Latest news with #IranCeasefire
Globe and Mail
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Iran announces death toll of Israel's prison strike as officials remain skeptical of truce
Dozens of staff members, two inmates and a bystander were among the casualties of Israel's attack last week on Tehran's Evin prison, a notorious facility where many political prisoners and dissidents have been held. The death toll from the strike was released Sunday by Iran's judiciary and confirmed by human rights groups as the one-week mark of the ceasefire between Israel and Iran approaches, despite suspicions on both sides about whether the truce will hold. Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir posted on the office's official Mizan news agency website that at least 71 people were killed on Monday, including staff, soldiers, prisoners and members of visiting families. While officials did not provide a breakdown of the casualty figures, the Washington-based Human Rights Activists in Iran said that at least 35 were staff members and two were inmates. Others killed included a person walking in the prison vicinity and a woman who went to meet a judge about her imprisoned husband's case, the organization said. The June 23 attack, the day before the ceasefire between Israel and Iran took hold, hit several prison buildings and prompted concerns from rights groups about inmates' safety. It remains unclear why Israel targeted the prison, but it came on a day when the Defense Ministry said it was attacking 'regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.' The news of the prison attack was quickly overshadowed by an Iranian attack on a U.S. base in Qatar later that day, which caused no casualties, and the announcement of the ceasefire. On the day of the attack, the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran criticized Israel for striking the prison, seen as a symbol of the Iranian regime's repression of any opposition, saying it violated the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets. Over the 12 days before the ceasefire was declared, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 of them civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group. In retaliation, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of them intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said in a Saturday letter to United Nations officials — obtained by The Associated Press — that the international body should recognize Israel and the U.S. 'as the initiators of the act of aggression' against Iran over the war and that their targeting of a sovereign country should require 'compensation and reparation.' At the same time, advocates have said that Iran was legally obligated to protect the prisoners held in Evin, and slammed authorities in Tehran for their 'failure to evacuate, provide medical assistance or inform families' following the attack. The judiciary spokesperson said some of the injured were treated on site, while others were taken to hospitals. Iran had not previously announced any death figures at the prison, though on Saturday, it confirmed that top prosecutor Ali Ghanaatkar — whose prosecution of dissidents, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, led to widespread criticism by human rights groups — had been killed in the attack. He was one of about 60 people for whom a massive public funeral procession was held on Saturday in Tehran. He was to be buried at a shrine in Qom on Sunday. While Israel and Iran have been adhering to the truce, Iranian officials raised suspicions Sunday about whether the other side would continue to keep its word. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of staff for Iran's armed forces, said in a conversation with Saudi Arabia's defense minister that the country is prepared if there were another surprise Israeli attack. 'We did not initiate the war, but we responded to the aggressor with all our might, and since we have complete doubts about the enemy's adherence to its commitments, including the ceasefire, we are prepared to give them a strong response if they repeat the aggression,' Mousavi said, according to Iranian state TV agency IRNA. Much remained unclear about the status of Iran's nuclear program, which incited the initial Israeli attack. U.S. President Donald Trump says American strikes 'obliterated' the program, while Iranians say that he's exaggerating. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told CBS' 'Face the Nation' in an interview airing Sunday that Iran's capacities remain, but it is impossible to access the full damage to the nuclear program unless inspectors are allowed in, which Iranian officials have not allowed. 'It is clear that there has been severe damage, but it's not total damage, first of all. And secondly, Iran has the capacities there, industrial and technological capacities. So if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again,' Grossi said. ___ Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Wednesday briefing: Why Nato is rolling out the red carpet for Donald Trump at key summit
Good morning. The Nato summit that started last night in the Netherlands could hardly be better timed for Donald Trump: after declaring himself the saviour of world peace as Iran and Israel agreed a tentative ceasefire, he now intends to take a victory lap in Europe. European leaders, for their part, will be desperate for him to feel like he is getting his due. That is part of why member states signed up to a new defence spending commitment that Trump has long demanded – and part of why the UK is buying a squadron of US-made fighter jets to carry nuclear warheads. But as well as anxieties about the US's reliability, all of that also reflects Europe's recognition that it faces a serious new threat to the east. Little wonder that Mark Rutte, Nato's secretary general, has been texting him, Trump revealed, with extravagant praise and promises that he is 'flying into another big success'. Yesterday, the US permanent representative to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, described it as 'one of the most consequential moments in this Alliance's history.' So does it really make sense for Nato to build its strategy with such a capricious audience in mind – and is there any room on the agenda for Iran and Ukraine? Today's newsletter, with the Guardian's defence correspondent Dan Sabbagh, explains why the summit matters so much. Here are the headlines. Iran | A classified assessment of US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities says they did not destroy two of the sites and likely only set back the nuclear program by a few months, according to two people familiar with the report. Donald Trump had claimed that they had 'totally obliterated' the facilities. Welfare | Keir Starmer has said the government will not shift on its welfare plans as ministers and party whips struggled to contain a growing Labour rebellion before next week's vote. By Tuesday night the tally of rebels stood at 123 Labour MPs. New York | Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist, stunned former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary, a remarkable upset that sets him on course for the city's mayoralty. The result will be viewed as a rebuke to the Democratic establishment, with wealthy donors and establishment figures like Bill Clinton supporting Cuomo. Climate | The UK can reach its net zero targets for 2050, and its interim carbon budgets for 2030 and beyond, the government's statutory climate advisers have reported. The Climate Change Committee also found that net zero would not destroy the UK economy, instead providing long term benefits. Health | Tobacco killed more than 7 million people worldwide in 2023. It remains the leading risk factor for deaths in men and ranks seventh for women, according to analysis presented at the World Conference on Tobacco Control. The Nato summit now under way in The Hague feels like it marks a step change: a return to a more highly militarised Europe, dealing with an emboldened American president who has been less explicitly critical of Nato recently – but still intends a long-term pivot away from Europe and towards China. 'This is very much a cut down summit, packaged for a certain leader with a short attention span,' Dan Sabbagh said. 'It's been stage-managed to give Trump what he wants, which is the chance to take a victory lap. He will be the centre of attention, but also the potential source of trouble, and it's hard to predict how that will play out.' Here's what you need to know. What does the choreography of the summit look like? Last night, national leaders met for a dinner, hosted by the King and Queen of the Netherlands at the Huis ten Bosch palace. The more consequential piece of the summit takes place today, when heads of state hold a single two-and-a-half-hour meeting. That is in place of the usual three sessions; similarly, the joint communique released at the end will be shorter than usual, confined to a single five-paragraph page. The meeting and communique are expected to be focused on the new Nato spending commitments – although leaders may well bring up the Ukraine conflict and the war between Iran and Israel. When the meeting breaks up, leaders hold individual press conferences to reflect on its conclusions. Trump's will, inevitably, draw the most attention by far. 'I'd be surprised if we don't see him thoroughly enjoying himself and proclaiming what a fantastic job he's done,' Dan said. 'The other leaders will be on their planes by then – but if he's feeling celebratory, they'll be happy.' What commitments are Nato members making on military spending? The headline commitment across the alliance is to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defence by 2035, with 3.5% on 'hard defence' – weapons, equipment, ammunition, and troops – and 1.5% on 'soft' commitments, like cybersecurity and intelligence. 'That is a massive increase for almost everyone except Poland, some of the Baltic states and the US,' Dan said. 'The only wrinkle is that Spain has insisted it won't spend more than 2.1%, but they won't stand in the way of a collective agreement.' Because the commitment is as a share of GDP, it should be insulated from the erosive effects of inflation. 'It's real money,' Dan said. 'It will have to be found from tax or borrowing or other budgets. It suggests that the Europeans have recognised that the free ride of the post-cold war period, where the US is responsible for their defence, is over.' The UK's commitment to buying 12 F-35A jets to carry US tactical warheads is part of that shift. Keir Starmer has signed up along with everyone else apart from Spain, with the 3.5% likely to amount to £30bn or more by 2035 – but the government appeared reluctant to do so until recently, Dan said. 'It's an uncomfortable commitment for Starmer to make for a second Labour term. Defence insiders say that the UK slightly misread the situation. They appear to have expected more inertia from others, with the figure settling at about 3%.' Getting to 3.5%, within a 5% overall envelope, might be satisfying for Trump – but Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has been credited with making it happen, Dan said. 'British sources see him as a Trump whisperer. He worked the details out with Trump, and then set about the task of getting the Europeans on board.' Does Nato have a role in the aftermath of the Israel-Iran conflict? The Middle East isn't typically on Nato's agenda, since the Article 5 provision that says an attack on one is an attack on all only applies within Europe and North America. Nonetheless, the timing of the summit means that it will inevitably come up. 'Part of the summit's function is the here and now,' Dan said. 'Even if Iran isn't formally on the agenda, it is a chance for leaders to discuss it.' Rutte, for his part, said that he did not intend to raise Iran at the summit because 'it is deviating from the core issue at hand' but added that 'that doesn't mean that individual allies will not discuss this here.' One reason that leaders may prefer not to focus on Israel-Iran is that there are real divisions within the alliance about Israel and the United States' attacks: Some leaders, like Friedrich Merz of Germany, are broadly behind it; the UK has tried to sit on the fence; others, like Emmanuel Macron of France, have been explicit about their opposition. 'Rutte spoke about the US taking 'decisive action', which is a neat way of three-quarters embracing it without saying you're in favour,' Dan said. What about Ukraine? Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the leaders' dinner last night, and he has said he hopes to meet with Trump on the sidelines of the summit. But whereas Ukraine has featured heavily at every previous Nato summit since Russia's invasion, it is not expected to be prominent this time. Zelenskyy has not been invited to today's meeting, reportedly after the US objected to the idea of his presence. Nato officials are trying to keep Trump and Zelenskyy apart in public as much as possible, the Washington Post reported. There were even some suggestions that he might not attend at all. It is also unclear whether the US would accept any reference in the end-of-summit communique to Russia as the main threat to the alliance. 'There's a different tone, which isn't surprising,' Dan said. 'Zelenskyy will keep trying to break through with Trump, and to persuade him that Putin is insincere.' While pledges of military aid from European countries have been worth about $40bn already this year, there is little chance of that being added to today. How will they seek to manage Trump? Rutte's messages to Trump do not appear to have been intended for public consumption, but the president's entertaining decision to post them on social media gives a sense of what being a 'Trump whisperer' looks like: 'You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done,' Rutte wrote. 'Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.' That might seem transparently sycophantic – but it is a calculated response to the fact that as recently as February, there was huge pessimism about Trump's commitment to Nato. 'There was a real crisis when Hegseth came to the defence ministers' meeting and said that the US was no longer focused on European security,' Dan said. 'That caused absolute panic.' Since then, Trump's stance appears to have softened a bit – partly as new defence spending pledges have been made, and perhaps also because of his disillusionment with Vladimir Putin as a negotiating partner. And yet there is an uncomfortable question about the unintended consequences of increased European defence spending: in the long term, might it make it easier for the US to drift away? 'None of those worries have gone away,' Dan said. 'And there is a huge contrast with Nato's treatment of Trump in his first term, when there was a sense that there were Republican 'grownups' restraining him. Today, with people like JD Vance and Pete Hegseth, you have a much more cohesive White House.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Whitaker, the US Nato representative, has insisted this week that the United States remains 'a reliable ally'; meanwhile, Rutte told European leaders: 'Stop worrying so much'. 'But who knows what Trump will say at his press conference today?' Dan said. 'Europe is basically rolling over because the world has changed, and it needs him.' Sarah Phillips spoke to experts for this list of ways to protect your hearing. Among the fascinating ideas: the 50/50 headphones rule, where you 'listen to 50% of the volume on your headphones for 50 minutes' at a time. Charlie Lindlar, acting deputy editor, newsletters Scientists have identified at least 16 climate 'tipping points', where small changes can do irreparable harm. Jonathan Watts' interview with expert Genevieve Guenther is fascinating on the cost of ignoring them - and how to talk about the crisis. Archie Economist and former Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen is surprisingly congratulatory in her take on Reform's 'Britannia Card' that would see the uber-wealthy pay a one-off tax of £250,000 to enter the UK. Charlie Oliver Wainwright has a fantastically interesting piece about the activists who have found alternative uses for buildings that might otherwise have faced the wrecking ball, from Battersea power station to Grimsby docks. Archie No red shirts or heffalumps in sight, but nonetheless here's a truly Pooh-worthy tale of two bears at the Wildwood Dorset zoo, who escaped their enclosure and consumed a whole week's worth of honey in one sitting. Charlie Cricket | England stunned India on the fifth day of the first Test by completing a remarkable chase of 373 for the loss of just five wickets. Ben Duckett (above) led the way with a sublime 149 before Joe Root and Jamie Smith guided England home. Football | Chelsea secured their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup thanks to a composed 3-0 victory over Espérance that included a first goal for Liam Delap. Meanwhile, Benfica took a shock 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich to secure top spot in Group C, and will face Chelsea in the next round. Tennis | Emma Raducanu fought back tears after resuming her Wimbledon preparations by beating the US's Ann Li in the first round of the Eastbourne Open. Amid blustery conditions, the British No 1 triumphed 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1. 'Britain to buy US jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons,' is the splash on the Guardian, and several other papers, today. 'UK to match China and Russia with nuclear jets,' says the Times, while the Telegraph has 'British jets to carry nuclear warheads,' and the i: 'UK buys jets with nuclear weapons - to create deterrent from air and sea.' Meanwhile the Mirror runs with 'War ready.' 'Trump drops F-bomb,' is the lead story at the Metro, while the FT says 'Trump lashes out at Israel and Iran in scramble to keep lid on ceasefire,' and the Mail: 'Humiliating threat to Starmer's authority.' The Sun leads with 'Off yer bike,' and the Express: ''Get a grip on migrant delivery rider farce.'' Both newspapers report that asylum seekers working illegally as food delivery drivers are to be arrested. The protest group the UK government wants to brand terrorists The home secretary has announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action under terrorism laws. Haroon Siddique reports A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad The Australian experimental rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have shunned the frenetic pace of a typical tour in favour of three-night runs in some pretty historic spots across Europe. The band, who as the writer Laura Snapes put it, 'have gigged their way to becoming their generation's Grateful Dead or Phish', have played everywhere from the infamous Lukiškės prison in Vilnius, which is now a venue, to the stunning Lycabettus hill theatre in Athens. They're showing how slowing down is a perfect expression of their art. 'A lot of the lyrics have stemmed from spending a lot of time away from home, from family,' said frontman Stu Mackenzie, who had his third baby right before the tour started, 'and trying to figure out how we make sense of all of that.' When you slow down, they've discovered, you can truly notice how the world around us is built on thousands of years of human existence. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
The Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Israel AGREES to Trump's Iran ceasefire after 12 explosive days of WW3 brinkmanship as Netanyahu hails ‘mission success'
ISRAEL has agreed to Donald Trump's Iran ceasefire after 12 days of missile salvos and World War 3 brinkmanship. Benjamin Netanyahu has now hailed Operation Rising Lion as a success having gutted the Ayatollah's ballistic missile and nuclear program. 4 4 4 He said in a statement: 'The IDF achieved full air control over Tehran's skies, inflicted severe damage on the military leadership, and destroyed dozens of central Iranian government targets." Trump announced the ceasefire on social media early on Tuesday morning saying: "THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!" The agreement comes after the Ayatollah fired a last second salvo of missiles just before the deadline. Tragically five civilians were killed in the heartless strike on apartment buildings in the city of Beersheba. The first part of the deal kicked into effect at 5am UK time and involves Iran first stopping its missile attacks. Israel now has an extra 12 hours to continue attacking Iran, with its strikes having to stop at 5pm UK time and the full ceasefire taking effect. Trump made the announcement just hours after Iran dramatically attacked a US military base in Qatar. He wrote on Truth Social: It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a "Complete and Total CEASEFIRE." Don dubbed the conflict "THE 12 DAY WAR" and said it could have "gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn't, and never will!" The ceasefire came after Trump dismissed the Iranian missile strike targeting the Al Udaid US air base on Monday night as "very weak". All the Iranian missiles were shot down, and no casualties were reported. Trump said Iran gave the US advanced warning of attacks in a move clearly designed to lower tensions by Iran. He said: "I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured." New reporting reveals that Netanyahu had decided on war against Iran back in March. The Israelis had drawn up lists of Iranians to assassinate since Autumn with Netanyahu issuing an order in October to prepare for a strike. They planned to attack with or without US backing – but also tried to woo Donald Trump to their campaign, the Washington Post reports.
