Israeli attacks kill 13 people in Gaza today
Palestinians react next to the bodies of people killed at the site of an overnight Israeli strike on a house, in Gaza City, 6 July, 2025. (Reuters)
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Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian says Israel tried to assassinate him
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian told US conservative broadcaster Tucker Carlson in an interview released on Monday that Israel attempted to assassinate him. While most of the interview was fairly straightforward, with Pezeshkian giving unsurprising responses to the former Fox News commentator's questions, Pezeshkian did say that he was not "afraid of sacrificing" his soul for Iran. "They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed," he told Carlson in response to a question on whether he believed Israel had tried to kill him. Pezeshkian did not specify when the assassination attempt took place, saying only that it was during "a meeting". 'I was in a meeting... they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting," he continued. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'I am not afraid of sacrificing my soul in defence of my country... None of the government officials are afraid of losing their lives in the line of defence. But will… more bloodshed and killing bring peace and tranquillity and stability to the region?' he added. Multiple times throughout the interview, conducted in both English and Farsi, Pezeshkian said that Iran wants peace, not war, and that the Islamic Republic was still willing to engage in talks with the United States. 'We have never been after' a nuclear bomb Pezeshkian said Iran had never sought to build a nuclear bomb. 'The truth is that we have never been after developing a nuclear bomb - not in the past, not presently, or in the future - because this is wrong and is in contrast to the religious decree issued by the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran,' he said. 'It is religiously forbidden for us to go after a nuclear bomb, and this was always corroborated, thanks to our cooperation with IAEA because they were always there to verify this'. When asked by Carlson about how much uranium Iran was enriching, Pezeshkian did not directly answer but said Iran was 'ready to hold talks over it' and have supervision. He reminded Carlson that Iran had been 'sitting at the negotiating table' with the US when Israel 'destroyed' diplomatic negotiations by launching unprovoked attacks on 13 June. No trust Pezeshkian said Iran had "no problem" restarting nuclear talks with the US, but said they had lost trust in the country, given what had happened over the last few weeks. "We see no problem in re-entering the negotiations," he told Carlson. "There is a condition... for restarting the talks. How are we going to trust the United States again? How can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks, the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us? 'My proposal is that the US administration should refrain from getting involved in a war that is not America's war. It is Netanyahu's war. He has its own agenda…and that is having forever wars, wars that go on and on and on'. Pezeshkian said that his end goal was peace, and he believed that Iran could 'easily resolve our differences and conflicts with the US through dialogue and talks'. 'We have always been after peace. It is been my heartfelt opinion that we need to live in peace and harmony during this short and limited time granted to us by god almighty to live in peace and tranquility with everybody'. He said that Iran had not waged war on anybody in the last 200 years, but only had wars imposed on it, referring to the recent conflict with Israel and the war with Iraq in the 1980s. Trump could 'guide' Mena Regarding Trump, he said he believed the US president could 'guide' the region and the world to peace and was powerful enough to put Israel in its place, adding that if he did not, another war would only spread more instability in the Middle East, which was not in the interests of the US government. When asked by Carlson if he believed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was passing information to Israel, Pezeshkian said there was a "lack of trust". 'There is lack of trust as a result of the last report by IAEA and the type of the reports. The way they prepared the reports somehow gave an excuse to the Israeli regime to prepare the ground for [the] unlawful and unauthorised attack against our nuclear facilities. Even after that, the IAEA failed to condemn these attacks or try to [in] any way to stop them'. 'There is real fear': How Israel's attack on Iran enabled an assault on press freedoms Read More » Pezeshkian told Carlson that Iran would not draw on military support from allies Russia and China, saying, 'In God we trust. We are capable of defending ourselves and standing on our own two feet'. Carlson acknowledged he would be criticised for interviewing the Iranian president. In a video over the weekend, he defended the move, saying, "American citizens have the constitutional right, and the God-given right, to all the information they can gather about matters that affect them,' including 'hearing from the people they're fighting'. The interview follows the US's military attacks on Iran's nuclear sites at the end of June. President Donald Trump's decision to support Israel's war on Iran sparked widespread criticism, including from his own "Make America Great Again" base, who are opposed to another "forever war" in the Middle East. In recent weeks, Carlson has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration's decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. In an interview of Senator Ted Cruz that went viral prior to the US first attacking Iran on 13 June, Carlson accused Cruz of not knowing "anything" about the country.
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
As Trump and Netanyahu eye normalisation deals, Iran looms large
The billboards went up in Tel Aviv barely before the smoke cleared from Israel's conflict with Iran, promising a slew of new diplomatic deals to a "victorious Israel". In the images, US President Donald Trump is flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a bevvy of Arab leaders. The standouts are Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Netanyahu's top priority when he arrives at the White House on Monday will be to push for diplomatic deals for Israel to normalise ties with Syria or Saudi Arabia in order to cap what he has portrayed as a major Israeli victory over Iran after 12 days of conflict. Trump has made no secret of the fact that he wants Damascus and Riyadh to normalise ties with Israel too - solidifying his deal-maker credentials - but he will likely have to bundle progress towards those agreements with resolving Israel's war on Gaza and the occupation of Syrian territory. Looming over Netanyahu's three-day visit is Iran. During the Israel-Iran conflict, Israel destroyed the Islamic Republic's air defences and ballistic missile launchpads. Israeli strikes killed Iranian generals and scientists. It culminated in the US bombing Iran's Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Israel, Iran, and the US have all claimed victory in the conflict, but the end result is far from conclusive. Middle East Eye reported that the US's powerful Gulf allies felt "vindicated' that they had restored ties with Iran and distanced themselves from Israel's attack. While Arab officials watched Israeli jets dominate Iran's skies, they also saw Iranian missiles slam into Tel Aviv. One Arab official told MEE that there was an inkling in some Arab capitals that Netanyahu would seek Trump's backing for a new offensive on Iran. 'The Islamic Republic emerged too powerful from the last round. Israel learned it needs the US involved directly,' the official said. In an interview aired by conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had "no problem" resuming nuclear talks with the US. Netanyahu and Trump are eschewing the White House Oval Office meeting. Instead, they will dine privately with their wives. Before the dinner, Netanyahu is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. He will also meet Vice President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in the following days. Trump has tried to leverage a ceasefire between Israel and Iran for momentum towards a truce in the Gaza Strip. 'I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas… during the coming week,' Trump told reporters on Sunday. Gaza ceasefire talks stalled The current proposal is for a two-month ceasefire, with guarantees from the US, Qatar, and Egypt, to extend the truce while talks on a permanent end to the conflict continue. The proposal mirrors that which Israel and Hamas struck in January. Israel unilaterally withdrew from that short-lived agreement in March and resumed attacking Gaza. 'MBS will insist on something serious. Not the sneaky stuff the Israelis want to offer' - Arab official Having been burned once, the main obstacle is Hamas's insistence that Israel commit to a full ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after the group releases the fewer than two dozen captives believed to be alive and not resume its attacks. Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Doha, Qatar, ended with no breakthrough, the AFP reported on Monday. The situation in Gaza is deteriorating with constant Israeli strikes. A lack of fuel, medicine and food has caused basic services to collapse. The trickle of aid that Israel has allowed into the enclave is being distributed by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose security is provided by American mercenaries. Despite the new Israeli billboard, Saudi Arabia insists that it won't normalise ties with Israel unless concrete steps are taken towards a Palestinian state. As a basic starting point, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would need to see a permanent end to Israel's war on Gaza, which he has described as a 'genocide'. 'The main point remains: what is Israel ready to offer to the Palestinians, and will that be satisfactory enough for MBS,' one Arab official told MEE. 'MBS will insist on something serious. Not the sneaky, half-pregnant stuff the Israelis want to offer.' Some analysts say that Israel's attack on Iran may give Netanyahu the space he needs to commit to a full-ceasefire in the Gaza Strip - which members of his government have long rejected. But Netanyahu's stated war plans have not changed. In May, he said that includes the total eradication of Hamas and enacting a plan Trump introduced earlier this year for a forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. Syria deal around the corner? In Syria, Netanyahu faces a ruler who is on shakier ground than Saudi Arabia's crown prince and is more indebted to Trump. The US announced on Monday that it had revoked the terrorist designation on the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group. The move is part of Trump's sweeping pledge to lift all sanctions on Syria. The White House already permitted the relaxation of export controls on certain goods to Syria and waived restrictions on certain foreign assistance, but lifting sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa's former Islamist group so quickly sparked speculation among some analysts that diplomacy between Israel and Syria was picking up. 'Vindicated': Unscathed by war, Gulf states look to capitalise on Israel and Iran's losses Read More » 'We all knew that Assad-related sanctions are on their way to being lifted, but never did I think that terrorism related sanctions would be revoked just as easily,' Syrian political economy specialist Karam Shaar wrote on X. 'A deal with Israel must be around the corner,' he added. It's unclear if Sharaa will be able to sell a diplomatic deal with Israel to his base, let alone all of Syria. HTS was born out of al-Qaeda's Syria branch, al-Nusra Front, although HTS has since rejected transnational fighting, and Sharaa has said he aims to rule for all Syrians. Two regional officials told MEE that Sharaa is personally afraid for his safety. Israel has land to trade with Syria. After Bashar al-Assad's government was toppled in December 2024, Israel sent troops into the country and occupied a swath of southwest Syria, pushing beyond a United Nations buffer zone that was created in 1974 after the two countries fought a war. US special envoy to Syria and Lebanon, Tom Barrack, confirmed on Monday that Syria and Israel were engaged in talks over the border. 'Everyone is rushing to reach an agreement,' he said. It is unclear whether the talks are over Israel's occupation of the UN buffer zone or the entirety of the Golan Heights. Israel gained control of most of the territory after the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981. Sharaa, who previously went by nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has family roots in the illegally occupied Golan Heights.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel seeking US support for further Iran strikes: Report
Axios reported on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House will include discussions on US support for further Israeli strikes on Iran. President Donald Trump took credit for ending what he coined "the 12-day war" between the two countries last month, but only after the US conducted its own strikes on Iran's three nuclear facilities - something no other US president had done. "Israeli officials say Netanyahu wants to reach understandings with Trump about future US nuclear negotiations with Iran, and on possible scenarios that would justify renewed military strikes," the Axios report said.
