US warns against retaliation by Iran as Trump raises ‘regime change'

Caine said the US military had increased protection of troops in the region, including in Iraq and Syria. The US has a sizeable force in the Middle East, with nearly 40,000 troops in the region, including air defence systems, fighter aircraft and warships that can detect and shoot down enemy missiles.
Reuters reported last week the Pentagon had started to move some aircraft and ships from bases in the Middle East that may be vulnerable to a potential Iranian attack.
With his unprecedented decision to bomb Iran's nuclear sites, directly joining Israel's air attack on its regional arch foe, Trump has done something he had long vowed to avoid — intervene militarily in a major foreign war.
There were sporadic anti-war demonstrations on Sunday afternoon in some US cities, including New York City and Washington. It was unclear why Trump chose to act on Saturday.
At the press conference, Hegseth said there was a moment in time when Trump 'realised it had to be a certain action taken to minimise the threat to us and our troops'.
After Trump disputed her original assessment, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Friday said the US had intelligence that should Iran decide to do so, it could build a nuclear weapon in weeks or months, an assessment disputed by some lawmakers and independent experts. US officials said they do not believe Iran had decided to make a bomb.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio, asked on CBS' Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan whether the US saw intelligence that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had ordered nuclear weaponisation, said: 'That's irrelevant.'
Hegseth, who said the Pentagon notified lawmakers about the operation after US aircraft were out of Iran, said the strikes against Iran were not open-ended. Rubio also said no more strikes were planned, unless Iran responded, telling CBS: 'We have other targets we can hit, but we achieved our objective. There are no planned military operations right now against Iran, unless they mess around.'

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IOL News

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Middle East tensions could see an increase in SA fuel prices

South African motorists may have to dig deeper into their pockets in July, as another potential fuel price hike looms. Image: Newspress South African motorists may have to dig deeper into their pockets in July, as another potential fuel price hike looms. According to mid-June data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF), Petrol 95 is under-recovering by about 47 cents per litre, and Petrol 93 by around 43 cents. Diesel prices are showing larger under-recoveries of approximately 69 and 71 cents per litre for the two types respectively. Illuminating paraffin is also under-recovering by roughly 57 cents per litre. An under-recovery occurs when fuel levies do not fully cover the rising global oil prices and currency fluctuations, resulting in higher pump prices to compensate for the shortfall. These are only projections based on mid-month data and not final figures. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy will confirm the official prices just before they take effect in July. The situation is a result of a sharp jump in Brent crude prices because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. The conflict began last week when Israel launched strikes against Iran, targeting its nuclear and military facilities. These strikes resulted in the deaths of the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and several top nuclear scientists. The situation was made worse when the US joined the war by launching an attack on Iranian nuclear sites with US President Donald Trump saying they had "totally obliterated" Iran's main nuclear sites. "Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success," Trump said. According to Oxford Economics since the war began Brent crude oil prices spiked by over 10%. Oxford Economics is a "leading global economic advisory firm, providing data-driven insights and forecasts". "The Brent crude oil price spiked by over 10% as the conflict started and remains elevated in the $70-$78 per barrel range at the time of writing, well above pre-escalation levels. "The most severe scenario is a closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Around one-third of all seaborne oil passes through this chokepoint, and a shutdown would freeze oil exports from Kuwait and Qatar, and restrict exports from Iraq, the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia". [email protected] IOL Business Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel

The Citizen

an hour ago

• The Citizen

Israel targets Iran Guards, Tehran prison in fresh wave of strikes

Israel hit Revolutionary Guard sites and Evin prison in Tehran, calling it the most powerful strike of the 11-day war. This grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on June 23, 2025 shows a plume of smoke billowing after Israeli strikes in Tehran. Israel said it struck Iran Revolutionary Guards sites in Tehran and the city's notorious Evin prison on June 23, instensifying its attacks a day after the United States hit the Islamic republic's nuclear facilities (Photo by UGC / AFP) Israel hit Revolutionary Guard sites and the notorious Evin prison in Tehran on Monday, calling them its most powerful strikes yet on the Iranian capital on the 11th day of the war. Iran, in turn, fired missile barrages at Israel and vowed retaliation against the United States after it struck the Islamic republic's nuclear sites a day earlier. Loud explosions rocked the Iranian capital, where Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military hit 'regime targets' with 'unprecedented force', adding to speculation that Israel may seek to topple Iran's clerical leadership. The targets included Evin prison, which Katz said 'holds political prisoners and regime opponents', as well as command centres of the domestic Basij militia and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Israeli military said in a statement that the targets belong to Iranian forces 'responsible… for defending the homeland security, suppressing threats, and maintaining the regime's stability'. Iranian media and the Israeli military said Israel also struck Fordo, a key nuclear enrichment facility buried deep in the mountains south of Tehran. ALSO READ: Iran strike: Another fuel crisis looming? 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Iranian armed forces spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said on state television that the US 'hostile act', following more than a week of Israeli bombardments, would 'pave the way for the extension of war in the region'. 'The fighters of Islam will inflict serious, unpredictable consequences on you,' he warned. ALSO READ: Assault on Iran signals 'oil crisis' Oman, a key mediator in the stalled Iran-US nuclear talks, condemned the US strikes and called for calm. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on China to help deter Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for one-fifth of the world's oil supply. The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said closing the strategic strait would be 'extremely dangerous'. With Iran threatening US bases in the region, the State Department issued a worldwide alert cautioning Americans abroad. 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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, had accused the United States of deciding to 'blow up' nuclear diplomacy with its intervention in the war. – By: © Agence France-Presse

The Star

2 hours ago

• The Star

Xi Jinping looks to Africa

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