Evening News Bulletin 22 June 2025
President Donald Trump says the United States has bombed three nuclear sites in Iran - in what he called a spectacular success. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the United States of breaching international law and joining Israel's war, saying in a post on social media that 'Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people." Mr Trump says the strikes were necessary to destroy any ability for Iran to develop nuclear weapons and has warned against any retaliation. "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. This cannot continue. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier. There will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days." Iran's nuclear agency has confirmed the attacks on the three nuclear sites - Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz - while a local politician claims the primary target at Fordo has only been superficially damaged. While questions remain on how Iran will respond to the U-S strikes, Israel says a new volley of Iranian missiles have been launched at their territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has congratulated Donald Trump for his decision to bomb Iranian nuclear sites, saying the United States President has changed history. The strikes come after Mr Netanyahu, who has rallied against the Iranian regime and its potential for developing nuclear weapons since the 90s, launched a surprise Israeli assault on Iran earlier this month. Israel itself is believed to have about 90 nuclear warheads of their own. Prime Minister Netanyahu claims President Trump's military intervention has created a path for peace. 'Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history. It has done what no other country on earth could do. His leadership today has created a pivot of history that can help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace. President Trump and I often say, 'Peace through strength'. First comes strength, then comes peace. And tonight, President Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength.' The Albanese government has called for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as fears of all out war between the United States and Iran take hold. The Trump administration's bombing of Iran has been seen as a dramatic escalation of Israel's surprise air assault on their geopolitical rival, launched earlier this month. Defence Minister Richard Marles tells Sky News that the government agrees with the US and Israel on the perceived risk of an Iranian nuclear program but fears this could escalate into a broader conflict. "We obviously recognise Israel's right to defend itself and we very much acknowledge the risk that the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile program represents to both the region and the stability of the world in fact. But, we are concerned about the prospect of escalation here and this entering into some wider kind of conflict here and that's why we're exercising our voice internationally, along with many other countries, to de-escalate and put an emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy." The International Atomic Energy Agency says they have found no proof or evidence of an active nuclear weapons program in Iran. Thousands of construction students will now complete their apprenticeships for free under a major TAFE investment by the New South Wales government. The state government has committed $3.4 billion to TAFE across New South Wales to help train tradies and get them through their studies and onto job sites. The funding comes as construction sites across Australia face a skills shortage amid a growing demand for housing. The investment includes $40 million to ensure 23,000 construction workers can get their apprenticeships done for free. Australian golfer Minjee Lee is on the precipice of landing a third career major and one of the biggest pay days in women's golf now that she's seized a commanding lead at the P-G-A Championship in Texas. The superstar has defied sweltering conditions with a sublime third-round three-under-par 69 to skip out to a four-shot lead at P-G-A Frisco's scorching and windswept Fields Ranch East course. Lee started the day three shots behind world-number-two Jeeno Thitikul but then the Perth prodigy collected her first birdie of the day on the ninth hole, then nabbed two more on 14 and 15 to turn a three-shot deficit into a four-stroke buffer.
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The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Self-interested despots and unfettered crimes
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@ Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. MIDDLE EAST There is much to dislike about Iran's leaders, but they are hardly alone. Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin are three leaders who come to mind, each with little regard for the inconveniences of traditional statesmanship or democracy. All three have nuclear weapons, and little inclination to exercise self-control in the use of unbridled warfare. One has to ponder what gives this trio of warmongers the right to exist and to pursue their own nuclear ambitions while denying those choices to others. Given their respective track records, there is a massive hypocrisy in any one of the three making claims to the moral high ground. Donald Trump has often claimed he has the power to end wars and yet he admires and supports those who start them. Seldom, in the modern history of mankind, have we seen such a collection of amoral, self-interested despots inflicting such unfettered crimes against humanity. Bob Thomas, Blackburn South Can't leaders see war begets war? After 14 months of weekly protests touting their agenda ″from the mountains to the sea, Palestine would be free″, the pro-Palestine protesters exposed themselves as unreasonable, given their lack of helpful suggestions as to how Israelis could also live in peace without constant fear from neighbouring countries. To some extent, I can understand why the current acting chief of the Israeli Defence Force in an interview on ABC TV 7.30 last Thursday complained about being surrounded by bad neighbours. However, it was hardly a good neighbourly act by Israel to start occupying, then developing the West Bank with apartments, was it? All the while, leaving Palestinians in daily misery. Talk about how not to win friends and influence people, not least the oppressed Palestinian women and children who are clearly used as pawns by Hamas. All the while, the UN has once again shown how useless it is as any kind of international peace-making body. All the while, Israel, too, perhaps encouraged by the current president of the United States, has shown more interest in once and for all destruction of its enemies than the return of the hostages. In some respects, who could blame them, given it was Hamas who escalated the conflict by their action on October 7, 2023? But for there to be peace, we have to ask why so many on both sides of this conflict still think the answer is yet more war. Can they not see war begets war? Do they not remember how good life can be to live in peace? Or perhaps they've never had the chance. Bernadette George, Mildura Obama's nuclear deal stacked in Iran's favour Your correspondent asks why Iran should deal with Israel or the US after Trump dumped the Obama nuclear deal (Letters, 22/6). That deal was stacked in favour of Iran and would have allowed Iran to recommence uranium enrichment this year and remove all restrictions by 2030. Even so, Iran was in serious breach of the agreement when Trump dumped it. It had not come clean about all elements of its nuclear program as required, and wasn't allowing even the limited inspections required by the deal. Now it has been racing towards nuclear weapons and rapidly escalating ballistic missile production, while continuing to use its terror proxies to cause violence across the Middle East. That's why Israel and the US, rightly, attacked. They have made it clear their aim is not regime-change, but to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, and will negotiate to achieve that. However, Iran has shown it is not interested. Shane Shmuel, Elsternwick THE FORUM Votes for the 44 towers ″There are no votes in public housing″: This was a mantra heard in corridors and meeting rooms of Victoria's Office of Housing throughout my almost 20 years' service throughout the '80s and '90s. Despite the trope, both state and federal governments supported its expansion under the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement. Governments understood the transformative power of quality, affordable, secure and well-located housing for low-income families. Just ask the prime minister. In Melbourne, the 44 high-rise towers were and are a crucial part of the public housing palette. They are the welcoming homes of new arrivals to this country, they are the communities that support and nurture generations of low-income families and children. Even Jeff Kennett was convinced they should stay in public ownership despite his policy in 1992 to hand them over to private developers and sell off the remaining public housing stock to existing tenants. Now, at a time when a chasm of inequality has opened in our community, the towers and their communities are under threat from another government which sees no votes in retaining them. To dispose of the towers and their communities when other cheaper, better, less disruptive options for upgrade and renovation have been present ad nauseam to government, is a sacrilege. There are votes in both retaining the 44 towers and public housing more broadly in public hands because when they are gone, the homeless camps, the poverty, and desperate crime on our streets will be a reminder of the failure of governments to do so. Craig Horne, Fitzroy North Chalmers' boosterism Before the May election, Treasurer Jim Chalmers was patting himself on the back about the surpluses Labor had achieved and how responsible Labor had been. He said income tax cuts were a good idea and mocked the Coalition for opposing them. A few months later, he says there is a need for budget repair and that he is canvassing options for tax reform. Some commentators dismissed Chalmers' boosterism before the election: They argued Labor had squandered a revenue bonanza from higher commodity prices and bracket creep. It looks like they were correct. Alun Breward, Malvern East Responsible move In criticising the Labor government for its economic management and policies, columnist Parnell Palme McGuinness (″ Watch Libs blow golden opportunity ″, 22/6) demonstrates how difficult she and other conservative commentators make it for any changes to be made by government. She accuses Labor of ″trashing its own legacy by changing the rules on superannuation″. As she would know, those affected by the changes are a very small minority of very rich taxpayers who have taken advantage of concessional tax rates for superannuation. If the income tax or capital gains or other tax arrangements had a greater benefit, that's where their money would be. It's totally responsible, indeed obligatory, for governments of any colour to review major policies to see that the policy objective for a secure retirement is met. It was never the aim of superannuation to be a major tax minimisation vehicle. Megan Stoyles, Aireys Inlet
7NEWS
2 hours ago
- 7NEWS
B-2 bombers and ‘bunker buster' bombs used in US strikes on Iran
The United States has used its most elite stealth bombers and largest non-nuclear bombs in a massive coordinated strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. President Donald Trump confirmed the US had 'completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran', including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan on Saturday (Sunday AEST). Two sources familiar with the operation told CNN the United States used the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), also known as a 'bunker buster,' in its strikes. At least six B-2 Spirit bombers were deployed to attack Iran's deeply buried Fordow nuclear site, dropping the 1.3-ton MOP bomb, a US official told CNN. The official said a dozen MOP bombs were dropped on Fordow alone. The GBU-57A/B is a 30,000-pound (13,600kg) bomb is packed with 6000 pounds of explosives, designed specifically for 'reaching and destroying our adversaries' weapons of mass destruction located in well-protected facilities,' according to a US Air Force fact sheet. The bomb explodes twice — once on impact, and again up to 60 metres underground. The B-2 Spirit is the only aircraft capable of carrying the MOP. Is the US Air Force's most advanced stealth bomber, Separately, Navy submarines launched 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) at nuclear sites in Natanz and Isfahan, the US official said. A B-2 bomber also dropped two MOPs on Natanz, the official told CNN. The specifics of the strike were first reported by The New York Times. The B-2 is known for its flying wing design, radar-evading features and long-range capability. It can carry a 40,000-pound payload and costs around $2 billion per aircraft. Only 20 exist, all based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan are the backbone of the Iranian nuclear program, according to Western intelligence. Isfahan is a research base. It's believed Iran was working towards the final step of putting weapons grade nuclear material into a war head for a nuclear weapon. Natanz and Fordow are reportedly uranium enrichment facilities where centrifgues processed the radioavtice material. The Fordow site is buried more than 90 metres underground inside a mountain. Saturday's mission is believed to be the first operational use of the MOP bomb.
AU Financial Review
2 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
Iran vows retaliation after Trump ‘obliterates' nuclear ambitions
Canberra | Washington | Iran has vowed to hit back hard against Donald Trump's air raids on the regime's nuclear program and launched a fresh wave of missiles against Israeli cities, as the US president promised more attacks if American interests in the Middle East were targeted. In the most consequential decision of his presidency, Trump defied the advice of allies, including Australia who had advocated for diplomacy, leaving the Middle East at risk of spiralling into further conflict, destabilising global markets and piling pressure on oil prices.
