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9 News
2 days ago
- Politics
- 9 News
Iran's supreme leader makes first appearance since Iran-Israel war started
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Khamenei's absence during the war suggested heavy security for the Iranian leader, who has final say on all state matters. State TV in Iran showed him waving and nodding to the chanting crowd, which rose to its feet as he entered and sat at a mosque next to his office and residence in the capital, Tehran. Khamenei's absence during the war suggested heavy security for the Iranian leader, who has final say on all state matters. (Iranian Leader Press Office/Handout) There was no immediate report on any public statement made. Iranian officials such as the Parliament speaker were present. Such events are always held under heavy security. The 86-year-old Khamenei had spent the war in a bunker as threats to his life escalated. After the US inserted itself into the war by bombing three key nuclear sites in Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump sent warnings via social media to Khamenei that the US knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, 'at least for now.' On June 26, shortly after a ceasefire began, Khamenei made his first public statement in days, saying in a prerecorded statement that Tehran had delivered a 'slap to America's face' by striking a US air base in Qatar, and warning against further attacks by the US or Israel on Iran. State TV in Iran showed him waving and nodding to the chanting crowd. (Iranian Leader Press Office/Handout) Trump replied, in remarks to reporters and on social media: 'Look, you're a man of great faith. A man who's highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell.' Iran has acknowledged the deaths of more than 900 people in the war, as well as thousands of injured. It also has confirmed serious damage to its nuclear facilities, and has denied access to them for inspectors with the UN nuclear watchdog. Iran's president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, further limiting inspectors' ability to track a program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels. Israel launched the war fearing that Iran was trying to develop atomic weapons. It remains unclear just how badly damaged the nuclear facilities are, whether any enriched uranium or centrifuges had been moved before the attacks, and whether Tehran still would be willing to continue negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program. Israel also targeted defense systems, high-ranking military officials and atomic scientists. In retaliation, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of them intercepted, killing 28 people and causing damage in many areas. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd during a meeting with officials, Islamic countries' ambassador to Iran and a group of people in Tehran, Iran, March 31, 2025. (AP) The ceremony that Khamenei hosted on Saturday was a remembrance of the 7th century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein. Shiites represent over 10 per cent of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims, and they view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein's death in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, created a rift in Islam and continues to play a key role in shaping Shiite identity. In predominantly Shiite Iran, red flags represented Hussein's blood and black funeral tents and clothes represented mourning. Processions of chest-beating and self-flagellating men demonstrated fervor. Some sprayed water over the mourners in the intense heat. NetBlocks, a global internet monitor, reported late Saturday on X that there was a 'major disruption to internet connectivity' in Iran. It said the disruption corroborated widespread user reports of problems accessing the internet. The development comes just weeks after authorities shut down telecoms during the war. Iran World Middle East conflict CONTACT US Property News: The suburbs where workers on $300,000 can't afford a house.
Extra.ie
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
World is braced for Iran terror backlash
Iran's nuclear ambitions have been 'totally obliterated' by the surprise US strikes, Donald Trump said on Sunday night. The American president said the attack by a squadron of stealth bombers late on Saturday night had 'taken the bomb right out of [Tehran's] hands'. But there are fears that the US's allies could face a terror backlash from the regime's supporters. Seven B-2 stealth bombers swept into Iranian airspace undetected, dropping 14 'bunker-buster' bombs on nuclear facilities as the US joined Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. US vice president JD Vance and US president Donald Trump. Pic: Daniel Torok/The White House via Getty Images Experts warned of a 'new era of terrorism' and US vice president JD Vance said the FBI and law enforcement were on alert for threats on American soil. In an address to the nation as the B-2s were flying home, Mr Trump said: 'Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number-one state sponsor of terror. 'Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.' Ayatollah Khamenei. Pic: Iranian Leader Press Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images Mr Trump boasted that America had 'taken the bomb right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)', while his secretary of state Marco Rubio claimed the US had offered Iran a civil nuclear programme but 'they rejected it'. Mr Rubio added: 'They played us. They wouldn't respond to our offers. They disappeared for ten days. 'The president had to take action as a response. We are not declaring war on Iran. We're not looking for war in Iran. But if they attack us, I think we have the capabilities they haven't even seen yet.' On Sunday night, despite widespread calls to de-escalate, Iran president Masoud Pezeshkian said the US 'must receive a response for their aggression'. And a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, warned that 'there will no longer be any place for the presence of the United States and its bases' in the region. US president Donald Trump, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth and US secretary of state Marco Rubio. Pic: Daniel Torok/The White House via Getty Images Abbas Araghaci, Iran's foreign minister, who described the US government as 'lawless and warmongering', is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow today to discuss how to respond. On Sunday night, the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said Iran's Natanz enrichment site was 'completely destroyed'. The extent of the damage at the Fordow site, built into a mountainside and reinforced with layers of concrete, is unclear. Discussing Fordow, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said: 'There are clear indications of impacts. But, as for the assessment for the degree of damage underground… no one could tell you how much it has been damaged. One cannot exclude that there is significant damage there.' Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris both called for an 'urgent' de-escalation and a negotiated solution on Iran's nuclear facilities. They said they are in close contact with their European counterparts before a meeting of EU foreign leaders today and of EU leaders later in the week. 'Diplomacy and dialogue is ultimately the only way to resolve these issues,' Mr Martin said. Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris. Pic: Sasko Lazarov/ UK prime minister Keir Starmer and President Trump discussed the need for Iran to return to the negotiating table in a phone call last night, Downing Street said. A spokesman said: 'The leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East and reiterated the grave risk posed by Iran's nuclear programme to international security. They discussed the actions taken by the United States to reduce the threat and agreed that Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. 'They discussed the need for Iran to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible. They agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days.' Speaking after the US strikes, UK business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News that the risk from Iran in the UK was 'not hypothetical'. He said: 'There is not a week goes by without some sort of Iranian cyber attack on a key part of the UK's critical national infrastructure. There is Iranian activity on the streets of the UK, which is wholly unacceptable. 'It's already at a significant level. I think it would be naive to say that that wouldn't potentially increase.' The UK was informed of the mission, codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, but played no part. Mr Reynolds last night warned that Iranian activity in the UK was already substantial, and that it was 'naive' to think it won't escalate. A statement of the E3 group, with the UK alongside France and Germany, said: 'We call upon Iran to engage in negotiations leading to an agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear programme. We stand ready to contribute to that goal in coordination with all parties. 'We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region.' However, Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for world trade and oil transit.
