Latest news with #IranBombing
CBS News
an hour ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Iran bombing becomes a major topic of discussion among NYC Democratic mayoral primary candidates
The New York City metropolitan area has the largest Jewish population outside Israel, so it is not surprising that the United States' bombing of Iran became topic number one Sunday for Mayor Eric Adams and the Democrats who want to replace him. What was surprising was the warning from Adams and others that the decision to bomb Iran could have repercussions nearly 6,400 miles away here in the five boroughs. Sleeper cells on the minds of the mayor and NYPD leaders The mayor is taking seriously warnings from Washington that Iran could activate sleeper cells here to seek retribution for the bombings. "You're always concerned about sleeper cells," Adams said. "We're going to ensure that we focus on sleeper cells." Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD's commissioner of intelligence and counter terrorism, told CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer her agency has been on alert for days. "We are doubling down on our efforts. We are doubling down, reaching out to partners internationally, federally, doubling down on all the monitoring that we are doing," Weiner said. The mayor said there are currently no credible threats and he wants the deputy commissioner to be proactive -- not reactive. Andrew Cuomo issues warning to New Yorkers The bombing became the top topic of discussion on the Democratic mayoral primary trail on Sunday. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo also warned of something happening here. "As a New Yorker, my natural instinct, as a former governor, former HUD secretary, New York should get ready for possible reprisal from Iran," Cuomo said. Like many of the other candidates, Cuomo took issue with President Trump ordering the attack on Iran without consulting Congress but supported the end result. "I think the world is a safer place without Iran having nuclear weapons, yes," Cuomo said. Other candidates take issue with Trump's decision making Queens Assemblyman and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who has faced charges he has insufficiently supported the Jewish state, said of Trump's actions, "Today's unconstitutional military action represents a new, dark chapter in his endless series of betrayals that now threaten to plunge the world deeper into chaos. In a city as global as ours, the impacts of war are felt deeply here." "Deeply troubling. I mean, unconstitutional. It's going to escalate the risks of war and violence and death for Iranians, for Israelis and for Americans," City Comptroller Brad Lander said. "War Powers Act requires congressional approval, which he did not get." "They're concerned that this president has undergone a military strike without authorization of Congress. We all know that this decision is typically made by Congress, so once again this president is overstepping his boundaries and totally disregarding the constitution," City Council President Adrienne Adams said. With the primary just two days away, the candidates had full slates of appearances to get their voters to the polls. Early voting has been robust, but it will all come down to the turnout on Tuesday.
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Please don't ask': why the US kept the UK out of the raids on Iran's nuclear sites
The US did not ask to use UK airbases to support its overnight bombing of Iran because that would have required British ministers to take a view on the legality of the attack, according to a former government adviser. Lord Ricketts, a former UK national security chief, said he believed the US concluded it was better not to ask to launch B-2 bombers from the RAF base of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean than to be told no. 'Either the Americans worked it out, or were privately told please don't ask, because it would raise fundamental questions about our taking part,' Ricketts said. 'The US has a different view on international law than the UK does.' On Sunday morning, Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, said that 'no request was made' by the US for help in the bombing. No British airbases or any other military assets were involved in Operation Midnight Hammer, ministers added. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, said the UK had been 'given due notice' of President Donald Trump's intention to bomb Iran, though it is unclear how far in advance this may have been of the bombing raid that took place just before midnight UK time. Officials said notification occurred 'shortly before' the US strikes were launched. In the past, Britain has been eager to act as the US's principal military ally in the Middle East, most notably in 2003 when the UK participated in the controversial ground invasion of Iraq when Tony Blair, then the prime minister, sought to work closely with former president George W Bush. But on this occasion the UK has largely acted as a bystander and has not always appeared to read the ultimate intentions of the US president, who is notoriously unpredictable. Last Tuesday at the G7 summit in Banff, Canada from which Trump departed early because of the Iran crisis, Starmer said there was 'nothing the president said that suggests that he's about to get involved in this conflict', having sat next to him at dinner the previous evening. Those present said that the prime minister seemed confident, even unequivocal in his analysis of the situation. After the summit, reports circulated that the government's most senior lawyer, Richard Hermer, was unconvinced that any UK military involvement in attacking Iran would be legal. One official who had seen Hermer's legal advice told the Spectator 'the AG has concerns about the UK playing any role in this except for defending our allies'. B-2 bombers frequently use the RAF base at Diego Garcia, which is a shorter flight over water to Iran but, as is the case with the use of all UK bases by the US air force, it would require British permission. Similar authorisation would be needed for the US to use RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus for refuelling, though that too was not sought. A graphic released by the Pentagon showed seven B-2 bombers flying from their home base at Whiteman, Missouri across the Atlantic and avoiding passing over European countries by flying over the strait of Gibraltar and through the Mediterranean before going on to Iran via Israel, Jordan and Iraq, a flight path of more than 8,000 miles. Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, said on Sunday morning that 'no other country on planet Earth' could have conducted the bombing raid on Iran, which he later emphasised 'was US operated and US led'. Only assistance from Israel was acknowledged by Gen Dan Caine, the US chair of the joint chiefs of staff, in the former of prior attacks to degrade Iranian air defences. Under international law, a country is allowed to fight in self-defence and the prevailing view is that pre-emptive military strikes are legal if it is believed an incoming military threat is imminent – though the US argues the right of self-defence applies broadly against any illegal use of force against itself or its allies. In justifying the bombing raid on Sunday, Hegseth did not mention the question of imminence. He said: 'The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear programme and the collective self-defence of our troops and our ally Israel.' 'I think to a certain degree the UK government will be relieved' that the US did not ask for help, said Matthew Savill, a former civil servant now with the Royal United Services Institute thinktank. But he cautioned that, despite that, the UK 'could get sucked into the regional blowback' in the form of attacks by Iran or its proxies. On Sunday, UK defence officials said that additional steps had been taken to protect British forces in the Middle East after the US bombing. Force protection at sites such as Akrotiri in Cyprus – where at least 14 Typhoon fighters are stationed – and naval bases in Oman and Bahrain were at the 'highest level,' the defence secretary, John Healey, said. Starmer called for restraint in the response to US strikes on Iran, warning of the possibility of escalation beyond the Middle East. The prime minister spoke to the king of Jordan and the sultan of Oman and called for talks that would end the threat posed by Iran's nuclear programme. 'It is important that we now de-escalate the situation, stabilise the region and get the parties back around the table to negotiate,' he told broadcasters on Sunday morning. 'I'm very clear in my own mind that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon that is the greatest threat to stability in the region.'
