Israel says it struck dozens of military targets in Iran, including nuclear research site
June 20 (Reuters) - The Israeli military said on Friday it carried out strikes on dozens of military targets in Iran overnight, including an attack on the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), which it said is involved in Iran's nuclear weapons development.
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The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump warns Iran: ‘I will make my decision whether or not to go within two weeks'
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he'll decide on whether to order U.S. warplanes to strike Iranian nuclear facilities within the next two weeks depending on whether or not Tehran engages in talks over ending their nuclear weapons program. In statement relayed through White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump said: ' Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.' The president's latest pronouncement comes just a day after he told reporters that he'd received outreach from Iranian leaders, who he said had expressed interest in coming to Washington for direct negotiations. Speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said Iranian negotiators should have accepted an agreement his negotiators had put forth during talks that took place over the last two months, but expressed hope that there could be further talks despite the ratcheted-up hostilities in the days since Israel launched a military operation to take out much of Iran's nuclear research and military capabilities. 'They should have made the deal. I had a great deal for them. They should have made that deal 60 days. We talked about it, and in the end, they decided not to do it, and now they wish they did it, and they want to meet, but it's, you know, late to meet, but they want to meet, and they want to come to the White House. They'll even come to the White House. So we'll see,' Trump said. TRUMP JUEZ (AP) Asked to clarify the circumstances under which such talks could take place, Leavitt told reporters she would not 'get into the reasoning and the rationale' behind Trump's statement, nor would she say whether any communications between Washington and Tehran are happening directly or through intermediaries. She did, however, exhort Americans to 'trust in President Trump.' She later added that any agreement reached to stave off U.S. airstrikes would 'absolutely not' permit Tehran to retain the capacity to enrich uranium in any form, echoing the terms of what was proposed during talks between Iranian officials and Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, earlier this month. Trump's promise of a decision within the next two weeks is the latest in a series of situations in which he has promised diplomatic or other results within 14 days before extending that deadline, such as when he told reporters last month that he would know whether Russian president Vladimir Putin would be willing to end his country's three-year-old war against Ukraine 'in about two weeks.' But Leavitt claimed the current circumstances are 'very, very different' from the situation in Ukraine while stressing that Trump is 'peacemaker-in-chief' who 'is always interested in a diplomatic solution to the problems in the global conflicts in this world.' 'If there's a chance for diplomacy, the President's always going to grab it, but he's not afraid to use strength as well,' he said. The president is understood to have already green-lit a plan for U.S. warplanes to drop so-called 'bunker buster' bombs onto Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, which is buried deep within a mountain near the city of Qom, but held off on final approval of the airstrikes in hopes that the threat of American involvement would bring Iranian negotiators back to the table. 'I have ideas on what to do but I haven't made a final – I like to make the final decision one second before it's due,' Trump told reporters on Wednesday. The new timeline for U.S. involvement in Israel's week-old war against Iran comes as Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, is set to sit down with his British, French and German counterparts along with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in Geneva on Friday. Those talks would be the first between Iran and Western officials since Israel launched a what it called a preemptive attack on Iran last week. Separately, Araqchi has spoken by phone with Witkoff, the New York real estate developer and longtime friend of Trump who has served as the president's roving diplomat since he returned to the White House in January. Araqchi reportedly told Witkoff that Tehran would not engage in talks with the U.S. unless Israel halts attacks. At present, Iran shows little sign of backing down and continued its missile assault on southern Israel overnight, causing 'extensive damage' to a major hospital, the Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheba. Israel does not appear to be interested in easing the tensions following that strike, with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz calling supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "the modern-day Hitler' after the missile strike. 'A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of the State of Israel his declared goal, this horrific goal of destroying Israel, cannot be allowed to continue or materialize,' Katz said. While Trump's new timeline may give new hope to the possibility of a diplomatic resolution, American diplomats have already evacuated from the region, and earlier this week U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee issued an 'urgent notice' for Americans in Israel to make evacuation plans and reach out to the State Department for information on flights and cruise ship departures. With additional reporting by agencies
The Independent
44 minutes ago
- The Independent
Who's who in the secret group advising Trump on Iran - who has been left out of the planning?
President Donald Trump let it be known on Thursday that he will make a decision on whether to involve the U.S. in Israel's war with Iran within the next two weeks, as tensions over the question continue to divide conservatives. The president, who signed off on attack plans on Tuesday but resisted giving the go-ahead, is reportedly taking soundings from a small coterie of trusted advisers while also throwing the conversation open to fellow world leaders, as well as allies such as the hawkish Republican senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Tom Cotton of Arkansas. Outside of his inner circle, MAGA personalities Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Steve Bannon, and Candace Owens have been speaking out against the prospect of the U.S. wading into another prolonged Middle Eastern war. At the same time, other Trump cheerleaders on Capitol Hill and the media have made the case for intervention. Here's a look at the people Trump is listening to, according to NBC News. JD Vance Vice President Vance has previously struck a non-interventionist posture on foreign wars, notably opposing American support for Ukraine. He appears to favor a diplomatic solution to the dispute with Iran, applauding Trump for showing 'remarkable restraint' and making the safety of American troops and assets his top priority. Susie Wiles The president's White House Chief of Staff and former campaign manager is known as the 'Ice Maiden' and regarded as an important restraining presence, in place to shield Trump from his own worst instincts. Stephen Miller A senior adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, Miller is known as an anti-immigration hardliner and one of the faces of Trump's mass deportation push. A regular talking head on conservative media loathed by liberals, Miller has reportedly been nicknamed 'Weird Stephen' behind the scenes by the president, which does not suggest he commands the level of respect to which he aspires. Marco Rubio Once a bitter enemy of Trump and rival for the Republican nomination, the Secretary of State now has such a full plate he has been dubbed the 'Secretary of Everything.' Rubio was out quickly last week to deny American involvement in Israel's initial onslaught but has since largely left the public messaging to the president. Steve Witkoff Trump's Middle East envoy, like him, a former luxury real estate developer, has led talks with both Israel and Iran since taking office earlier this year and, like Rubio, has cut a busy figure, also serving as the president's de facto liaison with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dan Caine The lieutenant general serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff boasts the tough-guy nickname 'Razin' Caine' and previously served as a counterterrorism specialist to George W. Bush's Homeland Security Council. He reportedly first befriended Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2019 and impressed him by suggesting that Isis could be stamped out within a week. ''One week? I was told two years!'' Trump marvelled. Erik Kurilla The head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is a career army officer who also has a cool nickname, 'The Gorilla.' He has reportedly been granted an unprecedented amount of leeway by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He has seen an increasing allocation of resources to his areas of responsibility, which include the Middle East. John Ratcliffe The CIA Director is an influential voice, having also served in the first Trump administration. He was previously a Texas congressman and a mayor of a small town. Two names conspicuous by their absence from that list are Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell has pushed back against the suggestion that Hegseth has been sidelined. 'This claim is completely false,' he told NBC. 'The secretary is speaking with the president multiple times a day, and has been with the president in the Situation Room this week. 'Secretary Hegseth is providing the leadership the Department of Defense and our Armed Forces need, and he will continue to work diligently in support of President Trump's peace through strength agenda.' Trump is meanwhile reported to have fallen out with Gabbard for going 'off-message' after she posted a video on X attacking the 'political elite and warmongers' for 'carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers' and placing the world 'on the brink of nuclear annihilation.' Asked by CNN's Kaitlan Collins aboard Air Force One about Gabbard's statement to Congress in March that, although Iran 's enriched uranium levels are at an all-time high, the expert opinion is that Tehran is not currently seeking to develop a nuclear bomb. 'I don't care what she said,' the president snapped. 'I think they were very close to having a weapon.' One Trump supporter to deny any involvement in Trump's discussions about the conflict is MAGA die-hard Laura Loomer, who attacked former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson on X on Thursday night for reporting that she was playing an advisory role, dismissing the claim as 'fake news.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Israeli strikes on Iran stir anxiety in LA's ‘Tehrangeles': ‘We're worried 24 hours a day'
In uncertain times in Persian Square, in the Iranian enclave on the west side of Los Angeles, there is always hope – and ice cream. Farbod 'Freddy' Papen is happy to dole out scoops of cucumber ice cream at Saffron and Rose, just as his grandfather once did in the same neighborhood affectionately known by many nicknames: Little Tehran, Tehrangeles, or Little Persia. But for a week now, the joy of serving colorful Persian dessert has been tempered by a sense of dread over the growing devastation in the Papen family's homeland of Iran. Every morning since Israel launched its attack on Iran, Papen, 38, has been scanning the headlines, anxious for updates on the escalating hostilities between both countries. So far, his family members in Iran are safe. 'Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow?' said Papen. Papen's family established roots in Los Angeles before the 1979 Iranian Revolution led to a significant growth in the Iranian American population, he said. His mother has long dreamed of returning to Iran. 'God forbid something bigger escalates from where we stand now,' he said. 'She might not ever get that chance to see her cousins that she grew up with, and nieces, and nephews.' Southern California is home to the largest Iranian diaspora in the world, and in this West Los Angeles neighborhood, Iranian Americans have built a tight-knit community. One of the main thoroughfares, Westwood Boulevard, is lined with Persian grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants that preserve the tastes and traditions of a faraway homeland. For residents and community members, it's more than a place – it's a cultural hub and a meeting point of diverse identities and histories. The Iranian diaspora in the US is diverse. After the Iranian revolution led to the establishment of an Islamic Republic in 1979, a wave of Iranians fled to the US. They, and the subsequent generations of Iranian Americans, have varying levels of connection to their ancestral homeland, said Kevan Harris, a historical sociologist and author of A Social Revolution: Politics and the Welfare State in Iran. Today, a third of Iranian Americans in the US today are first-generation who grew up under the Islamic Republic, Harris added. A diverse diaspora means a multiplicity of opinions about the escalating conflict – in addition to the anxiety over the threats to their homelands, some Iranian American community members expressed hope for a regime change. Others are worried about potential backlash or scapegoating of their community if the US enters the conflict. 'I think everyone's pretty much glued to their TVs and their news media to figure out what's going to happen next,' said Sean Tabibian, 53. For many of the neighborhood's residents, the uncertainty is amplified by the complexities of intersecting identities – Tabibian has family members living in Iran and in Israel. On Wednesday, while Donald Trump was still undecided on the possibility of the US joining Israel's assault, he said he was hoping for regime change in Iran. One business owner, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisal by the Iranian regime, asked an existential question: 'Who do you root for?' She is Persian and Jewish and has family members who live in Israel, so she worries about the possibility of Iran launching a nuclear attack on Israel – the place that her other family members also call home. 'You're worried about this side. You're worried about that side. We're just worried 24 hours a day,' she said. Harris, the sociologist, said that while many Iranian Americans supported the anti-government protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, the backdrop to the conflict between Israel and Iran is different, and the community is less united in its hopes for the future. 'Israel's air campaign and the possibility of US direct attack on Iran frame not only the government but the national territory [as] a target of foreign attack,' said Harris. 'Some in the diaspora rally around Iran's right to defend its territory – even though they claim to loathe the regime – while others outside dream that foreign coercion will hasten internal regime change.' Amid the heightened anxiety, Rabbi Refael Cohen, the senior rabbi at Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel, a synagogue in the Westwood neighborhood, said he and his members have been praying for peace and stability for Israel. At the same time, he wants to see Iranian people live freely. 'I think there is a mutual understanding that the same anxiety and the same fear that the civilian people feel in Iran, in this time, is the same feeling that the civilian people feel in Israel in this time,' said Cohen, 53. 'Both of them are suffering.' A few blocks away from the Saffron and Rose ice cream shop, marines are stationed in front of a federal building as part of Trump's order to protect immigration agents. For Papen, it's another signifier of uncertainty. Through all the difficulties, he just opened a new ice cream shop location in Del Mar, California. 'What are the odds of this?' Papen said wryly. 'The timing of our new store opening up right when what looks to be a full-blown war is starting.' But he must keep the ice cream moving, just like his grandfather once did – while keeping vigilance over the rapid developments in the Middle East. 'For me, it doesn't make a difference whether a bomb gets dropped in Tehran or gets dropped in Tel Aviv,' said Papen. 'These are people's lives that are being sacrificed.'
