Marc Champion: Benjamin Netanyahu's big gamble risks Iran building nuclear bomb more quickly
©Washington Post
There are three immediate questions to answer about the war that Israel has started with Iran, all of which lead to the most important of all: Can this achieve Israel's stated goal of ensuring, once and for all, that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon?
If it can, then prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to launch Israeli jets against a much larger nation of close to 90 million people would, depending on the nature of the targets struck and level of civilian casualties, be justified on both strategic and moral grounds.
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Irish Daily Mirror
35 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
WW3 fears amid calls for de-escalation of Middle East conflict
Israel has issued a grave warning to Tehran, saying it will "burn" after retaliatory strikes killed three civilians near Tel Aviv. "The Iranian dictator is taking the citizens of Iran hostage," Israel Katz said. "It is bringing about a reality in which they, and especially Tehran's residents, will pay a heavy price for the flagrant harm inflicted upon Israel's citizens," he continued. "If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn." Iran has also issued a warning to western nations this morning, including the UK, France and US, that it will strike military bases and ships if it continues to support Israel. Iran's state-owned Mehr News Agency issued the grave warning, saying: "Any country that participates in repelling Iran's attacks on Israel will be subject to Iranian forces targeting all regional bases of the complicit government, including military bases in the Persian Gulf countries and ships and naval vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea." It comes as Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he is 'alarmed' by the strikes overnight and is expected to spend the day in crisis talks with counterparts across the Middle East and elsewhere. Israel is continuing air strikes on Iran after an initial attack killed six nuclear scientists and top Iranian commanders. Iran's U.N. ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded by IDF strikes overnight on Saturday with at least five top ranking Revolutionary Guard figures perishing. For live updates, follow our blog below... Protesters have taken part in anti-Israel and anti-US demonstrations in Tehran, Iran. On Saturday, marchers gathered at Enghelab Square after walking from Azadi and Imam Hussein Squares, chanting slogans such as "Revenge, revenge," and calling for stronger retaliation against Israel. Demonstrators held Iranian flags and carried posters of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Three drones were launched toward a base housing U.S. forces in Iraq following Israel's strikes on Iran, a US military official and a second US official said on Saturday. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. The drones were shot down, the officials said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq. Iran state TV claimed that "heavy and destructive" attacks against Israel are expected within the coming hours. Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues to strike several targets across Iran. Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday, the French President's office said. Macron called "for the utmost restraint to avoid escalation," the statement said, and urged his Iranian counterpart to return to the negotiation table quickly: "The Iranian nuclear issue … must be solved through negotiation." He also demanded the immediate release of two French nationals, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, held hostage by the Iranian regime for over three years, Macron's office said. Today, Macron also spoke on the phone with Donald Trump about the situation in the Middle-East. The PM added: "We do have long-standing concerns about the nuclear programme Iran has. "We do recognize Israel's right to self defence, but I'm absolutely clear that this needs to de-escalate. There is a huge risk of escalation for the region. More widely in terms of conflict, you can see the impact already on the economy and oil prices. "And of course, all of this is linked to what's going on in Gaza. So you can see why my strong position is this needs to de-escalate, and that is the primary focus of the discussions that I've been having and will continue to be." Mr Starmer also refused to say whether the UK had been given advanced notice of Israel's strike. Speaking to reporters, the Prime Minister said: "I will always make the right decisions for the UK and our allies. "We are moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support in the region. I will be clear-eyed in relation to our duties and obligations and my duties as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom." Pressed on whether the assets in the region would be involved in defending Israel, the PM told reporters he would not "get into operational issues". Keir Starmer revealed tonight extra British military assets, including fighter jets, will be deployed to the Middle East as fears grow over an all-out war in the region. The Prime Minister described the assets as "contingency support" and it is understood aircraft began deployment preparations on Friday. The UK already has jets in the region as part of its Operation Shader contribution. The PM also urged the Iranian regime and Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government to de-escalate and pull back from the brink as he flew to the G7 in Canada. You can read more here. Trump described the regional situation as "very alarming," Ushakov said, but acknowledged the "effectiveness" of Israel's strikes on targets in Iran. The leaders did not rule out a possible return to negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, according to Ushakov. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a 50-minute phone call on Saturday to discuss the escalating situation in the Middle East and Ukraine peace talks, the Russian President's aide Yuri Ushakov said. During the conversation, Putin briefed Trump on his recent talks with the leaders of Iran and Israel and reiterated Russia's proposal to seek mutually acceptable solutions on the Iranian nuclear issue. "The dangerous escalation of the situation in the Middle East was naturally at the centre of the exchange of opinions," Ushakov told journalists following the conversation between Putin and Trump . Trump described the regional situation as "very alarming" and neither leader ruled out a possible return to negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, according to Ushakov. According to Ushakov, Putin told Trump about the implementation of the agreements during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, including the exchange of prisoners of war. This image shows destroyed buildings following Iranian military attacks in Rishon LeZion, Israel. Croatia's consul in Israel and his wife were lightly injured when Iran launched missile strikes on Tel Aviv, Croatia's Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman has said. He wrote on X: "I am shaken by the news that our consul and his wife were injured in the attack on Tel Aviv. The building they live in was hit. "I spoke with them and, fortunately, their injuries are minor and they are not in any life-threatening condition." An Israeli drone has struck a refinery in Iran's South Pars gas field on Saturday, semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported. If confirmed, it would mark the first Israeli attack on Iran's oil and natural gas industry. Israel did not immediately acknowledge the attack. Such sites do have air defense systems around them, which Israel has been targeting since Friday. The Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported the strike, saying it happened in Phase 14 of the field. Iran shares the gas field, which stretches across the Persian Gulf, with Qatar. Oman's foreign minister says planned talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme "will not now take place" after Israel's strikes targeting the Islamic Republic. Badr al-Busaidi made the announcement on social media on Saturday. It comes after Iran's foreign minister said any talks would be 'unjustifiable' amid the ongoing attacks. Oman has been mediating the talks. "The Iran US talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place," al-Busaidi wrote. "But diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace." A sixth round was due to happen in Muscat, Oman's capital, before the Israeli strikes began Friday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued new threats to Iran, while saying his country's military was destroying Tehran's ability to manufacture ballistic missiles. "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. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to help resolve issues surrounding Iran's nuclear programme and to assist in de-escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the conversation, initiated by the Iranian side, followed a call Friday between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian. The ministry said Russia reiterated its condemnation of Israel's military actions against Iran, calling them a violation of the UN charter and international law. This image shows Iranian Red Crescent volunteers working in a Tehran neighbourhood hit by a reported Israeli strike. Talks that were due to take place between the US and Iran tomorrow have been cancelled, a spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said. The two nations were set to meet in Muscat, Oman, for a sixth round of talks over Tehran's nuclear program - but the meeting will no longer go ahead following Israel's attack on Iran yesterday. Iranian state media Mehr News reported that Esmaeil Baghaei said: "The United States has supported the Zionist regime's aggression, including the targeting of Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities. "Participating in talks with a party that is the principal supporter and accomplice of the aggressor is fundamentally meaningless." The US hasn't officially confirmed or denied the reports. Donald Trump will be monitoring the situation between Israel and Iran and developments across the Middle East all day, a White House official told NBC News. Later today, the US President will attend a military parade in Washington DC to celebrate the army's 250th anniversary. Israeli warplanes hit more than 400 targets across Iran in the past 24 hours as part of Operation "Rising Lion," including dozens of missile sites and air defense systems in Tehran, the military said. Separately, it said over 20 senior Iranian commanders were eliminated, including top intelligence and missile officials. Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin said the road to Tehran was now "open," calling the strikes the deepest ever carried out by the Israeli Air Force. The Grand Egyptian Museum will open later this year because of the Israeli-Iranian escalation, authorities said on Saturday. The mega-project near the famed Giza Pyramids was sent to open on July 3. However, the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said the opening was moved to the fourth quarter of 2025, without giving a date and citing ongoing regional developments. The museum has been under construction for about two decades. Some sections have been open since 2022 for limited tours. However, its overall opening has been repeatedly delayed for a number of reasons, including because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister spoke to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, on Saturday afternoon, and Foreign Secretary David Lammy was expected to spend the day in talks with counterparts across the Middle East and elsewhere. A Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir and the Crown Prince spoke on Saturday afternoon. According to a read-out of the conversation issued by Number 10, 'they discussed the gravely concerning situation in the Middle East and agreed on the need to de-escalate'. 'The Prime Minister updated on his conversations with partners so far, and reiterated that the UK is poised to work closely with its allies in the coming days to support a diplomatic resolution.' At least 23 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to medics, most of them near an aid distribution site. Staff at al Awda and al Aqsa hospitals in central Gaza said at least 15 people were killed as they tried to approach the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid centre near the Netzarim corridor. They said the rest were killed in separate attacks across the territory. Sir Keir Starmer and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman have "agreed on the need to de-escalate" the conflict between Iran and Israel, Downing Street has said. The two leaders spoke on Saturday afternoon, according to a read-out issued by Number 10. A Downing Street spokesperson said: "They discussed the gravely concerning situation in the Middle East and agreed on the need to de-escalate. "The Prime Minister updated on his conversations with partners so far, and reiterated that the UK is poised to work closely with its allies in the coming days to support a diplomatic resolution." A phone alert from Israel's Home Front Command has warned f incoming rocket and missile fire. James Eden who is stranded in Jerusalem during a wave of Iranian missile attacks has described the city as a "ghost town" and said he feels "abandoned" by the Foreign Office. Mr Eden, 72, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, flew to Israel on Monday for a short pilgrimage to visit Christian sites he first saw two decades ago. Israel has given its first report of wounded soldiers since Iran retaliated last night. The military said seven were lightly wounded in central Israel, though they wouldn't say exactly where. They were taken to hospital briefly, they added, before being sent home. No further details were given. Footage shared by an affiliate of Iran's state TV showed a fire after an Israeli strike at Zagros Khodro, a former car manufacturing plant in Borujerd. The state-run IRNA news agency also reported an Israeli strike on Saturday around Abadan in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province. Other strikes appeared to be happening in Kermanshah near a military barracks. The Israeli military says seven soldiers were lightly wounded on Friday night in an Iranian missile strike in central Israel. It says they were briefly hospitalized and sent home. This is the first report of military casualties in the operation. It gave no further details on where the soldiers were located. David Lammy has said he is 'alarmed' by the strikes in the Middle East overnight. In a post on X, the Foreign Secretary said: 'Alarmed by further strikes in the Middle East overnight, with reports of fatalities and injuries in Israel. 'We must urgently de-escalate & prevent any further harm to civilians. Following the Prime Minister's call with PM Netanyahu, I spoke to Iranian FM Araghchi to urge calm.' Alarmed by further strikes in the Middle East overnight, with reports of fatalities and injuries in Israel. We must urgently de-escalate & prevent any further harm to civilians. Following the Prime Minister's call with PM Netanyahu, I spoke to Iranian FM Araghchi to urge calm. David Lammy is expected to spend the day in talks with counterparts across the Middle East after Iran launched retaliatory attacks against Israel overnight. The Foreign Secretary will be briefed by officials on Saturday and will speak to figures in the Middle East and elsewhere. It comes after conversations with representatives from Iran, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as well as European foreign ministers on Friday. The Esfahan and Natanz nuclear sites in Iran have been significantly damaged in strikes, according to reports from the Reuters news agency. The Israeli official tells Reuters that over 150 targets in Iran have been attacked. Most drones and missiles that have been launched towards Israel have been intercepted, the official says. They also said the nuclear facilities in Esfahan and Natanz have been "significantly damaged" and that i will take weeks for the damage to be fixed. New pictures from the Fars news agency also show smoke rising in Tabriz, northern Iran, after an earlier strike was reported there this morning.
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Zelensky warns oil price surge could help Russia's war effort in Ukraine
A sharp rise in global oil prices after Israeli strikes on Iran will benefit Russia and bolster its military capabilities in the war in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has said. The Ukrainian president told journalists in Kyiv that the surge in oil prices threatens Ukraine's position on the battlefield, especially because western allies have not enforced effective price caps on Russian oil exports. 'The strikes led to a sharp increase in the price of oil, which is negative for us,' Mr Zelensky said. 'The Russians are getting stronger due to greater income from oil exports.' Global oil prices rose as much as 7% after Israel and Iran exchanged attacks over the past 48 hours, raising concerns that further escalation could disrupt oil exports from the Middle East. We would like aid to Ukraine not to decrease because of this. Last time, this was a factor that slowed down aid to Ukraine. Mr Zelensky said he planned to raise the issue in a conversation with US President Donald Trump. 'In the near future, I will be in contact with the American side, I think with the president, and we will raise this issue,' he said. He also expressed concern that US military aid could be diverted away from Ukraine towards Israel during renewed tensions in the Middle East. 'We would like aid to Ukraine not to decrease because of this,' he said. 'Last time, this was a factor that slowed down aid to Ukraine.' Ukraine's military needs have been sidelined by the US in favour of supporting Israel, Mr Zelensky said, citing a shipment of 20,000 interceptor missiles, designed to counter Iran-made Shahed drones, which had been intended for Ukraine but were redirected to Israel. 'And for us it was a blow,' he said. 'When you face 300 to 400 drones a day, most are shot down or go off course, but some get through. We were counting on those missiles.' An air defence system, Barak-8, promised to Ukraine by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu was sent to the US for repairs but never delivered to Ukraine, he added. The Ukrainian president conceded that momentum for the Coalition of the Willing, a group of 31 countries which have pledged to strengthen support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, has slowed because of US ambivalence over providing a backstop. 'This situation has shown that Europe has not yet decided for itself that it will be with Ukraine completely if America is not there,' he said. The offer of a foreign troop 'reassurance force' pledged by the coalition is still on the table 'but they need a backstop, as they say, from America' Mr Zelensky said. 'This means that suddenly, if something happens, America will be with them and with Ukraine.' The Ukrainian president also said the presence of foreign contingents in Ukraine would act as a security guarantee and allow Kyiv to make territorial compromises, which is the first time he has articulated a link between the reassurance force and concessions Kyiv is willing to make in negotiations with Russia. 'It is simply that their presence gives us the opportunity to compromise, when we can say that today our state does not have the strength to take our territories within the borders of 1991,' he said. But Europe and Ukraine are still waiting on strong signals from Mr Trump. Without major US sanctions against Russia, 'I will tell you frankly, it will be very difficult for us', Mr Zelensky said, adding that it would then fall on Europe to step up military aid to Ukraine. In other developments, Russia repatriated more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Russian officials said on Saturday, cited by Russian state media. The officials said Ukraine did not return any bodies to Russia on Saturday. Ukraine's Co-ordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed in a statement that Russia had returned 1,200 bodies. The first round of the staggered exchanges took place on Monday. The agreement to exchange prisoners of war and the bodies of soldiers was the only tangible outcome of the talks in Istanbul on June 2. Continuing a renewed battlefield push along eastern and north-eastern parts of the 600-mile front line, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed on Saturday that its troops had captured another village in the Donetsk region, Zelenyi Kut. Russia launched 58 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight into Saturday, according to the Ukrainian air force, which said its air defences destroyed 23 drones while another 20 were jammed. Russia's Defence Ministry said it shot down 66 Ukrainian drones overnight.
RTÉ News
10 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Israel-Iran conflict: What we know
Israel targeted Iran's air defence capabilities this morning, pressing on with a wave of massive attacks it began a day earlier that targeted Iranian nuclear and military facilities, prompting counterattacks by Iran. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that "Tehran will burn" if Iran fires more missiles at Israel. In a televised address last night, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to bring Israel "to ruin". International calls for restraint are multiplying, as fears grow the Middle East could be on the threshold of a broader conflict. Here is what we know. Targeting air defences Israel's military said this morning it was striking dozens of missile launchers in Iran after announcing it had targeted air defences with a wave of strikes in the Tehran area. The Israeli air force "continues striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran", the military said in a statement. It said that overnight, the air force "struck dozens of targets, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of the effort to damage the Iranian regime's aerial defence capabilities in the area of Tehran". Iran's response Israel said dozens of missiles - some intercepted - had been fired in the latest salvos from Iran, with images of the city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv showing blown-out buildings, destroyed vehicles and streets strewn with debris. Israeli rescuers said two people were killed and 19 wounded this morning by rocket fire on a residential area in the coastal plain. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked dozens of targets in Israel. Nuclear talks? The fiercest exchange of fire between arch foes Iran and Israel came amid ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington seeking to reach a deal on Iran's nuclear programme. Before the Israeli strikes, they were set to hold a sixth round of negotiations in Oman tomorrow, but Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said: "It is still unclear what decision we will make for Sunday." Tehran has consistently denied seeking to develop a nuclear weapon but had been enriching uranium to 60% - far above the 3.67% limit set by a largely obsolete 2015 agreement with major powers. However, Iran's 60% enrichment level is still short of the 90% threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. More Iranian generals killed Iranian state media reported that General Gholamreza Mehrabi, deputy head of intelligence of the armed forces general staff, and General Mehdi Rabbani, deputy head of operations, "were martyred". Top brass killed yesterday included the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, and armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, with replacements swiftly named by supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The Revolutionary Guards said its aerospace commander Amirali Hajizadeh was also killed. He was in charge of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal. Iranian media said this morning that three more nuclear scientists were killed, bringing the total to nine - a toll that Israel also reported. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said 78 people had been killed and 320 wounded in the first wave of strikes by Israel. Nuclear sites hit Israel's attacks started in the early hours of yesterday, a day of rest and prayer in Iran, and continued through the day, at various sites. A key target was a vast underground uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, which Israel hit several times, according to Iranian state television. Israel said another strike late last night on Iran's uranium conversion plant in Isfahan damaged infrastructure for reconverting enriched uranium.
