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India Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Trump mulls joining Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites: Report
US President Donald Trump is considering joining Israel's ongoing strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, according to US media reports. The development comes as Trump held a one-hour-and-20-minute meeting with his national security team in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday, where he reviewed options related to the escalating conflict between Israel and familiar with the matter, including a senior intelligence official and a Department of Defence official, informed CBS News that President Trump is contemplating joining Israel's multi-day military effort targeting Iranian nuclear to Axios, two Israeli officials stated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli defense establishment is believing that the Trump is likely to enter the war in the coming days to bomb Iran's underground enrichment facility. Speculation about deepening US involvement has been fuelled by President Trump's abrupt departure from the G7 Summit and a series of ominous social media warnings. His recent demand for Iran's "unconditional surrender" has further intensified the discussions surrounding potential American WARNS IRAN, CALLS KHAMENEI AN EASY TARGETIn a series of social media posts, Trump declared that the United States has full control of Iranian airspace, stating that Iran's defence systems, including advanced tracking equipment, are no match for American-made military technology. He hailed the superiority of US defence capabilities in a post on Truth Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn't compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured 'stuff.' Nobody does it better than the good ol' USA."Trump had made another provocative statement, where he said that US intelligence knows where Khamenei is currently located. "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," he said. Trump also issued a warning to Iran, saying: "But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin."In a follow-up post, he simply wrote in all caps: "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" Trump's remarks come at a time when instability in the Middle East is rising following clashes between Israel and Iranian ongoing violence has claimed over 200 lives in Iran, mostly civilians, and at least 24 Israeli civilians. The conflict has entered its fifth day after missile and drone strikes were exchanged between the two New York Times reported, Iran prepared missiles and military equipment for strikes on US bases in the Middle East if the United States join Israel's war against the US Vice President JD Vance also indicated that Trump may use the US armed forces in pursuit of American goals. "He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment. That decision ultimately belongs to the president," he said on Watch
Daily Maverick
11-06-2025
- Daily Maverick
DA calls for immediate release of Navy report into 2023 Kommetjie submarine disaster
The DA's Chris Hattingh has called for the immediate declassification and public release of the SA Navy's investigation into the disaster in 2023 that claimed the lives of three submariners. Chris Hattingh, the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) defence spokesperson, has called on the SA National Defence Force and Defence Minister Angie Motshekga to immediately release an internal report into the disaster near Kommetjie in the Western Cape in which three submariners died. One of them was Lieutenant Commander Gillian Malouw-Hector (33), who grew up in Schauderville, Nelson Mandela Bay, and trained with the Sea Cadets in Humewood. She was the commanding officer of the SAS 'Manthatisi, which was conducting a naval exercise near Kommetjie in September 2023 when large waves swept the crew overboard. Five were saved, but three — Malouw-Hector, Master Warrant Officer William Mathipa (48) and Warrant Officer Class 1 Mmokwapa Mojela (43) — died. The submariners were conducting a vertical transfer using an SA Air Force Maritime Lynx helicopter when they were swept overboard. On Tuesday, Hattingh said he did not understand the reasons for keeping the report, which was finalised in 2023, secret. 'The purpose of sailing the ship was to go to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront for a Heritage Day open day,' he said. 'It was not a military operation. They only conducted a training exercise en route.' The findings of a board of inquiry into the incident were made public. The inquiry concluded that the submariners died in an accident caused by freak waves and that they had followed all protocols. It also found that they had performed a similar exercise in worse weather conditions. Malouw-Hector was the first female submarine navigator in Africa. At the time, the Navy said her death 'is a huge loss for the South African Navy, the entire Department of Defence and the country as a whole. [She] was the first female to qualify in her position in the submarine, [and] she was also on the verge of becoming the first female commanding officer… It took years of training for her to get here.' But now her family, friends and community might never know what happened on that fateful day. Censored Hattingh said the Navy's report had been 'censored by Defence Intelligence' and was being 'withheld from the victims' families, their legal representatives, and even the Hawks. 'This obstruction of justice by the Navy and the Department of Defence must end,' he said. 'Despite clear weather warnings, the exercise proceeded, ignoring critical safety protocols. Evidence now shows that serious failures in planning and operational oversight directly contributed to the fatal outcome.' The Navy has not responded yet to Daily Maverick's request for comment, but its written response to Hattingh indicates that a myriad of further 'processes must be followed' to get the report released, and its release can be refused at any stage. The Navy told Hattingh, 'The Department of Defence would like to inform you that the requested records have been scrutinised/declassified and masked by the Defence Intelligence Division. However, the following Departmental process has to be followed before the requested records can be released or refused. 'The records have been referred to the Defence Legal Services Division (DLSD) for a legal recommendation. Thereafter, the records will be referred to the Chief of the South African National Defence Force for a recommendation with regards to the release or refusal of the requested records. 'Then the records will be submitted to the office of the Secretary for Defence for a final decision to release or refuse.' Hattingh said all his attempts to obtain the full report had been met with 'bureaucratic resistance and legal evasion. Even a direct appeal to Minister Angie Motshekga has failed to secure its release.' He has called on Parliament to establish an inquiry into the SANDF's 'ongoing practice of withholding vital information and failing to safeguard its own personnel'. DM
The Star
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
The US has plenty of rare earths but not for long
HYPOCRISY, it's said, is the tribute that vice pays to virtue. The US government's meltdown about rare earths similarly shows how an administration determined to halt the energy transition knows it's already lost the argument. Rare earth magnets are the super-strong pellets that help stick a charging cable to your laptop, smartwatch or headphones. They're also an essential component in a swath of high-tech applications. About 90% are produced in China. That gives powerful leverage. Export curbs imposed by Beijing in April have been a key sticking point in discussions over unwinding tit-for-tat tariffs between the United States and China. A call between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping to get talks back on track was 'having to do mostly with rare earth magnets and some other things,' according to Trump. Automakers have warned of factory shutdowns in a matter of weeks if the restrictions aren't lifted. To hear the administration talk, this is all about national security. Rare earths and other critical minerals are 'key building blocks of our defence industrial base,' the White House said in April. The magnets are used in plenty of advanced weaponry, thanks to their ability to power ultra-efficient, lightweight motors. The F-35 Lightning aircraft contains 408kg of rare earths, while a Virginia class submarine has 10 times that amount. Smaller amounts crop up in Tomahawk cruise missiles, Predator drones, and JDAM smart bombs. The US military doesn't account for a very significant slice of demand, however. The exact amount is a secret, but it's unlikely to be much more (and may well be much less) than 3,000 tonnes a year – fewer than 1% of global consumption. The vast majority goes instead to clean power, where the magnets help run electric vehicles (EVs) which use them in their motors and wind farms which need them for their gearboxes. If the Pentagon wants an onshore supply chain to meet its rare earths needs, it's going to have to piggy-back off the far larger civilian market being fueled by the energy transition. For all it has been derided since the 2024 election, former President Joe Biden's signature climate law recognised this. The Inflation Reduction Act or IRA, contained billions of funding to establish factories producing everything from EVs, to batteries, to critical components and raw materials usable in both commercial and military settings. At this very moment, US$439mil of loans and grants to rare earths projects from the Department of Defence since the start of 2020 are starting to bear fruit. The Mountain Pass rare earths mine southwest of Las Vegas, owned by MP Materials Corp, now refines about half of the 45,000 tonnes it produces each year on-site, rather than in China. An MP-owned facility due to open in Fort Worth within months will use these compounds to produce 1,000 tonnes per year of rare earth magnets – the first such mine-to-magnets supply chain ever built entirely in the United States. In Sumter, North Carolina, e-VAC, owned by Houston-based private equity fund Ara Partners, is building a separate plant to make another 1,600 tonnes a year of non-China magnets, with production due to start in the fall. On their own, these two factories could probably supply the US military's needs. More are under way elsewhere. The trading arm of South Korean steelmaker Posco Holdings Inc struck a deal in March to provide rare earths mined in Utah to a planned US factory making as much as 5,000 tonnes from as soon as 2026. In Estonia and Germany, European companies are looking to build another 9,000 tonnes. Most of this activity depends on manufacturers switching to clean energy, who are in turn counting on low-cost finance provided by the United States and other governments. Main customer General Motors Co is the main customer of both MP Materials and e-VAC. Arafura Rare Earths Ltd, which is developing a mine in the Australian outback, has signed agreements with wind turbine manufacturers Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA and GE Vernova Inc. Support for this was once a bipartisan matter. The initial spark was a law signed by Trump himself in 2018, ordering the military to remove all Chinese-sourced magnets from its supply chains by 2027. The United States should now be on the brink of hitting that target. There's just one snag. While Trump is pleading with Xi to give the United States access to more rare earths, his allies in Congress are doing their best to eviscerate the IRA, cancelling billions of funding for clean energy to support his tax cut plans. The outcome of that may push much of this nascent supply chain into bankruptcy, once again leaving GE and Detroit dependent on the whims of a trade official in Beijing. Myopic mismanagement It's a blatant act of economic and geopolitical self-harm to match Washington's myopic mismanagement of the country's solar sector a decade ago. By pretending a clean energy revolution isn't underway and scouring the globe for the materials it needs, Trump is ensuring that critical minerals supply chains become even more concentrated in the secure investment environment offered by China. The IRA's attempt to bring production of clean tech onshore was an insurance policy against a more chaotic and contested geopolitical environment. In smothering that industry in the cradle, Trump is ensuring that in future trade disputes with Beijing, America will find itself in the role not of equal, but supplicant. — Bloomberg David Fickling is Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering climate change and energy. The views expressed here are the writer's own.
The Journal
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Military air traffic controllers to be offered emergency bonus pay to keep them in Irish Air Corps
THE TÁNAISTE IS to bring to cabinet an emergency measure to solve the military air traffic control service crisis by offering a payment scheme to the controllers to keep them in service, The Journal has learned. As reported by this news site the Irish Air Corps has shifted to a part-time twelve hour and five-day-week due to a shortfall of qualified air traffic controllers at its Baldonnel, Co Dublin base. This is because a number of experienced operators are leaving for higher paid jobs in the private sector. The Government intervention has come just two weeks since the Taoiseach Micheál Martin , who took over as Defence minister in December 2022 from Simon Coveney, said it was a matter for the military leadership to solve. The Journal had also obtained an internal report that proved that the Government and Department of Defence had been warned about the impending crisis in 2021 but that no action was taken on a recommendation for a payment scheme to keep the controllers. It has now emerged that later today, Harris, who is Minister for Defence will seek Cabinet approval for a plan designed to retain and incentivise highly skilled specialists in the Air Corps. Under the proposals, a Service Commitment Scheme, that is currently availed of by Air Corps pilots, will be extended to Air Traffic Control personnel. Advertisement The scheme for the pilot officers kicks in if they agree to stay in service for a specific period of time – there were incremental increases in salary and a bonus payment which reached several thousand euro if they signed on for up to eight years. It was introduced at a time when the Air Corps was struggling to keep the pilots from going to better paid private sector jobs. The air traffic controllers scheme will likely follow an identical increase the longer they agree to stay in the Defence Forces. The Journal understands that the payments to the pilots would have worked out as €25,000 per year. It is not the only measure and the Tánaiste has also ordered military management and the Department of Defence to find a number of other recruitment boosting measures along with a regeneration of staffing in Baldonnel. It is understood that there were detailed negotiations between the Department of Defence and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in recent days. In those discussions it is believed the Tánaiste's team and the Department of Defence have raised the major issue of a shortage of qualified air traffic controllers across the world. This will likely form part of the argument that the Tánaiste will bring to Cabinet and explain the critical importance of a 24 hour service at Baldonnel. It's understood that the scheme being proposed by the Tánaiste, once greenlighted by Cabinet, will be brought in with immediate effect. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
09-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Simon Harris was lobbied by arms industry, FoI records show
A lobby group for some of the world's largest arms companies pushed Simon Harris to establish an arms industry strategy. Records released under Freedom of Information show that the Irish Defence and Security Association (IDSA) wrote to Department of Defence assistant secretary general Eamonn Murtagh seeking to schedule a 'quarterly meeting' in late March. The following week, the group's directors, Catriona Heinl and Pat O'Connor, wrote 'a letter of introduction' to Mr Harris, who had been appointed defence minister in January. Lobbying register disclosures show a meeting was held on April 10 at the Department of Defence with the directors of the association to 'represent IDSA member priorities such as certainty surrounding industrial participation policy and industry strategy aspects'. In the letter, the group said it had a number of priorities which it says arose in light of both Irish and European commitments to increase military spending. The introductory letter says the step-up in national and European defence expenditures, 'will prompt the call for local industrial involvement' and that it 'is critical to shape these foundations at this stage'. 'IDSA has strongly recommended the need to develop the nation's defence industry strategy and thereby determine a defined industrial participation policy in defence procurement [in compliance with national/EU regulation].' IDSA members include Lockheed Martin The lobby group, whose members include the world's largest arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, told the department it 'can provide essential input, bringing national and European industry experience to relevant consultations'. The letter to Mr Harris goes on to say that 'there is an urgent need for active coordination with relevant ministries/agencies responsible for trade and the economy' and the industry and adds that 'the Government's expected economic benefit to Ireland of these increased national defence spend ambitions does not seem to have been yet provided for'. In March, EU 27 leaders signed off on a move to loosen budget restrictions so that willing EU countries can increase their military spending. They also urged the European Commission to explore new ways 'to facilitate significant defence spending at national level in all member states'. The IDSA letter says 'clarity will be needed on how Ireland will position itself in relation to EU Defence Industrial Strategy where the implications of an evolving but fast moving EU industrial focus for Ireland does not yet seem to be determined'. Harris proposed €3bn military budget Mr Harris told the 'Irish Examiner' in February that, 'over time', Ireland should raise military spending to €3bn a year, the highest level set out by the Commission on the Defence Forces 2022 report. That envisages 12 naval vessels, a squadron of combat aircraft, and the army ranger wing having 'an organic self-sustainment capability which would include dedicated combat helicopter assets'. Mr Harris said then: 'The programme for government talks about reaching what they call level of ambition two by 2028 and that basically gets to the €1.5bn. 'But I think we are going to have to go further than that in time. And the programme for Government does talk about moving towards level of ambition three. What I'm saying to the Irish people is €1.5bn should be seen as the floor and certainly not the ceiling in terms of where defence expenditure needs to get to.
