Latest news with #Leavitt
India.com
an hour ago
- Politics
- India.com
Cluster bomb in missiles... Iran's war strategy puts Israel, US on backfoot, what are these weapons, why are Israel's air defence system not working?
Cluster bomb in war strategy puts Israel, US on backfoot, what are these weapons, why are Israel's air defence system not working? Iran-Israel Conflict: The ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel is escalating every day, with both countries attacking each other with missiles and suicide drones. Tel Aviv has threatened to eliminate Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, while Iran has recently attacked an Israeli hospital with a deadly cluster bomb. What Is A Cluster Bomb?' A cluster bomb is a combination of several big and small bombs inside a missile. The bomb, carrying cluster bombs, explodes midair, spreading cluster bombs over a large area. This bomb is basically used to damage a wide area. Many times, such bombs are also included in this cluster that do not explode immediately and later explode due to pressure or a trigger, causing harm to common citizens. Donald Trump to decide on attack on Iran in two Weeks The White House on Thursday (local time) informed that United States President Donald Trump is going to decide in the next two weeks whether US forces will join Israel and help the country in the ongoing war with Iran. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also stated and emphasised the possibility of diplomatic engagement with Tehran. While addressing a press briefing at the White House, Leavitt read Trump's statement, highlighting the possibility of diplomatic negotiations amid the escalating conflict between the two countries. '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,' Leavitt quoted the President as saying. Leavitt also reiterated the administration's stance on Iran's nuclear program. In response to a question about the contours of any possible deal with Iran, Leavitt said, 'No enrichment of Uranium and… Iran is absolutely not able to achieve a nuclear weapon. The President has been very clear about that.' Evacuation Continues from Iran-Israel In view of the increasing tension between Iran and Israel, many countries have started rescue operations of their citizens. India has rescued 110 Indian students and citizens from Iran. At the same time, India is preparing to run a similar rescue operation in Israel. Japan has also informed that it has safely evacuated 90 of its citizens from Iran and Israel. Australia has also stopped the work of its embassy in Tehran and has instructed its officials to return as soon as possible. In simple terms, cluster bombs disperse several small bomblets over a large area. Unlike single-explosion munitions, they release these submunitions in mid-air, typically from a significant height, to cover a wide target zone. Controversy Behind Cluster Bombs These bombs are defamed because of their indiscriminate nature and their tendency to leave behind unexploded ordnance. As several of these clusters are fail to explode, they can remain active which posses a major danger to civilians who come in contact with them. Are cluster bombs banned? The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions is an international agreement prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling, and use of cluster bombs. While 111 countries and 12 other entities are party to the treaty, several significant military nations, such as the United States, Iran, and Israel, have not ratified it. Two years ago, in 2023, after a long debate, America supplied cluster bombs to Ukraine to defend itself from Russian forces. Kyiv, on several occasions, alleges that Moscow has also used cluster bombs against it. The US and Russia, similar to Iran and Israel, have not ratified the treaty. The conflict between Iran and Israel escalated on June 13, when Tel Aviv launched 'Operation Rising Lion', targeting Iran's nuclear and military facilities. Iran has since retaliated, resulting in intense exchanges across the region. On Thursday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called for direct action against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, citing Iran's attack on Soroka Hospital in southern Israel a day earlier.
NDTV
an hour ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Trump Is Silent About Juneteenth On A Day He Previously Honoured As President
Washington: President Donald Trump honored Juneteenth in each of his first four years as president, even before it became a federal holiday. He even claimed once to have made it "very famous." But on this year's Juneteenth holiday on Thursday, the usually talkative president kept silent about a day important to Black Americans for marking the end of slavery in the country he leads again. No words about it from his lips, on paper or through his social media site. Asked whether Trump would commemorate Juneteenth in any way, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "I'm not tracking his signature on a proclamation today. I know this is a federal holiday. I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We're working 24/7 right now." Asked in a follow-up question whether Trump might recognize the occasion another way or on another day, Leavitt said, "I just answered that question for you." On Wednesday, Black community leaders from across the country, senior Trump administration officials and other individuals met at the White House to discuss improving coordination between the leaders and federal, state and local partners, according to a senior White House official. Housing Secretary Scott Turner and Lynne Patton, director of minority outreach, were among those who attended, said the official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss a private gathering. The Republican president's silence was a sharp contrast from his prior acknowledgement of the holiday. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States by commemorating June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. Their freedom came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln liberated slaves in the Confederacy by signing the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War. Trump's quiet on the issue also deviated from White House guidance that Trump planned to sign a Juneteenth proclamation. Leavitt didn't explain the change. Trump held no public events Thursday, but he shared statements about Iran, the TikTok app and Fed chairman Jerome Powell on his social media site. In the evening, Trump complained on the site about "too many non-working holidays" and said it is "costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed." But most retailers are open on Juneteenth while most federal workers get a day off because the government is closed. He had more to say about Juneteenth in yearly statements in his first term. In 2017, Trump invoked the "soulful festivities and emotional rejoicing" that swept through the Galveston crowd when a major general delivered the news that all enslaved people were free. He told the Galveston story in each of the next three years. "Together, we honor the unbreakable spirit and countless contributions of generations of African Americans to the story of American greatness," he added in his 2018 statement. In 2019: "Across our country, the contributions of African Americans continue to enrich every facet of American life." In 2020: "June reminds us of both the unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation. It is both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation's unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness." In 2020, after suspending his campaign rallies because of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump chose Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the place to resume his public gatherings and scheduled a rally for June 19. But the decision met with such fierce criticism that Trump postponed the event by a day. Black leaders had said it was offensive for Trump to choose June 19 and Tulsa for a campaign event, given the significance of Juneteenth and Tulsa being the place where, in 1921, a white mob looted and burned that city's Greenwood district, an economically thriving area referred to as Black Wall Street. As many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed, and thousands were temporarily held in internment camps overseen by the National Guard. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal days before the rally, Trump tried to put a positive spin on the situation by claiming that he had made Juneteenth "famous." He said he changed the rally date out of respect for two African American friends and supporters. "I did something good. I made it famous. I made Juneteenth very famous," Trump said. "It's actually an important event, it's an important time. But nobody had heard of it. Very few people have heard of it." Generations of Black Americans celebrated Juneteenth long before it became a federal holiday in 2021 with the stroke of President Joe Biden's pen. Later in 2020, Trump sought to woo Black voters with a series of campaign promises, including establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. He lost the election, and that made it possible for Biden, a Democrat, to sign the legislation establishing Juneteenth as the newest federal holiday. Shortly after being sworn in for his second term in January, Trump signed an executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government, calling them "illegal and immoral discrimination programs." Biden issued annual Juneteenth proclamations during his four years in office, and observed some of the holidays with large concerts on the South Lawn. Biden's final observance in 2024 featured performances by Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle. Vice President Kamala Harris danced onstage with gospel singer Kirk Franklin. Biden was spending this year's holiday in Galveston, Texas, where he was set to speak at a historic African Methodist Episcopal church.
Iraqi News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Iraqi News
Trump to make Iran war decision in next two weeks
Washington – US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will decide whether to join Israel's strikes on Iran within the next two weeks as there is still a 'substantial' chance of negotiations to end the conflict. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read out a message from Trump, saying there had been 'a lot of speculation' about whether the United States would be 'directly involved' in the conflict. '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,' Trump said in the statement. The announcement could lower the temperature and give space for diplomacy, after a fevered few days in which Trump said Iran's leader was an 'easy target' and vowed that Tehran could never have a nuclear weapon. But Leavitt also told reporters that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in the space of a 'couple of weeks.' 'Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon,' she said. Trump said on Wednesday that Iran had asked to send officials to the White House to negotiate a deal on its nuclear program and end the conflict with Israel. Iran denied it would do so. Leavitt would not give details of what had led Trump to believe that negotiations with Iran were possible, but denied he was putting off a decision. 'If there's a chance for diplomacy the president's always going to grab it, but he's not afraid to use strength as well,' Leavitt said. The spokeswoman said 'correspondence has continued' between Washington and Tehran when asked about reports that Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff had been in touch with Iran's foreign minister. – 'Trust in President Trump' – Trump held his third meeting in three days in the White House's highly secured Situation Room on Thursday as he continued to mull whether to join Israel's bombing campaign. The US president had said on Wednesday that 'I may do it, I may not do it' when asked if he would take military action against Iran. Trump had spent weeks pursuing a diplomatic path towards a deal to replace the nuclear deal with Iran that he tore up in his first term in 2018. But he has since backed Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities and military top brass, while mulling whether to join in. A key issue is that the United States is the only country with the huge 'bunker buster' bombs that could destroy Iran's crucial Fordo Iranian nuclear enrichment plant. The White House meanwhile urged Trump supporters to 'trust' the president as he decides whether to act. A number of key figures in his 'Make America Great Again' movement, including commentator Tucker Carlson and former aide Steve Bannon, have vocally opposed US strikes on Iran. Trump's promise to extract the United States from its 'forever wars' in the Middle East played a role in his 2016 and 2024 election wins. 'Trust in President Trump. President Trump has incredible instincts,' Leavitt said.
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Trump to decide US' Israel-Iran action in next two weeks
President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran air war, the White House said, raising pressure on Tehran to come to the negotiating table. Citing a message from Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "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." The Republican president has kept the world guessing on his plans, veering from proposing a swift diplomatic solution to suggesting the U.S. might join the fighting on Israel's side. On Wednesday (local time), he said nobody knew what he would do. A day earlier he mused on social media about killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, then demanded Iran's unconditional surrender. The threats have caused cracks in Trump's support base between more hawkish traditional Republicans and the party's more isolationist elements. But critics said that in the five months since returning to office, Trump has issued a range of deadlines - including to warring Russia and Ukraine and to other countries in trade tariff negotiations - only to suspend those deadlines or allow them to slide. "I think going to war with Iran is a terrible idea, but no one believes this 'two weeks' bit," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said on the social media platform X. "He's used it a million times before to pretend he might be doing something he's not. It just makes America look weak and silly." Leavitt told a regular briefing at the White House that Trump was interested in pursuing a diplomatic solution with Iran, but his top priority was ensuring that Iran could not obtain a nuclear weapon. She said any deal would have to prohibit enrichment of uranium by Tehran and eliminate Iran's ability to achieve a nuclear weapon. "The president is always interested in a diplomatic solution ... if there's a chance for diplomacy, the president's always going to grab it," Leavitt said. "But he's not afraid to use strength as well I will add." BYPASSING CONGRESS? Leavitt declined to say if Trump would seek congressional authorization for any strikes on Iran. Democrats have raised concerns over reports on CBS and other outlets that Trump has already approved a plan to attack Iran, bypassing Congress, which has the sole power to declare war. Leavitt said U.S. officials remained convinced that Iran had never been closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon, saying it would take Tehran just "a couple of weeks" to produce such a weapon. Leavitt's assessment contradicted congressional testimony in March from Trump's intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard. She said then that the U.S. intelligence community continued to judge that Tehran was not working on a nuclear warhead. This week, Trump dismissed Gabbard's March testimony, telling reporters: "I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to having one." On Wednesday, Trump lieutenant Steve Bannon urged caution about the U.S. joining Israel in trying to destroy Iran's nuclear program. Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran on Thursday and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel after hitting an Israeli hospital overnight, as a week-old air war escalated and neither side showed any sign of an exit strategy. Leavitt said Trump had been briefed on the Israeli operation on Thursday and remained in close communication with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She said Iran was in "a deeply vulnerable position" and would face grave consequences if it did not agree to halt its work on a nuclear weapon. Iran has been weighing wider options in responding to the biggest security challenge since its 1979 revolution. Three diplomats told Reuters that Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes last week.
Express Tribune
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Trump keeps world guessing on war decision
US President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for the new US ambassador to China, former US Senator David Perdue, at the White House in Washington, DC, US on May 7, 2025. Photo: Reuters/ File US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will decide whether to join Israel's strikes on Iran within the next two weeks as there is still a "substantial" chance of negotiations to end the conflict. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read out a message from Trump, saying there had been "a lot of speculation" about whether the United States would be "directly involved" in the conflict. "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," Trump said in the statement. The announcement could lower the temperature and give space for diplomacy, after a fevered few days in which Trump said Iran's leader was an "easy target" and vowed that Tehran could never have a nuclear weapon. But Leavitt also told reporters that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in the space of a "couple of weeks." "Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon," she said. Leavitt would not give details of what had led Trump to believe that negotiations with Iran were possible, but denied he was putting off a decision. "If there's a chance for diplomacy the president's always going to grab it, but he's not afraid to use strength as well," Leavitt said. The spokeswoman said "correspondence has continued" between Washington and Tehran when asked about reports that Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff had been in touch with Iran's foreign minister. Trump held his third meeting in three days in the White House's highly secured Situation Room on Thursday as he continued to mull whether to join Israel's bombing campaign. The White House meanwhile urged Trump supporters to "trust" the president as he decides whether to act. A number of key figures in his "Make America Great Again" movement, including commentator Tucker Carlson and former aide Steve Bannon, have vocally opposed US strikes on Iran. Trump's promise to extract the United States from its "forever wars" in the Middle East played a role in his 2016 and 2024 election wins. "Trust in President Trump. President Trump has incredible instincts," Leavitt said. Meanwhile, Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran on Thursday and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel after hitting an Israeli hospital overnight, as a week-old air war escalated with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side. Following the strike that damaged the Soroka medical centre in Israel's southern city of Beersheba, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran's "tyrants" would pay the "full price". "Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it's up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom," Netanyahu said. "Freedom requires these subjugated people to rise up, and it's up to them, but we may create conditions that will help them do it." Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had been instructed to intensify strikes on strategic-related targets in Tehran in order to eliminate the threat to Israel and destabilise the "Ayatollah regime". As darkness fell on Thursday evening, Iranian media reported air defences engaging "hostile targets" in northern Tehran. Israel's sweeping campaign of airstrikes aims to do more than destroy Iran's nuclear centrifuges and missile capabilities. It seeks to shatter the foundations of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's government and leave it near collapse, Israeli, Western and regional officials said. Netanyahu wants Iran weakened enough to be forced into fundamental concessions on permanently abandoning its nuclear enrichment, its ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups across the region, the sources said. Three diplomats told Reuters that Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since last week. In an apparent reference to the US, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said on Thursday it would use a different strategy if a "third party" joined Israel in the war. STRAIT OF HORMUZ THREAT Earlier, Israel said it had struck Iran's Natanz, Isfahan and Khondab nuclear sites. It initially said it had also hit Bushehr, site of Iran's only functioning nuclear power plant, but a spokesperson later said it was a mistake to have said this. An Iranian diplomat told Reuters Bushehr was not hit and Israel was engaged in "psychological warfare" by discussing it. Any attack on the plant, near Arab neighbours and housing Russian technicians, is viewed as risking nuclear disaster. On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched combined missile and drone attacks at military and industrial sites linked to Israel's defence industry in Haifa and Tel Aviv. Israel reported missiles launched from Iran towards its territory. Iran has been weighing its wider options in responding to the biggest security challenge since its 1979 revolution. A member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee Presidium, Behnam Saeedi, told the semi-official Mehr news agency Iran could consider closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of daily global oil consumption passes.
