Latest news with #MilitaryStrikes
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
How much damage have Israeli strikes caused to Iran's nuclear program?
Israel has carried out wide-ranging military strikes on Iran, hitting sites including some of its most important nuclear installations. Below is a summary of what is known about the damage inflicted on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, incorporating data from the UN nuclear watchdog's last quarterly report on May 31. Overview Iran is enriching uranium to up to 60 percent fissile purity. This could easily be refined further to the roughly 90 percent that is weapons-grade material. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which inspects Iran's nuclear sites including its enrichment plants, says this is of 'serious concern' because no other country has enriched to that level without producing nuclear weapons. Western powers say there is no civil justification for such high-level enrichment. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. It points to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel neither confirms nor denies that. Heart of the program: Uranium enrichment Iran had three operating uranium enrichment plants when Israel began its attacks on June 13: The Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz (power supply destroyed) The FEP is a vast underground facility designed to house 50,000 centrifuges, the machines that enrich uranium. There has long been speculation among military experts about whether Israeli airstrikes could destroy the FEP given that it is several floors underground. There were about 17,000 centrifuges installed there at last count, of which around 13,500 were operating, refining uranium to up to 5 percent. The electricity infrastructure at Natanz was destroyed by Israel, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told the UN Security Council on Friday, specifically an electrical sub-station, the main electric power supply building, emergency power supply and back-up generators. 'With this sudden loss of external power, in great probability the centrifuges have been severely damaged if not destroyed altogether,' Grossi told the BBC on Monday. The IAEA said on Tuesday there were indications of 'direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz.' The IAEA has not carried out inspections since the attacks and is using satellite imagery to assess the damage. The Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz (destroyed) The PFEP is the smallest and softest target, being above-ground, of Iran's three enrichment plants. Long a research and development center, it used fewer centrifuges than the other plants, often connected in smaller clusters of machines known as cascades. It did, however, have two interconnected, full-size cascades of up to 164 advanced centrifuges each, enriching uranium to up to 60 percent. Apart from that, there were only up to 201 centrifuges operating at the PFEP enriching to up to 2 percent. The PFEP was destroyed in the Israeli attack, Grossi said. The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (little or no visible damage) Iran's most deeply buried enrichment installation, dug deep into a mountain, has suffered little or no visible damage, Grossi reiterated on Monday. While Fordow has only about 2,000 centrifuges in operation, it produces the vast majority of Iran's uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, using roughly the same number of centrifuges as the PFEP did, because it feeds uranium refined to up to 20 percent into those cascades, compared to 5 percent at the PFEP. Fordow therefore produced 166.6 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent in the most recent quarter. According to an IAEA yardstick, that is enough in principle, if enriched further, for just under four nuclear bombs, compared to the PFEP's 19.2 kg, less than half a bomb's worth. Other facilities Israeli strikes damaged four buildings at the nuclear complex at Isfahan, the IAEA has said, including the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) and facilities where work on uranium metal was conducted. While it has other uses, mastering uranium metal technology is an important step in making the core of a nuclear weapon. If Iran were to try to make a nuclear weapon, it would need to take weapons-grade uranium and turn it into uranium metal. Uranium conversion is the process by which 'yellowcake' uranium is turned into uranium hexafluoride, the feedstock for centrifuges, so that it can be enriched. If the UCF is out of use, Iran will eventually run out of uranium to enrich unless it finds an outside source of uranium hexafluoride. The IAEA said on Tuesday two centrifuge production facilities in Karaj and Tehran had been hit. They had previously been under IAEA monitoring. The IAEA does not know how many centrifuge workshops Iran has, officials say. Scientists At least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in Israeli attacks since Friday, including in car bombings, two sources in the Gulf said on Sunday. Israel's armed forces named nine of them on Saturday, saying they 'played a central part of the progress toward nuclear weapons' and that 'their elimination represents a significant blow to the Iranian regime's ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction.' That assertion could not immediately be verified. Western powers have often said Iran's nuclear advances provide it with an 'irreversible knowledge gain', suggesting that while losing experts or facilities may slow progress, the advances are permanent. Uranium stockpile Iran has a large stock of uranium enriched to different levels. As of May 17, Iran was estimated to have enough uranium enriched to up to 60 percent for it to make nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. At lower enrichment levels it has enough for more bombs, though it would take more effort: enough enriched to up to 20 percent for two more, and enough enriched to up to 5 percent for 11 more. Much of Iran's most highly enriched uranium stockpile is stored underground at Isfahan under IAEA seal, officials have said. The IAEA does not report where it is stored. Grossi said in his BBC interview Isfahan's underground spaces 'do not seem to have been affected', but the IAEA has already walked back a similar assessment - of the underground plant at Natanz, saying on Monday that high-resolution satellite imagery indicated there had been direct hits. Open questions How will Iran respond? Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state TV on Saturday Iran would take measures to protect nuclear materials and equipment that would not be notified to the IAEA and it would no longer cooperate with the IAEA as before. Lawmakers are also preparing a bill that could prompt Iran to pull out of the NPT, following in the footsteps of North Korea, which announced its withdrawal in 2003 and went on to test nuclear weapons. The IAEA does not know how many centrifuges Iran has outside its declared enrichment plants. Any further reduction in cooperation with the IAEA could increase speculation that it will or has set up a secret enrichment plant using some of that supply. Existing centrifuge cascades can also be reconfigured to enrich to a different purity level within a week, officials have said. What is the status of the uranium stock? If Iran can no longer convert, its existing stock of uranium hexafluoride and enriched uranium becomes even more important. Will there be more attacks? Soon after the attacks started on Friday, US President Donald Trump urged Iran to make a deal with the United States to impose fresh restrictions on its nuclear program 'before there is nothing left.' Talks scheduled for June 15 were called off.
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Israel-Iran live: Iran will not surrender, supreme leader says - as he condemns Trump's 'ridiculous' statements
Send us your questions on the Israel-Iran conflict Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke and international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn will be answering your questions on the Israel-Iran conflict in a live Q&A this afternoon. Submit yours in the box at the top of the page. Thousands flee deserted Tehran after Trump warning The streets of Iran's capital have been largely deserted today amid Israeli attacks. Occasional cars and men on scooters sped by the closed shops and stores, after Donald Trump warned everyone should evacuate "immediately". Israel, repeating a tactic employed frequently in Gaza, has also told residents in a southwestern part of Tehran to evacuate so it could strike military installations. Combined, they have led to large numbers fleeing Tehran. Iranian media has reported heavy traffic on roads leaving the capital, heading north. Iran will not surrender, supreme leader tells Trump Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is giving remarks now, according to Iranian media. The country's supreme leader has just said Israel has made a "huge mistake", promising they will be "punished". He added people will not forget the blood of "martyrs" and the attack on their territory. Mehr News Agency reported he "praised the steadfast, courageous, and timely behaviour of the Iranian nation". He also warned "any US military intervention will undoubtedly cause irreparable damage", hitting out at "threatening and ridiculous statements" made by Donald Trump. The US should know Iran will not surrender, he added. It comes after Trump called for an "unconditional surrender" and reports he is considering a strike on Iran. Israeli drone shot down - as Iranian attack intercepted An Israeli drone has been shot down in Iran, the Israeli Defence Forces has said. No injuries were reported after it was blown out the sky by a surface-to-air missile, the force added. Meanwhile, seven drones launched towards Israel from Iran were shot down in the occupied Golan Heights area this morning, according to the IDF. Our Middle East correspondent Ali Bunkall explained earlier that the night had seen less fighting than before - see our 8.56 post. Despite this, tit-for-tat strikes have continued. Watch: What could US involvement look like and why are Iran's attacks faltering? As speculation grows about a possible US strike on Iran, Military analyst Michael Clarke explains what US intervention in Israeli attacks could look like and why Iran's attacks seem to be faltering... Centrifuge sites in Iran hit, nuclear watchdog says We brought you news earlier on Israeli claims it had struck centrifuge sites in Iran overnight - see our 5.55 post. Centrifuges are machines that can be used to enrich uranium. Enriched uranium can be used as fuel for nuclear plants, and for nuclear bombs. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that two such sites in Iran were hit. These are the TESA Karaj workshop, just west of Tehran, and the Tehran Research Centre, in the capital. The IAEA added: "At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested. "At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured." It seemingly continues Israel's efforts to cripple Iran's nuclear infrastructure. But as we've explained in our 8.26 post, if Israel wants to go all the way it'll likely need US help. Iran's supreme leader speaking shortly A televised message by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expected to be broadcast shortly, according to state media. We'll bring you text updates here, as he speaks in his first public appearance since shortly after Israel's attack on Iran last Friday. Iran envoy: 'Israeli attacks are war against humanity' We brought you some quotes earlier from Ali Bahreini, Iran's ambassador to the UN, who has been speaking to reporters. He echoed lines from Iran's foreign minister, promising retaliation to any attacks on the country. "We will not show any reluctance in defending our people, security and land. We will respond seriously and strongly, without restraint," Bahreini said. He also warned Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear structures risked a "possible hazardous leak". "This is not an act of war against our country, it is war against humanity," he said. Watch: The options for Trump as he ponders his next step To completely destroy Iran's nuclear programme, Israel would need to take out Fordow, the best protected facility. Israel would likely need huge "bunker buster" bombs, so would the US actually provide these devastating weapons? There is also a diplomatic option - so how does Donald Trump come to a decision here? Our international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn breaks it down... Family members of British embassy staff withdrawn from Israel Family members of British staff at the embassy in Tel Aviv and the consulate in Jerusalem have been temporarily withdrawn. The embassy and consulate will continue its work, but it reflects moves taken by other embassies as fighting remains ongoing. The US has shut its embassy in Jerusalem until at least Friday, according to its state department. Oil prices rise again as Trump weighs up US military involvement in Middle East By James Sillars, business and economics reporter Oil prices have been bubbling upwards again due to developments in the Israel-Iran conflict. The cost of a barrel of Brent crude ticked up near to $77 - a 4% rise - late yesterday after it became known that Donald Trump was considering US military involvement. He has since urged Iran to accept an "unconditional surrender". Brent has slipped back slightly, but the market remains glued to events. UK natural gas costs are matching the upwards trend with LSEG data for day-ahead delivery contracts currently 16% up on levels seen earlier this month. If sustained, it doesn't bode well for the next energy price cap review and bills from October - but it's early days. More widely on the financial markets, the FTSE 100 has risen 0.1% at the open to 8,844 following yesterday's decline of almost 0.5%. The rally, if you can call it that, is quite broad-based. The pound is being supported by a weakening dollar ahead of the US interest rate decision this evening. No change is widely anticipated. Trump is demanding a cut. There could be fireworks...
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Tucker Carlson's Iran war claims provoke Ted Cruz
Tucker Carlson humiliated Republican senator Ted Cruz during an intense grilling over Iran in which he sensationally claimed America is 'carrying out military strikes.' Former Fox firebrand Carlson has shared a snippet of his sit-down with Cruz, who has been calling for Trump to help Israel overthrow the Iranian regime in what would be a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. Carlson has made no secret of his disdain for Trump 'abandoning his America First policies' amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. And now with America teetering on the brink of full scale involvement, Carlson pressed Cruz on his knowledge of the Middle Eastern region with a series of 'gotcha' questions which culminated in a jaw dropping revelation that America was directly involved in 'carrying out military strikes' on Iran. Cruz's statement is a major departure from everything the Trump administration has said about US involvement up until this stage - a point that was not lost on Carlson. 'You said Israel was [carrying out strikes],' Carlson said, to which Cruz responded: 'I've said we. Israel is leading them, but we're supporting them. You're breaking news here,' Carlson said. 'The US government last night denied... on behalf of Trump, that we're acting on Israel's behalf in any offensive capacity.' Cruz appeared to backpedal on his statement, then telling Carlson: 'No, we're not bombing them. Israel is bombing them.' Carlson said: 'You just said we were. This is high stakes. You're a senator. If you're saying the United States is at war with Iran right now, people are listening.' The conservative commentator's earlier line of questioning had put Cruz under pressure and highlighted just how little he knows about the region. 'How many people live in Iran, by the way?' Carlson had asked. 'I don't know the population,' Cruz accepted, much to Carlson's horror as he quipped: 'At all?' 'You don't know the population of the people you're trying to topple?' Carlson added. Cruz tried to turn the tables back on Carlson, asking him for the number, to which the podcast host immediately responded: '92 million.' 'How could you not know that?' Carlson said. 'It's kind of relevant because you're calling for the overthrow of the government.' By this stage, the men were shouting over the top of one another as Cruz frantically tried to defend himself, first arguing 'I don't sit around memorizing population tables', before adding: 'Why is it relevant whether it's 90 million or 80 million.' Carlson, who appeared incredulous at the question, began to explain why he found it important 'if you don't know anything about the country', but was cut off by Cruz who said: 'I didn't say I don't know anything about Iran.' 'Okay,' Carlson countered, 'what is the ethnic mix of Iran?' Cruz stumbled over his answer, naming Persians and 'predominately Shia' before he was cut off by Carlson, who said again: 'What percent? You don't know anything on Iran.' Finally Cruz cracked, shouting: 'Okay, I'm not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran.' Carlson said: 'You're the Senator who is calling for the overthrow of the government and you don't know anything about the country.' The argument went from bad to worse when Cruz began leveling insults at Carlson. He said: 'No, you don't know anything about the country. You're the one who claims they're not trying to murder Donald Trump. You're the one who can't figure out if it was a good idea to kill General Solami.' Trump is said to be considering a US strike on Tehran following Situation Room crisis talks with security advisors. But up until this point, Trump and his senior officials have repeatedly maintained that the United States played no part in the offensive strikes Israel has launched at Iran. Both Israel and Iran launched fresh strikes at each other overnight, as Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it launched a 'more powerful' new wave of missiles at Israel. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned: 'The battle begins... We will show the Zionists no mercy.' Trump and Carlson have had a high-profile falling out amid Carlson's public criticism of the assault on Iran. Trump wrote Monday night on Truth social: 'Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that,' IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!' Earlier in the day, he said: 'I don't know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.' The former host was spectacularly fired from the news network in April 2023 and started his own independent network. Carlson issued a chilling warning to Trump on the War Room show with Steve Bannon to discuss the ongoing debate about Iran and the role the United States should play. 'A full-scale war with Iran,' he argued, 'would end, I believe, Trump's presidency, effectively end it, so that's why I'm saying this.' Carlson said if he could speak to Trump about the conflict, he would urge him to act in America's interests and bring peace to the region. 'I would say to him, you're the only person who can bring peace. You should continue to try and do that, it's difficult, it takes a long time but your timetable is the only timetable that matters, don't get [expletive] rushed,' he said. Carlson called his long-time ally Trump 'complicit in an act of war,' while he slammed conservatives close to the president as 'warmongers' in a social media post the same day.
Sky News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Who has been targeted in Israeli strikes on Iran - and what key infrastructure has been hit?
Israel has been targeting specific infrastructure and personnel in Iran since the start of its attacks on 13 June. Israel's president told Sky News that the country's unprecedented attacks, which have killed more than 240 people according to Iranian officials, are necessary because Tehran has been proceeding "dramatically" towards a nuclear bomb. But who and what has been targeted, and what is Israel's strategy? Here is what you need to know. Who has been targeted? High-ranking military leaders Israel hit many of its targets on the first night of the attacks, the most high-profile of them being Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the chief of staff of the armed forces of the Iranian regime. His involvement in the military dated back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel has also killed Hossein Salami, who was the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's primary military force, and Mohammed Kazemi, the intelligence chief of the IRGC. The latter was killed in the Israeli strikes along with his deputy, Hassan Mohaqiq. The strikes also killed Gholam-Ali Rashid, who was head of the IRGC's emergency command headquarters. He was replaced by Ali Shadmani, who was killed days later, with Israel's military claiming a "sudden opportunity" arose to attack him. Nuclear scientists Israel says six top nuclear scientists were among those killed in the initial strikes last week. One of the most high-profile of them was Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, who was head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation from 2011 to 2013 and a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024. Another was Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was also a theoretical physicist and president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran. Four other scientists killed in the strikes were Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feghi and Motalibizadeh. What infrastructure has been targeted? Israel has hit military, nuclear, government, oil and gas infrastructure and civilian areas across Iran, including in Tehran, Iran's capital, and other major cities. The nuclear sites targeted so far are Natanz, the country's main uranium enrichment facility located 135 miles southeast of Tehran, the nearby Isfahan nuclear facility and the Fordow uranium enrichment plant near the city of Qom. It has been speculated that Fordow will require a 'bunker busting' bomb to cause significant damage. A missile airbase in the western province of Kermanshah operated by the IRGC has also been hit. The attacks also targeted the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran. Many of the high-profile targets were killed in their homes or in meetings. What is Israel's strategy? According to Sky's experts, Israel's intentions appear to be to thwart Iran's nuclear efforts, but also to significantly weaken the regime, in the hope of triggering a regime change in the country. International affairs editor Dominic Waghorn says Israel's destruction of Iran's air defences has left the country's skies vulnerable, and that it has allowed Israeli jets to "destroy target after target with pinpoint accuracy". 3:12 He suggests that in order for the attack to be successful long-term, Israel "must destroy both Iran's ability to develop the bomb, but more importantly, its will to do so" - hence its targeting of both nuclear sites and key personnel. He explains that the Iranian nuclear programme is too far developed to be completely destroyed, and that experts and students there have too much knowledge to rule out the country's ability to build a bomb in the future. "Toppling the regime will be the surest way of achieving Israel's aims if it ushers in a replacement not determined to go nuclear," he says. Israel has also been attacking energy infrastructure, which Waghorn says will be aimed at raising energy prices to spark social unrest and dissent. Defence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke says Israel's strategy appears to be similar to the one it used against the Shia political and military faction Hezbollah in Lebanon last year. The Israeli military carried out several cross-border attacks, killing top senior leaders including the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah. 3:47 Comparing that scenario to Israel's attacks on Iran, Prof Clarke said: "In terms of the Israeli attacks, they very much follow what we might call the Hezbollah playbook. "They've attacked fairly specific targets, coupled with a series of assassinations against senior leaders. "They're trying to decapitate the command structure while they attack air defence to open up Iranian air defence and then attack Iran." Trump calls supreme leader 'easy target' as he considers US strike Israeli intelligence correspondent Ronen Bergman has reported that Israel has developed the ability to monitor Iran's top officials "in real time", allowing them to eliminate many of Iran's military and intelligence commanders quickly. But Iran's long-time supreme leader Khamenei is not among the officials killed. In a Truth Social post on 17 June, US president Donald Trump called the 86-year-old an "easy target" but said the US would not kill him - "at least not for now". "But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers," he added. "Our patience is wearing thin." 2:56 The comments came days after reports that Mr Trump rejected a plan proposed by Israel to kill Khamenei, who has led the regime since 1989. Mr Trump has called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' but it is thought that his administration is keen to keep Israel's operation aimed at targeting the nuclear programme rather than at the regime, with fears over further escalation in the conflict. Before Israel's attack began, the US had been negotiating with Iran over a nuclear deal. Mr Trump is now considering a US strike on Iran, according to multiple current and former administration officials. The president is considering a range of options, including a possible strike, following a meeting with his national security team inside the Situation Room, the officials told Sky's US partner network NBC News. How has Tehran responded? Iran, which has always denied it is planning to make a nuclear bomb, has launched sustained retaliatory strikes against Israel since 13 June. In recent days Iran has shot some 370 missiles and hundreds of drones, with the majority being intercepted by the country's defence systems. The attacks have mainly focused on areas around the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, which are densely populated by civilians. At least 24 people are reported to have been killed in Israel and some 500 people injured.
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Tucker Carlson sparks full scale meltdown from Ted Cruz as senator makes bombshell admission about US role in war with Iran
Tucker Carlson humiliated Republican senator Ted Cruz during an intense grilling over Iran in which he sensationally claimed America is 'carrying out military strikes.' Former Fox firebrand Carlson has shared a snippet of his sit-down with Cruz, who has been calling for Trump to help Israel overthrow the Iranian regime in what would be a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. Carlson has made no secret of his disdain for Trump 'abandoning his America First policies' amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. And now with America teetering on the brink of full scale involvement, Carlson pressed Cruz on his knowledge of the Middle Eastern region with a series of 'gotcha' questions which culminated in a jaw dropping revelation that America was directly involved in 'carrying out military strikes' on Iran. Cruz's statement is a major departure from everything the Trump administration has said about US involvement up until this stage - a point that was not lost on Carlson. 'You said Israel was [carrying out strikes],' Carlson said, to which Cruz responded: 'I've said we. Israel is leading them, but we're supporting them.' 'You're breaking news here,' Carlson said. 'The US government last night denied... on behalf of Trump, that we're acting on Israel's behalf in any offensive capacity.' Cruz appeared to backpedal on his statement, then telling Carlson: 'No, we're not bombing them. Israel is bombing them.' Carlson said: 'You just said we were. This is high stakes. You're a senator. If you're saying the United States is at war with Iran right now, people are listening.' The conservative commentator's earlier line of questioning had put Cruz under pressure and highlighted just how little he knows about the region. 'How many people live in Iran, by the way?' Carlson had asked. 'I don't know the population,' Cruz accepted, much to Carlson's horror as he quipped: 'At all?' 'You don't know the population of the people you're trying to topple?' Carlson added. Cruz tried to turn the tables back on Carlson, asking him for the number, to which the podcast host immediately responded: '92 million.' 'How could you not know that?' Carlson said. 'It's kind of relevant because you're calling for the overthrow of the government.' By this stage, the men were shouting over the top of one another as Cruz frantically tried to defend himself, first arguing 'I don't sit around memorizing population tables', before adding: 'Why is it relevant whether it's 90 million or 80 million.' Carlson, who appeared incredulous at the question, began to explain why he found it important 'if you don't know anything about the country', but was cut off by Cruz who said: 'I didn't say I don't know anything about Iran.' 'Okay,' Carlson countered, 'what is the ethnic mix of Iran?' Cruz stumbled over his answer, naming Persians and 'predominately Shia' before he was cut off by Carlson, who said again: 'What percent? You don't know anything on Iran.' Finally Cruz cracked, shouting: 'Okay, I'm not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran.' Carlson said: 'You're the Senator who is calling for the overthrow of the government and you don't know anything about the country.' The argument went from bad to worse when Cruz began leveling insults at Carlson. He said: 'No, you don't know anything about the country. You're the one who claims they're not trying to murder Donald Trump. You're the one who can't figure out if it was a good idea to kill General Solami.' Trump is said to be considering a US strike on Tehran following Situation Room crisis talks with security advisors. But up until this point, Trump and his senior officials have repeatedly maintained that the United States played no part in the offensive strikes Israel has launched at Iran. Both Israel and Iran launched fresh strikes at each other overnight, as Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it launched a 'more powerful' new wave of missiles at Israel. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned: 'The battle begins... We will show the Zionists no mercy.' Trump and Carlson have had a high-profile falling out amid Carlson's public criticism of the assault on Iran. Trump wrote Monday night on Truth social: 'Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that,' IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!' Earlier in the day, he said: 'I don't know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.' The former host was spectacularly fired from the news network in April 2023 and started his own independent network. Carlson issued a chilling warning to Trump on the War Room show with Steve Bannon to discuss the ongoing debate about Iran and the role the United States should play. 'A full-scale war with Iran,' he argued, ' would end, I believe, Trump's presidency, effectively end it, so that's why I'm saying this.' Carlson said if he could speak to Trump about the conflict, he would urge him to act in America's interests and bring peace to the region. 'I would say to him, you're the only person who can bring peace. You should continue to try and do that, it's difficult, it takes a long time but your timetable is the only timetable that matters, don't get bum rushed,' he said. Carlson called his long-time ally Trump 'complicit in an act of war,' while he slammed conservatives close to the president as 'warmongers' in a social media post the same day.
