Trump threatens to seize Panama Canal, chief defiant
The Panama Canal handles 5% of global trade, but now, it's facing political turbulence. President Donald Trump claims the US is being overcharged and alleges Chinese influence, threatening to take the canal back by force. In this Talk to Al Jazeera episode, Panama Canal's administrator, Ricaurte Vasquez, addresses the mounting tensions and defends Panama's sovereignty.
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Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
Trump denies US role in Iran attack, warns against strike on Israel
NewsFeed Trump denies US role in Iran attack, warns against strike on Israel US President Donald Trump says he was aware of recent attacks on Iran but insists the United States were not involved militarily. He warned that the US will respond if Iran targets Israel. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher has this update.
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
How US politicians responded to Israel's attacks on Iran
Washington, DC – Less than three hours before Israel launched its first wave of strikes against Iran, United States President Donald Trump reiterated that the United States was committed to further diplomacy with Tehran. The Israeli attacks early on Friday have put those negotiations in jeopardy and raised the risk of an all-out conflict in the Middle East that may involve the US. Israel's strikes came as polar opposites on the right and left ideological spectrum of US politics have urged Trump to resist being dragged by Israel into a war with Iran. But support for Israel in the US political establishment remains formidable despite the cracks that have been showing in recent years, both in public opinion and among politicians. So as the bombs fell on Tehran and other Iranian cities, many American politicians rushed to send 'prayers' for Israel, while others expressed concern – if not outright rejection – over the escalation. Here's how US politicians responded to the events. The Trump administration was quick to distance itself from Israel's attacks, while also warning Iran not to retaliate against US interests in the region. 'Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. 'Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,' Rubio said. Trump later reiterated Rubio's message, telling Fox News that the US is 'hoping to get back to the negotiating table' with Iran. But it is highly unlikely that diplomacy between Washington and Tehran will continue – at least in the near future. Early reports from Iran indicate that Tehran will not attend the sixth round of nuclear negotiations with the US that are scheduled to take place in Oman on Sunday. Numerous members of Trump's Republican Party in Congress were quick to voice support for Israel, with many calling for prayers for the US allies, although it was Israel that initiated the attack on Iran. At least three lawmakers – Katie Britt, Rick Scott and Gary Palmer – used the exact words 'Please join me in praying for Israel' in their statements. House Speaker Mike Johnson also showed unflinching support for Israel. 'Israel IS right – and has a right – to defend itself!' Johnson wrote in a social media post featuring the Israeli flag. Senate Majority Leader John Thune's defence of Israel was slightly less effusive, as he focused his statement on US interests. 'The United States Senate stands ready to work with President Trump and with our allies in Israel to restore peace in the region and, first and foremost, to defend the American people from Iranian aggression, especially our troops and civilians serving overseas,' Thune wrote in a social media post. 'Iran should heavily consider the consequences before considering any action against Americans in the region.'Hawkish Republican Senator Lindsey Graham – a Trump ally – was among the first lawmakers to comment on the strikes. 'Game on. Pray for Israel,' he wrote in a social media post. Despite assertions by some critics that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the bombing of Iran to sabotage Trump's diplomacy with Tehran, most of the US president's political party has come out in favour of the strikes. Several Democrats criticised the strikes outright, stressing that war with Iran would not serve US interests. Senator Chris Murphy said the Israeli strikes are 'clearly intended to scuttle' the Trump administration's diplomacy with Iran. 'This is a disaster of Trump and Netanyahu's own making, and now the region risks spiralling toward a new, deadly conflict,' Murphy said in a statement. 'A war between Israel and Iran may be good for Netanyahu's domestic politics, but it will likely be disastrous for both the security of Israel, the United States, and the rest of the region.' He added that the US has 'no obligation' to follow Israel into a war with Iran. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, also called on Trump to push for de-escalation. 'Israel's alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence,' Reed said in a statement. 'I urge both nations to show immediate restraint, and I call on President Trump and our international partners to press for diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control.' Congressman Joaquin Castro noted that US officials were set to hold talks with Iran on Sunday. 'This attack by Netanyahu is pure sabotage,' Castro said in a social media post. 'What does 'America First' even mean if Trump allows Netanyahu to drag the country into a war Americans don't want?' The Israeli strikes have also highlighted the split within the Democratic Party on Israel, as some lawmakers voiced unreserved backing for the US ally despite criticism by their colleagues. Congressman Ritchie Torress claimed that Israel – which has its own undeclared nuclear arsenal and is accused by UN experts and major rights groups of carrying out a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza – is 'defending itself'. Senator John Fetterman rejoiced in the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Hossein Salami. He wrote, 'thank u, next' in response to the US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard said earlier this year that Washington 'continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon', several lawmakers portrayed the Israeli attacks as an effort to stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. 'America and the World will never be safe with a nuclear-capable Iran which would bring an existential threat to Israel and constant instability to the region,' Congressman George Latimer said. 'I support Israel's right to defend itself,' he added.
Qatar Tribune
12 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Iran doubles down as US signals Israel could strike during nuclear talks
agencies Tehran, Iran Iranian authorities have remained defiant amid concerns that Israel could launch an attack on Iran as the global nuclear watchdog adopts another Western-led censure resolution. Even as Oman confirmed on Thursday that it will host a sixth round of talks on Sunday between Iran and the United States over Tehran's nuclear programme, reports by outlets such as The New York Times, quoting officials in the US and Europe, warned that Israel is 'ready' to attack Iran, even without military backing from Washington. Israel has long threatened to attack Iran's nuclear sites. The administration of US President Donald Trump also carried out a partial evacuation of embassy staff in Iraq and dependants of US personnel across the Middle East in a sign of escalating tension in the region. 'I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen,' said Trump at a White House event on Thursday, commenting on the likelihood of an Israeli strike. 'We will not give in to America's coercion and bullying,' Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised speech in the western city of Ilam on Thursday, pointing out that Iran resisted eight years of invasion in the 1980s by neighbouring Iraq, which was backed by many foreign powers. Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), told state television that if Israel attacks, it would be met with a 'history-making' response that would go far beyond Iran's two rounds of retaliatory strikes on Israel last year. He said Iran is not 'defenceless and encircled' like Gaza, where the Israeli military has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023. Speaking to a crowd in Tehran, IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani said Iran's armed forces have made significant strides in improving their attacking capabilities in the months since the previous missile barrages launched against Israel. 'If they think the axis of resistance and Iran have been weakened and then boast based on that, it is all a dream,' said the commander, who leads the external force of the IRGC, which is tasked with expanding Iran's regional influence. Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, announced on Thursday that he has given the order to launch more military exercises after a series of large-scale drills were held across Iran earlier this year. After days of deliberation, the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday passed a resolution to censure Iran over its advancing nuclear programme and several outstanding cases involving unexplained nuclear materials found at Iranian sites. The resolution was put forward in Vienna by the US along with France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the three European nations who are still party to Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which Trump unilaterally abandoned in 2018.
