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The National
13 minutes ago
- Politics
- The National
Casual threats of annihilation from Trump are not reality TV stunts
The spectacle is as grotesque as it is predictable. Here we have a man whose entire career is built on graft and bluster, a conman who has spent decades swindling contractors, stiffing workers, and peddling conspiracy theories, now playing at empire with the lives of millions. READ MORE: Donald Trump on whether US will strike Iran: 'I may do it' His rhetoric – equal parts mob boss and megalomaniac –would be laughable if it weren't so dangerous. When he boasts of 'complete and total control of the skies over Iran' and casually threatens to assassinate the country's supreme leader, one half-expects him to segue into a plug for Trump Steaks or a rant about 'fake news.' But this is no reality TV stunt. The consequences of Trump's bloodlust are horrifyingly real. The US military, that vast engine of imperial violence, is surging bombers, warships, and God knows what else into the region, while Trump all but dares Tehran to retaliate so he can justify an even greater bloodbath. His demand that Tehran's citizens 'evacuate' carries the unmistakable whiff of nuclear menace – a threat as reckless as it is depraved. READ MORE: Angela Rayner does not rule out following US into war with Iran Of course, the usual suspects are lining up to cheer this madness. The G7, that club of imperialist powers, has dutifully parroted the lie that Iran – not the nuclear-armed Israel, not the US with its endless regime-change wars – is the 'principal source of regional instability'. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, ever eager to prove its bipartisan commitment to militarism, has offered its full-throated support. Adam Schiff, that perennial windbag of the liberal establishment, has already greenlit further aggression, proving once again that when it comes to war, there is no opposition party in America. The truth is, this war is not about nukes, or terrorism, or any of the other threadbare pretexts trotted out by Washington. It is about oil, about empire, about the desperate flailing of a capitalist system in terminal decay. Trump, that bloated avatar of American decline, is hurtling toward catastrophe because he – like the oligarchs he serves – has no other cards left to play. Alan Hinnrichs Dundee IRAN doesn't want nukes to destroy Israel, it wants nukes to deter the West from doing to Iran what it has done to the rest of the Middle East. Who can blame Iran? Iran is one of the world's oldest countries, and whether they have proxies in other countries or do bad things to their people, the fact is that Iran has had one war in the last 200 years and it was started by Saddam's Iraq. Google how many wars the USA has had in its 320 or so years, then google how many military bases the USA has around the planet. READ MORE: Kelly Given: Israel's aggression makes mockery of self defence claims The fact is, it's the West that is the warmongering terrorist. Israel attacks Iran out of hate, the USA helps due to its liking for other countries' oil. The UK tags along trying to look like a continent, but like Trump, ends up looking incontinent. Scotland AND England need independence from these warmongering British nationalists who keep power and who have sold their souls to the donor at the expense of the voter. They can't feed or heat pensioners, who already have the worst pensions in the developed world, but here we are fighting two proxy wars against Russia and Iran. British nationalism and its unaffordable world stage must go. The UK must return to being independent countries. The days of England's huge Westminster majority controlling everything must be brought to an end. British nationalism is a disease, and there is a cure. Independence. Bill Robertson via email THE US-Israel war against Iran (Trump using 'we' on Tuesday confirms this) is reminiscent of the Iraq war, where the smokescreen of imaginary weapons of mass destruction was really about regime change. Deja vu! Trump and his administration lack the diplomatic nous to prevent wars and genocide. Trump declared there would have been no Ukraine invasion if he had been in power, bravado chest-beating but he has failed to stop it or reign in Israel's war in Iran and genocide in Palestine, so it is unlikely he would have stopped the Ukraine war – not until his good friend Putin had achieved his objectives, just like now. A Wilson Stirlingshire I AM writing in response to Peter Thomson's letter in Wednesday's National. I made no comment on Peter's letter of the 16th in my letter, my comments referred to Leah Gunn Barrett's from the 16th. Norman Robertson via email
India.com
31 minutes ago
- Business
- India.com
G7 Gaffe: British PM Keir Starmers Awkward Mix-Up With Interpreter Goes Viral
A funny but embarrassing situation played out at the G7 Summit in Canada when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accidentally greeted South Korea's newly elected President Lee Jae-myung's interpreter as the president. This was a formal meeting arrangement on Wednesday. When Starmer walked up, he shook hands with the front man, realising immediately it was President Lee's translator. He warmly welcomed the actual president standing next to him. The confusion took only seconds but captured the media's attention at the high-profile G7 meeting. Downing Street, though, waved reports of the "handshake faux pas" as hyperbole. Keir Starmer mistakenly shakes hands with a Korean interpreter instead of the President of South Korea (2025) — insane moments in british politics (@PoliticsMoments) June 18, 2025 UK-South Korea Relations Reinforced Though there was a momentary confusion, both the leaders reasserted their intention to deepen UK-South Korea ties. Starmer said, "We share a robust partnership with South Korea, and we aim to take it further." He pointed to proposals to further defense cooperation and push trade deals. President Lee also concurred with the necessity of upgrading the bilateral trade agreement. The meeting was a part of the G7 outreach program, to which South Korea had been a special guest. Another Trump Gaffe Moment The handshake blunder was not the only awkward moment Starmer faced during the summit. A day before, when he had a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump, Starmer was forced to retrieve papers that had dropped from Trump's desk. Justifying his action, Starmer said, "With Trump's close security, it was simpler for me to take them myself." In another blunder, Trump inadvertently stated America had reached a trade agreement with the EU when he referred to the UK. Asked if Trump's health was the issue, Starmer refused to say anything. They have provided a tongue-in-cheek, but slightly embarrassing, aside to the G7 Summit, where world leaders are wrestling with serious international challenges.
South China Morning Post
33 minutes ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Prabowo's visit to Russia underscores Indonesia's non-aligned foreign policy
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto 's visit to Russia this week is seen as a pragmatic step towards advancing ties between the two Brics members while maintaining Jakarta's non-aligned foreign policy. Officially part of the 75th anniversary of Indonesia Russia diplomatic ties, Prabowo's three-day visit will include a keynote address by him at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday, following an invitation by his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin Indonesia's foreign ministry said both countries would be holding discussions on transport, shipbuilding, technology and regional cooperation. Prabowo has declined an invitation to attend this week's G7 summit in Canada, citing prior commitments in Singapore and Russia. Although Indonesia is not a G7 member, Prabowo has been invited as a guest of the host government. His schedule reflects Jakarta's strategic calculus rather than a diplomatic snub at Ottawa, according to analysts. 'Prabowo believes there is more to gain from going to Moscow than to Canada,' said Yohanes Sulaiman, an associate professor of international relations at General Achmad Yani University. He was less inclined to want to be involved in the G7 summit, given that its agenda was dominated by tensions over Israel's attack on Iran, Yohanes added.
UPI
35 minutes ago
- Politics
- UPI
Rubio, Britain's Lammy meet on Iranian nuclear capabilities
June 19 (UPI) -- Secretary of State Marco Rubio and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Thursday discussed the conflict between Israel and Iran and agreed that Iran should never possess a nuclear weapon, the State Department said. The meeting in Washington, D.C., comes amid speculation that President Donald Trump will join Israel in its ongoing strikes against Iran. "I may do it. I may not do it," Trump told a group of reporters after returning to the White House following a G7 summit in Canada. "I mean nobody knows what I'm going to do." Israel and Iran have been in a proxy war for years, though it exploded into the open following Tehran-backed Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Last week, the fighting intensified with Israel launching a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, crippling the infrastructure and killing several top Iran military personnel and nuclear scientists. Iran -- which does not have a nuclear weapon and states its nuclear program is peaceful -- has responded with strikes of its on. Washington-based Human Rights Activists has said that at least 639 people have died in the Israeli strikes on Iran, 263 of them civilians. Israel warned Thursday that it was targeting the area near the Arak heavy water reactor, about 155 miles west of Tehran. Israeli officials warned people on X to evacuate the area. Rubio and Lammy also discussed other issues, including ways to cooperate on ending the current three-year war between Ukraine and Russia. The pair also talked about an upcoming NATO summit and reaffirmed the importance of increased defense spending to secure peace and stability.
CNN
an hour ago
- Politics
- CNN
Photos this week: June 12-19, 2025
Protesters spell out 'No King!' at San Francisco's Ocean Beach on Saturday, June 14. More than 2,000 protests took place across all 50 states through the No Kings movement, which organizers say seeks to reject 'authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy.' The mobilization was a direct response to Saturday's military parade in Washington, DC, that celebrated the 250th anniversary of the US Army and coincided with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupts in south-central Indonesia on Tuesday, June 17. The enormous ash cloud, more than 6 miles into the sky, disrupted or canceled dozens of flights to and from the tourist island of Bali. STR/AFP/Getty Images This aerial photo, taken on Saturday, June 14, shows sheep being relocated to higher grazing pastures near Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France. Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images People attend the funeral of four members of the Khatib family, who were killed in an Iranian missile strike in Tamra, Israel, on Tuesday, June 17. Tamra, a small, tight-knit town in northern Israel, is inhabited by Palestinian citizens of Israel. Mahmoud Illean/AP Pervez, 5, swims with buffaloes cooling off in the Upper Chenab Canal during a heat wave in Gujranwala, Pakistan, on Sunday, June 15. Adrees Latif/Reuters World leaders pose for a group portrait at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on Monday, June 16. From left are European Council President António Costa, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Redux Thousands of firearms and small weapons, recovered during various security operations, are burned at the National Police Leadership Academy in the Ngong district near Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday, June 13. Thomas Mukoya/Reuters J.J. Spaun celebrates with his caddie, Mark Carens, after sinking a long putt to win the US Open in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 15. It is the first major title of his 11, washes her face on the banks of the Chenab River in Chiniot, Pakistan, on Tuesday, June 17. Adrees Latif/Reuters US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump stand together at the end of a parade in Washington, DC, marking the 250th anniversary of the US Army on Saturday, June 14. The president, who also turned 79 on Saturday, had long pushed for the military parade, which was the largest that the nation's capital had seen in men in Tehran, Iran, debate the Iran-Israel conflict on Tuesday, June 17, while smoke rises in the background from a burning oil refinery that was struck by Israel. Farhad Babaei/laif/Redux
