Israeli UN ambassador says U.S. acted with ‘incredible bravery and morality'

Amb. Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, addressed reporters ahead of the emergency Security Council meeting following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Danon praised the U.S. and called on world leaders to stand up to Iran's nuclear threat.June 22, 2025

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BBC News

an hour ago

• BBC News

Iran accuses US of 'waging war' under 'absurd pretext' after strikes on nuclear sites

Update: Date: 22:55 BST Title: World should thank Trump, Israeli representative at UN says Content: Following the comments from the Iranian representative at the UN Security Council, we heard from Israel's Danny Denon - who says the world should be thanking Donald Trump. "The entire world should say on record here today thank you," Danny Danon says. "Thank you to Donald Trump for acting when so many hesitated." He says that some at the UN have "denounced" the US and Israel, but queries "where were you when Iran enriched uranium far beyond the point of civilian usage, when it built a fortress beneath a mountain to prepare for our extermination?" He says that it cannot be ignored that "diplomacy was tried" but says Iran "turned negotiation into theatre" and used it as "camouflage" to buy time to build missiles and enrich uranium. Danon continues, saying that Iran negotiated agreements "it never intended to keep". "The free world gave it every chance," he says, and that the cost of inaction would have been "a death sentence". Update: Date: 22:54 BST Title: US 'waged a war under absurd pretext' - Iranian representative at UN Content: Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani Iran's representative to the UN Security Council has accused the US of having "waged a war" against Iran "under a fabricated and absurd pretext". Amir Saeid Iravani says Iran reserves the right "to defend itself" against "blatant US aggression" before adding that the timing, nature and scale of "Iran's proportionate response" will be decided by its armed forces. In a lengthy statement, Iravani also accuses Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pulling America into "another costly, baseless war" and says the actions by the US and Israel are a "flagrant breach of international law". The Iranian representative says Israel has promoted the "deceitful and false narrative" his country was "on the cusp of acquiring a nuclear weapon". He continues: "The silence, double standards, and complicity of international organisations and some Western countries, including France and the UK, are equally reprehensible." Amir Saeid Iravani ends his address by calling on the council to hold the US and Israel "fully accountable". Update: Date: 22:52 BST Title: A day after strikes, Iran accuses US of 'waging war' under 'absurd pretext' Content: A satellite image shows damage at the Isfahan nuclear site after US airstrikes Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. It's been almost 24 hours since the United States carried out strikes on three of Iran's nuclear sites - Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. On Sunday, in comments at the UN Security Council in New York, Iran accused the US of "waging war" "under an absurd pretext". At the same time, US President Donald Trump hinted at regime change in Iran - despite the US, and Israel, saying the aim of their strikes was to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon. We'll bring you the latest developments over the course of the day, so stay with us. In the meantime, if you need a recap of the past 48 hours, you can get it in our previous page.

Daily Mirror

an hour ago

• Daily Mirror

Inflation 'disaster' looms if Iran's leaders sign off on response to US strikes

Shutting the vital Strait of Hormuz would be bad news for economies around the world, experts have warned after the measure was passed by Iran's parliament today The world could soon be braced for an inflation 'disaster' after Iran's parliament approved closing the key Strait of Hormuz. A whopping 20 percent of global oil and gas goes through the strait and its closure could create the same kind of inflationary shocks that the world felt after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The decision is not final and is now with the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the country's Supreme National Security Council, according to Iranian state TV.. It comes afte r a surprise attack on three of the country's nuclear sites by the US. ‌ ‌ The move, according to Revolutionary Guards Commander Esmail Kosari 'will be done whenever necessary'. He said to the Young Journalist Club: 'Our hands are wide open when it comes to punishing the enemy, and the military response was only part of our overall response.' The impact of the strait closing would be 'catastrophic' according to business expert Gerrit Heinemann, who spoke to the german news outlet BILD. '[It would be] worse than Corona and Putin combined! The second episode of the ongoing crisis would be even more severe than what we experienced at the beginning of the Ukraine war and during the Corona years. A disaster.' He continued: 'A large part of the global supply chains runs through the affected region. This not only dramatically impacts energy supplies, but also the flow of goods. All of a sudden, all the crises we had just overcome would return: the energy crisis, inflation, disrupted supply chains, and now the threat of mass unemployment.' The strait separates Iran and Oman and is only 21 miles across. As a result it is vulnerable to attacks. There has already been an impact on oil prices following the outbreak of war between Iran and Israel, climbing by 21% in the financial markets over the past month. ‌ The Trump administration has signalled a willingness to renew talks with Iran and avoid a prolonged war in the aftermath of its strikes on Iran, known as Operation Midnight Hammer. Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news conference that America 'does not seek war' with Iran while vice president JD Vance said the strikes have given Tehran the possibility of returning to negotiate with Washington. Much of the world is absorbing the consequences of the strikes and the risk that they could lead to more fighting across the Middle East after the US inserted itself into the war between Israel and Iran. Air strikes starting on June 12 by Israel that targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and generals prompted retaliation from Iran, creating a series of events that contributed to the US attack. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was moving military equipment into the area to protect its interests, people and allies, but that he was focused on finding a solution. While US officials urged caution and stressed that only nuclear sites were targeted by Washington, Iran criticised the actions as a violation of its sovereignty and international law. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Washington was 'fully responsible' for whatever actions Tehran may take in response.

NBC News

an hour ago

• NBC News

U.S. braces for Iran's response after strikes on nuclear sites: Weekend Rundown

The United States is bracing for Iran's response after President Donald Trump launched punishing strikes on Iranian nuclear energy sites Saturday. It was the first time the U.S. has directly bombed the Islamic Republic. The U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities, including the key Fordo site, with 14 GBU-57s, 30,000-pound 'bunker buster bombs,' according to the U.S. military. On Sunday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that while the U.S. did not want war, it will 'act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened.' The few days are of particular concern, according to two defense officials and a senior White House official. It's unclear whether any retaliation would target overseas or domestic locations, or both, the officials said. While Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned of 'everlasting consequences,' experts say the country has limited options. Constraints Iran's capacity to strike is narrower than it once was. H.A. Hellyer, a senior associate at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, told NBC News that Iran still has the power to attack, 'but only because Israelis haven't taken out all of their missile launchers.' Iran still has around 40% of its launchers, Hellyer said. Iran's proxy network has also been battered by years of attrition with Israel and the U.S. Its most important ally, Hezbollah in Lebanon, has indicated it would not join the fight against Israel. Iran may also lack staunch support from its neighbors — some Gulf nations stopped short of condemning the U.S. attacks on Iran, calling instead for de-escalation. Cyber threats The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' cyber capabilities are formidable, and the U.S. considers Iran one of its four major adversaries in cyberspace along with China, North Korea and Russia. While Iran lacks Russia's robust cybercrime syndicates or China's vast teams of sophisticated digital spies, the U.S. has in recent years accused Iranians of working for the IRGC. If Iran conduct retaliatory cyberattacks, they would come in the wake of several rounds of cuts to the Trump administration's top civilian cyber defense agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. CISA's two former directors have both warned that the administration's cuts make U.S. infrastructure more vulnerable to hackers. 'Meet the Press' Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. is not at war with Iran, but with Tehran's nuclear weapons program. During an interview on NBC News' 'Meet the Press,' moderator Kristen Welker asked the vice president whether the U.S. was now at war with Iran. 'We're not at war with Iran,' Vance said. 'We're at war with Iran's nuclear program.' Vance also declined to confirm with 100% confidence that the country's nuclear sites had been completely destroyed. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., meanwhile, brushed off concerns that Trump had acted without authorization from Congress. 'Congress can declare war or cut off funding. We can't be the commander in chief. You can't have 535 commander in chiefs,' Graham said, referring to the number of representatives and senators. But Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said that the president can act militarily 'when there's a clear and imminent threat to U.S. citizens, to the United States, to the homeland.' 'That wasn't the case here,' Kelly said. Politics in brief Flip-flop: Across the country, 20-point margins in counties Republicans were winning at the turn of the century have turned into 50-point margins or more in recent years. Political competitiveness at the local level is being replaced by landslide loyalty to a single party. Fighting on: After more than three months in ICE detention, Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil returned to the New York area, where his harrowing ordeal first began — and vowed to keep speaking out against the war in Gaza. Well, that's 'awkward': Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is considering a run for president in 2028, and admits the potential of taking on his friend and ally Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is 'going to be awkward.' War on porn brings together strange bedfellows Feminists, religious crusaders and 'alpha male' influencers are unlikely allies in the decades-old battle over adult content — and they're on a winning streak. Anti-porn campaigners have pushed states into implementing online age verification laws, while some politicians are pursuing aggressive bans on explicit content. Culturally, the view that porn is harmful not only to women but increasingly also to men and to the sexual development of young people has made significant inroads. Once viewed as a fringe moral crusade, the war against porn has ballooned into a multipronged, mainstream force over the past decade. Porn industry leaders have acknowledged their ongoing battle with deepfakes, underage content and revenge porn, including Pornhub, which removed millions of unverified videos from its website in 2020 following allegations that the site showed problematic content. Gail Dines, a key figure in the anti-porn movement for over 30 years, said the goal isn't necessarily to ban porn, but argued the industry has 'sowed the seeds of its own destruction.' NBA to crown its champion in Game 7 It all comes down to this. The NBA Finals. Game 7. The Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy on the line. After a postseason filled with memorable games (and a handful of wild Indiana Pacers comebacks), the NBA will decide its champion when the Oklahoma City Thunder and star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander host Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers at the Paycom Center. NBC News will be covering Game 7 live from OKC. . Notable quote I think their parents did not raise them well enough. Esther Yang, New York City yoga instructor A cast of scandal-plagued candidates is testing the limits of what New York City voters will forgive, with Andrew Cuomo, Eric Adams and Anthony Weiner bringing no shortage of baggage to their political campaigns this year. In case you missed it A shooter at a Michigan church injured one person Sunday before being shot and killed by a security guard, according to local authorities. A hot-air balloon caught fire and tumbled from the sky on Saturday in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina, killing eight people. At least three people are dead in rural North Dakota after tornadoes left damage across eastern areas of the state, the Cass County Sheriff's Office said Saturday. The Phoenix Suns are reportedly trading forward Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in this week's NBA draft and a slew of future picks. Fred Smith, the FedEx Corp. founder who revolutionized the express delivery industry, has died, the company said. He was 80. In Indianapolis, which is home to around 30,000 Burmese people, a travel ban and tariffs on goods from Myanmar have hit local businesses hard. Dozens of people suffered minor injuries when a yacht carrying 352 passengers crashed into a pier on the Hudson River in New York City, authorities said.