I.Coast Opposition Leader Thiam Barred From Presidential Election

An Ivory Coast court on Tuesday struck main opposition leader Tidjane Thiam off the nation's electoral list, closing the door on him running in a presidential election in October.
The court said Thiam, who became head of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) this month, was removed from the electoral list because he had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987.
Thiam, a former international banker, called the ruling "an act of democratic vandalism".
Tensions in the west African country are running high six months from the election. Three other prominent figures, including former president Laurent Gbagbo, are also barred from running.
The court president ruled that "Thiam had lost his Ivorian nationality when he acquired French nationality and therefore granted the petitioners' requests and ordered Thiam's removal from the electoral list," said his lawyer, Ange Rodrigue Dadje.
Thiam's lawyers said the case was "political" and aimed to bar him from the election. The decision is not subject to appeal.
Questions over Thiam's nationality have plagued his campaign for months.
Born in Ivory Coast, he acquired French nationality in 1987 but gave it up in March to stand in the election, as candidates cannot have dual nationality.
Opponents took action based on article 48 of the country's nationality code, dating from the 1960s, which states that the acquisition of another nationality means Ivorian citizenship is lost.
"It was my duty as a citizen to uphold the law and I think this is what the court has just decided," said Bernard N'zi Kokora, who filed the suit.
The rule does not apply to dual nationals by birth. Thiam's lawyers provided the courts with documents showing that their client was also French by birth, through his father, but this had no effect on the ruling.
For several weeks, Thiam's entourage has denounced the "manoeuvres" they say are orchestrated by the government to keep the main opposition party out of the presidential race.
"Make no mistake about it, this decision is an act of democratic vandalism, which will disenfranchise millions of voters," Thiam said in a statement.
"This decision clearly shows that we were in a political trial," said Simon Doho, leader of PDCI lawmakers. "We have left the realm of justice and are entering the realm of politics."
"When justice is in their favour, it is independent and when it isn't, it is manipulated", Mamadou Toure, spokesperson for the ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) party, told AFP.
"We have nothing to do with this case and we have no comments to make on court decisions," Toure added.
The PDCI had officially nominated Thiam as its candidate on Thursday.
"October 2025 is still a long way away but I know I won't be spared," Thiam said at the time.
Other presidential candidates have also been removed from the race, including Gbagbo, the president from 2000 until his arrest in 2011, his former right-hand man Charles Ble Goude and exiled former prime minister and rebel leader Guillaume Soro, all based on judicial rulings.
The RHDP has not officially named a candidate but it has called for 83-year-old Alassane Ouattara, in power since 2011, to run for a fourth term. The party will hold a congress in June. The court ruling against Tidjane Thiam came less than 10 days after the Ivory Coast Democratic Party named the ex-banker as its leader AFP

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

DW

8 hours ago

• DW

Iran says US must 'receive a response' to strikes – DW – 06/22/2025

Iran's president has said his country has to respond following US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. The US called operation "Midnight Hammer" an "overwhelming success." Follow DW for Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned against "another cycle of destruction" during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council following the US bombing of nuclear sites in Iran. "I have repeatedly condemned any military escalation in the Middle East," the UN chief said. "And yet, we now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation." Guterres said the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities marks a "perilous turn in a region already reeling." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States must "receive a response" to its attacks on nuclear sites in Iran. "The Americans must receive a response to their aggression," Pezeshkian told French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the official IRNA news agency. In a post on X, Macron said that during the conversation with Pezeshkian, he "called for de-escalation and for Iran to exercise the utmost restraint in this dangerous context, to allow a return to diplomatic channels." Pezeshkian called on Iranians to unite in the face of the attacks from Israel and the US. He joined a march in Tehran where demonstrators chanted slogans against Israel and the US, the Fars news agency reported. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said earlier Sunday that there would be "everlasting consequences" for the US attacks. The State Department has ordered all non-essential personnel and the families of staff at the US Embassy in Lebanon to leave as concerns mount about Iranian retaliation for US strikes in Iran. In a notice issued on Sunday, the State Department said it had taken the step "due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region." The notice made no mention of any potential evacuation flights or other assistance for private US citizens wanting to leave Lebanon but said they should try to use existing commercial services to depart. The US has already organized several evacuations of American citizens from Israel and is advising American citizens in Iran on how to leave the country. Iran's Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz following US bombing raids, Iran's Press TV said on Sunday. Parliament is reported to have backed the measure, with Iran having long used the threat of closing the Strait, through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, to fend off pressure from the West. Tensions are at their highest following the overnight US strikes on its nuclear facilities. A decision to close the strait is not yet final. Esmail Kosari, a member of parliament's national security commission, was quoted on Iranian media as saying: "For now, [parliament has] come to the conclusion we should close the Strait of Hormuz, but the final decision in this regard is the responsibility of the Supreme National Security Council." Kosari, who is also a Revolutionary Guards Commander, had earlier told the Young Journalist Club that closing the strait was on the agenda and would be done "whenever necessary." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi had dodged the question when he was pressed, replying: "A variety of options are available to Iran." The strait lies between Oman and Iran and links the Mideast Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond. It is 21 miles (33 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just two miles wide in either direction. Israel said that it deployed around 30 fighter jets to carry out massive attacks in Iran on Sunday. With the move, Israel has expanded its offensive launched more than a week ago, a military spokesman said in a statement. The statement said Israel had "struck dozens of military targets throughout Iran," including "the 'Imam Hussein' Strategic Missile Command Center in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored." The Israeli military also confirmed strikes on missile launchers in the Bushehr province, where a "massive explosion" was reported by Iranian media. It also confirmed strikes in Ahvaz in the southwest and central Isfahan, which is home to a uranium conversion facility targeted by more than two dozen missiles fired from a US submarine in the Middle East overnight. Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said there would be no interruption in the offensive against Iran after overnight US strikes. "We are continuing and are determined to achieve the objectives of the operation: eliminating the existential threat to the state of Israel, damaging Iran's nuclear programme and destroying its missile systems," Defrin said. The UN's nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told CNN on Sunday that it was not yet possible to assess the damage done after US strikes hit Iran's Fordo enrichment site, which is buried in a mountain. Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also called on all sides to return to the "negotiating table as soon as possible." He added that "inspectors need to be able to return to Iran's nuclear sites." Inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities since the first strikes on them by Israel on June 13. Grossi added the UN nuclear body would hold an "emergency meeting" at the organization's headquarters in Vienna on Monday in response to the US strikes. Meanwhile, the IAEA wrote on the social media platform X that it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at key nuclear sites in Iran after the US strikes. "Following attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran... the IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time," the watchdog said on X. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the world was "safer" after the US strikes on Iran. He spoke about the strikes on US broadcaster Fox News' show "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo." Rubio warned Iran against retaliating against the US, saying such an action would be "the worst mistake they've ever made." "I think the world today is safer and more stable than it was 24 hours ago," he said, warning Iran that it risked further reprisals if it insisted on maintaining a "secret" nuclear program. Iran has said its nuclear program serves exclusively civilian purposes. Rubio accused Iran of entering into "fake negotiations" ahead of the strikes in a bid to "play" US President Donald Trump. Officials from the US and Iran had been scheduled to meet on June 15, but that meeting was canceled after Israel launched attacks on Iran on June 13. US Vice President JD Vance said his country was only at war with Iran's nuclear program, adding that the program had been pushed back following US airstrikes ordered by President Donald Trump. "We're not at war with Iran. We're at war with Iran's nuclear program," Vance said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker." "I think that we have really pushed their program back by a very long time," Vance said. "I think that it's going to be many, many years before the Iranians are going to be able to develop a nuclear weapon." The US had been in diplomatic talks with Iran about Tehran's nuclear program, but Vance accused Iran of not negotiating in good faith, which he said served as a catalyst for US strikes. "We don't want a regime change," Vance added. "We do not want to protract this... We want to end the nuclear program, and then we want to talk to the Iranians about a long-term settlement here. "I actually think it provides an opportunity to reset this relationship, reset these negotiations and get us in a place where Iran can decide not to be a threat to its neighbors, not to a threat to the United States and if they're willing to do that, the United States is all ears," Vance said. Vance explained that Trump made the final decision to strike Iran right before the strikes took place and that Washington has received some "indirect" messages from Tehran since the strikes. He did not elaborate on the content of the messages. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that by bombing nuclear program sites in Iran, the US had "blown up diplomacy." (See entry below) To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video America's top military officer, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, told reporters on Sunday that overnight US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had included 14 massive ordnance penetrator or "bunker-buster" bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft. Caine called "Operation Midnight Hammer" the largest B-2 operational strike in US history, explaining that seven B-2 stealth bombers had flown 18 hours from the US mainland to Iran and refueled mid-air several times along the way to carry out the mission. Despite claims from President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth that Iran's nuclear program was "obliterated", Caine said a battle damage assessment was still ongoing. He said US troops in the region were given no advanced warning and remain on high alert. The general said initial assessments indicated "extreme damage and destruction" at three Iranian nuclear sites. Caine said the US troops had used deceptive tactics and completed their mission of delivering some 75 precision-guided weapons to targets inside Iran undetected — maintaining the element of surprise throughout. Adding that "no other military in the world could have done this," Caine advised Iran to refrain from striking back against the US, saying that to do so would be "a poor choice." Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) issued a warning to US military bases in the Middle East after overnight US airstrikes on the country's nuclear sites. "By attacking the peaceful nuclear facilities, [US forces] have de facto put themselves in direct danger," the IRGC said, according to the Fars news agency. Iran, it said, would "use options beyond the understanding... of the agressor front, and the aggressors of this land must expect regrettable responses." The overnight US airstrikes ordered by US President Donald Trump targeted nuclear facilities in three locations in Iran, including the well-fortified uranium enrichment plant at Fordo. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The IRGC also said it would continue to target Israel, which has been hit by multiple waves of missile and drone attacks since Israel struck Iran on June 13. The United States has many bases around the Persian Gulf, including in Bahrain and Qatar. Some are located relatively close to Iran, which could make them targets of retaliation. Around 40,000 members of the US military are currently stationed in the region. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday called military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities "an incredible and overwhelming success" that had "obliterated Iran's nuclear ambitions." Hegseth said neither Iranian troops nor civilians had been targeted in the US operation. Just hours after the airstrikes on Iran, Hegseth echoed President Trump, claiming the US "seeks peace." He went on to say, "We will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened." Hegseth praised Trump for the operation, which he said had been months in the making: "The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back. When this president speaks, the world should listen." Iranian media have reported "massive" blasts in the southern city of Bushehr, home to Iran's only nuclear reactor. Iranian authorities have not yet reported any problem at the plant, which is operated with Russian assistance. The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear. China's Foreign Ministry has criticized the US attacks on Iran, saying they "escalate tensions in the Middle East" and go against the UN Charter. Among other things, it said it condemned the targeting of nuclear facilities supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency. "China calls on all parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease fire as soon as possible," the ministry said in a statement. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

DW

9 hours ago

• DW

US must 'receive a response' to strikes Iranian leader says – DW – 06/22/2025

Iran's president has said his country has to respond following US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. The US called operation "Midnight Hammer" an "overwhelming success." Follow DW for President Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States must "receive a response" to its attacks on nuclear sites in Iran. "The Americans must receive a response to their aggression," Pezeshkian told French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the official IRNA news agency. In a post on X, Macron said that during the conversation with Pezeshkian, he "called for de-escalation and for Iran to exercise the utmost restraint in this dangerous context, to allow a return to diplomatic channels." Pezeshkian called on Iranians to unite in the face of the attacks from Israel and the US. He joined a march in Tehran where demonstrators chanted slogans against Israel and the US, the Fars news agency reported. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said earlier Sunday that there would be "everlasting consequences" for the US attacks. The State Department has ordered all non-essential personnel and the families of staff at the US Embassy in Lebanon to leave as concerns mount about Iranian retaliation for US strikes in Iran. In a notice issued on Sunday, the State Department said it had taken the step "due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region." The notice made no mention of any potential evacuation flights or other assistance for private US citizens wanting to leave Lebanon but said they should try to use existing commercial services to depart. The US has already organized several evacuations of American citizens from Israel and is advising American citizens in Iran on how to leave the country. Iran's Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz following US bombing raids, Iran's Press TV said on Sunday. Parliament is reported to have backed the measure, with Iran having long used the threat of closing the Strait, through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, to fend off pressure from the West. Tensions are at their highest following the overnight US strikes on its nuclear facilities. A decision to close the strait is not yet final. Esmail Kosari, a member of parliament's national security commission, was quoted on Iranian media as saying: "For now, [parliament has] come to the conclusion we should close the Strait of Hormuz, but the final decision in this regard is the responsibility of the Supreme National Security Council." Kosari, who is also a Revolutionary Guards Commander, had earlier told the Young Journalist Club that closing the strait was on the agenda and would be done "whenever necessary." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi had dodged the question when he was pressed, replying: "A variety of options are available to Iran." The strait lies between Oman and Iran and links the Mideast Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond. It is 21 miles (33 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just two miles wide in either direction. Israel said that it deployed around 30 fighter jets to carry out massive attacks in Iran on Sunday. With the move, Israel has expanded its offensive launched more than a week ago, a military spokesman said in a statement. The statement said Israel had "struck dozens of military targets throughout Iran," including "the 'Imam Hussein' Strategic Missile Command Center in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored." The Israeli military also confirmed strikes on missile launchers in the Bushehr province, where a "massive explosion" was reported by Iranian media. It also confirmed strikes in Ahvaz in the southwest and central Isfahan, which is home to a uranium conversion facility targeted by more than two dozen missiles fired from a US submarine in the Middle East overnight. Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said there would be no interruption in the offensive against Iran after overnight US strikes. "We are continuing and are determined to achieve the objectives of the operation: eliminating the existential threat to the state of Israel, damaging Iran's nuclear programme and destroying its missile systems," Defrin said. The UN's nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told CNN on Sunday that it was not yet possible to assess the damage done after US strikes hit Iran's Fordo enrichment site, which is buried in a mountain. Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also called on all sides to return to the "negotiating table as soon as possible." He added that "inspectors need to be able to return to Iran's nuclear sites." Inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities since the first strikes on them by Israel on June 13. Grossi added the UN nuclear body would hold an "emergency meeting" at the organization's headquarters in Vienna on Monday in response to the US strikes. Meanwhile, the IAEA wrote on the social media platform X that it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at key nuclear sites in Iran after the US strikes. "Following attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran... the IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time," the watchdog said on X. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the world was "safer" after the US strikes on Iran. He spoke about the strikes on US broadcaster Fox News' show "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo." Rubio warned Iran against retaliating against the US, saying such an action would be "the worst mistake they've ever made." "I think the world today is safer and more stable than it was 24 hours ago," he said, warning Iran that it risked further reprisals if it insisted on maintaining a "secret" nuclear program. Iran has said its nuclear program serves exclusively civilian purposes. Rubio accused Iran of entering into "fake negotiations" ahead of the strikes in a bid to "play" US President Donald Trump. Officials from the US and Iran had been scheduled to meet on June 15, but that meeting was canceled after Israel launched attacks on Iran on June 13. US Vice President JD Vance said his country was only at war with Iran's nuclear program, adding that the program had been pushed back following US airstrikes ordered by President Donald Trump. "We're not at war with Iran. We're at war with Iran's nuclear program," Vance said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker." "I think that we have really pushed their program back by a very long time," Vance said. "I think that it's going to be many, many years before the Iranians are going to be able to develop a nuclear weapon." The US had been in diplomatic talks with Iran about Tehran's nuclear program, but Vance accused Iran of not negotiating in good faith, which he said served as a catalyst for US strikes. "We don't want a regime change," Vance added. "We do not want to protract this... We want to end the nuclear program, and then we want to talk to the Iranians about a long-term settlement here. "I actually think it provides an opportunity to reset this relationship, reset these negotiations and get us in a place where Iran can decide not to be a threat to its neighbors, not to a threat to the United States and if they're willing to do that, the United States is all ears," Vance said. Vance explained that Trump made the final decision to strike Iran right before the strikes took place and that Washington has received some "indirect" messages from Tehran since the strikes. He did not elaborate on the content of the messages. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that by bombing nuclear program sites in Iran, the US had "blown up diplomacy." (See entry below) To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video America's top military officer, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, told reporters on Sunday that overnight US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had included 14 massive ordnance penetrator or "bunker-buster" bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft. Caine called "Operation Midnight Hammer" the largest B-2 operational strike in US history, explaining that seven B-2 stealth bombers had flown 18 hours from the US mainland to Iran and refueled mid-air several times along the way to carry out the mission. Despite claims from President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth that Iran's nuclear program was "obliterated", Caine said a battle damage assessment was still ongoing. He said US troops in the region were given no advanced warning and remain on high alert. The general said initial assessments indicated "extreme damage and destruction" at three Iranian nuclear sites. Caine said the US troops had used deceptive tactics and completed their mission of delivering some 75 precision-guided weapons to targets inside Iran undetected — maintaining the element of surprise throughout. Adding that "no other military in the world could have done this," Caine advised Iran to refrain from striking back against the US, saying that to do so would be "a poor choice." Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) issued a warning to US military bases in the Middle East after overnight US airstrikes on the country's nuclear sites. "By attacking the peaceful nuclear facilities, [US forces] have de facto put themselves in direct danger," the IRGC said, according to the Fars news agency. Iran, it said, would "use options beyond the understanding... of the agressor front, and the aggressors of this land must expect regrettable responses." The overnight US airstrikes ordered by US President Donald Trump targeted nuclear facilities in three locations in Iran, including the well-fortified uranium enrichment plant at Fordo. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The IRGC also said it would continue to target Israel, which has been hit by multiple waves of missile and drone attacks since Israel struck Iran on June 13. The United States has many bases around the Persian Gulf, including in Bahrain and Qatar. Some are located relatively close to Iran, which could make them targets of retaliation. Around 40,000 members of the US military are currently stationed in the region. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday called military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities "an incredible and overwhelming success" that had "obliterated Iran's nuclear ambitions." Hegseth said neither Iranian troops nor civilians had been targeted in the US operation. Just hours after the airstrikes on Iran, Hegseth echoed President Trump, claiming the US "seeks peace." He went on to say, "We will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened." Hegseth praised Trump for the operation, which he said had been months in the making: "The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back. When this president speaks, the world should listen." Iranian media have reported "massive" blasts in the southern city of Bushehr, home to Iran's only nuclear reactor. Iranian authorities have not yet reported any problem at the plant, which is operated with Russian assistance. The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear. China's Foreign Ministry has criticized the US attacks on Iran, saying they "escalate tensions in the Middle East" and go against the UN Charter. Among other things, it said it condemned the targeting of nuclear facilities supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency. "China calls on all parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease fire as soon as possible," the ministry said in a statement. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that the US attacks on nuclear sites were the result of an "irresponsible" decision that goes against international law. "The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb attacks, whatever the arguments it may be presented with, flagrantly violates international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council," the ministry said in a statement. "We call for an end to aggression and for increased efforts to create conditions for returning the situation to a political and diplomatic track," the ministry said.

DW

11 hours ago

• DW

What to know after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites – DW – 06/22/2025

The United States has entered the Israel-Iran war with a series of bombings on key Iranian nuclear enrichment sites. It marks a critical escalation in the Middle East. The United States has entered the Israel-Iran war, with President Donald Trump confirming US forces carried out attacks on three Iranian uranium enrichment sites. The attacks come days after Trump, who is also commander-in-chief of the US military, mused whether to enter the escalating conflict amid ongoing calls from Israel for his support and said he would make a decision within two weeks. The war began on June 13 with Israel launching a series of airstrikes against targets linked to Iran's nuclear program. Since then, attempts by other nations to broker a diplomatic solution to the fast escalating conflict have failed. On Saturday (US time), Trump announced US forces had attacked Iran's Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities. The Pentagon on Sunday confirmed seven B-2 Spirit bombers flew non-stop from a US Air Force base in Missouri to launch the attacks before returning home. Among the payload were 30,000-pound (13,600-kilogram) "bunker-busting" warheads, thought to be the only combination of aircraft and bombs capable of penetrating deep below the surface to strike at Iran's subterranean nuclear facility at Fordo. Trump claimed "the attacks were a spectacular military success" in a press conference following the three-site attack. "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," he said. While the attacks likely caused significant damage, the extent is yet to be independently verified. Germany believes "large parts" of Iran's nuclear program have been damaged by the strikes. However, some analysts believe enriched uranium may have been removed prior to the attack based on satellite images showing activity at the Fordo site. "Enriched uranium stock may therefore have been transferred to sites not monitored by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency]," French nuclear expert Heloise Fayet told the AFP news agency. Reports from Iran indicate there has been no increase in "off-site radiation levels" following the attacks. The IAEA, which will hold an emergency meeting on Monday, has warned that damage to uranium enrichment sites, like the ones attacked by the US, carries the risk of radiation leakage, which could affect the public. More concerning would be an attack on the Bushehr nuclear reactor — Iran's only such facility — which IAEA chair Rafael Grossi last week warned could lead to a large-scale release of radioactivity. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video During the election campaign, Trump promised a more peaceful world if he returned to the White House, well aware of public sentiment surrounding America's so-called "forever wars." At his inauguration, he said his administration would measure success "not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into." His decision to enter the US into the conflict between two long-standing enemies in the Middle East is a notable turnabout from those January remarks. The US and other nations have long been concerned about Iran's desire to develop nuclear weapons despite statements from Iran that its nuclear program serves exclusively civilian purposes. Amid negotiations and Israel's start to the war, Trump, in a statement on Thursday, gave a two-week timetable to decide whether the US would directly enter the conflict. Within barely two days, US bombers had attacked three nuclear facilities. At the Pentagon on Sunday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters the attack resulted from "a plan that took months and weeks of positioning and preparation" in anticipation of a call by Trump. "It took a great deal of precision," Hegseth said. "It involved misdirection and the highest of operational security." Israel, which views Iran's uranium enrichment as an existential security threat, began airstrikes against Iranian military and nuclear targets on June 13, killing hundreds. Retaliatory strikes by Iran killed dozens in Israel. After Israel launched its attack, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio initially stated the US was "not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region." The war began amid a complex diplomatic situation regarding Iran's nuclear program. A previous deal overseen by then US President Barack Obama, which included the signatures of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, limited Iran's enrichment to energy-generation grades, forced it to both surrender 98% of its enriched uranium and open the door to IAEA inspectors in exchange for eased sanctions. Following his first election victory, Trump withdrew the US from the agreement and called on Iran to return to negotiations on his terms. In the years since that withdrawal, Iran has restricted IAEA monitoring and inspection activities, and increased its enrichment reportedly to 60% — well above what is required for civilian energy generation and approaching weapons-grade levels. Israel's June attacks on Iran followed five rounds of US-Iran negotiations over a new deal. Iran withdrew from a scheduled sixth round of talks after being attacked by Israel and launched its retaliatory strikes. Now that the US has entered the conflict, Trump is seeking a swift resolution. "There will be either peace of there will be tragedy for Iran," Trump said. "Far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Beyond praise from Israel and condemnation from Iran, there has been a mixed response to the US insertion into the war. Regional governments, including those of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan, India and Iraq, have all expressed concern. Many have explicitly called for de-escalation and a return to negotiations amid fears they too may be drawn into a wider conflict. Traditional US allies have urged a diplomatic solution, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the European Union among them. Through a spokesperson, German Chancellor Frederich Merz called on Iran to "immediately enter into negotiations with the US and Israel and find a diplomatic solution to the conflict." Those sentiments were echoed in public statements by Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and France and Italy's foreign ministers. US rivals China, Russia, both allies of Iran, condemned the US attacks. There are also splits over Trump's decision to involve the US closer to home. Many of Trump's Democratic Party opponents have condemned the decision not to seek the approval of Congress as unconstitutional. While many Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, have publicly supported the decision, others, such as Representatives Warren Davidson and Thomas Massie, have echoed Democrats over the sidelining of congress. Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the most vocal advocates for Trump's "America First" agenda, said the Israel-Iran conflict was "not our fight." Despite the US now involving itself in the Israel-Iran war, Hegseth told reporters on Sunday the Trump administration "does not seek war" with Iran. Nor, he said, was it about overthrowing the Iranian regime. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, concerns will turn to the potential for any further attacks by either side, and the potential for radiation leaks from the destruction of nuclear sites. Inside Israel, the news of the US attacks was followed by air raid sirens, prompting locals to take shelter. Some have welcomed Trump's intervention, despite the escalation possibly shifting the region into the unknown. The US has warned Iran against retaliatory strikes and again called for it to return to negotiations. Iran has responded to the attacks by warning of "everlasting consequences" for the US, and declaring its nuclear program would continue. Amid this, Iran's diplomats intend to meet with ally Russia, and its parliament has approved the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping channel, subject to confirmation by its national security council.