
Trump loves quick wins. He'll struggle to get one in Iran
AFTER THE elation, the doubt. President Donald Trump said that 'Operation Midnight Hammer', had 'totally obliterated' Iran's uranium-enrichment facilities. But now an early intelligence assessment leaked on June 24th suggests the nuclear programme has only been set back by months and that some enriched uranium may have been spirited away. The report is an early 'low-confidence' assessment that both the Trump administration and Israeli sources eschew. But it illuminates a bigger problem. Mr Trump wants a quick-fix to the Iran nightmare with a single, clarifying mega-strike, a ceasefire and then prosperity. Instead America faces years of uncertainty over Iran's capabilities and intentions. As a result Mr Trump's assumption—that he can have a one-day Middle East military triumph and then quickly secure a lasting deal—may be badly misplaced.

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Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Starmer's pointless globetrotting proves how irrelevant he is
Sir Keir Starmer clearly finds burnishing his credentials as a statesman on the world stage far more to his liking than dealing with pesky domestic concerns, such as cutting disability benefits and the winter fuel allowance. British prime ministers usually seek solace in endless overseas jamborees once they have first served a lengthy apprenticeship in Downing Street. Tony Blair was well into his third term before taking refuge in foreign junkets as his domestic popularity waned. By contrast, Starmer, who now has the unenviable honour of the lowest net favourability rating on record, has developed the taste for travelling abroad remarkably early in his premiership. Rather than investing effort in rallying support for policies, 'Never-Here Keir' prefers to spend his time hobnobbing with other world leaders. Last week our Prime Minister was missing in action, attending the increasingly irrelevant meeting of G7 leaders in Canada. It was memorable solely for Donald Trump's sensible decision to head for the exit early to attend to the deepening Iran-Israel conflict. Starmer was in The Hague attending the annual get-together of Nato leaders, where he desperately sought to persuade an increasingly sceptical Trump administration that his Government really was committed to spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2035. By that date, Starmer's undistinguished term in office will be a distant memory. And the defence of the realm will not have been improved a jot by the investment in rural broadband and national roadworks that Starmer now claims is a vital part of his plan to increase overall defence spending. A more detailed examination of the Government's defence plans – one that our allies in the Pentagon will be studying closely – is that there will be no new money to increase the number of troops available to fight the wars of the future. Starmer's boast at the Nato summit that the UK would meet the alliance's new spending target of 5 per cent of GDP 'to deepen our commitment to Nato' is nothing more than an elaborate Treasury 'smoke and mirrors' exercise. Even the highly publicised decision to buy 12 F-35A stealth fighters, which can carry tactical nuclear weapons, has been taken at the expense of buying more of the F-35B variant used by the Royal Navy's two 65,000-ton aircraft carriers, thereby severely diminishing their war-fighting capabilities. Nor does Starmer's endless globetrotting appear to have had any noticeable bearing on his ability to influence key events, as was evident during the Trump administration's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. While Starmer has an unerring habit of making sure he is photographed next to Trump whenever there is a summit photo op, his ability to bring any influence to bear on the Trump administration's decision-making process is negligible. The first Starmer knew that Trump had given the go-ahead for the bombing raid was when he received a telephone call from the US leader at Chequers, after the B-2 stealth bombers were already in the air. It was merely a courtesy call from Trump, not a consultation with a key ally. The fact that Starmer was completely blindsided by Trump's decision to attack Iran is hardly surprising given that David Lammy, his hapless Foreign Secretary, had returned from meeting Trump administration officials earlier that week insisting there was still a 'window of opportunity' to de-escalate the conflict. The bitter truth is that, for all Starmer attempts to ingratiate himself with world leaders, no one is taking him seriously as a statesman. And this is no wonder given his default response when faced with an international crisis is to indulge in legalistic sophistry and equivocation. Starmer's inability to formulate a clear and coherent response when faced with a global crisis was clearly evident from his handling of the Gaza conflict, when he supported Israel's right to defend itself while at the same time backing the imposition of punitive measures against key members of the Israeli government. The prime minister's leadership failings were again in evidence in the aftermath of the US raid on Iran's infrastructure. While insisting that the UK remained opposed to the ayatollahs acquiring nuclear weapons, Starmer could not bring himself to issue a public declaration of support for Trump's decisive action, which has destroyed any hope the Iranians may have entertained of developing nuclear warheads in the near future. The result is that, for all Starmer's grandstanding at global summits, no one is going to take a politician seriously who is quite content to deceive the outside world about the UK's defence commitments, while at the same time being temperamentally incapable of making his mind up on international issues. Starmer may like to project the image of a global statesman, but the brutal truth is that few world leaders, least of all in Washington, have much interest in hearing the views – or lack of them – of Starmer and his Government.


Metro
35 minutes ago
- Metro
Donald Trump's second UK state visit to take place in September
King Charles is expected to welcome Donald Trump for his state visit in September, as the pair's busy schedules have prevented them meeting earlier this summer. The King had suggested in the invitation handed to the President by Sir Keir Starmer in the Oval Office that Trump could meet him at either Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland prior to the full state visit. While the King is due to be in Balmoral and Trump in Scotland to visit his new golf course in Aberdeenshire in the coming months, their conflicting diaries mean they are unable to meet over the summer. No 10 has started planning for the state visit this autumn, despite some concerns from Buckingham Palace over Trump's expressed desire for Canada to become the 51st state. Canada's PM, Mark Carney, said his nation was 'not impressed' that Trump was being afforded the lavish pomp and ceremony of a state visit. During his visit to Canada for last week's G7 summit, Sir Keir reaffirmed the country to be 'an independent, sovereign nation, and quite right too'. The King also his own coded reference to sovereignty during his state opening of the Canadian parliament, quoting the nation's national anthem: 'The True North is indeed strong and free.' Preparations have now begun for the President's unprecedented second state visit, during which Trump will meet the King, who is also Canada's head of state, at Windsor. Last week, Trump received the formal invitation to the occasion, the manu regia, hand delivered to the White House by representatives of the British embassy in Washington. While the exact date is unknown, it is believed the grand occasion will go ahead some time in September. Downing Street denied going against the wishes of the King in accelerating planning for the state visit. A spokesperson for No 10 said: 'That's untrue. During his visit to the White House in February the Prime Minister was delighted to extend His Majesty the King's invite for a historic second state visit to the president and first lady and the president was pleased to accept. 'Of course the Prime Minister looks forward to welcoming President Trump.' The President first state visit was a three-day affair in London hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. Trump has said publicly he would be travelling to the UK in September for what he called a 'fest'. A source close to the King told the Times there was no disagreement between the royal household and the Government over the occasion. They added that all state visits took place on the advice of the Government. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Trump can't bomb his way to democracy – it never works MORE: Britain to buy 12 nuclear-carrying F-35A warplanes worth £700,000,000 MORE: 'Sometimes daddy has to use strong words': Trump praised for ending Israel's war with Iran


The Independent
39 minutes ago
- The Independent
Julie Chrisley was ‘busting out crying' when she learned Trump had pardoned her: ‘God touched President Trump's heart'
Julie Chrisley recalled 'busting out crying' after learning she and her husband, Todd, would be receiving pardons from President Donald Trump. In a segment from Fox News' My View with Lara Trump, the Chrisley Knows Best stars shared their reactions to learning they wouldn't have to complete their 2022 sentences for tax evasion and bank fraud. The full episode is set to air this Saturday (June 28). 'I called Savannah one more time, and she said, 'He did it, he signed it,'' she said, referring to their 27-year-old daughter. 'And I just started busting out crying. And everyone was looking around, and then I just hung up. I was so nervous, I just hung up.' The reality stars and their children, Savannah and Grayson, gave their first interview post-pardoning with Lara Trump, who is also President Trump's daughter-in-law. Todd said a fellow inmate was who told him the news, which he initially didn't believe until a corrections officer confirmed what he heard. "He came by, and he goes, 'Are you good?' And I said, 'As good as I can be.' And he said, 'Todd, you just got pardoned. They sent me down here to make sure you're OK.' And I said, 'Well, they don't need to be worrying about me now. Hell, if I'm pardoned, I'm great,'" Todd said. 'We owe thanks to God. And I say - and God touched President Trump's heart God led the people to advocate for us,' he added. 'And so, I'm grateful because every night I would pray that God would return me home to my wife and my children. And he did that, so I'm grateful.' Todd and Julie Chrisley, both longtime Trump supporters, were found guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans in 2022. Prosecutors said the couple walked away from their responsibility for repayment when Todd Chrisley declared bankruptcy. They also were found guilty of tax evasion and conspiring to defraud the IRS, and Julie Chrisley was convicted of wire fraud and obstruction of justice. Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, while her husband got 12 years behind bars. Both of their sentences were later reduced. The couple maintained their innocence during a press conference in May that was held shortly after their release. They will make their reality TV return with a new series on Lifetime, which will showcase the trial and its impacts on their family. 'We're going to set the record straight, and now we move forward with our lives,' their daughter, Savannah, said. The full interview is set to air at 9 p.m. Saturday, June 28, on My View with Lara Trump.