Latest news with #IranNuclearDeal
Times of Oman
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Oman continues diplomatic push for peaceful resolution in region
Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman continues its intensive diplomatic efforts to encourage the international community to adopt all peaceful means to halt the Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Oman views the escalation as a blatant violation of international, humanitarian, and moral law, and a serious obstruction to dialogue and negotiation efforts aimed at securing a fair U.S.–Iran agreement to prevent nuclear proliferation. In this context, Oman, alongside the Arab Republic of Egypt and several Arab and Islamic countries, issued a joint statement condemning Israeli attacks since June 13, 2025. The statement affirmed their rejection of military escalation, called for respect for state sovereignty, and urged the peaceful resolution of conflicts. The statement also expressed deep concern over the consequences of continued escalation, calling for an end to hostilities, the removal of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction from the region, and emphasised the need to protect nuclear facilities and resume negotiations as the only viable path to resolving the crisis while upholding the freedom of international navigation.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump: I'll give Iran last chance to make a deal before we strike
Donald Trump offered Iran the chance to make a deal to end its nuclear programme, saying he would delay his final decision on launching strikes for up to two weeks. The US president appeared to soften his position after reports he was considering ordering an attack as early as this weekend. On a dramatic day at the White House, he huddled with advisers in the situation room and officials briefed that American bombers could be in the air within 48 Karoline Leavitt, Mr Trump's press secretary, took to the podium in the White House briefing room, she told reporters that the president was intent on pursuing a deal to end Iran's nuclear programme.'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' Ms Leavitt said, quoting the president's own words. It came as Britain and European allies were pushing for de-escalation ahead of crisis talks with Iran in Geneva on Friday. Britain and Europe have warned Mr Trump that any US attack on Iran risked endangering Westerners being held by the Islamic Republic. Diplomatic sources also told The Telegraph that Washington had also been told that military intervention could trigger a wave of terror attacks by sleeper cells across Europe. A White House source said late on Thursday that Mr Trump had reviewed plans to strike Iran's nuclear facilities but had yet to give the go-ahead. Ms Leavitt said Mr Trump would see allies next week at the Nato summit in the Hague, but pushed back on the idea that he had been talked out of ordering action in Iran.'The president hears all voices across the country, and he makes decisions based on his instincts, and he has always said diplomacy is his first option,' she said. On Thursday, Israel struck nuclear targets in Iran while Tehran launched missiles and drones in the opposite direction. It hit an Israeli hospital, in the southern city of Beersheba, wounding 80 people, overnight. Neither side appeared to be pursuing an exit strategy after a week of Israeli Defence Forces said its fighter jets struck dozens of sites in Iran, including the heavy water reactor at Arak. Iran fired several barrages through the day, and Israel's health ministry said almost 300 people had been wounded. Israel said Iran had dropped cluster munitions, and said it would intensify strikes targeting the 'tyrant in Tehran'.Israeli officials told The Times of Israel that they were still confident that the US would join strikes.'The expectation is that they join, but no one is pushing them,' said an official. 'They have to make their own decision.'The president's press secretary did not confirm that his special envoy was in touch with Iranian officials, but she did say that 'correspondence has continued.' Mr Trump raced home early from the G7 summit in Canada on Monday night, triggering feverish speculation that he was about to launch then, he has met three times with his National Security Council in the situation room as he reviewed options to strike at Iran. Israel lacks the bunker-busting weapons needed to destroy Iran's Fordow facility, which is buried deep beneath a mountain, and has asked for US Wednesday, the US president had said 'I may do it, I may not do it' when asked about military also described Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, as an 'easy target.'The two-week pause could reduce the temperature and create conditions for talks but it still leaves the Middle East balanced on a knife edge. The apparent delay comes as the president faced significant political blowback at supporters such as Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, and Steve Bannon, the president's former chief strategist, had both warned against wading into a foreign war. David Lammy, the British foreign secretary, met Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, at the White House on Thursday before flying to Geneva for talks on Lammy will be joined by Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, for what could emerge as showdown negotiations to avoid an all-out war in the Middle East. Under discussion is thought to be a possible 'off-ramp' for Iran to save its regime by giving up or offering guarantees over its nuclear the conflict between Israel and Iran continued to escalate on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer called for 'cool heads and a return to diplomacy'. The Prime Minister's spokesman added: 'We would not want to see anything that ramps up the situation.'Two British nationals, a man and a woman, were arrested in Iran in February and accused of security-related offences. In recent years, at least 15 people with links to the UK have been arrested in the country and accused of espionage offences. We're pausing our live coverage of the Israel-Iran conflict. Here are today's top stories: Donald Trump has offered Iran the chance to make a deal to end its nuclear programme The US president said he would delay his final decision on launching strikes for up to two weeks Sir Keir Starmer urged Mr Trump to keep a 'cool head' as the US considers entering the war Israel struck nuclear targets in Iran after Tehran hit an Israeli hospital in Beersheba, wounding 80 people Read more: Britain tells Trump: Bomb Iran and you put Westerners at risk David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said he believed that there is still time to reach a diplomatic solution with Iran over its nuclear program, to avert a wider conflict. Mr Lammy was speaking in Washington after talks at the White House with Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State. 'The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon,' Mr Lammy said in a statement released by the UK embassy in Washington. 'We discussed how Iran must make a deal to avoid a deepening conflict. 'A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution.' Mr Lammy's remarks come after Donald Trump said he would wait up to two weeks for Iran to strike a nuclear deal before he decided whether the US would strike Iran. On Friday, he will travel to Geneva for talks with Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister and European allies. Israel claims Iran fired at least one missile that scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties. It is the first reported use of cluster munitions in the seven-day-old war. 'The terror regime seeks to harm civilians and even used weapons with wide dispersal in order to maximise the scope of the damage,' Israel's military spokesperson, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, told a briefing. Israeli military officials provided no further details. Israeli news reports quoted the Israeli military as saying the missile's warhead split open at an altitude of about 4 miles (7 km) and released around 20 submunitions in a radius of around 5 miles (8 km) over central Israel. One of the small munitions struck a home in the central Israeli town of Azor, causing some damage, the Times of Israel reported. There were no reports of casualties from the bomb. Cluster bombs are controversial because they indiscriminately scatter submunitions, some of which can fail to explode and kill or injure long after a conflict ends. Iran's mission to the United Nations and Israel's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Israel has warned residents of a village in northern Iran to evacuate as it prepares strikes on nearby 'military infrastructure'. 'Urgent warning to all people located in the red area of the map in Sefidrood Industrial Park within the village of Kalash Taleshan,' the IDF wrote in Persian language, in a social media post. 'The Israeli army, just as it has been attacking the Iranian regime's military infrastructure throughout Iran in recent days, will soon be operating in this area. 'Dear citizens, for your safety and health, we ask that you leave the designated area on the map as soon as possible. Your presence in this area puts your life at risk.' Canberra has suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran due to the deteriorating security environment in Iran and has directed the departure of all Australian officials, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has confirmed. Australia's ambassador to Iran will remain in the region to support the government's response to the crisis, Ms Wong said. 'We are continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran, and we remain in close contact with other partner countries,' she said in a statement. Officials in Canberra said about 2,700 Australians had been trying to evacuate Iran and Israel in recent days. Israeli authorities have confirmed that at least 240 people were wounded during the attacks near Tel Aviv and on Soroka Medical Centre in southern Israel. The victims included 80 patients and medical workers from the hospital, most of whom received minor injuries. The majority of the 700 patients being treated at the site had been evacuated prior to the missile strike, Associated Press reported. Many hospitals in Israel, including Soroka, had activated emergency plans in the past week. They converted parking garages to wards and transferred vulnerable patients underground. Doctors at Soroka said that the Iranian missile struck almost immediately after air raid sirens went off, causing a loud explosion that could be heard from a safe room. The strike inflicted the greatest damage on an old surgery building and affected key infrastructure, including gas, water and air-conditioning systems, hospital staff said. The body of a Ukrainian mother who had travelled to Israel for her daughter's leukaemia treatment has been recovered from a building struck by an Iranian missile. Officials in the city of Bat Yam, close to Tel Aviv, announced that 'in the past few minutes, a body was found at the site of the missile impact'. They identified the victim as 31-year-old Maria Peshkarova. Israeli authorities had previously released the names of eight people killed in the strike and had stated that one person was missing. Mrs Peshkarova had travelled from Ukraine to Israel in December 2022 on a medical visa to seek life-saving treatment for her daughter Anastasia, 8, who was killed along with her grandmother in the destroyed apartment bloc in Bat Yam. Her husband is fighting in Ukraine's war against Russia, according to the Israeli news website Ynet. Britain and Europe have warned Donald Trump that any US attack on Iran risks endangering Westerners being held by the Islamic Republic. Diplomatic sources told The Telegraph that Washington had also been told that military intervention could trigger a wave of terror attacks by sleeper cells across Europe. It comes as part of an effort by Britain, France and Germany to broker a diplomatic end to Israel's war with Iran. Mr Trump has approved plans for a US strike on Iran, but has not yet given a final order. European foreign ministers will meet their Iranian counterpart for talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday. As the conflict between Israel and Iran continued to escalate on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer called for 'cool heads and a return to diplomacy'. The Prime Minister's spokesman added: 'We would not want to see anything that ramps up the situation.' Donald Trump heeded warnings from his Maga base to delay striking Iran, the White House suggested. Responding to a question from The Telegraph's Rob Crilly on whether the two week delay is a result of interventions from Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene or requests from Europe, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that a wide range of opinions had been consulted. 'The President hears all voices across the country, and he makes decisions based on his instincts, and he has always said diplomacy is his first option,' she told The Telegraph. She also confirmed that the president will be attending next week's Nato summit at the Hague, departing from Washington on Monday. Israel has ordered its military to intensify its strikes on Tehran, in retaliation for Iran's latest missile barrage. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, said Tehran's 'tyrants' would pay the 'full price' for bombing civilians, adding that the result of the conflict could be the downfall of the regime. Iranian missiles carrying large warheads hit residential buildings near Tel Aviv, and Soroka hospital in southern Israel, causing extensive damage and injuring more than 200 across the country this morning. Israel Katz, Israel's defence minister, said the army would escalate its attacks 'against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran' in order to destabilise the 'Ayatollah regime'. He added that Iran's supreme leader 'can no longer be allowed to exist'. Mr Netanyahu has also refused to rule out a strike on Ali Khamenei. The US has twice vetoed Israeli plans to take out the Iranian leader, according to reports. It is still unclear if Donald Trump intends to join Israel's war against Iran, however sources told Bloomberg that US officials are preparing for the possibility in coming days. The White House has declined to rule out whether the US will help to orchestrate regime change in Iran. Asked if the possibility of the US becoming involved in regime change is on the table, Karoline Leavitt told a press briefing: 'The President's top priority right now is ensuring that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and providing peace and stability in the Middle East.' The prospect of the US directly attempting to topple Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could potentially lead to an even more hardline figure replacing him. Plans to do so have sparked a rift among Mr Trump's Maga base, for whom the legacy of the US attempting regime change in Afghanistan and Iraq remains an open wound. The White House has urged people to 'trust in president Trump' when it comes to dealing with Iran. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said: 'Trust in president Trump. President Trump has incredible instincts, and president Trump kept America and the world safe in his first term as President, in implementing a 'peace through strength' foreign policy agenda.' Her comments came in response to a question about the president's message to voters, given he campaigned on a ticket to be a 'peacemaker' and not involve America in further wars in the Middle East. Casting Mr Trump's approach as part of his America First agenda, Ms Leavitt added: 'Nobody should be surprised by the President's position that Iran absolutely cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. He's been unequivocally clear about this for decades, not just as president, not just as a presidential candidate, but also as a private citizen.' Donald Trump will decide on whether to strike Iran in the next two weeks, Karoline Leeavitt has just told a White House press briefing. Reciting a message from the president, she said: 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go in the next two weeks.' 'Shots fired!' shouted Gen Michael Kurilla moments before charging towards the sound of gunfire to save two junior officers. Weaving through the rubble-strewn alleyways of war-torn Mosul, Iraq, the then-lieutenant colonel was pursuing a group of terrorist suspects when three more shots rang out. Taking bullets to the arm and both legs, one snapping his femur in half, he 'performed a judo roll' and carried on firing his rifle, witnesses say. As the gunfire continued, he covered his troops and reeled off orders while bleeding on the concrete floor. Nearly 20 years later, Gen Kurilla, who was awarded a Bronze Star for valour and now heads the US military Central Command (Centcom), is once again leading the fight in the Middle East – this time against Iran. Known to be Israel's favourite general and nicknamed 'The Gorilla', Gen Kurilla is understood to have been given unusual levels of authority by Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, to determine the American response to the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Sir Keir Starmer has called for 'cool heads' after Donald Trump signed off on plans to bomb Iran. The Prime Minister's spokesman urged all parties to 'de-escalate'. It comes as Britain is prepared to enter crisis talks in Geneva with Iran. 'The continuation of the current situation is in no one's interest. We want to see cool heads and a return to diplomacy because that is the best route forward,' the spokesman said. The conflict between Israel and Iran continued to escalate on Thursday after Tehran launched a barrage of missiles against civilian targets, including a hospital. Israel vowed revenge and said Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, could 'no longer be allowed to exist'. Mr Trump approved plans for an attack on Iran but is believed to be waiting to see if a deal can be reached to end its nuclear weapons programme. Number 10 refused to say whether it would approve the use of its Diego Garcia base on the Chagos Islands for the US to launch a strike against Iran. It comes after Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, warned the Prime Minister that UK involvement in a US attack on Iran could be illegal. Benjamin Netanyahu has just said that he welcomed 'all help' with destroying Iran's nuclear sites, nearly a week into major Israeli air raids on the Islamic republic. Israel is 'capable of striking all of Iran's nuclear facilities' but 'all help is welcome', Mr Netanyahu told public broadcaster Kan. He added that Donald Trump 'will do what is good for for the United States, and I will do what is good for the State of Israel'. Israel's tourism ministry said it had registered 22,000 tourists trying to leave the country. Its airspace has been closed since the fighting started last Friday, except for special flights bringing home Israelis stranded abroad. Out of the some 40,000 tourists visiting Israel last week, roughly 32,000 remain, the ministry added, saying that some had left Israel via its land crossings with Jordan and Egypt. Satellite footage has confirmed the damage to Iran's Arak heavy water reactor after Israel bombed it early this morning. Israel's military said its fighter jets targeted its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium, which can be used to make an atomic bomb. 'The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,' a statement said. Iran still has the naval assets and other capabilities needed to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, according to US officials. Senior military officials have warned the White House to prepare for such an event after Iran threatened to mine the strait if the US joined Israel's attacks, The New York Times reports. As Donald Trump mulls his next move, Pentagon officials are said to be considering all of the ways Iran could retaliate. The 90-mile waterway is a key shipping route that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is used to transport a quarter of the world's oil. Its closure could also trap US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf. The direct-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has condemned attacks on health facilities in both Israel and Iran. 'The reports on the attacks on health so far are appalling,' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus writes in a post on X. Citing this morning's attacks on the Soroka hospital in Israel and the reported deaths of Iranian Red Crescent health workers in Tehran, he said: 'We call on all parties to protect health facilities, health personnel and patients at all times. The best medicine is peace.' Talks between Iran, the UK, France, Germany and European Union in Switzerland tomorrow are happening in consultation with the Trump administration, according to a Western diplomat The official described the talks to CNN as exploratory - to 'feel the room' about what could be achieved. After meeting with the European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain plan to hold joint nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva, sources have said. Iran's mission to the UN said that the country 'categorically rejects' Israel's 'false claim' that it targeted the Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, souther Israel, this morning. It called Iran's strikes 'precise' and claimed they only target 'facilities directly involved in and supporting' Israel's attacks on Iran. Earlier, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said that a 'blast wave' of Iran targeting an Israeli military base had caused 'superficial' damage to the hospital. However, Israel said Tehran deliberately targeted the medical centre, calling it a 'war crime'. Israel's military said alerts have been activated in the country's north, warning of a fresh missile barrage launched by Iran. 'At this time, the Air Force is working to intercept and attack wherever necessary to eliminate the threat,' the IDF said. Donald Trump has said the Wall Street Journal has 'no idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran' after the newspaper suggested he had approved military plans to strike the country's nuclear programme. The US president gave private instructions to military chiefs in the situation room inside the White House on Wednesday, sources told the newspaper. He later told reporters: ' I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final [call]. 'I like to make a final decision one second before it's due, you know? Because things change, especially with war. It can go from one extreme to the other.' Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to rule out killing Iran's supreme leader. Asked if he would sanction a strike on Ali Khamenei, the Israeli prime minister said: 'No one is immune. All options are on the table. 'It's best not to speak about this in the press.' It comes after the defence minister, Israel Katz, said Khamenei should 'not be allowed to exist' and said killing him was an IDF war aim. The US has twice vetoed Israeli plans to take out the Iranian leader, according to reports. Donald Trump said earlier this week that the US knew where he was hiding but said he would not be targeted - 'for now'. Iran 'strung' Donald Trump along during negotiations over the future of its nuclear programme, Benjamin Netanyahu has said. Speaking outside the hospital struck by an Iranian missile, the Israeli prime minister refused to say whether the US would join Israel's military campaign but lavished praise on the US president. 'President Trump will do what's best for America,' he told reporters. 'I trust his judgement, he is a tremendous friend, a tremendous world leader, a tremendous friend of Israel and the Jewish people. 'And we will do what we have to do, and we are doing it.' Mr Netanyahu went on to say that Iran could not be allowed to enrich uranium, a process which leads to the development of nuclear weapons. 'He gave them the chance to do it through negotiations, they strung them along,' Mr Netanyahy said. 'You don't string along Donald Trump, you know, he knows the game, and I think that we're both committed to making sure that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon and they won't.' Another morning, another scene of devastation. Israel had gone nearly two days without a direct hit from an Iranian ballistic missile. But this morning, as people were beginning to return to work, another barrage came in from the Islamic Republic. I was actually caught out in the open during the barrage and I could see Israel's missile defence system working hard to intercept them. But they didn't manage to get all of them. The UK Government is pressing to get the airspace over Israel reopened in the next 24 hours to help British citizens there who want to leave to fly home. The Foreign Office has been urging Britons to register their presence in the country via what they call a 'portal' but are yet to formally recommend they leave. Intense contingency planning is understood to be going on in the Foreign Office about how to bring Britons back if Israel's conflict with Iran intensifies over the coming days. One current focus is to try to get Israeli airspace open for some period of time so that commercial planes can restart flights. That would allow those Britons who wanted to leave to do so without the need for more direct intervention from the UK Government, such as the organising of military planes or ships to extract people. The formal Foreign Office advice continues to be that people should not travel to Israel. Whether the advice for people already there changes likely depends on how the conflict morphs over the coming days. Israel said it had carried out an attack on an Iranian nuclear reactor in the central city of Arak this morning. Iran's heavy water nuclear reactor was 'inactive' but had been designed to eventually produce high-yield plutonium, which can be used to produce nuclear weapons. The IDF said it had also struck two other sites linked to Iran's nuclear programme in Isfahan and Natanz overnight. At least 40 fighter jets took part in Israel's latest round of strikes, which also targeted ballistic missile and defence system production sites. Credit: IDF Israeli officials fear they are burning through missile interceptors as it continues to face missile barrages from Iran. Israel has already conserved its use of interceptors, giving priority to densely populated areas and strategic infrastructure, officials told the New York Times. One former official told the newspaper that Israel should declare victory and end the war before it is faced with difficult choices about which areas to protect. 'Now that Israel has succeeded in striking most of its nuclear targets in Iran, Israel has a window of two or three days to declare the victory and end the war,' said Zohar Palti, a former senior officer in the Mossad, Israel's spy agency. Iran is also facing its own shortage. According to Israeli estimates, Tehran has fired between one third and half of its 2,000-strong missile stockpile. As a result, Tehran has been forced to start firing missiles from central Iran, rather than in the West, which take longer to reach their targets. Israel also believes it has destroyed enough Iranian launchers to limit the number of missiles Iran can fire in a single attack. The Iranian missile strike on the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern city of Beersheba has dealt a further blow to already remote chances of a negotiated solution. It is the first time Iran has struck an Israeli hospital since the war began nearly a week ago. Tehran insists the facility was not deliberately targeted and claims it was aiming at two adjacent military sites. It is possible that the hospital was collateral damage, but Iran's explanation is difficult to square with facts on the ground. Had most patients and staff not already been evacuated as a precaution, the casualty toll would almost certainly have been far higher. Little wonder, then, that Israel is using the attack as justification to threaten even more intense retaliation against 'strategic targets' in Iran. The Israeli defence minister also responded to the attack by saying Iran's leader 'can no longer be allowed to exist'. Iran, for its part, is matching Israel's bellicose rhetoric. Its deputy foreign minister, in remarks clearly aimed at the US, vowed to 'teach aggressors a lesson', while supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has again ruled out negotiating with Washington. Tehran has also ridiculed Mr Trump's claim that Iranian officials had offered to come to the White House for talks, a step he called 'courageous'. Mr Trump's claim may be exaggerated – but is not necessarily far from the truth. On the back foot militarily, Iran has reportedly indicated through back channels that it remains open to dialogue with the US, whatever Khamenei says in public. Still, with this morning's strikes marking a grave new turn in the conflict, the chances of a negotiated settlement look more distant than ever. Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if Israel continues its military campaign or if the US joins the war. A member of Iran's national security board said Tehran had 'numerous options to respond to the enemies', which included closing the economically important waterway. 'The enemies of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran should know that if there is a threat against our homeland and people, they will certainly face a crushing response,' the official said. Such a move could temporarily restrict US warship's ability to exit the Persian Gulf and lead to the disruption of global oil supply, causing a sharp spike in prices. Lord Hermer's warning that UK involvement in a US attack on Iran could be illegal 'is not in this country's interest', a Labour MP has said. Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, is understood to have raised concerns that assisting the US in attacking Iran would be against international law. The Spectator reported on Wednesday that he had suggested Britain limited its military response to protecting Israel. Graham Stringer, the Labour MP for Blackley and Middleton South, told The Telegraph: 'I think Hermer has shown that his legal advice is often flawed, and he seems to delight in giving advice which is not in this country's interest. 'It is clear that when a country like Iran has an explicit policy of genocide against Jews that under the international conventions there is an obligation on countries to stop the genocide before it happens. 'He should never have been appointed. The Prime Minister made a fundamental error in appointing him.' The UK has faced calls to publish legal advice on whether it would be lawful to assist Israel in attacking Iran. Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: 'The Government needs to publish any legal advice received around involvement in the conflict with Iran. 'The last thing we need is for the UK to be dragged into another illegal war in the Middle East by the US.' Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping condemned Israel's strikes on Iran in a phone call which was held today, the Kremlin has said. Both men strongly condemned 'Israeli actions which violated the UN Charter and other norms of international law,' a Kremlin aide told reporters. He said there was a consensus that Israeli and Western concerns about Iran's nuclear programme could not be solved militarily and that only diplomacy could succeed. Xi, the Chinese president, also told Putin that he was in favour on Russian mediation efforts on Iran. Israel's defence minister has said Iran's supreme leader 'can no longer be allowed to exist' after Iran's strike on an Israeli hospital. 'Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed - he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals,' Israel Katz told journalists in Holon near Tel Aviv, which was struck by Iranian missiles this morning. 'He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal. 'Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist.' He added that the IDF had been 'instructed' and knows that 'in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist'. The Telegraph has been able to verify footage that captures the moment an Iranian missile struck an Israeli hospital this morning. Dozens of people were injured in the attack, which occurred at around 7am local time (5am in the UK). Credit: Social Media China has evacuated more than 1,600 citizens from Iran and hundreds more from Israel, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said this morning. Evacuation efforts are ongoing and China has maintained communication with Iran, Israel, Egypt and Oman, spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters. Mr Guo added that China had urged all parties - especially Israel - to immediately stop striking Iran. The number of people injured in Iran's missile attacks has risen to 129, according to Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service. The Iranian missile that slammed into a densely packed area of housing in Holon just south of Tel Aviv just after 7am this morning injured dozens and left four seriously wounded. The devastation was immense and it was a miracle no one was killed. If you had to guess where pictures of the site came from, many would say Gaza. The missile hit one ageing five storey block directly, completely demolishing it and leaving the four immediately adjacent buildings without windows and structurally unstable. A surrounding 12 floor high rise had its cladding and glass stripped away from to bottom on two sides, and even 400 meters away on surrounding streets the blast had blown out doors and windows. The local synagogue was badly damaged and a school and three local kindergartens were strewn with rubble. Gill Vaknin, 57, said he had just got into his building's shared bomb shelter when the missile hit. There was no 'whoosh' of warning, just an 'incredibly loud and powerful blast'. 'It's hard to describe,' he said, 'the whole building shook. If we were not in the shelter I would not be talking to you now'. The strike on was one of three that got through in a 20 missile barrage that arrived early Thursday, just as lockdown regulations had been relaxed to allow most businesses to reopen. The roads were much busier ahead of the strike but are noticeably quieter again now. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has announced its first combat use of the Sejjil missile, the longest range missile in its arsenal, with a range of 2,000 kilometers. The IRGC is also echoing Israel's language about gaining supremacy in the skies, claiming it has 'shattered the Zionist army's air defence systems' and warning that the 'gates of hell' would soon open on Israel. All this – the missiles and the messaging – is directed at wearing down the Israeli military and its public as war rages on. Prior to the launch of the Sejjil, experts had believed that Iran had used missiles with a maximum range 1,750 kilometers in its attacks against Israel last October. Attack drones, too, have been used. It's unclear how much remains in Iran's war chest; in 2022, the US estimated about 3,000 missiles, though more recent Israeli assessments put it closer to 2,000. Now that war has begun, and Iran is firing missiles from its stock, those figures will be dwindling, especially as experts note that production capacity – assessed by the US to be about 50 missiles per month – would not be enough to sustain the regime's current rate of fire. 'Iran will, therefore, need to carefully calibrate its use of a limited missile arsenal for the duration and intensity of the conflict,' said Fabian Hinz, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Israel, too, is thought to be running low on US-supplied Arrow interceptors, which are used to shoot down ballistic missiles fired from Iran. Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by Lord Hermer that UK involvement in a US attack on Iran could be illegal. Advice ascribed to the Attorney General is understood to have said that Britain must limit its involvement to protecting its allies from attack. On Wednesday afternoon, Sir Keir held a meeting of the Cobra crisis committee at which options for joining a US-led strike were discussed, with Donald Trump suggesting he was poised to enter Israel's war. Britain's capabilities extend from offering air and maritime logistics support in the Gulf to shooting down attack drones targeting Israel or even firing submarine-launched missiles at Iran itself. The missile landed in Ramat Gan, just east of Tel Aviv, shortly after 7am, obliterating a kindergarten, according to witnesses, and devastating a high-rise apartment block next door. The barrage hit Israel just as people were venturing out to go to work for the first time in a week, after restrictions were lifted thanks, in part, to the army's success in intercepting them. Mercifully, restrictions on education had not yet been lifted. Iran's first direct hit for nearly 48 hours, the missile has not left an intact window for hundreds of metres in each direction. Even an hour after the blast, as emergency workers scoured the damaged high-rise for casualties, whole panes were still occasionally falling out onto the pavement below - a grave risk to the emergency workers going about their mission. Einav Chicurel, was sheltering with her two rescue dogs, Chloe and Eva, in the safe room when the ballistic hit. 'When the bang happened the shelter immediately filled with dust. 'I'm not in the government, so I can't answer whether it's worth it. But it must be good to give the Iranian people a chance of freedom.' Although, miraculously, it appears no one was severely injured in this direct hit, the minutes after the strike were ones of fear and confusion for the residents, with news breaking out on the building WhatsApp group of a fire spreading in the upper floors. People did not know whether to stay put and wait for the all-clear, or flee for their lives. Russia has again warned the US against getting involved in Israel's military campaign against Iran. The Kremlin said this morning that doing so would lead to 'another terrible spiral of escalation'. It comes after Donald Trump approved plans to attack Iran, though he is yet to give the final order. Vladimir Putin reportedly offered to mediate talks between Israel and Iran in a phone call with Mr Trump, according to the US president. Mr Trump claimed he responded by telling Putin: 'I spoke to him yesterday, and, you know, he actually offered to help mediate. I said, do me a favour. Mediate your own. Let's mediate Russia first, okay? I said, Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.' After Donald Trump approved plans to attack Iran, his defence chiefs will now be gaming out the possible retaliation. The US president has not yet given the order, but the Pentagon will be looking closely at how the Iranian regime could strike back. Washington has put its 40,000 troops deployed in the Middle East, including in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, on high alert amid escalating tensions. Here are the top threats they must consider. The most conventional of Iran's possible retaliations against America would be through its arsenal of ballistic missiles. The Islamic regime has launched hundreds at Israel in response to the Jewish state's ongoing campaign to cripple its nuclear programme and military capabilities. We're here just south of Tel Aviv, where a ballistic missile ploughed into a housing estate early this morning. The missile directly hit one building and the shock wave blasted the windows and rooms out of all the surrounding buildings. Most people were in bomb shelters - as I was - keeping out of harm's way. There was a barrage earlier this morning but this one was obviously a lot bigger. Around 20 missiles were fired and several clearly got through. The number of people injured in today's Iranian attacks is 65, according to Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service. This includes a man in his 80s and two women in their 70s in a serious condition. Two women in their 80s are in 'moderate condition'. Some 42 are in a mild condition, while 18 were hurt on their way to bomb shelters. Israel has ordered its army to 'increase the intensity' of its attacks on Iran after Tehran fired missiles at a hospital in the south of the country. 'The cowardly Iranian dictator sits in the depths of the fortified bunker and fires aimed shots at hospitals and residential buildings in Israel,' said Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister. 'These are war crimes of the most serious kind - and Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes. 'The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of attacks against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran in order to remove threats to the State of Israel and undermine the ayatollahs' regime.' Credit: X/@SharrenHaskel David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, will reportedly attend nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva tomorrow. He will join ministers from Germany and France, in coordination with the US, in a meeting with Iran's foreign minister. The goal of the talks is to guarantee that Iran doesn't weaponise its nuclear programme, Sky News reported. Moving away from Iran's latest missile attack, Donald Trump has approved a plan to attack Iran but is yet to give a final order, according to White House officials. Mr Trump gave private instructions to military chiefs in the situation room inside the White House on Wednesday, sources told US media. He told reporters: 'I have ideas on what to do but I haven't made a final – I like to make the final decision one second before it's due.' Sources said Mr Trump was waiting to see if Iran would concede to a last minute deal to end its nuclear programme before moving forward with attack plans. Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to enact revenge on the 'tyrants in Tehran' after Iran struck an Israeli hospital in a missile attack. 'This morning, Iran's terrorist tyrants launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at a civilian population in the centre of the country,' the Israeli prime minister said. 'We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.' Israel targeted the nuclear reactor in the area of Arak in Iran overnight and what it called a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz, the military has said. Earlier, the IDF warned people living in the cities of Arak and Khondab, which are near the heavy-water research reactor, to evacuate. Israel's deputy foreign affairs minister has described Iran's missile attack on a hospital as 'deliberate' and 'criminal'. Sharren Haskel said that site was 'not a military base' but ' a hospital'. 'This is the main medical centre for Israel's entire Negev region,' she said. 'Deliberate. Criminal. Civilian target. The world must speak out.' Iranian missiles did not just strike a hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel, but also a building in Ramat Gan, a city east of Tel Aviv. At least 32 people have been injured in Iran's attack on an Israeli hospital. Two people are in a serious condition, while 30 have mild injuries, according to Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service. The Soroka Hospital in Beersheba - the main health centre in the south - suffered 'extensive damage' after Iran launched 'dozens' of missiles, according to authorities. A hospital in Israel's south has been struck, Israel's foreign ministry said, as Iran fired a fresh salvo of missiles at the country. 'BREAKING: A direct hit has been reported at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel. More details to follow,' the foreign ministry posted on X. A spokesperson for the hospital reported 'damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas'. 'We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries,' they said. 'We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time.' Israel has struck Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, Iranian state television confirmed on Thursday. The report said there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever' and that the facility had already been evacuated before the attack. Israel overnight warned it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area. Several explosions sounded in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Thursday morning, as sirens rung out in several parts of the country amid a wave of Iranian missile strikes. According to the journalists at the scene in Jerusalem, the explosions heard around 7.10am (4.10am GMT) were the biggest since the conflict with Iran began one week ago. We will be bringing you the latest out of the Iran-Israel conflict today. Just in: Iran has launched a new wave of missile strikes at Israel. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Europe and Iran will try diplomacy as US weighs joining fight with Israel
VIENNA, Austria (AP) — Iran's foreign minister will meet in Geneva on Friday with counterparts from Germany, France and the United Kingdom, Iranian state media and European diplomats said, as Israeli airstrikes target his country's nuclear and military sites and Iran fires back. Europe's push for diplomacy is in sharp contrast to messages from Washington, with U.S. President Donald Trump openly weighing bombing Iran and calling for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian leadership. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva for the meetings Friday, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. European diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential talks, confirmed the meetings. 'All sides must show restraint, refrain from taking steps which lead to further escalation in the region, and return to diplomacy," read a joint statement issued Wednesday by France, Germany, the U.K. and the EU. The three European countries, commonly referred to as the E3, played an important role in the negotiations over the original 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. But they have repeatedly threatened to reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the deal if Iran does not improve its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The meeting in Geneva could also provide the three European nations with a unique opportunity to reach out to Iran in what is going to be the first face-to-face meeting between Western officials and Tehran since the start of the conflict a week ago. Lammy is flying to Washington on Thursday to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The U.S. may want to use the U.K.-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in a potential strike on Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo but is not believed to have requested to do so yet. 'The EU will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to find a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, which can only be through a negotiated deal," said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesperson for the European Commission. "This is why, an intense outreach activity involving all relevant sides is currently underway to preserve room for diplomacy and create the conditions for a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.' Germany says there must be movement from Iran Germany's foreign minister has underlined European countries' willingness to talk to Iran about a solution to its nuclear program, but says there needs to be movement from Tehran. Johann Wadephul said Wednesday that the three European countries, which were part of Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement, 'still stand ready to negotiate on a solution.' But he added: 'Iran must now move urgently. Iran must take confidence-building and verifiable measures – for example, in that the leadership in Tehran makes it credible that it is not striving for a nuclear weapon.' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Thursday that France and Europeans partners are ready to 'resume negotiations' with Iran. Barrot did not confirm the Geneva meeting. Iranian authorities' message was 'relatively clear: there is a willingness to resume talks, including with the United States, provided that a ceasefire can be reached,' Barrot said in a news conference in Paris. 'On our side, there is a willingness to resume negotiations, provided that these negotiations can lead to lasting, substantial steps backward by Iran regarding its nuclear program, its ballistic program and its activities to destabilize the region,' Barrot said. No US delegates at the Geneva talks on Friday Trump has given increasingly pointed warnings about the U.S. joining Israel in striking at Tehran's nuclear program even as Iran's leader warned anew that the United States would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it attacks. A U.S. official said Wednesday there no plans for U.S. involvement in nuclear talks set between senior European diplomats and Iran in Geneva, although that could change. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic communications, also noted that the Europeans have been wanting to play a role in the negotiations for months but have been held back by the U.S. That position, the official said, may be changing as the hostilities intensify. Israel asserts it launched its airstrike campaign last week to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. It came as Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran's program, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran's supreme leader rejectedU.S. calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage to them.' Iran long has insisted its nuclear program was peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, was still conducting inspections, though limited, in the country. U.S. intelligence agencies as well have said they did not believe Iran was actively pursuing the bomb. ___ McNeil contributed from Barcelona. Associated Press writets Jill Lawless in London, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Matt Lee in Washington and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Europe and Iran will try diplomacy as US weighs joining fight with Israel
Iran's foreign minister will meet counterparts from Germany, France and the UK in Geneva on Friday, Iranian state media and European diplomats have said. The news comes as Israeli airstrikes target Iran's nuclear and military sites and Iran fires back. Advertisement Europe's push for diplomacy is in sharp contrast to messages from Washington, with US president Donald Trump openly weighing bombing Iran and calling for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian leadership. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva for the meetings on Friday, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. European diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the meetings. 'All sides must show restraint, refrain from taking steps which lead to further escalation in the region, and return to diplomacy,' a joint statement issued on Wednesday by France, Germany, the UK and the EU read. The three European countries, commonly referred to as the E3, played an important role in the negotiations over the original 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. But they have repeatedly threatened to reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the deal if Iran does not improve its co-operation with the UN nuclear watchdog. Advertisement The meeting in Geneva could also provide the three European nations with a unique opportunity to reach out to Iran in what is going to be the first face-to-face meeting between western officials and Tehran since the start of the conflict a week ago. Foreign Secretary David Lammy is meeting US secretary of state Marco Rubio in Washington on Thursday (Jonathan Brady/PA) UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is flying to Washington on Thursday to meet US secretary of state Marco Rubio. The US may want to use the UK-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in a potential strike on Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo but is not believed to have requested to do so yet. 'The EU will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to find a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, which can only be through a negotiated deal,' Anouar El Anouni, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said. Advertisement 'This is why, an intense outreach activity involving all relevant sides is currently under way to preserve room for diplomacy and create the conditions for a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.' Germany's foreign minister has underlined European countries' willingness to talk to Iran about a solution to its nuclear programme, but says there needs to be movement from Tehran. Johann Wadephul said on Wednesday that the three European countries, which were part of Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement, 'still stand ready to negotiate on a solution'. But he added: 'Iran must now move urgently. Iran must take confidence-building and verifiable measures – for example, in that the leadership in Tehran makes it credible that it is not striving for a nuclear weapon.' Advertisement French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday that France and Europeans partners were ready to 'resume negotiations' with Iran. Mr Barrot did not confirm the Geneva meeting. The Iranian authorities' message was 'relatively clear: there is a willingness to resume talks, including with the United States, provided that a ceasefire can be reached', Mr Barrot said in a news conference in Paris. US President Donald Trump has given increasingly pointed warnings about America joining Israel in striking at Tehran's nuclear programme (Alex Brandon/AP) 'On our side, there is a willingness to resume negotiations, provided that these negotiations can lead to lasting, substantial steps backward by Iran regarding its nuclear programme, its ballistic programme and its activities to destabilise the region,' Mr Barrot said. Advertisement Mr Trump has given increasingly pointed warnings about the US joining Israel in striking at Tehran's nuclear programme even as Iran's leader warned anew that the United States would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it attacks. A US official said on Wednesday there were no plans for US involvement in nuclear talks set between senior European diplomats and Iran in Geneva, although that could change. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also noted that the Europeans have been wanting to play a role in the negotiations for months but have been held back by the US. That position, the official said, may be changing as the hostilities intensify.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Europe and Iran will try diplomacy as US weighs joining fight with Israel
VIENNA, Austria — Iran's foreign minister will meet in Geneva on Friday with counterparts from Germany, France and the United Kingdom, Iranian state media and European diplomats said, as Israeli airstrikes target his country's nuclear and military sites and Iran fires back . Europe's push for diplomacy is in sharp contrast to messages from Washington, with U.S. President Donald Trump openly weighing bombing Iran and calling for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian leadership. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva for the meetings Friday, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. European diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential talks, confirmed the meetings. 'All sides must show restraint, refrain from taking steps which lead to further escalation in the region, and return to diplomacy,' read a joint statement issued Wednesday by France, Germany, the U.K. and the EU. The three European countries, commonly referred to as the E3, played an important role in the negotiations over the original 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. But they have repeatedly threatened to reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the deal if Iran does not improve its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The meeting in Geneva could also provide the three European nations with a unique opportunity to reach out to Iran in what is going to be the first face-to-face meeting between Western officials and Tehran since the start of the conflict a week ago. Lammy is flying to Washington on Thursday to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The U.S. may want to use the U.K.-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in a potential strike on Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo but is not believed to have requested to do so yet. 'The EU will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to find a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, which can only be through a negotiated deal,' said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesperson for the European Commission. 'This is why, an intense outreach activity involving all relevant sides is currently underway to preserve room for diplomacy and create the conditions for a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.' Germany's foreign minister has underlined European countries' willingness to talk to Iran about a solution to its nuclear program, but says there needs to be movement from Tehran. Johann Wadephul said Wednesday that the three European countries, which were part of Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement, 'still stand ready to negotiate on a solution.' But he added: 'Iran must now move urgently. Iran must take confidence-building and verifiable measures – for example, in that the leadership in Tehran makes it credible that it is not striving for a nuclear weapon.' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Thursday that France and Europeans partners are ready to 'resume negotiations' with Iran. Barrot did not confirm the Geneva meeting. Iranian authorities' message was 'relatively clear: there is a willingness to resume talks, including with the United States, provided that a ceasefire can be reached,' Barrot said in a news conference in Paris. 'On our side, there is a willingness to resume negotiations, provided that these negotiations can lead to lasting, substantial steps backward by Iran regarding its nuclear program, its ballistic program and its activities to destabilize the region,' Barrot said. Trump has given increasingly pointed warnings about the U.S. joining Israel in striking at Tehran's nuclear program even as Iran's leader warned anew that the United States would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it attacks. A U.S. official said Wednesday there no plans for U.S. involvement in nuclear talks set between senior European diplomats and Iran in Geneva, although that could change. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic communications, also noted that the Europeans have been wanting to play a role in the negotiations for months but have been held back by the U.S. That position, the official said, may be changing as the hostilities intensify. Israel asserts it launched its airstrike campaign last week to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. It came as Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran's program, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran's supreme leader rejectedU.S. calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage to them.' Iran long has insisted its nuclear program was peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, was still conducting inspections, though limited, in the country. U.S. intelligence agencies as well have said they did not believe Iran was actively pursuing the bomb. ___ McNeil contributed from Barcelona. Associated Press writets Jill Lawless in London, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Matt Lee in Washington and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
