The world holds it breath as Israel-Iran conflict edges towards wider war
The world held its breath last night as the Israel-Iran conflict edged towards a wider war, as Donald Trump threatened airstrikes by the US, saying: 'I may do it, I may not do it.'
President Trump said he was considering whether the US would join Israel's offensive on Iran and claimed that Tehran had reached out to seek negotiations on ending the conflict.
Mr Trump added that his patience 'had already run out' with Iran and repeated his call for the Islamic republic's 'unconditional surrender' – a call that was rejected by Tehran, which said no Iranian would ever 'grovel at the gates of the White House'. US President Donald Trump. Pic:Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said his nation would never surrender and warned the US of 'irreparable damage' if it intervenes.
Asked yesterday if he had decided whether to launch US airstrikes, Mr Trump told reporters on the White House's South Lawn: 'I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.'
Mr Trump said Iran had even suggested sending officials to the White House for talks on Tehran's nuclear program in a bid to end Israel's air assault, but added that it was 'very late'. Tehran, Iran. Pic: Stringer/Getty Images)
'I said it's very late to be talking. We may meet. There's a big difference between now and a week ago, right? Big difference,' Mr Trump added.
'They've suggested that they come to the White House. That's, you know, courageous, but it's, like, not easy for them to do.'
When asked if it was too late for negotiations, he said: 'Nothing is too late.'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said yesterday he was 'profoundly alarmed' by the escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, and warned against any 'additional military interventions' in the Middle East. Antonio Guterres. Pic: William Volcov/REX/Shutterstock
'I strongly appeal to all to avoid any further internationalisation of the conflict,' Mr Guterres said in a statement, reiterating his call for a ceasefire.
'Any additional military interventions could have enormous consequences, not only for those involved, but for the whole region and for international peace and security at large.'
Mr Trump had favoured diplomacy to end Iran's nuclear program, seeking a deal to replace the one he tore up in his first term in 2018. But since Israel launched strikes on Iran six days ago the US president has moved in behind the key ally and is now weighing whether to use US military power against Tehran, too. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pic: Pool / Iranian Religious Leader Press Office/)
In a barrage of social media posts on Tuesday, Mr Trump described Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as an 'easy target' and called for Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!'. Khamenei described the ultimatum as 'unacceptable' yesterday.
'The president of America in an unacceptable statement explicitly urged Iranians to surrender but we tell him: first threaten those who are afraid of being threatened,' he said. 'Threats will not affect the thinking and behaviour of the Iranian nation,' Khamenei said in a speech read on state television.
But Mr Trump doubled down on his position yesterday. Asked what he meant by his earlier statement, he replied: 'Two very simple words. It's very simple – unconditional surrender. That means I've had it, okay? I've had it. I give up, no more, we go and blow up all the nuclear stuff that's all over the place.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Pic:The President, meanwhile, backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue Israel's offensive. Iran has hit back with salvos of ballistic missiles.
Asked what he had told Mr Netanyahu in a call on Tuesday, Mr Trump said: 'Keep going. I speak to him every day, he's a good man, doing a lot.'
The US President, however, rebuffed Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to mediate in the Israel-Iran conflict, saying Russia should end its own war in Ukraine first. US President Donald Trump (R) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Pic: JORGE SILVA/AFP via Getty Images
'He actually offered to help mediate, I said 'do me a favour, mediate your own. Let's mediate Russia first, okay? You can worry about this later',' Mr Trump said.
Iran later denied it had offered to send officials to Washington. 'No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House,' Iran's mission to the UN said in a post on X. 'The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to 'take out' Iran's Supreme Leader.'
Earlier yesterday, Iran said it fired hypersonic missiles at Israel in the latest round of overnight strikes between the arch-foes. Israeli warplanes targeted the Iranian capital before dawn after the military issued a warning for civilians to leave one district for their safety.
The Israeli military later said it struck weapons manufacturing sites and a facility used to make centrifuges in Tehran. Iran told residents of Tel Aviv to prepare for an attack, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claiming its hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles were 'repeatedly shaking the shelters' in the commercial hub.
Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept. Iran also sent a 'swarm of drones' towards Israel, where the army said it intercepted two over the Dead Sea area.
Iranian government aircraft were tracked yesterday afternoon flying south from Tehran to the Omani capital, Muscat. As Israel has seized control of Iranian airspace, these flights were likely to have been approved in advance.
Oman and Qatar were last night mediating for a ceasefire. World powers have scrambled for an off-ramp, hoping to prevent the conflict from spiralling into a region-engulfing war.
In separate phone calls with his Iranian counterpart and US envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday night, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urged a diplomatic solution.
Mr Trump fuelled speculation about American intervention when he made a hasty exit from the G7 summit in Canada, where the leaders of the club of wealthy democracies jointly called for a ceasefire.
Residential areas in both countries have suffered deadly strikes since the fighting broke out, and foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens.
Iran's key strategic partner, Russia, warned that US action could destabilise the Middle East. A Kremlin spokesman said the world was 'millimetres from catastrophe'.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Mr Trump had a critical role in restarting diplomacy with Iran, where attempts at regime change would bring 'chaos'.
China accused Mr Trump of 'pouring oil' on the conflict, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of being 'the biggest threat to the security of the region'.
Iran was in a 'near-total national internet blackout', London-based watchdog NetBlocks wrote on X. Iran announced last week that it was placing temporary restrictions on the internet, with the communication ministry saying Wednesday that heavier limits were being imposed due to Israel's 'abuse of the country's communication network for military purposes'.
Iranian media later reported that Israel briefly hacked the state television broadcast, airing footage of women's protests and urging people to take to the streets. Numerous sites and apps have remained at least partially inaccessible.
More than 700 foreigners living in Iran have crossed into neighbouring Azerbaijan and Armenia, according to government figures. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons – an ambition Tehran denies.
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