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Reuters
42 minutes ago
- Reuters
Senate Republicans cannot force US Postal Service to scrap EVs, parliamentarian says
WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - Senate Republicans cannot force the U.S. Postal Service to scrap thousands of electric vehicles and charging equipment in a massive tax and budget bill, the Senate parliamentarian said late on Sunday. The U.S. Postal Service currently has 7,200 electric vehicles, made up of Ford e-Transit (F.N), opens new tab vehicles and specially built Next Generation Delivery Vehicles built by Oshkosh Defense (OSK.N), opens new tab. USPS warned on June 13 that scrapping the electric vehicles would cost it $1.5 billion, including $1 billion to replace its current fleet of EVs and $500 million in EV infrastructure rendered useless.
The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
US-Iran latest: Trump threatens regime change to ‘make Iran great again' as Tehran mulls retaliation
President Donald Trump has claimed he took a nuclear bomb 'right out of Iran 's hands' after launching airstrikes on Tehran 's nuclear facilities. Seven US stealth bombers dropped 14 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs on Iran 's nuclear facilities early on Sunday morning in an operation called 'Midnight Hammer'. Mr Trump in a post on Truth called for a regime change in Iran, saying: "It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' Tehran said the attack would have ' everlasting consequences ' and vowed to keep 'all options' open to defend Iran. Iran said nuclear enrichment, which it claims is being developed for peaceful purposes, was not damaged in the attack. Israel launched missile attacks at Iran on 13 June, after accusing Tehran of being just days away from developing a nuclear weapon. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth described the bombing of the Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan sites as an 'incredible and overwhelming success', adding that they 'devastated the Iranian nuclear programme'. He also warned that any Iranian retaliation will be met with a force 'far greater' than the latest strikes. North Korea condemns US strike on Iran North Korea this morning said it strongly condemns the US strike against Iran as a grave violation of a sovereign state's security interests and territorial rights, the North's state media reported. The US and Israel are the culprits of the current tensions in the Middle East, born out of Jerusalem's "ceaseless war moves and territorial expansion" accepted and encouraged by the West, North Korea's foreign ministry said." (We) strongly denounce the attack on Iran by the US, which ... violently trampled down the territorial integrity and security interests of a sovereign state." "The just international community should raise the voice of unanimous censure and rejection against the US and Israel's confrontational acts," the foreign ministry statement said. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 June 2025 04:37 Japan calls for de-escalation of Iran conflict Japan has today called for de-escalation of the conflict in Iran and said US strikes demonstrated Washington's determination to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Japan also said it was "extremely regrettable" that the situation between Israel and Iran had escalated into a cycle of retaliation, according to foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya." Japan continues to strongly hope that the path to dialogue will be reopened by efforts toward a resolution of Iran's nuclear issue through talks between the US and Iran," Mr Iwaya said in a statement. President Donald Trump said the US had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 June 2025 04:37 In pic: Satellite image show damage at Fordo after US strikes Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 June 2025 04:18 UN nuclear body says Iran's main uranium enrichment plant at Fordo can't yet be assessed UN nuclear body chief Rafael Grossi said damage at Iran's main uranium enrichment plant at Fordo following a US airstrike can't yet be assessed. Mr Grossi told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by Iran that craters are visible at the Fordo site, indicating the US use of ground penetrating munitions, but the underground damage cannot be assessed yet. At the Isfahan site, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said additional buildings were hit, some related to converting uranium, and "entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit". At the Natanz nuclear enrichment site, Mr Grossi said the fuel enrichment plant has been hit again. "At this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to assess the underground damage at Fordo," Mr Grossi said. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 June 2025 04:15 US boosts emergency Middle East evacuations The US state department has doubled the number of emergency evacuation flights it is providing for American citizens wishing to leave Israel. It also ordered the departure of nonessential staff from the US embassy in Lebanon and is stepping up travel warnings around the Middle East amid concerns Iran will retaliate against US interests in the region. In internal and public notices, the department over the weekend significantly ramped up its cautionary advice to Americans in the Middle East. In a notice yesterday, after American strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities, the department said it had ordered nonessential personnel and the families of staff at the US embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon "due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region". Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 June 2025 04:13 Israel close to meeting goals in Iran, says Netanyahu Israel was very close to meeting its goals in Iran of removing the threats of ballistic missiles and the nuclear programme, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. He said: "We won't pursue our actions beyond what is needed to achieve them, but we also won't finish too soon. When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop." "I have no doubt that this is a regime that wants to wipe us out, and that's why we embarked on this operation to eliminate the two concrete threats to our existence: the nuclear threat, the ballistic missile threat. 'We are moving step by step towards achieving these goals. We are very, very close to completing them.' Alexander Butler23 June 2025 04:00 Australia suports US strike but urges de-escalation and diplomacy Australia has voiced its support for the U.S. strike on Iran, while simultaneously urging for de-escalation and a return to diplomatic efforts. Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed Canberra's stance on Monday, stating in a television interview with Seven Sunrise: 'We support action that the U.S. has taken to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.' Speaking across a series of interviews, Ms Wong characterised the strike as a unilateral action by a key security ally. She emphasised that Australia is joining Britain and other nations in calling for Iran to re-engage in negotiations. Reiterating the urgent need to avoid further conflict, Ms Wong told reporters in Canberra: 'We do not want to see escalation.' Oliver O'Connell23 June 2025 03:30 Trump entertains idea of Iran regime change US president Donald Trump has endorsed a change of Iranian regime, despite his vice president ruling this out earlier on Sunday. Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Mr Trump said: 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change.' But if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!'. It came just hours after US vice president JD Vance said US airstrikes were intended to end Iran's nuclear programme, not regime change. 'We don't want a regime change,' Mr Vance said. 'We do not want to protract this. We want to end the nuclear program, and then we want to talk to the Iranians about a long-term settlement here.' Alexander Butler23 June 2025 03:00 Human rights group reports Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others At least 950 people have been killed and 3,450 wounded in Israeli strikes on Iran, a Washington-based human rights group has reported, presenting a starkly higher death toll than figures released by Tehran. Human Rights Activists, the group providing the figures, stated that among the dead, 380 were identified as civilians and 253 as security force personnel. The casualties cover the entire country of Iran, according to the organisation. The group, which is based in Washington, cross-checks local reports within the Islamic Republic against an established network of sources across the country. Human Rights Activists previously provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, lending weight to its current assessment. Iranian authorities have not regularly provided death tolls during the ongoing conflict and have historically minimised casualties. On Saturday, Iran's Health Ministry stated that approximately 400 Iranians had been killed and another 3,056 wounded in the Israeli strikes, a figure significantly lower than that reported by the human rights group. Oliver O'Connell23 June 2025 02:30 Watch: JD Vance warns Iran from retaliating against US 'Midnight Hammer' strike Alexander Butler23 June 2025 02:00
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Iran told shutting down oil 'choke point' would be 'economic suicide'
The US has warned Iran that closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to American strikes on its nuclear sites would be 'economic suicide' as the UK is warned it could be hit hard Iran has been warned that shutting down a crucial Middle East oil "choke point" following US strikes on its nuclear facilities would be tantamount to "economic suicide", as reported by The Telegraph. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on Iran's allies, including China, to exert pressure on Tehran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, stating that any closure would be a "terrible mistake". "I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil," Mr Rubio said during an interview with Fox News. "If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It's economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries' economies a lot worse than ours," he continued. In retaliation for US strikes, Iranian lawmakers have voted to obstruct vital shipping routes through this key waterway after Donald Trump decided to engage in the conflict between Israel and Iran, reports the Express. However, the vote by the Iranian parliament is not definitive, and state television has emphasised that the ultimate decision lies with Iran's top security officials, Reuters reports. The narrow strait, situated within Iranian territorial waters, is considered the most critical oil transit choke point globally, with approximately one-fifth of all worldwide oil supplies and a third of liquefied natural gas passing through it. Any efforts to disrupt maritime traffic by deploying mines or missiles could trigger a global oil crisis, skyrocket inflation rates and potentially plunge the economy into a downturn. On Sunday, specialists cautioned that such a move to shut the strait might also elicit "a significant military response" from both the United States and its allies. Eurasia Group, a leading consultancy in political risk, advised clients: "The US has amassed a massive military presence in the Gulf and surrounding region, and a move by Iran against the strait would almost certainly trigger a significant military response." Ami Daniel, CEO of maritime data company Windward, noted that even the mere "perception" of an Iranian assault on shipping could reduce maritime traffic to a mere trickle. He further remarked: "People are talking about whether they block the Strait of Hormuz, but how about if they just make it very dangerous to go through?". "Commercial shipping is not the Navy. They don't have to go. So actually, even just increasing the risk to go there will gradually make a big difference versus blocking it completely." As anxieties mount regarding a fresh oil emergency, countless drivers could be hit with soaring fuel costs at the filling stations. The UK, which relies on imports for roughly half its oil supply, stands to be particularly exposed. Following President Trump's ultimatum giving Iran two weeks to start talks, crude oil settled around $77 a barrel last Friday, as market players speculated that any immediate conflict was likely to be averted. Amidst escalating tension, market analysts are bracing for a surge in prices come Monday, as the "risk barometer" skyrockets. There's chatter that we could be looking at $100 a barrel or even higher on the horizon.
