Japan seeks to defuse Middle East tensions
Japanese government officials say they will continue diplomatic efforts to defuse heightened tensions in the Middle East, following US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. They are also studying how to respond to a possible surge in energy prices.
Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru was set to leave for the Netherlands on Tuesday to attend a NATO leaders' summit, but he canceled the trip as the situation in the Middle East escalated.
Ishiba told reporters on Monday that it is difficult to conduct a legal assessment of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, given various disputes in international law.
Ishiba said he regards the move by the US as demonstrating its determination to de-escalate the situation, while preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The Japanese government plans to work with other countries toward the de-escalation of the situation, and take measures to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in the region.
Asked about the possibility of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, officials said such a scenario could deal a serious blow to Japan, which depends heavily on the region for its oil supply.
The government will put precautionary measures in place on Thursday to counter possible spikes in gasoline prices.
A senior official of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party warned that the prices of oil and other resources could rise. He said his party will discuss responses.
The head of an opposition party called for the provisional gasoline tax rate to be abolished. Experts expect the country's energy measures to be a key issue in the upcoming Upper House election amid escalation in the Middle East.
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Trump announces Israel-Iran agreement on ceasefire
US President Donald Trump has announced Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire. Trump said on social media on Monday, "It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE." Israel and Iran have not made any official announcements.
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an hour ago
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Trump announces Israel-Iran ceasefire after missiles fired at U.S. base in Qatar
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that a "complete and total" ceasefire between Israel and Iran will go into force with a view to ending the conflict between the two nations. Trump appeared to suggest that Israel and Iran would have some time to complete any missions that are underway, at which point the ceasefire would begin in a staged process. "On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, 'THE 12 DAY WAR,'" he wrote on his Truth Social site. Trump declared a ceasefire minutes after each side threatened new attacks. CNN reported shortly before Trump's post that Iran had not received any ceasefire proposal and saw no reason for one, citing a senior Iranian official. Earlier on Monday, Trump said he would encourage Israel to proceed toward peace after dismissing Iran's attack on an American air base that caused no injuries and thanking Tehran for the early notice of the strikes. There was no immediate comment from Israel on Trump's statement. Hours earlier, three Israeli officials had signaled Israel was looking to wrap up its campaign in Iran soon and had passed the message on to the United States. The U.S. attack on Al Udeid Air Base in neighboring Qatar threatened to widen a conflict that began on June 13 with an Israeli strike on Iran targeting its nuclear program and ballistic missiles. Iran had threatened to retaliate against the United States after U.S. bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities over the weekend, joining Israel's air war against Iran, and Trump had raised the possibility of the Iranian government being toppled. "We did not assault anyone, and we will never accept being assaulted by anyone," Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement. "We will not submit to anyone's aggression — this is the logic of the Iranian nation." Iran gave advance notice to the U.S. via diplomatic channels hours ahead of the attack, as well as to Qatari authorities. Trump seized on that as a positive sign. "I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured," Trump wrote on his Truth Social media site. "Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same." He said Iran fired 14 missiles at the air base, calling it "a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered." "I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed and hardly any damage was done," Trump wrote. "Most importantly, they've gotten it all out of their 'system,' and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE." Iran's handling of the attack recalled earlier clashes with the United States and Israel, with Tehran seeking a balance between saving face with a military response but without provoking a cycle of escalation it can't afford. The country's foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said Iran was ready to respond again in case of further action by the United States, according to a statement posted by the ministry's account on Telegram. The attack strained Iran's relationship with its Arab neighbors: Qatar condemned it, as did Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. "There are deep ties between the two states (Iran and Qatar) and the two nations, but the attack undoubtedly calls for a genuine meeting and a clear stance," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said at a news conference. The remnants of an intercepted Iranian missile lie on the pavement near the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base after a strike following American attacks on Iran nuclear sites. | AFP-JIJI Israel said it carried out its most extensive wave of attacks on Tehran ever on Monday. Targets included a Tehran prison where Iran's leadership holds political opponents, in a renewed demonstration of its willingness to strike beyond its previously stated military and nuclear targets and attack key pillars of Iran's ruling system. Despite Iran's threats to challenge oil shipments from the Gulf, oil prices fell 7% in volatile trading, suggesting traders doubted the Islamic Republic would follow through on any action that would disrupt global supplies. Qatar, situated just across the Gulf from Iran, reopened its airspace after a brief suspension, its civil aviation authority said early Tuesday. Iran's foreign minister met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as Tehran sought backing from one of its last major power friends for its next steps. Israel made clear that its strikes on Evin prison and other targets in Tehran were intended to hit the Iranian ruling apparatus broadly, and its ability to sustain power. Iran's IRIB state broadcaster released video showing rescue workers combing the flattened wreckage of a building at the prison, carrying a wounded man on a stretcher. The Mizan news outlet of Iran's judiciary said urgent action was being taken to protect the health and safety of inmates there. Evin has long been Iran's primary prison for political detainees and people accused of espionage, as well as the site of executions that remain strong memories for the opposition. Several high-profile foreign prisoners are also held there. Israel's military said it had also struck Revolutionary Guard command centers responsible for internal security in the Tehran area. The military was "currently striking, with unprecedented force, regime targets and governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran," Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. Much of Tehran's population of 10 million has fled after 10 days of bombing. Tasnim News Agency reported a strike at an electricity feeder station in the Evin neighborhood. Power company Tavanir reported some areas in the capital experienced electricity cuts. Since the U.S. joined Israel's campaign by dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear production sites on Sunday morning, Iran has repeatedly threatened to retaliate. "Mr. Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it," Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, said Monday in a recorded, English-language video statement. The Trump administration maintains that its aim is solely to destroy Iran's nuclear program, not to open a wider war. But in a social media post on Sunday, Trump had spoken of toppling the hard-line clerical rulers who have been Washington's principal foes in the Middle East since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Five insiders with knowledge of the discussions said efforts had been ramped up to anoint a successor for Khamenei, Iran's 86-year-old supreme leader. His son Mojtaba, 56, and Hassan Khomeini, 53, grandson of the revolution's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, are now seen as the front-runners, they said.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
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Trump calls for peace after Iran fires missiles at U.S. base in Qatar
Iran launched a missile attack on an American air base in Qatar on Monday that caused no injuries, and President Donald Trump dismissed it as a "weak response" to U.S. attacks while urging Iran and Israel to make peace as the conflict entered its 12th day. The attack on Al Udeid Air Base in neighboring Qatar threatened to widen a conflict that began on June 13 with an Israeli strike on Iran targeting its nuclear program and ballistic missiles. Iran had threatened to retaliate against the United States after U.S. bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities over the weekend, joining Israel's air war against Iran, and Trump had raised the possibility of the Iranian government being toppled. "We did not assault anyone, and we will never accept being assaulted by anyone," Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement. "We will not submit to anyone's aggression — this is the logic of the Iranian nation." Iran gave advance notice to the U.S. via diplomatic channels hours ahead of the attack, as well as to Qatari authorities. Trump seized on that as a positive sign. "I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured," Trump wrote on his Truth Social media site. "Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same." He said Iran fired 14 missiles at the air base, calling it "a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered." "I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed and hardly any damage was done," Trump wrote. "Most importantly, they've gotten it all out of their 'system,' and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE." Iran's handling of the attack recalled earlier clashes with the United States and Israel, with Tehran seeking a balance between saving face with a military response but without provoking a cycle of escalation it can't afford. The country's foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said Iran was ready to respond again in case of further action by the United States, according to a statement posted by the ministry's account on Telegram. The attack strained Iran's relationship with its Arab neighbors: Qatar condemned it, as did Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. "There are deep ties between the two states (Iran and Qatar) and the two nations, but the attack undoubtedly calls for a genuine meeting and a clear stance," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said at a news conference. The remnants of an intercepted Iranian missile lie on the pavement near the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base after a strike following American attacks on Iran nuclear sites. | AFP-JIJI Israel said it carried out its most extensive wave of attacks on Tehran ever on Monday. Targets included a Tehran prison where Iran's leadership holds political opponents, in a renewed demonstration of its willingness to strike beyond its previously stated military and nuclear targets and attack key pillars of Iran's ruling system. Despite Iran's threats to challenge oil shipments from the Gulf, oil prices fell 7% in volatile trading, suggesting traders doubted the Islamic Republic would follow through on any action that would disrupt global supplies. Qatar, situated just across the Gulf from Iran, reopened its airspace after a brief suspension, its civil aviation authority said early Tuesday. Iran's foreign minister met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as Tehran sought backing from one of its last major power friends for its next steps. Israel made clear that its strikes on Evin prison and other targets in Tehran were intended to hit the Iranian ruling apparatus broadly, and its ability to sustain power. Iran's IRIB state broadcaster released video showing rescue workers combing the flattened wreckage of a building at the prison, carrying a wounded man on a stretcher. The Mizan news outlet of Iran's judiciary said urgent action was being taken to protect the health and safety of inmates there. Evin has long been Iran's primary prison for political detainees and people accused of espionage, as well as the site of executions that remain strong memories for the opposition. Several high-profile foreign prisoners are also held there. Israel's military said it had also struck Revolutionary Guard command centers responsible for internal security in the Tehran area. The military was "currently striking, with unprecedented force, regime targets and governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran," Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. Much of Tehran's population of 10 million has fled after 10 days of bombing. Tasnim News Agency reported a strike at an electricity feeder station in the Evin neighborhood. Power company Tavanir reported some areas in the capital experienced electricity cuts. Since the U.S. joined Israel's campaign by dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear production sites on Sunday morning, Iran has repeatedly threatened to retaliate. "Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it," Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, said Monday in a recorded, English-language video statement. The Trump administration maintains that its aim is solely to destroy Iran's nuclear program, not to open a wider war. But in a social media post on Sunday, Trump spoke of toppling the hard-line clerical rulers who have been Washington's principal foes in the Middle East since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Five insiders with knowledge of the discussions said efforts had been ramped up to anoint a successor for Khamenei, Iran's 86-year-old supreme leader. His son Mojtaba, 56, and Hassan Khomeini, 53, grandson of the revolution's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, are now seen as the front-runners, they said. Americans are anxious over a brewing conflict between the U.S. and Iran and worry the violence could escalate after President Donald Trump ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Monday.
