Latest news with #SupremeNationalSecurityCouncil
Business Recorder
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Israel-Iran war escalates
TEL AVIV/DUBAI: 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. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has kept the world guessing, veering from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the war to suggesting the United States might join it. The White House said Trump would make a decision in the next two weeks. '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,' Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday, citing a message from the president. 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. A week of Israeli air and missile strikes has wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command, damaged its nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds of people. Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. 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. 'STAY AWAY FROM OUR COUNTRY' Israel, which has the most advanced military in the Middle East, has been fighting on several fronts since the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered the Gaza war. It has severely weakened Iran's regional allies, Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and has bombed Yemen's Houthis. The extent of the damage inside Iran has become more difficult to assess in recent days, with the authorities apparently seeking to prevent panic by limiting information. Iran has stopped giving updates on the death toll, and state media have ceased showing widespread images of destruction. The internet has been almost completely shut down, and the public has been banned from filming. Arash, 33, a government employee in Tehran, said a building next to his home in Tehran's Shahrak-e Gharb neighbourhood had been destroyed in the strikes. 'I saw at least three dead children and two women in that building. Is this how Netanyahu plans to 'liberate' Iranians? Stay away from our country,' he told Reuters by telephone. Thousands of residents have fled Tehran, a city of 10 million, jamming the highways out.
AsiaOne
10 hours ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Iran strikes Israeli hospital; Trump to decide on US role in conflict within 'two weeks', World News
TEL AVIV/DUBAI/WASHINGTON — Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran on Thursday (June 19) 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. The White House said US President Donald Trump will make a decision within the next two weeks whether to get involved on Israel's side. That might not be a firm deadline, as Trump has commonly used "two weeks" as a timeframe for making decisions. Meanwhile, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since last week, sources say. Israel has been hitting Iran from the air since last Friday in what it describes as an effort to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and has retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran's "tyrants" would pay the "full price" for a strike that damaged the Soroka medical centre in Israel's southern city of Beersheba "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. Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilians in the hospital attack by using a missile that scattered smaller bombs over a wider area. It was the first reported use of cluster munitions in the seven-day-old war. "That is state-sponsored terror and a blatant violation of international law," Defrin told a press briefing. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Israeli military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital. An Israeli military official denied there were military targets nearby. Israel attacked the special forces headquarters of the internal security apparatus in Tehran in the last 24 hours, Defrin said. Earlier, 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 rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As darkness fell on Thursday evening, Iranian media reported that air defences were engaging "hostile targets" in northern Tehran. Israel's airstrikes aim to do more than destroy Iran's nuclear centrifuges and missile capabilities. They seek to shatter the foundations of 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. In an apparent reference to the US, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said it would use a different strategy if a "third party" joined Israel in the war. Strikes on nuclear sites Earlier, Israel said it had struck Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. It also targeted the partially built Arak heavy-water research reactor, also known as Khondab, in central Iran. Airbus Defence satellite imagery published by the Open Source Centre, a London-based research group, showed a large, blackened hole in the roof of the Arak reactor and destroyed heavy water distillation towers nearby. Heavy-water reactors produce plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb. David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector and head of the Institute for Science and International Security, said the Israelis hit the facility because of concerns about Iran's declared intention to begin operating the reactor next year. The Iranians "play all these different games so Israel took it out," he said. Israeli air and missile strikes have wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and killed hundreds of people. Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. 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. Iran has been weighing 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 per cent of daily global oil consumption passes. 'Stay away from our country' Israel, which has the most advanced military in the Middle East, has been fighting on several fronts since the Oct 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered the Gaza war. It has severely weakened Iran's regional allies, Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and has bombed Yemen's Houthis. The extent of the damage inside Iran has become more difficult to assess in recent days. Iran has stopped giving updates on the death toll, and state media have ceased showing widespread images of destruction. The internet has been almost completely shut down, and the public has been banned from filming. Arash, 33, a government employee in Tehran, said a building next to his home in Tehran's Shahrak-e Gharb neighbourhood had been destroyed in the strikes. "I saw at least three dead children and two women in that building. Is this how Netanyahu plans to 'liberate' Iranians? Stay away from our country," he told Reuters by telephone. [[nid:719255]]
Miami Herald
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Iran Issues New Warning to US-'All Necessary Options on the Table'
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned Thursday that "all necessary options are on the table" to respond to a potential strike by the United States. President Donald Trump has been considering strikes against Iran aimed at diminishing the country's nuclear capabilities amid concerns that it may be developing nuclear weapons, which the president has stated it cannot have, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. The conflict escalated last week after Israel launched strikes at Iran targeting nuclear capabilities. The two countries have since fired strikes back-and-forth in recent days, fueling concerns about the possibility of a wider war involving the United States. The conflict could reshape affairs in the region and across the globe for years to come. The warning came as Trump has reportedly been warming up to the idea of striking Iran directly, while the U.S. already has been providing military support to Israel amid the heightened conflict with Tehran. "If the U.S. wants to actively intervene in support of Israel, Iran will have no other option but to use its tools to teach aggressors a lesson and defend itself," Gharibabadi said, Russia's Tass news agency reported, citing Iranian media. "Our military decision-makers have all necessary options on the table," he said. "Our recommendation to the US is to at least stand by if they do not wish to stop Israel's aggression," the Iranian diplomat said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a briefing that Trump will "make a decision within the next two weeks" about whether to join the war. Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Thursday threatened an "immediate" response to any third party that intervenes in its ongoing conflict with Israel, though it did not specifically mention the U.S. by name. The U.S. has many bases in the region that some fear could become Iranian targets. Trump has not confirmed what he plans to do about the conflict. He has reportedly reviewed strike options but is waiting to see whether Iran de-escalates its nuclear activities. He is aware of the diplomatic effort being undertaken, with EU officials meeting with the Iranian foreign minister in Switzerland on Friday. Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, in a statement emailed to Newsweek: "In 2002, in testimony to Congress urging the United States to go to war in Iraq, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated: 'There is no question whatsoever that Saddam is seeking... nuclear you take out Saddam's regime, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations.' "Netanyahu was wrong. Very wrong. The war in Iraq resulted in 4,492 U.S. military deaths, over 32,000 wounded, and a cost of roughly three trillion dollars. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis also died as a result of that tragic war. Netanyahu was wrong regarding the war in Iraq. He is wrong now. We must not get involved in Netanyahu's war against Iran." Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in a post to X (formerly Twitter): "Over the weekend, I directed the deployment of additional capabilities to the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility. Protecting U.S. forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region." President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday: "I don't want to fight either. I'm not looking to fight. But if it's a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do, and maybe we won't have to fight." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, in a public address: "The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage. The U.S. entering in this matter is 100 percent to its own detriment. The damage it will suffer will be far greater than any harm that Iran may encounter." Debate continues about whether the U.S. should join the conflict. While some have argued it is strategic to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon, others have said the U.S. should not get involved in a war on Israel's behalf. Members of Congress are pushing to limit Trump's ability to join the conflict without their authorization. Update 6/19/25, 2:01 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information. Related Articles US Support For Donald Trump Attacking Iran Revealed in PollsIranian Jewish Leader Denounces Israel's 'Savage' Attacks on IranFormer Spy Chief: 'Good Case' for US To Strike Iranian Nuclear SiteWhy Iran War Hurts China More Than America 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Express Tribune
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Israel, Iran trade strikes as air war escalates with no end in sight
Listen to article 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". 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. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has kept the world guessing, veering from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the war to suggesting the United States might join it. On Wednesday, he said nobody knew what he would do. A day earlier he mused on social media about killing Khamenei, then demanded Iran's unconditional surrender. 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. 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 In the latest wave of attacks, Israel said it had struck Iran's Natanz and Isfahan 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. A week of Israeli air and missile strikes has wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command, damaged its nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds of people. Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement 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. Oil prices jumped on Thursday. Iran was maintaining crude oil supply by loading tankers one at a time and moving floating oil storage much closer to China, two vessel tracking firms told Reuters, as the country seeks to keep a key source of revenue while under attack. Earlier, the Israeli military said it targeted the Khondab nuclear site near Iran's central city Arak overnight, including a partially-built heavy-water research reactor. Heavy-water reactors produce plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb. Iranian TV showed footage of smoke billowing from the direction of Arak, but Iran's atomic energy agency said the attack caused no casualties. The Israeli military also said it attacked launch sites in western Iran after attempts to restore them were detected. It has severely weakened Iran's regional allies, Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and has bombed Yemen's Houthis. The extent of the damage inside Iran has become more difficult to assess in recent days, with the authorities apparently seeking to prevent panic by limiting information. Iran has stopped giving updates on the death toll, and state media have ceased showing widespread images of destruction. The internet has been almost completely shut down, and the public has been banned from filming. Thousands of residents have fled Tehran, a city of 10 million, jamming the highways out. Inside Israel, the missile strikes over the past week are the first time a significant number of projectiles from Iran have pierced defences and killed Israelis in their homes. The director general of the Israeli hospital that was damaged in Beersheba, Shlomi Kodesh, told reporters at the site that a missile strike had destroyed several wards and wounded 40 people, mostly staff and patients. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Israeli military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital. An Israeli military official denied there were military targets nearby. Missiles also hit a residential building in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv.
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei reportedly removed from decision making after mental health breakdown
Ayatollah Khamenei mental health is at the center of a major leadership shift in Iran, according to opposition outlet Iran International. Reports suggest the 86-year-old Supreme Leader was removed from key decisions after suffering a mental breakdown during escalating conflict with Israel. He was allegedly moved to a secure underground bunker in Tehran with his son Mojtaba Khamenei, following Israeli airstrikes. Senior military officials and Iran's Supreme National Security Council are now believed to be handling national decisions. This shocking development could reshape Iran's political future and raises serious concerns about its leadership amid rising regional tensions. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why has Khamenei's role in Iran's leadership reportedly diminished? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Was Khamenei moved to a bunker after Israel's strikes on Tehran? What triggered this mental health crisis for Khamenei? Who is making the decisions in Iran now? What does this mean for Iran's political future? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs: Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly been sidelined from major national security decisions following a serious decline in his mental health. This development comes in the wake of escalating military tensions between Iran and Israel, as reported by opposition news outlet Iran 86 years old, Khamenei is said to have suffered a nervous breakdown after a series of Israeli airstrikes killed several high-ranking members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Since then, top officials within Iran's military and intelligence community have allegedly begun excluding him from the country's most critical decision-making to Iran International, signs of mental decline in Ayatollah Khamenei started surfacing after Israel assassinated some of his most trusted military commanders. The loss reportedly triggered a severe emotional and psychological response. Sources told the outlet that Khamenei was not only deeply affected but also became unfit to lead the nation through this high-stakes the war escalated, insiders claim that members of the Supreme National Security Council and senior military commanders made a joint decision to gradually remove Khamenei from daily strategic planning, especially in national security Just hours after Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran last Friday, Iranian officials reportedly relocated Khamenei to a secure underground bunker in Lavizan, a neighborhood northeast of the capital. Two sources inside Iran confirmed this to Iran International, noting that the supreme leader's entire immediate family, including his influential son Mojtaba Khamenei, joined him in the isn't the first time such a move has been made. The same protocol was followed during the Iranian offensives called 'True Promise 1' and 'True Promise 2,' which were launched in retaliation against Israel earlier this timeline of events points to April 13, 2024, when Iran carried out its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory. That operation, named 'True Promise 1,' involved the launch of over 300 drones and missiles targeting Israeli cities. It was a retaliatory move after top Iranian commanders were killed in an Israeli airstrike in that attack, Israel responded with counter-strikes on Iranian soil, including critical hits on IRGC positions. Several of Khamenei's closest allies within the Guard were killed in these operations. Sources close to Iran International suggest that these losses deeply shook the supreme leader, both emotionally and Khamenei reportedly sidelined, real power appears to have shifted to Iran's military and intelligence leadership. Commanders within the IRGC and the Supreme National Security Council are now believed to be handling high-level strategies, including responses to Israeli aggression and internal security Khamenei, the Supreme Leader's son and likely successor, is also said to be closely involved in overseeing decisions. Although Iran's government has made no official comment, analysts say the growing silence around Khamenei's condition adds weight to these these reports hold true, Ayatollah Khamenei's weakening grip on power could open the door to a significant shift in Iran's leadership structure. It also raises questions about who will eventually succeed him, especially if his condition does not is facing not just external military threats, but also domestic pressures. The potential power vacuum at the top of Iran's political system may influence how the country responds to ongoing regional instability and internal unrest. All eyes are now on Mojtaba Khamenei and the IRGC leadership, as they steer the country through what may be its most fragile moment in to mental health decline after Israel-Iran conflict escalated, as per Iran is reportedly in a secure bunker in Lavizan, Tehran with close family.
