Latest news with #militaryStrikes
CNN
7 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on His Country's War With Iran - Fareed Zakaria GPS - Podcast on CNN Audio
Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on His Country's War With Iran Fareed Zakaria GPS 43 mins Today on the show, guest anchor Bianna Golodryga speaks with The New York Times' David Sanger after a weekend of strikes between Iran and Israel. They discuss this escalating conflict and what it means for the future of US-Iran nuclear negotiations. Next, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar joins the show to tell Bianna what his country is hoping to achieve by attacking Iran's nuclear facilities. Then, Johns Hopkins professor Vali Nasr and The New Yorker's Susan Glasser speak to Bianna about how the US will respond to the conflict between Iran and Israel, as well as the significance of President Trump's military parade. Finally, retired Major General James 'Spider' Marks joins to discuss the military dynamics at play between Iran and Israel and what the two countries' defense capabilities might mean for the future of the conflict. GUESTS: David Sanger (@SangerNYT), Gideon Sa'ar (@gidonsaar), Susan Glasser (@sbg1), Vali Nasr (@vali_nasr), James "Spider" Marks (@RangerSpider)
Al Jazeera
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Bombardment, strikes, deaths in third day of fierce Israel-Iran conflict
Iran has launched a new wave of ballistic missiles against Israel soon after loud explosions were heard in its capital Tehran, as the two countries continue to trade heavy fire for a third consecutive day and as US President Donald Trump hints both at peace coming 'soon' and at the possibility of the United States joining the conflict. On Sunday, residents in Tehran reported shuddering blasts in different areas in the heart of the city. Reports say missiles struck in Niavaran and Tajrish, in the capital's north, and around the Valiasr and Hafte Tir squares in the city centre. Other cities attacked by Israel included Shiraz and Isfahan, where a military base of the Defence Ministry was hit. The Israeli army said it struck an aerial refuelling aircraft at Mashhad Airport in eastern Iran, describing it as its longest-range attack since launching operations against Iran last week. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera's Tohid Asadi said, 'Iran has not experienced a war to this extent since the Iran-Iraq War ended in 1988. There were similar Israeli strikes last year, of course, but nothing compared to what's been happening since Friday.' 'The government said earlier today that metro stations, schools and mosques are going to be ready to host people. But parts of these facilities, including mosques and schools, do not seem safe enough to be used as a sort of shelter,' he added. Iranian officials say at least 138 people have been killed in Israel's onslaught since Friday, including 60 on Saturday, half of them children, when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran. There were no reports as yet of casualties from Sunday's attacks. In Israel, authorities said on Sunday that several missiles were launched from Iran, most of which were intercepted. Rescue workers were searching for survivors in the rubble from the previous night's wave of Iranian strikes. The hardest hit area was the town of Bat Yam, where more than 60 buildings were damaged. 'Iran will pay a heavy price for the murder of civilians, women and children,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said from a balcony overlooking blown-out apartments in Bat Yam, a city just south of Tel Aviv. Overnight, Iran struck the port city of Haifa and neighbouring Tamra, where at least four women were killed. Since the start of the conflict on Thursday, at least 13 people have been killed and 380 have been wounded in Israel. Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, Jordan, said, 'The damage from Iranian attacks is certainly extensive and unprecedented. This is the first time that Israel has confronted a state with a formidable army in the region, certainly the first time since 1973 [against Egypt]'. 'To the north, in Haifa, oil and gas pipelines were damaged, but activities continue at the oil refineries', she added. Israel launched its operation with a surprise attack on Friday that killed several members of the Iranian military's top echelon, killed several nuclear scientists, and damaged the country's nuclear sites. Since then, Israel's attacks have been broadening in their scope, hitting residential areas and Iran's civilian and energy sectors and raising the stakes for the global economy and the functioning of the Iranian state. As both parties continue to pound each other with strikes, hopes for a diplomatic solution seem distant for now, though they will no doubt be high on the agenda of the Group of Seven summit beginning Monday in Canada. Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran does not seek to expand the conflict to neighbouring countries unless forced to. Araghchi reaffirmed Iran's opposition to nuclear weapons but defended its right to peaceful nuclear development. He said Iran had been ready to offer assurances in the now-cancelled sixth round of US talks, which could have led to an agreement, though Israel derailed the diplomatic progress. The US and Iran have held five rounds of talks since April to try to find a path to a new nuclear deal that would replace a 2015 accord that Trump abandoned during his first term in office. Araghchi also said Israel's attacks on his country could not have materialised without the agreement and support of the US. 'We have well-documented and solid evidence of the support provided by American forces in the region and their bases for the military attacks of the Zionist regime'. He said Trump has publicly and explicitly confirmed he knew about the attacks, that they could not have happened without US weapons and equipment, and that more attacks are coming. 'Therefore, the US, in our opinion, is a partner in these attacks and must accept its responsibility.' Trump denied any involvement and warned Tehran not to widen its retaliation to include US targets, but also didn't rule out more direct US involvement beyond the vast arsenal and intelligence the US provides to Israel. 'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before,' the US president said in a message on Truth Social. He also claimed peace could be reached 'soon', suggesting that many diplomatic meetings were taking place. 'We can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict,' he said. Trump has repeatedly said Iran could end the war by agreeing to tough restrictions on its nuclear programme, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes but Western countries say could be used to make a bomb. Trump told ABC he would be 'open' to Russian President Vladimir Putin being a mediator. 'He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it'. The US president's words were a first hint at Washington's diplomatic involvement in the ongoing conflict. In recent days, the US has ratcheted down its diplomatic presence in countries in the region, anticipating that air strikes on Iranian military sites would be taking place.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Live updates: Israel and Iran trade strikes; Tehran energy facilities hit
Israel and Iran exchanged strikes into the early hours of Sunday. Iranian state media reported Israeli strikes on energy facilities, including the Shahran oil depot and natural gas installations. In Israel, missiles and projectiles launched from Iran killed at least seven people, according to Israeli authorities. The barrages — which represent the most sustained, direct attacks between the adversaries — have derailed nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, with Iran accusing the United States of being complicit in Israel's attacks. In a social media statement, President Donald Trump said the U.S. 'had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously denied U.S. involvement in Israel's initial airstrikes against Iranian nuclear and military facilities. BAT YAM, Israel — A strike here Sunday killed at least four people and injured dozens more, according to the city's mayor and Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency services. Two women, a boy and a girl were among the dead, MDA said in a statement. At least 99 people were injured in the attack, it said, with four in serious condition. Despite the fighting between Israel and Iran, the United States remains committed to negotiations and hopes Iran 'will come to the table soon,' said one senior U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations. That sentiment was echoed in a White House statement calling on Iran to give up its nuclear weapons program.
SBS Australia
a day ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Israel says Tehran nuclear infrastructure sites hit as Iran strikes Tel Aviv, Jerusalem
Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, stoking fears of a wider conflict after Israel expanded its surprise campaign against its main rival with a strike on the world's biggest gas field. Israel's military said on Sunday it had struck Iran's defence ministry headquarters, "nuclear weapons project" infrastructure sites and other targets, as the rival nations exchanged fire for a third day. The Israeli military said at around 2.40am local time that its air force had just "completed an extensive series of intelligence-based strikes on a number of targets in Tehran related to the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons project", as well as on fuel tankers. "The targets included the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters, the headquarters of the SPND (Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research) nuclear project, and additional targets" which Israel said advanced Iran's efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks were "nothing" compared with what Iran would see in the coming days. Netanyahu said Israel's strikes had set back Iran's nuclear program possibly by years and rejected international calls for restraint. "We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days," he said in a video message. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned of a "more severe" response if Israel continued its attacks. "The continuation of Zionist aggression will be met with a more severe and powerful response from the Iranian armed forces," Pezeshkian said, according to state media. Israel's military said more missiles were launched from Iran towards Israel overnight, and that it was attacking military targets in Tehran. Early on Sunday morning, air raid sirens blared across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Several missiles were seen streaking through the sky over Tel Aviv, while interceptor rockets were launched from the ground. Explosions echoed in both cities. Israel's ambulance service said three women were killed and 10 other people injured in an earlier missile strike near a house in northern Israel. Iran said the Shahran oil depot in Tehran was targeted in an Israeli attack but that the situation was under control, and that a fire had erupted after an Israeli attack on an oil refinery near the capital. Israeli strikes also targeted Iran's defence ministry building in Tehran, causing minor damage, Iran's Tasnim news agency said on Sunday. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Iranian missiles and drones targeted Israel's energy infrastructure and facilities for fighter jet fuel production. The elite force warned Tehran's attacks will be "heavier and more extensive" if Israel continues its hostilities. US President Donald Trump had warned Iran of worse to come, but said it was not too late to halt the Israeli campaign if Tehran accepted a sharp downgrading of its nuclear program. Iran said 78 people were killed on the first day of Israel's campaign, and scores more on the second, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children. In the first apparent attack to hit Iran's energy infrastructure, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said Iran partially suspended production at the world's biggest gas field after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on Saturday. The South Pars field, offshore in Iran's southern Bushehr province, is the source of most of the gas produced in Iran. An Iranian general, Esmail Kosari, said on Saturday that Tehran was reviewing whether to close the Strait of Hormuz controlling access to the Gulf for tankers. A round of US-Iran nuclear talks that was due to be held in Oman on Sunday was cancelled, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying the discussions could not take place while Iran was being subjected to Israel's "barbarous" attacks. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists the program is entirely civilian and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. However the UN nuclear watchdog reported it this week as violating obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Stocks slump, oil prices surge as Middle East erupts
Gold rose 1.4% to US$3,431 per ounce, nearing its April peak of US$3,500 as conflict boosted safe haven demand. (AP pic) NEW YORK : World stock markets fell on Friday, and oil prices surged, as Israel launched military strikes on Iran, sparking inflows into safe havens such as gold and the dollar. Early on Friday, US President Donald Trump urged Iran to make a deal over its nuclear programme – the primary target of the strikes – saying there was still time for the country to prevent further conflict with Israel. But later in the day, Iran fired missiles at Israel in response to the attacks; explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens sounded on Friday night across the country. Worries that the conflict could disrupt Middle Eastern oil and gas supplies pushed prices sharply higher. Global benchmark Brent crude futures settled 7% higher at US$74.23 a barrel, after earlier soaring over 13%, while US crude finished at US$72.98 a barrel, up 7.62%. US natural gas climbed about 3% and European gas prices jumped over 5% to their highest intraday level in 10 weeks. Gold, a safe haven in times of global uncertainty, rose 1.4% to US$3,431 per ounce, bringing it close to the record high of US$3,500.05 from April. ADVERTISEMENT VIDCRUNCH Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Quality Auto Back 360p 240p 144p Auto Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x / Skip Ads by The rush to safety was matched by a dash out of risk assets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.8%, the S&P 500 dropped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.3%. European shares dropped 0.9%, briefly hitting its lowest level in three weeks, and in Asia, major bourses in Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong fell over 1% each. An escalation in the Middle East – a major oil-producing region – adds uncertainty to financial markets at a time of heightened pressure on the global economy from President Trump's unpredictable trade policies. 'The re-emergence of major conflict in the Middle East should raise geopolitical stress, including sharply higher oil prices,' Sameer Samana, head of global equities and real assets at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, said in an email. Samana added, though, that the conflict should represent a buying opportunity for long-term investors, including in US large-cap stocks and commodities. Investors will also keep close watch on planned protests across US cities on Saturday, amid heightened concerns following immigration raids in Los Angeles. Two-way pull for bonds US 10-year Treasury yields rose 5.6 basis points to 4.413%, as markets absorbed a sudden shock to commodity and stock prices, reversing some of the declines after four days mainly in the red. 'This is a flight-to-safety event. But markets are struggling a bit, and in the fixed income space you have an oil-price shock that is inflationary, and so you should see markets expecting an even more hawkish Fed,' said James Rossiter, head of global macro strategy at TD Securities. 'On the other hand, you have the flight to safety, which should push bond yields lower.' Some traders were attracted to the dollar as a haven, with the dollar index up about 0.5% to 98.16, retracing most of Thursday's sizeable decline. The Swiss franc briefly touched its strongest level against the dollar since April 21, before trading 0.1% lower at around 0.811 per dollar. Another safe haven, the Japanese yen, fell 0.34% to about 144 per dollar, giving up earlier gains of 0.3%. The euro was down 0.3% at US$1.15, after rising on Thursday to the highest since October 2021. 'Clearly if the conflict in the Middle East is short term in nature, the weakness in USD will likely continue,' Arun Bharath, chief investment officer at Bel Air Investment Advisors, said in an email. If not, he added, the fundamental factors that suggest further weakness for the dollar might be offset by a geopolitical premium for it.
