Trump claims 'monumental' damage to three nuclear sites in Iran
US President Donald Trump claims the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend inflicted "monumental damage" on Iran's nuclear programme, declaring "the biggest damage took place far below ground level."
Trump also floated the prospect of "regime change," asking, 'Why wouldn't there be a regime change if they can't make Iran great again?'
The strikes targeted Iran's Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz nuclear sites.US officials say assessments of the true extent of the damage are still underway. The UN's nuclear watchdog says it extent of the damage is unclear.
Iran has vowed to retaliate with "everlasting consequences" to the strikes, as its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, heads to Moscow on Monday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin — touching on 'common challenges and threats'.
Meanwhile, US intervention in Iran has prompted protests in various cities around the world, including in Europe, as demonstrators took to the street to protest against escalating violence.
Join us as Euronews reporters in the region and across Europe bring you live updates on the dramatic situation in the Middle East.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, June 23, slammed attacks on Iran as "unprovoked" and "unjustified" in a meeting with Tehran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, but did not announce any concrete support to his key ally in the Middle East. Moscow is a crucial backer of Iran, but has not swung forcefully behind its partner even as the United States launched strikes on its nuclear facilities over the weekend. "This absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran is unjustified," Putin said in televised remarks to Araghchi at the start of their meeting. Putin did not single out the US attacks, talking instead broadly of "strikes" against Iran, though the Kremlin had earlier Monday said it condemned and regretted the US strikes. "There has been a new escalation of tensions in the region, and, of course, we condemn this and express our deep regret in this regard," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, shortly before Putin met Araghchi in the Kremlin. Putin has pitched himself as a mediator between Iran and Israel, an idea rejected by US President Donald Trump last week. Araghchi told Putin that Russia has been a "partner and companion" to Tehran and hailed ties between Tehran and Moscow "very close and longstanding." "Iran is exercising legitimate defense against these aggressions," he added. Since Israel launched its wave of strikes on June 13, triggering Iran to respond with missiles and drones, Russia has not publicly offered military help to Tehran. Putin and other officials have also downplayed Moscow's obligations under a sweeping strategic partnership agreement signed with Tehran just months ago, highlighting that it is not a mutual defense pact. Russia was "making efforts to help the Iranian people," Putin said in the meeting, without elaborating. Asked what specific support Russia might offer, Peskov told reporters: "It all depends on what Iran needs. We have offered our mediation services." Peskov also said the US strikes on Iran would not affect bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington, saying they were "different issues." Putin said last week that Iran had not requested any support from Russia.
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Euronews
an hour ago
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Oil rises and Europe's markets open lower after US strikes on Iran
Investors reacted to US strikes on Iran over the weekend as Iran and Israel continued to trade missile fire on Monday morning. The price of Brent crude oil rose around 1.53% to $78.19 a barrel as of around 7.15 CEST, while WTI rose 1.48% to $74.93 a barrel. On Sunday, US forces attacked three Iranian nuclear and military sites, stating that Tehran must not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon. President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian said that the country "will never surrender to bullying and oppression", while Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin. European markets opened in the red on Monday as investors digested the news. The FTSE 100 was down 0.28% to 8,749.98, the CAC 40 fell 0.66% to 7,539.68, the DAX slipped 0.55% to 23,222.90, while the FTSE MIB dropped 0.97% to 38,852.55. The STOXX 600 fell 0.28% to 535.03 while the EURO STOXX 50 dropped 0.26% to 5,220.02. Over in the US, futures for the S&P 500 slipped 0.13% to 6,010.25 and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 0.2% to 42,431.00. Nasdaq futures fell 0.18% to 21,804.50 on Monday morning. In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.19% to 38,331.12, the Kospi in Seoul dropped 0.3% to 3,012.88, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.37% to 8,474.40. Hong Kong's Hang Seng and the Shanghai Composite Index were in positive territory, with respective gains of 0.35% to 23,611.68 and 0.13% to 3,364.29. The conflict, which flared up after an Israeli attack against Iran on 13 June, has sent oil prices higher linked to Iran's status as a major oil producer. The nation is also located on the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world's crude oil passes. Investors are concerned that Tehran might decide to bomb oil infrastructure in neighbouring countries or block tankers from travelling through the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping company Maersk said on Sunday that it was continuing to operate through the strait, adding: "We will continuously monitor the security risk to our specific vessels in the region and are ready to take operational actions as needed." According to vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, two supertankers Coswisdom Lake and South Loyalty U-turned in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The situation now hinges on whether Tehran decides to opt for aggression or a more diplomatic response to US and Israeli strikes. Iran could attempt to close the waterway by setting mines across the Strait or striking and seizing vessels. Even so, this would likely be met by a forceful response from the US navy, meaning the oil price spike may not be sustained. Some analysts also think Iran is unlikely to close down the waterway because the country uses it to transport its own crude, mostly to China, and oil is a major revenue source for the regime. If Tehran did successfully close the Strait, this would cause a wider price spike for transported goods and complicate the deflationary process in the US, potentially keeping interest rates higher for longer. On Monday morning, Trump also floated the possibility of regime change in Iran. "If the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn't there be regime change?" said the US president on Truth Social. Vice president J.D. Vance had commented earlier that the administration did not seek regime change in Iran.
