Latest news with #nuclearthreat
LBCI
13 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Netanyahu: We struck Iran hard, will defend ourselves with full force
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel has never had a better friend than U.S. President Donald Trump, voicing appreciation for every decision he makes. Netanyahu emphasized that Israel will continue to defend itself with full strength. He revealed that Israeli forces had dealt severe blows to Iran, putting the Natanz nuclear facility out of service. Netanyahu described Iran's missile production capabilities as an existential threat, adding that Israeli defenses are actively intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles. The Israeli leader insisted that his country is capable of neutralizing the Iranian nuclear threat, asserting that Tehran will not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu also said that if Iran is brought down, support for Hamas would collapse — a development he claimed would lead to the return of the hostages.
The Independent
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Starmer urges Trump to step back from the brink of Middle East war
Downing Street is urging Donald Trump to exercise restraint and avoid a direct strike on Iran, emphasizing the need for de-escalation. Sir Keir Starmer and his spokesman have stressed that de-escalation is the priority, warning of a real risk of escalation in the Middle East. The UK government is actively trying to persuade the US against launching a strike on Iran, with David Lammy set to discuss the situation with Marco Rubio in Washington. The potential US involvement follows days of exchange of fire between Israel and Iran, with Israel stating its strikes aim to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Concerns remain about Iran's nuclear program, which the UK considers a clear threat to international peace and security, but diplomacy is advocated over conflict.
Sky News
a day ago
- Politics
- Sky News
US senator Ted Cruz claims Iran is building missiles that can 'murder Americans'
A senior US senator who supports Donald Trump has told Sky News why he believes the US would be right to attack Iran. Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas who ran against Mr Trump in 2016 but now backs him, told US correspondent David Blevins that Iran is an "acute threat to the national security of the US". He went on to claim that because "Iran is also building ICBMs" and "You don't need an ICBM to go to Israel", then it indicated Iran's intention "to take a nuclear weapon to the United States to murder Americans". It comes after the US president said he "may do it, I may not do it" when asked if he would launch a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. So far, Israel has been attacking Iran alone since it ramped up its military action last Friday, launching strikes against what it says are Tehran's facilities for developing a nuclear weapon and also destroying its air defences. Iran has always denied seeking the ability to make a nuclear weapon from its uranium enrichment programme. Blevins's fellow US correspondent Mark Stone says that while figures like Mr Cruz back military action, "a whole host of other figures are saying 'do not do it'". "The social media space is absolutely full of MAGA [Make America Great Again] figures from the right... saying 'we absolutely must not go into Iran'." If the US were to decide to take military action against Iran, it could have implications for the UK, as America may ask to station refuelling aircraft at a British base in Cyprus and B-2 bombers, which could carry the bunker buster bombs required to attack Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, could launch from the British base of Diego Garcia.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Photos: The history of Netanyahu's rhetoric on Iran's nuclear ambitions
For more than three decades, a familiar refrain has echoed from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Iran is on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Since 1992, when Netanyahu addressed Israel's Knesset as an MP, he has consistently claimed that Tehran is only years away from acquiring a nuclear bomb. 'Within three to five years, we can assume that Iran will become autonomous in its ability to develop and produce a nuclear bomb,' he declared at the time. The prediction was later repeated in his 1995 book, Fighting Terrorism. The sense of imminent threat has repeatedly shaped Netanyahu's engagement with United States officials. In 2002, he appeared before a US congressional committee, advocating for the invasion of Iraq and suggesting that both Iraq and Iran were racing to obtain nuclear weapons. The US-led invasion of Iraq followed soon after, but no weapons of mass destruction were found. In 2009, a US State Department cable released by WikiLeaks revealed him telling members of Congress that Iran was just one or two years away from nuclear capability. Three years later, at the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu famously brandished a cartoon drawing of a bomb to illustrate his claims that Iran was closer than ever to the nuclear threshold. 'By next spring, at most by next summer … they will have finished the medium enrichment and move on to the final stage,' he said in 2012. Now, more than 30 years after his first warning, Israel has conducted attacks against Iran while Netanyahu maintains that the threat remains urgent. 'If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time,' he argued recently, suggesting the timeline could be months, even weeks. These assertions persist despite statements from the US Director of National Intelligence earlier this year saying Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. For Netanyahu, the message has scarcely changed in decades — a warning that appears to transcend shifting intelligence assessments and diplomatic developments.
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Russia warns of 'unpredictable consequences' if Iran-Israel conflict escalates
Russia 's ambassador to the UN said on Tuesday he sees no willingness from Israel to engage in mediation efforts to end its conflict with Iran, warning of 'unpredictable consequences' as hostilities intensify. 'This thing should be stopped, because it has absolutely unpredictable consequences, given that we're talking about nuclear sites that are under threat and given that the ballistic exchange continues with heavy casualties on both sides,' Vasily Nebenzya told reporters in New York. The remarks come as retaliatory attacks between Israel and Iran continue, and as international calls grow for de-escalation. It also comes as President Donald Trump has indicated the US could enter the conflict. Moscow is seeking to be a mediator, but its overtures have yet to translate into concrete talks. 'There was a conversation between President [Vladimir] Putin and President Trump the other day, and President Putin said that we are ready to do what we can to facilitate … so in that sense, yes, we are co-ordinating, but we don't have any mediation efforts on the ground,' he said. Iran provided critical drone support to Russia during the first year of Moscow's war in Ukraine, helped it establish a domestic drone factory, and signed a 20-year strategic partnership in January, deepening defence and political ties between the two allies. Yet months after that agreement, as Iran faces unprecedented Israeli strikes threatening its stability, Russia has offered little beyond diplomatic statements and phone calls, leaving Tehran increasingly isolated. Moscow is walking a tightrope, Iulia-Sabina Joja, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told The National, as it weighs support for Tehran against protecting its broader regional interests amid Iran's declining influence. Any prolonged instability in the Middle East, especially involving Iran, could undermine Russia's delicate balancing act in the region, Ms Joja said. 'Russia has to play now a very difficult balancing game,' she said. 'On the one hand, they want to support Iran but have to be on the winning side in the Middle East to pursue their interests, and Iran is looking weak, with its interests on the losing side across the region, particularly in Syria with the Assad regime and other elements.' At the same time, Moscow's immediate priority remains its war in Ukraine, where it aims to prolong the conflict while stringing along the US with illusory negotiations. 'For them to be able to do that for as long as possible, which is their aim, they have to play nice, or at least pretend to play nice, with the United States,' Ms Joja said. 'That's why we're seeing them take a step back or adopt a more reluctant position than some expected in their partnership with Iran.' If the US joins Israel in striking Iran, Ms Joja said direct Russian intervention is unlikely. 'The US and Israel have the upper hand,' she said of their air superiority. Still, any escalation of the conflict would necessarily make Moscow uncomfortable, as it would jeopardise Russia's goals in Ukraine and its broader Middle East ambitions, including access to warm-water trade routes, she added.
