Japan Says No US Demand for Defense Spending Worth 3.5% of GDP

Japan denied a report that the US directly asked Tokyo to raise its defense spending to 3.5% of annual gross domestic product, with its top government spokesman saying that the amount of spending was less important than how Japan raises its military capabilities.
'Regarding defense spending, there's no truth to that,' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference Monday when asked about a Financial Times report that a senior Pentagon official had told Japan to boost military spending.

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Yahoo

10 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Russia's former president says countries are lining up to give Iran their nukes. Analysts are calling his bluff.

A top Putin aide and Russia's former president slammed the US for its strikes on Iran's nuclear site. Among other claims, Dmitry Medvedev said other countries are ready to give their nukes to Iran. Nuclear analysts told BI that Medvedev's claim is logistically and politically ridiculous. Analysts are casting doubt on Russia's former president's claim that "a number of countries" were considering supplying nuclear warheads to Iran after the Pentagon's salvo of bunker-buster strikes there. Dmitry Medvedev, who was president from 2008 to 2012 and is a top aide to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, didn't specify which countries he was referring to in his Telegram post on Sunday. In his post, he downplayed the damage dealt to Iran's vital nuclear sites. As news of the strikes broke on Saturday, the Pentagon was careful to say that it was still assessing the destruction caused by the 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs and multiple Tomahawk missiles it fired at Iran's nuclear sites. Medvedev wrote that the strikes had "entangled" the US in a new conflict. "A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads," he added. Nuclear weapons analysts speaking to Business Insider said they doubted that Medvedev's statement on such transfers is credible. "It's impossible in practice because nuclear weapons are not like a bomb or just something you can carry in a suitcase," said Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher in the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research's weapons of mass destruction program. Nuclear warheads come as an entire system, with people who need to be trained to keep and service them safely, as well as maintenance facilities and equipment. Even tactical nukes, which are more portable and produce a smaller blast, need high-level storage, Podvig added. "Unless you create a nuclear program or almost a nuclear program in the country, there is no way to just give your nuclear weapons to them," he said. Simply giving such a warhead to another country would break the first article of the UN's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Russia and China have signed. Podvig said that in Europe, where the US stations nuclear weapons, the warheads are in American custody. The same can be said of Russia's nuclear weapons in Belarus. "I don't see this being done technically," Podvig said. Politically, Medvedev could likely only be referring to three countries, said Adam Lowther, a cofounder and the vice president of research at the Ohio-registered think tank National Institute for Deterrence Studies. North Korea, China, and Russia are the only nuclear-armed states considered adversaries or rivals to the US. And Lowther said all three know that supplying Iran with nuclear weapons, even just as a deterrent, would risk intense escalation from the US and Israel. "When you give somebody a nuclear weapon, and they can use it, you can't guarantee how they're going to use it," Lowther said. He added that with Tel Aviv and Washington so focused on preventing Iran from fielding nuclear weapons, Tehran would likely only have two choices if it does receive a warhead: Use the bomb or lose it. And if Iran detonates a gifted nuke, Lowther added, American forensics would easily be able to trace the fissile material and bomb design to identify where the weapon originated. "Then that country would be on the US' hit list," Lowther said. Medvedev is known to make bold, hawkish statements toward Ukraine and the US since the outset of the full-scale Russian invasion. He serves as the deputy chairman — second in rank to Putin — of the Kremlin's security council. His rhetoric has often run parallel to the Kremlin's nuclear threats, repeatedly issued as warnings to the West over military aid to Ukraine. Moscow, however, has consistently not followed through with those threats, even when the US escalated its level of assistance to Kyiv. Lowther said he believes Medvedev's statement was a play against Ukraine, a bid to reduce the West's willingness to help Kyiv. "The Russians say: 'You know what? You give the Ukrainians these weapons? Well, we can give the Iranians weapons as well,'" he said. The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on Medvedev's remarks. The White House and US State Department did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by BI. Read the original article on Business Insider

Bloomberg

16 minutes ago

• Bloomberg

What's Next After the Initial Fallout from US Strikes on Iran

What's next? The unprecedented US airstrikes on Iran have set traders and governments worldwide on edge, as the Islamic Republic warns of retaliation and Israel shows no sign of letting up in its assault. Asian currencies and stocks fell, European stock futures declined while oil advanced, then erased gains, after Washington struck Iran's nuclear sites over the weekend. China and Pakistan were quick to condemn — even though China hasn't yet offered substantial assistance to Tehran besides rhetorical support and Pakistan is at the same time taking steps to build stronger ties with the White House. The US State Department issued a ' Worldwide Caution ' alert for Americans. More critically, President Donald Trump's decision to deploy bunker-busting bombs — in Washington's first direct military action against Iran after decades of hostility — has pushed the Middle East into uncharted territory. Did the end justify the means? While the US attacks have set back Iran's nuclear ambitions and dealt its clerical regime a humiliating blow, the program hasn't been completely destroyed. The move may ultimately lead Tehran to end international monitoring of its nuclear program and consider going ahead to develop a bomb. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hasn't been seen in public in 11 days but remains in control. Even as diplomatic allies Russia and China have stayed on the sidelines and its network of armed proxies in the region remains weakened, Tehran still has ways to inflict pain on the US as it plans its retaliation. Two supertankers, each capable of hauling about 2 million barrels of crude, U-turned in the Strait of Hormuz after the US airstrikes on Iran raised the risk of a response that would ensnare commercial shipping in the region, according to vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The two empty freighters then sailed south, away from the mouth of the Persian Gulf. The turning oil carriers offer the first signs of re-routing, something that oil traders will scrutinize. Any disruption to traffic through the strait, a major artery for global crude and natural gas, raises the specter of a spike in energy prices. That's bad news for Asia, which buys more than four-fifths of all the crude produced in the Middle East, 90% of which goes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Associated Press

22 minutes ago

• Associated Press

SenturoPay Launches Comprehensive Crypto Payment Card for Everyday Users

Hong Kong, June 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SenturoPay, a fast-growing digital finance platform, today announced the official launch of its all-in-one crypto payment card, developed to help users manage and utilize their digital assets in everyday life. With features designed to send, swap, and spend crypto, the platform delivers a real-world solution for individuals looking to simplify how they interact with their crypto holdings. 'This isn't a tech showcase—it's a lifestyle tool,designed with our users' convenience in mind.' said a Co-Founder at SenturoPay. 'We've built a crypto experience that mirrors what users already expect from modern finance—clear, responsive, and practical.' Making Crypto Work for the Real World While crypto adoption continues to expand, many platforms remain focused on trading or storage, leaving users with limited ways to access their assets for real-world needs. SenturoPay fills that gap by offering a comprehensive crypto app and payments system tailored for ease of use and day-to-day functionality. With just a few taps, users can: Everything is managed through a centralized, secure dashboard, giving users full control and visibility over their digital finances. Key Platform Features Designed for Mass Adoption SenturoPay is intentionally built for a wide range of users—from crypto newcomers to digital natives. Its emphasis on clarity, simplicity, and utility sets it apart from platforms that require a steep learning curve or technical fluency. 'We've designed SenturoPay so that anyone—regardless of their crypto background—can access, manage, and use their assets confidently,' added the spokesperson. 'It's about giving people tools that make digital money practical, not just possible.' About SenturoPay SenturoPay is a digital finance platform focused on turning crypto into a usable, everyday financial tool. With a strong emphasis on simplicity, security, and practical use cases, the platform offers users a streamlined way to send crypto, swap tokens, and spend digital assets through one integrated experience. To learn more, visit SenturoPay's official website. Media Team [email protected]