Latest news with #militaryConflict
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Trump's final ultimatum to Putin is HERE as experts give shrill warning on how it will impact oil prices in America
President Donald Trump, who once claimed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours, came up on his own deadline at midnight. Vladimir Putin shows no of backing down from his war machine after more than two-and-a-half years of grinding conflict - and the president's ultimatum may have fallen on deaf ears in the Kremlin. The Russian strongman has continuously dragged out every negotiation while pushing for total military victory, increasingly thumbing his nose at Trump and betting he can outlast Ukraine 's stubborn resistance. Trump's stark deadline - end the war or face crushing economic sanctions - is the biggest test yet of whether anything can be done to tame the Putin's unrelenting war machine. New sanctions could send gas prices soaring for American drivers, mirroring the inflation spike that hammered consumers immediately following Russia's 2022 invasion. Basic economics dictate the outcome: less oil supply means higher demand and more pain at the pump for everyday Americans. But the ripple effect goes even further. Everyday goods, even things like the price of medicine and technology, could be impacted. Foreign policy experts warn the autocrat has already proven he's willing to sacrifice his economy and his people for a chance at more territory. Foreign policy expert John Sitilides told the Daily Mail that Putin believes his military momentum will continue into the fall as he seeks to turn Ukraine into a 'rump land-locked state, cut off from the Black Sea.' He added that Trump's threat to remove Russia's share of oil exports from the global economy is 'non-credible' to Putin. Justin Logan, director of Defense and Foreign Policy studies at the CATO institute, told the Daily Mail that Trump is grappling with an unfortunate reality: 'Russia is slowly winning a grinding, brutal war of attrition and knows it.' 'Putin is unlikely to agree to a short-term ceasefire unless he feels confident he will make progress toward his political goals,' he added. Trump has said he would unleash a second round of tariffs at 100 percent on any nation that purchases Russian oil, including China, one of Russia's top allies. On Wednesday, the commander-in-chief enforced an extra 25 percent tariff on India – a punishment for the country buying Russian oil. That will bring the total tariff on imports from Indian to 50 percent, setting records as one of the highest rates imposed by the administration. Trump left the option open for other countries to follow in India's footsteps if they go against his orders. This week, the president sent his eyes and ears, envoy Steve Witkoff, to Moscow, hoping for a sort of 'Hail Mary' diplomatic resolution. The president said on Thursday that he would agree to meet with Putin without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 'They would like to meet with me and I'll do whatever I can to stop the killing,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Kremlin leaders said a meeting between the two presidents has been agreed upon, and should happen in the 'coming days'. Zelensky has historically raised alarms at being left out of negotiations and decision-making regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. 'Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same bold approach from the Russian side. It's time to end the war. Thank you to everyone who is helping!' he wrote in a post on X. But Sitilides, a senior fellow for National Security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and former State Department diplomacy consultant, told the Daily Mail, 'It is difficult to envision a serious breakthrough soon in the Russia-Ukraine stalemate.' Putin, he says, seeks to exhaust Ukraine's strained defense forces. 'His objectives are unchanged - he wants Ukraine turned into a rump land-locked state, cut off from the Black Sea and dependent on de-industrializing Europe for its long-haul recovery.' Logan decried Trump's oil sanctions as an ineffective long-term solution. 'Oil sanctions from Trump would be as ineffective as oil sanctions from Biden. This is because they are inherently leaky,' he explained. One popular Russian tabloid, Moskovsky Komsomolets, described the Trump and Putin relationship as locomotives speeding toward each other without a plan to stop or reverse. The Moscow daily newspaper adds that Trump's attempts to end the war on his watch have been a 'dismal failure' and that 'Trump received from Putin – albeit extremely politely and stretched out in time – a total slap down.' 'This is a medical fact that cannot be hidden or obscured. The US leader looks like a loser,' the report reads.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli military chief pushes back on expanding Gaza war, sources say
Israeli military chief pushes back on expanding Gaza war, sources say By Alexander Cornwell and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced pushback from the head of the military over his proposal to seize remaining areas of Gaza it doesn't already control during a tense three-hour meeting, three Israeli officials said. Eyal Zamir, the military chief of staff, warned the prime minister that taking the rest of Gaza could trap the military in the territory, which it withdrew from two decades ago, and could lead to harm to the hostages being held there, the sources briefed on the Tuesday meeting said. The Israeli military says it already controls 75% of Gaza after nearly two years of war, which began when militant group Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities in October 2023. Much of the crowded, coastal enclave has been devastated in the war, which has destroyed homes, schools, mosques and hospitals. Most of the population has been displaced multiple times and aid groups say residents are on the verge of famine. The U.N. has called reports about a possible expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza "deeply alarming" if true. The military, which accuses Hamas of operating amongst civilians, has at times avoided areas where intelligence suggested hostages were held and former captives have said their captors threatened to kill them if Israeli forces approached. Netanyahu, who favours an expansion of military operations, told Zamir that so far the military had failed to bring about the release of the hostages, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Diplomatic negotiations have secured the release of most hostages freed so far. A fourth source said that the prime minister intended to expand military operations in Gaza to put pressure on Hamas. Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X Wednesday that the military chief has both the right and the duty to voice his opinion, but said that the military would carry out the government's decisions until all war objectives are achieved. The prime minister's office confirmed the meeting with Zamir on Tuesday but declined to comment further and the military did not respond to a request for comment. The prime minister is scheduled to discuss military plans for Gaza with other ministers on Thursday. Netanyahu, who in May said that Israel would control all of Gaza, leads the most right-wing coalition government in Israel's history and some of his key partners have in the past threatened to quit if the government ended the war. INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE There are 50 hostages still being held in Gaza, of whom at least 20 are believed to be alive. Videos released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group in Gaza, last week of two extremely emaciated hostages triggered international condemnation. Close to 200 Palestinians have died of starvation in Gaza since the war began, about half of them children, according to Gaza's health ministry. More than 20 died on Wednesday when a truck believed to be carrying food overturned as it was swarmed by a desperate crowd, according to local health authorities. There is intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in Gaza and for Hamas to release the hostages. The latest ceasefire talks in Qatar broke down last month. Hamas insists any deal must lead to a permanent end to the war, while Israel accuses the group of lacking sincerity about giving up power afterward and must be defeated. An expansion of the military offensive in heavily populated areas would likely be devastating. Many of Gaza's 2 million Palestinians are living in tent encampments in the territory's south, displaced by 22 months of bombardment. "Where will we go?" said Tamer Al-Burai, a displaced Palestinian living at the edge of Deir Al Balah in central Gaza. "Should people jump into the sea if the tanks rolled in, or wait to die under the rubble of their houses? We want an end to this war, it is enough, enough," he told Reuters by phone. OVEREXTENDED The war in Gaza has also overextended Israel's military, which has a small standing army and has had to repeatedly mobilise reservists. It is not clear if more reservists would be needed to expand operations and take more territory. The military continued to carry out air strikes across Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 135 people in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said, with the death toll since the beginning of the conflict now at more than 61,000, mostly civilians, it says. Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, including more than 700 civilians, and 251 hostages were taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023 when the militant group attacked Israel. In Israel, public polls show support for a diplomatic deal that would end the war and secure the release of the hostages.
France 24
30-07-2025
- France 24
Thai family mourns soldier son killed just before truce
His funeral rites began Wednesday as Buddhist monks blessed his body with sacred chants, his remains in a shimmering silver coffin draped with Thailand's ensign and flanked by his neatly folded uniform. "He was brave -- brave until the very last moment of his life," said his sister, 26-year-old Hormchan Krajangthong, her voice breaking with emotion. "He gave his blood and body for our king and country," she told AFP in the village of Nong Yang Pong Sadao, just 27 kilometres (17 miles) from the border with Cambodia. Five days of clashes over ancient temples on the frontier killed at least 43 people on both sides, sending more than 300,000 fleeing as the countries battled with jets, artillery and ground troops. A truce deal took effect at midnight Monday and has broadly held despite scattered skirmishes. But it was not soon enough to save 22-year-old Theerayuth. He was killed by a shrapnel blast in Sisaket province late Monday -- after the truce was agreed, but before it began -- in one of the final artillery exchanges of the conflict. Theerayuth joined the Thai military just last year and was assigned the role of ammunition bearer. "He wanted to be a soldier since he was little," said his 60-year-old father, Kimdaeng Krajangthong, his eyes red and glassy. "I'm both proud and heartbroken." 'Don't worry about me' When shelling began, his family fled their Buriram province home for an evacuation centre, but Theerayuth was called up to the front. As he boarded the military truck bound for the border, his mother Tin Krajangthong, 61, gave him a patch of her sarong to tuck in his uniform pocket -- a talisman to shield him from harm. His regular calls from the front line reassured them. Even when they stopped on Friday night amid increasing strikes, his family did not worry -- assuming his silence was a safety precaution. "The last time we spoke, my brother told me and our parents, 'Don't worry about me. I'm safe'," his sister Hormchan said. The blow of grief only came after the guns fell silent. On Tuesday morning, Hormchan received a call from an unknown number -- her brother's commanding officer. "He said my brother was gone," she told AFP. "I couldn't believe it." "Everyone at the evacuation centre was in shock." Now Theerayuth's mother stands beside his coffin -- gently knocking it in a Thai custom meant to call back a departed spirit one last time, or let a soul know loved ones are still near. Thailand and Cambodia will spend the coming days tallying losses from the fighting -- the deadliest to engulf their border in years. After two more days of funeral ceremonies, Theerayuth's body will be cremated according to Buddhist tradition, his family's own personal loss sealed. As the monks began their chants on Wednesday, his father clasped his hands. © 2025 AFP
Russia Today
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Nuclear inspectors leave Iran
A team of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has departed from Iran, the agency announced on Friday. Tehran suspended cooperation with the UN-affiliated nuclear watchdog following Israeli and US attacks on its nuclear facilities last month. The inspectors will 'return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict,' the IAEA said in a statement. Tehran cooperated with the international watchdog for years, maintaining that it was enriching uranium for civilian use only. Israel has claimed that Tehran was secretly developing a nuclear weapon. On June 12, the IAEA accused Iran of violating a key safeguard agreement, without presenting any evidence. The following day, Israel launched strikes targeting Iranian nuclear scientists and uranium enrichment facilities. Tehran retaliated with counterstrikes and the US joined the Israeli operation. The war lasted for 12 days and ended in a US brokered ceasefire. US President Donald Trump declared that the Iranian nuclear program had been 'obliterated' by America's military action. The Iranian leadership has rejected the claim. Iran has long accused the IAEA of colluding with its adversaries. Officials in Tehran claimed that the agency provided Israel with the identities of nuclear scientists and intelligence about key facilities. Russia has condemned the IAEA's role in the conflict. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said its data was used to plan the strikes, calling it 'a colossal blow' to the watchdog's credibility. The IAEA inspectors were housed in Tehran and were unable to visit Iran's nuclear sites following the 12-day conflict, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The agency withdrew its inspectors from Iran 'over safety concerns,' the outlet added, citing sources. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has stressed that it is crucial to negotiate with Iran to restart inspections and monitoring as soon as possible.
Al Arabiya
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
A pause or a prelude? The fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel
On June 25, 2025, a ceasefire between Israel and Iran came into effect, bringing a sudden and dramatic halt to twelve days of direct and unprecedented military confrontation. The truce surprised many observers around the world. For weeks, tensions had escalated rapidly after Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, followed by a wave of Iranian missile and drone retaliation. The ferocity of the exchange, coupled with long-standing hostilities between the two states, led many analysts and politicians to assume that Israel would pursue the campaign until Iran's nuclear infrastructure was completely dismantled or until the Islamic Republic's central authority was irreparably shaken. Many expected Israel to press its military advantage and continue striking; There were even speculations that the broader goal might be to destabilize or collapse the Iranian government altogether. Yet the ceasefire, as unexpected as it may have seemed to some, was ultimately the product of deeper historical patterns, strategic calculations, and logistical realities. First, a look at the history of Israel's military conflicts reveals that temporary ceasefires are a consistent feature of its wartime strategy. During past wars with Hezbollah in Lebanon or in operations against Hamas in Gaza, ceasefires were accepted at key junctures. These pauses have rarely signaled the end of conflict. Instead, they have served multiple purposes – providing breathing room for the population, allowing the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to assess battlefield performance, and giving political leaders time to navigate shifting diplomatic and military conditions. In that context, the current ceasefire with Iran should not come as a shock. Though the stakes and geography are dramatically broader in this case, the strategic logic remains consistent. Ceasefires could be tactical pauses. For Israel, this ceasefire most likely offers significant, albeit temporary, advantages. First and foremost, it allows the government and military command to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of their twelve-day aerial campaign. With advanced surveillance, satellite imaging, and digital tracking systems, Israel can now measure the success of its strikes, identify which Iranian assets remain intact, and prepare for any future engagements. These kinds of reassessments are critical in an era of high-tech, multi-front warfare. Second, the truce enables Israeli civilians to return to a semblance of normalcy. Throughout the conflict, cities like Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beersheba were subjected to repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks. For many residents, life had ground to a halt. The ceasefire now allows citizens to reemerge, regroup, and recover from the psychological strain of continuous alerts and air raid sirens. The return to normal life – no matter how temporary – is a crucial relief for the country. Third, the ceasefire grants Israel a valuable diplomatic opportunity. By agreeing to halt its military operations – even after successfully striking key targets – Israel projects to the international community that it is not pursuing escalation for its own sake. This move can help mend some of the frayed ties with Europe and parts of the Global South, where criticism of Israeli military policy has grown. At the same time, it reinforces Israel's image as a responsible actor, capable of restraint even in the face of provocation. Fourth, the IDF now has time to replenish its resources, repair any damage to bases or weapons systems, and evaluate operational weaknesses. Despite Israel's superiority in the air, the Iranian counterattacks – especially the use of longer-range drones – provided Israel with a sobering glimpse into Iran's evolving tactics. This ceasefire gives the Israeli military the space to adapt, train, and integrate new technologies into their defense apparatus. Fifth, and no less important, the ceasefire allows Israel to redirect its focus to other strategic concerns. With the Iranian front on pause, Israel can recalibrate its posture and attend to other critical theaters. From Iran's perspective, the need for a ceasefire was even more urgent. For nearly two weeks, Israeli air dominance over Iran was overwhelming. Precision strikes targeted military installations, air defense systems, radar units, and multiple nuclear-related sites in Natanz, Fordow, and Arak. In addition, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) suffered major losses, including several high-ranking commanders. The Iranian public – already under severe economic pressure from international sanctions – faced further hardship as oil refineries and power grids were damaged. More than 100,000 residents fled Tehran in a matter of days, fearful that the next wave of Israeli strikes would devastate the capital. Internally, the government faced growing frustration: How could a country with one of the region's largest militaries be so vulnerable? Why had the government not anticipated the scale of Israeli retaliation? The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly faced intense pressure from within the elite circles of the IRGC and clerical establishment. In such a climate, agreeing to a ceasefire was less about diplomacy and more about necessity. Iran needed to stop the bleeding – militarily, politically, and psychologically. The pause offers Tehran a chance to evaluate the damage, regroup its forces, and attempt to fortify what remains of its nuclear infrastructure. It also gives the leadership time to address domestic unrest, recalibrate messaging, and possibly shift blame onto external enemies to consolidate control. Yet the key question remains: will the ceasefire hold? If past history is any indicator, the prospects are not encouraging. Ceasefires in this region are rarely long-lasting. They are fragile by design – stopgaps between rounds of fighting, not solutions to the underlying tensions. In this case, the balance of power has shifted dramatically, and that creates an incentive for renewed confrontation. For Israel, walking away from a conflict while the Iranian government is at its weakest point in decades might be seen as a strategic blunder. This is a rare window – one where Iran's command structure has been shaken, its nuclear plans disrupted, and its population demoralized. Some in the Israeli cabinet may argue that allowing Iran to recover from this moment would be tantamount to leaving a wounded enemy alive on the battlefield. Moreover, from a strategic standpoint, Israel now faces the risk that Iran – having experienced such a devastating attack – will accelerate its push for nuclear weapons. Even if Iran had not made the political decision to pursue a bomb before, this war may have changed that calculus. The logic of deterrence could now dominate Iran's thinking: Only by acquiring a nuclear weapon, Iranian strategists may argue, can the country prevent another catastrophic strike. Iran has already announced the suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a worrying signal that transparency is no longer a priority. In this environment, trust is virtually nonexistent. Finally, the ceasefire's fragility is also reinforced by the broader geopolitical context. Proxy forces aligned with Iran – particularly Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various militias in Iraq – remain active. They can resume attacks on Israel or US allies at any time, either with or without Tehran's direct orders. Any incident along these fronts could easily unravel the ceasefire. Similarly, internal politics in both countries can lead to escalation. An assassination, a rogue militia strike, or even a political crisis could reignite hostilities overnight. In conclusion, while both Israel and Iran found compelling reasons to agree to this ceasefire – strategic breathing room, humanitarian concerns, and domestic stability – the truce rests on shaky foundations. It is, in many ways, a pause born of exhaustion rather than reconciliation. As history has repeatedly shown, these kinds of ceasefires in the Middle East are inherently unstable. Unless profound diplomatic engagement follows – and there is little sign of that at present – the risk of renewed war remains not only possible, but probable.
