Latest news with #AyatollahKhamenei
AU Financial Review
42 minutes ago
- Politics
- AU Financial Review
Forget nuclear weapons – could this be the end of Iran's regime?
In a fluid environment where the US appears to be building up for a targeted strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, President Trump calling for Tehran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER', and the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei vowing to fight while claiming the Iranian people are with him, the scene is set for what is the regime's biggest challenge since the 1988 ceasefire with Iraq. Back then, the Islamic Republic's survival was at risk. The eight-year war with Iraq saw hundreds of thousands of Iranians slaughtered for no gain and Iran internationally isolated. The country, along with its political leadership, was desperate for a resolution, no matter how galling.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Fox News
US troops in the Middle East could face increased threats amid Iran conflict: ‘Irreparable damage'
U.S. troops based in the Middle East could face increased attacks in the coming days or weeks, should the U.S. decide to become involved in the growing conflict between Israel and Iran. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Donald Trump will make a decision in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will move forward and strike Iranian nuclear facilities. "Yes, I may do it. I may not do it," Trump said Wednesday. "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." Meanwhile, Iran has issued a clear message: Doing so will come with consequences. Iran has cautioned that the U.S. will suffer if it chooses to become involved in the conflict, and previously issued retaliatory strikes against bases where U.S. troops were housed after the U.S. killed a top Iranian general in 2020. "The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage," Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday, according to state media. The Pentagon has bolstered its forces in the Middle East in light of the growing tensions, including sending the aircraft carrier Nimitz from the South China Sea to join the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in the Middle East. The Pentagon referred Fox News Digital to Department of Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell's Monday statement that American forces remain in a "defensive posture" and Hegseth's announcement Monday that more forces had been deployed to the Middle East. "Protecting U.S. forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region," Hegseth said Monday. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., pressed Hegseth Wednesday for details regarding what contingency plans are in place from drones amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Three U.S. service members were killed in an unmanned drone attack in Jordan in January 2024 that was attributed to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-backed militia. "I have no assurance that we have the capacity to safeguard against a swarm of small, lightweight, slow-moving drones that are, in my view, our major vulnerability, and right now, if we engaged in the Iran conflict, would put us and U.S. personnel at risk there," Blumenthal said Wednesday. The U.S. currently has more than 40,000 U.S. troops and Defense Department civilians stationed in the Middle East. Here are some of the countries where U.S. military personnel are based and could face heightened threats: Roughly 2,500 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Iraq as of September 2024, and are assigned to Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve, according to the Department of Defense. Their role in Iraq involves advising and supporting partner forces in the region to defeat ISIS. Following the 2020 U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, Iranian forces launched ballistic missile attacks at Erbil Air Base and Ain al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, where U.S. troops are stationed. About 350 U.S. troops are deployed to Jordan at a remote military base known as Tower 22, according to the Department of Defense. In January 2024, three soldiers were killed and another 40 were injured when a one-way uncrewed aerial system struck Tower 22. In May, ten New York Army National Guard soldiers were awarded the Purple Heart for the injuries they suffered in the attack. The Pentagon blamed an Iranian-backed militia for the attack. The U.S. currently operates five bases in Kuwait: Camp Arifjan, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Camp Buehring, Camp Patriot and Camp Spearhead. As of January, approximately 13,500 U.S. troops are based there and primarily are focused on eliminating the threat of ISIS, according to the U.S. State Department. Qatar hosts U.S. Central Command's forward headquarters at Al Udeid Air Base, home of the Air Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which Air Forces Central Command has dubbed the "largest and most diverse wing" within the command. The wing includes airlift, aerial refueling intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and aeromedical evacuation assets, according to Air Forces Central Command. Naval Forces Central Command is based out of Manama, Bahrain, where it spearheads a coalition of regional and international partners that are focused on supporting task forces targeting counterterrorism, counter-piracy and maritime security in the region. The Navy first established a base in Bahrain in 1971, which has hosted Naval Forces Central Command since 1983. Just 20 miles south of the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi is Al Dhafra Air Base, home of the Air Force's 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The wing includes unmanned aircraft including the RQ-4 Global Hawk, a remotely piloted surveillance aircraft.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
I hate Khamenei's regime. But I love Iran even more.
Arash Azizi is a contributing writer at the Atlantic and author of 'What Iranians Want: Women, Life, Freedom.' I've loathed the dictatorship of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I'd roll my eyes every morning during the obligatory salute to our supreme leader in the schoolyard. I resented the strictures, the atmosphere of moral probity the man in robes presided over.
News24
2 hours ago
- Politics
- News24
Iran-Israel war: latest developments
Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP Israel and Iran exchanged fire again on Thursday, the seventh day of the war between the longtime enemies. Here are the latest developments: Hospital strike A hospital in southern Israel was hit as Iran fired 'dozens' of missiles, officials said, with impacts also reported in two Israeli towns close to commercial hub Tel Aviv. The Soroka Hospital in Beersheba was left in flames, and its director, Shlomi Codish, said 40 people had sustained injuries. 'Several wards were completely demolished, and there is extensive damage across the entire hospital,' he said. Iran said the main target of its missile attack was not the hospital but a nearby military and intelligence base. READ | Israel sirens sound as missiles shot from Iran, countries evacuate citizens from conflict The International Committee of the Red Cross, citing international law, stated that 'hospitals must be respected and protected.' UN rights chief Volker Turk urged restraint from both Iran and Israel, saying it is 'appalling to see how civilians are treated as collateral damage in the conduct of hostilities'. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran would pay a 'heavy price'. Israel threatens Khamenei Speaking in Beersheba after the hospital strike, Netanyahu said Israel was "committed to destroying... the threat of a nuclear annihilation" as well as Iran's ballistic missile capabilities. His defence minister, Israel Katz, said Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "can no longer be allowed to exist". "Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed - he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals," Katz told reporters. Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States was aware of Khamenei's location but would not kill him "for now". Iraq's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani warned that any targeting of Iran's "supreme religious and political leadership" would have "dire consequences on the region". Trump mulls joining Trump said on Wednesday he was considering whether to join Israel's strikes and that Iran had reached out seeking negotiations on ending the conflict. 'I may do it, I may not do it,' Trump told reporters. 'I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.' READ | Netanyahu warns Iran will 'pay a heavy price' for hospital strike as Trump mulls US action Iran and European diplomats said nuclear talks would be held in Geneva on Friday, bringing together top diplomats from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, as well as Tehran's Abbas Araghchi. The Wall Street Journal reported Trump has told aides he has approved attack plans but is holding off to see if Iran will give up its nuclear programme. A key Iranian government body, the Guardian Council, warned against any US involvement in the war, threatening a 'harsh response' if 'the criminal American government and its stupid president... take action against Islamic Iran'. Tehran ally Moscow said any US military action 'would be an extremely dangerous step', while pro-Iran groups in Iraq threatened retaliatory attacks. A senior US diplomat, Tom Barrack, warned the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah against getting involved in the war, which he said in Beirut 'would be a very, very, very bad decision'. Nuclear sites, missile launchers The Israeli military said it struck an 'inactive nuclear reactor' in Arak in overnight raids on Iran that also saw the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz targeted again. It said the strike on the Arak site was carried out 'to prevent the reactor from being restored'. Netanyahu told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that Israel had destroyed 'more than half' of Iran's missile launchers since Friday. He said: I said that we're changing the face of the Middle East, and now I say we're changing the face of the world. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said more than 100 'combat and suicide' drones were launched at Israel on Thursday. Arrests Iranian police announced the arrest on Thursday of 24 people accused of spying for Israel and 'trying to disturb public opinion and to tarnish and destroy the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran', according to a statement carried by Tasnim news agency. Authorities in both Israel and Iran have announced arrests for espionage and other charges since the war began on Friday. Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said at least 223 people have been arrested nationwide on charges related to collaboration with Israel, cautioning that the actual figure was likely higher.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Irish leaders call for ‘immediate de-escalation' between Iran and Israel
Ireland's premier and deputy premier have called for an 'immediate de-escalation' between Israel and Iran and for diplomatic talks to restart. Irish premier Micheal Martin said Iran should make clear it will not pursue further enrichment of uranium. Irish deputy premier Simon Harris, who is also the minister for foreign affairs, said work was ongoing at EU level to engage with citizens in Israel and Iran who may wish to leave. Iran and Israel have been striking each other's territory for a week, deepening the crisis in the Middle East. Israel said it launched an attack to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, but it is the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, far in excess of the levels required for power stations and a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. After a missile attack on a hospital in southern Israel, defence minister Israel Katz said Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 'absolutely should not continue to exist'. US President Donald Trump has also reportedly been considering involving the US by targeting a uranium enrichment facility in Iran. Asked what role Ireland can play in the crisis, Mr Martin said Ireland and the EU can urge 'restraint and de-escalation'. 'The world needs stability and it needs peace – and dialogue is the way to resolve the nuclear issue in terms of Iran,' the Taoiseach told RTE Radio. 'Iran has been a malign actor in the Middle East for quite a long time in terms of supporting Hezbollah, Hamas the Houthis – it's a theocratic autocratic state. 'But there was dialogue on the way between Iran and the United States on that issue, I think that should restart. 'I think Iran should make it very clear that it will not pursue further enrichment of uranium, or indeed progress to developing nuclear bomb capacity.' Meanwhile, Mr Harris said there was a 'massive effort' at EU level to support citizens and diplomats in Iran and Israel. He said the EU was engaging with Germany, France and the UK to persuade the Iranians back into talks. 'It is almost impossible to overstate the potential danger of this, if there ends up being involvement of other countries, or indeed spill-over into other countries,' he said on Thursday. 'Ireland, whilst far away in one way, does obviously have a number of citizens in both countries, have a significant number of troops in Lebanon, is very concerned about the situation in Palestine, so there's quite a lot of moving parts in this.' He told RTE Radio: 'Nobody wants to see Iran with nuclear capabilities. 'Everybody is aware of the dangers that Iran poses, but at the same time, the way you resolve these issues is through the talks that were scheduled to take place and which were obviously ultimately postponed as a result of Israeli (incursion).' He said Irish embassies had contacted citizens in Iran and Israel on Wednesday who would like to leave when the opportunity arises. There are around 29 Irish citizens and 12 dependants in Iran, and 200 Irish citizens in Israel. 'There's the massive effort at a European level to make sure we try to provide support to our own citizens and our own diplomats in what is becoming a really dangerous environment and a really difficult environment in which to operate from and function from as well,' he told RTE Radio. He said that as the airspace is closed in Iran, evacuation would mean going over the land border, and for those in Israel it means travelling to Jordan or Egypt. 'There are a number of options available to us. We're working very closely with a number of member states, and we're also having to now, in a very serious way, also look at how we best support our diplomats, because the situation is deteriorating quite significantly in terms of being able to effectively operate in the country, and also obviously safety and security issues,' he said.
