logo
Exclusive-Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces could come soon, U.S. officials say

Exclusive-Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces could come soon, U.S. officials say

The Star23-06-2025
FILE PHOTO: U.S. and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States assesses that Iran could carry out retaliatory attacks targeting American forces in the Middle East soon, although the U.S. is still seeking a diplomatic resolution that would see Tehran forgo any attack, two U.S. officials said on Monday.
One of the officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Iran's retaliatory attack could happen within the next day or two.
Iran has threatened to retaliate after U.S. bombed its nuclear sites over the weekend.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Analysis-Leader for life? El Salvador's Bukele headed that way, critics say
Analysis-Leader for life? El Salvador's Bukele headed that way, critics say

The Star

time26 minutes ago

  • The Star

Analysis-Leader for life? El Salvador's Bukele headed that way, critics say

(Reuters) -There was no shortage of warning signs that El Salvador President Nayib Bukele would attempt to stay in power indefinitely, his critics say. There was the time Bukele stormed the legislative assembly with armed soldiers during his first year in office. Or a year after that, when his allies in the congress removed top Supreme Court judges and the attorney general and replaced them with Bukele loyalists. Then last year, Bukele ran for a consecutive term as president after the new Supreme Court judges reinterpreted the constitution. But the final tipping point came on Thursday afternoon, when a little-known legislator from Bukele's ruling New Ideas party announced a proposal to amend the constitution to allow indefinite presidential reelection. Bukele allies lined up one by one to sign a petition that would allow the assembly to vote on the legislation immediately, without it first going to committee for analysis or public debate. A mere three hours passed from the time the legislation was introduced until the moment it became law. Fifty-seven lawmakers voted in favor, with three in opposition. Ernesto Castro, the assembly president, framed the vote as a win for democracy. "The people will decide how long they want a leader to remain in office," Castro wrote on X. "With these decisive measures, we are ensuring a stronger, fairer and more efficient democracy." Marcela Villatoro, one of the three legislators to vote against the measure, countered late on Thursday: "Democracy has died in El Salvador today." The constitutional change also lengthened the presidential term by a year to six, eliminated runoffs, and moved up the next presidential election by two years to 2027, leaving little room for Bukele's scattered opposition to find a candidate. DEEPENING CRACKDOWN Bukele, who swept to power in 2019, is extremely popular in El Salvador because of his strong-arm tactics that have eliminated the country's once-powerful street gangs. That, combined with his effective crackdown on opponents, virtually guarantees that the 44-year-old will remain in office until at least 2033 — and perhaps many years after that. Human rights groups accuse Bukele of widespread abuses and corruption, and a flood of rights activists and journalists have fled the country in recent months after two outspoken critics were arrested and jailed. A spokesperson for Bukele did not respond to requests for comment about the constitutional change, whether he plans to run for re-election, or the opposition's assertion that democracy was being destroyed. In the U.S., El Salvador's constitutional amendment was largely met with silence. Bukele is Trump's strongest ally in Latin America, a relationship cemented by an agreement reached in March for El Salvador to house 238 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. in a maximum-security prison. In April, Trump called Bukele "one hell of a president." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not respond to a request for comment on the constitutional change. "The U.S. government is shielding the Bukele regime with its silence," said Gina Romero, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association. "Bukele has complete control of the courts, the congress, the media and the narrative. If that's not autocracy I don't know what is." In El Salvador, the reaction to Thursday's measure was muted. Democracy is relatively new in the country -- it was established during 1992 peace accords that ended a brutal 12-year civil war -- and many Salvadorans consider it a failure given the power that gangs amassed during that time. The news appeared on the front pages of the country's most popular papers. But there were no protests, and many people were more focused on getting ready for a week-long vacation, with government offices closed next week. Many of Bukele's most outspoken critics have fled the country, including an estimated 100 journalists and human rights activists. In July, the country's leading human rights group suspended operations. Bertha Maria Deleon, a lawyer and activist who worked for Bukele from 2015 to 2019, said Bukele's rise to power was fueled by what she saw at the time as a legitimate desire to improve El Salvador. He promised to end corruption after three consecutive presidents were accused of embezzling millions of dollars of public funds. Deleon broke with Bukele after he occupied the parliament in 2020. She said everything he has done since then has been an effort to consolidate power. "Ever since that takeover of parliament, he clearly began to execute the dictators' manual," she said. (Reporting by Emily Green; Editing by Christian Plumb and Rosalba O'Brien)

Myanmar remains upbeat on trade talks despite 40% Trump tariffs
Myanmar remains upbeat on trade talks despite 40% Trump tariffs

The Star

time2 hours ago

  • The Star

Myanmar remains upbeat on trade talks despite 40% Trump tariffs

YANGON: Myanmar's military government said it remains upbeat on reaching a deal with the US to see a decrease in Trump's new tariffs of 40% on goods from the South-East Asian country. "The US continues to negotiate with us on this so it's still in a stage of negotiation,' Zaw Min Tun, chief spokesman of the ruling State Security and Peace Commission, told Bloomberg News on Saturday (Aug 2). Myanmar has offered to reduce its tariff on American goods entering the country to a range of 0%-15%, from the previous rate of 88%, and expects the ones imposed by the US to drop to a range of 0%-7%, he said. The nature and channel of ongoing discussions between the US and Myanmar is not immediately clear as Washington has imposed sanctions on most of Myanmar generals and cabinet members following a military coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi-led civilian government in 2021. Last month, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing (pic) praised Donald Trump in a rare letter and compared his military's coup to the American president's baseless claims of US election fraud, suggesting both leaders were victims of rigged votes. In the letter, he requested a reduced tariff rate and offered to send a high-level trade delegation to Washington. Myanmar's bilateral trade with the US is relatively small compared to other countries in the region. The value of two-way trade was US$588.3 million in the fiscal year ended March, down from $701.9 million a year earlier, while the US continued to see a trade deficit, according to government data. Myanmar has been struggling with a crippling economy and a growing civil war since the military seized power more than four years ago. Earlier this week, the regime lifted a 54-month state of emergency, paving way for long-promised general elections in December which many countries consider as a sham. - Bloomberg

Mali ex-prime minister to stand trial over social media post, lawyer says
Mali ex-prime minister to stand trial over social media post, lawyer says

The Star

time2 hours ago

  • The Star

Mali ex-prime minister to stand trial over social media post, lawyer says

BAMAKO (Reuters) -A Malian court has detained and charged former Prime Minister Moussa Mara over a social media post criticising shrinking democratic space under military rule in the West African nation, his lawyer said late Friday. Mara is one of few public figures in the country who has been willing to openly question moves taken this year to dissolve political parties and grant the military government, led by Assimi Goita, a five-year mandate without elections. Last month, authorities formally approved Goita's five-year term and said it could be renewed as many times as necessary as Mali struggles to respond to a long-running jihadist insurgency. Goita assumed power after military coups in 2020 and 2021. Mara had been summoned several times for questioning this month over a social media post dated July 4 expressing solidarity with government critics who have been jailed. On July 21, his lawyer, Mountaga Tall, posted on social media site X that Mara had been barred from boarding a flight to Senegal to participate in a regional conference on peace and security. On Friday, Mara was summoned by a judicial cybercrimes unit, and a prosecutor charged him with offences including undermining the credibility of the state and spreading false information, Tall said in a statement. Mara's trial has been scheduled for September 29, Tall said. A government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The case against Mara comes amid worsening insecurity in Mali. The past few months have seen a surge of deadly attacks by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-linked group that also operates in Burkina Faso and Niger. Analysts say the group's battlefield tactics have grown increasingly sophisticated and that it has amassed substantial resources through raids on military posts, cattle rustling, hijacking of goods, kidnappings and taxes on local communities. On Friday, the group said it had ambushed a convoy of Malian soldiers and Russian mercenaries in the Tenenkou locality in central Mali. Mali's army confirmed the ambush in a statement on X. Neither statement gave a death toll. (Reporting by Mali newsroomWriting by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Susan Fenton)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store