Latest news with #Iranians'
Straits Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Iranians targeted with spyware in lead-up to war with Israel: Research
Find out what's new on ST website and app. According to new research, more than a dozen Iranians' mobile phones were targeted with spyware in the months prior to the country's war with Israel. TEXAS – More than a dozen Iranians' mobile phones were targeted with spyware in the months prior to the country's war with Israel, according to new research. Miaan Group, a digital human rights organisation based in Austin, Texas, found a number of Iranians who received threat notifications from Apple Inc. in the first half of 2025, and researchers believe they only identified a fraction of the total targets. Another round of Iranian spyware targets was discovered by Mr Hamid Kashfi , a Sweden-based cybersecurity researcher and founder of the firm DarkCell. The attacks mark the first known example of such highly advanced cyber-espionage tools being used both inside Iran and against Iranians living abroad. It's not clear who was behind the attacks. Miaan Group said the victims included two Iranian dissidents inside the country and a technology worker who is an Iranian citizen living in Europe, who were targeted with spyware on their iPhones. They were first notified of the incident via text message by Apple, which typically sends a threat notification message to victims when a hack is detected. Mr Kashfi said he found 12 victims, all inside Iran and working either in the country's technology sector or for the government. Both Mr Kashfi and the Miaan Group declined to name the victims in order to protect their safety. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can claim $600 SG60 vouchers from July 22 Singapore Singaporeans continue to hold world's most powerful passport in latest ranking Singapore Woman evacuated from lift in Supreme Court building after falling glass triggers emergency halt Asia Malaysian aide's unresolved 2009 death tests govt's reform pledge despite DAP chief's apology Singapore Prosecution says judge who acquitted duo of bribing ex-LTA official had copied defence arguments Singapore Singapore not affected by haze despite smoke plumes in Sumatra: NEA Singapore Miscalculation of MOH subsidies and grants led to $7m in overpayments, $2m in shortfalls Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving The threat notifications, which were seen by Bloomberg, describe the attacks as 'exceptionally rare' and costing 'millions of dollars'. The Apple notification, which is careful to note that the company doesn't attribute the attacks, compared the sophistication and cost of the recent attacks to Pegasus spyware from NSO Group. 'The extreme cost, sophistication and worldwide nature makes mercenary spyware attacks some of the most advanced digital threads in existence today,' Apple told the Iranian targets. 'This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do.' Apple didn't respond to a Bloomberg request for comment. The notification added that 'Apple has high confidence in this warning.' Mr Kashfi said his investigation concluded that 'zero-day zero-click' attacks were likely used. That approach exploits hidden vulnerabilities and require no interaction from the victim. 'Zero-click chains are more sophisticated, more expensive, one stage higher than typical hacking campaigns,' Mr Kashfi said. 'But they weren't shy about using it and burning it.' Neither Mr Kashfi nor the Miaan Group were able to do full forensic examinations of the targeted iPhones. In several cases, being inside Iran made examinations impossible. In others, victims only came forward months after the notification. Finally, other targets chose to take their targeted iPhones to be examined by the Iranian government security services rather than independent experts living abroad, Mr Kashfi said. BLOOMBERG
New York Post
05-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Between horror and hope ordinary Iranians brave an uncertain future
'To the whole world I have a message from Iran . . . This war is not our choice. We are not supporting it. But we feel that Israel is supporting us, caring about us . . . We are hostages here.' The face of the Iranian woman in the viral video from late June is masked under a black headwrap; only her eyes remain uncovered. Her voice is resolute, her words sharp and her English flawless. 'Help us because we cannot stand against them with bare hands . . . We are scared not from Israel and the United States but from our own regime.' 6 Israel's 12-Day War to dismantle Iran's nuclear ambitions appears to have been successful, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls upon Iranians to consider toppling the Islamic regime. POOL/AFP via Getty Images The unknown woman is one of the many thousands who have declared their solidarity with the United States and Israel for trying to end Iran's nuclear weapons program. To the surprise of many Iran watchers a 'rallying around the flag' did not happen during the nation's war with Israel. 'We haven't done it and we will not do it,' remarked another anonymous face in a different video, 'because this is not our flag.' Advertisement The disconnect between the aspirations of the Iranian government and the hopes of the Iranian people is aptly phrased by Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for Peace. 'The Iranian people want to be South Korea, while the regime wants to be North Korea. This is an untenable situation.' 6 Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has begun to encourage his countrymen rally around a future where their nation is no longer controlled by the Mullahs in Tehran. Samuel Corum for NY Post By all accounts, the 'North Korea' of the Middle East is in far deeper trouble than it is willing to admit. Domestically, internal opposition is steadily growing with a mere 22% of Iranians surveyed preferring an Islamic Republic over other political systems. The same survey concludes that 86% of Iranians blame Iran's dire economy on 'domestic inefficiency and corruption.' Looking to deepen the divide between the regime and its people, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly reached out to Iranians' hearts and minds stating that he is not at war with the 'great' and 'brave' Iranian people, but with the Iranian regime. 'We are clearing the path for you to achieve your objective, which is freedom,' he said as the war began. Advertisement 6 Any reform in Iran takes place while considering the history of Mahsa Amini, the young woman killed by Iranian authorities in 2022 for failing to adhere to strict modest dress codes. IranWire via REUTERS His broadcasts in Farsi subtitles during prime evening hours across Iran have succeeded by at least one happy measure: an old but hugely popular song, 'Bibi-Gol' ('A flower called Bibi'), was recently dedicated to the Israeli prime minister (whose nickname is 'Bibi') in appreciation for his support of Iranians' call for freedom. Persian creativity aside, many of the Iranians I have spoken with are realistic, gripped with both hope and fear. Arvin, a 21-year old college student who wished to stay anonymous, feels the 'otherness' of being an Iranian and welcoming attacks on his homeland. But he blames the mullahs. 'My generation is suspended between two worlds: one that wants us to be free and prosperous. And another that rules over us with chain and lashes. We want to be part of the first world but are stuck in the second.' 6 Amini's death set off a global campaign for reform in Iran that ultimately failed to take hold. REUTERS Advertisement Despite the regime's weakened state and both Trump and Netanyahu's prodding to Iranians to rise up, for now Iranians have mostly opted to hunker down. Their fear is real. According to ISNA News and the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, a 'season of traitor killing' has begun: a crackdown on Iran's Bahai, Kurd, Baluch and Jewish citizens that has resulted in hundreds of arrests and scores of death sentences. Historically, when given a choice between reform and repression, Tehran has opted for strangulation, exacting revenge and enacting draconian measures to retain its grip on power. Azar, a 22-year-old nursing student who joined the jubilant Iranian protestors on the first night of the bombings, has been in hiding ever since. 'They have cameras that identify people,' she told me over a hushed phone call. 'I shouldn't be on this call with you.' 6 Like Amini (above), hundreds of Iranians have been arrested — and dozens killed — amid a crackdown by regime authorities in the wake of the war with Israel. How are Iranians coping? Hundreds of thousands leave the country annually — some 180,000 in 2019 alone — for North America and Europe where their advanced degrees and professional skill sets have been in high demand. Exact figures are hard to verify, but according to a 2014 study, this worsening 'brain drain' accounts for an annual loss of $150 billion to the Islamic Republic's economy. Advertisement The regime has no plans to reverse the tide, long branding those who leave as traitors. 'They say the brains escaped. Let them escape . . . they are treacherous brains,' railed the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, in 1985. Those who remain hang on to the faint hope that the regime will collapse under the weight of its own brutality. While the clerics are in the throes of reconstituting their power in the aftermath of the Israeli and American bombings, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has stepped up his activities to unite Iranians. Earlier this week he announced plans for a summit 'of national cooperation' to lead the country in a 'democratic transition.' 6 Despite efforts like this one by Iranian leaders such as President, Masoud Pezeshkian to rally citizens around the flag, the war with Israel has only revealed cracks in regime authority that have been deepening for decades. APAImages/Shutterstock For many others, the 12-day war and Israel's attacks on symbolic regime institutions — such as the Basij militia headquarters, the notorious Evin prison and the state television station (IRIB) — represent a new kind of hope, one that is backed by the hard power of Washington and Tel Aviv. 'This regime should end,' pleads the masked woman in perfect English. 'If you leave this regime with these wounds they will hurt all of us — here, in Europe and in America. Please help us.' Nazee Moinian is an adjunct fellow at the Middle East Institute.
Boston Globe
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Intercepted call of Iranian officials downplays damage of US attack
The Trump administration did not dispute the existence of the intercepted communications, which have not been previously reported, but strenuously disagreed with the Iranians' conclusions and cast doubt on their ability to assess the damage at the three nuclear facilities targeted in the U.S. operation. 'It's shameful that the Washington Post is helping people commit felonies by publishing out of context leaks,' said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. 'The notion that unnamed Iranian officials know what happened under hundreds of feet of rubble is nonsense. Their nuclear weapons program is over.' Advertisement Analysts broadly agree that the strikes involved immense U.S. firepower, including 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles, that severely damaged the nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. But the extent of the destruction and how long it may take Iran to rebuild has been hotly debated amid reports that Iran moved its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium before the strike and the explosions sealed off the entrance to two of the facilities but did not collapse their underground buildings. Advertisement When asked about the intercepted communications, a Trump administration official said the Iranians were 'wrong because we've destroyed their metal conversion facility. We know that our weapons were delivered precisely where we wanted them to be delivered and they had the effect that we wanted.' During classified congressional briefings last week, CIA Director John Ratcliffe told lawmakers that several key nuclear sites were completely destroyed, including Iran's metal conversion operations, said a U.S. official. The facility, which is key to building a bomb's explosive core, would take years to rebuild, said the official. Ratcliffe also said the U.S. intelligence community assesses that the 'vast majority' of Iran's enriched uranium is 'likely buried at Isfahan and Fordow.' After The Washington Post sought comment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a senior U.S. intelligence official said that 'one slice of signals intelligence on its own does not reflect the full intelligence picture.' 'A single phone call between unnamed Iranians is not the same as an intelligence assessment, which takes into account a body of evidence, with multiple sources and methods,' this official said. Intercepted phone calls, emails and other electronic communications, known as signals intelligence, are among the most powerful tools in U.S. spy agencies' arsenal, and often make up the majority of intelligence in Trump's daily intelligence briefing. But signals intelligence also has limitations, as overheard snippets of conversations sometimes lack context and must be paired with other information for a fuller picture of events. Advertisement Trump has been furious about news coverage that has deviated from his claims about the bombing mission, which preceded a ceasefire between Iran and Israel ending 12 days of hostilities. 'The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information,' he wrote on Truth Social, referring to a preliminary assessment from the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency that Trump's intervention likely set back Iran's nuclear program by months, not years. 'They should be prosecuted!' Trump also cast doubt on reports that the uranium stockpile was moved, saying during a prerecorded interview with Fox News that is scheduled to air Sunday: 'I don't think they did, no. It's very hard to do; it's very dangerous to do … they didn't know we were coming until just then.' The Defense Intelligence Agency finding was based on information available roughly 24 hours after the strike and concluded that some of Iran's centrifuges, used to enrich uranium that could be used in a nuclear weapon, remain intact. The Trump administration has criticized some media outlets for failing to note that the DIA report, which it deems as 'low confidence,' cautions that a full battle damage assessment requires 'days-to-weeks to accumulate the necessary data to assess effects on the target system.' However, the administration has not waited to assert its own sweeping conclusions that the strikes have set back Iran's program for 'years.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who briefed reporters on the operation Thursday alongside Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, said Trump 'directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history - and it was a resounding success.' Disagreements about the effectiveness of the strikes remain on Capitol Hill following the Trump administration's classified briefings to lawmakers last week. Advertisement 'I walk away from that briefing still under the belief that we have not obliterated the program,' Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) told reporters. 'The president was deliberately misleading the public when he said the program was obliterated. It is certain that there is still significant capability, significant equipment that remain.' 'You cannot bomb knowledge out of existence - no matter how many scientists you kill,' added Murphy. 'There are still people in Iran who know how to work centrifuges. And if they still have enriched uranium and they still have the ability to use centrifuges, then you're not setting back the program by years. You're setting back the program by months.' Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), a close ally of Trump, said 'obliteration' was a 'good word' to describe the strikes, which he said set back the program for years. But he acknowledged Iran's capabilities could be restored. 'The real question is, have we obliterated their desire to have a nuclear weapon,' Graham told reporters. 'I don't want people to think that the site wasn't severely damaged or obliterated. It was. But having said that, I don't want people to think the problem is over, because it's not.' A U.S. official familiar with the administration's closed briefing for lawmakers said that Ratcliffe, Trump's CIA director, highlighted the Israelis' destruction of Iran's air defenses ahead of the U.S. operation to assert 'the idea that they can easily rebuild anything is ludicrous.' The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, offered a mixed assessment during an interview with CBS News broadcast Sunday. There is agreement that 'a very serious level of damage' was done to Iran's nuclear program, he said. Advertisement 'Iran used to have and still has, to some degree, capabilities in terms of treatment, conversion and enrichment of uranium,' he added. The facilities 'have been destroyed to an important degree. Some is still standing,' he said. Critics of Trump's decision to use military force argue that he scuttled the chance of a diplomatic resolution, which is the only way of establishing an intrusive inspection regime to restrict and monitor Iran's nuclear program. Tehran may also be more inclined to race toward a bomb as an insurance policy against any future regime change efforts by Washington or Jerusalem. Before the U.S. attack, the U.S. intelligence community concluded that Iran had not yet decided to build a nuclear bomb but was working on pathways to speed up the process if it chose to construct one, U.S. officials have said. U.S. officials counter that Trump's strikes don't preclude a diplomatic agreement and could improve the chances of one. On Wednesday, Trump announced that U.S. and Iranian officials would meet this week to discuss a potential nuclear deal, but Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, quickly denied that any meeting would occur. Araghchi has said the impacts of the U.S. strike 'were not little' and that Iranian authorities were determining the new realities of the country's nuclear program, which would inform Tehran's diplomatic outlook. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Trump 'exaggerated' the results of his strikes. 'They attacked our nuclear facilities,' he said, 'but they were unable to do anything important.'
Business Times
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Times
Trump says US and Iran will talk next week, Middle East war over for now
[WASHINGTON] President Donald Trump said the US would hold a meeting with Iran next week but cast doubt on the need for a diplomatic agreement on the country's nuclear programme, citing the damage that American bombing had done to key sites. 'We're going to talk to them next week,' Trump said Wednesday at a press conference during the Nato summit at The Hague, without giving more details. 'We may sign an agreement. I don't know, to me, I don't think it's that necessary.' He reiterated that the US strikes on the Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow facilities had 'obliterated' them, again disputing an American intelligence assessment that said Teheran's nuclear programme had only been set back by a matter of months. The comments came on day two of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, ending 12 days of conflict that threatened to escalate into a wider regional war and upend energy markets. As the missiles fell silent and oil prices plunged – wiping out most of their increase during the hostilities – focus has switched to a possible next stage of nuclear diplomacy. Trump said the conflict was effectively 'over' after the US bombing mission – though he also warned: 'Can it start again? I guess someday it can. It could maybe start soon.' Iran has been sending signals that it's ready to resume talks, which were underway with the US before Israel attacked. 'The logic of war has failed – return to the logic of diplomacy,' Iran's mission to the United Nations said on Wednesday. The mission didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump's hint at new talks. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Before Israel's June 13 attack on Iran, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff had taken the lead in five rounds of talks with the Islamic Republic, seeking a deal to replace the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump abandoned during his first term. 'We're hopeful for a comprehensive peace agreement,' Witkoff said on Wednesday on CNBC when asked what the next steps are for diplomacy with Iran. 'We were hopeful when we first started negotiations. It didn't quite work out that way, but today, we are hopeful. The signs are there.' Witkoff said the US has been 'having conversations with the Iranians' and that 'multiple interlocutors are reaching out to us,' adding that his 'strong sense' is that 'they're ready.' 'For Iran, a diplomatic track makes as much sense today as it did before the attack,' said Ray Takeyh, a senior fellow at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. 'It seems that the Iranian programme was not fully disabled. This may tempt Israel or the US to conduct additional strikes. A diplomatic process will obviate that possibility.' It's not clear what that would entail. The UN's nuclear watchdog has for decades been central to monitoring of Iranian nuclear activities. But Teheran is in no hurry to resume working with the agency, which it blames for failing to condemn the US and Israeli attacks. Iran's parliament has approved legislation that would suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency until nuclear sites are secured, though any ultimate decision will be taken at higher levels of the state. The IAEA said Tuesday that inspections in Iran should resume 'as soon as possible' to determine what's happened to stocks of uranium enriched to 60 per cent levels, not far short of the 90 per cent required to build a bomb. The IAEA says it last verified those inventories a few days before Israel's June 13 attack and their whereabouts is now unknown, suggesting they may have been moved preemptively from sites targeted by US bombs. Trump said the US bunker-buster strikes had eliminated some key risks by burying the country's atomic materials under 'granite, concrete and steel.' 'We think everything nuclear is down there,' he said. 'They didn't take it out.' Pressed about the sources for such findings, he cited new intelligence assessments and also said 'we've also spoken to people who've seen the site,' without identifying them. The White House declined to specify to whom Trump was referring. Iran's nuclear installations were 'badly damaged' by US airstrikes, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told Al Jazeera TV on Wednesday, in the first such comments from Teheran. The official didn't give further details and said authorities were still reviewing the situation on the ground. Trump cited that assessment during his Nato press conference, as well as a statement by Israel's nuclear agency that said the Fordow site had been rendered inoperable and Teheran's ability to make a nuclear weapon set back by 'many years.' Earlier this month, Trump had said Iran was 'weeks away' from having an atomic weapon, though some experts and US intelligence estimates said it could take months or years for the nation to develop a weapon. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme has purely civilian purposes, and that it's entitled to pursue that goal under international law. Witkoff said that 'enrichment is the red line' for the US with Iran, 'and beyond enrichment, weaponisation is the red line.' Israel's attacks on Iranian military and nuclear sites killed several top generals and atomic scientists. Iran countered by firing drones and ballistic missiles into Israel. Both have declared victory. Oil has slid back to around the levels it was trading at before the fighting began, posting a two-day decline of some 14 per cent. It rebounded slightly on Wednesday as Trump played down the prospect of near-term sanctions relief for Iran. Asked if his Tuesday comments approving Chinese purchases of Iranian oil undermined his strategy of maximum pressure on Iran, Trump said he is 'not giving up' on it. But he also indicated US financial penalties are doing little to stop Beijing from buying Teheran's supplies. 'If they're going to sell oil, they're going to sell oil,' Trump said. 'China is going to want to buy oil. They can buy it from us. They can buy it from other people.' Bank of Israel chief Amir Yaron told Bloomberg that the military campaign cost the government about 1 per cent of gross national product and would require revisions to this year's budget. He said gains on the country's financial markets suggest that they see the conflict resulting in 'a positive outcome for Israel.' Iran's civil aviation authority said 13 airports in the country's eastern regions have reopened for flights, though Teheran's airports remain closed until further notice, according to state media. Trump said both nations are 'tired, exhausted. They fought very, very hard and very viciously, very violently, and they were both satisfied to go home and get out.' BLOOMBERG
Business Times
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Times
Trump says US and Iran will talk next week, Mideast war over for now
[WASHINGTON] President Donald Trump said the US would hold a meeting with Iran next week but cast doubt on the need for a diplomatic agreement on the country's nuclear programme, citing the damage that American bombing had done to key sites. 'We're going to talk to them next week,' Trump said Wednesday at a press conference during the Nato summit at The Hague, without giving more details. 'We may sign an agreement. I don't know, to me, I don't think it's that necessary.' He reiterated that the US strikes on the Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow facilities had 'obliterated' them, again disputing an American intelligence assessment that said Teheran's nuclear programme had only been set back by a matter of months. The comments came on day two of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, ending 12 days of conflict that threatened to escalate into a wider regional war and upend energy markets. As the missiles fell silent and oil prices plunged – wiping out most of their increase during the hostilities – focus has switched to a possible next stage of nuclear diplomacy. Trump said the conflict was effectively 'over' after the US bombing mission – though he also warned: 'Can it start again? I guess someday it can. It could maybe start soon.' Iran has been sending signals that it's ready to resume talks, which were underway with the US before Israel attacked. 'The logic of war has failed – return to the logic of diplomacy,' Iran's mission to the United Nations said on Wednesday. The mission didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump's hint at new talks. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Before Israel's June 13 attack on Iran, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff had taken the lead in five rounds of talks with the Islamic Republic, seeking a deal to replace the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump abandoned during his first term. 'We're hopeful for a comprehensive peace agreement,' Witkoff said on Wednesday on CNBC when asked what the next steps are for diplomacy with Iran. 'We were hopeful when we first started negotiations. It didn't quite work out that way, but today, we are hopeful. The signs are there.' Witkoff said the US has been 'having conversations with the Iranians' and that 'multiple interlocutors are reaching out to us,' adding that his 'strong sense' is that 'they're ready.' 'For Iran, a diplomatic track makes as much sense today as it did before the attack,' said Ray Takeyh, a senior fellow at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. 'It seems that the Iranian programme was not fully disabled. This may tempt Israel or the US to conduct additional strikes. A diplomatic process will obviate that possibility.' It's not clear what that would entail. The UN's nuclear watchdog has for decades been central to monitoring of Iranian nuclear activities. But Teheran is in no hurry to resume working with the agency, which it blames for failing to condemn the US and Israeli attacks. Iran's parliament has approved legislation that would suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency until nuclear sites are secured, though any ultimate decision will be taken at higher levels of the state. The IAEA said Tuesday that inspections in Iran should resume 'as soon as possible' to determine what's happened to stocks of uranium enriched to 60 per cent levels, not far short of the 90 per cent required to build a bomb. The IAEA says it last verified those inventories a few days before Israel's June 13 attack and their whereabouts is now unknown, suggesting they may have been moved preemptively from sites targeted by US bombs. Trump said the US bunker-buster strikes had eliminated some key risks by burying the country's atomic materials under 'granite, concrete and steel.' 'We think everything nuclear is down there,' he said. 'They didn't take it out.' Pressed about the sources for such findings, he cited new intelligence assessments and also said 'we've also spoken to people who've seen the site,' without identifying them. The White House declined to specify to whom Trump was referring. Iran's nuclear installations were 'badly damaged' by US airstrikes, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told Al Jazeera TV on Wednesday, in the first such comments from Teheran. The official didn't give further details and said authorities were still reviewing the situation on the ground. Trump cited that assessment during his Nato press conference, as well as a statement by Israel's nuclear agency that said the Fordow site had been rendered inoperable and Teheran's ability to make a nuclear weapon set back by 'many years.' Earlier this month, Trump had said Iran was 'weeks away' from having an atomic weapon, though some experts and US intelligence estimates said it could take months or years for the nation to develop a weapon. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme has purely civilian purposes, and that it's entitled to pursue that goal under international law. Witkoff said that 'enrichment is the red line' for the US with Iran, 'and beyond enrichment, weaponisation is the red line.' Israel's attacks on Iranian military and nuclear sites killed several top generals and atomic scientists. Iran countered by firing drones and ballistic missiles into Israel. Both have declared victory. Oil has slid back to around the levels it was trading at before the fighting began, posting a two-day decline of some 14 per cent. It rebounded slightly on Wednesday as Trump played down the prospect of near-term sanctions relief for Iran. Asked if his Tuesday comments approving Chinese purchases of Iranian oil undermined his strategy of maximum pressure on Iran, Trump said he is 'not giving up' on it. But he also indicated US financial penalties are doing little to stop Beijing from buying Teheran's supplies. 'If they're going to sell oil, they're going to sell oil,' Trump said. 'China is going to want to buy oil. They can buy it from us. They can buy it from other people.' Bank of Israel chief Amir Yaron told Bloomberg that the military campaign cost the government about 1 per cent of gross national product and would require revisions to this year's budget. He said gains on the country's financial markets suggest that they see the conflict resulting in 'a positive outcome for Israel.' Iran's civil aviation authority said 13 airports in the country's eastern regions have reopened for flights, though Teheran's airports remain closed until further notice, according to state media. Trump said both nations are 'tired, exhausted. They fought very, very hard and very viciously, very violently, and they were both satisfied to go home and get out.' BLOOMBERG
