The US had been moving B-2 planes to Guam for several days before striking Iran
22/06/2025
At least 430 Iranian civilians killed this week according to the health ministry
Middle East
22/06/2025
Israel kills 3 top Iranian officers in Shiraz strike before US bombing
Middle East
22/06/2025
US enters war against Iran, bombing three nuclear sites
Middle East
22/06/2025
France 24 reports on Iran's reaction to US air strikes on its territory
Middle East
22/06/2025
No further US strikes on Iran planned, France 24 reports from Washnigton
Middle East
22/06/2025
Trump says US forces bombed Iran nuclear sites
Americas
22/06/2025
US President Donald Trump's White House speech on US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
Middle East
21/06/2025
Iran's foreign minister says aggression must stop so diplomacy can resume
Middle East
21/06/2025
Israeli strikes kill Iranian commander: the latest on the ground in Tehran
Middle East
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Euronews
31 minutes ago
- Euronews
Can Iran attack the US now and how (and where) can it do it?
Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva Ali Bahreini told Euronews on June 19 that Tehran will attack the US if Washington 'crosses the red lines". Most military experts agree that the most probable scenario is for Iran to attack the US military bases in the region. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards already said on Sunday that the origin of the US aircraft 'has been identified and it is under surveillance', emphasizing that American bases in the region are 'not a source of strength, but a point of heightened vulnerability'. Iran's proxy in Yemen, the Houthis, also said on Saturday that they would target US ships in the Red Sea if Washington participates in any potential attack against Israel in co-operation with Israel. "We will target US ships and battleships in the Red Sea if Washington participates in the attack on Iran," the group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement published by the group's media outlet. The US has tens of thousands of troops stationed in the Middle East, including at permanent bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Arab Gulf countries just across the Persian Gulf from Iran — and much closer than Israel. Those bases have sophisticated air defences, but would have much less warning time before waves of missiles or swarms of armed drones. It also depends a lot on the number of drones and missiles used in a possible attack. Even Israel, which is several hundred kilometers further away, has been unable to stop all of the incoming fire. Typically around 30,000 troops are based in the Middle East, and about 40,000 troops are in the region now, according to a US officials and AP. That number surged as high as 43,000 last October in response to heightened tensions between Israel and Iran as well as continuous attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. After June 13 when Israel first hit Iran to stop its nuclear enrichment programme, US forces in the region started taking precautionary measures, including having military dependents voluntarily leave bases, in anticipation of potential strikes and to protect personnel in case of a large-scale response from Tehran. US targets at risk amid escalating tensions US troops across the Middle East are on high alert as Iran and its proxies threaten retaliation and because US interests in the region were targeted in the past. One difference compared to past attacks and threats though is that Iran's proxies Hezbollah and Hamas' capabilities are much weaker since Israel decimated them after October 2023. Also, Iran has missiles, including ballistic, but not much of an aviation force owing to Western sanctions. Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, the largest U.S. deployment in the country, has been a frequent target. In 2020, after the US killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Iran launched 16 missiles at American bases in Iraq; 11 hit al-Asad, wounding dozens. Attacks have continued, with drones and rockets striking the base as recently as August. In January 2024, a drone strike on Tower 22, a small US outpost in Jordan near the Syrian border, killed three American troops. The drone strike was the first deadly one against US forces since the Israel-Hamas war started in October 2023. US officials have blamed the attack on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed militias, including Kataib Hezbollah. In Bahrain, the US Navy's 5th Fleet operates with around 8,000 personnel. Qatar hosts Al-Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command, which can accommodate up to 10,000 troops. Camp Buehring, Ali al-Salem, and al-Dhafra are also key air bases located in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. US diplomatic missions in Iraq and Israel have also begun evacuating staff. Officials warn embassies could be targeted alongside military bases. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on X that 'protecting US forces is our top priority,' announcing the deployment of additional forces to bolster regional defenses.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
'Dangerous escalation': World leaders call for return to diplomacy after US strikes on Iran
US President Donald Trump had said Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to get involved in Israel's war with Tehran. In the end, it took just days. Washington hit three Iranian nuclear sites early Sunday. A number of world leaders have condemned the strikes, with US allies also calling for a return to the negotiating table. While the amount of damage remained unclear, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US had 'crossed a very big red line', the time for diplomacy was over and Iran had the right to defend itself. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was 'gravely alarmed' by the use of force by the United States, calling the strikes a "dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge". 'There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,' he said in a statement on the social media platform X. 'I call on Member States to de-escalate.' 'There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy.' 07:32 China also strongly condemned the US strikes on Iran, calling them a serious violation of international law that further inflamed tensions in the Middle East. The Chinese Foreign Ministry urged all parties – especially Israel – to implement a cease-fire and begin dialogue. 'China is willing to work with the international community to pool efforts together and uphold justice, and contribute to the work for restoring peace and stability in the Middle East,' the ministry said in a statement. Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of President Vladimir Putin's Security Council, said several countries were prepared to supply Tehran with nuclear weapons. He didn't specify which countries, but said the US attack caused minimal damage and would not stop Tehran from pursuing nuclear arms. Russia's Foreign Ministry said it 'strongly condemned' the airstrikes and called them a 'a gross violation of international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions'. Pakistan blasted the US strikes as a 'deeply disturbing' escalation just days after it nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic intervention with the India-Pakistan crisis. 'These attacks violate all norms of international law,' the government said in a statement. 'Iran has the legitimate right to defend itself under the UN Charter.' Europe on the sidelines British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for Iran to return to the negotiating table to diplomatically end the crisis, saying stability was the priority in the volatile region. The UK, along with the European Union, France and Germany, tried unsuccessfully to broker a diplomatic solution in Geneva last week with Iran. Starmer said Iran's nuclear programme posed a grave threat to global security. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat,' Starmer said. The European Union's top diplomat said Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, but she urged those involved in the conflict to show restraint. 'I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on social media. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, whose country is hosting a summit of NATO leaders including Trump on Tuesday and Wednesday, said the government's national security council would meet later to discuss the issue. He said the US attacks amounted to 'a further escalation of a worrying situation in the Middle East'. Shockwaves across the region Some countries and groups in the region, including those that support Iran, condemned the move while also urging de-escalation. The Iraqi government said the US's military escalation created a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East. It said it poses serious risks to regional stability and called for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis. 'The continuation of such attacks risks dangerous escalation with consequences that extend beyond the borders of any single state, threatening the security of the entire region and the world,' government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in the statement. Saudi Arabia expressed 'deep concern' about the US air strikes, but stopped short of condemning them. 'The Kingdom underscores the need to exert all possible efforts to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation,' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Saudi Arabia had earlier condemned Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and military leaders. Qatar, which is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East, said it 'regrets' escalating tensions in the Israel-Iran war. Its Foreign Ministry in a statement urged all parties to show restraint and 'avoid escalation, which the peoples of the region, burdened by conflicts and their tragic humanitarian repercussions, cannot tolerate'. Qatar has served as a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas war. Both the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas have condemned the US strikes. In a statement on Sunday, the Houthi political bureau called on Muslim nations to join 'the Jihad and resistance option as one front against the Zionist-American arrogance'. Hamas and the Houthis are part of Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance, a collection of pro-Iranian groups stretching from Yemen to Lebanon that for years gave the Islamic Republic considerable power across the region. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the US bombing could lead to a regional conflict that no country could bear and called for negotiations. 'Lebanon, its leadership, parties, and people, are aware today, more than ever before, that it has paid a heavy price for the wars that erupted on its land and in the region,' Aoun said in a statement on X. 'It is unwilling to pay more.' Pope Leo XIV made a strong appeal for peace during his Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter's square, calling for international diplomacy to 'silence the weapons.' Pope Leo urged every member of the international community to take up their moral responsibility to 'stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss'.
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Israel recovers bodies of three hostages in Gaza
IDF soldiers, in coordination with the General Security Service, recovered and returned to Israel the remains of three hostages: Yonatan Samerano, Ofra Keidar, and Sergeant Shai Levinson. The operation took place overnight. Following identification at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, the families were informed of the outcome. Yonatan Samerano, 21, was attending the Nova music festival in Western Negev when Hamas launched its attack on Israel. He and two friends fled to Kibbutz Be'eri, but Hamas militants had already infiltrated the area. The three were killed, and their bodies taken into the Gaza Strip. Samerano's abduction was captured on CCTV. Israeli authorities later claimed his captor was an employee of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. Germany expressed condolences to the family of 19-year-old Shai Levinson, who held dual Israeli-German citizenship. Tank crew commander Shai Levinson, a sergeant in the IDF's 7th Armoured Division, was killed in a battle with militants on October 7. His death was officially reported in January 2024. Ofra Keidar, 71, was out for a walk early on the morning of October 7 when she too was killed by Hamas - her body was taken to Gaza. Her husband was shot by the attackers inside their home. Before she died, Ofra told her loved ones over the phone that she was being shot. Today, around 50 hostages remain in Gaza, and intelligence assessments suggest that only about 20 of them are still alive. According to Israeli authorities, approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack on southern Israel. In response, Israel launched a military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. According to the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-run territory, the conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 55,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children.
