Completely and Totally Obliterated? - CNN This Morning with Audie Cornish - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
A new assessment of the damage to Iranian nuclear sites after the US dropped its bunker busters sheds doubt on the White House claim the strike "completely and totally obliterated" those facilities. Plus, at the NATO summit, President Trump questions the US' commitment to defending its allies. And the Middle East ceasefire enters a second day. Will it continue to hold?
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Boston Globe
4 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
The 12-day war with Israel set back more than Iran's nuclear program
Advertisement But you'd be wrong. Bayat, a senior fellow at the 'I am afraid that the war has made the situation of Iranian opposition, which has really big potential support in Iran, worse,' he told me in a recent interview. Other opposition figures, like Advertisement But Bayat represents As one exiled analyst put it, 'You cannot try to save your homeland by standing behind enemy tanks.' Despite his dismay with the attacks, Bayat — an expert on Iran's nuclear program — believes that the Trump and Netanyahu governments are mostly right that Iran's nuclear weapons 'No centrifuge can work right now in Natanz or Fordow,' he said of the machines that turn uranium into the enriched fuel needed for a weapon. 'The shockwaves alone would have put them out of commission, and without electricity the centrifuge will be also damaged. Nothing runs.' He added that he believes a third facility at Isfahan has been effectively destroyed and that the entire program has been set back by several years at least. That assessment, informed by his vast experience and contacts, is Advertisement Bayat notes that although Iran could quickly enrich its stockpile of 60 percent to build a bomb. Turning even highly enriched uranium gas into bomb-ready metal demands complex metallurgical and chemical processes. 'Afterward, the uranium must be shaped carefully to avoid accidental detonation, and sophisticated trigger systems — both conventional explosives and a nuclear neutron source — must be developed and precisely integrated. Finally, the assembled device would need to be tested and made deliverable,' he explains. Yet for all its successes, the attack wasn't needed, he asserts. He is convinced that Iran's nuclear program was really all about deterrence: That is, the regime believed the mere threat that it could acquire a nuclear weapon would prevent Israel, the United States, or any other country from trying to overthrow it. He is convinced that the regime would have been willing to negotiate a deal to stop, or at least suspend, its nuclear program in exchange for the end of crippling economic sanctions. 'I am convinced that the Islamic Republic didn't want to make a bomb in order to attack somewhere,' he told me. 'Even if they had a bomb, the regime is not suicidal. They want to stay in power and enjoy the wealth they daily steal. They know that if they attack Israel via nuclear bomb, Israel has the capacity to strike back.' He is particularly concerned that Israel might still attempt to overthrow the regime by assassinating Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation's supreme leader, and his top deputies. Israel, which in Advertisement The only way to displace the regime, Bayat argues, is for 'Iranians from within' to stand up and bring about a peaceful transition. 'The recent history has demonstrated that with bombs and destruction you cannot introduce freedom, democracy, and prosperity. I think there is a good chance for the Iranian citizens to overcome the despotic clerical regime in the coming times.' 'The only viable path forward is negotiation with the Trump administration — and ideally, direct talks with Israel," he said. 'Iran should renounce uranium enrichment, as it serves no real purpose and there are no nuclear weapons in the country, making 'denuclearization' a misnomer.' He contends that ending the enrichment program should be easier now because enrichment activities have been badly damaged and all but halted. Permanently ceasing the program could pave the way for sanctions relief, which the regime badly needs to repair Iran's sickly economy. 'Of course, such policy has to be accompanied with the recognition of Israel,' Bayat added. His faith that those negotiations will happen were shaken by recent remarks from the Advertisement 'I hope that, as usual, there is a difference between the public statements of the regime and its real handling of issues,' he said.
CNN
6 minutes ago
- CNN
Australia to recognize Palestinian state, leaving US increasingly isolated among key allies
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday that his country will recognize a Palestinian state in September, joining a growing list of Western allies as international condemnation and anger builds over Israel's actions in Gaza. A formal recognition will be made at the United Nations General Assembly next month, where 'Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,' Albanese said at a press conference. On Monday, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country was also considering recognizing a Palestinian state, and would make a decision at a cabinet meeting in September. 'New Zealand has been clear for some time that our recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if,' Peters said in a statement, echoing the language used by Australian officials in the weeks leading up to Monday's announcement. Describing the situation in Gaza as an 'absolute human catastrophe,' New Zealand Prime Minister Chrisopher Luxon said in a press conference that it was 'entirely appropriate that we take the time to actually make sure we weigh up our decision and work that through in a sensible way.' Australia joins the United Kingdom, France and Canada in announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September. The move leaves the United States increasingly isolated from some of its closest allies in its defense of Israel's escalating military campaign that's decimated the besieged enclave after almost two years of war. If Wellington also moves, it will mean that four of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network comprising the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, will recognize Palestinian statehood. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she'd spoken to US Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio in a call Sunday to give him advance notice of Australia's impending announcement. A read-out of the call released by the US did not mention Palestinian statehood. In an interview with Catholic broadcaster EWTN last week, Rubio said that declarations of support for a Palestinian state were 'largely symbolic' and only 'emboldened Hamas and made it harder to achieve peace.' Albanese said Australia had sought and received assurances from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that Hamas would play no role in any future Palestinian state. Other conditions include a commitment to demilitarize and to hold general elections, abolish a 'system of payments to the families of prisoners and martyrs,' and governance and education reform, as well as 'international oversight to guard against the incitement of violence and hatred,' Albanese said. 'A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict suffering and starvation in Gaza,' he said. 'This is about much more than drawing a line on a map. This is about delivering a lifeline to the people of Gaza.' Canada and France have both said they would recognize a Palestinian state in September, when world leaders meet in New York for the UN General Assembly. The UK has said that it will, too, if Israel does not meet conditions that include agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a rare press conference with international media in which he called steps by Western nations to recognize Palestinian statehood 'shameful.' 'To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole, just like that, fall right into it, and buy this canard is disappointing,' Netanyahu said. 'But it's not going to change our position. We will not commit national suicide to get a good op ed for two minutes.' Australian Foreign Minister Wong said, 'we cannot keep doing the same thing, and hoping for a different outcome. We can't keep waiting for the end of a peace process that has ground to a halt.' Wong framed the decision as an 'opportunity as a nation to contribute to momentum towards two states' which she underscored was 'the only prospect for peace.' Israel announced an expansion of its war in Gaza on Friday, with a planned military takeover of Gaza City that is expected to involve the forced evacuation of up to a million people. On Sunday, United Nations officials and UN Security Council member states condemned the plan, saying it would lead to 'another calamity' and constitute 'further violations of international law.' Ramesh Rajasingham, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva said what is unfolding in Gaza 'is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple.' Last month, the UN-backed food security agency the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that 'the worst case scenario of famine' was unfolding in Gaza, its starkest alert yet as starvation spreads. Hunger-related deaths are rising in the enclave, especially among children, Rajasingham told the UN Security Council. Since October 2023, 98 children have died from severe acute malnutrition — 37 since July 1 alone, he said, citing health authorities in Gaza. Israel is facing growing global condemnation over its conduct in Gaza, with large protests breaking out in major cities - including London and Australia's Sydney - as people demonstrate their horror and anger over starvation in the territory. More than 460 people were arrested at a massive protest in London on Saturday and, last week, more than 90,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to protest the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Organizers put the figure at closer to 300,000 and plan more protests this month.
Washington Post
6 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Australia to recognize a Palestinian state, joining France, Canada and U.K.
Australia on Monday became the latest U.S. ally to announce plans to recognize a Palestinian state in response to the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, following the recent moves by Canada, France and Britain. 'A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict suffering and starvation in Gaza,' Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a news conference in Canberra. Australia will formalize its decision at the annual United Nations General Assembly in September. A key commitment sought by Australia, Albanese said, is that Hamas will play no role in a future Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority also agreed that state would be demilitarized and to hold general elections, and undertake governance reforms including financial transparency and international oversight to guard against incitement to violence and hatred, he added. Amir Maimon, Israel's ambassador to Australia, said in a statement posted on social media that Canberra's recognition of a Palestinian state 'undermines Israel's security, derails hostage negotiations, and hands a victory to those who oppose coexistence.' Separately, New Zealand on Monday also said it is considering recognizing a Palestinian state, with a formal decision expected in September. More than 140 U.N. members already recognize a Palestinian state. The recent announcements by the leaders of Australia, Canada, France and Britain come as global outrage is mounting at Israel's 22-month military campaign in Gaza, where tens of thousands have been killed and people are starving. The Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, said more recently that more than 1,778 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops while seeking food near aid sites or convoys. 'The Israeli government continues to defy international law and deny sufficient aid, food and water to desperate people, including children,' Albanese said Monday, adding that he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the decision, telling him that the situation in Gaza 'has gone beyond the world's worst fears.' The world's leading hunger monitor last month issued its strongest warning yet on the rapidly growing starvation crisis in Gaza, as images of emaciated children shock the world. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of the announcement. Rubio last month described France's announcement on Palestinian statehood as a 'slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.' President Donald Trump sought to use Canada's recognition of a Palestinian state as leverage in trade talks. About 1,200 people were killed in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and 250 others taken hostage. Israel's military campaign against Hamas has killed more than 60,000 people in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Netanyahu, who has remained defiant in the face of rebukes from allies, on Sunday defended his plans to take over key areas of the Gaza Strip, saying Israel would move 'quickly' to evacuate and then seize Gaza City.
