Trump says he may support Israel-Iran ceasefire ‘depending on circumstances'
US President Donald Trump talking to reporters upon his arrival in Morristown, New Jersey, on June 20. PHOTO: REUTERS
Trump says he may support Israel-Iran ceasefire 'depending on circumstances'
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said on June 20 he might support a ceasefire in the week-old aerial conflict between US ally Israel and its regional rival Iran 'depending on the circumstances'.
Asked by reporters if he would support a ceasefire while negotiations are ongoing, Mr Trump said: 'I might, depending on the circumstances.'
Europe would not be able to help much in the war between Iran and Israel, Mr Trump added.
'Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one,' Mr Trump said.
Iran's foreign minister met European counterparts in Geneva on June 20 for talks aimed at establishing a path back to diplomacy over Iran's nuclear programme.
European foreign ministers urged Iran to engage with Washington over its nuclear programme, but the talks ended with few signs of progress.
'Well, I'm not going to talk about ground forces, because the last thing you want to do is ground forces,' Mr Trump said, when asked if ground forces would be needed to defeat Iran.
The air war began on June 13 when Israel attacked Iran and has raised alarms in a region that has been on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.
Mr Trump and the White House say he will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war.
Mr Trump has kept the world guessing on his plans, veering from proposing a swift diplomatic solution to suggesting Washington might join the fighting on Israel's side.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons, and said it struck Iran to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
Iran, which says its nuclear programme is peaceful, has retaliated with its own strikes on Israel. Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Israel is not.
Israel's strikes have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Israel says Iranian attacks have killed 24 civilians in Israel. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Vance, in Los Angeles, says troops need to stay and blasts Newsom over immigration
US Vice-President JD Vance greeting US Marines at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles, on June 20. PHOTO: REUTERS Vance, in Los Angeles, says troops need to stay and blasts Newsom over immigration LOS ANGELES - US Vice-President JD Vance on June 20 met troops who have been deployed in Los Angeles to quell protests against immigration raids, as he accused the Democratic state and city leaders of encouraging immigrants to cross the US border illegally. Mr Vance, who met some of the 700 US Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops recently deployed to Los Angeles by Republican President Donald Trump, also accused the Democratic leaders of failing to support local law enforcement. Mr Trump deployed the California National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this month, against the wishes of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, to quell protests triggered by immigration raids on workplaces by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. A US appeals court on June 19 let Mr Trump retain control of California's National Guard. The president's decision to send troops into Los Angeles prompted a national debate about the use of the military on US soil and inflamed political tensions in the country's second most-populous city. Mr Vance said the court's decision made clear that Mr Trump's troop deployment 'was a completely legitimate and proper use of federal law enforcement'. He gave no indication of when the Marines and National Guard would leave Los Angeles, and hinted that they might stay in the city for some time. 'The soldiers and Marines are still very much a necessary part of what's going on here, because they're worried that it's going to flare back up,' he said. He accused Mr Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of failing to crack down on people in the city illegally, and of failing to support local and state law enforcement. 'They have treated Border Patrol and border enforcement as somehow an illegitimate force, instead of what they are, which is the American people's law enforcement trying to enforce the American people's laws,' he said. Mr Newsom is tipped to mount a presidential bid in 2028, and could conceivably face off against Mr Vance. Ms Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Mr Newsom, called Mr Vance's claim 'categorically false'. 'The Governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear,' she said. She cited posts Mr Newsom made on X, including one on June 9 when he said, 'Foolish agitators who take advantage of Trump's chaos will be held accountable'. Mr Newsom has said Mr Trump's deployment of troops exacerbated the protests, increased tensions and is unconstitutional. Ms Bass, the Los Angeles mayor, speaking at a press conference, said Mr Vance had spewed 'lies and nonsense' and called the deployment of troops a 'provocation' that has spread 'terror and fear throughout our city'. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
35 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Iran, Israel launch new attacks after Tehran rules out nuclear talks
A fragment falls through the sky after Israel's Iron Dome intercepted a missile launched from Iran towards Israel, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen A missile launched from Iran is intercepted as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, June 21, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON - Iran and Israel exchanged fresh attacks early on Saturday, a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear programme while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive. Shortly after 2:30 a.m. in Israel (2330 GMT on Friday), the Israeli military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as well as in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Interceptions were visible in the sky over Tel Aviv, with explosions echoing across the metropolitan area as Israel's air defence systems responded. At the same time, Israel launched a new wave of attacks against missile storage and launch infrastructure sites in Iran, the Israeli military said. Sirens also sounded in southern Israel, said Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency service. An Israeli military official said Iran had fired five ballistic missiles and that there were no immediate indications of any missile impacts. There were no initial reports of casualties. The emergency service released images showing a fire on the roof of a multi-storey residential building in central Israel. Local media reported that the fire was caused by debris from an intercepted began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Its air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a U.S.-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures for either side. TALKS SHOW LITTLE PROGRESS Iran has repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv, a metropolitan area of around 4 million people and the country's business and economic hub, where some critical military assets are also located. Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets on Friday, including missile production sites, a research body it said was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the U.S. "until Israeli aggression stops". But he arrived in Geneva on Friday for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated that he would take as long as two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said. Trump said he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes to allow negotiations to continue. "I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens," he said. The Geneva talks produced little signs of progress, and Trump said he doubted negotiators would be able to secure a ceasefire. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one," Trump said. Hundreds of U.S. citizens have fled Iran since the air war began, according to a U.S. State Department cable seen by Reuters. Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Security Council on Friday his country would not stop its attacks "until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled". Iran's U.N. envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said Tehran was alarmed by reports that the U.S. might join the war. Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that it would reject any proposal that barred it from enriching uranium completely, "especially now under Israel's strikes". REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
39 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
Iran says no to nuclear talks during conflict as UN urges restraint, World News
DUBAI/JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON - Iran said on Friday (June 20) it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations and the United States considers whether to get involved in the conflict. A week into its campaign, Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets, including missile production sites, a research body it said was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the US "until Israeli aggression stops". But he later arrived in Geneva for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy. US President Donald Trump said on Friday he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes to allow negotiations to continue. "I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens," he said. Speaking to reporters after his plane landed in Morristown, New Jersey, Trump said he doubted European negotiators would be able to secure a ceasefire. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one," Trump said. The president said he would not discuss the potential use of ground forces in Iran, and he again disagreed with his own national intelligence director, Tulsi Gabbard, by insisting that Iran does have the capability to build a nuclear weapon. "She's wrong," Trump said. Gabbard testified to Congress in March that the US intelligence community continued to judge that Tehran was not working on a nuclear warhead. Trump has said that he will decide whether the US will join Israel in its efforts within the next two weeks. That will be enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses," he said on Friday. Missile strikes Israel's military said on Friday that it had completed another wave of strikes on missile launch site in western Iran. [[nid:719283]] Earlier, it had said fighter jets had struck surface-to-air missile batteries in southwestern Iran as part of efforts to achieve air superiority over the country. Explosions were heard in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province and at least four people there were killed, IRNA news agency reported. At least five people were injured when Israel hit a five-storey building in Tehran housing a bakery and a hairdresser's, Fars news agency reported. Iranian air defences were activated on Friday evening, Fars news agency reported. Iran fired missiles at Beersheba in southern Israel and Haifa in the north, causing damage to an Ottoman-era mosque, according to Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. A foreign ministry video also showed extensive damage to a nearby high-rise building that houses a branch of Israel's Interior Ministry. Haifa is home to Israel's busiest seaport and a naval base. Saar, speaking in Haifa, said he was very sceptical about Iran's intentions. "We know from the record of Iran they are not negotiating honestly," he said. Fars news agency quoted an Iranian military spokesman as saying Tehran's missile and drone attacks on Friday had used long-range and ultra-heavy missiles against military sites, defence industries and command and control centres. About 20 missiles were fired in those latest Iranian strikes, an Israeli military official said, and at least two people were hurt, according to the Israeli ambulance service. Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the UN Security Council his country would not stop its attacks "until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled". Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said Tehran was alarmed by reports that the US may join the war. Nuclear risks The head of the UN nuclear watchdog warned against attacks on nuclear facilities and called for maximum restraint. "Armed attack on nuclear facilities... could result in radioactive releases with great consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the state which has been attacked," Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the Security Council. He spoke a day after an Israeli military official said it had been "a mistake" for a military spokesperson to have said Israel had struck Bushehr, Iran's only nuclear power plant. He said he could neither confirm nor deny that Russian-built Bushehr, located on the Gulf coast, had been hit. Iran said on Friday its air defences had been activated in Bushehr, without elaborating. Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities but that it wants to avoid any nuclear disaster. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, also speaking at the world body's Security Council, said the Iran-Israel conflict could "ignite a fire no one can control" and called on all parties to "give peace a chance". [[nid:718303]] Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation. Uranium enrichment A senior Iranian official told Reuters Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that any proposal for zero enrichment - not being able to enrich uranium at all - would be rejected, "especially now under Israel's strikes". Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Israeli air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures for either side.
