Latest news with #USIsraelRelations
SBS Australia
14 hours ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Trump sets 2-week deadline to decide on Iran strike
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . TRANSCRIPT: The White House says President Trump will decide in two weeks whether to strike Iran. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese contemplates a last-minute trip to The Hague. In AFL, the Cats' Patrick Dangerfield will celebrate his 350th game tonight. The White House says United States President Donald Trump will decide within the next two weeks whether to strike Iran. Although, it also confirmed Mr Trump still sees a "substantial" chance that negotiations can achieve US and Israeli demands on Iran's nuclear program. The announcement, relayed by press secretary Karoline Leavitt, puts an extended timeline on the US leader's warnings to Iran to immediately shut down its enrichment operations and any other potential for producing nuclear weapons. REPORTER: "What makes him think there's still a substantial change, is my question." LEAVITT: "I'm not going to get into the reasoning and the rationale. The president believes that, but that's his position, and he will a decision within next two weeks." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has toured the site of a hospital in southern Israel, that was struck by Iran, saying Tehran would pay a "heavy price". The Soroka Hospital in Beersheba was left in flames, and 40 people are said to have sustained injuries. Iranian strikes also hit a high-rise apartment building in central Tel Aviv and other sites in central Israel. Paramedic Ori Lazarovich says evacuations are underway at the apartment building. "As you can see behind me, I am on the scene where a missile struck right in the centre of a building complex. We have five buildings that were hit by the missile. We have one which is the main building and all the other ones surrounding it, which were partially hit as well. We are currently evacuating. Minimal amount of patients. We have one serious patient with two more with minor injuries. We still have a lot of work behind me as you can see, extracting patients from all the buildings, going door from door. " Meanwhile, Israel has carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor — its latest attack on Iran's nuclear program. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is considering whether to make a last-minute trip to Europe to attend a global leaders' summit in an attempt to secure a meeting with US President Donald Trump. Mr Albanese arrived back in Sydney after attending the G7 summit in Canada on Thursday, and is weighing up whether to travel to The Hague for next week's NATO summit. It would offer a potential opportunity for a face-to-face conversation with Mr Trump, whose early departure from the G7 meant the two leaders did not meet as planned. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has told the ABC all options are being considered. "In relation to NATO, the Prime Minister has said he's considering whether to go to NATO or not, and I just want to emphasise we have a very challenging situation globally at the moment. We have a war in Europe and a war in the Middle East. Obviously, this is absolutely a time countries of the world should be working together. The Prime Minister is considering the NATO summit in the context of all that is occurring in the world." An extension to NSW anti-protest laws is being challenged in the state's Supreme Court. Activist Josh Lees has taken the NSW government to court over the new laws on behalf of the Palestine Action Group, challenging police powers to move people on during protests deemed to be near places of worship. The legislation was introduced by the state government in February as part of a suite of new racial hate laws, after a number of antisemitic attacks took place across the country. It has attracted criticism for being rushed and too broad — and granting police an unconstitutional level of power — but NSW Premier Chris Minns says they're necessary. "We haven't banned protests in New South Wales, but we have said that you've got a right to practice your religion in the state, and you've got a right to practice your religion in a place of worship, free of harassment, vilification, or intimidation. And I know that there's a right to protest, but there's also a right to practice your religion. And sometimes those rights compete only in the direct vicinity of the front door of the church or the mosque or the synagogue, but something needed to change. So we think the laws are valid." The court did not indicate when its decision would be handed down. Seven additional stores in remote Aboriginal communities will receive nearly $10 million in funding under the federal government's Food Security Resilience Package. Five communities in Western Australia, one in the Northern Territory, and one in South Australia have already received funding for their local stores under the second stage of the funding rollout. It's aimed at reducing food costs in isolated areas impacted by extreme weather and limited infrastructure, and will go towards upgrading cold storage and power supply infrastructure. Now to sport, Geelong Cats' Patrick Dangerfield will have his 350th AFL game tonight, making him the 250th AFL player to reach such a milestone. The 35-year-old will be playing against Brisbane at his team's home stadium at Kardinia Park. He's transformed from a midfielder to a more permanent forward, which he considers "a game changer".
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US officials preparing for possible strike on Iran in coming days, Bloomberg reports
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Senior U.S. officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran in the coming days, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The report, citing the people, noted that the situation is still evolving and could change. Some of the people, according to Bloomberg, pointed to potential plans for a weekend strike. Speaking to reporters earlier on Wednesday outside the White House, Trump declined to say if he had made any decision on whether to join Israel's campaign. "I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do," he said.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Israel-Iran conflict raises questions about Australia's relationship with the US
As the world holds its breath over Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu's arm wrestle about whether to drop US "bunker busters" on Iran's nuclear facilities, Australians have every right to feel confused and concerned. Is this proof we've inadvertently yoked ourselves as a nation to the whims of madmen? Does the US-Australia alliance — normally a source of national comfort — hide fearsome consequences? Will we be drawn into a new conflagration involving nuclear powers? Do we have a choice? Is our sovereignty at risk? Or is there a logic to what Israel is doing against Tehran's nuclear program that serves the interests of Australians, even if we dislike the process? Disarming a dangerous regime accused of spreading terror around the world must surely be a good thing? Either way, Richard Marles told 730 on Tuesday that "we are not a part of this conflict" in the Middle East even as the defence minister doggedly side-stepped questions from my colleague David Speers about the nature of our support for potential American involvement in Iran. "Can I just clarify, is the US allowed to launch any missions from Australia's northern bases?," Speers asked. "Well, again, there's a whole lot of speculation in all of that". Not really. Are they allowed to or not? "That's a simple question about what permission the US has regardless of what's happening right now," Speers pressed. "Well, we have a system of full knowledge and concurrence in terms of the way in which any country operates from Australia and that includes the United States," Marles eventually explained. The minister's choice of language was deliberate and strategic. And purposefully obtuse. Having full "knowledge and concurrence" of what American military forces are doing on Australian soil sounds vaguely comforting. In practice, it's a long way from what it might imply. Concurrence is not the same as "approval" or "consent" — both of which ascribe the granter an implicit and concrete veto. Concurrence leaves open the possibility that Americans do what they want from their Australian-based assets, perhaps seeking forgiveness rather than permission. Such questions and constructive ambiguity emerge every time an American administration signs up to war-fighting. But this is not a normal American administration and these are not normal times. The notion this generation of Australians can stand as aloof observers of far-off events could soon be tested. It was only on Monday that Marles triggered a frisson among the defence and strategic community when he stated that China's regional military build-up means "Australia's geography today is more relevant to great power contest than it has been at any point since the end of the Second World War, arguably at any point in our history". At face value — the notion that Australia now has a great big target on its back — is stating the bleeding obvious. But hearing it directly from an acting Labor prime minister is a significant escalation in rhetoric. Marles was emphasising — in essence — that Australia's unique geography and the traditional tyranny of distance means the country does not need to spend what the Trump administration is demanding. The problem, says Marles, is that the nation's strategic interests are in protecting global sea routes that supply Australia's fuels and export revenues. "Our risk is not so much the invasion of the continent," Marles told a security forum in Parliament House hosted by News Corp on Monday. "We are fortunate that we are an island nation surrounded by oceans. "But on the other hand, we are deeply reliant on our sea lines of communication." Almost all of our liquid fuels are imported by sea, he said, but also through export revenues. "And so that is our strategic risk. It's the disruption of those sea lines," he said. "It's the coercion that could result because of the disruption of such sea routes, it is that, and the stability of the region in which we live." The cost of managing those risks is to work with the US on regional security. And to contribute elsewhere when called upon. Anthony Albanese's frustrated attempts to have a meeting with Donald Trump at the G7 meeting in Canada this week have garnered much attention. Claims of being "snubbed" by the US president are silly, given he did the same to other leaders, including India's Narendra Modi. It's not obvious what benefit Albanese would have secured in Alberta either. Trump is in no mood to grant trade exemptions and any assurance about AUKUS is now subject to a Pentagon review. Should the first meeting between the men occur in September, as the government is indicating, then both of those issues might have been resolved. As the PM flies back to Australia, he is now considering whether to race off again next week to a NATO summit in The Hague, which Trump is expected to attend. This poses at least two risks. Critics may accuse Albanese of starting to look desperate in his efforts to meet the president. Can Trump be relied upon to even show up? And the prime minister would also be running headlong into Europe's debate about levels of military spending. NATO boss Mark Rutte wants defence spending lifted to 5 per cent of gross domestic product — which would make Albanese's stated goal of 2.4 per cent look pretty lame. For now, the government is arguing that it would be good to be in the NATO room given the level of global uncertainty. But it has not yet explained to Australians what that looks like in reality. Will the US be using Australian bases in its strikes on Tehran, for instance, by providing re-fuelling services as appeared to be the case for long-range US bombings on Houthi targets last year? Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Wednesday hardened her rhetoric against Iran's regime, having started the week urging the US and Israeli governments to show "restraint". Wong said the "fastest way out of the danger" is for Iran to "come to the table and stop any nuclear weapons program". "Ultimately, the Iranian regime has to make a decision about whether it is going to continue down a path that is so perilous. "The point that we are at, I think we can all see that Iran needs to come back to the table and stop any program." If the conflict erupts, many voters and no doubt parts of Labor's party room will fast become dissatisfied by Marles's "full knowledge and concurrence" explanation. The term itself dates back to the early 1970s, when the Whitlam government was outraged to learn that America was using the North West Cape facility to communicate with nuclear-armed Polaris submarines in the Indian Ocean. But it wasn't until the Hawke government that it was formalised in a 1988 treaty with the Reagan administration in relation to joint operations at Pine Gap. In a speech to parliament in June 2013, then Labor defence minister Stephen Smith said full knowledge "equates to Australia having a full and detailed understanding of any capability or activity with a presence on Australian territory or making use of Australian assets". 'Concurrence' means Australia approves the presence of a capability or function in Australia in support of its mutually agreed goals." Smith then added a critical caveat: "Concurrence does not mean that Australia approves every activity or tasking undertaken". Defence officials and experts — on both sides of the alliance — are understood to be in the midst of a spirited debate about whether "full knowledge and concurrence" (FK&C for short) needs to be reworked in light of the deepening use of Australian soil and waters for US military activities. It might have been enough to clarify things when the alliance was mostly about satellites and communications and over-the-horizon radar activities. But a hot war in the Middle East involving heavy bombers and other things is something quite different. Alex Bristow, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says the government would be "very reticent to get too directly embroiled in this conflict", though the Americans might request some level of support. Bristow notes the Australian Defence Department took the "unusual step" of confirming an ABC story that Australia's northern bases likely supported air-to-air refueling operations for US B-2 stealth bombers flying from the continental US for missions against Houthi targets in October. "Such bombers could play a key role in potential US strikes on Iran, as they can deliver large 'bunker-buster' bombs to hit underground targets that the Israelis would struggle to reach," he says. Australia may be called upon in other ways, "like contributing to maritime security around the Middle East, or backfilling US capabilities nearer to Australia to free up US forces to deploy to the Middle East". Marles's statement that "Australia's geography and continent would be crucial to any United States prosecution of a war against China will go down as a dark moment in Australia's history", said Paul Keating on Monday. Accusing the Labor government of having "intellectually ceded Australia to the United States as a platform for the US" for "military engagement against the Chinese state", Keating warned that Labor's "grassroots will not support Australia being dragged into a war with and by the United States over Taiwan". "The large majority of new members of the parliamentary Labor Party will not find community support for such a course of action," he said. Keating's anger is not isolated. Many continue to call for a proper debate over the terms and circumstances of America's involvement on our continent. A debate that many believe should have been conducted in full when the Gillard government and Smith agreed with the Obama administration to allow US troops to rotate through a base in Darwin.
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
‘Nobody can threaten Iranians': Deputy FM says they will retaliate if US strikes Iran
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi tells Christiane Amanpour "our hands will not be tied," if the US joins Israel's strikes against Iran's nuclear program.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump Weighs Iran Options as Israel Ratchets Up Airstrikes
President Donald Trump met with his national security team in Washington for more than an hour on Tuesday to discuss the escalating Middle East conflict, according to people familiar with the matter, fueling fresh speculation that the US is on the verge of joining Israel's attack on Iran. Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the meeting, according to a White House official, as speculation swirled around how the US president might proceed. White House officials declined to comment or issue a statement following its conclusion. Today's guests: Ursula Marchioni, BlackRock, EMEA Head of Investment and Portfolio Solutions, Elsa Lignos, RBC Capital Markets Global Head of FX Strategy, Ole Sloth Hansen, Saxo Bank Commodity Strategy Head (Source: Bloomberg)
