Trump has taken a big step toward restoring the US deterrent after Joe Biden's dismal presidency
Striking a blow for a safe world
FOR all its sabre-rattling, Iran's Islamist regime is utterly reeling from US President Donald Trump's strikes on its nuclear sites.
Thanks to the US and Israel, Tehran had already seen its terror proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis severely weakened.
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Iran no longer holds any influence in Syria and doesn't even control its own airspace.
Meanwhile, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's grip on power at home is slipping.
The battering from President Trump — pummelling Iran's three main sites for enriching uranium — may well have completely knocked out its nuclear threat, too.
The only card the mad mullahs have left to play is a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz — a vital shipping lane for the world's energy.
Those accusing President Trump of war-mongering assert this could drive up oil prices and send shockwaves through the global economy.
But such a gamble would severely hurt China — Iran's biggest oil client — and may also provoke further US strikes.
Trump rightly ignored those who urged him to keep negotiating and let the fundamentalists keep their nuclear ambitions intact.
Instead, Operation Midnight Hammer delivered a stinging message to the world's tyrants that he is prepared to act when necessary.
It also signalled that there is far more to come should Iran now refuse to co-operate.
Trump has taken a big step toward restoring the US deterrent after the dismal Joe Biden Presidency.
Watch Trump hail 'very successful' bombing on Iran's nuke bases
That is very good news for the world.
Sir Keir Starmer has struggled to show firm leadership since Israel first decided to strike against Iran and the US said it might join the fight.
In the days leading up to the US strikes, he was urging 'cool heads' and 'de-escalation'.
That is the standard position of a UK Foreign Office which has entirely lost its way, and whose default position is passivity.
Nevertheless, the Prime Minister did yesterday back the US military action, saying Iran's nuclear programme was a 'grave threat to international security'.
Trump spared Starmer from having to give permission to use our Diego Garcia airbase on the Chagos Islands.
Instead, seven B-2s flew an incredible 13,600-mile non-stop return trip from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to Iran to deliver their huge payload.
What the Prime Minister needs to do now is stand squarely behind the US and Israel, allowing UK forces to help strike down any retaliatory efforts by the Iranians if necessary.
By hugely degrading the threat posed by the hate-filled mullahs of Iran, Trump and the US have done us all a great favour.
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Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
We HATE to bother you on your precious weekend, Albo, but the world's on fire: PETER VAN ONSELEN on the real reasons PM and Penny Wong are so uncomfortable about the US strikes on Iran
They do say you should wait 24 hours before making big decisions, especially when they go against your natural instincts. But Australia's delay in supporting US bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend wasn't a simple case of a slow moving government taking its God-given time. When Donald Trump ordered targeted strikes on Iran most of America's key allies knew exactly what was required: a prompt show of support. The UK and EU delivered, endorsing the importance of preventing Iran developing nuclear weapons. Australia did not. Instead, Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese reached for a generic line about 'de-escalation and diplomacy', issued by an unnamed government spokesperson, ahead of any official statements out of London or Brussels. It was a misfire, both diplomatically and politically. And worst of all it was entirely avoidable, giving at least the impression that even tacit support might not be forthcoming. The government's explanation? They were waiting until the National Security Committee could meet on Monday, with the PM due to speak afterwards. In a moment that called for decisive alignment with our closest ally Australia defaulted to bureaucratic procedure. It is a Monday-to-Friday government in a world that increasingly demands responsiveness around the clock. Former PM Scott Morrison took to morning radio today to point out that he regularly called national security meetings over the weekend on important issues. What was so important this past weekend that Albo and Wong couldn't do the same? There's nothing inherently wrong with caution, of course. In complex security situations there's value in waiting 24 hours before making sweeping public statements. It probably doesn't happen often enough in modern politics. But the government didn't stay silent. As the Prime Minister noted today - responding to criticism - 'we issued a statement yesterday'. They said something very quickly, and it turned out to be out of step with our allies - they misread the room by trying to get ahead of the story and conform with their ideological opposition. They wouldn't be alone in their discomfort on this issue. Trump remains a deeply divisive figure across much of the West. But this wasn't about Trump's domestic politics or his often offensive adversarial style. It was about enforcing red lines on nuclear proliferation, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office. Others understood that, Australia did not, and the misstep could well come with consequences for AUKUS and other entwined relations with the US during the Trump era. Endorsing American military action, particularly under Trump, cuts against Albo and Wong's political instincts. They hail from the now dominant Left wing of the Labor party. That same wing persuaded Simon Crean, as opposition leader, to oppose Australian involvement in the Iraq war at the beginning of this century when John Howard pledged his support to George W Bush. Australia's alliance with the United States isn't conditional on who the president is. If anything, it matters more when the president is unpredictable to affirm our historical ties to the US to help preserve them, years from now, when Trump is gone. Allies as a general rule shouldn't hedge their bets as Albo and Wong tried to do. Trump almost certainly would have noticed the slight. He rewards loyalty and punishes perceived indifference. Whether that's fair or wise is ultimately somewhat beside the point. It's how he operates. The government eventually walked back its initial response, with Wong this morning pledging Australian support in more forthright terms that either the UK or EU had done over the weekend, probably to make up for the misstep. And doing so before the all important National Security Committee meeting anyway. Wong told Channel Nine she backed the attack: 'We support action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon', she said, adding 'and that is what this is.' It is no hanging offence from Wong. But it is a clear mistake, and one that reinforces the growing view that this government struggles when events fall outside its curated schedule. Albanese wants to run a stable, measured administration. Fair enough.
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
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Pauline Hanson demands a major visa ban - as she issues a warning to Australians
has called on the Albanese government to ban visas to Iranians seeking resettlement in Australia, as the One Nation leader warns Australia must remain 'hyper-vigilant' against possible terror attacks. Senator Hanson has written to the Prime Minister to express her support for US President Donald Trump 's decision to 'obliterate' Iran's nuclear facilities on Sunday. 'As a defence ally to the United States, Australia must now remain hyper-vigilant to ensure reprisal attacks do not occur here in our country following threats by Iran's Foreign Minister that strikes would be "very, very dangerous for everybody",' Senator Hanson wrote. 'Your government has remained weak in its response to terrorism against Israel - an intelligence, security and defence partner of Australia. 'I am especially fearful that your Government's position continues to be inadequate against the danger of radical Islam in Australia, which puts the lives of our citizens at greater risk as our terrorism threat remains at "probable".' The terror threat rating means that intelligence services believe 'there is a greater than 50 per cent chance of an onshore attack or attack planning in the next twelve months'. Senator Hanson sought further assurance from the Prime Minister that the government 'will not offer additional visas to Iranians seeking resettlement in Australia'. The Albanese Government dramatically shifted its tone on the US strikes on Monday morning. On Sunday, a government spokesperson offered no endorsement of the US decision to target Iranian nuclear facilities, instead calling 'de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy'. But after the Coalition offered its full support for the 'proactive action', Foreign Minister Penny Wong came out in support of Trump's military intervention. 'The world has agreed Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So yes, we support action to prevent that. And that is what this is,' Senator Wong told ABC's News Breakfast. 'The big question is, now what? And Australia says, like so many other countries, we do not want escalation and a full-scale war, and we continue to call for dialogue and diplomacy.' When asked about the legality of the strikes, Senator Wong said: 'I think we are all clear that Iran… cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So yes, the government does support action to prevent that.' Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed Albanese for failing to speak publicly in the 24 hours after the US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. The Prime Minister is expected to speak after a meeting of the National Security COuncil on Monday morning.
Reuters
21 minutes ago
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Iran tensions make thermal coal a winner against pricier LNG
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