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President Donald Trump's decision to strike three nuclear sites in Iran could deepen a divide among some of the Republican's supporters, including high-profile backers who had said any such move would run counter to the anti-interventionism he promised to deliver. Notably though, immediately following Trump's Saturday announcement of the strike, some of those who had publicly spoken out against U.S. involvement voiced their support. The lead-up to the move against Iranian nuclear sites had exposed fissures within Trump's Make American Great Again base as some of that movement's most vocal leaders, with large followings of their own, expressed deep concern about the prospect of US involvement in the Israel-Iran war. With the president barred from seeking a third term, what remains unknown is how long-lasting the schism could be for Trump and his current priorities, as well as the overall future of his America First movement. Among the surrogates who spoke out against American ...
Donald Trump's decision to strike Iran's nuclear sites reignites debate over the 1973 War Powers Resolution and raises questions about presidential authority and potential impeachment
Iran has spent decades building multi-tiered military capabilities at home and across the region that were at least partly aimed at deterring the United States from attacking it. By entering Israel's war, the US may have removed the last rationale for holding them in reserve. Thet could mean a wave of attacks on US forces in the Middle East, an attempt to close a key bottleneck for global oil supplies or a dash to develop a nuclear weapon with what remains of Iran's disputed programme after American strikes on three key sites. A decision to retaliate against the US and its regional allies would give Iran a far larger target bank and one that is much closer than Israel, allowing it to potentially use its missiles and drones to greater effect. The US and Israel have far superior capabilities, but those haven't always proven decisive in America's recent history of military interventions in the region. Ever since Israel started the war with a suprise bombardment of Iran's military and .
Missile and drone barrages in an expanding number of conflict zones globally represent a high risk to airline traffic
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Sunday that there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels after US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The UN nuclear watchdog sent the message via the social platform X on Sunday. The IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time, it said. The IAEA will provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available.
The US strike on Iran fuelled fears that Israel's war with Tehran could escalate to a wider regional conflict, and other countries began reacting Sunday with calls for diplomacy and words of caution. President Donald Trump had said Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to get involved. In the end, it took just days to decide, and Washington inserted itself into Israel's campaign with its early Sunday attack. It remained unclear early how much damage had been inflicted, but Iran had pledged to retaliate if the US joined the Israeli assault. Some have questioned whether a weakened Iran would capitulate or remain defiant and begin striking with allies at US targets scattered across the Gulf region. Here is a look at reaction from governments and officials around the world. United Nations UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States. There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of cont
Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil chokepoints located between Oman and Iran, connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations called on Sunday for an emergency Security Council meeting for what he described as America's heinous attacks and illegal use of force against Iran. In a letter, obtained by the AP, Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, said that the UN's most powerful body must take all necessary measures to hold the US accountable under international law and the UN charter. The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns and denounces in the strongest possible terms these unprovoked and premeditated acts of aggression, which have followed the large-scale military attack conducted by the Israeli regime on 13 June against Iran's peaceful nuclear sites and facilities," the letter continued.
President Donald Trump expressed certainty that his big gamble to directly assist the Israelis delivered a knockout blow to Iran's nuclear programme even as many supporters and detractors alike were warning that US military action could draw the US into an expansive regional conflict. Trump, in brief remarks to the nation on Saturday evening from the White House, said the strikes obliterated three critical Iranian enrichment facilities and the bully of the Middle East must now make peace. But it's a risky moment for Trump, who has belittled his predecessors for tying up America in stupid wars" and has repeatedly said he was determined to keep the U.S. and the Middle East from another expansive conflict. There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran," Trump said. He added, If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill." The US has struggled for decades to deal with the threat posed by Iran and its ...
Congressional Republicans and at least one Democrat immediately praised President Donald Trump after he said Saturday evening that the US military bombed three sites in Iran. Well done, President Trump, Sen Lindsey Graham of South Carolina posted on X. Texas Sen John Cornyn called it a courageous and correct decision. Alabama Sen Katie Britt called the bombings strong and surgical. Oklahoma Sen Markwayne Mullin posted: America first, always. The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said Trump has made a deliberate and correct decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime. Wicker posted on X that we now have very serious choices ahead to provide security for our citizens and our allies. The quick endorsements of stepped up US involvement in Iran came after Trump had publicly mulled the strikes for days and many congressional Republicans had cautiously said they thought he would make the right decision. Senate Majorit
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 others, a human rights group said Sunday. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 363 civilians and 215 security force personnel being killed. Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country. Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. On Saturday, Iran's Health Ministry said some 400 Iranians had been killed and another 3,056 wounded in the Israeli strikes. Meanwhile, Israel's Airport Authority announced Sunday it was closing the country's airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US.attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. The agency said i
Trump's announcement comes just two days after he said that he had opened a two-week window for diplomacy
Israel's Airport Authority announced Sunday it was closing the country's airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. The agency said it was shutting down air traffic due to recent developments and did not say for how long. The US struck three sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself into Israel's war aimed at destroying the country's nuclear programme in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe despite fears of a wider regional conflict. Meanwhile, Iran said there were no signs of contamination at its nuclear sites at Isfahan, Fordo or Natanz after US airstrikes targeted the facilities. Iranian state media quoted the country's National Nuclear Safety System Centre, which published a statement saying its radiation detectors had recorded no radioactive release after the strikes. There is no danger to the residents living around the aforementioned sites, the statement added. Earlier Israeli airstrikes on nuclear sites simi
American warplanes struck Iran's Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities with 'bunker buster' bombs in coordination with Israel, sparking fears of wider regional conflict
India has ramped up purchases of Russian oil in June, importing more than the combined volumes from Middle Eastern suppliers such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, amid market volatility triggered by Israel's dramatic attack on Iran. The US military struck three sites in Iran early Sunday, directly joining Israel which first struck Iranian nuclear sites on June 13. Indian refiners are likely to import 2-2.2 million barrels per day of Russian crude oil in June - the highest in the last two years and more than the total volumes bought from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait, preliminary data by global trade analytics firm Kpler showed. India's oil imports from Russia were 1.96 million barrels per day (bpd) in May. Imports from the United States also rose to 439,000 bpd in June, a big jump from 280,000 bpd purchased in the previous month. Full-month projections for imports from the Middle East stand at around 2 million bpd, lower than the previous month's buying, according to Kpler. Ind
Iran said early Sunday there were no signs of contamination at its nuclear sites at Isfahan, Fordo and Natanz after US airstrikes targeted the facilities. Iranian state media quoted the country's National Nuclear Safety System Centre, which published a statement saying its radiation detectors had recorded no radioactive release after the strikes. There is no danger to the residents living around the aforementioned sites, the statement added. Earlier Israeli airstrikes on nuclear sites similarly have caused no recorded release of radioactive material into the environment around the facilities, the International Atomic Energy Agency has said.
Antonio Guterres said that there is a "growing risk" that this conflict could "rapidly" get out of control with "catastrophic" consequences for civilians, the region, and the world
In his first speech after the US strikes on Iran, Trump warned that Iran faces "either peace or tragedy" and said many more targets remain within reach of the American military
Iran's attacks have killed 24 people and injured 1,272 others, including 14 in serious condition
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's decision to attack in a video message directed to the American president. Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history, he said. Netanyahu said the US has done what no other country on earth could do.