5.5-magnitude quake rattles northern Iran amid Israel war
Iranian authorities have confirmed that a magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck near the city of Sorkheh in Semnan Province late Friday evening. The tremor occurred at 9:19 PM local time on June 20.According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake struck at a moderately shallow depth of 35 km beneath the epicentre near Semnan.The quake was felt in several parts of northern Iran, with no confirmed reports of injuries or major destruction.advertisement
The earthquakes come as Iran remains on alert due to its escalating conflict with Israel, following a series of tit-for-tat military strikes and cyber operations. The conflict has also led to the mobilisation of Iranian military units in several regions, including areas near the quake zone.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Alipur village in Karnataka awaits return of residents from strife-torn Iran
Bengaluru: Amid raging Iran-Israel hostilities, fear and anxiety have gripped the tiny hamlet of Alipur — located 70 km from Bengaluru — with 105 villagers from there currently stranded in Iran. Alipur in Gauribidanur taluk of Chikkaballapur district is one of the few Muslim-majority villages in the state — constituting 90% of the population, with Shias make up 99% of the community. Linked by spiritual, religious, socio-cultural, and educational bonds, Alipur has fostered a close relationship with Iran for decades, and several services had been initiated in the village in collaboration with the Iranian govt. Iran's current supreme leader Ali Khamenei's visit to Alipur in 1981-82 to inaugurate a hospital built in collaboration with the Iran govt marks the high point in the village's ties with the West Asian country. According to the villagers, while a few of the youngsters from Alipur are studying medicine at Tehran University, the majority are enrolled at the prestigious Shia seminaries and Islamic research institutes to become Islamic clerics. Besides, some have also gone on an annual pilgrimage to the holy city Mashhad — the second most populous city in Iran. "The families back home were anxious, as panic gripped the village ever since tensions rose between Iran and Israel. There are about 105 citizens from Alipur who are currently stranded at various locations across Iran," said Shafeeq Abidi, a resident. "Currently, around 15 students are pursuing medicine (MBBS) in Tehran. Around 30 citizens have gone on a pilgrimage, and more than 50 youngsters are undergoing religious training. A few others have also gone on business trips, as the village is also a hub for gems and jewellery trade," he added. Officials from the state revenue department and Chikkaballapur police visited Alipur two days ago to collect details of the citizens who are currently in Iran. This was in keeping with the directive of the Ministry of External Affairs to bring them back home as part of Operation Sindhu, launched by the Union govt. "Until a few days ago, the families of those stranded in Iran were terrified. However, over the past two days, the families were unable to contact their loved ones. Thankfully, all of them have been moved to safe locations and are in touch with Indian embassy officials. The govt of Iran is also cooperating by providing shelter, food, and transit options," Abidi explained. "The state govt has been coordinating with the MEA for the safe return of our villagers. They will be airlifted from Iran and are expected to reach Karnataka by Sunday or Monday," Abidi added.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Deal, Not Bombs, Seen as Only Way to End Iranian Nuclear Threat
(Bloomberg) -- While President Donald Trump weighs whether to join Israel's assault on Iran, foreign policy veterans and analysts argue that a negotiated settlement, not bombs nor commandos, is the only way to eliminate the threat of Tehran gaining a nuclear weapon. 'I don't believe there's a lasting military solution to the Iranian nuclear problem,' said Caroline Zier, a former senior Pentagon official under both Republican and Democratic administrations. 'You can delay, you can set back, but the long-term solution comes at the negotiating table.' For Trump, a deal would avoid dragging the US into another regional war or driving up inflation-generating oil prices. Israel is determined to eliminate what it sees as an existential threat. And Iran is desperate to remove crippling economic sanctions. Yet such an outcome right now faces a dilemma, as Iran says it won't negotiate if Israel continues its attacks while the US and its allies hold that a ceasefire is only possible if the Iranians make substantial concessions in talks that had been underway until the Israeli air campaign began. Iran, which denies it wants a nuclear arsenal, has also said it won't give up the right to enrich uranium or eliminate its missile programs. The UK has tried to persuade the Trump administration not to give up on negotiations after five rounds of talks between Washington and Tehran. Foreign Secretary David Lammy held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday before flying to Geneva to speak with Iran's foreign minister alongside French and German counterparts on Friday. The officials emerged from the meeting sounding hopeful but major gaps remain. Israel's demands go beyond the nuclear program, to include stopping ballistic missile development and no longer funding of regional militias, according to a person familiar with the government's intentions who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. That position, however, is a non-starter for Iran. 'If the aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its crimes, Iran is ready to reconsider the path of diplomacy,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the meeting in Geneva, according to state-run IRNA. 'Iran's capabilities — including its missile program — are not up for negotiation.' What Bloomberg Economics Says... 'Enrichment has become a symbol of Iranian prowess and scientific advancement, especially in the context of severe sanctions. They're willing to accept real curbs on the level of enrichment, but they've said some level of enrichment on their soil is a red line.' 'A purely military solution to Iran's nuclear program doesn't exist. The only way to control or curb the program is through diplomacy.' — Dina Esfandiary, Middle East geoeconomics lead Click here to read further research. Trump still appears undecided about what to do but remains open to getting involved militarily. On Friday, he dismissed the European efforts to find a solution but ruled out the involvement of American ground troops. 'I'm giving them a period of time,' he told reporters in New Jersey, after meeting earlier Friday with his national security team. 'I would say two weeks would be the maximum.' A blueprint for a deal exists — the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that was signed by President Barack Obama and which Trump abandoned 2018. Under that accord, Iran agreed to curbs on its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. Earlier: Trump Sends Mixed Signals on Iran Strikes With Ceasefire Hint Daniel Kurtzer, a former US ambassador to Israel and Egypt, suggested making any new deal open-ended rather than setting an expiration date on some limits as the JCPOA did. 'A tougher agreement could lead to Iranian compliance and an end to the war, therefore an end to the Iranian nuclear program,' said Kurtzer, who is now a professor at Princeton University. Iran adhered to the JCPOA for three years, Kurtzer said. The question now is whether the Israeli military campaign would persuade Iran to abandon uranium enrichment or make its leaders more determined to retain that ability. 'We don't know whether the debilitation of their military capabilities — their missile programs and nuclear programs — will now make a convincing argument otherwise,' Kurtzer said. Yet the Iranians might be wary of entering into a new nuclear agreement with Trump after he backed out of the last one. While the focus has been on the use of America's so-called bunker buster bombs against the Fordow enrichment facility, the overall program, not to mention the sense of national identity wrapped up in its development, would be harder to eliminate. Iran has developed a heavily fortified network of sites nationwide to pursue its ambitions of uranium enrichment, as well as thousands of scientists and engineers working at dozens of locations. 'Striking Fordow successfully would be devastating but it wouldn't end the program,' Barbara Leaf, former US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, said in a Bloomberg Television interview. 'I want to hear a pretty clear full-throated 'yes, we're ready to negotiate,' from the regime, and we're not hearing that yet,' Leaf said. 'There's conditionality.' A key element for any deal would be a trusted interlocutor, which seems no party is currently able to play. Iran recently criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations-backed watchdog, for giving Israel an excuse to strike after it reported late last month that Iran expanded its stockpiles of near weapons-grade uranium. The agency denies the charge. 'A diplomatic solution is within reach if the necessary political will is there,' IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi told the UN Security Council. 'This opportunity should not be missed.' More stories like this are available on
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
"She's Wrong": Trump On Spy Chief Tulsi Gabbard's Iran Nuclear Remark
Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was wrong in suggesting there was no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Trump contested intelligence assessments relayed earlier this year by his spy chief that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon when he spoke with reporters at an airport in Morristown, New Jersey. "She's wrong," Trump said. In March, Gabbard testified to Congress that the U.S. intelligence community continued to believe that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon. "The (intelligence community) continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon," she said. On Friday, Gabbard said in a post on the social media platform X that: "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree." She said the media has taken her March testimony "out of context" and was trying to "manufacture division." The White House has said Trump would weigh involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict over the next two weeks. On Tuesday, Trump made similar comments to reporters about Gabbard's assessment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has justified a week of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets by saying Tehran was on the verge of having a warhead. Iran denies developing nuclear weapons, saying its uranium enrichment program is only for peaceful purposes. In March, Gabbard described Iran's enriched uranium stockpile as unprecedented for a state without such weapons and said the government was watching the situation closely. She also said that Iran had started discussing nuclear weapons in public, "emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran's decision-making apparatus." A source with access to U.S. intelligence reports told Reuters that the assessment presented by Gabbard has not changed. They said U.S. spy services also judged that it would take up to three years for Iran to build a warhead with which it could hit a target of its choice. Some experts, however, believe it could take Iran a much shorter time to build and deliver an untested crude nuclear device, although there would be no guarantee it would work. Trump has frequently disavowed the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies, which he and his supporters have charged - without providing proof - are part of a "deep state" cabal of U.S. officials opposed to his presidency. Gabbard, a fierce Trump loyalist, has been among the president's backers who have aired such allegations. The Republican president repeatedly clashed with U.S. spy agencies during his first term, including over an assessment that Moscow worked to sway the 2016 presidential vote in his favor and his acceptance of Russian President Vladimir Putin's denials.
