Latest news with #IranNuclearProgram
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Australia worried about escalation as US shifts bombers
Australia is concerned the situation in the Middle East could swell into a larger conflict after the US moved bomber planes. The B-2 bombers were shifted to the Pacific Island of Guam as President Donald Trump considers whether the US should join Israel's strikes against Iran. Though it is unclear whether the deployment is linked to the tensions in the Middle East, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said he would not speculate on the why the US had moved its planes. "We are worried about the prospect for escalation here and this entering into some wider kind of conflict," he told Sky News on Sunday. "We've been urging dialogue and diplomacy and we continue to do that now." The federal government has repeatedly insisted Australia is not a central player in the conflict, which was triggered in mid June when the Israeli military launched attacks on Iran in what it claimed was a bid to wipe out Iran's nuclear program. At least 430 people have been killed and another 3500 injured in Iran according to Iranian media outlet Nour News, while local Israeli authorities have reported 24 civilian deaths and almost 1300 injuries. Opposition frontbencher Dan Tehan insisted the easiest way to reach a resolution was for Iran to state it will not pursue nuclear weapons and allow independent verification. But Mr Tehan took issue with the federal government's relationship with Israel, claiming Labor politicians "seem to have isolated themselves from the Israeli government". "This has left them in a situation where they're trying to walk two sides here," Mr Tehan told Sky News. "What we need to see from the government is greater moral clarity as to whether they do, once and for all, want to see Iran get rid of its nuclear weapons program." Mr Marles maintained Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program was "most definitely a threat" to the peace and stability of the world, while also expressing concern about the conflict's escalation. "Both of those things can sit together," he said. "We recognise Israel's right to defend itself and we very much acknowledge the risk that the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile program represents." France and other Australian allies have also echoed similar positions. About 2600 Australians in Iran are seeking assisted departures from the region, alongside about 1200 in Israel as the government urges travellers not to venture to either nation. Staff from the Department of Foreign Affairs are helping Australians leave and defence assets are expected to be deployed to assist evacuation efforts. However, the government has insisted they will not be used in combat. Some Australians have already evacuated through land crossings but the government is also poised to help citizens leave once the airspace over both nations re-opens. With Reuters
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
B-2 Bombers Moving to Guam amid Middle East Tensions, US Officials Say
The United States is moving B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, two US officials told Reuters on Saturday, as President Donald Trump weighs whether the United States should take part in Israel's strikes against Iran. It was unclear whether the bomber deployment is tied to Middle East tensions. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground. That is the weapon that experts say could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program, including Fordow. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to disclose any further details. One official said no forward orders had been given yet to move the bombers beyond Guam. They did not say how many B-2 bombers are being moved. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
ABC News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Is Iran set to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?
As the bombs keep landing and Israel continues its devastating attacks on Iran's nuclear program, it's easy to forget Iran remains a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT. Up until Israel's strikes Iran was still submitting to inspections by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The nuclear watchdog has continued to gather data on Iran's nuclear program, but Tehran has increasingly placed severe restrictions on access. But with the devastating damage to its nuclear installations, some analysts believe this confrontation could drive Iran out of the treaty — and actually provide more impetus to develop nuclear weapons. "Iran's reaction would be, 'What was the point of adhering to the Non-Proliferation Treaty?'" Middle East historian Ibrahim al-Marashi told 7.30. "'We might as well, even with all the damage done, we should get a nuclear weapon. As our ultimate guarantor of survival.'" In an interview with 730 this week, Iran's ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi denied his country is developing a nuclear weapon. "The nuclear program of Iran is for the peaceful measures," Mr. Sadeghi said. The NPT came into force in 1970 and currently more than 190 countries are signatories. Its aim is to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Inspections in Iran have become more difficult since the US walked away from an agreement with the country in 2018. That deal saw the US and other countries loosen economic sanctions in return for Iran agreeing not to develop a nuclear weapon. "The deal was working until Donald Trump was elected in 2016," said Barbara Slavin from not-for-profit think tank the Stimson Centre. She's been analysing American-Iranian relations for four decades. "[Trump] began criticising the agreement and he finally left it in 2018, while Iran was still in full compliance with that deal. Now following that, Iran gradually began to ramp up the programme again, to the point where it was very, very advanced." The day before Israel launched its first attacks, the IAEA declared Iran was in breach of its NPT obligations and said it could not assure that Iran's nuclear programme was only peaceful. "Just before the Israelis attacked, the IAEA board of governors actually issued a censure resolution against the Iranian government for its lack of cooperation," Ms Slavin said. "I think the Israelis thought that strengthened their case to attack Iran." Israel has long argued that a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten its existence. But Ms Slavin and many analysts point out there's an important caveat to that argument: Although it is not officially acknowledged, Israel is believed to possess multiple nuclear weapons. "So if Israel really felt that its existence was at stake, it could use nuclear weapons against Iran or any other adversary. That's why Israel developed nuclear weapons in the 1960s," Ms Slavin said. Mr al-Marashi says that contradiction — that Iran is part of the NPT and Israel isn't — is hard to ignore. "A lot of commentators or just regular people would say that there's a double standard: that Iran [belongs to] the NPT, but that Israel practises a policy of nuclear opacity," Mr al-Marashi said. "Not being a member of the NPT … [Israel] deliberately tries to be vague about its nuclear arsenal to keep people guessing." While not confirming it has nuclear weapons, Israel argues a nuclear capable Iran poses an existential threat because its leaders have repeatedly said they want to destroy Israel. Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
B-2 bombers moving to Guam amid Middle East tensions, US officials say
WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - The United States is moving B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Saturday, as President Donald Trump weighs whether the United States should take part in Israel's strikes against Iran. It was unclear whether the bomber deployment is tied to Middle East tensions. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground. That is the weapon that experts say could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program, including Fordow. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, declined to disclose any further details. One official said no forward orders had been given yet to move the bombers beyond Guam. They did not say how many B-2 bombers are being moved. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wall Street Journal
12 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Israel Kills Another Scientist in Tehran
Israel carried out the targeted killing of a scientist in Tehran on Friday using a drone, an Israeli official said. The scientist, who specialized in weaponry, was being kept in a hiding spot outside of his home, the official said. The official declined to name the scientist. The scientist is at least the 10th expert related to Iran's nuclear and weapons programs to have been killed by Israel since the start of its current conflict with Iran.
