Iran says Israel attacked building linked to defence ministry in Isfahan
'One of the centres affiliated with the Ministry of Defence in Isfahan was attacked moments ago, but there have been no casualties so far,' the deputy provincial governor, Akbar Salehi, was quoted as saying by the ISNA News Agency.
'Expert teams are currently examining the possible damage,' he added.
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Middle East Eye
20 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
US asked Saudi Arabia to send missile interceptors to Israel during Iran conflict. Riyadh refused
Israel was running low on Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) interceptors as Iranian ballistic missiles slammed into Israeli cities in June. The US asked Saudi Arabia to turn over interceptors to help the US ally in need. But Riyadh's response was "no", two US officials familiar with the talks told Middle East Eye. "During the war, we asked everyone to donate," one official told MEE. "When that didn't work, we tried deal-making. It wasn't aimed at one country." But Saudi Arabia was well placed to help Israel, and US officials have been keen to emphasise that Iran is a threat to them as well as Israel. The US has already deployed air defence systems to the oil-rich Gulf state, which until recently was targeted by Houthi missile and drone attacks. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters As Iran and Israel were fighting it out, the kingdom was preparing to receive the first THAAD battery it purchased with its own sovereign funds. In fact, the battery was inaugurated by the Saudi military on 3 July, just nine days after Israel and Iran reached a ceasefire. Just before the inauguration, US officials were concerned that a massive Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel would drain the US stockpile of interceptors to a "horrendous level". Middle East Eye was the first to report that Israel was rapidly depleting the US's stockpile of ballistic missile interceptors as well as Israel's arsenal of Arrow interceptors. The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian later confirmed MEE's report. The Guardian later reported in July that after the conflict, the US was only left with about 25 percent of the Patriot missile interceptors that planners at the Pentagon assess are needed for all US military operations globally. A US official confirmed that classified number to MEE. The US also fired the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) mounted on Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to defend Israel. Iran receives Chinese surface-to-air missile batteries after Israel ceasefire deal Read More » Despite Israel's three-tiered air defence system being backed up by additional American firepower, Iran was able to send missiles into Israeli cities right up until the ceasefire was reached. The Telegraph reported that Iranian missiles directly hit five Israeli military facilities. Analysts say that the American and Israeli air defence systems held up better than some military planners anticipated, given the scale of Iran's barrages, but the Islamic Republic was able to exploit the system's weak spot, particularly as the conflict dragged on. "The weakness is that it is an enterprise where you are at risk of running out of your magazine depth. We only have so many interceptors and the ability to produce them," Douglas Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, previously told MEE. Amid the shortage, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that some US officials even discussed taking THAAD interceptors purchased by Saudi Arabia and diverting them to Israel. One US official confirmed to MEE that the talks took place after Saudi Arabia had rejected polite US overtures and deal-making efforts. Both US officials also told MEE that the US asked the United Arab Emirates to share interceptors with Israel. Neither would confirm if any arrived. The UAE was the first non-US country to purchase and operate the THAAD, which it activated in 2016. Iran's success breaching Israel's sophisticated air defences did not go unnoticed in the more lightly defended Gulf states, experts say. 'Israel paid a price' Scrambling the globe for interceptors has become a common job for a select few US officials as its allies, Israel and Ukraine, both face adversaries who rely on much cheaper ballistic missiles and drones. The US Department of Defense's office for policy has taken the lead in trying to cajole and coax US allies to share interceptors with Israel. The efforts were led by Christopher Mamaux, who is deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Global Partnerships. But Saudi Arabia's refusal to help Israel will sting officials in Washington. Before the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, the US was working to integrate Israel's air defence system with Gulf allies in part of a much hyped "Middle East Nato". Instead, Gulf states sat out the Israel-Iran conflict and felt "vindicated" they had revived relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, analysts in the region told MEE. 'Vindicated': Unscathed by war, Gulf states look to capitalise on Israel and Iran's losses Read More » The Trump administration still says it wants to broker a normalisation deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. But Riyadh and other Arab states are increasingly seeing Israel as an expansionist military power to check - not aid in a time of need. For example, Saudi Arabia lobbied the US for Syrian soldiers to deploy to southern Syria this month. Riyadh was upset that Israel launched strikes on Syrian government forces amid the sectarian clashes in the country. As the smoke clears from the Israel-Iran conflict, the flaws in Israel's missile defence system are being studied, and Iran is rebuilding its air defences with help from China, MEE has reported. As one Arab diplomat told MEE: "From our perspective the war ended well. Israel experienced the price of confronting a strong nation state." And Iran, trying to regroup from a blistering Israeli bombing campaign, is also becoming more dependent on the Gulf, too. "On Israel, the Saudi position has hardened in light of unchecked Israeli actions in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank. With Iran now weakened, the kingdom is repositioning closer to Turkey & may even do the same with Iran," Firas Maksad, Eurasia Group's managing director for the Middle East and North Africa, recently wrote on X.
Filipino Times
a day ago
- Filipino Times
Remains of OFW killed in Iran-Israel missile strike return home
The remains of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Leah Mosquera, who died from injuries sustained during an Iranian missile strike in Israel, arrived in the Philippines on Wednesday. Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac confirmed the repatriation in a Facebook post. Mosquera was critically injured when a missile struck a residential building in Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv, on June 15 amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. She was admitted to Shamir Medical Center and placed in intensive care but passed away on July 13. Two other Filipino workers were also injured in the incident but were released from the hospital after receiving treatment. Cacdac earlier paid tribute to Mosquera's dedication, calling her a symbol of the quiet heroism and strength of Filipino migrant workers. 'Her dedication and quiet heroism, we see the strength and sacrifices of our overseas Filipino workers who carry the hopes and dreams of their families, their communities, and our nation,' he said. The DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will provide full assistance to Mosquera's family.
The National
a day ago
- The National
Iran and European powers resume nuclear talks in Istanbul
Iran and European powers have begun talks in Istanbul over Tehran's nuclear programme, before a deadline to reimpose UN sanctions in September. Iran's nuclear negotiators and deputy foreign ministers, Kazem Gharibabadi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, met in closed-door discussions with political directors from the foreign ministries of the UK, France and Germany at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. These were the first in-person talks between Iran and the European countries, known as the E3, since the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June, and subsequent US air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Last Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told foreign ministers from the E3 that they have no grounds to reactivate UN sanctions after they threatened to do so unless there is progress in nuclear talks. Speaking in Tehran on Thursday night, Mr Araghchi said his country's positions would be 'completely clear" in Friday's talks. "The Islamic Republic of Iran, while advancing its peaceful nuclear programme, has always been ready to adopt confidence-building measures", he added. 'Especially after the recent war, it is important for them [the E3] to understand that the Islamic Republic of Iran's position remains unshakable, and that our uranium enrichment will continue', the Tasnim news agency quoted Mr Araghchi as saying. The negotiations centre on the so-called snapback mechanism, which would allow remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran that are due to expire in the autumn. While the US left the 2015 nuclear deal in President Donald Trump 's first term, the E3, as well as China and Russia, are still parties to the agreement. In the deal's dispute resolution clauses, any of those parties can trigger a unilateral reimposition of UN sanctions, which include arms embargoes, asset freezes and restrictions on Iran's missile and nuclear programmes. Iranian officials have claimed repeatedly that European nations do not have the right to reimpose UN sanctions because they breached commitments under the 2015 deal and adopted what Tehran saw as pro-Israeli stances during the war in June. If the snapback process is not used and UN embargoes expire in October, Iran could in theory advance its nuclear programme without international restrictions, although remaining US sanctions would likely still complicate any such efforts. Clock ticking on sanctions Analysts and diplomats have said European powers could offer Iran an extension to the deadline. Without one, Germany, France and the UK must decide whether to activate the snapback process 30 days before the curbs expire completely on October 18. An extension would allow time for negotiations between Tehran and Washington in an attempt to reach a deal over Iran's nuclear programme, and impose limits on that activity in exchange for sanctions relief. Such a move would probably come in exchange for commitments from Iran to co-operate with international nuclear inspectors and re-engage in talks with the US. Iran said this week that it agreed to host a technical team from the UN nuclear watchdog to discuss future co-operation, while cautiously signalling openness to renewed talks with the US. The development comes after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian this month ended co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and said it could only be restored if the agency addressed Tehran's concerns over perceived bias. "A snapback extension remains a difficult means to an even more difficult end – securing new US-Iran negotiations and a new nuclear deal," Ellie Geranmayeh, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in an analysis on the snapback mechanism this week. "But Europeans need to be fully invested in this process." Iranian officials have voiced scepticism over an extension. 'We oppose it,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told state media on Friday. The talks in Istanbul are an opportunity for European countries 'to make up for their previous unconstructive approaches that have tarnished Europe's credibility', he added. Iran and the US held five rounds of negotiations in Rome and Oman this year, before a sixth round was cancelled when Israel attacked Iran in June. The talks had also faltered over Iran's rights to uranium enrichment, which Tehran wants to continue, with possible limits. The US position hardened during the talks and Washington wants to deny Iran any nuclear enrichment capacity under a deal. Tehran insists its nuclear programme is for strictly peaceful purposes and denies seeking to develop a bomb. But uranium enrichment levels of up to 60 per cent, far exceeding the needs of civilian purposes, have raised suspicions in the West that Iran wants to build a weapon.
