All signs US is ready to join Israel in its war against Iran
President Donald Trump met with his national security team on Tuesday to discuss the conflict between Israel and Iran, Bloomberg reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. The 78-year-old's Situation Room meeting, social media messages, and the US Embassy's warnings are among the few signs sparking speculation that Washington might be ready to take part in the war in the Middle East.
Iran is reportedly prepared to strike back at the US if it gets involved in the conflict. Tehran has readied missiles to hit US bases in the Middle East, the New York Times reported. Trump had earlier in the day called for Iran's 'complete surrender', citing the possibility of killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Read More: Trump angry with Tulsi Gabbard? US President rejects his spy chief's Iran testimony; 'I don't care what she…'
Meanwhile, Iran's supremo Ali Khamenei said that he will show Israel 'no mercy' as Tehran launches its second round of missiles within an hour.
"We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime," he said in a Tuesday evening post on X, formerly Twitter. "We will show the Zionists no mercy."
While there is no confirmation that the US will join Israel in its war, here are some telling signs that Trump might take a call soon.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem announced that it will remain closed from Wednesday through Friday. 'As a result of the current security situation and ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, the U.S. Embassy has directed that all U.S. government employees and their family members continue to shelter in place in and near their residences until further notice.'
Initially, Trump supported nuclear talks with Iran, set for Oman on June 15, but by Monday, his tone hardened. He urged Tehran residents to evacuate and met with national security officials. On Tuesday, he claimed US control over Iran's skies on Truth Social, called Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei an 'easy target' and demanded 'unconditional surrender'.
Read More: Iran urges citizens to delete WhatsApp, claims data sent to Israel amid tensions; company reacts
The US bolstered its Middle East presence, deploying KC-135R and KC-46A tankers to Europe and redirecting the USS Nimitz to join the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea. The B-2 bomber, capable of carrying the GBU 57/B bomb needed for Iran's Fordow facility, is stationed at Diego Garcia.
Whiteman Air Force Base heightened security, and non-essential US personnel were authorized to leave posts in Bahrain, Iraq, and Kuwait.
The State Department launched a task force to assist US citizens exiting the region, but spokesperson Tammy Bruce avoided commenting on Trump's statements or diplomatic prospects.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suspended nuclear talks, demanding an end to Israel's strikes. Egyptian mediation efforts yielded no progress.
Vice President JD Vance defended Trump's approach on X, suggesting the president might act to halt Iran's nuclear enrichment but remains focused on U.S. interests. Iran threatened US bases if Washington joins the fight, though no attacks on US facilities have occurred.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
8 minutes ago
- First Post
How Ali Khamenei rose to the top and became Iran's most powerful man
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his latest address to the country said that any 'US military intervention will undoubtedly be met with irreparable harm'. From foreign policy to energy, the 86-year-old has the final say in all matters when it comes to the Islamic Republic. But how did Khamenei, who has ruled Iran for over three decades, become the country's most powerful man? read more A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on November 2, 2024, shows him waving to the crowd during a meeting with Iranian students in Tehran. AFP File As Iran and Israel remain at odds, , all eyes are on one man – Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei isn't just the spiritual leader of Iran – like the Pope for Catholics – he is also the country's unquestioned boss. From foreign policy to energy, the 86-year-old Khamenei has the final say in all matters. He has ruled his country since 1989 – after the passing of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and first Supreme Leader. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But how did Khamenei become Iran's most powerful ma n? Let's take a closer look Origins Khamenei was born in Mashhad – Iran's second largest city – in 1939. Khamenei came from family of clerics. Read Israel Iran conflict live updates Like them, he received a religious education at seminaries in Mashhad before moving to the holy city of Qom. In 1962, Khamenei became involved in political activities against the Shah – who ruled Iran until the revolution in 1979 – as a devoted follower of Khomeini. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led the 1979 Islamic Revolution, removed the Western-backed Shah, and changed Iran forever. Reuters/File Photo Khamenei was reportedly imprisoned many times during protests against the Shah. Later in the 1960s, Khamenei went into exile. However, he returned to Iran after the Shah was overthrown. Climbing up the ranks Khamenei, after the revolution, rose through the ranks of government quickly. By now, he was a close aide of Khomenei – who was the unquestioned leader of the revolution. Khamenei served on Iran's Revolutionary Council, became defence minister and helped create the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC). Khamenei was left paralysed in his right hand after being injured in a bomb blast at a mosque in Tehran. Khamenei then became president of Iran – a largely ceremonial position – after the assassination of Mohammad-Ali Rajai. Khamenei during his time as president would often clash with Mir Hossein Mousavi, who he felt was too much of a reformer. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After Khomeini died in 1989, Khamenei was chosen as his successor by the 88-man Assembly of Experts. This came despite the fact that Khamenei had technically not achieved the rank needed to become the Ayatollah. Khamenei's ascension was achieved by changing the Iranian constitution's requirements on who can become the Ayatollah. The regime also consolidated Khamenei's power by abolishing the post of Prime Minister of Iran. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran. File image/Reuters Khamenei has been critical of both America and Israel, which he has described as a 'cancerous tumour'. Khamenei has seen presidents come and go, but he remains the final authority in Iran. The question of who will succeed Khamenei remains an open one. Ebrahim Raisi, a former president of Iran who was also once head of the judiciary, had once been tipped to replace Khamenei. However, Raisi's death in a helicopter crash in May 2024 has left Khamenei without a successor. Many speculate that Khamenei's son is will now likely succeed him. Khamenei on Saturday had vowed revenge for Israel's attacks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The Iranian Armed Forces will act with strength and will bring the vile Zionist regime to its knees,' Khamenei vowed. He has since rejected US President Donald Trump's call to surrender, warning that the US would face 'irreparable damage'. Khamenei dismissed the 'threatening and absurd statements' by Trump. 'Wise individuals who know Iran, its people, and its history never speak to this nation with the language of threats, because the Iranian nation is not one to surrender,' he said. 'Americans should know that any military involvement by the U.S. will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them.' It has been reported that Trump vetoed an Israeli proposal to kill Khamenei during the opening days of the conflict. With input from agencies
Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
The Persian Mirror: Why Donald Trump has always hated Iran
In 1980, Donald Trump was a 34-year-old real estate loudmouth with a penchant for gold-plated phone calls and third-person self-references. The Iran hostage crisis was America's humiliation du jour, and Trump wasn't yet in politics, but he was already boiling with resentment. When gossip queen Rona Barrett casually asked him how he'd 'make America perfect,' he didn't mention jobs, healthcare, or schools. He went straight for Tehran. 'That they hold our hostages is just absolutely, and totally ridiculous,' he fumed. 'I absolutely feel we should have gone in there with troops.' That was it. The ur-text of Trump's foreign policy worldview. Iran wasn't just a rogue state—it was a middle finger aimed directly at America's masculinity, and by extension, his own. That feeling—of being mocked, of being played—never left him. And now, as the Middle East stands on the edge of a war that could go nuclear, that grudge is finally dictating global events. Interview: Donald Trump with Rona Barrett - October 6, 1980 2025: Trump Is President Again, and the Ghost of 1979 Has Returned This past week, Israel struck dozens of Iranian targets, including two suspected centrifuge manufacturing sites near Tehran. The attacks came after Iran allegedly supplied drones and missile parts to Hezbollah and the Houthis, and following a failed cyber-attack on Israel's nuclear infrastructure. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The retaliation was swift. Iran claimed it had launched hypersonic missiles—marking the first time such weapons were used in the region's history. The death toll has crossed 400. Civilians, not just nuclear scientists, are being buried. The world is on fire. And then Trump entered the chat. Amid the G7 summit in Calgary, President Trump abruptly departed before dessert, citing 'urgent security matters' in the Middle East. The real reason, according to senior officials, was to review contingency plans for a potential strike on Iran's Fordo nuclear facility—one of the most fortified sites in the region. Among the options under discussion: deployment of the GBU-57 bunker-buster, a 13,600-kg ordnance designed to penetrate 60 metres of reinforced rock. Hours later, Trump took to Truth Social with a stark warning: 'Evacuate Tehran. Or don't. I won't warn you again.' He added, with characteristic menace, 'Khamenei is an easy target… but not for now.' This wasn't foreign policy. It was revenge theatre. And the Ayatollah was now cast as the season finale. Khamenei Strikes Back: We Will Show the Zionists No Mercy For six days after the Israeli strikes, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remained silent. No speeches. No statements. Just funeral processions for the IRGC dead. And then came his post on X: 'We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy.' He then warned the United States of 'irreparable damage' if it joined the conflict. Iran's state TV announced the military was on 'maximum readiness. ' Proxies in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon were activated. Iranian hackers reportedly took down water utilities in Tel Aviv suburbs for 20 minutes—enough to make headlines and sow chaos. Khamenei has lost nearly half his inner circle in the last two months—IRGC spymaster Mohammad Kazemi, missile chief Amir Hajizadeh, even commander Hossein Salami. It's no longer just retaliation. It's survival. And Trump is treating it like a mob feud. Soleimani: The Assassination That Set the Tone To understand how Trump processes Iran, rewind to 2020. The drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani wasn't a military necessity. It was a statement. The Pentagon had offered Trump three response options. He picked the most extreme. It wasn't just about Iran. It was about dominance. He didn't brief Congress. He didn't wait for allies. He wanted the world to see America press the button and walk away. After Soleimani, the calculus changed. Trump's supporters chanted 'USA!' as if they'd just won a football match. Iran's missile retaliation targeted US bases in Iraq but carefully avoided fatalities. It was a dance of power—one Trump believed he'd won. He'd not just avenged a general's actions; he had erased what he believed was a generational slight. Now, in 2025, the logic is the same—only grander, meaner, and more desperate. MASH-UP: Trump's al-Baghdadi Speech & Obama's Bin Laden Speech Tucker Carlson vs Trump: The War That Broke MAGA Trump's bunker-buster threats haven't just terrified Iran—they've fractured MAGA unity. Tucker Carlson called the escalation 'reckless,' saying Trump was being 'led around by Bibi's leash.' Marjorie Taylor Greene posted, 'WE DON'T WANT WAR FOR ISRAEL' in full caps. JD Vance, a top contender for VP, warned of 'Vietnam with nukes.' But Trump doesn't blink. Because Iran isn't a nation in his worldview. It's a symbol. Of weakness. Of being laughed at. Of 1979. And Trump is not running for reelection anymore. He has nothing left to lose—except face. So, when Iran enriches uranium, Trump doesn't see a threat. He sees defiance. When Khamenei speaks, Trump hears a taunt. And when Israel bombs Tehran, Trump sees an opportunity to finally finish the fight Carter never could. Trump's Iran Obsession Is Not Strategy. It's Psychology. There's no consistent logic to Trump's Iran doctrine because it's not doctrine. It's emotion, layered with cinema. Iran isn't a geopolitical adversary in the Trump mind palace—it's a recurring villain in a Scorsese remake where Trump is both the Don and the director. This explains why he oscillates so wildly. In 2019, he threatened to obliterate 52 Iranian cultural sites. Days later, he tried to call Rouhani via Macron. Trump doesn't want diplomacy or war. He wants leverage. He wants to stand over the rubble and say, You should've respected me. This is not foreign policy. It's ego therapy with a kill-switch. Fordo, Fantasy, and the Endgame The Fordo nuclear site, buried deep under Iran's mountains near Qom, has long been the red line for Israel and the US. Until now, no military planner has seriously proposed a direct strike—it's too risky, too escalatory, too 2003. But Trump has never been bound by those conventions. According to Pentagon leaks, he has asked whether 'a single clean strike' on Fordo could 'crush their nuclear program and teach them a lesson. ' He reportedly told aides, 'This ends with them kneeling. Or burning.' In Trump's world, it doesn't matter whether Iran is six weeks or six months from a bomb. The point is that they might be. And that, to Trump, is a direct challenge to his manhood, his memory, and his myth. Final Thought: Trump Isn't Bombing Iran. He's Bombing a Memory. Donald Trump's first foreign policy thought was about Iran. Forty-five years later, his last one might be too. This isn't about uranium, or deterrence, or saving Israel. It's about vindication. About erasing a scar that was burned into his perception of American weakness during the Carter years. And in his mind, the only way to erase a humiliation is through annihilation. He's not trying to contain Iran. He's trying to rewrite 1979 with 2025's arsenal. Because this was never really about Iran. It was always about him.
India Gazette
18 minutes ago
- India Gazette
India 'will never accept' third-party mediation on Kashmir
New Delhi has reaffirmed its position of not involving other countries in any bilateral issues with Islamabad India will never accept mediation to resolve its dispute with Islamabad over Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told US President Donald Trump. New Delhi's long-stated position on bilateral issues was reaffirmed by Modi in a 35-minute telephone conversation with Trump on Tuesday, following the US president's unscheduled early exit from the G7 summit in Canada. "PM Modi stressed India has never accepted mediation, does not accept and will never accept it," Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a press briefing on Wednesday. "There is complete political unanimity in India on this," Misri added. During the call, which the Indian foreign secretary said was initiated by the Americans, Trump invited Modi to visit the US after attending the G7 Summit. However, due to prior commitments, the Indian leader had to decline the invitation, Misri added. India's statements rejecting mediation come in the wake of last month's military conflict between the South Asian neighbors. On May 7, India struck suspected terrorist facilities in Pakistan-controlled territory in response to a terror attack (blamed on Islamabad) in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in April. Pakistan retaliated to the Indian strikes and a confrontation ensued till a ceasefire was announced on May 10. Trump took credit for the ceasefire, a claim which he has since made repeatedly. New Delhi has refuted the US president's claim. The phone call between Modi and Trump on Tuesday, takes on added significance in light of a confirmed lunch meeting on Wednesday between the US president and Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, who is currently visiting the US.
