'Not sure if Israel will get their hostages back': Trump on Gaza issue during AF One gaggle - The Economic Times Video

In a press conference aboard Air Force One on the last day of Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, a reporter asked if the US president thought 'the Israelis and Bibi Netanyahu can get the hostages out,' using the premier's nickname.'I don't know,' Trump replied. 'We're going to find out pretty soon. We're going to know pretty soon.''They're not in good shape,' he added of the hostages. 'Some of them are in better shape than others. A little bit depends on the place where they are, but we'll be working with [Israel] to get them.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Business Standard

34 minutes ago

• Business Standard

What Happens if Trump Decides to Strike Iran or Assassinate Its Leader?

If President Trump decides to send American bombers to help Israel destroy an underground uranium enrichment facility in Iran, it will likely kick off a more dangerous phase in the war. And if the United States assassinates Iran's supreme leader, as Trump hinted was possible, there are no guarantees he will be replaced by a friendlier leader. Iran's autocratic clerical leadership, which has ruled for nearly half a century since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, has proved its staying power, even in the face of multiple domestic uprisings. Demolishing Fordo, the enrichment site buried deep in a mountain, may not obliterate Iran's nuclear program and could lead the country to broaden the war or accelerate that program. Here are some ways it could play out if the United States enters the war. Iran could negotiate Before Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran's nuclear program and other targets last week, Iran and the United States were discussing limits on Iran's uranium enrichment program. It was rapidly producing fuel close to the levels needed for nuclear weapons, and in exchange for new limits on the program, Iran would win relief from economic sanctions. The two sides were nowhere near a final agreement, but signs of a possible compromise had emerged by early June. When Israel attacked Iran, the negotiations collapsed. Yet Iran has signaled that it remains willing to talk, and even a strike on Fordo would not necessarily wipe out prospects of a return to the negotiating table. If the Trump administration follows an attack on Iran with an enticing offer, such as large-scale sanctions relief or peace guarantees, there is still a chance that Iran would consider making concessions, said Vali Nasr, an Iran expert and a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. 'Is there an offer on the table that the Iranian people in this moment can actually rally around?' he said. 'If it's only a stick, then they're going to fight.' So far, Trump has not extended many carrots. He called in a social media post on Tuesday for Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.' Iran may lean into nuclear activity All eyes are on Fordo. But it is possible that Iran has secret nuclear sites aimed at producing weapons that the United States and Israel do not know about, though no public evidence has emerged of such places. If they do exist, Iran could use whatever it has left to try to accelerate its nuclear program in the wake an American attack. With the damage Israeli airstrikes have done to nuclear facilities and the killings of top nuclear scientists, Iran probably lacks the capacity to build a nuclear weapon quickly, analysts said. Still, it could move in that direction and would have fresh incentive to do so. 'You would begin to see that broader escalation that they've held back on,' said Sanam Vakil, the director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House. After all, Iran would have few other options left for deterring future attacks, she added. Iran's Parliament has publicly discussed a withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The treaty, of which Israel is not a signatory, currently requires Iran to submit to oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency and other transparency obligations and to commit to not building a nuclear bomb. So far, the government has reiterated its longstanding insistence that Iran's nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. But Iran has firmly refused to capitulate to a central American demand that it give up uranium enrichment, saying it has the right to a civilian nuclear program. The war could get bigger and messier Over the past week, Iran has avoided striking American troops or other targets that could pull the United States into the war. Its leaders may still be hoping to make a deal with the Trump administration to end the conflict and wary of taking on the US military on top of Israel's. Though Iran has responded to Israeli attacks with missiles and threats of its own, it has refrained from hitting American troops or bases in the Middle East. It has also not struck Arab countries allied with the United States, such as Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates. Nor has it sent global oil prices soaring by sealing off or harassing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping channel to Iran's south. But at least one Iranian official has warned that Iran could do so if the United States enters the war. And Iran's allied militias in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and armed groups in Iraq, have not joined the fight. Many of them have been seriously weakened over the past two years. But those Iranian allies could still join the fray if the Trump administration decides to strike. If the United States tries to force Iran to capitulate, 'Iran will keep hitting until the end of the missile capabilities,' said Ellie Geranmayeh, an Iran expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Talk of regime change Trump said on social media this week that the United States is weighing whether to kill Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but had decided 'not for now.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said in a Fox News interview this week that changing Iran's regime 'could certainly be the result' of this war. Even if the United States assassinates Khamenei, however, the religious-military establishment that has tightly held power in Iran for nearly five decades may not fall. With a war raging, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the most powerful branch of Iran's military, could seize control of the country, said Nasr, the professor. They might put in place a more Western-friendly government, or, more likely, replace Khamenei with a more extreme figure who would dig in for a long fight, Nasr added. If the military does not assert itself quickly, some analysts fear that Iran could plunge into chaos or civil war as different factions struggle for control. But they see little chance for Iran's liberal opposition, which has been weakened and brutally repressed by the regime, to prevail. Iran's people could rise up again Netanyahu encouraged the Iranian people last week to capitalize on Israel's attacks on their government and 'rise up' against their 'evil and oppressive regime.' Iranians have staged mass protests against clerical rule several times in recent history, most recently with the 'Women, Life, Freedom' demonstrations of late 2022. Each time, the opposition has faced a harsh crackdown by government security forces. Some Iranians so despise the clerical leaders that they have at times looked to Israel as an ally and openly hoped for the United States to install new leadership. Some Iranian opponents of the regime cheered Israel's initial attacks on Iran, which they saw as more evidence of their government's incompetence and mismanagement. But the growing death toll, the attacks on civilian infrastructure and the panic gripping Iranian cities are hardening many in the country against Israel. Iranian social media platforms have been full of patriotic posts in recent days, expressing unity against foreign intervention, if not exactly support for the regime.

India Today

34 minutes ago

• India Today

MAGA hates you: Trump fumes at Fox News, WSJ over approval ratings and Iran coverage

Friends can become enemies in a heartbeat. This happened to Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, a long-time supporter of US President Donald Trump, after it gave lower approval ratings to the US President. As for Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the US President disagreed with their coverage of took to Truth Social to discuss Fox's "long-standing bias" and "faulty election polls", and criticised the WSJ for its reporting on America's plan on Crooked FoxNews Polls got the Election WRONG, I won by much more than they said I would, and have been biased against me for years. They are always wrong and negative. It's why MAGA HATES FoxNews, even though their anchors are GREAT (sic)," Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump blasted the network over what he called a "fake border poll" and also accused it of using "discredited pollsters despite repeated inaccuracies". The poll, released on Wednesday, indicated that 46% of respondents approve of Trump's performance, while 54% expressed disapproval."This has gone on for years, but they never change the incompetent polling company that does their work. Now a new FoxNews poll comes out this morning giving me a little more than 50% at the Border, and yet the Border is miraculously perfect. NOBODY WAS ABLE TO COME LAST MONTH. 60,000 people came in with Sleepy Joe in the same month last year (sic)," he a follow-up post, he came down heavily on Murdoch's flagship newspaper, WSJ, after it reported on Wednesday that the US was planning to attack Iran, but was holding off in a last-ditch hope to persuading the Iranians to voluntarily abandon their nuclear ambitions."The Wall Street Journal has no idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran! (sic)" Trump wrote on in the Fox Poll, Donald Trump's lowest numbers were actually on the topic of inflation, with 64% disapproving of his handling of this key economic issue, and just 34% approving, according to The Daily his outburst was particularly over how he was being rated on the relationship with Fox News, traditionally supportive of him, and The Wall Street Journal, which has both applauded and criticised his policies, has been long and this year, Trump hosted Murdoch himself in the Oval Office, where he referred to the media mogul as "legendary" and "one of the most talented people in the world", while also musing that he would need to "talk to" Murdoch about the Journal's coverage of his administration, according to a New York-based news website, Media Lucas, professor of international politics at University College Dublin, said Trump's decision to bring the military into Los Angeles to deal with protests also harmed his rating due to the method Fox poll is going to get headlines in part because it's Fox, where you have a lot of Trump supporters, in part because the numbers are so stark, and in part because of Trump's angry reaction on social media," Newsweek quoted Lucas as noted that Trump's poll numbers (on Fox News) have been fluctuating, with a notable decline in April due to concerns over the economy, trade, inflation, and the negative impact of his tariff added that deploying the military in Los Angeles to handle protests also hurt Trump's approval, even among those who support his immigration policy but disagreed with the approach. 'He's slipping' on migration, Lucas said, according to InMust Watch

Time of India

36 minutes ago

• Time of India

Amid Israel-Iran conflict and World War III fear, Trump rants about not playing golf for weeks

'Haven't hit a ball in 4 weeks' Live Events White House on Israel-Iran conflict (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel US President Donald Trump recently admitted that he hasn't been able to play golf for about a month after he navigated around several questions regarding the United States' involvement in Iran. Even as geopolitical tensions are at an all-time high across the Middle East, Trump left the G7 summit early Tuesday evening to issue a stark warning to Iran's leadership and civilian population. He urged people in Tehran to 'immediately evacuate' in light of what he described as a potentially imminent strike as conflict between Israel and Iran continues to the current situation, Trump admitted that he hasn't been able to hit the greens and fairways for several weeks, The Irish Star reports. Trump also recently hit the headlines after soccer bosses seemingly ditched their anti-racism policy ahead of next year's World Cup.'35 club championships, you all know that,' he told reporters who gathered at the White House on Wednesday to see the two 'beautiful' flagpoles that were installed. '35 club championships. I haven't hit a ball in 3 weeks, 4 weeks.'When one correspondent joked: 'It's time to get out there,' Trump replied: 'Been a little busy. Wouldn't you rather have me doing what I'm doing in the end?'As Wednesday's discussion turned to escalating tensions in the Middle East, Trump quickly avoided directly confirming any US involvement in the conflict. "I can't say that," he said. "I may do it, I may not do it. Nobody knows what I want to do. But I can say this: Iran's got a lot of trouble and wants to negotiate."Critics have expressed apprehension on Trump's claims of winning "35 club championships" in golf with sportswriter Rick Reilly, author of Commander in Cheat, telling Vox the figure is '100 percent a lie.' According to Reilly, Trump would sometimes declare himself champion by playing solo rounds at newly opened courses and then naming himself the winner.'Trump's going around telling people he has won 20. But that's 100 percent a lie,' Reilly told Vox.'I actually played with him once, and he told me how he does it: Whenever he opens a new golf course, because he owns 14 and operates another five, he plays the first club champion by himself and declares that the club championship and puts his name on the wall.'According to CBS News, Trump is heading to the New Jersey course on Friday. He will receive an intelligence briefing before leaving, then again at the White House on Saturday, with him returning to the course after buying time by setting a two-week deadline to decide on strikes on White House on Thursday announced that President Donald Trump plans to decide within the next two weeks whether the US will intervene in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. Quoting Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.'On Friday, Iran fired a fresh salvo of missiles at Israel, state television reported, on the eighth day of the war between the two foes. A news anchor described "images in the sky over the occupied territories (Israel) of Iranian missiles arriving", as the channel broadcast the footage with military music playing in the background.