Israel (& the US) vs Iran – what just happened?
Making sense of the '12-day war' between Israel and Iran
So much has happened since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13th, and there are so many questions about what could happen next. So #AJStartHere's Sandra Gathmann has been talking to Mike Fitzpatrick, a former US diplomat and an expert on nuclear issues, to try to make sense of it all.
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Qatar Tribune
44 minutes ago
- Qatar Tribune
Iran to temporarily suspend cooperation with IAEA
The Iranian parliament has voted to temporarily suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), state broadcaster IRIB reported on Wednesday. The move came amid conflicting reports over how badly the country's nuclear programme was damaged by the targeted US strikes at the weekend. IAEA head Rafael Grossi had earlier called for nuclear inspections in Iran to resume following the ceasefire between the Islamic Republic and Israel. Iran would not allow any IAEA inspectors into the country until the 'safety' of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed, said Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The decision by the Iranian parliament not to work further with the IAEA still needs to be approved by Iran's Guardian Council and the Security Council. The Security Council, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, is the most important political decision-making body in the country. US-Iran talks ongoing When it came to current relations with Iran, the US is 'actually getting along with them very well right now,' President Trump said. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed late Tuesday that the US has begun talks with Iran on a permanent peace agreement. Speaking on Fox News, Witkoff said that the talks are 'promising.' 'We're already talking to each other, not just directly, but also through interlocutors,' he said. (DPA)
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Iran moves to punish ‘spying' as it proclaims victory over Israel, US
Gilan, Iran – Iranian authorities are moving to allow for tougher punishment of cooperation with foreign governments after a 12-day war with Israel and the United States ended with a ceasefire on Monday. In a late Tuesday written message addressed to the Iranian nation, President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed a 'historic victory' and said plans to sow 'discord and division' among Iranians would fail. At the same time, the country's parliament and judiciary are advancing efforts to enforce more serious punishment against any action viewed as damaging to national security. The Iranian parliament on Monday approved a plan to 'intensify punishment for espionage and collaborators with the Zionist regime [Israel] and hostile countries against national security and interests'. Alireza Salimi, a member of the presiding board of the parliament, said 'any intelligence or espionage activity or practical action' that would favour Israel, the US and others could, as part of the proposal, be considered an example of 'corruption on Earth' – a crime that carries the death penalty. The legislation also targets people linked to weapons 'that can kill or create chaos and terror', as well as those who receive money, property or cryptocurrencies in exchange for services to hostile states. The bill is expected to 'give the security forces a freer hand', according to the lawmaker. Asghar Jahangir, the Iranian judiciary spokesperson, told state television on Tuesday that the country's current law on espionage is too general, and might not cover the types of espionage Iran currently faces. He said the current law would cause 'restrictions and limitations' for authorities who wish to punish people arrested during the war with Israel. Increased arrests In Urmia in northwest Iran's West Azerbaijan province, near the borders with Iraq and Turkiye, authorities on Wednesday morning executed three Iranians for collaborating with Israel. They were convicted of moharebeh or 'waging war against God' and corruption on Earth, after being accused of bringing equipment used to assassinate Iranian officials over the border. The judiciary did not name the assassinated figures, but the executions are believed to be linked to the killing of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020 by Israel. Iran has executed three other men, in three separate cases linked to spying for Israel, since the start of the war on June 13. More than 600 people were killed by Israeli attacks in Iran during the conflict, with many attacks – particularly those on the first night of bombing, when several Iranian military commanders were killed – linked to Israeli intelligence-gathering operations. At least 700 arrests were made across the country in the 12 days of the war, according to local media, and authorities are announcing more arrests each day. Amir Kholfian, the prosecutor general of Khuzestan province, in southwestern Iran bordering Iraq, said on Wednesday that indictments were issued against 23 people for 'sabotage acts' that included 'propaganda against the holy establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran'. Similar arrests or cases have been announced in many provinces, with some of the latest including 115 arrests in Kermanshah to the west, 53 in Fars to the south, and 36 in Gilan to the north of Iran. Amnesty International said last week that expedited trials and executions of those arrested for alleged collaboration with Israel 'show how the Iranian authorities weaponise the death penalty to assert control and instill fear among the people of Iran'. The anti-execution global rights monitor said there is a heightened risk of execution for those already on death row, adding such suspects often undergo 'grossly unfair trials'. Online dissent Iranian authorities are also trying to crack down on any online activity that can be construed as favouring Israel and the US, including any support for their military strikes on Iran. Some Iranians online have reported that they received an identical text message from the crime prevention department of the judiciary, telling them that membership in or following any online accounts affiliated with Israel is a crime punishable by law. 'Considering that your number has a record linked with the pages of the Zionist regime, you are warned to remove your supportive comments and likes and immediately leave those pages' or face punishment, the message reads. And after Israel extensively used explosive quadcopters and other small drones to hit Iranian targets from inside the country, rules governing those aircraft are expected to be toughened as well. The state-linked Fars news agency reported on Wednesday that the parliament approved the outlines of a plan to set punishments for people who own unlicensed drones. Lawmakers also emphatically approved a plan to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which Iranian authorities claim acted in a way that paved the way for the US and Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities to take place. The parliament members again shouted 'death to America' and 'death to Israel' after they voted, and parliament speaker and former military commander Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf vowed that the country will advance its nuclear programme stronger and faster than before. Members of parliament have also expressed their support if Iran's Supreme National Security Council chooses to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). US media outlets including CNN reported that US military strikes on Sunday failed to destroy the Iranian nuclear facilities buried deep in the mountains, which angered US President Donald Trump, who insisted that the sites were taken out. The IAEA has said it is unaware of the location of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium, including more than 408kg (900 pounds) of high-enriched 60 percent uranium.
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Deadly church attack raises security fears for Syrians, minorities
Sunday's deadly attack on the Mar Elias Church in Damascus has shaken Syria, and particularly the country's Christians. The attack on Sunday killed at least 25 people, after a man with a rifle entered the church and shot at worshippers, before detonating a suicide bomb. It has raised questions about the ability of the new Syrian government to manage security in the country and protect its citizens, including those from minority groups. The Syrian Interior Ministry blamed ISIL (ISIS) for the attack, though another group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna later claimed it. Government officials described the attack as an attempt to undermine their efforts to establish a state following the fall of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad in December. 'Sedition is happening,' Hind Kabawat, Syria's Social and Labour Affairs minister, told Syria TV from a Damascus hospital, as she fought back tears. 'All Christians and Muslims and all Syrians need to be strong today. This is a big wound, and our pain is big.' Fears in Syria While the target of the attack was a church – the first of its kind against a Syrian church since the fall of the al-Assad regime – it serves as a reminder of the precarious security situation the country still finds itself in, affecting all Syrians, as the government attempts to provide stability. 'It's very dangerous,' Abu Hassan, a Damascus resident, told Al Jazeera by phone. He said that he was wary of more attacks taking place as part of an attempt to sow disunity between Syria's Christians and Muslims. '[The attacks] won't disappear,' he said. 'There will be more blood. May God protect this country.' The end of the al-Assad regime, following a more than 13-year war in which hundreds of thousands died, was welcomed by most Syrians. The al-Assad dynasty – Bashar had been preceded as president by his father Hafez – had effectively built one of the world's most brutal police states, with a vast network of competing security and intelligence branches that terrorised much of the local population. The man who has replaced Bashar al-Assad as president is Ahmed al-Sharaa. His own background – as a former member of al-Qaeda who led the now-disbanded Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the latter years of the war – led many Syrians to express doubts and concerns over his rule of such a religiously and ethnically diverse state. Al-Sharaa has repeatedly promised to protect minorities and build an inclusive state for Syrians of all backgrounds and religions. But a series of events in the interim has sown distrust between the ruling authorities and some members of religious minority groups. Massacres committed in the Alawite-dominated coastal region in March, followed by clashes between government-affiliated forces and Druze militias in May, rocked some of the goodwill and faith the new authorities had built up. The Mar Elias Church attack is, of course, different in that it was perpetrated by an enemy of the new government. But it has still contributed to the doubt felt by some that the security situation in Syria can improve – particularly, although not exclusively, for minorities. And that uncertainty is even pushing some minorities to consider that they may have to abandon their homes in Syria and leave the country. For many observers, ultimately, the buck stops with the authorities. 'The government will be judged based on what they are doing and how they solve the [security] issue,' Jerome Drevon, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst on jihad and modern conflict, told Al Jazeera, 'including the issue of religious minorities and how they protect them'. Need for justice The government has said that it was able to thwart two other planned attacks by the same cell that was behind the Mar Elias attack, one of which was going to target a Shia Muslim shrine in Damascus. ISIL has yet to claim the attack, but is reportedly making inroads in Syria. The group had controlled vast swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq as part of its self-declared 'caliphate' before a United States-led campaign defeated it in 2019, and forced its remnants to the peripheries. Drevon said that the group had been mostly present in Syria's eastern desert in recent years, until US air strikes and Syrian government expansion led them to push into cities. ISIL now acts less as a hierarchical organisation and more as a network of independent cells, Drevon said, making it difficult to fully eradicate it. 'There is to some extent a security vacuum because there are not enough forces to man the full country,' Drevon said. Still, there is also room for positivity. Drevon noted that the government has had some success quelling insurgents and, as collaboration with foreign governments improves, so too will its intelligence and ability to thwart local attacks. 'There are cases of violence, of course, but the level of violence is very far from what we expected six months ago,' Drevon said. 'Even Western countries can't fully prevent armed attacks.' Analysts say Syrian authorities have been focused not just on preventing attacks from groups like ISIL, but also on stopping domestic insurrections, much like the one along Syria's coast in March sparked by supporters of al-Assad, which then descended into sectarian killing and massacres. Additionally, the new authorities are trying to improve their intelligence capabilities and means of collaborating and receiving intelligence from foreign countries. Drevon said it was important for foreign governments to collaborate with the new administration on intelligence to confront what is likely to be a growing threat from ISIL in the coming months. But beyond the question of the state's capacity to fight radical groups is also the importance of amplifying the message that religious and ethnic minorities are equal citizens in Syria, said Robin Yassin-Kassab, a Syrian writer. The overthrow of al-Assad was popular among Syrians, and the months that have followed have allowed for a new narrative of unity to emerge in the country. But that can quickly go away – particularly if people do not feel that justice is being carried out for the victims of all crimes, including ones committed by those aligned with the state. After the violence on the coast and in heavily Druze-populated areas, al-Sharaa's government formed committees to investigate and assign responsibility for the violence and deaths. The new authorities have occasionally also arrested people accused of perpetrating or coordinating violence. But some Syrians still don't feel there is a transparent process or messaging in distributing justice clearly, fairly and equally. '[There is] no clear message that perpetrators will be arrested and punished for committing crimes and it doesn't matter which political group or what identity, sect or regime, you are affiliated with, you will be punished,' Yassin-Kassab told Al Jazeera. 'That's still not clear.'
