Massive security operation for NATO summit turns parts of The Hague into a fortress

A woman takes a photo of a drawing showing World leaders from left, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, U.S. President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron, eating herring and fried fish in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

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Iran underground enrichment site targeted again

Israel hit Iranian government targets on Monday in Tehran, including the notorious Evin Prison, the Israeli Defence Ministry said, as other strikes targeted Iran's underground enrichment site at Fordow for a second time. Advertisement Evin prison is known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Iran, meanwhile, fired a salvo of missiles and drones at Israel and warned the United States that its military now has a 'free hand' to attack American targets in the wake of the Trump administration's massive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday. Fears of a wider regional conflict loomed large after the US inserted itself into Israel's war, raising urgent questions about what remains of Tehran's nuclear programme and how its weakened military might respond. The price of oil rose as financial markets reacted. President Donald Trump, who has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates against US forces, has mused about the possibility of 'regime change' in Iran, despite administration officials earlier indicating they wanted to restart talks with the country. Advertisement Iran's underground enrichment site at Fordow was again attacked on Monday, Iranian state television reported. The report, also carried by other Iranian media, offered no word on damage nor on who launched the assault. Israel conducted air strikes throughout the day on Iran, and the Israeli military confirmed that it struck roads around the Fordow facility.

South China Morning Post

4 hours ago

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Have Trump's Iran strikes given China a strategic advantage?

The US' direct engagement in the Israel-Iran conflict over the weekend could intensify its drive to secure critical resources – particularly rare earth minerals – a development that could strengthen China's position in its ongoing geopolitical and economic rivalry with Washington, analysts said. A potential escalatory spiral in the Middle East could push forward trade negotiations between the world's two largest economies, said Xu Weijun, an assistant research fellow at South China University of Technology's Institute of Public Policy. 'An intensifying situation would force the US to allocate more strategic resources there, leaving fewer resources available for competition with China in the Indo-Pacific, thereby easing pressure,' he said. 'On the other hand, one key focus of trade talks is rare earths, which are critical to modern technology and defence industries – and arguably a strategic vulnerability for the United States. As tensions escalate in the Middle East, Washington's urgency to secure these resources is likely to grow, giving Beijing more leverage at the negotiating table.' US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States had conducted a 'very successful attack' on three nuclear sites in Iran. Tehran has pledged retaliation, and threatened to close the vital Strait of Hormuz. The strike has fuelled fears among various countries that tensions in the region will further intensify, and deepened Washington's military entanglements abroad at a time when its trade relationship with China remains stalled. China and the US remain locked in a tense stalemate over tariffs and other trade issues, with the most recent talks in London yielding little tangible progress.

South China Morning Post

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