GOP fractured on Iran strikes as Trump weighs two-week deadline
NewsFeed GOP fractured on Iran strikes as Trump weighs two-week deadline
Trump's base is splintering from GOP hawks over possible US strikes on Iran. While some Republicans push for military action and regime change, key MAGA allies warn war could derail Trump's domestic agenda. Trump says he'll decide within two weeks on action in Iran.
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Al Jazeera
29 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
Iran, Europe to hold first meeting since Israel conflict began
Iran will hold talks with the United Kingdom, France and Germany in Geneva on Friday in an attempt to prevent an escalation in its conflict with Israel, after United States President Donald Trump said he would decide within two weeks whether to join the assault on Tehran. 'We will meet with the European delegation in Geneva on Friday,' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement, carried by state news agency IRNA. European diplomats confirmed the planned talks in Switzerland, set to involve French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Kallas and the ministers from the three European countries – known as the E3 – spoke to Araghchi earlier this week and discussed the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion, the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations were planning to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict. On Wednesday, he asked his foreign minister to draw up an initiative with 'close partners' to that end. Speaking in Paris after talks on the crisis with the Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday, Barrot said the three nations 'stand ready to bring our competence and experience on this matter'. 'We are ready to take part in negotiations aimed at obtaining from Iran a lasting rollback of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes,' he added. The UK's Lammy was scheduled to travel to Switzerland following his visit to Washington, DC, where he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. 'We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon … A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,' Lammy said in a statement. Kallas, in coordination with European countries, has insisted that diplomacy remains the best path towards ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear bomb. Israel has repeatedly said its series of strikes is a preemptive move to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran denies it is building nuclear weapons and insists that its nuclear programme is peaceful. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it has found no evidence that Iran was building such weapons. The ramping up of diplomatic efforts comes as Trump said he is weighing military action against Iran's nuclear facilities. Trump said on Thursday he would make up his mind within two weeks on whether Washington will get directly involved militarily in the conflict, given the 'substantial chance' for renewed diplomatic negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme. Iran's well-defended Fordow uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain, is widely considered to be out of reach of all but the US's so-called 'bunker-buster' bombs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he trusted that Trump would 'do what's best for America'. 'I can tell you that they're already helping a lot,' he told reporters in Beersheba. The talks will be held in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for lifting sanctions was struck in 2013, before a comprehensive deal in 2015. Trump left the Iran nuclear deal during his first term as president in 2018, defying last-ditch diplomatic efforts by his European allies to convince him otherwise. Negotiations between Iran and the US had been taking place when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. The conflict erupted with a surprise wave of Israeli attacks targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites and killing top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded since Israel launched a surprise wave of air raids against Iran a week ago, according to the US-based rights group Human Rights Activists. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds of others wounded in Iranian attacks, according to Israeli health authorities.
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
Iran, Europe set for first talks since Israel conflict began
Iran will hold talks with the United Kingdom, France and Germany in Geneva on Friday in an attempt to prevent an escalation in its conflict with Israel, after United States President Donald Trump said he would decide within two weeks whether to join the assault on Tehran. 'We will meet with the European delegation in Geneva on Friday,' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement, carried by state news agency IRNA. European diplomats confirmed the planned talks in Switzerland, set to involve French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Kallas and the ministers from the three European countries – known as the E3 – spoke to Araghchi earlier this week and discussed the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion, the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations were planning to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict. On Wednesday, he asked his foreign minister to draw up an initiative with 'close partners' to that end. Speaking in Paris after talks on the crisis with the Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday, Barrot said the three nations 'stand ready to bring our competence and experience on this matter'. 'We are ready to take part in negotiations aimed at obtaining from Iran a lasting rollback of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes,' he added. The UK's Lammy was scheduled to travel to Switzerland following his visit to Washington, DC, where he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. 'We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon … A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,' Lammy said in a statement. Kallas, in coordination with European countries, has insisted that diplomacy remains the best path towards ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear bomb. Israel has repeatedly said its series of strikes is a preemptive move to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran denies it is building nuclear weapons and insists that its nuclear programme is peaceful. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it has found no evidence that Iran was building such weapons. The ramping up of diplomatic efforts comes as Trump said he is weighing military action against Iran's nuclear facilities. Trump said on Thursday he would make up his mind within two weeks on whether Washington will get directly involved militarily in the conflict, given the 'substantial chance' for renewed diplomatic negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme. Iran's well-defended Fordow uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain, is widely considered to be out of reach of all but the US's so-called 'bunker-buster' bombs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he trusted that Trump would 'do what's best for America'. 'I can tell you that they're already helping a lot,' he told reporters in Beersheba. The talks will be held in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for lifting sanctions was struck in 2013, before a comprehensive deal in 2015. Trump left the Iran nuclear deal during his first term as president in 2018, defying last-ditch diplomatic efforts by his European allies to convince him otherwise. Negotiations between Iran and the US had been taking place when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. The conflict erupted with a surprise wave of Israeli attacks targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites and killing top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded since Israel launched a surprise wave of air raids against Iran a week ago, according to the US-based rights group Human Rights Activists. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds of others wounded in Iranian attacks, according to Israeli health authorities.
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
A simple visual guide to Iran and its people
Iran has re-emerged at the centre of international attention, following Israeli attacks on the Middle East's second-largest country on June 13. Stretching from the Caspian Sea in the north to the Gulf of Oman in the south, Iran's landscape is as varied as its history, with key access to critical waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil flows. Iran's history spans millennia, making it one of the world's most ancient and culturally rich nations, continuously inhabited and influential throughout history. In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera provides a snapshot of Iran's geography, key cities, population makeup, and ethnic diversity. With a population of 92 million, Iran is the 17th-largest country in the world by population and land area. Iran's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) is $418bn, ranking it 36th in terms of the economy size. It has an unemployment rate of about 7.2 percent. The country's adult literacy rate is 89 percent, with youth literacy nearing 99 percent, though these rates vary between rural and urban areas. The country is rich in oil and gas, ranking as the world's ninth-largest oil producer and third-largest natural gas in Western Asia, Iran is the second-largest country in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and the 17th-largest in the world, covering approximately 1.65 million square kilometres (636,000 square miles). Iran shares land borders with seven countries, the longest being Iraq, followed by Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Armenia. Iran covers about one-sixth the equivalent land area of the United States, nearly as large as the state of Alaska. It is about one-sixth the size of Europe, about one-fifth the size of Australia, roughly half the size of India and about 80 times larger than of Iran's 92 million people live in the western half of the country, where the terrain features rugged mountains alongside fertile valleys and river basins that sustain much of the population. With 9.6 million inhabitants, Tehran has been the capital since 1795 and is the country's largest city. Situated beneath the Alborz Mountains, Tehran's history dates back more than 6,000 years. Mashhad, in the northeast, is Iran's second-largest city with 3.4 million people and a history spanning more than 1,200 years. It is a major religious and cultural centre and is home to the Imam Reza Shrine, which brings in millions of pilgrims from around the world. Isfahan, the third-largest city, is home to some 2.3 million people. More than 2,500 years old, the city was once the capital of the Safavid Empire, which lasted from 1501 to 1722. Isfahan hosts major educational institutions and is a centre for textiles, steel and manufacturing, along with nuclear and aerospace industries. Other populous cities across Iran include: Shiraz (1.7 million), Tabriz (1.7 million), Karaj (1.6 million), Qom (1.4 million) and Ahvaz (1.3 million).Nearly 60 percent of Iran's population is below the age of 39, according to figures from the United Nations Statistics Division. The country's median age is 33-34 years, and about 77 percent of Iranians live in urban areas. The largest age groups in Iran are those aged 30-34 and 35-39, meaning most of the population was born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Pahlavi Shah regime. However, there has been a significant emigration of Iranian professionals in recent years, largely driven by economic is a highly diverse country, both ethnically and culturally. Persians make up approximately 61 percent of the population, while significant minority groups include Azerbaijanis (16 percent), Kurds (10 percent) and others, such as Lurs (6 percent), Arabs (2 percent), Baloch (2 percent) and Turkic groups (2 percent). Iran is predominantly Shia Muslim, making up about 90 percent of the population, while Sunni Muslims and other Muslim sects account for roughly 9 percent. The remaining 1 percent includes roughly 300,000 Baha'i, 300,000 Christians, 35,000 Zoroastrians, 20,000 Jews, and 10,000 Sabean Mandeans according to the Minority Rights Group. In border regions such as Kurdistan, Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan, ethnic groups play a key role in shaping the country's ethnic and religious diversity as well as its regional politics. While Persian (Farsi) is the official national language, many regions across the country speak a variety of other languages.
