Trump says Iran has choice between 'peace or tragedy'
President Donald Trump said that the United States military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel's effort to decapitate the country's nuclear programme. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, quoting a provincial official, confirmed attacks on Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites. Addressing the nation from the White House, Mr Trump asserted that Iran's key nuclear plants were 'completely and fully obliterated'. There was no independent damage assessment.
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Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Efforts under way to evacuate Irish citizens from Israel
Efforts are under way to evacuate 15 Irish citizens from Israel, Ireland's deputy premier said. Simon Harris, Ireland's foreign affairs minister, said an operation was ongoing to evacuate 15 Irish citizens and their dependants from Israel, working with EU member states. He said they were working with a smaller number of citizens in Iran who had requested an evacuation. Around 29 Irish citizens in Iran had registered with the Irish embassy and around 200 in Israel. I'm deeply concerned by the very real risk of an extremely dangerous spiral of escalation now in the Middle East. Urgent de-escalation & diplomacy are crucial. I will travel to Brussels to meet European counterparts. My full statement on latest developments is below. ⬇️ — Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 22, 2025 Mr Harris said he spoke to Iran's deputy foreign minister on Sunday, at their request, who was 'full of anger'. 'He did say to me that it was the view of Iran that the aggressors would have to learn lessons and pay a price,' he told reporters at Government Buildings. 'Of course I articulated in the strongest possible terms that Ireland and the European Union doesn't want to see that, we want to see people step back from the brink and engage in dialogue.' Mr Harris said the US strikes on Iran had made a 'volatile situation even more dangerous' and added an 'extra layer of complexity' to what was already a 'tinderbox'. Irish premier Micheal Martin and Mr Harris have both called for an 'urgent' de-escalation and a negotiated solution over Iran's nuclear facilities. They said they are in close contact with their European counterparts before a meeting of EU foreign leaders on Monday and of EU leaders later in the week. 'Diplomacy and dialogue is ultimately the only way to resolve these issues,' Mr Martin said. 'Iran should commit not to develop nuclear weapons and disavow its nuclear and uranium enrichment programme. 'Nuclear safety is an issue here, modern warfare is very destructive. It is civilians who ultimately suffer, and that is why we need an end to these wars and bring an end to conflict.' There is an urgent need for de-escalation, dialogue & diplomacy in the Middle East. Iran should unequivocally disavow the development of nuclear weapons. A negotiated solution is the way forward. We remain in close contact with international partners ahead of the EU Council. — Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) June 22, 2025 Mr Martin said the escalation on Sunday should not draw attention away from the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. 'We shouldn't lose sight of the catastrophe that is still unfolding in Gaza while the war between Iran and Israel continues,' he said. 'What is happening in Gaza is appalling and a breach of international humanitarian law, and again, innocent civilians and children are being starved there, and we need that to come to an end.' Staff from Ireland's embassy in Tehran left the country on Friday as the embassy was closed, and updates are being provided on more than 300 Irish peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon. Mr Harris said there were no plans to withdraw Irish troops and that 'decisions are being made constantly' to ensure their safety. When asked whether he supported US President Donald Trump's strikes on Iran, Mr Harris said: 'I think it's resulted in an extraordinarily dangerous escalation of a conflict that already best be described as a tinderbox. 'We're now entering a moment of particular danger, because I think the chances now of a spiral of escalation are more likely than ever before, and there is a real prospect now of the international community losing all control of this very, very volatile conflict.' He said there was only a 'very small' number of Irish citizens, many dual nationals, seeking an evacuation, and they were working with European counterparts. He said a significant update on this would be available in the hours ahead. 'Thank god we woke this morning to the International Atomic Energy Agency saying they haven't detected any increase in radiation,' he told RTE Radio. 'But imagine if we were waking up this morning to a situation where radiation levels were extraordinarily high, and the health and human danger that that would have presented far beyond Iran as well. So this is an extraordinarily dangerous time.' He said that it was 'sadly true' that international legal norms are not being adhered to, citing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel's 'genocidal activity' in Palestine and now the Iran-Israel conflict. He said there was a diplomatic process in train and his understanding from readouts was 'there was a commitment from the Iranian side to further talks'. Mr Harris said Ireland and Europe are 'fully united in the clear view' that Iran should not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. 'The way to address this was always through a negotiated solution. Any alternative to that is simply too dangerous for civilians, for the Middle East region and for global security. 'Together with my EU counterparts, we will in the coming hours and days discuss and review the latest developments and consider the next steps Europe can usefully play to support de-escalation.' Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan said people woke up on Sunday 'terrified, really, to be quite honest, about the prospect of what's unfolding'. He told RTE's The Week In Politics it is 'terrifying' for citizens in Iran and Israel. 'It does take great people to make leaps of faith in particular places in time to come forward, whether it was in relation to (Anwar el-Sadat) in Egypt, and later on in relation to Bill Clinton and what he did, we do now require people to actually get people around the table,' he said. 'Because, ultimately, as the Taoiseach said, this is terrifying – not only for the innocent communities that are living in both countries, but as well as that for the neighbouring countries in the Middle East, who we obviously all hope are not drawn into a much bigger conflict.'
Wall Street Journal
40 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Standards Slip at Fort Bragg
'On Display at D.C.'s Parade: Tanks, Drones and the Military's Identity Crisis' (Review, June 14) cites President Trump's speech at Fort Bragg in which he used a group of soldiers as stage props in a piece of political theater. The authors refer to it as 'a breach of traditional decorum.' I believe it is an egregious violation of U.S. military standards of conduct. Our armed forces have sedulously separated themselves from partisan politics—and soldiers on duty, in uniform, booing or cheering remarks in a blatantly political speech are acting in contravention to those standards. One might note that politicians don't campaign on military installations; nor should they. That a politician would use soldiers in this way is profoundly disrespectful to the Constitution and to the troops who are sworn to defend it. It appears that refresher training in standards of conduct would be in order at Fort Bragg. Moreover, someone might inform the president of what type of speech or behavior is appropriate for uniformed military audiences.
Miami Herald
43 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Toyota makes a tariff move customers are going to hate
While President Donald Trump's social media posts make it seem as though his tariff moves are executed at his whim, it is clear that at least some industries have a seat at the negotiating table. The auto industry's top executiveshave said they are in close contact with the White House and have even praised the president and his White House team for hearing their concerns. However, it is also clear that Trump's interest in protecting the auto industry's bottom line is minimal. Related: General Motors makes $4 billion tariff move Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors - America's Big 3 automakers - have all said that Trump's tariffs will cost them billions, and they've pulled their guidance due to a lack of visibility. Trump has made it clear to every industry that he doesn't want prices to increase, even going as far as telling companies like Walmart to just "EAT THE TARIFFS." So, every time the auto industry has been observed raising prices in recent months, it has denied that it has anything to do with tariffs. Others, like Mazda, have indeed eaten the tariffs, with the Japanese automaker sending a letter to its U.S. dealers informing them that it would not raise its sticker prices or tack on import fees for any vehicles already on dealership lots or that will come into the country before May 1. Toyota is the latest Japanese automaker to make a pricing move, but it isn't blaming the move on tariffs. Toyota sold over 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. last year, a 3.7% year-over-year increase. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the company built 1.96 million units in the U.S., according to Statista. So, despite a U.S. production capacity that can handle nearly 2 million vehicles a year, Toyota still ships in nearly half a million vehicles from overseas to sell in the U.S. On June 21, Toyota said that prices for several Toyota and Lexus brand vehicles will rise by an average of $270 and $208, respectively, starting in July, according to an email seen by Bloomberg. While the price increase could be seen as a response to the 25% duties Trump has placed on auto imports, Toyota insists that the move is just part of its regular price review process. Related: Jeep parent Stellantis ponders drastic action on struggling brand In April, fellow Japanese automaker Mitsubishi said it would hold its vehicles in port for the foreseeable future instead of offloading them and being forced to pay duties. "We have sufficient stock on the ground at dealers for the moment to not impact customer choice," the company said at the time. While it was unclear how much cargo was in the ports, Mitsubishi's 330 U.S. dealers sold 109,843 vehicles in the U.S. in 2024, a 25.8% year-over-year increase and the brand's best performance since 2019. Earlier this month, the company announced that it is raising prices on three models, also saying that the move was just a regular adjustment and not a reaction to tariffs. Japanese car companies aren't the only ones afraid to pin their price increases on tariffs. In May, Ford sent a notice to dealers saying it planned to raise prices on the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, Maverick pickup truck, and Bronco Sport SUV by as much as $2,000 on some models. Those vehicles are made in Mexico. More Automotive news Detroit Big 3 benefit from auto tariffs now, but time is running outPopular Ford newcomer overtakes Jeep in a key areaToyota makes surprising move to beat Tesla in key market A Ford spokesperson confirmed that the price increases will be seen on vehicles built after May 2. Those vehicles will start arriving on dealer lots in late June. The company emphasized that its employee pricing promotion remains for all of its vehicles through the July 4 weekend. Just like Mazda and Toyota before it, the company says the increase was due to its usual midyear pricing actions, but it was also "combined with some tariffs we are facing. We have not passed on the full cost of tariffs to our customers." Related: Car buyers, dealers are both shocked by latest price trends The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
