"Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon...": US tells Pakistan
Synopsis
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about Middle East developments, emphasizing that Iran must not develop nuclear weapons. Following escalating tensions, the US launched Operation Midnight Hammer, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. This operation aimed to significantly degrade Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure after conflict arose between Iran and Israel.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
18 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Khamenei rebukes Trump for surrender remark, claims victory over US regime
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has sharply rebuked US President Donald Trump 's call for Iran's surrender. Taking to social media platform X, Khamenei wrote, 'The US president said, 'Iran must surrender.' Needless to say, this statement is too big to come out of his mouth." Khamenei claims 'victory' over US regime In his first public remarks since the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday (June 21), Khamenei declared victory and dismissed Trump's claims of a 'spectacular military success.' In a recorded video broadcast on Iranian state television on Thursday, Khamenei said Iran had triumphed over the US and downplayed the impact of the strikes on the country's nuclear infrastructure. The speech, lasting over 10 minutes, was later shared in part on X and was laced with warnings and threats directed at the US and Israel, Tehran's longstanding adversaries. 'My congratulations on our dear Iran's victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn't, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed,' Khamenei said. Strikes downplayed, nuclear status not addressed Khamenei dismissed Trump's claim that the strikes had 'completely and fully obliterated Iran's nuclear programme' as exaggerated. Absent from the address was any reference to the condition of Iran's nuclear facilities or centrifuges following the extensive US and Israeli strikes. ALSO READ: Iran's key nuclear sites severely damaged by US strikes, confirms CIA 'Delivered slap to America's face', says Khamenei Khamenei also highlighted Iran's missile strike on the US Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, calling it a symbolic but significant response. 'The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US's face,' he said, warning that such actions could be repeated. 'Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price,' he added. Upcoming talks between US and Iran On Wednesday, Trump claimed that officials from Washington and Tehran would hold talks next week, sparking cautious optimism for long-term peace. However, Iran has not confirmed any such meeting, reported news agency the Associated Press. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff however said there has been both direct and indirect communication between the two sides. Talking to the reporters at Nato summit, Trump said the ceasefire was 'going very well' and reiterated that Iran would neither acquire a nuclear bomb nor be allowed to continue uranium enrichment. Iran, however, remains defiant. Its parliament has voted to fast-track a proposal that would effectively end cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN watchdog that has monitored the country's nuclear programme for years. ALSO READ:
Mint
21 minutes ago
- Mint
Where is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? Iran's Supreme Leader resurfaces on TV, but questions linger over his whereabouts
On June 26, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave his first address to the nation since the country's 12-day war with Israel ended with a ceasefire that the US President Donald Trump and the Emir of Qatar brokered earlier this week. Khamenei, in a pre-recorded video message, downplayed reports of damage to the country's nuclear programme by US strikes and declared victory over both Israel and the United States. 'The Islamic republic slapped America in the face,' said Khamenei, 86. He said that the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities did not do 'anything important' and that the United States only intervened to save Israel from being 'completely destroyed.' Khamenei has reportedly been hiding for nearly two weeks after Israel's strike on the country on June 13. Israel also eliminated Iran's senior military leadership and some scientists during the strikes. The Islamic Republic retaliated with missile strikes on Israel. The US said on Sunday that the country's military 'obliterated' Iran's main nuclear sites using 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft. Iran attacked a US air base in neighbouring Qatar. Iranian officials claimed the attacks left 627 people dead and nearly 5,000 injured. Iran's retaliation targeted parts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, leaving a trail of damaged buildings and at least 14 people dead, according to reports. On Tuesday, however, Israel and Iran confirmed a ceasefire, hours after President Trump announced an imminent ceasefire between the two nations on Truth Social. In his address on Thursday, the ageing Iranian leader Khamenei sat flanked by an Iranian flag and a portrait of his predecessor and the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khamenei spoke while looking into the camera. But it was unclear exactly when the video was recorded. According to a Reuters investigation citing five sources with direct knowledge of succession planning, Khamenei has gone into hiding with his family and is being protected by the elite Vali-ye Amr unit of the Revolutionary Guards. While he is reportedly still being briefed on internal matters, a special three-member committee—appointed by Khamenei himself two years ago—is accelerating efforts to identify his successor, sources told Reuters. In the event of Khamenei's death, the ruling establishment aims to swiftly announce a new leader to maintain national stability. As the supreme leader, Khamenei has the last word on all major state matters. As the commander in chief of the armed forces, he would be expected to approve any military decision, including the attack on the American base or the ceasefire deal with Israel. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both suggested during the war that Khamenei was vulnerable and not immune from their strikes. During an interview with The New York Times on June 25, Mehdi Fazaeli, head of Khamenei's archives office, was asked about the Supreme Leader's well-being. "People are very worried about the Supreme Leader," the host said. Without offering a direct answer, Fazaeli said, "We all should be praying." He added that he received numerous inquiries from officials, and viewers had sent a flood of messages asking the same question. The interview was done before Khamenei's Janauary 26 televised address Fazaeli claimed that the people who are responsible for protecting the Supreme Leader are doing their job well, adding, "God willing, our people can celebrate victory next to their leader, God willing." Earlier, officials said that Khamenei had been hiding in a secure underground bunker and was avoiding all electronic communication to prevent assassination attempts. During the anti-US and anti-Israel protest last week, before the ceasefire, women were seen carrying portraits of Khamenei in their hands. Newspapers in Iran had voiced the concern about Khamenei whereabouts, too. "His days-long absence has made all of us who love him very worried," Mohsen Khalifeh, editor of Khaneman, a daily newspaper. The three-member panel of the top clerical body in Iran, appointed by Khamenei himself two years ago to identify his replacement, has accelerated its planning, according to news agency Reuters. According to an earlier in The New York Times, Khamenei has also picked replacements in his chain of military commands in case they are killed in Israeli strikes. The report, citing three Iranian officials familiar with Khamenei's emergency war plans, said that the Supreme Leader 'mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications to make it harder to find him'. 'He would be well advised to be cautious, despite the fragile ceasefire that the US President Donald Trump and the Emir of Qatar brokered. Though President Trump reportedly told Israel not to kill Iran's supreme leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule it out,' wrote Kasra Naji, Special Correspondent, BBC Persian. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that his country's forces would have killed Khamenei if it had been possible during the recent 12-day war fought between both nations. 'I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out," Katz said in an interview with Israel's Kan public television. But Khamenei understood this, went underground to very great depths, and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn't realistic in the end," Katz was quoted as saying. The Islamic republic slapped America in the face. Sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy, reducing a top oil exporter to a poor and struggling shadow of its former self, Naji said in the BBC report. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had both suggested at various times during the air war that Khamenei's life could be in danger as regime change could be a result of the war that ended with the ceasefire on Tuesday. "It is difficult to estimate how much longer the Iranian regime can survive under such significant strain, but this looks like the beginning of the end,' Professor Lina Khatib, a visiting scholar at Harvard University was quoted as saying in the BBC report.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
35 minutes ago
- First Post
'Brightest blast I've ever seen': B-2 fighter jet pilot recalls US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities
The 37-hour mission was executed by a diverse crew of men and women, holding ranks from captain to colonel. The majority were alumni of the Air Force Weapons School, a prestigious academy in Nevada known for producing top-tier tactical experts read more A US fighter pilot who flew one of the B-2 Stealth Bombers to target Iran's nuclear programme recalled his experience during 'Operation Midnight Hammer' as the Pentagon released new details of the mission . Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, while sharing the specifics of the mission, recalled how a crew member involved in the 37-hour-long operation shared instances of its successful conduct. 'This was the brightest explosion I've ever seen—it looked like daylight,' Caine said, quoting one of the pilots. 'A crew member told me when I talked to them on video the other day that this felt like the Super Bowl, the thousands of scientists, airmen, and maintainers all coming together,' the general added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US joined the Israel-Iran conflict over the weekend and bombed three key nuclear sites, Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. There has been some dispute over the extent of the damage caused by American strikes, with US President Donald Trump saying that they 'obliterated' the nuclear facilities and media reports claiming that the sites were only set back by a few years. The 37-hour mission was executed by a diverse crew of men and women, holding ranks from captain to colonel. The majority were alumni of the Air Force Weapons School, a prestigious academy in Nevada known for producing top-tier tactical experts. 'When the crews went to work on Friday, they kissed their loved ones goodbye, not knowing when or if they'd be home. Late on Saturday night, their families became aware of what was happening,' Caine said. Following the attacks that have been dubbed successful by the US, the B-2 Stealth bombers, the ones that were used to 'destroy' the nuclear sites, returned to Missouri and were welcomed by the crews' families, 'waving flags and tears were flowing,' he added. In the days leading up to the mission, Iran tried to reinforce the Fordow nuclear facility, buried deep within a mountain, by sealing the ventilation shafts with concrete, aiming to block the entry points for American bombs, the Pentagon report revealed. 'I won't share the specific dimensions of the concrete cap. But you should know that we know what the dimensions of those concrete caps were. The planners had to account for this. They accounted for everything,' Caine said.
