dust after "the sound of aggression against the homeland." Suddenly, an explosion occurred, cutting the screen behind her as she hurried off camera. The broadcast quickly switched to prerecorded programs. The station later said its building was hit by four bombs. An anchor said on air that a few colleagues had been hurt, but their families should not be worried. The network said its live programs were transferred to another studio. Israel claims 'full aerial superiority' over Tehran Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday that his country's forces had "achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran's skies." The military said it destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran's total, as well as two F-14 planes that Iran used to target Israeli aircraft and multiple launchers just before they launched ballistic missiles towards Israel. Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centers in Tehran belonging to Iran's Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran. The Israeli strikes "amount to a deep and comprehensive blow to the Iranian threat," Defrin said. One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, with its blast waves causing minor damage, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. He added that no American personnel were injured. Explosions rock Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva and Haifa oil refinery Powerful explosions rocked Tel Aviv shortly before dawn Monday, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky over the coastal city. Authorities in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva said Iranian missiles hit a residential building there, charring concrete walls, shattering windows and ripping the walls off multiple apartments. Iranian missiles also hit an oil refinery in the northern city of Haifa for the second night in a row. The early morning strike killed three workers, ignited a significant fire and damaged a building, Israel's fire and rescue services said. The workers were sheltering in the building's safe room when the impact caused a stairwell to collapse, trapping them inside. Firefighters rushed to extinguish the fire and rescue them, but the three died before rescuers could reach them. No sign of conflict letting up Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, appeared to make a veiled outreach Monday for the U.S. to step in and negotiate an end to hostilities between Israel and Iran. In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that if Trump is "genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential." "It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu," Iran's top diplomat wrote. "That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy." The message to Washington was sent as the latest talks between the U.S. and Iran were canceled over the weekend after Israel targeted key military and political officials in Tehran. On Sunday, Araghchi said that Iran will stop its strikes if Israel does the same. The conflict has also forced most countries in the Middle East to close their airspace. Dozens of airports have stopped all flights or severely reduced operations, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded and others unable to flee the conflict or travel home. Health authorities reported that 1,277 people were wounded in Iran. Iranians also reported fuel rationing. Rights groups such as the Washington-based Iranian advocacy group Human Rights Activists have suggested that the Iranian government's death toll is a significant undercount. The group says it has documented more than 400 people killed, among them 197 civilians. Ahead of Israel's initial attack, its Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran. Since then, Iran has reportedly detained several people and hanged one on suspicion of espionage.
Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
And then there were six: G7 leaders try to salvage their summit after Trump's early exit
By ROB GILLIES and JILL LAWLESS Six of the Group of Seven leaders are trying on the final day of their Tuesday to show the wealthy nations' club still has the clout to shape world events despite the early departure of President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Mark Carney and his counterparts from the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Japan will be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO chief Mark Rutte to discuss Russia's relentless war on its neighbor. World leaders had gathered in Canada with the specific goal of helping to defuse a series of pressure points, only to be disrupted by a showdown over Iran's nuclear program that could escalate in dangerous and uncontrollable ways. Israel launched an aerial bombardment campaign against Iran on Friday, and Iran has hit back with missiles and drones. Trump left the summit in the Canadian Rocky Mountain resort of Kananaskis a day early late Monday, saying: 'I have to be back, very important.' It came as conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies and the U.S. leader declared that Tehran should be evacuated 'immediately' — while also expressing optimism about a deal to stop the violence. Before leaving, Trump joined the other leaders in issuing a statement saying Iran 'can never have a nuclear weapon' and calling for a 'de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.' Getting unanimity — even on a short and broadly worded statement — was a modest measure of success for the group. At the summit, Trump warned that Tehran needs to curb its nuclear program before it's 'too late.' He said Iranian leaders would 'like to talk' but they had already had 60 days to reach an agreement on their nuclear ambitions and failed to do so before the Israeli aerial assault began. 'They have to make a deal,' he said. Asked what it would take for the U.S. to get involved in the conflict militarily, Trump said Monday morning, 'I don't want to talk about that.' But by Monday afternoon, Trump warned ominously on social media, 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' Shortly after that, Trump decided to leave the summit and skip a series of Tuesday meetings that would address the war in Ukraine and trade issues. The sudden departure only heightened the drama of a world that seems on verge of several firestorms. Trump already has imposed severe tariffs on multiple nations that risk a global economic slowdown. There has been little progress on settling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Trump's stance on Ukraine puts him fundamentally at odds with the other G7 leaders, who back Ukraine and are clear that Russia is the aggressor in the war. The U.S. president on Monday suggested there would have been no war if G7 members hadn't expelled Putin from the organization in 2014 for annexing Crimea. Trump on Monday demurred when asked if he supported Russia, saying 'I only care about saving lives.' With talks on ending the war at an impasse, Starmer said Britain and other G7 members were slapping new tariffs on Russia in a bid to get it to the ceasefire negotiating table. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to attend the summit Tuesday at Carney's invitation, along with other leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NATO chief Mark Rutte. Trump declined to join in the sanctions on Russia, saying he would wait until Europe did so first. 'When I sanction a country that costs the U.S. a lot of money, a tremendous amount of money,' he said. Trump had been scheduled before his departure to meet with Zelenskyy and with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. On the Middle East, Merz told reporters that Germany was planning to draw up a final communique proposal on the Israel-Iran conflict that will stress that 'Iran must under no circumstances be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons-capable material.' Trump also seemed to put a greater priority on addressing his grievances with other nations' trade policies than on collaboration with G7 allies. The U.S. president has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as 25% tariffs on autos. Trump is also charging a 10% tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period set by him would expire. He announced with Starmer that they had signed a trade framework Monday that was previously announced in May, with Trump saying that British trade was 'very well protected' because 'I like them, that's why. That's their ultimate protection.' Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Banff, Alberta, and Josh Boak in Calgary, Alberta, contributed to this story. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
