'Stop politicising': Lavrov blasts IAEA, alleges it gave Israel 'hints' before Iran nuke site strikes
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov launched a scathing attack on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing the UN watchdog of providing 'pretexts' that enabled Israel to justify its recent airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
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Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Winners and losers in the Israel-Iran-US conflict
The destructive 12-day aerial duel between Iran and Israel may have paused, but the region is far from being peaceful. Normalcy is elusive, and the calm is tenuous. Israel will go for general elections next year and a new wave of muscular nationalism can divert people's attention from the exhausting campaign in Gaza (AP) The reason for such a cautious, albeit pessimistic outlook is the statements carelessly dished out by two of the three players of the West Asian roulette — US President Donald Trump and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On Friday, Trump said that if Iran continues its uranium enrichment programme, then America will bomb again. A day before, Khamenei vowed in front of his people that if America attacks Iran again, it should be prepared to face severe punishment. Iran is now bent on pursuing its nuclear armament programme. Before the attack, Tel Aviv claimed Iran would soon make a nuclear bomb, and it would become a permanent threat to Israel's existence. Another reason given was that the Khamenei regime is not only unpopular, but is full of terrorists filled with religious hatred under the garb of just rule. America also jumped into the conflict when there was no moral or strategic rationale for it to intervene. Experts are now asking what the 12-day war achieved. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Iran still has 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, which can be converted into nuclear weapons in a few weeks. As for Khamenei, he's firmly in the saddle and has chosen his successor. A barrage of claims of victory and defeat have been unleashed from both sides. However, nobody knows the real extent to which each country has suffered or gained. Was Israel, the aggressor in this case, able to achieve its stated aims? Could Iran extract revenge in its counter-attacks? Why did America enter this conflict when it didn't even have a modicum of excuse? Iran's nuclear programme was tightly controlled under the terms and conditions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). To strengthen it further, it was in talks with the US. The next round of talks was proposed just two days after the day of the attack. Israel attacked, claiming that it had already taken the US into confidence. Is this the reason why the US intervened to bring this war to a swift and decisive end? Why did it use stealth bombers like the B-2 and huge GBU-57 bombs? The harsh truth is that this war had no moral basis. If you have any doubts, look at the facts. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly said that Iran has not yet acquired the capability to make a nuclear bomb. However, that did not deter Israel and America from acting against Iran. It means something else is at play. Could it be that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is becoming increasingly unpopular at home due to the endless disaster in Gaza, orchestrated the conflict for a fresh lease of life in office? Israel will go for general elections next year and a new wave of muscular nationalism can divert people's attention from the exhausting campaign in Gaza. It seems Netanyahu has succeeded in his aim for the time being. Part of the blame lies with Iran, too. After the Islamic Revolution, it installed a clock at Tehran's main square displaying a countdown to the end of Israel. The time was ticking every moment. Who would tolerate such senseless hatred? However, the conflict has once again laid bare America's deceit. In the 1980s, Iran and Iraq were locked in a long, bloody border conflict that lasted for eight years. At that time, America and its allies, the western countries, sided with Iraq and armed it to the teeth. Vaults of destructive weapons were opened for Saddam Hussein till he delivered on bleeding Iran. Later, what America did to Iraq during the two Gulf wars is well known. Before attacking Iraq for the second time, the US claimed that Baghdad had weapons of mass destruction. After the removal of Saddam Hussein, international inspectors and the media found it to be a grand lie; neither did Iraq possess such weapons nor was it trying to make them. The same disinformation playbook is playing out in the case of Iran today. Will this stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons? Certainly not. Tehran has voted to quit NPT and has publicly vowed to continue its nuclear programme. If military operations against Iran resume, the chances are that other Gulf countries would be sucked into it. The bombs that Iran dropped on American bases in Qatar and Iraq on Monday night were not just an attack on America but also on the sovereignty of those countries. Qatar even vowed revenge. The US has eight military bases in this region, and all of them are within the range of Iranian missiles. Another important aspect is the attitude of China and Russia. While openly protesting in sharp language, both were secretly working towards a ceasefire. A day before Trump announced a ceasefire, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was in Moscow. He had a long chat with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, and met President Vladimir Putin. It would be better if China, Russia, and the US keep the situation under control. But fresh statements by Khamenei and Trump are making global leaders and the population apprehensive. It looks certain that after Gaza and Ukraine, Iran will be a simmering issue for some time to come. Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal.
Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Iran asks UN to hold US, Israel accountable for war; demands compensation
Iran on Sunday submitted a formal request to the United Nations, calling on the Security Council to hold Israel and the United States responsible for the recent 12-day conflict between Tel Aviv and Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi put the demands in a letter to the UN secretary-general.(AFP) Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi also demanded that both countries pay compensation and reparations to Iran. These demands were outlined in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. 'We officially request hereby that the Security Council recognise the Israeli regime and the United States as the initiators of the act of aggression and acknowledge their subsequent responsibility, including the payment of compensation and reparations,' the letter read. A surprise Israeli strike on June 13 killed several senior Iranian military and nuclear figures, roiling global markets and escalating fears of a broader regional war. The conflict lasted 12 days, with the US also entering briefly as it bombed three key Iranian nuclear sites, Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow. US President Donald Trump claimed the strikes had 'obliterated' Iran's atomic infrastructure, though a report from his own intelligence differed. A ceasefire agreement was reached on June 24, mediated by Qatar and the US. Iran sceptical about the ceasefire holding Both Iran and Israel have exchanged accusations of ceasefire violations, even as the truce has largely held so far. Iran says 627 people have been killed so far in Israeli attacks, while Israeli emergency services have reported 28 dead and more than 1,300 injured in Iranian strikes. But on Sunday, Tehran said it had serious doubts about the ceasefire holding for long. 'We have serious doubts about the enemy's commitment to its obligations, including the ceasefire. We are prepared to deliver a firm response if aggression is repeated,' Fars News Agency quoted Iran's armed forces chief of staff, Abdolrahim Mousavi, as saying. "We did not start the war, but we have responded to the aggressor with all our power,' he added.
Economic Times
29 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Lasers, secret weapons and more: Israel reportedly working on new box of surprises for Iran and co
Representative Image Following its decisive victory in the 12-day war with Iran, Israel is now pouring billions into replenishing its arsenal and developing a new generation of secret weapons, dubbed a 'box of surprises.' According to a report by Calcalistech , Israel's success in the recent conflict is widely credited to decades of strategic investment in military technology and deep intelligence penetration into the Iranian regime. The use of advanced standoff missiles—such as the Rampage and the ROCKS—allowed Israeli jets to hit critical components of Iran's air defense systems without even entering Iranian airspace. Meanwhile, Mossad-operated drones struck targets deep within Tehran, including high-ranking Revolutionary Guard officials and figures in Iran's nuclear program. 'These capabilities required years of development and massive budgets. If not for key decisions made more than a decade ago, Israel could have found itself confronting Iran with limited options,' the report states. However, many of the systems used during the conflict have now been 'burned'—exposed through active combat—and must be upgraded or replaced. Intelligence agencies around the world are likely analyzing missile fragments to understand how Israel executed such precise strikes. One major focus for Israel's future defense strategy is the development of the Iron Beam, a laser-based air defense system seen as the next evolution of the Iron Dome. Unlike its predecessor, the Iron Beam boasts a 100-kilowatt-class high-energy laser that can neutralize rockets by detonating their propellant or warheads mid-air. With near-unlimited shots constrained only by power supply, the system promises drastically lower operational costs—estimated at just 14 cents per kilowatt-hour in Israel. The recent conflict has also drained Israel's military supplies, including interceptor missiles, bombs, and drone payloads. Hundreds of aircraft require intensive post-war maintenance. Despite procurement delays due to budget issues, Israeli defense companies—IAI, Rafael, and Elbit Systems—are operating at full capacity. In Q1 2025, their combined order backlog reached a record 235 billion shekels, driven by rising domestic and global demand. Meanwhile, Israel remains actively engaged in Gaza, where ongoing operations continue to test and stretch its military capabilities. The IDF is working to upgrade armored brigades with new APCs and Merkava tanks while dealing with the prolonged human and political toll of war. 'Israel must end the war in Gaza, return the hostages, and extract lessons for the next phase with Iran,' said Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilead of Reichman University.
