Donald Trump breaks silence on Israel-Iran conflict and makes wild threat
Nuclear talks between Iran and the US won't happen today, as originally planned, and Donald Trump has threatened to respond in a way "never seen before" if their bases are attacked
Donald Trump has broken his silence on the Israel and Iran conflict.
At least nine people are dead and more than 100 have reportedly been injured after Iran launched a barrage of missile strikes at Israel overnight, in retaliation for Israel's Friday strikes. Those killed range in age from 10 to 80 years old.
Israel also launched overnight strikes, hitting the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tehran. The Israeli military said it also targeted other locations that 'advanced' Iran's nuclear program. Israeli strikes also hit an oil depot and a fuel tank near Tehran on Saturday, causing a large fire – but the situation is 'under control,' according to Iran's state media IRNA.
Nuclear talks between Iran and the US won't happen today, as originally planned, and Donald Trump has threatened to respond in a way "never seen before" if their bases are attacked.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel's strikes have set Iran's nuclear programme back, possibly by years, and that heavier blows were yet to come. 'We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,' Netanyahu said in a video message.
Donald Trump has now spoken out on the conflict and has threatened to respond to any attack by Iran on the US with "the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces".
Distancing his administration from the attacks launched by Tel Aviv toward Tehran, Trump said that Washington had no role to play in the escalating conflict. President Donald Trump said the US 'had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight' in a post to his social media platform Truth Social Sunday morning, issuing a warning to Tehran not to bring his country into the conflict.
He wrote: "If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before. However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!"
His comments came as Iran and Israel exchanged more strikes overnight, with reports from Israel saying eight people were killed in two hits on residential buildings.
This spring, Trump gave Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 60 days to negotiate a nuclear deal, warning there would be consequences if they didn't come to an agreement. At the time, Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on attacking Iran, to give space for the negotiations.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Britain warns against all travel to Israel as fighting with Iran intensifies
Britain has issued a warning against all travel to Israel as tensions with Iran escalated and the two countries stepped up their attacks with a fresh wave of missile strikes from both sides. As Donald Trump called for the two countries to make a deal to end the fighting, the UK Foreign Office updated its travel advice to say it now advised against travel to any parts of Israel. The US president had earlier threatened to respond with 'the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces' after Iran threatened to attack American, UK and French bases if they defended Israel. And a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran would pay a "very heavy price" for the deaths of Israeli civilians, as he visited Bat Yam, a city just south of Tel Aviv hit by deadly strikes. 'Iran will pay a very heavy price for the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children,' Mr Netanyahu said. Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves was forced to state that Britain is not at war, despite the UK sending more RAF jets to the Middle East. But, with at least 10 dead in Israel and millions hiding from the onslaught in bomb shelters across the country, the chancellor said Britain could offer military support for its ally as it fends off Iran's attacks. Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Ms Reeves said: 'We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in. 'So far, we haven't been involved, and we're sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies.' She added: 'It's very early days, and things are moving quickly, but when we urge for de-escalation in the region, that is in part because of the lives at risk… but also because what happens in the Middle East affects us here at home.' With Israel saying it plans to escalate its campaign, Ms Reeves warned that the impact of the conflict would be felt by families in the UK as it pushed up oil prices and threatened to block key trade routes. The UK's travel ban puts Israel in the same category as Iran, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy telling Britons, 'your safety remains our top priority'. Updating its travel advice, the Foreign Office said: 'Iran has launched multiple rounds of missile and drone attacks against Israel. On 13 June, a nationwide state of emergency was declared in Israel. This followed Israeli strikes against nuclear and military facilities in Iran. Israeli airspace remains closed. 'We recognise this is a fast-moving situation that poses significant risks. The situation has the potential to deteriorate further, quickly and without warning. The current situation has disrupted air links out of the country and may disrupt road links.' Pressed on whether the UK would repatriate citizens stuck in Israel following the closure of Tel Aviv's airport and the mass diversion and cancellation of flights, the prime minister's official spokesman said there were no plans to do so, but it was being kept under review. The conflict was sparked as Iran launched missile and drone strikes on Israel overnight on Friday in response to a series of Israeli attacks on the heart of Tehran's nuclear programme and armed forces. That followed weeks of escalating tensions between the countries over Iran's nuclear programme. In the dramatic scenes which have since unfolded, smoke has been seen rising above Tehran and Tel Aviv, with air sirens sounding across central Israel and the Jerusalem area on Sunday. In a sign that a deal to end the conflict is some way off, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday said that Israel 'will strike the sites and continue to peel the skin off the Iranian snake in Tehran and everywhere, stripping it of nuclear capabilities and weapons systems'. An official said Israel still had a long list of targets in Iran and would not say how long the attacks would go on for. Meanwhile, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said its responses will grow "more decisive and severe" if Israel's attacks continue. In a call for de-escalation, President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: 'Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal… we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran!' That followed a post late on Saturday night in which Mr Trump warned: 'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before. However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!' It comes as world leaders, including Mr Trump, Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, are gathered in Canada for a crunch G7 summit, which now looks set to be dominated by the conflict in the Middle East.
The National
21 minutes ago
- The National
UK must not look away from Gaza genocide, Amnesty warns
As strikes between Israel and Iran continued for a third day after being sparked by Israel's surprise attack on Friday, Palestinians said Israeli forces opened fire at around dawn towards crowds of people heading to two aid sites in Rafah, killing eight and injuring dozens. Israel's blockade and military campaign have caused widespread hunger and raised the risk of famine in the country. Now, Israel is reportedly set to pursue the military campaign for "weeks, not days," according to multiple Israeli and US sources. READ MORE: 'It's a trap': 8 killed by Israeli soldiers in shooting at Gaza aid site Sacha Deshmukh, the chief executive of Amnesty International UK, said it was "crucial" that Keir Starmer's government "do not get distracted" by the escalating tensions from the reality in Gaza. Deshmukh said: 'It is crucial that Israel's attacks on Iran do not distract the UK Government from action it must take to stop Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, rampant state-backed settler attacks in the West Bank, and Israel's cruel system of apartheid. "These violations demand that States, including the UK, focus immediately on the urgent need for a sustained ceasefire in Gaza and fast-track their diplomatic efforts to help end Israel's decades-long illegal occupation.' Israeli officials have claimed the country's initial strikes were an act of self-defence and argued Iran had rejected diplomatic efforts to ease tensions. Israel said the barrage was necessary before Iran got any closer to building a nuclear weapon, although experts and the US government have assessed that Tehran was not actively working on such a weapon. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that if the Israeli strikes on Iran stop, then 'our responses will also stop'. First Minister John Swinney also urged the UK Government to "de-escalate" the "dangerous situation". READ MORE: UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Israel as Iran strikes escalate Swinney said: 'The situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East is deeply concerning. The international community - including the UK Government - must do all it can to de-escalate this dangerous situation. "Further escalation will result in even greater devastation and stability across the region is of paramount importance to us all.' Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said that Israel's attacks were "a clear attempt to escalate the conflict and provoke a much wider war" in the region, and accused the Israeli government of "flooding the media with images of their own choosing, while blocking media access to Gaza to prevent the world from seeing the atrocities they are committing". 'Even a former Israeli Prime Minister has called Netanyahu's government a gang of thugs, and every day they find new ways to prove him right," Harvie said. 'The UK should immediately withdraw all support for this violent rogue state, and work with other countries to have them held accountable for their war crimes.' Harvie added: 'The Scottish Greens have long called for a lasting ceasefire and an end to the UK's active participation in the ongoing genocide of Gaza. Keir Starmer must end the UK's involvement in conflict rising between the state of Israel and other nations.' "Israel's declaration of war on Iran is intended to bring war to the entire Middle East," national convenor of the Stop the War Coalition Lindsey German told The National. "Netanyahu is already bombing five countries and we can only assume those conflicts will escalate. None of this would be possible without the support of the British and US governments. "We've been demanding for months that the UK stops arming Israel, stops the genocide, stops using the Akrotiri RAF base to attack Gaza. Now Starmer's sending jets to the region, clearly prepared to support and enable further war crimes, without so much as putting it to a vote in Parliament. "It's absolutely abhorrent and removes any prospect of the de-escalation he so weakly called for." READ MORE: David Pratt: A perilous 'game' – Israel attacks, Iran bleeds, and America plays God Asked whether the UK would come to Israel's aid if asked, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: 'We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in. 'I'm not going to comment on what might happen in the future, but so far, we haven't been involved, and we're sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies.' Pushed again on whether the UK would deploy assets in support of Israel if asked, she said: 'What we've done in the past (…) is help protect Israel from incoming strikes. 'So a defensive activity.' She added: 'I'm not going to rule anything out at this stage (…) it's a fast moving situation, a very volatile situation.'
The Guardian
24 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Macron criticises Trump's threats to take over Greenland during visit
Emmanuel Macron has criticised Donald Trump's threats to take over Greenland as he became the first foreign head of state to visit the vast, mineral-rich Arctic territory since the US president began making explicit threats to annex it. 'I don't think that's what allies do,' Macron said as he arrived in the Danish autonomous territory for a highly symbolic visit aimed at conveying 'France's and the EU's solidarity' with Greenland on his way to a summit of G7 leaders in Canada. The French president said: 'It's important that Denmark and the Europeans commit themselves to this territory, where the strategic stakes are very high and whose territorial integrity must be respected.' Trump has repeatedly said the US needs Greenland, which is strategically located at the crossroads between the Atlantic and the Arctic, for US national security reasons, and has refused to rule out the use of force to secure it. Polls show the vast majority of Greenland's 57,000 people want independence from Denmark but not to become part of the US. The Danish government has said Greenland 'is not for sale' and only Greenlanders can determine their future. Macron's six-hour visit was 'a signal in itself' and came at the request of both Denmark and Greenland, his office said. It began with talks with the Danish and Greenlandic prime ministers, Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen, on a Danish naval frigate. The French president was also due to visit a glacier to see the effects of global heating, and to discuss how to include Greenland in EU action to aid development while 'respecting its sovereignty'. A planned visit to a hydroelectric plant was cancelled. Macron said before the visit that it was aimed at preventing further 'preying' on the territory. In March, the US vice president, JD Vance, visited the Pituffik US military base on the island, criticising Denmark for not having 'done a good job by the people of Greenland' and alleging Copenhagen had neglected the territory's security. Pituffik, on the shortest route for missiles fired from Russia at the US, is essential to Washington's missile defence system; while Greenland's strategic importance has risen amid a race for rare earths and as melting ice opens up new shipping routes. The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, last week appeared to acknowledge that the Pentagon had developed plans to take over Greenland by force if necessary but refused to answer repeated questions about the subject at a congressional hearing. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that agency officials under the US national intelligence director, Tulsi Gabbard, were looking into Greenland's independence movement and sentiment about US resource extraction there. Frederiksen made several visits to Paris after Trump's threats against Greenland, which unlike Denmark is not an EU member but has an association agreement with the bloc. Copenhagen has placed orders for French-made surface-to-air missiles. Florian Vidal of the Paris-based Ifri thinktank said that for Denmark, long one of Washington's most loyal allies in Europe, enlisting the support of the EU's only nuclear power was a way to project hard power towards a suddenly more predatory US. Vidal said: 'The Trump administration's more aggressive posture makes the French vision of Europe, one that is more autonomous, appear more reasonable for Denmark. From a Nordic point of view, France is a military power that counts.' Nielsen said in April that US statements about Greenland to date had been 'disrespectful' and that the island would 'never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone'. He said last week that France's support had been evident 'since the first statements about taking our land emerged' and was both 'necessary and gratifying'.
