Trump's 100 days, Carney's Canadian Comeback, Ukraine's Minerals Deal
We'll assess the 100 days and Trump's so-called 'muzzle velocity strategy', flooding the media space with continuous announcements. It perhaps comes as no surprise that he's given himself full marks…
It's been a week that's seen the political comeback of the year so far, thanks partly to the threats and trolling from President Trump .. Canada's liberal party came out on top despite being discarded by analysts as down and out at the start of the year. Tariffs and Trade wars triggered by their neighbour, and Trump's threats to annex them seem to have helped galvanise a patriotic push back. Mark Carney's task was to distance himself from predecessor Justin Trudeau, while Conservative opposition leader Pierre Polivere had to distance himself from claims of being a mini Trump. Voters opted for Liberal ex-banker Carney… who expressed his happiness at party headquarters, through the form of dance…
And it's been a rare week of good news in Ukraine, or that's how it's being presented by negotiators in Kyiv and Washington. A critical minerals deal has been concluded with the US, one that was first proposed by the Ukrainians to President Biden last autumn. It morphed under Trump into an IOU agreement, critical minerals for repayment of past US aid. After the Oval Oval spat, and Ukrainian hopes of a security guarantee out of the question, terms were dropped, and better concessions agreed, that Kyiv sees as a good deal, given the circumstances. We'll assess what it means for the conflict…
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Euronews
41 minutes ago
- Euronews
Tehran says 'war starts now' after US strikes three nuclear sites
"War starts right now", the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Tehran's main army branch, said overnight on Sunday after the US forces struck three nuclear sites in Iran, according to US President Donald Trump. Trump posted on his Truth Social account that a "full payload of bombs was dropped" on the Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan nuclear sites. "Congratulations to our great American warriors," Trump said, adding that it is now "time for peace". In turn, top US Republican lawmaker Lindsey Graham said Trump "made the right call". The Tehran regime "deserved it," the senior US senator from South Carolina added. "Well done, president," Graham said. "To my fellow citizens: We have the best Air Force in the world. It makes me so proud." Top Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, said Trump has "mislead the country," however. "Donald Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East. He has failed to deliver on that promise. The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm's way," Jeffrey said in a statement. The US has between 40,000 and 50,000 troops stationed in the region, who are expected to be put on high alert after the strikes. The IRGC responded by saying this has further escalated what has been an exchange of missile and drone attacks by Iran and Israel since last Friday, now escalating beyond conflict to a full-blown war in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Israel's Defence Ministry said it elevated its state of alert even further, cancelling all "educational activities, gatherings and workplaces, except for essential sectors." Trump's decision to directly involve the US comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that aimed to systematically eradicate the country's air defences and offensive military capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. On Saturday, multiple US B-2 bombers appeared to be airborne and heading west from the US. B-2 bombers are the only aircraft that carry the larger bunker buster bombs. Aside from an on-the-ground raid or even a nuclear strike, Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered out of reach to all but American bunker-buster bombs. Both US and Israeli officials said that American stealth bombers and a 15,000-kilogram bunker buster bomb they alone can carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear programme buried deep underground. The bunker buster bombs are believed to be able to penetrate some 60 metres below the surface before exploding. They can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast. However, the Fordow nuclear site might be buried deep, with some parts of it reaching hundreds of metres beneath the surface, according to reports. Trump said B-2 stealth bombers were used, but did not specify which types of bombs were dropped. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately elaborate on the operation. The US has been shifting its military aircraft towards the Middle East for days, as Euronews reported. Although Trump initially said he would decide whether to strike Iran in "two weeks", the decision came within around two days. Iran had previously pledged to retaliate if the US joined the Israeli assault. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday the US that strikes targeting his nation would "result in irreparable damage for them."
LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
Trump says US has struck 3 Iranian nuclear sites, joining Israeli air campaign
President Donald Trump said Saturday, June 21, that the US military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel's effort to decapitate the country's nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran's threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict. Iran's nuclear agency on Sunday confirmed the attacks. The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that aimed to systematically eradicate the country's air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. But US and Israeli officials have said that American stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound (13,500-kilogram) bunker buster bomb they alone can carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground. "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan," Trump said in a post on social media. "All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home." Trump added in a later post that he would address the nation at 10 pm Eastern time, writing, "This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!" Trump said B-2 stealth bombers were used but did not specify what types of bombs were dropped. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately elaborate on the operation. The strikes are a perilous decision, as Iran has pledged to retaliate if the US joined the Israeli assault, and for Trump personally. He won the White House on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism. Trump told reporters Friday that he was not interested in sending ground forces into Iran, saying it's "the last thing you want to do." He had previously indicated that he would make a final choice over the course of two weeks. Iran's nuclear agency on Sunday confirmed attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz atomic sites, but is insisting its work will not be stopped. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran issued the statement after Trump announced the attack on the facilities. "The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran assures the great Iranian nation that despite the evil conspiracies of its enemies, with the efforts of thousands of its revolutionary and motivated scientists and experts, it will not allow the development of this national industry, which is the result of the blood of nuclear martyrs, to be stopped," it said in its statement. 'Irreparable damage' Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the United States on Wednesday that strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will "result in irreparable damage for them." And Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei declared "any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region." Help us improve Le Monde in English Dear reader, We'd love to hear your thoughts on Le Monde in English! Take this quick survey to help us improve it for you. Trump has vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and he had initially hoped that the threat of force would bring the country's leaders to give up its nuclear program peacefully. The Israeli military said Saturday it was preparing for the possibility of a lengthy war, while Iran's foreign minister warned before the US attack that American military involvement "would be very, very dangerous for everyone." The prospect of a wider war loomed. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they would resume attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joined Israel's military campaign. The Houthis paused such attacks in May under a deal with the US. The US ambassador to Israel announced that the US had begun "assisted departure flights," the first from Israel since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gaza. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump planned to make his decision on the strikes within two weeks. Instead, he struck just two days later. Trump appears to have made the calculation — at the prodding of Israeli officials and many Republican lawmakers — that Israel's operation had softened the ground and presented a perhaps unparalleled opportunity to set back Iran's nuclear program, perhaps permanently. The Israelis say their offensive has already crippled Iran's air defenses, allowing them to already significantly degrade multiple Iranian nuclear sites. But to destroy the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, Israel appealed to Trump for the bunker-busting American bomb known as the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets and then explode. The bomb is currently delivered only by the B-2 stealth bomber, which is only found in the American arsenal. If deployed in the attack, it would be the first combat use of the weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that Iran is producing highly enriched uranium at Fordo, raising the possibility that nuclear material could be released into the area if the GBU-57 A/B were used to hit the facility. Republican leaders praise Trump Following Trump's announcement on Saturday, US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican who was briefed by the White House ahead of the strike, said in a statement, "President Trump has been consistent and clear that a nuclear-armed Iran will not be tolerated ... That posture has now been enforced with strength, precision, and clarity." US Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Iranian regime's "misguided pursuit of nuclear weapons must be stopped." Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime Iran hawk and Republican from South Carolina, wrote online: "This was the right call. The regime deserves it." Meanwhile, elected Democrats and some far-right Republicans questioned the move, particularly without authorization from the US Congress. "Horrible judgment," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. "I will push for all Senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war." Said conservative Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, "While President Trump's decision may prove just, it's hard to conceive a rationale that's Constitutional."
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Israel-Iran War Day 10: US has struck three Iranian nuclear sites
US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that a "very successful attack" on three nuclear sites in Iran had been successfully carried out, including at Fordow. In a posting on Truth Social, Trump added, "All planes are safely on their way home" and he congratulated "our great American Warriors." Read our liveblog for all the latest.
