Nationwide "No Kings" Rallies Challenge Trump's Flag Day Parade Firstpost America
Nationwide "No Kings" Rallies Challenge Trump's Flag Day Parade | Firstpost America | N18G
Nationwide "No Kings" Rallies Challenge Trump's Flag Day Parade | Firstpost America | N18G
As Trump gears up for a grand military parade in Washington to mark the Army's 250th anniversary—coinciding with his 79th birthday and Flag Day—Americans across all 50 states are rallying in protest. The "No Kings" movement, led by the 50501 coalition, has organised nearly 2,000 demonstrations nationwide to reject what they call Trump's authoritarian leadership. With no events planned in D.C, the flagship rally will be held in Philadelphia, while major cities like Chicago prepare for large, peaceful crowds. Protesters aim to challenge billionaire-first politics and the militarisation of democracy. Organisers emphasise nonviolence, urging participants to avoid confrontation and remain peaceful. Watch for more.
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Business Standard
10 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Despite close ties with Iran, Russia stands aside as Israel attacks
Iran aided the Kremlin with badly needed drones in the first year of its Ukraine invasion, helped Moscow build out a critical factory to make drones at home and inked a new strategic partnership treaty this year with President Vladimir V. Putin, heralding closer ties, including in defense. But five months after that treaty was signed, the government in Iran is facing a grave threat to its rule from attacks by Israel. And Russia, beyond phone calls and condemnatory statements, is nowhere to be found. Iranian nuclear facilities and energy installations have been damaged, and many of the country's top military leaders killed, in a broad Israeli onslaught that began Friday and has since expanded, with no sign that Moscow will come to Tehran's aid. 'Russia, when it comes to Iran, must weigh the possibility of a clash with Israel and the United States, so saving Iran is obviously not worth it,' said Nikita Smagin, an expert on Russia-Iran relations. 'For Russia, this is just a fact.' The situation reflects a dispassionate political calculus by Moscow, which is prioritizing its own war against Ukraine, as well as its need to maintain warm relations with other partners in the Middle East, which have helped Moscow survive Western economic sanctions, analysts say. Putin, the analysts add, doesn't want Iran to have nuclear weapons and also wants to keep improving relations with President Trump, who has called on Iran to make a deal on its nuclear program to end the attacks. Russia is also benefiting from a spike in oil prices since the attack began. Analysts say Putin is unlikely to become involved militarily in the conflict or to arm Tehran too aggressively. In part, this caution arises from fear of alienating the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, two increasingly important partners for Moscow that wouldn't welcome a more powerful Iran. But it's also because his forces are already tied down in Ukraine. So instead, Moscow is positioning itself to be relevant in talks to end the fighting. That marks a shift from how Russia responded a decade ago, when another regional partner faced a dire threat. In Syria, the Kremlin mounted a military intervention to shore up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The effort ultimately failed in December, when al-Assad's rule collapsed. Half a year later, Moscow now faces a further possible erosion of its regional influence. 'The real issue for Moscow is what can they afford to send the Iranians at this point as far as military equipment is concerned, given the demands of the conflict against Ukraine?' said Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. In calls with Trump, Putin has offered to help with Iran negotiations, possibly in part to convince Washington that there are other benefits to normalizing relations with Russia, even if Putin won't grant the White House's demands to end the war against Ukraine. Putin called the leaders of both Iran and Israel after the attacks began and briefed Trump on the content of those conversations, the Kremlin said. In recent days, Russia's Foreign Ministry noted that the United States stood ready to continue talks with Iran over the nuclear program, hinting that Tehran should consider returning to the table. Russia has also offered to take Iran's highly enriched uranium. 'There is a desire to reset this relationship and present yourself to the Americans as an interlocutor on all things in global affairs, including the Iranian nuclear dossier, without actually talking about Ukraine with any kind of substance,' said Hanna Notte, director of the Eurasia program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif. But Putin risks alienating the Iranians, who have long distrusted Moscow and feared that the Kremlin could make a bargain with the White House and 'throw Tehran under the bus,' Notte said. Regardless, negotiations could still be far away, despite the Kremlin's offer to facilitate them. Israel expanded its targets on Monday to include the Iranian state broadcaster and Iran's elite Quds Force. Responding to a question at a news conference on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel didn't rule out the possibility that Iran's government would collapse. Russia has long had a robust relationship with Iran, becoming the country's largest foreign investor last year. It has supplied arms to Iran for years but has stopped short of providing the full suite of weaponry that Tehran wants. Until recently, Putin cultivated friendly relations with Israel, complicating his provision of sophisticated arms to Iran. He also developed deeper ties with Gulf nations opposed to seeing Tehran amass greater military might. 'Iran has been asking Russia for weapons for the last few years,' Smagin said. 'It has been asking for aircraft, it has been asking for air defense syste Russia has given practically nothing.' 'Overall, this, of course, leads to the weakening of Russia's positions in the Middle East,' Smagin said. 'This is certain.'
India.com
11 minutes ago
- India.com
India-Pakistan Ties: Did Modi Outmanoeuvre Trump On Munir Meeting?
Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir is on a visit to the United States where President Donald Trump will be hosting him for lunch. While Pakistan sees this as a diplomatic victory, India has already made things clear to the United States, highlighting that no third-party mediation will be accepted between India and Pakistan. Notably, after returning from the G7 summit in Canada, Trump tried to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US for a brief stopover, at the same time when Munir would be at the White House. Did Trump just try to set up an unexpected India-Pakistan meeting at the White House so as to affirm his claim that he brokered peace between the two warring nations? Social media users were quick to spot this diplomatic anomaly by Trump. If that is the case, PM Modi appears to have seen through Trump's trap and not only refused the invite but also clarified India's policy on Pakistan. Trump fails to understand that India is in a civilizational struggle with a delusional Pakistan that wants to revive the Mughal Empire. The US president very sneakily attempted to bring Prime Minister Modi into the same room with Pakistan's failed Army Chief Field Marshal "Mad… — Paul Antonopoulos (@oulosP) June 18, 2025 Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump held a half-an-hour long telephonic conversation on Wednesday where the US President invited PM Modi to stop over in the US. However, due to prior engagements, PM Modi had to decline the offer. Not only this, PM Modi also told Trump and cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was on Islamabad's request and no third party played any role in this. "PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this entire series of incidents, never were talks held at any level on India-America trade deal and mediation between India and Pakistan by America. The talks regarding cessation of military action were held directly between India and Pakistan under the existing channels established between both militaries, it was done at Pakistan's request," said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, detailing the conversation between the two leaders. During the conversation, which lasted over half an hour, PM Modi briefed the US President about India's Operation Sindoor and firmly conveyed the message that India has never accepted and will never accept mediation on the issues with Pakistan, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri informed on Wednesday. Misri added, "Prime Minister Modi stressed that India has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never accept it. There is complete political unanimity in India on this issue." The remarks come after the US President had time and again claimed that he had used trade as a means for the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan. Foreign Secretary Misri said, "The meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump was scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the G7 summit. President Trump had to return to the US early, due to which this meeting could not take place. After this, at the request of President Trump, the two leaders spoke on the phone today." Notably, PM Modi told the US President that India no longer views terrorism as a proxy war, and India's Operation Sindoor is still ongoing. The cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan came on May 10 after India's 'Operation Sindoor', launched in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Mint
14 minutes ago
- Mint
‘Americans should know…': Iran's Khamenei warns Trump of ‘irreparable damage' in event of US strike
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a stern warning on Wednesday in response to US President Donald Trump's demand for Iran to surrender unconditionally. Khamenei cautioned that any military action by the United States would result in 'serious and irreparable consequences'. In a message posted on X, Khamenei stated, 'Those familiar with Iran's history would never address this nation with threats, as the Iranian people will never surrender. The Americans must understand that any military intervention will inflict irreversible damage.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in power since 1989 and the final arbiter of all matters of state in Iran, has made few public pronouncements since Israel launched its assault on Friday. 'Will not surrender,' said a resolute Iran's Supreme Leader in response to Donald Trump's demand for unconditional surrender. On Tuesday, Donald Trump issued a series of warnings to Iran, calling Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei an 'easy target' and saying that America's 'patience is wearing thin.' 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. In a one-line follow-up post, Trump wrote in all caps: 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.' US President Donald Trump is growing increasingly warm to using US military assets to strike Iranian nuclear facilities and souring on the idea of a diplomatic solution to end Tehran's escalating conflict with Israel, two officials familiar with the ongoing discussions told CNN. The new, more hawkish posture represents a significant shift in Trump's thinking, though the sources said Trump remains open to a diplomatic solution — if Iran makes significant concessions. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had issued a sharp warning to Israel on Tuesday, declaring that the country 'will be punished for its mistake,' according to a live broadcast of his address reported by Mehr News Agency. While Khamenei did not specify the nature of the 'mistake,' his comments signal Tehran's strong retaliatory stance. 'The Zionist regime must know that the era of hit-and-run is over,' Khamenei said. 'They will be punished for the crime they have committed.' Khamenei said in a post on X: 'In the name of the noble Haidar, the battle begins.' Haidar is a name often used for Ali, who Shia Muslims consider the first Imam and successor to the Prophet Mohammed. Iran's leader also posted on his English-language X account, 'We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy,' Khamenei. Air defences are repelling projectiles over Tehran after Israel's air force said it was carrying out strikes on the Iranian capital. Israelis were also warned about incoming Iranian missiles, and explosions were heard in Tel Aviv, CNN reported.
