UK to reintroduce nuclear weapon-capable aircraft under NATO
Britain will reintroduce fighter jets capable of carrying atomic weapons to support NATO's nuclear mission, expanding the country's deterrence arsenal, which is currently limited to submarine-launched missiles, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said Tuesday.
The country will purchase 12 nuclear weapon-capable F-35A fighters, in the "biggest strengthening of the UK's nuclear posture in a generation", Downing Street said in a statement, adding Starmer would announce the plan at a NATO summit Wednesday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ammon
2 days ago
- Ammon
Trump says US to hold nuclear talks with Iran next week
Ammon News - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would likely seek a commitment from Iran to end its nuclear ambitions at talks next week and credited U.S. strikes on Iran with bringing a swift end to the war between Israel and Tehran. Trump said his decision to unleash huge bunker-busting bombs in Sunday's attack had devastated Iran's nuclear program and called the outcome "a victory for everybody". "It was very severe. It was obliteration," he said, shrugging off an initial assessment by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency that Iran's path to building a nuclear weapon may have been set back only by months. Meanwhile, anxious Iranians and Israelis sought to resume normal life after 12 days of the most intense confrontation ever between the two foes and a ceasefire that took effect Tuesday. Speaking in The Hague where he attended a NATO summit on Wednesday, Trump said he did not see Iran again engaging in nuclear weapons development. Tehran has for decades denied accusations by Western leaders that it is seeking nuclear arms. "We're going to talk to them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement. I don't know. To me, I don't think it's that necessary," Trump said. Reuters
Roya News
2 days ago
- Roya News
Trump claims win as NATO agrees massive spending hike
NATO countries agreed Wednesday to massively ramp up their defence spending to satisfy US President Donald Trump, who hailed it as a "monumental win" for America -- and reaffirmed his country's commitment to protect its European allies. Trump cut a jubilant figure after NATO's 32 countries agreed to his headline target of five percent of GDP on defence spending following two days of talks in The Hague. Taking credit for a "fantastic" outcome that "no one really thought possible", Trump described the spending hike as "a monumental win for the United States". Trump also signed off on a final declaration confirming an "ironclad commitment" to NATO's collective defence pledge that an attack on one is an attack on all -- a reassuring move for European countries worried about Russia. The US leader has repeatedly suggested Washington could withhold protection from European countries unwilling to spend more on defence. The compromise hatched by NATO sees countries promise to dedicate 3.5 percent of GDP to core military spending by 2035, and a further 1.5 to broader security-related areas such as infrastructure. Spain had been refusing to agree and while it signed the pledge it has said it thinks it can fulfil NATO's demands while spending less -- Trump threatening on Wednesday to hit its trade interests in response. But the pledge endorsed in The Hague allows Trump to claim triumph, while in practice providing wiggle room for cash-strapped governments in Europe. 'Couldn't have been nicer' Everything was choreographed at the gathering to keep the volatile US president on board: from chopping back the official part of the meeting, to putting him up overnight in the royal palace. Underpinning the leaders' discussions on defence was Moscow's war with Kyiv, with the summit's final statement referring to the "long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security". Though its language was watered down from previous years, the declaration also said allies would continue to support Ukraine, "whose security contributes to ours", and allies will be allowed to use money from the new pledge for military aid for Kyiv. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky played a less central role than at previous summits -- with leaders wary of any embarrassment after an infamous row with Trump during a visit to the Oval Office. But the US president did meet the war-torn country's leader on the summit sidelines, declaring afterwards the encounter "couldn't have been nicer" and Zelensky hailing a "substantive" meeting. Trump also said he was talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war, adding: "I think progress is being made." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also met Zelensky along with a group of other European leaders, saying afterwards he hoped to "use the momentum from the summit to continue to step up support for Ukraine". NATO chief Mark Rutte, also present at the Starmer meeting, renewed a promise that Ukraine's bid for membership remained "irreversible", but the summit statement avoided any mention of Kyiv's push to join after Trump ruled it out. 'Not a rip-off' Trump had rattled allies on the summit's eve by appearing to cast some doubt on the validity of NATO's mutual defence clause -- known as Article Five of the alliance treaty. But the pledge was reaffirmed unequivocally in the summit's final statement -- and Trump drove the point home at his closing press conference. "I came here because it was something I'm supposed to be doing," Trump said in closing remarks to the press, when pressed on the mutual defence clause known as Article Five. "But I left here a little bit differently," said the US leader -- who was visibly delighted at the red carpet welcome and the praise lavished on him by NATO's Rutte among others.
Jordan News
3 days ago
- Jordan News
Trump Warns Iran of Another U.S. Strike if Nuclear Program Is Rebuilt - Jordan News
Trump Warns Iran of Another U.S. Strike if Nuclear Program Is Rebuilt In a press conference held in The Hague alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Iran, declaring that any attempt to rebuild its nuclear program would be met with another American military strike. اضافة اعلان 'If the Iranians rebuild, there will absolutely be another U.S. strike,' Trump said. 'But I'm not worried about that. It's over for many years.' Trump emphasized the scale of destruction inflicted by the recent airstrikes, claiming that entire nuclear facilities were buried under millions of tons of rock, rendering them inaccessible. 'You can't even enter the room anymore,' he added. 'The bombs hit exactly where we wanted. With 30,000-pound warheads and the destructive power they bring, we achieved total devastation under the Fordow facility.' Trump described the mission as 'flawless' and 'perfect,' asserting that the bombs struck with precision and accomplished their intended outcome. Claims of Long-Term Setback to Iran's Program When asked about the impact of the strike on Iran's nuclear ambitions, Trump claimed the attack would delay Iran's program by decades: 'I don't think they'll try again. I think they're done. They've been through hell. Now they'll stick to oil, some missiles, and defense.' He argued that uranium enrichment is 'very hard' and rebuilding nuclear infrastructure is costly and complex: 'They spent trillions of dollars trying to build this program. And now it's gone.' A Controversial Comparison Trump controversially compared the U.S. strike on Iran to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, suggesting the recent operation ended the conflict between Iran and Israel: 'This strike ended the war between Iran and Israel, just like Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended World War II.' He also claimed that the current ceasefire between Iran and Israel is holding well and that U.S.-Iran relations are now surprisingly positive. Contradicting Intelligence Reports Trump's remarks come amid conflicting assessments. As reported earlier, U.S. defense intelligence officials have indicated that the strike did not destroy key components of Iran's nuclear program and likely delayed it by only a few months. Nonetheless, Trump insisted the mission was a decisive success and implied that Iran no longer poses a nuclear threat, underscoring once again that American power remains the ultimate deterrent. This rhetoric will likely stir further debate within the U.S. and among allies, especially as independent assessments continue to evaluate the true impact of the strike and Iran's next moves remain uncertain.
