logo
Trump says he hopes Israel and Iran can strike deal

Trump says he hopes Israel and Iran can strike deal

Straits Times9 hours ago

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth talks to U.S. President Donald Trump during the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday parade, on the same day of U.S. President Donald Trump 79th birthday, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he hopes Israel and Iran can broker a deal but said sometimes countries have to fight it out first.
Talking to reporters as he left for the G7 summit in Canada, Trump said the U.S. will continue to support the defense of Israel but declined to say if he asked the U.S. ally to pause strikes on Iran.
"I hope there's going to be a deal. I think it's time for a deal and we'll see what happens. Sometimes they have to fight it out, but we're gonna see what happens," Trump said.
Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on Sunday, killing and wounding civilians and raising concerns of a broader regional conflict, with both militaries urging civilians on the opposing side to take precautions against further strikes. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US police arrest suspect Vance Boelter for Minnesota lawmakers' shooting, World News
US police arrest suspect Vance Boelter for Minnesota lawmakers' shooting, World News

AsiaOne

time23 minutes ago

  • AsiaOne

US police arrest suspect Vance Boelter for Minnesota lawmakers' shooting, World News

MINNEAPOLIS — A massive two-day manhunt ended on Sunday (June 15) with the arrest of Vance Boelter, 57, for allegedly killing a Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker and her husband while posing as a police officer, Governor Tim Walz said. Boelter allegedly shot dead Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark, in their home on Saturday — a crime Governor Tim Walz characterised as a "politically motivated assassination." Authorities said Boelter also allegedly shot and wounded another Democratic lawmaker, state Senator John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette at their home a few miles away. "After a two-day manhunt, two sleepless nights, law enforcement have apprehended Vance Boelter," Walz told a news conference. "One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota. "A moment in this country where we watch violence erupt, this cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences. Now is the time for us to recommit to the core values of this country, and each and every one of us can do it." Walz said Hoffman, who had been hit with nine bullets, came out of his final surgery and was moving towards recovery. Boelter has links to evangelical ministries and claimed to be a security expert with experience in the Gaza Strip and Africa, according to online postings and public records reviewed by Reuters. Boelter was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, the criminal complaint showed. Three of those charges are punishable with jail terms of up to 40 years, according to the complaint unsealed on Sunday. Boelter had been impersonating a police officer while carrying out the shootings, wearing an officer's uniform and driving a Ford SUV with police-style lights, according to a Hennepin County criminal complaint unsealed on Sunday. Boelter fled on foot early on Saturday when officers confronted him at Hortman's Brooklyn Park home, said authorities who had warned residents to stay indoors for their own safety and unleashed the state's biggest manhunt. When police searched Boelter's SUV after the shootings they discovered three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9-mm handgun, and a list of other public officials including their addresses, the criminal complaint showed. Working on a tip that Boelter was near his home in the city of Green Isle, more than 20 SWAT teams combed the area, aided by surveillance aircraft, officials said. Boelter was armed but surrendered with no shots fired. "The suspect crawled to law enforcement teams and was placed under arrest," Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol told the briefing. "The suspect was taken into custody without any use of force." The operation to capture Boelter, drawing on the work of hundreds of detectives and a wide range of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, was the largest manhunt in state history, Brooklyn Park police Chief Mark Bruley said. "Now begins the hard work of looking at what the motive is," Bruley said. The killing was the latest episode of high-profile US political violence. Such incidents range from a 2022 attack on former Democratic US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband at their home, to an assassination bid on Donald Trump last year, and an arson attack at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's house in April. [[nid:719113]]

South Korea to introduce second extra budget for this year
South Korea to introduce second extra budget for this year

Straits Times

time26 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

South Korea to introduce second extra budget for this year

South Korea to introduce second extra budget for this year SEOUL - South Korea's government will introduce a second supplementary budget for the year on Thursday, after passing a 13.8 trillion won ($10.13 billion) budget in May, to support an economy weighed down by U.S. tariffs and sluggish consumer demand. The budget plan will include spending to help the recovery of people's livelihoods and will be taken up at a cabinet meeting, a spokesperson at the presidential office said on Monday. President Lee Jae-myung, who took office on June 4, has argued for expansionary fiscal policy and cash-like handout schemes to boost consumer demand, as the country's central bank last month slashed this year's economic growth outlook to 0.8%, nearly half the previous 1.5%. Among specific measures, spending to ease the burden of rising food prices will be included in the plan, Acting Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il said at a separate meeting on inflation. At the meeting, the government decided to extend tax breaks on oil products by two months to the end of August, in response to a surge in oil prices amid heightened geopolitical tension in the Middle East. Financial support and import quota increases were introduced to stabilise rising food prices, which President Lee Jae-myung said were causing "too much pain", while tax cuts on car purchases were extended until the end of the year to support the auto industry. South Korea's consumer inflation weakened to a five-month low of 1.9% in May, below the central bank's medium-term target of 2% and market expectations, as petroleum prices dropped 2.3% from a year earlier, but prices of processed food products jumped 4.1% and dining services rose 3.2%. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Iran lauds 'new method' as missiles hit Israel's Tel Aviv, Haifa, World News
Iran lauds 'new method' as missiles hit Israel's Tel Aviv, Haifa, World News

AsiaOne

time38 minutes ago

  • AsiaOne

Iran lauds 'new method' as missiles hit Israel's Tel Aviv, Haifa, World News

TEL AVIV/DUBAI/WASHINGTON — Iranian missiles struck Israel's Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa before dawn on Monday (June 16), destroying homes and fuelling concerns among world leaders at this week's G7 meeting that the confrontation could lead to a broader regional conflict. At least five people were killed in the latest Iranian strikes, the national emergency service said, raising Israel's death toll to 18 since Friday. At least 100 more were wounded in the overnight blitz, part of a wave of attacks by Tehran in retaliation for Israel's pre-emptive strikes targeting the nuclear and ballistic missile programs of sworn enemy Iran. Search and location operations were underway in Haifa where around 30 people were wounded, emergency authorities said, as dozens of first responders rushed to the strike zones. Fires were seen burning at a power plant near the port, media reported. Video footage showed several missiles over Tel Aviv and explosions could be heard there and over Jerusalem. Several residential buildings in a densely populated neighbourhood of Tel Aviv were destroyed in a strike that blew out the windows of hotels and other nearby homes just a few hundred meters from the US Embassy branch in the city. The US ambassador said the building sustained minor damage, but there were no injuries to personnel. Guydo Tetelbaun was in his apartment in Tel Aviv when the alerts came in shortly after 4am (9am in Singapore time). "As usual, we went into the (shelter) that's right across the street there. And within minutes, the door of the (shelter) blew in," the 31-year-old chef said. "A couple of people came in bloody, all cut up. And then when we came to the apartment, after it quietened down, we saw there wasn't much of it... Walls are caved in, no more glass," he added. "It's terrifying because it's so unknown. This could be the beginning of a long time like this, or it could get worse, or hopefully better, but it's the unknown that's the scariest." The predawn missiles also struck near Shuk HaCarmel, a popular market in Tel Aviv that typically draws large crowds of residents and tourists buying fresh fruits and vegetables, and to popular bars and restaurants. A residential street in nearby Petah Tikva and a school in ultra-Orthodox Jewish city Bnei Brak were also hit. 'New method' Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the latest attack employed a new method that caused Israel's multi-layered defence systems to target each other and allowed Iran to successfully hit many targets. The Israeli Defence Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. Israeli officials have repeatedly said its "Iron Dome" defence system is not 100 per cent and warned of tough days ahead. "The arrogant dictator of Tehran has become a cowardly murderer who targets the civilian home front in Israel to deter the IDF from continuing the attack that is collapsing his capabilities," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. "The residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon." The death toll in Iran was already at least 224, with 90 per cent of the casualties reported to be civilians, an Iranian health ministry spokesperson said. Israel's military said on Monday morning it had struck again at command centres belonging to the Revolutionary Guard and Iran's military. Leaders meet Group of Seven leaders began gathering in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday with the Israel-Iran conflict expected to be a top priority. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his goals for the summit include for Iran to not develop or possess nuclear weapons, ensuring Israel's right to defend itself, avoiding escalation of the conflict and creating room for diplomacy. [[nid:719114]] "This issue will be very high on the agenda of the G7 summit," Merz told reporters. Before leaving for the summit on Sunday, US President Donald Trump was asked what he was doing to de-escalate the situation. "I hope there's going to be a deal. I think it's time for a deal," he told reporters. "Sometimes they have to fight it out." Brent crude futures were up 0.5 per cent in Asian trade on Monday, having surged late last week. While the spike in oil prices has investors on edge, stock and currency markets were little moved in Asia. "It's more of an oil story than an equity story at this point," said Jim Carroll, senior wealth adviser and portfolio manager at Ballast Rock Private Wealth. "Stocks right now seem to be hanging on." Trump vetoes plan to target Khamenei, officials say In Washington, two US officials told Reuters that Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. When asked about the Reuters report, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that." "We do what we need to do," he told Fox's "Special Report With Bret Baier." Israel began the assault with a surprise attack on Friday that wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites, and says the campaign will escalate in the coming days. Iran has vowed to "open the gates of hell" in retaliation. Trump warns Iran not to attack US targets Trump has lauded Israel's offensive while denying Iranian allegations that the US has taken part and warning Tehran not to widen its retaliation to include US targets. Two US officials said on Friday the US military had helped shoot down Iranian missiles that were headed toward Israel. The US president has repeatedly said Iran could end the war by agreeing to tough restrictions on its nuclear programme, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes but which Western countries and the IAEA nuclear watchdog say could be used to make an atomic bomb. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian told parliament on Monday the country has no intention to produce nuclear weapons but it would continue to pursue its right to nuclear energy and research. [[nid:719103]]

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store