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SBS Australia
3 hours ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Trump sets another deadline for a decision on US involvement in Iran-Israel conflict
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . US White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has delivered a message on behalf of the President Donald Trump. "And I quote, '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.' That's a quote directly from the president for all of you today." The message is intended to clarify whether or not the US will become involved in the Israel-Iran conflict. So far, Mr Trump has kept the world guessing on his plans, veering from a proposal for a swift diplomatic solution to suggesting the U-S might join the fighting on Israel's side. That would entail striking Iran's well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach but for America's "bunker-buster" bombs. But critics have observed that in the five months since returning to office, Mr Trump has issued a range of deadlines — including those to Russia and Ukraine, as well as to other countries in trade tariff negotiations — only to suspend or allow them to lapse. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the decision is ultimately in the hands of the U-S leader. "I'm determined that we will achieve all our goals, all their nuclear facilities, we can do this, but the decision of the president (US President Donald Trump) whether he wants to join or not again is his decision. He will do what is good for the United States and I will do what is good for the state of Israel. And I must say that up until this moment, everyone is doing, what is called, any help is welcome." The White House has confirmed Mr Trump is still hopeful of a diplomatic solution with Iran. Ms Leavitt says any deal would have to prohibit enrichment of uranium and eliminate Iran's ability to achieve a nuclear weapon. But that assessment contradicts congressional testimony from Mr Trump's intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, in March — who said the U-S intelligence community continued to judge that Iran was not working on a nuclear warhead. The Chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, also confirmed in an interview with Al Jazeera that no such evidence has been detected. "We said very clearly in that report that proceeded these dramatic events and the attack that we did not find in Iran elements to indicate that there is an active, systematic plan to build a nuclear weapon." He also described the attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities — all being I-A-E-A monitored sites — as "deeply concerning". That includes an alleged attack on the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant, condemned by head of Russia's nuclear energy corporation, Alexei Likhachev. "We very much hope that the Israeli leadership will maintain a sober, balanced position in this regard. Because any strike on an operating gigawatt-class facility - and the capacity of the first block of the operating Bushehr reactor is 1000 megawatts - is a catastrophe comparable to, or perhaps even surpassing, all known nuclear accidents in the history of mankind." An Israeli military spokesperson said Israel had struck the site. But a military official later called this statement "a mistake", saying he could neither confirm nor deny that site had been hit. Israel also struck Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz and hit targets close to its heavy water facility at Khondab — formerly known as Arak. Iran's atomic agency says there were no casualties and no risk to the area's residents. In Israel, a hospital in the Israeli town of Beersheba was struck — destroying several wards and wounding 71. IDF Spokesperson Effie Defrin has declared the attack a violation of international law. "Let there be no doubt that the Iranian regime deliberately and maliciously shot at the hospital and a population centre with the aim of harming civilians. This is terrorism carried out by a state and a blatant violation of international law. The terror regime wants to harm civilians and even used today a spreading munition designed to spread the impact." Another attack decimated the Weizmann Institute of Science —a public research university in Rehovot —wiping out years of scientific research. Speaking in front of the ruins of one building, Professor Eldad Tzahor said they have to start again. "Some of the stuff that we have been doing, you know, you can recover and regenerate. But other stuff, basically like samples, like tissue from animals, from patients, we cannot recover this. So we will have to start from the beginning. In terms of how long it will take, it really depends. I would say, on average, it will take us perhaps a year until the lab is up and running again." As the conflict continues, Iran's foreign minister has confirmed he will meet counterparts from Germany, France and the United Kingdom in Geneva today [[20 June]]. The spokesman for the United Nations Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, said the U-N would not be participating in the meeting, but would be following for any developments. In doing so, he reaffirmed that diplomacy is the best way forward. "As we said yesterday, for the Secretary General for us, it remains clear that diplomacy is the only and best way forward. Let's see what comes out of this meeting, but the fact that there is a dialogue between Iran and those three European Union countries is positive in itself, but obviously we'll have to see what the outcome is." Meanwhile, Australia has closed its embassy in Tehran, and all Australian foreign affairs staff and their dependants in the Iranian capital have been told to leave based on advice about the deteriorating security environment. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is deploying consular staff to Azerbaijan, including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran. There are now more than 2,000 Australians who have registered for assistance to leave Iran, up from 1,500 on Thursday. More than 1,200 Australians have also registered for assistance to depart Israel, where the airspace is closed.
Al Arabiya
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Iran-Israel war enters day seven
In this episode of Global News Today, presented by Tom Burges Watson, we continue our coverage of the Iran-Israel war as it enters its seventh day. Guests: Jeffrey Feltman – Former US assistant secretary of state and former US ambassador Elliott Abrams – Former US Special Envoy for Iran
Washington Post
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
The U.S. helped oust Iran's government in 1953. Here's what happened.
As President Donald Trump publicly weighs a decision on whether the United States should join Israel in directly striking Iran, some analysts have suggested that Israel's unstated war aims could include the collapse of Tehran's government. Trump, for his part, has ratcheted up his rhetoric, this week demanding 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' from Tehran, without detailing what that would mean. He claimed in a social media post that the U.S. knows the location of Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but is not looking to assassinate him — 'at least not for now.' The U.S. has not publicly called for regime change in the current conflict, but over 70 years ago, it played a key role in ousting Tehran's government — although the historical circumstances were very different. 'It's forgotten for most Americans. And for the British as well, who were involved in the coup. But it looms in the background of Iranian politics,' said Roham Alvandi, a historian at the London School of Economics. Against the backdrop of the Cold War and Britain's frustration over its lost access to oil, the CIA coordinated a clandestine operation in 1953 with the British that toppled the country's democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh. In his place, Washington helped to reinstall exiled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, an autocrat who was sympathetic to Western interests and virulently anti-communist. His rule lasted until the 1979 Iranian revolution, but Alvandi said the coup remains a 'touchstone' of modern Iranian nationalism. When Mossadegh was elected to power on a nationalist platform of taking control of the country's oil assets in 1951, Washington was confronted by a dilemma. The U.S. could support his new government's nationalists aspirations or side with the British, who were dismayed by the threat Iran's new leader posed to the lucrative Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. (later known as BP). The wider context was critical. At the time, Washington was deeply unsettled by the spread of communism after World War II, and the British — whose influence in the region was waning along with its dying empire — argued that Mossadegh's rise was a prelude to even greater Soviet influence in Iran. The prospect of communism in Iran was anathema to Washington — and in particular to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who took office in 1953. 'Ultimately, they sided with their British allies in the context of the Cold War, because they were afraid that if the oil crisis in Iran wasn't resolved, then either the Iranian communists or the Soviet Union might seize power,' Alvandi said. Kermit Roosevelt Jr., the CIA's top agent charged with orchestrating the coup, was given permission to proceed by his superiors on June 25, months after he was initially approached by British diplomats about the prospect. On July 19 he arrived in Iran through Iraq, where he met with Iranian operatives, communicated with Iran's exiled shah, and organized support among army officers and street demonstrators. 'America didn't bomb anything, it was a protracted intelligence operation by the CIA,' said University of St Andrews historian Siavush Randjbar-Daemi, who has researched the 1953 coup extensively. According to Randjbar-Daemi, the coup capped covert CIA influence operations that included the printing of fake Communist propaganda to make the party appear more virulently anti-Islamic than it was. On Aug. 19, rebels overcame the broadcast studio of Radio Tehran and prematurely declared on the radio that the Mossadegh's government had collapsed that afternoon — when it in fact hadn't yet. 'After that radio broadcast, it was over,' Randjbar-Daemi said. 'It was one of the most effective pieces of fake news in recent history in the world.' When it appeared certain that the coup had succeeded, Roosevelt wrote to his superiors in a telegram that the shah 'will be returning to Tehran in triumph shortly. Love and kisses from all the team.' In 2013, a declassified CIA internal document publicly confirmed the U.S. involvement: The military coup 'that overthrew [Mossadegh] and his National Front cabinet was carried out under CIA direction as an act of U.S. foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government,' it read. Pahlavi returned to power in 1953 as Iran's monarch, ruling for over two decades as a Western-friendly autocrat. The period coincided with rapid economic growth and urban development for many in Iran, but was also marked by fierce political repression by the shah's feared intelligence agency, SAVAK. According to Alvandi, the Shah's collaboration with the British and Americans to oust a popular nationalist government 'fatally wounded' the legitimacy of his monarchy. 'The shah tried very hard for the next 20 years to embody Iranian nationalism, to project an image of himself as a champion of Iran, but he could never get out of the memory of Mossadegh and 1953,' Alvandi said. His arch domestic rival, the influential religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, portrayed him as a Western puppet. Iran's oil-based industrialization caused the economy to boom, but it also led to rampant corruption. When the economy began to sour in 1977, the cracks in his authority only grew. After months of revolutionary unrest, Pahlavi left Iran in January 1979. Soon after, it became the Islamic Republic of Iran — led by Khomeini. According to Alvandi, the memory of 1953 — and the shah's dismal image — cast a long shadow and serves as a tale of caution for any domestic opponents who might contemplate supporting Iran's foreign adversaries. 'Iranians have a long memory, and as much as they detest the Islamic Republic, they will have a visceral dislike of anyone who is seen to collaborate with a foreign power to hurt Iran and Iranians,' he said.
The National
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
US envoy Barrack warns it would be 'very bad decision' for Hezbollah to join Israel-Iran war
US envoy has warned it would be a 'very, very, very bad decision' for Hezbollah to join the Israel-Iran war in support of its patron Tehran. Mr Barrack, who is the US special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey, made the comments during a visit to Beirut to meet senior Lebanese politicians, after he was asked what might happen if Hezbollah intervenes in the regional conflict. 'I can say on behalf of President [Donald] Trump, which he has been very clear in expressing as has Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff: that would be a very, very, very bad decision,' he said. Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group and political party, has so far stayed out of the conflict. A Hezbollah official told The National on Wednesday that the group would stay out of it even if the US joins the air war. Khamenei threat On Thursday, Hezbollah condemned threats to the life of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after Mr Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly discussed the possibility of assassinating Iran's supreme leader. It said the 'mere utterance of such threats' was an insult to the Islamic world. 'Such an act is condemned and denounced in the strongest terms,' the group added. However, its statement gave no suggestion of any change of its position on joining the conflict. Lebanon is under pressure from the US, as well as domestically, to disarm Hezbollah. During his meeting with Mr Barrack, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said efforts to bring all weapons under state control were under way in earnest and would intensify when the Israel-Iran war ended. Once a formidable force and Iran's most powerful proxy, Hezbollah was severely weakened by Israel's war on Lebanon last year. That conflict saw large sections of the group's weapons arsenal destroyed and most of its senior leadership wiped out. A tenuous ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel was agreed last November, but Israeli forces have breached it more than 3,000 times. Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, the Lebanese army is supposed to increase its presence in south Lebanon and ensure Hezbollah's fighters and infrastructure are dismantled in the area. President Aoun said that task was being implemented, but added that Israel's continued occupation of five points of Lebanese territory was delaying the process.
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
‘Very bad decision' if Hezbollah joins Iran-Israel war, says US official
BEIRUT: A top US official visiting the Lebanese capital on Thursday discouraged Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah from intervening in the war between Iran and Israel, saying it would be a 'very bad decision.'US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, who also serves as ambassador to Turkiye, met Lebanese officials in Beirut as Iran and Israel traded more strikes in their days-long war and as the US continues to press Lebanon to disarm meeting Lebanon's Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, Barrack was asked what may happen if Hezbollah joined in the regional conflict.'I can say on behalf of President (Donald) Trump, which he has been very clear in expressing as has Special Envoy (Steve) Witkoff: that would be a very, very, very bad decision,' Barrack told has condemned Israel's strikes on Iran and expressed full solidarity with its leadership. On Thursday, it said threats against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would have 'dire consequences.'But the group has stopped short of making explicit threats to intervene. After Israel began strikes on Iran last week, a Hezbollah official told Reuters the group would not launch its own attack on Israel in was left badly weakened from last year's war with Israel, in which the group's leadership was gutted, thousands of fighters were killed and strongholds in southern Lebanon and near Beirut were severely damaged.A US-brokered ceasefire deal which ended that war stipulates that the Lebanese government must ensure there are no arms outside state also met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday and discussed the state's monopoly on all is a private equity executive who has long advised Trump and chaired his inaugural presidential committee in 2016. He was appointed to his role in Turkiye and, in late May, also assumed the position of special envoy to Syria.
