Trump warns Iran: Make a deal or face 'more brutal' Israeli attacks
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump urged Iran Friday to make a deal or face "even more brutal" attacks by Israel, as Washington said it was helping its key ally defend itself against Iranian retaliation.
But Trump also kept the door open for negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program, as the president who boasted he had "no wars" in his first term tries to avoid getting dragged into one in his second.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Friday, a White House official told AFP. He said earlier that Israel had let him know in advance about its strikes on Iran's military top brass and nuclear facilities.
After Iran launched barrages of ballistic missiles on Friday, the United States was "assisting in shooting down missiles targeting Israel," two US officials told AFP, without giving detail on the extent of Washington's role.
The US president also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who both stressed the need for dialogue. He also reportedly spoke to Saudi and Qatari leaders.
Trump attended a National Security Council meeting in the White House Situation Room as his team worked on the crisis. An aide posted a black and white picture of a grim-faced, purse-lipped Trump striding through the West Wing.
But the flurry of meetings and diplomatic calls came as Trump trod a tightrope between backing Israel and seeking the nuclear deal he promised he could reach with Iran.
Israel struck Iran just hours after Trump publicly urged Netanyahu to hold off on an attack, with the first missiles landing as the US president hosted a picnic for lawmakers on the White House South Lawn.
"There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end," Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Friday.
"Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left... JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," he said.
Trump said that he "gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal."
But in a series of calls with US media later, he wavered between backing Israel's "excellent" strikes and calling for a return to the negotiating table.
"I think it's been excellent," ABC News quoted him as saying about Israel's offensive. "And there's more to come. A lot more."
Then shortly afterwards he stressed the possibility of a second chance, in an interview with NBC: "They missed the opportunity to make a deal. Now, they may have another opportunity. We'll see."
Trump also gave mixed signals about the extent of US involvement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said Thursday that the United States was "not involved" in the strikes and warned Iran not to retaliate against any US forces in the region.
Trump, however, said on Truth Social on Friday that Israel had acted because a 60-day deadline that he had set for Iran had run out, implying that the two acted in concert.
He also boasted about the "finest" US equipment that Israel had used – a day before a huge parade in Washington, on Trump's 79th birthday, featuring US aircraft and tanks.
Trump earlier told Fox News he had been aware of the Israeli strikes before they happened, and stressed that Tehran "cannot have a nuclear bomb."
During Trump's first term, he pulled the United States out of a landmark agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
The United States and Iran have had several rounds of talks since Trump returned to the White House, but after initially striking an optimistic tone, the discussions have foundered in recent days.--AFP
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The Star
33 minutes ago
- The Star
Israel warns 'Tehran will burn' as Iran fires drones and missiles in response to Israeli strikes
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Israel's defence minister warned Saturday that "Tehran will burn' if Iran continues firing missiles, as the two countries traded blows a day after Israel launched a blistering surprise attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing a number of top generals. Israel's military said the strikes had also killed nine senior scientists and experts involved in Iran's nuclear program. Iran's UNb ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in the attacks. Iran retaliated by launching waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel, where explosions lit the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook buildings. The Israeli military urged civilians, already rattled by 20 months of war in Gaza sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, to head to shelter for hours. Health officials said three people were killed and dozens wounded. Speaking after an assessment meeting with the army's chief of staff, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens. "If (Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front - Tehran will burn,' Katz said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that his objective was to eliminate any Iranian threat to Israel, but he also urged Iranians to rise up against their leaders. Israel would welcome the government's overthrow even if it is not actively seeking it. Israel's strikes also put further talks between the United States and Iran over a nuclear accord into doubt before they were set to meet Sunday in Oman. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei called further nuclear talks with the United States "meaningless' after Israeli strikes on his country, state television said. However, he stopped short of saying the talks were canceled. The Mizan news agency, which is run by Iran's judiciary, quoted him as saying: "It is still not clear what we decide about Sunday's talks.' Khamenei said in a recorded message Friday: "We will not allow them to escape safely from this great crime they committed.' Iran launched waves of missiles at Israel late Friday and early Saturday, and Iranians awoke to state television airing repeated clips of strikes on Israel, as well as videos of people cheering and handing out sweets. The Iranian attacks killed at least three people and wounded around 70, mostly in and around Tel Aviv, according to two local hospitals. One missile severely damaged at least four homes in the nearby city of Rishon Lezion, according to first responders. The Israeli military said seven soldiers were lightly wounded when a missile hit central Israel, without specifying where the impact occurred. It was the first report of Israeli military casualties since the initial Israeli strikes. U.S. ground-based air defense systems in the region were helping to shoot down Iranian missiles, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the measures. In Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, an Associated Press journalist saw burned-out cars and at least three damaged houses, including one where the front was nearly entirely torn away. Residents of a central Israeli city that was hit Friday night told the AP the explosion was so powerful it shook their shelter door open. "We thought, that's it, the house is gone, and in fact half of the house was gone, it fell apart,' said Moshe Shani. Israeli police said debris from the interception of drones and missiles fell in dozens of locations in northern Israel, causing damage and fires but no injuries. Israel's main international airport said Saturday it will remain closed until further notice. Iranian state television reported online that air defenses were firing in the cities of Khorramabad, Kermanshah and Tabriz, signaling the start of what could be a new Israeli attack. Footage from Tabriz showed black smoke rising from the city. An Israeli military official said Saturday that the military was poised to carry out more strikes in Iran, saying, "This is not over.' He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with official procedures. Overnight, the sound of explosions and Iranian air defense systems firing at targets echoed across central Tehran. Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported a fire at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport. The Israeli military said it carried out overnight strikes on dozens of targets, including air defenses, "in the area of Tehran.' Israel's ongoing airstrikes and Iran's retaliation raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval. Israel's 20-month-long war with Gaza shows no signs of ending. At least 27 people were killed by Israeli fire in Gaza overnight, according to local hospitals. Countries in the region condemned Israel's attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate deescalation from both sides. Among the key sites Israel attacked was Iran'smain nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. Israel said it also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan, and said it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Iran confirmed the strike at Isfahan. The Israeli military official said that according to the army's initial assessment "it will take much more than a few weeks' for Iran to repair the damage to the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. The official said the army had "concrete intelligence that production in Isfahan was for military purposes.' Israel denied it had struck the nuclear enrichment facility in Fordo, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Tehran, after an Iranian news outlet close to the government reported the sound of explosions near the site. UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to have been hit, but the loss of power could have damaged the infrastructure there, he said. Netanyahu said the attack had been months in the making and was planned for April before being postponed. Among those killed were three of Iran's top military leaders: one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri; one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami; and the head of the Guard's ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Two of Bagheri's deputies were also killed, Iran confirmed Saturday: Gen. Gholamreza Mehrabi, the deputy of intelligence for the armed forces' general staff, and Gen. Mehdi Rabbani, the deputy of operations. On Saturday, Khamenei named a new leader for the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division. Gen. Majid Mousavi will replace Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed in Friday's airstrike. The Guard's aerospace division oversees Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles. Trump urged Iran on Friday to reach a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program, warning on his Truth Social platform that Israel's attacks "will only get worse.' "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left,' he wrote. -- AP (Lidman and Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran contributed to this report.)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Israel-Iran conflict: What we know
JERUSALEM (AFP): Israel targeted Iran's air defence capabilities on Saturday, pressing on with a wave of massive attacks it began a day earlier that targeted Iranian nuclear and military facilities, prompting counterattacks by Iran. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that "Tehran will burn" if Iran fires more missiles at Israel. In a televised address Friday night, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to bring Israel "to ruin". International calls for restraint are multiplying, as fears grow the Middle East could be on the threshold of a broader conflict. Here is what we know: Targeting air defences On Saturday, Israel's military said it was striking dozens of missile launchers in Iran after announcing it had targeted air defences with a wave of strikes in the Tehran area. The Israeli air force "continues striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran", the military said in a statement. It said that overnight the air force "struck dozens of targets, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of the effort to damage the Iranian regime's aerial defence capabilities in the area of Tehran". Iran's response Israel said dozens of missiles – some intercepted – had been fired in the latest salvos from Iran, with AFP images of the city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv showing blown-out buildings, destroyed vehicles and streets strewn with debris. Israeli rescuers said two people were killed and 19 wounded on Saturday by rocket fire on a residential area in the coastal plain. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked dozens of targets in Israel. Nuclear talks? The fiercest exchange of fire between arch foes Iran and Israel came amid ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington seeking to reach a deal on Iran's nuclear programme. Before the Israeli strikes, they were set to hold a sixth round of negotiations in Oman on Sunday, but Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said: "It is still unclear what decision we will make for Sunday." Tehran has consistently denied seeking to develop a nuclear weapon but had been enriching uranium to 60% -- far above the 3.67-percent limit set by a largely obsolete 2015 agreement with major powers. However, Iran's 60-percent enrichment level is still short of the 90% threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. More Iranian generals killed Iranian state media reported on Saturday that General Gholamreza Mehrabi, deputy head of intelligence of the armed forces general staff, and General Mehdi Rabbani, deputy head of operations, "were martyred". On Friday, top brass killed included the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, and armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, with replacements swiftly named by supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The Revolutionary Guards said its aerospace commander Amirali Hajizadeh was also killed. He was in charge of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal. Iranian media said on Saturday that three more nuclear scientists were killed, bringing the total to nine – a toll that Israel also reported. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said 78 people had been killed and 320 wounded in the first wave of strikes by Israel. Nuclear sites hit Israel's attacks started in the early hours of Friday, a day of rest and prayer in Iran, and continued through the day, at various sites. A key target was a vast underground uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, which Israel hit several times, according to Iranian state television. Israel said another strike later Friday on Iran's uranium conversion plant in Isfahan damaged infrastructure for reconverting enriched uranium. But Iran said the damage was limited, both in Isfahan and at another uranium enrichment facility at Fordo. – AFP
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Israel warns 'Tehran will burn' after wave of missile fire
TEHRAN: Israel's defence minister warned Saturday that "Tehran will burn" and its residents pay dearly if Iran continues its missile strikes against Israeli civilians. "The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and bringing about a reality in which they -- especially the residents of Tehran -- will pay a heavy price because of the criminal harm to Israeli civilians," said Israel Katz. "If (Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles toward the Israeli home front -- Tehran will burn," the minister added. The threat came as Israel and Iran exchanged fire a day after Israel unleashed strikes that Iran said hit its nuclear facilities, "martyred" top commanders and killed dozens of civilians. Iran has hit back with waves of drone and missile strikes, with a barrage of dozens lighting up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv overnight, killing three people and wounding dozens. Following decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time that Israel and Iran have traded fire with such intensity, with fears of a prolonged conflict engulfing the region. Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran early Friday, only days before Iran and the United States had been due to hold a sixth round of talks on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme. The operation -- dubbed "Rising Lion" -- has since killed Iran's highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, among other senior generals. On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had Tehran in its sights after strikes on dozens of missile launchers and air defences in the area around the Iranian capital. "The way to Iran has been paved," the military's chief of staff and air force chief were quoted as saying in a statement. The military "is proceeding according to its operational plans, and (Israeli air force) fighters jets are set to resume striking targets in Tehran," it added. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said 78 people had been killed and 320 wounded in Israel's first wave of strikes on Friday. Iran called on its citizens to unite in defence of the country as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged them to rise up against their government. Air raid sirens and explosions rang out across Israel through the night, with many residents holed up in bomb shelters until home defence commanders stood down alerts. Israel said dozens of missiles -- some intercepted -- had been fired in the latest salvos from Iran, with AFP images of the city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv showing blown-out buildings, destroyed vehicles and streets strewn with debris. Israeli rescuers said two people were killed and 19 wounded on Saturday by rocket fire on a residential area in the coastal plain. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked dozens of targets in Israel. Israeli firefighters had worked for hours to free people trapped in a high-rise building in Tel Aviv on Friday. Chen Gabizon, a resident, said he ran to an underground shelter after receiving an alert. "After a few minutes, we just heard a very big explosion, everything was shaking, smoke, dust, everything was all over the place," he said. Rescuers said 34 people were wounded in the Gush Dan area, including a woman who later died of her injuries, according to Israeli media reports. Speaking to CNN, Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said Iran had fired three salvos of ballistic missiles on Friday, some 150 in total. "We expect that the Iranians, who have a considerable volume of ballistic missiles, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 2,000, will continue to fire them," Leiter said. In Tehran, fire and heavy smoke billowed over Mehrabad airport on Saturday, an AFP journalist said, as Iranian media reported an explosion. Blasts were heard across the capital as Iran activated its air defences against the incoming fire. Dozens of Iranians took to the streets to cheer their country's military response, with some waving national flags and chanting anti-Israel slogans. The attacks prompted several countries in the region to temporarily ground air traffic, though on Saturday morning, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria reopened their airspace. Iran's airspace was closed until further notice, state media reported. As fears mounted of wider conflict, UN chief Antonio Guterres called on both sides to cease fire. "Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail," he said on X late Friday. Pope Leo XIV appealed for Israel and Iran to show "responsibility and reason". Asked how long the war would last, Israel's ambassador to Paris, Joshua Zarka, said: "A small number of weeks". Prime Minister Netanyahu had said on Friday the strikes would "continue as many days as it takes". The conflict has thrown into doubt Sunday's planned Iran-US nuclear talks in the Gulf sultanate of Oman. After Friday's first strikes, US President Donald Trump urged Iran to "make a deal", adding the United States was "hoping to get back to the negotiating table". Western governments have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, an allegation it denies. Iran said on Saturday its participation in the Oman talks remained "unclear". "It is still unclear what decision we will make for Sunday," state media reported, citing foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.
