Israel-Iran live: Starmer calls emergency COBRA meeting - as Iranian leader hits back at Trump
Iran's supreme leader has hit back at Donald Trump's "ridiculous" threats, as the US president reportedly considers a possible strike. Keir Starmer has called an emergency COBRA meeting as the conflict escalates. Listen to the latest episode of The World as you scroll.
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New Statesman
3 minutes ago
- New Statesman
A perilous age
We go to print this week at a moment of deep peril, uncertainty and, it has to be said, shame. In the Middle East, Israel and Iran are engaged in an existential battle for supremacy which, at the time of writing, threatens to spiral out of control, causing unknown death and destruction. In Ukraine, Vladimir Putin's assault continues, and in Gaza, the suffering of millions intensifies even as their fate falls down the global agenda. We do not live in a world bending towards justice, but one being bent out of shape by those with power. While all this was happening, the leaders of what was once thought of as 'the West' looked on in Canada, paralysed in the face of the spectacle unfolding. Is there even such a thing as the G7 any more, you wonder? What we have, it seems, is an increasingly incongruous G6 – a gathering of half a dozen mid-sized powers, once loyal to the US, but now seemingly powerless to do much about anything. As the likes of Keir Starmer and Mark Carney put their names to another communiqué, the strongmen of the world did as they pleased. Naturally, much of this week's magazine is devoted to the unfolding crisis and the new world we now seem to have entered. Lawrence Freedman provides a masterly account of the grand strategy – and grand gamble – behind Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to attack Tehran, as well as the possible consequences in the days and weeks ahead. Freddie Hayward, our US correspondent, reports on the fractious world of Maga, where some of Trump's most ardent supporters are now watching with alarm as the one-time candidate of peace finds himself drawn ever closer to another foreign war. Katie Stallard reports from Washington and the strange spectacle of Trump's birthday parade, considering what it reveals about the uncertainty of the world now. In this world of strongmen, the personalities of those in power is crucial: what they believe and why. For this reason, we have delved into the personal history of Netanyahu, a pariah figure in much of the world today (justly) who, nevertheless, looks set to remake the Middle East to Israel's advantage through raw military power and violence. Ami Dror, who was the head of Netanyahu's secret service security detail between 1996 and 1999, provides a startling insider account of the prime minister who became a warlord. And Israeli-American journalist Joshua Leifer explains why Netanyahu has been waiting for this showdown with Iran for most of his adult life. At home, meanwhile, the government continues to flail, subcontracting its most difficult decisions to others. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, recently completed the government's latest U-turn by announcing that there would be a national inquiry into the euphemistically named 'grooming gangs' scandal. As Hannah Barnes writes, it beggars belief that after months of obfuscation, the government has finally been forced into this position by the findings of Louise Casey. I have sat in meetings with some of the most senior Labour officials in this government who have spoken passionately about the moral stain of what happened in Rotherham and elsewhere, raging against the Labour councils which failed to act. And yet still nothing happened until someone else outside the government ordered them to change course. Voters – and, I suspect, New Statesman readers – want a government that knows what it stands for and is prepared to set it out in clear, unambiguous terms. From the protection of young girls in Britain to the rights of Palestinians in Gaza, Britain expects a government that leads, not one that follows. It's not all doom and gloom though. In the New Society, Tina Brown takes a look at Princess Diana's contested legacy, Zoë Huxford explores modern Britain through Alexander McQueen's most famous shows, and Kate Mossman meets a growling Brian Cox. Not a big fan of the prime minister, it seems. Enjoy the issue, and please do get in touch to let us know what you think. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe [See also: Kemi Badenoch sinks further into the mire] Related
Metro
6 minutes ago
- Metro
US 'Doomsday Plane' spotted near DC: Everything to know about the Boeing E-4B
A US Air Force E-4B aircraft landed near Washington, DC, heightening speculation as President Donald Trump weighs joining the war between Iran and Israel. The 'Nightwatch' aircraft nicknamed the presidential 'Doomsday Plane' touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday night. It departed from Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana, and took a very unusual flight path to arrive close to DC, i24NEWS reported. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Metro on the Boeing E-4B's mission, if it was related to the Iran-Israel conflict and whether Trump was on board. Unlike Air Force One which is known as the 'flying Oval Office', the E-4B Nightwatch is essentially a 'flying war room'. It is referred to as the Doomsday Plane because it has thermal and nuclear shielding designed to withstand nuclear blasts, and an electrical system that is immune to electromagnetic pulses. The plane has the ability to fly for 12 hours without needing to refuel. It is deployed to protect the president and senior administration officials, and is also used to transport the Secretary of Defense internationally. Beside transporting the president and top officials, the E-4B is sometimes flown for training and readiness drills. But the aircraft's irregular flight path and presence near DC the same day that Trump met with his national security advisers in the White House Situation Room boosts theories that it could be linked to the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Equipped with a command and control center to deliver military orders, the Doomsday Plane is meant to be flown in dire scenarios including ahead of a nuclear attack. The world is watching as Trump on Wednesday was cryptic on whether the US will join the war, saying, 'I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' The US Air Force has a fleet of four E-4Bs and they are all assigned to the 595th Command and Control Group at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. More Trending E-4Bs have been in operation since the Cold War. One E-4B has been staffed nonstop since 1975. It 'is on alert at all times, often traveling with the president or secretary of defense in case of emergency', according to Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska. 'Nebraska is proud to house this remarkable fleet,' she said in a 2024 column. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Brain dead woman Adriana Smith gives birth after being kept alive due to law MORE: Bunker buster bomb that can penetrate to 200ft is reason Israel wants the US to join war with Iran MORE: 'Dark fleet' tanker caught on fire after being struck in Persian Gulf
The Guardian
6 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Concerns mount as Brits in Israel told to stay put while embassy families flown out
The UK government removed families of Foreign Office officials from Israel due to security concerns but is continuing to advise British nationals to remain and follow local guidance – prompting questions over whether the approaches are consistent. While the dependents of diplomatic staff were flown out as a 'precautionary measure', with staff remaining at the embassy in Tel Aviv and the consulate in Jerusalem, the broader travel advice has not changed. British nationals currently in Israel are being urged to register their presence online, but are not being advised to leave. Instead they are being told to monitor Israeli government alerts and make individual decisions based on their location and circumstances. Although thousands of people currently in Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories are understood to have registered their presence with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the government has not moved to advise a general departure. Israel and Iran have exchanged fire over the past six days after Israel launched air strikes which it said were aimed at preventing Iran developing a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials insist the country's nuclear programme is peaceful. The disparity in approach has prompted confusion and a growing sense of unfairness, particularly among those questioning why the government acted pre-emptively to protect its own personnel but not ordinary citizens. It is understood that the department believes the two positions are consistent, citing a distinct duty of care to diplomatic staff. The decision to remove family members was based on the view that they are non-essential and more exposed to movement-related risks. For the wider public, the guidance remains to monitor Israeli government alerts and remain close to shelters where advised. Ministers say the overall threat level is being closely monitored, with consular teams deployed across Israel and neighbouring countries. The Foreign Office has said land borders with Jordan and Egypt remain open, and consular teams are in a position to provide assistance to British nationals who choose to leave Israel by land. But officials maintain that the threshold for advising a general departure has not yet been reached, pointing instead to the continued availability of commercial flights and overland border crossings into Egypt and Jordan. The prime minister chaired an emergency Cobra meeting on Wednesday to assess the escalating situation in the Middle East and review contingency planning. A senior government source described the situation as 'grave and volatile', and said ministers were 'working round the clock' with international partners to support de-escalation and keep British nationals safe. 'We want to de-escalate and do our first job – keep British nationals safe,' the source said. More than a thousand people have now registered their presence with the FCDO. Ministers say this does not indicate that assisted departures are being prepared, but that it enables the UK to better assess who is on the ground and what kind of support may be required if the situation worsens. While many of those registered are thought to be dual British-Israeli nationals who may not seek UK consular assistance, a smaller number of people have made active requests for support. The government has deployed extra consular staff to Jordan and Egypt, with rapid deployment teams on standby. For now ministers continue to rely on commercial options and Israeli public safety instructions as the basis of their advice to British nationals – a stance that has prompted unease given the parallel decision to evacuate diplomatic families. Keir Starmer has said that Donald Trump was interested in de-escalation in the Middle East, saying 'nothing' he had heard from the president suggested Washington was poised to get involved. However the US president told reporters outside the White House on Wednesday that he was considering strikes. 'I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.'
