Trump 'may change mind' about firing Fed Chair
US President Donald Trump has again floated the idea of firing Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair he has long attacked over interest rates he wants lowered.
"I don't know why the Board doesn't override (Powell)," Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social criticising Fed policy. "Maybe, just maybe, I'll have to change my mind about firing him? But regardless, his Term ends shortly."
Trump added: "I fully understand that my strong criticism of him makes it more difficult for him to do what he should be doing, lowering Rates, but I've tried it all different ways."
Fed policymakers have long been seen as insulated from presidential dismissal for reasons other than malfeasance or misconduct, but Trump has threatened to test that legal premise with long-running threats to fire Powell.
Just last week, though, Trump set aside the idea. "I'm not going to fire him," he said at the White House on June 12.
The Fed held rates steady on Wednesday in the 4.25 per cent-4.50 per cent range and forecast slower growth as well as higher unemployment and inflation by year's end.
Fed Governor Chris Waller, who has been floated as a possible Trump pick to be Powell's successor, said on Friday that with inflation coming down and the labour market showing signs of weakening, rate cuts should be considered as soon as July.
But even Waller joined the unanimous Fed decision to leave rates on hold, signalling no inclination by any of Powell's six fellow Board members, or of the five voting regional Fed bank presidents, to "override" him.
Elected partly on voters' belief that he could contain high inflation, the Republican US president has imposed tariff hikes in office. Powell, echoing an academic consensus, has said some of those tariff hikes will be paid for in higher consumer prices.
Powell's term ends in May 2026, and Trump is expected to nominate a successor in the coming months.
A Supreme Court ruling in May eased concerns that Trump could fire Powell as the justices called the Fed "a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity."
US President Donald Trump has again floated the idea of firing Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair he has long attacked over interest rates he wants lowered.
"I don't know why the Board doesn't override (Powell)," Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social criticising Fed policy. "Maybe, just maybe, I'll have to change my mind about firing him? But regardless, his Term ends shortly."
Trump added: "I fully understand that my strong criticism of him makes it more difficult for him to do what he should be doing, lowering Rates, but I've tried it all different ways."
Fed policymakers have long been seen as insulated from presidential dismissal for reasons other than malfeasance or misconduct, but Trump has threatened to test that legal premise with long-running threats to fire Powell.
Just last week, though, Trump set aside the idea. "I'm not going to fire him," he said at the White House on June 12.
The Fed held rates steady on Wednesday in the 4.25 per cent-4.50 per cent range and forecast slower growth as well as higher unemployment and inflation by year's end.
Fed Governor Chris Waller, who has been floated as a possible Trump pick to be Powell's successor, said on Friday that with inflation coming down and the labour market showing signs of weakening, rate cuts should be considered as soon as July.
But even Waller joined the unanimous Fed decision to leave rates on hold, signalling no inclination by any of Powell's six fellow Board members, or of the five voting regional Fed bank presidents, to "override" him.
Elected partly on voters' belief that he could contain high inflation, the Republican US president has imposed tariff hikes in office. Powell, echoing an academic consensus, has said some of those tariff hikes will be paid for in higher consumer prices.
Powell's term ends in May 2026, and Trump is expected to nominate a successor in the coming months.
A Supreme Court ruling in May eased concerns that Trump could fire Powell as the justices called the Fed "a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity."
US President Donald Trump has again floated the idea of firing Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair he has long attacked over interest rates he wants lowered.
"I don't know why the Board doesn't override (Powell)," Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social criticising Fed policy. "Maybe, just maybe, I'll have to change my mind about firing him? But regardless, his Term ends shortly."
Trump added: "I fully understand that my strong criticism of him makes it more difficult for him to do what he should be doing, lowering Rates, but I've tried it all different ways."
Fed policymakers have long been seen as insulated from presidential dismissal for reasons other than malfeasance or misconduct, but Trump has threatened to test that legal premise with long-running threats to fire Powell.
Just last week, though, Trump set aside the idea. "I'm not going to fire him," he said at the White House on June 12.
The Fed held rates steady on Wednesday in the 4.25 per cent-4.50 per cent range and forecast slower growth as well as higher unemployment and inflation by year's end.
Fed Governor Chris Waller, who has been floated as a possible Trump pick to be Powell's successor, said on Friday that with inflation coming down and the labour market showing signs of weakening, rate cuts should be considered as soon as July.
But even Waller joined the unanimous Fed decision to leave rates on hold, signalling no inclination by any of Powell's six fellow Board members, or of the five voting regional Fed bank presidents, to "override" him.
Elected partly on voters' belief that he could contain high inflation, the Republican US president has imposed tariff hikes in office. Powell, echoing an academic consensus, has said some of those tariff hikes will be paid for in higher consumer prices.
Powell's term ends in May 2026, and Trump is expected to nominate a successor in the coming months.
A Supreme Court ruling in May eased concerns that Trump could fire Powell as the justices called the Fed "a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity."
US President Donald Trump has again floated the idea of firing Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair he has long attacked over interest rates he wants lowered.
"I don't know why the Board doesn't override (Powell)," Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social criticising Fed policy. "Maybe, just maybe, I'll have to change my mind about firing him? But regardless, his Term ends shortly."
Trump added: "I fully understand that my strong criticism of him makes it more difficult for him to do what he should be doing, lowering Rates, but I've tried it all different ways."
Fed policymakers have long been seen as insulated from presidential dismissal for reasons other than malfeasance or misconduct, but Trump has threatened to test that legal premise with long-running threats to fire Powell.
Just last week, though, Trump set aside the idea. "I'm not going to fire him," he said at the White House on June 12.
The Fed held rates steady on Wednesday in the 4.25 per cent-4.50 per cent range and forecast slower growth as well as higher unemployment and inflation by year's end.
Fed Governor Chris Waller, who has been floated as a possible Trump pick to be Powell's successor, said on Friday that with inflation coming down and the labour market showing signs of weakening, rate cuts should be considered as soon as July.
But even Waller joined the unanimous Fed decision to leave rates on hold, signalling no inclination by any of Powell's six fellow Board members, or of the five voting regional Fed bank presidents, to "override" him.
Elected partly on voters' belief that he could contain high inflation, the Republican US president has imposed tariff hikes in office. Powell, echoing an academic consensus, has said some of those tariff hikes will be paid for in higher consumer prices.
Powell's term ends in May 2026, and Trump is expected to nominate a successor in the coming months.
A Supreme Court ruling in May eased concerns that Trump could fire Powell as the justices called the Fed "a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity."
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Protester Mahmoud Khalil freed from detention in US
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released from federal immigration detention, 104 days after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student was freed in Louisiana on Friday after a court ruling. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his US citizen wife and infant son, born while Khalil was detained. "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he said outside the facility in a remote part of Louisiana. "This shouldn't have taken three months." The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. He was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan. During an hourlong hearing conducted by phone, the New Jersey-based judge said the government had "clearly not met" the standards for detention. The government filed notice that it's appealing Khalil's release. Khalil was the first person arrested under Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be deported as it considers their views antisemitic. Protesters and civil rights groups say the administration is conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel in order to silence dissent. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists and wasn't among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. The judge agreed Friday with Khalil's lawyers that the protester was being prevented from exercising his free speech and due process rights despite no obvious reason for his continued detention. Khalil said Friday that no one should be detained for protesting Israel's war in Gaza. He said his time in the detention facility had shown him "a different reality about this country that supposedly champions human rights and liberty and justice." "Whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant or just a person on this land doesn't mean that you are less of a human," he said, adding that "justice will prevail, no matter what this administration may try to portray" about immigrants. In a statement after the judge's ruling, Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said she can finally "breathe a sigh of relief" after her husband's three months in detention. The judge's decision comes after several other scholars targeted for their activism have been released from custody, including another former Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released from federal immigration detention, 104 days after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student was freed in Louisiana on Friday after a court ruling. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his US citizen wife and infant son, born while Khalil was detained. "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he said outside the facility in a remote part of Louisiana. "This shouldn't have taken three months." The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. He was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan. During an hourlong hearing conducted by phone, the New Jersey-based judge said the government had "clearly not met" the standards for detention. The government filed notice that it's appealing Khalil's release. Khalil was the first person arrested under Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be deported as it considers their views antisemitic. Protesters and civil rights groups say the administration is conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel in order to silence dissent. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists and wasn't among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. The judge agreed Friday with Khalil's lawyers that the protester was being prevented from exercising his free speech and due process rights despite no obvious reason for his continued detention. Khalil said Friday that no one should be detained for protesting Israel's war in Gaza. He said his time in the detention facility had shown him "a different reality about this country that supposedly champions human rights and liberty and justice." "Whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant or just a person on this land doesn't mean that you are less of a human," he said, adding that "justice will prevail, no matter what this administration may try to portray" about immigrants. In a statement after the judge's ruling, Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said she can finally "breathe a sigh of relief" after her husband's three months in detention. The judge's decision comes after several other scholars targeted for their activism have been released from custody, including another former Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released from federal immigration detention, 104 days after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student was freed in Louisiana on Friday after a court ruling. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his US citizen wife and infant son, born while Khalil was detained. "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he said outside the facility in a remote part of Louisiana. "This shouldn't have taken three months." The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. He was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan. During an hourlong hearing conducted by phone, the New Jersey-based judge said the government had "clearly not met" the standards for detention. The government filed notice that it's appealing Khalil's release. Khalil was the first person arrested under Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be deported as it considers their views antisemitic. Protesters and civil rights groups say the administration is conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel in order to silence dissent. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists and wasn't among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. The judge agreed Friday with Khalil's lawyers that the protester was being prevented from exercising his free speech and due process rights despite no obvious reason for his continued detention. Khalil said Friday that no one should be detained for protesting Israel's war in Gaza. He said his time in the detention facility had shown him "a different reality about this country that supposedly champions human rights and liberty and justice." "Whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant or just a person on this land doesn't mean that you are less of a human," he said, adding that "justice will prevail, no matter what this administration may try to portray" about immigrants. In a statement after the judge's ruling, Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said she can finally "breathe a sigh of relief" after her husband's three months in detention. The judge's decision comes after several other scholars targeted for their activism have been released from custody, including another former Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released from federal immigration detention, 104 days after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student was freed in Louisiana on Friday after a court ruling. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his US citizen wife and infant son, born while Khalil was detained. "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he said outside the facility in a remote part of Louisiana. "This shouldn't have taken three months." The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. He was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan. During an hourlong hearing conducted by phone, the New Jersey-based judge said the government had "clearly not met" the standards for detention. The government filed notice that it's appealing Khalil's release. Khalil was the first person arrested under Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be deported as it considers their views antisemitic. Protesters and civil rights groups say the administration is conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel in order to silence dissent. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists and wasn't among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. The judge agreed Friday with Khalil's lawyers that the protester was being prevented from exercising his free speech and due process rights despite no obvious reason for his continued detention. Khalil said Friday that no one should be detained for protesting Israel's war in Gaza. He said his time in the detention facility had shown him "a different reality about this country that supposedly champions human rights and liberty and justice." "Whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant or just a person on this land doesn't mean that you are less of a human," he said, adding that "justice will prevail, no matter what this administration may try to portray" about immigrants. In a statement after the judge's ruling, Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said she can finally "breathe a sigh of relief" after her husband's three months in detention. The judge's decision comes after several other scholars targeted for their activism have been released from custody, including another former Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri.
The Advertiser
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Israel and Iran trade fire as Europe's diplomacy stalls
Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US 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. with DPA Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US 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. with DPA Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US 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. with DPA Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US 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. with DPA
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Pakistan nominates Trump for peace prize
US President Donald Trump says he 'should have gotten a Nobel peace prize four or five times'. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP Pakistan has called for US President Donald Trump to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2026. In a post on the social platform X the Pakistan government said Trump should given the award "in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis." Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for playing a substantial role in easing the conflict — despite Indian authorities disputing that. The post has attracted a barrage of commentary on X, with both supporters and detractors. The nomination came after Trump was asked Friday about the Nobel and said he should be awarded it for a variety of reasons. He cited his work on India and Pakistan and arranging a treaty he said would be signed on Monday to end hostilities between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. "I should have gotten it four or five times," the president said. "They won't give me a Nobel Peace Prize because they only give it to liberals."
