Donald Trump asked on why he's leaving the G7 early
US President Donald Trump says he has to be back in Washington as soon as possible as journalists questioned why he's leaving the G7 early.
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SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Donald Trump urges all in Tehran to evacuate immediately
US President Donald Trump has posted a rather ominous message on Truth Social, telling everyone in Tehran to immediately evacuate. 'Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' He is also cutting short his trip to the G7 summit to return to the United States where he is convening an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on Iran's state broadcaster and heavy damage to a uranium site have intensified the conflict, with Iran vowing further retaliation, while calling on the US to force a ceasefire in the four-day-old aerial war. Israeli forces have stepped up their bombardment of Iranian cities, while Iran proved capable of piercing Israeli air defences with one of its most successful volleys yet of retaliatory missile strikes. Among Israel's targets in Tehran was the state broadcaster's building. Television anchor Sahar Emami was on air when the blast forced her to flee. The station went off-air for some time, but has since resumed broadcasts. Israel says the strike was justified, accusing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of using the broadcaster's facilities to coordinate operations. But Iran sees it as a war crime. At the UN, Iran's Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani provided an update on the number of casualties. So far, 1480 people have been killed or injured. At least 224 civilians, including women and children, have been killed. Many of the victims are children. In one brutal attack on a residential building in Tehran around 20 children were martyred. ... Israel also targeted wider civilian and economic infrastructure: water storage, fuel depots, the petrochemical facilities, including the Asaluyeh refinery in Bushehr, were hit. Hospitals were also struck. They are not accident, they are war crimes." On the attack on the state broadcaster, Mr Iravani had this to say. "Just hours ago, Israeli regime deliberately targeted the office of Iran's News Agency during a live broadcast. This appalling attack constitutes a blatant war crime and a direct assault on press freedom. These Israeli regime has once again demonstrated that it is the foremost enemy of truth. It holds the disgraceful record of being the world's leading perpetrator of violence against journalists and media professionals." Iran responded with another barrage of long-range missiles. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provided this update on Israel's actions. "We struck at the beginning of the war with force, targeting some of the top scientists. So far, we have eliminated ten, and we are not stopping there. There are a few more, we will complete. We hit the nuclear facility, Iran's main enrichment center Natanz suffered a very severe blow. We have acted and continue to act against centrifuge production industries. We simply targeted uranium enrichment facilities that are essential for nuclear weapon development. We hit those too, and we are not stopping there. We continue to systematically destroy nuclear targets." Air-raid sirens sounded across Tel Aviv and Haifa, and at least eight Israeli civilians were killed bringing the total death toll to 24 people with over 590 injured. One missile reportedly landed near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, causing minimal damage to it. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon claimed Iranian missiles were targeting civilians directly. "Iran aims its missiles at children while we target the regime's terror machine. We will do everything we can to minimise civilian casualties... but as you said, it's a war." Despite air defences, Iranian missiles breached Israeli cities in one of the most intense retaliatory strikes yet. Across Haifa, several targets were struck including the port facility and residential buildings. Back in Tehran, images of smoke rising from high-rises and hospitals sparked panic. Crowds fled the city amid fuel shortages and long ATM queues. As the conflict escalates, Iran is now signalling a shift in its nuclear posture. At a press conference in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said politicians were drafting legislation that could lead to Iran's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: "We will certainly make the appropriate decision in light of recent developments. We are in close coordination with the parliament and, naturally, any decisions made by the parliament, according to the law, are binding for the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The proposals you mentioned are currently being drafted (referring to withdrawal of NPT), and we will definitely ensure the necessary coordination with the esteemed parliament during the drafting process." Iran joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1970, pledging to forgo nuclear weapons in exchange for access to peaceful nuclear technology under international oversight. Israel accuses Tehran of nearing bomb capability, while President Masoud Pezeshkian says nuclear weapons remain forbidden under a religious edict by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. State media reports no decision has been made, with lawmakers saying the draft bill to exit the treaty is still in early stages. Meanwhile, Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel's actions and urged a return to negotiations. "Israel, which attacks Iran with the unlimited support from the West, destroys Gaza, and bullies every country in the region, is not aware of what it is doing. Perhaps it will realise its mistake in the future, but we are afraid that by then it will be too late." With diplomacy faltering, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have jointly called for a ceasefire. Speaking at the G7 summit in Canada, Mr Trump urged Israel to de-escalate, while Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed further retaliation, with Tehran reportedly preparing its largest missile strike yet. The US has authorised the voluntary departure of embassy staff in Israel and ordered the USS Nimitz towards the Middle East. As missile strikes persist and the death toll rises, global appeals for peace are being drowned out by the escalating drumbeat of war.
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
SBS News In Easy English 17 June 2025
Anthony Albanese will not meet with U-S President Donald Trump as planned. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that President Trump had a great day at the G-7, but will be leaving earlier than planned - right after dinner tonight ((local time)) with world leaders. In a statement, a spokesperson for Mr Albanese says the cancellation of the meeting is understandable, considering what is occuring in the Middle East. Mr Albanese has welcomed remarks from his British counterpart that the UK is determined to proceed with the AUKUS deal. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the UK Labour government had a review of AUKUS last year as a matter of procedure, and there are clear benefits. "Yep, we're proceeding with that. It is a really important deal to both of us. I think the (US) president is doing a review. We did a review when we came into government. So that makes good sense to me." He was standing alongside US President Donald Trump when he spoke, after the pair met and formalised a deal to limit the impact of US tariffs on the UK. The deal would reduce tariffs on UK cars being shipped to the US from a proposal of 25 per cent, but a 10 per cent levy would still apply to most UK goods - including cars - imported into the US. Australia's government says plans are being made to evacuate Australians from Israel and Iran once airline options become available. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says so far around 300 Australians in Israel have registered their interest in leaving the country, another 350 want help to leave Iran. Aerial attacks have continued for a fourth day, with Iran's state broadcaster briefly knocked off air when an Israeli strike hit buildings in Tehran. Slovakia's Interior Minister, Matúš Šutaj-Eštok says everything is being done to evacuate their foreign nationals from the region, with a plane departing from Jordan. (Slovak* then translated into English): "The role of the state is to take care of its citizens, to take care even if they are outside the territory of the Slovak Republic, whether they are already in danger due to various problems during calamities or even in cases where this is done even in the immediate aftermath of a military conflict." The police officer who was shot dead at a rural property while delivering a home repossession order has been formally identified. 57-year-old constable Keith Anthony Smith was killed on Monday [[16 June]] as he approached the house at North Motton in Tasmania's northwest. A 46-year-old man, the resident of the property, remains under police guard in hospital, but is yet to be charged. Tasmania Police says Mr Smith had a 25-year career with the force - and his death is being mourned by his colleagues and the wider community. In cricket, Ellyse Perry has re-signed with the Big Bash League's Sydney Sixers for the next three seasons. The 34-year-old all-rounder is one of Australia's greatest-ever female athletes, having won eight Cricket World Cups across various formats and a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal, and previously representing Australia in football as well, playing for the Matildas at the 2011 World Cup. She's the second-highest run scorer in Big Bash League history, and was named captain of the league's Team of the Decade last year. Perry says she's particularly excited to re-unite with Matthew Mott at the Sixers this season. He was the coach of the Australian women's team for many of the successes Perry has been a part of there.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Iranians support Israel assassinating their oppressors – at least for now
Iranians are scared right now. A friend described to me how all the windows blew out in her north Tehran apartment a few nights ago, the walls shaking as a missile met its target just one block away. Another told me of her terror, not knowing whether top regime officials might also live in her suburb. Not knowing which parts of the city were host to secret military or intelligence installations. Not knowing where the next hit would be – and who might end up collateral damage. Iranians reacted to the first wave of Israeli strikes with a mixture of fear, apprehension and in some quarters, cautious celebration. Social media clips initially circulated showing young Tehranis partying as Israel bombed regime targets, with some residents chanting 'death to Khamenei' (Iran's Supreme Leader) from the rooftops. One survey of public opinion, necessarily conducted from abroad, shows that more than 80 per cent of the Iranian population no longer support the Islamic Republic and would prefer some form of secular democracy. Among my friends and contacts in Iran, it was widely lamented that the country's octogenarian ruler, Ali Khamenei, wasn't among those first assassinated. The IDF's decimation of Iran's air defences and missile-launching facilities appears to have been more successful than originally hoped. Still, the Islamic Republic has been able to cause significant damage to several Israeli towns and cities as the regime has embarked on its inevitable retaliation. This includes direct hits on apartment complexes and civilian homes, with at least 24 civilians killed and hundreds wounded. Israel has responded with further strikes and assassinations of regime figures, including the head of the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a group responsible for imprisoning and torturing thousands of innocent Iranians and foreign visitors – myself among them. Few are shedding tears over the demise of evil men like these. However, there have been worrying signs that Israel's early efforts to distinguish between the regime and the Iranian people are starting to wear thin. Washington-based Iranian advocacy group Human Rights Activists reports that 406 people have been killed, including 197 civilians. As Israel deals with an unprecedented attack on its home soil, its escalation in rhetoric has become alarming. Defence Minister Israel Katz was reported over the weekend to threaten that 'Tehran will burn' should Iran fire missiles at civilian areas. Loading So far, the mood within the large segment of the Iranian population that broadly opposes the regime has been to blame Khamenei and his fanatical henchmen for bringing this calamity upon Iran through their nuclear program, sponsorship of terrorist proxies, and increasingly bellicose rhetoric about wiping Israel off the map. Rhetoric which, following the two Iranian missile and drone attacks of last year, seemed less like ideological posturing and more like an operationalisable plan. The feeling initially was that in brutally suppressing the Iranian people's overwhelming call for greater civil freedoms, including the hijab issue, the regime had sowed the seeds of its own demise. Iranians are a patriotic people who are rightly proud of their deep civilisational roots, yet there was no rallying around the flag of the Islamic Republic following these attacks. Many Iranians are no fans of Israel, but there does exist considerable alignment between the two peoples in that both would like the hardline clerical kleptocracy ruling Iran to be gone. This is why Katz's comments are idiotic in the extreme. He has since doubled down on this rhetoric, warning on Monday in a post on X that 'the residents of Tehran will pay the price' for Iran's continued bombardment.
