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Edmonton Journal
18 minutes ago
- Edmonton Journal
U.S. airbase in Qatar attacked by Iran was visited by Trump in May
Article content Article content Leavitt said U.S. operations in the Middle East haven't changed despite Trump raising the possibility of toppling Iran's theocratic leadership. Article content 'The president was just simply raising a question that I think many people around the world are asking,' she told reporters on Monday morning. Article content She added, 'if they refuse to engage in diplomacy moving forward, why shouldn't the Iranian people rise up against this brutal terrorist regime?' Article content On Sunday, Trump called into question the future of Iran's ruling theocracy after a surprise attack on three of the country's nuclear sites, seemingly contradicting his administration's earlier calls to resume negotiations and avoid an escalation in fighting. Article content 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' Trump posted on social media. 'MIGA!!!' Article content Article content Trump's bombardment of three sites in Iran quickly sparked debate in Congress over his authority to launch the strikes, with Republicans praising Trump for decisive action even as many Democrats warned he should have sought congressional approval. Article content Leavitt rejected accusations that Democrats were not given a heads-up about the U.S. attack on Iran. Article content 'We did make bipartisan calls,' Leavitt told Fox News. She said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries 'couldn't be reached.' Article content Traditionally, there are bipartisan briefings for congressional leaders, even for classified missions. Article content Leavitt insisted the White House was 'not obligated to tell anybody' about the plans, but 'we gave these calls as a courtesy.' Article content Article content Pakistan condemned U.S. President Donald Trump for bombing Iran, less than 24 hours after saying he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for defusing a recent crisis with India. Article content Relations between the two South Asian countries plummeted after a massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April. The nuclear-armed rivals stepped closer to war in the weeks that followed, attacking each other until intense diplomatic efforts, led by the U.S., resulted in a truce for which Trump took credit.
CTV News
19 minutes ago
- CTV News
Iran launches missile attacks on U.S. base in Qatar in retaliation for American bombing
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A Defence Department official is confirming a missile attack from Iran on a U.S. military base in Qatar but says no casualties have been reported. The official said Monday that Al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles. The U.S. is continuing to monitor the situation, said the official. The confirmation came soon after Iran acknowledged the missile attacks, saying the attack in Qatar matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on its nuclear sites over the weekend, signaling its likely desire to de-escalate. Iran launched attacks Monday, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites and escalating tensions in the volatile region. Shortly after the attack, the Gulf nation of Bahrain that is home to the U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters temporarily suspended flights in its airspace, which is similar to what Qatar did shortly before it was hit. Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base attack, but said it successfully intercepted the missiles and no casualties were reported. It said its airspace is now safe. Iran said the attack in Qatar matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on its nuclear sites over the weekend, signalling its likely desire to de-escalate. Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas. Iran announced the attack on state television as martial music played. A caption on screen called it 'a mighty and successful response' to 'America's aggression.' The Ain al-Assad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq was also targeted, an Iraqi security official who was not authorized to comment publicly told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. But Iran did not claim credit for that attack, which could have been carried out by militias. It was not immediately clear if there was damage to the Iraq base or any injuries. Qatar's Foreign Ministry said the attack by Iran's Revolutionary Guards was 'a flagrant violation of Qatar's sovereignty, its airspace, and international law.' Al Udeid is also home to the Combined Air Operations Center, which provides command and control of air power across the region as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, the largest expeditionary wing in the world. The retaliation came a day after the U.S. launched a surprise attack Sunday morning on three of Iran's nuclear sites. Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: 'We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.' Israel expands war to include symbolic targets Earlier in the day, Israel expanded its war against Iran to include targets associated with the country's struggling theocracy, striking the gate of a Tehran prison notorious for holding political activists and hitting the headquarters of the military force that suppressed recent protests. As plumes of thick smoke rose over Tehran, Israel was attacked with yet another barrage of Iranian missiles and drones. The persistent fire has become a reality for civilians in both countries since Israel started the war to target Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. On the 11th day of the conflict, Israel said it attacked 'regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran,' but Israeli officials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran's government, their archenemy since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Israeli military warned Iranians that it would continue to attack military sites around Tehran over 'the coming days' as its focuses has shifted to symbolic targets as well. The military issued the warning on the social platform X, though Iranians are struggling to access the outside world as an internet shutdown has crippled the country. The latest strikes unfolded only hours after U.S. President Donald Trump openly raised the possibility himself after just a day earlier inserting America into the war with its unprecedented stealth-bomber strike on three Iranian nuclear sites. 'If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' he asked on his Truth Social website. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as 'simply raising a question.' However, suggestions of overthrowing the Iranian government drew new anger from Tehran, which insists it will not negotiate at this time and is threatening to retaliate directly against either American troops or interests in a Mideast already inflamed by the still-raging Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Tehran strikes open new chapter of war In the Tehran strikes, Israel blew open a gate at Evin prison. Iranian state television shared black-and-white surveillance footage of the strike at the facility known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners run by the paramilitary, all-volunteer Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both U.S. and European Union sanctions. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Iran or significant damage, though the semiofficial Tasnim news agency said there had been a power cut reported outside of Tehran following the Israeli strikes. Iranian state television also aired footage it described as being shot inside Evin, with prisoners under control inside the facility. However, the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran expressed worry about the condition of prisoners there. 'Many families of current detainees have expressed deep concern about the safety and condition of their loved ones held inside the prison,' it said. Earlier Monday, Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington that its strikes had given Iranian forces a 'free hand ' to 'act against U.S. interests and its army.' Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East, many in locations within range of short-range Iranian missiles. The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran's Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday's attack by the United States on three nuclear facilities. The Israeli military did not elaborate. 'The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,' Israel's Defence Ministry said. According to an Israeli official familiar with the government's strategy, Israel is targeting these sites to put pressure on the Iranian administration but is not actively seeking to topple it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal government deliberations. Nuclear fears mount after U.S. strikes In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. With the strikes Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel's war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed 'a very big red line' with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the agency's board of governors Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed him on June 13 that Iran would 'adopt special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials.' 'I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared,' Grossi said, without saying whether Iran had responded. Iran presses on attacking Israel Iran described its Monday attack on Israel as a new wave of its 'Operation True Promise 3,' saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television. Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem, possibly from air defence systems in action, and Israel's Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said there had been no reports of injuries. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Masha Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 380 civilians and 253 security force personnel. Calls for de-escalation The U.S. described its attack on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear site, as a one-off to take out Iran's nuclear program, but Trump has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates. Mousavi described the American attacks as violating Iran's sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the country, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Russia is one of Iran's closest allies and on Monday, President Vladimir Putin said after meeting in Moscow with Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, that they had explored 'how we can get out of today's situation.' Putin called the Israeli and American attacks on Iran an 'absolutely unprovoked aggression.' Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent - a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent - and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. By David Rising, Jon Gambrell And Melanie Lidman Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Elise Morton in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Ella Joyner in Brussels and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed to this report.
Globe and Mail
25 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Oil prices dive as Iran's retaliation focuses on regional U.S. military bases
Oil prices slipped more than US$3, or 4 per cent, on Monday after Iran attacked the U.S. military base in Qatar in retaliation for U.S. attacks on its nuclear facilities, and took no action to disrupt oil and gas tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures were down US$2.91, or 3.8 per cent, at US$74.09 a barrel by 1:13 p.m. ET. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) eased US$2.8, or 3.8 per cent, to US$71.06. Explosions were heard over Qatar's capital Doha on Monday, a Reuters witness reported, shortly after a Western diplomat said there had been a credible Iranian threat against the U.S.-run al Udeid air base in the Gulf Arab state since midday. 'Oil flows for now aren't the primary target and is likely not to be impacted, I think it's going to be military retaliation on US bases and/or trying to hit more of the Israeli civilian targets,' said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital. Qatar said it closed its airspace, while United Arab Emirates' airspace was closed based on flight paths and air traffic control audio, according to Flightradar. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had 'obliterated' Iran's main nuclear sites in strikes over the weekend, joining an Israeli assault in an escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself. Israel also carried out fresh strikes against Iran on Monday including on capital Tehran and the Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow, which was also a target of the U.S. attack. At least two supertankers made U-turns near the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. military strikes on Iran, ship tracking data shows, as more than a week of violence in the region prompted vessels to speed, pause, or alter their journeys. About a fifth of global oil supply flows through the strait. However, the risk of a complete shutdown is low, analysts have said. A telegraphed attack on a well defended U.S. base could be a first step in reducing tensions provided there are no US casualties, Energy Aspects said in a post. 'Unless there are indications of further Iranian retaliation or escalation by Israel/the US then we may see some geopolitical risk premium come out of the price in subsequent days,' it said. Qatar said there were no casualties from the attack on the U.S. military base. Iran, which is OPEC's third-largest crude producer, said on Monday that the U.S. attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces and called Trump a 'gambler' for joining Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump expressed a desire to see oil prices kept down amid fears that ongoing fighting in the Middle East could cause them to spike. On his Truth Social platform, he addressed the U.S. Department of Energy, encouraging 'drill, baby, drill' and saying, 'I mean now.' Investors are still weighing up the extent of the geopolitical risk premium, given the Middle East crisis has yet to crimp supply. HSBC expects Brent prices to spike above US$80 a barrel to factor in a higher probability of a Strait of Hormuz closure, but to recede again if the threat of disruption does not materialise, the bank said on Monday. Iraq's state-run Basra Oil Company said international oil majors including BP, TotalEnergies and Eni had evacuated some staff members working in oilfields. Be smart with your money. Get the latest investing insights delivered right to your inbox three times a week, with the Globe Investor newsletter. Sign up today.
