Latest news with #USforces
Free Malaysia Today
7 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Iran says US accountability for attacks on nuclear sites part of future talks
US forces struck key Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 during Tehran's war with Israel. (Maxar Technologies/AP pic) TEHRAN : Iran said today it would hold the US accountable for attacks on its nuclear sites in any future negotiations, while ruling out direct talks with Washington. The US struck key Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, briefly joining a war launched by Israel that had derailed talks on Tehran's atomic programme. 'In any potential negotiation… the issue of holding the US accountable and demanding compensation for committing military aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities will be one of the topics on the agenda,' foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a press briefing today. Asked whether Iran would engage in direct talks with the US, Baqaei said: 'No.' In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented attack targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, but also hitting residential areas over 12 days of war, which US forces joined with attacks on nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. The fighting derailed talks that began in April and had been the highest-level contact between Tehran and Washington since the US abandoned in 2018 a landmark agreement on Iran's nuclear activities. Following the war, Tehran has suspended cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog and demanded guarantees against military action before resuming any negotiations. Washington has dismissed Tehran's call for compensation as 'ridiculous'. Baqaei said today that Iran was committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but criticised what he described as the 'politicised and unprofessional approach' of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The foreign ministry spokesman said that the IAEA's deputy chief is expected in Iran 'in less than 10 days'. Last month, Iran said future cooperation with the UN agency would take on a 'new form'. On July 25, Iranian diplomats met with counterparts from Germany, Britain and France, in the first meeting since the war with Israel ended. The three European powers are parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, which unravelled after the US withdrew during Trump's first term. In recent weeks, the trio has threatened to trigger sanctions if Tehran failed to agree a deal on uranium enrichment and cooperation with UN inspectors. Iran has repeatedly called reimposing sanctions 'illegal' and insisted on its right to enrich uranium. Israel and western nations accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has consistently denied.
Russia Today
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Estonian defense chief reveals failure of Pentagon meeting
The Baltic states have failed to secure any guarantees from Washington regarding the continued deployment of US forces in the region, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur has said. Along with his Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts, Pevkur traveled to Washington last week to meet with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Their aim was to convince Pentagon officials to reinforce the US military presence in the Baltic region, which they claim is necessary to counter the threat allegedly posed by Russia. Moscow has repeatedly denied having hostile intentions toward NATO states, dismissing such claims as fearmongering meant to justify increased military spending. According to Pevkur, US officials declined to promise even the current troop level of about 2,000 in the Baltic states would be maintained. Instead, the ministers were told that any future changes to the American force posture on the continent would be coordinated with NATO and would not come 'as a surprise' to Europe. Since the meeting, Pevkur has said there are still no signs of an imminent drawdown of American forces in the Baltics. He added, however, that Washington is preparing to review its European deployments in the fall. Earlier this year, Politico reported that the US could withdraw around a third of its troops from Europe, equivalent to roughly 20,000 soldiers, according to unnamed NATO officials. The US currently has between 90,000 and 100,000 troops stationed across the continent. Both President Donald Trump and Hegseth have previously indicated that the US may scale back its overseas presence. They have also called on European allies to increase their own defense spending instead of relying on American support. NATO members have since agreed to raise their military spending target to 5% of GDP by 2035. Moscow has criticized the bloc's continued militarization and cited NATO's policies as a key factor behind the Ukraine conflict. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the spending increases would pose no threat to Russia.
Free Malaysia Today
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
South Korea, Japan and US conduct air drill as defence chiefs meet
South Korean fighter jets conduct live-fire air drills with the US forces. (EPA Images pic) SEOUL : South Korea, Japan and the US conducted a joint air drill on Friday involving a US B-52 strategic bomber and fighter jets of the two US allies over international waters, Yonhap news reported, citing the South's defence ministry. The three countries' defence chiefs also held an annual meeting in Seoul on Friday, where they recognised the importance of close trilateral cooperation in addressing security challenges posed by North Korea in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, the defence ministry said in a statement. 'We're illuminating a future path together, a path where partnerships can evolve through persistent and regular engagement, from building capacity to really sharing responsibility,' US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Dan Caine said in opening remarks before the meeting. '(North Korea) and China are undergoing an unprecedented military build-up with a clear and unambiguous intent to move forward with their own agendas. We need to be mindful of that,' Caine said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
IAEA: Return of Inspectors to Iran's Nuclear Sites ‘Number One Priority'
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday that his 'number one priority' is for its inspectors to return to Iran's nuclear sites to evaluate damage caused by recent bombing and to verify stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. Israel repeatedly struck Iranian nuclear facilities during its 12-day-war with Tehran, and US forces bombed Iran's underground nuclear facilities at the weekend, but the extent of the damage to its stocks of enriched uranium is unclear. 'So for that, to confirm, for the whole situation, evaluation, we need to return (IAEA inspectors to Iran's nuclear facilities),' UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told reporters in Austria following a briefing to the Government in Vienna. Grossi said there is a chance that much of Iran's highly enriched uranium survived the Israeli and US attacks because it may have been moved by Tehran soon after the first strikes. Earlier this week, Grossi said Iran had informed the IAEA on June 13 - the first day of Israeli strikes - that it would take 'special measures' to protect its nuclear materials and equipment. 'They did not get into details as to what that meant but clearly that was the implicit meaning of that, so we can imagine that this material is there,' Grossi told a press conference on Wednesday with members of the Austrian government. Meanwhile, Iran's parliament approved a bill on Wednesday on suspending cooperation with the IAEA and stipulating that any future IAEA inspection would need approval by Iran's Supreme National Security Council. The IAEA needs to determine how much remains of Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity - a level that is close to the roughly 90% of weapons grade. On Tuesday, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that a preliminary US intelligence assessment determined that the US strikes at the weekend set back Tehran's program by only a matter of months, meaning Iran could restart its nuclear program in that time. 'This hourglass approach is something I do not like ... It's in the eye of the beholder,' Grossi said. 'When you look at the ... reconstruction of the infrastructure, it's not impossible. First, there has been some that survived the attacks, and then this is work that Iran knows how to do. It would take some time,' he added. Asked about Iran's threat to withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Grossi said, 'This would be, of course, very regrettable.' He added, 'I hope this is not the case. I don't think this would help anybody, starting with Iran. This would lead to isolation and all sorts of problems and, why not, perhaps, if not the unravelling a very, very, very serious erosion in the NPT structure.'
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran says it ‘smashed' Al Udeid to retaliate for ‘brazen' US attack
The Iranian government confirmed the airstrikes on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday, saying it 'smashed' U.S. forces to retaliate against the U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites. 'The Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council announced that in response to the aggressive and brazen action of the United States against Iran's nuclear sites and facilities… hours ago, the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran smashed the US forces' airbase in Al Udeid, Qatar,' the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran said in a statement posted to X on Monday afternoon. The statement comes after U.S. and Qatari officials earlier confirmed the attack. The Department of Defense said the attacks were from short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles and did not report any casualties from them. 'I can confirm that al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran today. At this time, there are no reports of U.S. casualties. We are monitoring this situation closely and will provide more information as it becomes available,' a Defense official said in a statement. A spokesperson for the Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Qatari air defenses 'thwarted the attack and successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles.' The spokesperson also condemned the strikes, saying Qatar 'reserves the right to respond directly in a manner proportional to the nature and scale of this blatant aggression and in accordance with international law' and that Qatar considers the strikes 'a flagrant violation of the State of Qatar's sovereignty and airspace, as well as of international law and the United Nations Charter.' Iranian state TV reported on Monday that Iran had begun operations against the U.S. base outside Doha. A source familiar with the matter also told The Hill that Iran launched 10 missiles at the base. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
