Rubio says US not involved in Israeli strikes against Iran

WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday the United States was not involved in Israel's strikes against Iran while also urging Tehran not to target U.S. interests or personnel in the region.
"Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," Rubio said in a statement.
"Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel," he added.

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35 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Trump turns against Fox News after shock poll and singles out anchor Jessica Tarlov for 'soiling' evening broadcast

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Sadly, the audience has to listen to her spew off that I am doing poorly in the polls, while I am beating the democrats by 15%+ points and, more importantly, I just won an election against two candidates, Sleepy Joe and Kamala, in a Landslide by winning all 7 Swing States, and the Popular Vote by millions, with records broken everywhere!' Trump still stood by commentators Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld, saying the pair are 'terrific' but that they 'don't see all of these poll numbers and can't, therefore come to my defense. But I can!' He continued: 'Nobody can stand Tarlov! She lies over and over again, and MAGA is complaining, BIG LEAGUE, that she's all over Fox. Watch their ratings go down by keeping her on the show — nobody wants to listen to her. Why doesn't she talk about the fact that I had ZERO illegal aliens come into our Country last month, whereas Sleepy Joe Biden allowed 62,000 people in, many from prisons, mental institutions, and gangs.' The president finished by writing that 'people like Jessica Tarlov make MAGA absolutely hate Fox!' Tarlov was citing polls that had Trump in the red with both independents and overall voters on key issues. The president appears to be reacting to Tarlov (pictured) - the most consistent Trump-hating voice on the show and network - discussing negative polling numbers on Friday's show 'When we say the people don't like this, they don't like it. That doesn't mean that Democrats aren't still unpopular. That doesn't mean I don't know if the election was held again today Donald Trump might very well win again if it was.' However, she said that 'directionally' the polling numbers are going against the president. His comments Friday come after Trump went on a tear Thursday morning after a new Fox News Channel poll showed Americans split on the Republican's immigration policy. 'The 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,' Trump posted to Truth Social. 'It's why MAGA HATES FoxNews, even though their anchors are GREAT,' Trump fumed. 'This has gone on for years, but they never change the incompetent polling company that does their work.' He then pointed to the latest survey. The poll, which was released Wednesday, showed Trump with a 46 percent approval rating overall, with another 54 percent disapproving of the job he's done so far. His numbers on 'border security' were better - with 53 percent approving and 46 percent disapproving. Trump still stood by commentators Jesse Watters (pictured center) and Greg Gutfeld (pictured right), saying the pair are 'terrific' but that they 'd on't see all of these poll numbers and can't, therefore come to my defense. But I can!' 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36 minutes ago

• Auto Blog

Trump Tariffs to Add $1,760 to New Car Prices in 2025

Automakers Expected to Pass Tariff Costs to Consumers If you've been saving your pennies, hoping to scrimp together enough money to afford the new vehicle you've been wanting, you may need to dig deeper into the couch cushions. Its price is likely to go up by nearly $2,000 – and possibly a good bit more thanks to Pres. Donald Trump's new tariffs on imported autos and auto parts. All told, automakers will take a $30 billion hit this year due to the new trade sanctions and while manufacturers will swallow some of the tab, predicts a new study, they'll pass 80% of the cost onto consumers. Don't be surprised to see some products disappear from the market entirely, said suburban Detroit consultancy AlixPartners, especially some of the import models likely to be hit hardest by the new tariffs. Land Rover Defender 90 'A Big Wall of Cost' 'These tariffs bring a big wall of cost,' Mark Wakefield, the head of AlixPartners' auto practice said during an online briefing with reporters, with 'consumers taking the majority of the hit.' If there's any shred of a silver lining to the 2025 AlixPartners Global Automotive Outlook it's that we could see the White House continue to revise its tariffs on import autos and auto parts, even as it works up trade deals that. The consultancy anticipates this will eventually lower the sanctions from 25% to an average closer to 7.5%. Even Domestic Models Will be Impacted The White House has rolled out an assortment of new tariffs and has yet to fully lock down the rules, David Steinert, a partner in the AlixPartners auto practice, said during a follow-up interview with Autoblog. 'The tariffs have changed a lot over the last 60 days,' and will likely continue to be revised in the months ahead. 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Entry-Level Cars May Vanish as Costs Rise Automakers are expected to pass on about 80% of their tariff costs – though they won't do it uniformly, the AlixPartners study anticipates. 'Entry-level and mainstream cars will have less of a pass-through' than luxury and exotic models, explained Steinert. Automakers want to avoid driving budget buyers out of the new vehicle market. On the other hand, with 'higher-end brands, with customers who are less price-sensitive, more of the tariffs (will be) passed through.' In some cases, manufacturers may not find it worthwhile to absorb tariff costs. Nissan has already decided to dump the Versa, what is today the most affordable product line in the U.S., at the end of this year, according to Automotive News. Even some higher-end models could be dropped, said Steinert, if manufacturers find higher prices dry up sales. Luxury and Imported EVs Face Steepest Increases Battery-electric vehicles are seen as especially vulnerable, warned AlixPartners. 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Last month, Cox Automotive forecast demand could drop to as low as 15 million, about 1 million below the 2024 total. And the study warned that could dip into the low 14 million range in the event of a recession. For his part, AlixPartner's Wakefield is more upbeat. He thinks the U.S. market will decline by about 1 million – but over a three-year period – and then begin to bounce back. But there's a caveat. This would require the Trump administration to deliver on its promise to negotiate new trade agreements with key partners. So far, however, it's struggling to follow through, with only one big deal in place with the United Kingdom. About the Author Paul Eisenstein View Profile

Sky News

40 minutes ago

• Sky News

Israel 'will not stop' attacks until Iran's nuclear threat is 'dismantled', says Israel's UN ambassador

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations has vowed "we will not stop" attacks on Iran until the "nuclear threat is dismantled" and "its war machine is disarmed". The two countries traded angry accusations at the United Nations Security Council, as its secretary-general Antonio Guterres warned that expansion of the Israel-Iran conflict could "ignite a fire no one can control". Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon vowed: "We will not stop. Not until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled, not until its war machine is disarmed." 3:49 His Iranian counterpart Amir Saeid Iravani said Iran would continue to respond to Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear sites that Israel sees as part of a weapons programme. Donald Trump is seeking advice about whether to support Israel's military involvement and is expected make a decision in the next two weeks. But he told reporters in New Jersey on Friday that his director of national intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, was wrong in suggesting there is no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon. 0:27 Talks between Iranian and European ministers took place on Friday, but the US president was dismissive of the discussions. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one". But he added that he might support a ceasefire between Iran and Israel "depending on the circumstances". Lammy on 'perilous moment' UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned "this is a perilous moment, and it is hugely important that we don't see regional escalation of this conflict", after he and his German, French and EU counterparts met Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva. He also referred to the role of the US in potential negotiations: "There is a... short window to find a diplomatic solution for the Iranians to... end their nuclear programme. "We're urging diplomacy. It's important they get back into serious talks with the United States." 1:04 Iran says attacks are 'grave war crimes' But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict, did not reveal any indication of an immediate breakthrough. Mr Araghchi described the talks as "a very serious but respectful discussion" but condemned what he called Israel's "atrocities", adding that "Iran will continue exercising its legitimate right of self-defence against the regime". "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again... once aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed. In this regard, I made it clear that Iran's defence capabilities are not negotiable," he added. Earlier, he called Israel's attacks on nuclear facilities "grave war crimes". On Friday, the Foreign Office announced that UK staff had also been evacuated from Iran, with the embassy continuing to operate remotely. Meanwhile, the UK government has announced it will use charter flights to evacuate Britons stranded in Israel once the country's airspace reopens. Iran wants 'endless negotiations' Jason Brodsky, policy director at the US-based pressure group United Against Nuclear Iran, told Sky News the talks in Geneva would not satisfy the US president. He said: "It seems that the maximum that the Islamic Republic is prepared to give still does not meet the minimum that President Trump is able to accept. "I think the Islamic Republic wants to lure the United States back into an endless negotiating process. They think they can dominate this process and manipulate President Trump. "President Trump has made it very clear that a deadline means a deadline. And he has red lines as well. And his red lines is zero enrichment in Iran." 4:53 Protests over Israeli strikes On Friday, thousands of people protested in Iran's capital Tehran after a week of Israeli strikes which have killed at least 657 people and wounded 2,037 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. Israel's military says 25 fighter jets carried out airstrikes on Friday morning targeting "missile storage and launch infrastructure components" in western Iran. In the Israeli city of Haifa, at least 19 people were wounded by an Iranian missile barrage. UN issues nuclear warning Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors. "A direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has not targeted Iran's nuclear reactors, instead focusing its strikes on the country's uranium enrichment sites. Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, although it enriches uranium up to 60%, well beyond the level required for an atomic power station and a step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the IAEA.