Latest news with #Ceasefire
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Putin, Xi ‘strongly condemn' Israeli strikes on Iran, stress diplomacy over force
MOSCOW, June 19 — Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping today strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in a phone call and stressed the need for a diplomatic solution, Moscow and Beijing said. Israel has launched an unprecedented wave of strikes at Iran that prompted Tehran to respond with its own attacks with missiles and drones. Putin and Xi 'strongly condemn Israel's actions', Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the call. He added that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities 'should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means'. Xi told Putin that a ceasefire was the 'top priority' and urged Israel to halt its attacks, Chinese state media reported. 'Promoting a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is the top priority. Armed force is not the correct way to resolve international disputes,' Xi said, according to China's state news agency Xinhua. 'Parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent a cyclical escalation and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war,' he added. Putin is pitching himself as a mediator between the warring sides. Russia is close to Iran, having boosted military ties amid its offensive on Ukraine, but also strives for good relations with Israel. Last week, Putin held phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering himself as a peacemaker. The Kremlin said that Xi had spoken 'in favour of such mediation, since he believes that it could serve to de-escalate the current situation', Ushakov said. But Western leaders, including US President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron have pushed back against the idea of Putin trying to mediate the conflict amid his own Ukraine offensive. 'He actually offered to help mediate, I said: 'do me a favour, mediate your own',' Trump told reporters yesterday about Putin's efforts. 'Let's mediate Russia first, okay? I said, Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later.' — AFP
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Trump says he stopped India-Pakistan war after India says no US mediation
US President Donald Trump insisted on Wednesday that he had stopped the war between India and Pakistan, hours after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him the ceasefire after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the neighbours' militaries, not US mediation. Trump made his remarks just before he was scheduled to host Pakistan's armed forces chief Asim Munir in a rare meeting at the White House on Wednesday, something likely to upset India, a country the US president and his predecessor Joe Biden assiduously courted as part of efforts to push back against China. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump would host Munir after he called for the president to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. Asked what he wanted to achieve from the lunch meeting, which will follow a call he held with Modi on Tuesday evening, Trump told reporters at the White House: "Well, I stopped a war ... I love Pakistan. I think Modi is a fantastic man. I spoke to him last night. We're going to make a trade deal with Modi of India. "But I stopped the war between Pakistan and India. This man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side. Modi from the India side and others. They were going at it - and they're both nuclear countries. I got it stopped." Trump had said last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the U.S., and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war. However, Modi told Trump late on Tuesday that the ceasefire was achieved through talks between the Indian and Pakistani militaries and not US mediation, according to India's most senior diplomat, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. Pakistan has thanked Washington for playing a mediating role. India has repeatedly denied any third-party mediation and Tuesday's phone call between Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, which Modi attended as a guest, was the two leaders' first direct exchange since the May 7-10 conflict. "PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-US trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan," Misri said in a press statement. "Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do," he said. Misri said the two leaders had been due to meet on the sidelines of G7 summit but Trump left a day early due to the situation in the Middle East. Trump asked Modi if he could stop by the U.S. on his return from Canada, Misri said, but the Indian leader expressed his inability to do so due to a pre-decided schedule. He invited Trump to visit India later this year for the summit of the leaders of the Quad grouping, which Trump accepted, Misri said. The heaviest fighting in decades between India and Pakistan was sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. Pakistan has previously said that the ceasefire happened after its military returned a call the Indian military had initiated on May 7. On May 7, Indian jets bombed what New Delhi called "terrorist infrastructure" sites across the border, triggering tit-for-tat strikes spread over four days in which both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery. Misri said that Trump expressed his support for India's fight against terrorism and that Modi told him India's Operation Sindoor under which it launched the cross-border strikes was still on. Analyst Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation think tank. said ties between India and the U.S., which have thrived in recent years, could suffer if Trump continued to make remarks about a U.S. role in the ceasefire and offered U.S. mediation on Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan territory that India and Pakistan both claim. "Ultimately it all depends on whether Trump is willing to let Modi have the final word," Kugelman said.
CNA
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Trump to host Pakistan's army chief for talks at White House
US President Donald Trump is expected to host Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir for talks at the White House later today, amid rising Israel-Iran tensions. Pakistan has condemned Israeli attacks on Iran, while expressing solidarity with its neighbour. Mr Munir's high-profile trip comes a month after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire, which the US has claimed credit for. Hira Mustafa reports from Islamabad.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump calls for "real end" to Iran nuke program, hints war to escalate
President Trump said early Tuesday morning that he wants "a real end" to Iran's nuclear problem, with Tehran "giving up entirely" its enrichment activities. He said he was not just working toward a ceasefire to end the war between Iran and Israel, which has claimed at least two dozen lives in Israel and hundreds in Iran as it enters its fifth day. "I didn't say I was looking for a ceasefire," Mr. Trump told reporters, including CBS News senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs, on Air Force One after cutting short his time at the G7 summit in Canada. Earlier, the president said on his Truth Social platform that French President Emmanuel Macron had "mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a 'cease fire' between Israel and Iran. Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that." Mr. Trump predicted that Israel would not slow its assault on Iran, which has largely decapitated the Islamic republic's military command and inflicted significant damage to its controversial nuclear program. "You're going to find out over the next two days. You're going to find out. Nobody's slowed up so far," he said, hours after issuing an ominous warning that all of Tehran's roughly 10 million inhabitants should "immediately evacuate." Asked about that warning on Air Force One early Tuesday, Mr. Trump said he wanted "people to be safe," without offering any further explanation. Israel on Monday warned about 300,000 residents in a central district of Tehran to evacuate, pending attacks in the area. Mr. Trump suggested the reason he didn't want to stay in Canada was because he couldn't confidentially monitor developments in the Middle East. He said he could be "more well versed" in the White House Situation Room and avoid cellphones. "I don't believe in telephones — because people like you listen to them," he told reporters on the plane. "Being on the scene is much better." A source with knowledge of the talks told CBS News on Monday that Tehran had indicated to negotiators in Qatar and Oman that it was prepared to discuss a new deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program, but not while it was still under Israeli attack. The president said it was possible he could send special envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance, or both, to meet with Iranian negotiators, but "it depends what happens when I get back" to Washington. " I don't know," Mr. Trump added. "I'm not too much in the mood to negotiate." Addressing any possible threat to U.S. interests in the region, Mr. Trump said Iran knew not to target U.S. forces, as the U.S. would "come down so hard if they do anything to our people." The president declined to say whether Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lt. Gen. Dan Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had provided him with options in the event Iran does attack U.S. bases in the Middle East. "I can't tell you that," he said. Asked if it would take U.S. involvement to destroy Iran's nuclear program, Mr. Trump said he hoped it would be "wiped out long before that." Trump says Iran was "very close" to obtaining a nuclear weapon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has framed the attack he ordered on Iran late last week as an "existential" battle for Israel's survival. He claimed intelligence — which Israel has not shared publicly — showed the country was "racing" toward the development of a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu, along with all recent U.S. presidents including Mr. Trump, have always said they could not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Just several months ago, however, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard delivered an assessment to lawmakers that said U.S. agencies continued "to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme leader Khomeini has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003." Gabbard said the U.S. was continuing to "monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program," and she noted that "in the past year, we've seen an erosion of a decades long taboo in Iran on discussing nuclear weapons in public likely emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran's decision-making apparatus." Asked on Air Force One about that assessment from Gabbard, that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, Mr. Trump told reporters: "I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to having them." Israel expands assault on Iran Israel expanded its aerial assault on Iran Monday, hitting not only nuclear and military facilities and assassinating senior military leaders, but targeting the regime-controlled media. Iranian State TV's sprawling headquarters in Tehran came under attack as the network was broadcasting. CBS News' Seyed Bathaei in Tehran said the network remained on the air, but that one part of its compound was on fire Monday evening. Asked about the strike on Tuesday, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the network "was used to spread anti-Israeli propaganda and called for genocide for several decades. We attacked it just as we attack all components of the Iranian terrorist regime and the plan to destroy Israel." In a clear show of domination over its long-time archrival, Israel also said Tuesday that it had killed the Iranian military's chief of staff, just four days after his predecessor was killed in Israel's first round of strikes. "Following precise intelligence received by the Intelligence Branch, we eliminated Ali Shadamnai, the Chief of Staff of the War, the most senior military commander of the Iranian regime. He was eliminated at the Iranian regime's headquarters in the heart of Tehran. Shadamnai was the Chief of Staff of the Iranian regime's armed forces and the man closest to Iran's leader Khamenei. He was appointed to replace the previous Chief of Staff, whom we also thwarted in the opening blow of the operation." The attacks have sent thousands of Iranians racing to try to evacuate major cities. A massive explosion in the city of Isfahan was caught on someone's dashcam over the weekend as the passengers tried to flee. "We can't leave. What else can we do," the car's anxious occupants can be heard saying. The human cost of the war is escalating on both sides. Iranian officials haven't provided an update since Sunday, when they said at least 220 people had been killed. They did not give a breakdown but said many civilians were among the casualties In Israel, Netanyahu said Monday that at least 24 people had been killed by Iranian missiles that managed to evade the country's robust air defenses. The attacks continued Monday evening and into Tuesday morning, with Defrin saying Iran had launched 30 missiles, most of them intercepted, "but several hits were identified." He did not report any new casualties, but warned Israelis: "We must not be complacent, the Iranians still have intentions and the ability to strike." On Monday, an Iranian missile slammed into an apartment building in the central Israel city of Peta Tikva, killing four people. Israeli American Lihi Griner was there, with her husband and three children, hiding in their safe room. "It was the biggest boom ever," she told CBS News. "Even our safe room was shaking." When the family emerged, they found shattered glass strewn across their apartment. Given Mr. Trump's warnings and Netanyahu's stated determination to remove what he considers the multi-faceted threat posed by the Iranian regime, CBS News asked Griner if she was prepared for the war with Iran to get worse before it gets better. "I'm not prepared," she said. "I'm just gonna go and run in my little, you know, bomb shelter. I'm not prepared for everything. I wasn't prepared for this." Harry Chapin: Songwriter, activist and father How the U.S. Army was born Consumers warned about "gas station heroin"
CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump says he wants "real end" to Iran's nuclear program, not just an Iran-Israel ceasefire
President Trump said early Tuesday morning that he wants "a real end" to Iran's nuclear problem, with Tehran "giving up entirely" its enrichment activities. He said he was not just working toward a ceasefire to end the war between Iran and Israel, which has claimed at least two dozen lives in Israel and hundreds in Iran as it enters its fifth day. "I didn't say I was looking for a ceasefire," Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One after cutting short his time at the G7 summit in Canada. Earlier, the president said on his Truth Social platform that French President Emmanuel Macron had "mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a 'cease fire' between Israel and Iran. Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that." Mr. Trump predicted that Israel would not slow its assault on Iran, which has largely decapitated the Islamic republic's military command and inflicted significant damage to its controversial nuclear program. "You're going to find out over the next two days. You're going to find out. Nobody's slowed up so far," he said, hours after issuing an ominous warning that all of Tehran's roughly 10 million inhabitants should "immediately evacuate." Asked about that warning on Air Force One early Tuesday, Mr. Trump said he wanted "people to be safe," without offering any further explanation. Israel on Monday warned about 300,000 residents in a central district of Tehran to evacuate, pending attacks in the area. Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on a building used by the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, part of Iran's state TV broadcaster, June 16, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Getty Images Mr. Trump suggested the reason he didn't want to stay in Canada was because he couldn't confidentially monitor developments in the Middle East. He said he could be "more well versed" in the White House Situation Room and avoid cellphones. "I don't believe in telephones — because people like you listen to them," he told reporters on the plane. "Being on the scene is much better." A source with knowledge of the talks told CBS News on Monday that Tehran had indicated to negotiators in Qatar and Oman that it was prepared to discuss a new deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program, but not while it was still under Israeli attack. The president said it was possible he could send special envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance, or both, to meet with Iranian negotiators, but "it depends what happens when I get back" to Washington. "I don't know," Mr. Trump added. "I'm not too much in the mood to negotiate." Addressing any possible threat to U.S. interests in the region, Mr. Trump said Iran knew not to target U.S. forces, as the U.S. would "come down so hard if they do anything to our people." President Trump alights from Air Force One after arriving at Joint Base Andrews, early on June 17, 2025, in Maryland. Al Drago/Getty The president declined to say whether Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lt. Gen. Dan Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had provided him with options in the event Iran does attack U.S. bases in the Middle East. "I can't tell you that," he said. Asked if it would take U.S. involvement to destroy Iran's nuclear program, Mr. Trump said he hoped it would be "wiped out long before that." Trump says Iran was "very close" to obtaining a nuclear weapon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has framed the attack he ordered on Iran late last week as an "existential" battle for Israel's survival. He claimed intelligence — which Israel has not shared publicly — showed the country was "racing" toward the development of a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu, along with all recent U.S. presidents including Mr. Trump, have always said they could not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Just several months ago, however, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard delivered an assessment to lawmakers that said U.S. agencies continued "to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme leader Khomeini has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003." Gabbard said the U.S. was continuing to "monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program," and she noted that "in the past year, we've seen an erosion of a decades long taboo in Iran on discussing nuclear weapons in public likely emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran's decision-making apparatus." Asked on Air Force One about that assessment from Gabbard, that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, Mr. Trump told reporters: "I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to having them." Israel expands assault on Iran Israel expanded its aerial assault on Iran Monday, hitting not only nuclear and military facilities and assassinating senior military leaders, but targeting the regime-controlled media. Iranian State TV's sprawling headquarters in Tehran came under attack as the network was broadcasting. CBS News' Seyed Bathaei in Tehran said the network remained on the air, but that one part of its compound was on fire Monday evening. Smoke rises from an Iranian state media building in Tehran after an Israeli airstrike on June 16, 2025. NIKAN/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Asked about the strike on Tuesday, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the network "was used to spread anti-Israeli propaganda and called for genocide for several decades. We attacked it just as we attack all components of the Iranian terrorist regime and the plan to destroy Israel." In a clear show of domination over its long-time archrival, Israel also said Tuesday that it had killed the Iranian military's chief of staff, just four days after his predecessor was killed in Israel's first round of strikes. "Following precise intelligence received by the Intelligence Branch, we eliminated Ali Shadamnai, the Chief of Staff of the War, the most senior military commander of the Iranian regime. He was eliminated at the Iranian regime's headquarters in the heart of Tehran. Shadamnai was the Chief of Staff of the Iranian regime's armed forces and the man closest to Iran's leader Khamenei. He was appointed to replace the previous Chief of Staff, whom we also thwarted in the opening blow of the operation." The attacks have sent thousands of Iranians racing to try to evacuate major cities. A massive explosion in the city of Isfahan was caught on someone's dashcam over the weekend as the passengers tried to flee. "We can't leave. What else can we do," the car's anxious occupants can be heard saying. The human cost of the war is escalating on both sides. Iranian officials haven't provided an update since Sunday, when they said at least 220 people had been killed. They did not give a breakdown but said many civilians were among the casualties In Israel, Netanyahu said Monday that at least 24 people had been killed by Iranian missiles that managed to evade the country's robust air defenses. The attacks continued Monday evening and into Tuesday morning, with Defrin saying Iran had launched 30 missiles, most of them intercepted, "but several hits were identified." He did not report any new casualties, but warned Israelis: "We must not be complacent, the Iranians still have intentions and the ability to strike." People look at a crater in the ground in the aftermath of a reported missile strike by Iran, June 17, 2025 in Herzliya, Israel. Amir Levy/Getty On Monday, an Iranian missile slammed into an apartment building in the central Israel city of Peta Tikva, killing four people. Israeli American Lihi Griner was there, with her husband and three children, hiding in their safe room. "It was the biggest boom ever," she told CBS News. "Even our safe room was shaking." When the family emerged, they found shattered glass strewn across their apartment. Given Mr. Trump's warnings and Netanyahu's stated determination to remove what he considers the multi-faceted threat posed by the Iranian regime, CBS News asked Griner if she was prepared for the war with Iran to get worse before it gets better. "I'm not prepared," she said. "I'm just gonna go and run in my little, you know, bomb shelter. I'm not prepared for everything. I wasn't prepared for this."
