Israel-Iran conflict enters fourth day with no signs of letting up
Israel and Iran have traded fresh fire. The Israeli military said it struck more than 20 targets in Iran overnight, including some nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, Iran has hit Israel with a barrage of missiles, some penetrating the country's Iron Dome defence system. Mr Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also gave an update on the situation at Iran's nuclear facilities that were targeted by Israel. He said there was no sign of further damage at the Natanz enrichment site, but strikes had destroyed the above-ground section as well as power supply leading to the enrichment plant. Trent Murray reports from Tel Aviv.
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CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Commentary: Israel and Iran are both letting illusory ambitions cloud their judgment
TEL AVIV: The rapidly escalating military conflict between Israel and Iran represents a clash of ambitions. Iran seeks to become a nuclear power, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu longs to be remembered as the Israeli leader who categorically thwarted Iran's nuclear programme, which he views as an existential threat to Israel's survival. Both dreams are as misguided as they are dangerous. Iran's nuclear ambitions have always been driven primarily by the goal of securing the regime's survival, not annihilating Israel, which is far more likely to be destroyed at the end of a long war of attrition than under a mushroom cloud. But Israel cannot afford to treat Iran's threats of nuclear Armageddon as mere bloviating, particularly after Hamas' Oct 7, 2023 terrorist attack, which triggered Israel's long, brutal and ongoing offensive against the Iranian proxy in Gaza. It is not wrong to fear a nuclear Iran. THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS A NUCLEAR DEAL But Netanyahu is a key reason why Iran's nuclear programme is as far along as it is. It was over his objections that the so-called P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States), together with the European Union, negotiated the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran, freezing the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. And it was under pressure from Netanyahu that Donald Trump withdrew the US from the JCPOA three years later, spurring Iran to renew its race for the bomb. Israel's audacious attacks on Iran surely will cause further tension between Trump and Netanyahu. Since his return to the White House, Trump has sought a new nuclear agreement with Iran. But this was never going to be an easy process – and not only because Iran has little reason to trust the US. While Trump has no qualms about touting unimpressive (or worse) deals as historic breakthroughs, he surely feels pressure to strike an agreement that is somehow better than the JCPOA that then-US President Barack Obama negotiated a decade ago. Given this, Trump probably views Israel's strikes as useful in limited doses – just enough to increase his leverage in the nuclear negotiations that were already underway. But Netanyahu is fighting for his political survival – and in that battle, no bridge is too far. While Israel initially focused its attacks on nuclear facilities and ballistic missile bases, the conflict has escalated to include targets that could draw the US into the war (such as energy facilities and residential buildings), and it is just getting started. In line with his grand Churchillian ambition – and mirroring the perspective he has brought to his war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – Netanyahu is seeking 'total victory' over Iran. This would render a nuclear deal unnecessary. SO DO THE GULF STATES There is just one problem: Israel is incapable of eradicating Iran's nuclear programme. Israel has struck nuclear sites in Natanz and Isfahan, but the damage to the facilities was limited, partly because Israel recognised the need to avoid unleashing radiation across the region. And Israel does not have bombs that can penetrate Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, which is built inside a mountain. Of course, physical infrastructure is only part of the equation. That is why Israel also targeted scientists, as well as top Revolutionary Guard leaders. But Iran's nuclear programme is an expansive and deeply embedded state project. Killing a few – or even a few dozen – individuals will not paralyse it, let alone eliminate it. In any case, Israel still needs the US. And Trump has no interest in letting Israel drive up oil prices or create a rift between him and America's Gulf allies, which just agreed to funnel trillions of dollars in investment toward the US. Nor can Israel hope for the tacit complicity that the Arab states demonstrated in its war against Hamas and Hezbollah. While these countries have no love for Iran, they have a vested interest in regional stability, especially as they work to diversify their economies. A cornered Iran might even attack the Gulf states directly, hitting their oil installations or disrupting transport lanes in the Persian Gulf. These countries want a nuclear deal, not a regional conflagration. DIPLOMACY WILL REMAIN THE ONLY ANSWER Iran probably wants roughly the same. Though it withdrew from scheduled nuclear talks in Oman, its military response has been confined to Israeli targets. Notably, despite having poured billions of dollars into its regional proxies in recent years, it has refrained from activating them – however diminished they may have been rendered by Israel – against American or Arab targets. But if Iran finds itself with its back against the wall, it can force a reluctant Hezbollah and its Iraqi militias into the fight. If not now, when? It is for occasions like this that the alliances were created in the first place. Iran can also incite attacks against Israel elsewhere, such as the West Bank. Moreover, it will probably withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, opening the way for it to achieve nuclear breakout – a process that would take mere months. Iran now risks falling into the same strategic trap that drained the energies of the Sunni pan-Arabism it revolted against in 1979. By pouring its energy and resources into a war of annihilation against Israel, it would jeopardise its primary objective: regime survival. But Iran is not alone in letting illusory ambitions cloud its judgment. If Israel cannot destroy Iran's nuclear programme, it certainly cannot achieve total victory over Iran's regime. And it is not just Iran: none of Israel's security challenges can be overcome through total victory. No matter how many bombs Netanyahu drops, diplomacy will remain the only answer. Meanwhile, Israel's military hubris is becoming inadmissible to its moderate Arab allies. They wanted Israel as an equal partner in a regional peace, not as a new hegemon.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump calls for Iran's ‘unconditional surrender' as Israel-Iran air war rages on
US President Donald Trump on June 17 called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' as the Israel-Iran air war raged for a fifth day. PHOTO: ARASH KHAMOOSHI/NYTIMES WASHINGTON/DUBAI/JERUSALEM - US President Donald Trump on June 17 called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' and warned US patience was wearing thin, but said there was no intention to kill Iran's leader 'for now', as the Israel-Iran air war raged for a fifth day. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said meanwhile that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face the same fate as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion and hanged in 2006 after a trial. 'I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens,' Mr Katz told top Israeli military officials. Explosions were reported in Tehran and the city of Isfahan in central Iran, while Israel said Iran had fired more missiles towards it late on June 17, and air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and southern Israel. The Israeli military said it had conducted strikes on 12 missile launch sites and storage facilities in Tehran. Mr Trump's comments, delivered via social media, suggested a more aggressive stance towards Iran as he weighs whether to deepen US involvement. 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding,' he wrote on Truth Social. 'We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for patience is wearing thin.' Three minutes later, he posted, 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!' Mr Trump's sometimes contradictory and cryptic messaging about the conflict between close US ally Israel and longtime foe Iran has deepened the uncertainty surrounding the crisis. His public comments have ranged from military threats to diplomatic overtures, not uncommon for a president known for an often erratic approach to foreign policy. Mr Trump said on June 16 that he might send US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice-President J.D. Vance to meet Iranian officials. The president said his early departure from the Group of Seven nations summit in Canada had 'nothing to do' with working on a ceasefire deal, and that something 'much bigger' was expected. Mr Vance said the decision on whether to take further action to end Iran's uranium enrichment programme, which Western powers suspect is aimed at developing a nuclear bomb, 'ultimately belongs to the president'. Britain's leader said there was no indication that the US was about to enter the conflict. Mr Trump met for 90 minutes with his National Security Council on June 17 afternoon to discuss the conflict, a White House official said. Details were not immediately available. The US is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, three US officials told Reuters. The move follows other deployments that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described as defensive in nature. The US has so far only taken defensive actions in the current conflict with Iran, including helping to shoot down missiles fired towards Israel. Regional influence weakens Mr Khamenei's main military and security advisers have been killed by Israeli strikes, leaving major holes in his inner circle and raising the risk of strategic errors, according to five people familiar with his decision-making process. The Israeli military said on June 17 it had killed Iran's wartime chief of staff Ali Shadmani, four days after he replaced another top commander killed in the strikes. With Iranian leaders suffering their most dangerous security breach since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country's cybersecurity command banned officials from using communications devices and mobile phones, Fars news agency reported. Israel launched a 'massive cyber war' against Iran's digital infrastructure, Iranian media reported. Ever since the Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and triggered the Gaza war, Mr Khamenei's regional influence has waned as Israel has pounded Iran's proxies - from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq. And Iran's close ally, Syria's autocratic president Bashar al-Assad, has been ousted. Israel launched its air war, its largest ever on Iran, on June 13 after saying it had concluded the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed that he will not back down until Iran's nuclear development is disabled, while Mr Trump says the Israeli assault could end if Iran agrees to strict curbs on enrichment. Before Israel's attack began, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. The IAEA said on June 17 an Israeli strike directly hit the underground enrichment halls at the Natanz facility. The Iranian news website Eghtesadonline, which covers economic news, reported on June 17 that Iran arrested a foreigner for filming 'sensitive' areas at the Bushehr nuclear power plant for Israel's spy agency Mossad. Iranian security forces also arrested a 'terrorist team' linked to Israel with explosives in a town south-west of the capital Tehran, Iranian state media reported. Oil markets on alert Israel says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in the coming days. But Israel will struggle to deal a knock-out blow to deeply buried nuclear sites like Fordow, which is dug beneath a mountain, without the US joining the attack, according to analysis echoed by Germany's leader. Israel's Katz said Fordow was an issue that will 'of course' be addressed. Iran has so far fired nearly 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones towards Israel, with about 35 missiles penetrating Israel's defensive shield and making impact, Israeli officials say. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had hit Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate and foreign intelligence service Mossad's operational centre early on June 17. There was no Israeli confirmation. Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Residents of both countries have been evacuated or fled. World oil markets are on high alert, following strikes on energy sites including the world's biggest gas field, South Pars, shared by Iran and Qatar. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 18, 2025
US President Donald Trump (left) said on social media that the US knows exactly where Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is hiding. PHOTOS: REUTERS While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 18, 2025 Trump says won't kill Iran's supreme leader - 'for now' President Donald Trump dramatically stepped up his rhetoric against Iran's supreme leader on June 17, saying on social media that the United States knows where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is located but will not kill him 'for now.' In another post, Mr Trump also appeared to demand Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!' as he fuelled questions about whether the United States would join Israel's attacks on Tehran's leadership and nuclear facilities. 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,' Mr Trump said, on his Truth Social platform. 'But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' said Mr Trump. READ MORE HERE G-7 rallies behind Ukraine after abrupt Trump exit Group of Seven (G-7) powers, holding talks on June 17 at a summit that Donald Trump left early, promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fresh support as Russia stepped up attacks on its neighbour. The US president, who has had a volatile relationship with Mr Zelensky and had been due to meet him, flew out of the summit in the Canadian Rockies late on June 16 to return to Washington to focus on the Israel-Iran conflict. Mr Zelensky arrived at the wooded mountain resort of Kananaskis after Russia ravaged Kyiv with one of the worst bombardments since it invaded in February 2022, killing at least 15 people in the capital. READ MORE HERE China's Xi signs treaty to elevate ties with Central Asia China President Xi Jinping signed a treaty to elevate ties with Central Asian nations on June 17, as Beijing looks to further deepen cooperation on trade, energy and infrastructure with the resource-rich region. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Beijing has been stepping up efforts to boost economic links with Central Asian nations traditionally within Russia's sphere of influence, drawn by their strategic location and energy resources. At a regional summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana on June 17, Mr Xi, lauding a milestone, signed a treaty of 'permanent good-neighbourliness and friendly cooperation' with leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, China's official Xinhua news agency reported. READ MORE HERE Japan's Honda conducts surprise reusable rocket test Honda succeeded in a launch and landing test of its prototype reusable rocket on June 17, the Japanese company said in a surprise announcement, marking a milestone towards its 2029 goal of achieving a suborbital spaceflight. Honda R&D, the research arm of Japan's second-biggest carmaker, successfully landed its 6.3m experimental reusable launch vehicle after reaching an altitude of 271m at its test facility in northern Japan's space town Taiki, according to the company. Reusable launch vehicles have been the driver of emerging commercial space missions over the past decade, led by SpaceX's Falcon 9, while its US rivals including Blue Origin and companies in China and Europe also have reusable rocket plans. READ MORE HERE Streaming surpasses broadcast and cable TV in US for first time Streaming services, which have been steadily gaining in popularity, have finally dethroned broadcast and cable television in the US, winning more viewers in May than broadcast and cable combined, audience measurement firm Nielsen reported on June 17. Nielsen, in its monthly report The Gauge, said streaming captured 44.8 per cent of total TV usage in the US in May, highlighting the growing dominance of streaming platforms like YouTube and Netflix over the past four years. Google's YouTube alone accounted for 12.5 per cent of all television viewing in May, representing the largest audience share for a streaming service. READ MORE HERE Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
