Iran must ‘never have nuclear weapons': Merz

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that Iran must 'never have nuclear weapons,' his government spokesman said, as Israel continued a campaign of massive strikes targeting Tehran's nuclear program.
The comment came in a conversation with the sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tarik al Said, in which both leaders agreed on the need to 'prevent the conflict from spreading,' German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in a statement.

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Against the backdrop of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, the US has issued a Worldwide Caution Security Alert to American citizens living or traveling abroad. The security alert, released by the US Department of State, urges American citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution amid the mounting tensions in the Middle East. 'The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad,' the security alert read. 'The Department of State advises US citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution,' it added. The updated security alert came on the heels of the US intervention in the Iran-Israel conflict, by providing direct military support to Israel in order to eliminate Tehran's nuclear capabilities. Early on Sunday, the US targeted three key nuclear facilities in Iran, including Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, with bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles. The US President, Donald Trump, announced a 'very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran.' He also declared that Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities 'have been completely and totally obliterated,' warning Tehran of future attacks if it retaliated. On its part, Tehran accused the US of launching a 'dangerous war' on Iran amid ongoing diplomatic efforts, saying that it reserves the right to defend itself with full force. Moreover, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, warned that the US 'outrageous' attacks will have 'everlasting consequences.' Short link : Post Views: 3

Al Arabiya

36 minutes ago

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Israel says it struck targets in Tehran, including notorious Evin Prison

The office of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that the Israeli military was carrying out strikes on Tehran, including on the Evin Prison, which he said holds political prisoners and opponents of the Islamic Republic, as tensions mount between the two foes. ​​​​​​ Among the targets Israel is said to have hit on Monday was the nuclear facility of Fordow. Fordow was reportedly hit again according to the spokesperson for Qom Province's Crisis Management Headquarters said according to semi-official news agency Tasnim, a day after the US struck the same target. The official added that there will be no danger to residents in the area. Iran for its part launched around 15 Iranian missiles on Monday towards Israel, according to Israeli media. Earlier on Monday, loud explosions were heard in Jerusalem earlier after the Israeli military warned that a fresh barrage of missiles had been launched from Iran. Around 10 minutes after announcing the missiles had been identified, the military said 'additional missiles were launched' towards Israel and urged people to take cover. Sirens sounded for over 30 minutes. The Magen David Adom rescue service reported no immediate casualties. The Israeli army later said that people can leave protected agencies in a signal that the Iranian threat was over. Meanwhile, loud blasts were heard in northern Tehran, according to an AFP journalist. Iran's Red Crescent reported that an Israeli strike hit near its building in northern Tehran on Monday, as fighting between Iran and Israel raged for the 11th day. 'New attack around the Red Crescent... building,' the emergency service said in a post on its Telegram channel accompanied by a video of smoke rising from the site of the attack. Iranian media reported that the Israeli strikes hit a power supply system in Tehran, triggering outages in some areas around the city. The power distribution line in northern Tehran 'was damaged, causing outages in some areas,' Fars news agency reported. Israel's defense minister Israel Katz later said that the Israeli military is now attacking with 'unprecedented intensity' targets in central Tehran.

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an hour ago

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Putin Tells Iranian FM There Was no Justification for US Attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iran's foreign minister on Monday there was no justification for the US bombing of his country and that Moscow was trying to help the Iranian people. Putin hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow two days after US President Donald Trump sent US bomber planes to strike Iran's three main nuclear sites. "The absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran has no basis and no justification," Putin told Araghchi in televised comments. "For our part, we are making efforts to assist the Iranian people," he added. "I am very glad that you are in Moscow today, this will give us the opportunity to discuss all these pressing issues and think together about how we could get out of today's situation." Araghchi told Putin that Iran was conducting legitimate self-defense, and thanked Russia for condemning the US actions. He conveyed best wishes to Putin from Iran's supreme leader and president. "Russia is today on the right side of history and international law," said Araghchi. It was unclear, however, what Russia might do to support Iran, an important ally with which Putin signed a strategic cooperation treaty in January. That agreement did not include a mutual defense clause. Before Saturday's US strikes, Moscow had warned that US military intervention could destabilize the entire region and plunge it into the "abyss". Asked what Russia was ready to do to help Tehran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "It all depends on what Iran needs". He said the fact that Moscow had offered to mediate in the crisis was itself a form of support. Peskov condemned the US attacks. "An increase in the number of participants in this conflict is happening - or rather, has happened. A new spiral of escalation of tension in the region," Peskov told reporters. "And, of course, we condemn this and express regret in this regard, deep regret. In addition, of course, it remains to be seen what happened to (Iran's) nuclear facilities, whether there is a radiation hazard." Peskov said Trump had not told Putin in detail about the planned strikes in advance. "There was no detailed information. The topic of Iran itself was repeatedly discussed by the presidents during their most recent conversations, certain proposals were voiced by Russia, but there was no direct detailed information about this," he said.