A refugee welcome center will open in Des Moines despite federal actions
Polk County is continuing with a $3.7 million immigrant welcome center despite the federal government's suspended refugee program, Sarah Boese, the county's deputy administrator, tells Axios.
Driving the news: Lutheran Services in Iowa will lay off about 30 staff members and cease immigrant and refugee resettlement services next month, we exclusively reported yesterday.
State of play: Supervisors approved the Global Neighbors immigrant and refugee welcome center project in December.
It will include a computer lab, classrooms, and office space for nonprofits that assist people in employment, housing, and education.
What they're saying: The center was always intended to help people after their initial 90-day services ended at resettlement agencies like LSI, Boese said.
"We know that there are thousands of individuals and families that are already here legally and will continue to have unmet needs," Boese said.
What's next: The center is expected to open late this year.
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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Israel Strikes Iran (Updated)
Israel has launched an attack against Iran, a senior IDF official told The War Zone. The nature and extent of the attack is not yet known. 'The attack has just begun in Iran,' said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. 'We are in an emergency situation all over the country.' The official confirms earlier reporting by Axios that 'the Israeli Air Force conducted a strike in Iran on Thursday, according to two sources with knowledge of the operation. It's not yet clear what Israel is targeting, but explosions were reported in Tehran.' Axios confirms: The Israeli Air Force conducted a strike in Iran on Thursday, according to two sources with knowledge of the operation. It's not yet clear what Israel is — Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) June 13, 2025 Israeli officials have yet to officially comment. 'If Israel is striking Iran, there is no U.S. involvement, no U.S. assistance,' a U.S. official told The War Zone. Once again, the nature of this operation, which has been labelled 'preemptive' in nature isn't clear. It could be the opening blows of a protracted campaign or an opportunistic play based on intelligence. We just don't know. The attack comes against the backdrop of rising tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Earlier today, the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a scathing report saying Iran was trying to hide its uranium enrichment program. In response, Iran said it would create new facilities. You can read more about that in our story earlier today here. This is a developing story. Stay with The War Zone for IDF has issued a statement on what it is calling a 'preemptive, precise' strike on Iran. 'A short while ago, following the directive of the political echelon, the IDF launched a preemptive, precise, combined offensive based on high-quality intelligence to strike Iran's nuclear program, and in response to the Iranian regime's ongoing aggression against Israel. A short while, dozens of IAF jets completed the first stage that included strikes on dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran. The public is requested to follow the instructions of the IDF Home Front Command, which will be updated as necessary, and act calmly and responsibly. The IDF and the relevant authorities are prepared for a wide range of scenarios in defense and offense that may be needed. For years, the Iranian regime has been waging a direct and indirect campaign of terror against the State of Israel, by funding and directing terrorist activities via its proxies across the Middle East, while advancing toward obtaining a nuclear weapon. The Iranian regime is at the head of the axis responsible for all terrorist attacks against the State of Israel since the beginning of the 'Swords of Iron' War, including by arming and funding the Hamas terror organization which was responsible for the October 7th Massacre. During the 'Swords of Iron' War, Iran even directly attacked Israel twice, firing hundreds of missiles toward the State of Israel. The Iranian regime has proclaimed that its objective is to destroy the State of Israel. Senior officials in the Iranian regime have publicly declared their intent to destroy Israel, and are operating to achieve this together with their proxies in the Middle East. Today, Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to the State of Israel and a significant threat to the wider world. The State of Israel will not allow a regime whose objective is to destroy the State of Israel to obtain weapons of mass destruction. The IDF has conducted a process of preparations for a campaign on the frontline and on the home front. The resilience of Israel's citizens will be an important factor of the campaign. The IDF is ready to continue to act as required. The State of Israel has the obligation to act in defense of its citizens and will continue to do so everywhere it is required to do so, as we have done in the past. The IDF is conducting an ongoing situational assessment and will update on any developments.' U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also isssued a statement. 'Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.' – The Israeli Air Force said the attack was designed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. 'Iran is closer than ever to obtaining nuclear weapons. Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are a threat to the State of Israel and a significant threat to the entire world. The State of Israel will not allow a regime whose goal is the destruction of the State of Israel to possess weapons of mass destruction.' איראן היום קרובה יותר מאי פעם להשגת נשק גרעיני. נשק להשמדה המונית המצוי בידי המשטר האיראני הוא קיום על מדינת ישראל ואיום משמעותי לעולם כולו. מדינת ישראל לא תאפשר למשטר שמטרתו השמדת מדינת ישראל, להחזיק בנשק להשמדה המונית. — Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) June 13, 2025 Update: 9:02 PM Eastern – Netanyahu said Israel targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb, according to Reuters. 'We also struck in the hear of Iran's ballistic missile program,' he said. NETANYAHU: WE TARGETED IRAN'S LEADING NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS WORKING ON THE IRANIAN BOMB, WE ALSO STRUCK THE HEART OF IRAN'S BALLISTIC MISSILE PROGRAMME — Phil Stewart (@phildstewart) June 13, 2025 This fits with what we are seeing as far as the nature of the strikes, although our view is very limited. This appears to have been an operation that focused as much of targeting individuals as capabilities, or at least both. Exactly how this will be staged going forward isn't clear. Air defenses would need to be degraded if a protracted air campaign were to occur that would make use of direct attacks and go after the entirety of the nuclear program and Iran's ability to build delivery systems for it. Other military capabilities — specifically long-range weapons that threaten Israel — and their production capacity would also likely be targeted. The coming hours will be telling as to if this attack was opportunistic and/or used as pressure device on the regime or if a much larger and prolonged campaign will spin-up. This feels more like targeting specific humans than capabilities, but it could be both. — Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) June 13, 2025 More buildings struck in Tehran. — Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (BlueSky too) (@Archer83Able) June 13, 2025 Contact the author: howard@
Bloomberg
6 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Oil Extends Gains on Reports of Airstrikes in Iran
Oil futures surged after reports of successive explosions in Tehran. West Texas Intermediate oil prices, the US benchmark, rose as much as 6.2% on Friday. The sound of successive explosion has have been heard in Iran's capital, Tehran, Iran's state-run Nour News reported. Axios separately reported that Israel had launched airstrikes, a major escalation in the standoff over Tehran's atomic program.
Axios
7 hours ago
- Axios
Israel strikes Iran
The Israeli Air Force conducted a strike in Iran on Thursday, according to two sources with knowledge of the operation. It's not yet clear what Israel is targeting, but explosions were reported in Tehran. Why it matters: Israel is directly attacking its biggest and best-armed adversary, without clear backing from the U.S. President Trump publicly opposed an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites on Thursday, saying he still believed a nuclear deal was possible. Yes, but: It's not clear whether Israel has ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear program, or whether the U.S. opposed this specific operation. Driving the news: Sirens sounded across Israel on Thursday night. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a special state of emergency across the entire country. "Following the State of Israel's preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the state of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future," Katz said. Behind the scenes: The U.S. notified several of its allies in private on Thursday that Israeli strikes were imminent and made clear it was not involved, one of the sources said. The Trump administration had already told Israel it would not participate in any strikes on the nuclear program, Axios reported. However, the U.S. has previously helped defend Israel from Iranian attacks and would likely do so again if this strike kicks off a retaliatory cycle. The intrigue: Before the operation became public, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tweeted that he was at the embassy in Jerusalem and "will remain here all night," adding: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." State of play: The extent and targets of the Israeli strike are not clear at this time. Israel has been preparing for weeks for an operation to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, but had previously told the U.S. it would wait to see what happens with Trump's nuclear talks. A sixth round of U.S.-Iran talks had been scheduled for Sunday. It's unclear if negotiations will continue under the current circumstances. The big picture: Iran has vowed to strike U.S. targets in the region in the event of any attack on its nuclear program.
