‘They didn't break me': Belarusian opposition figure speaks out after time in prison
Sergey Tikhanovsky, a Belarusian dissident who was freed after five years in detention and the husband of exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, joins CNN's Jim Sciutto to discuss and share details about his time in prison.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
18 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Blasts $30 Billion Iran Nuclear Deal Report: 'Hoax'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump has rejected as a "hoax" media reports that his administration was considering a $30 billion deal to assist Iran in developing civilian nuclear facilities. The reports by CNN and NBC News that the Trump administration was looking at economic incentives for the Islamic Republic to halt its uranium enrichment follow the U.S. military bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. Newsweek has contacted the Iranian foreign ministry for comment. President Donald Trump at the White House, on June 27, 2025, in Washington D.C. President Donald Trump at the White House, on June 27, 2025, in Washington It Matters Trump announced a ceasefire this week between Iran and Israel following U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites that followed Israel's Operation Rising Lion aimed at curbing Tehran's ability to make an atomic weapon. Although Trump said the U.S. had obliterated Iran's ability to make a bomb, preliminary intelligence suggests otherwise. Trump's dismissal of the CNN and NBC reports comes amid concern about just how incapacitated Iran's nuclear capacity is. What To Know CNN and NBC reported that the Trump administration had investigated financial incentives for Iran in return for it halting its uranium enrichment. This included releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and helping it build a civilian nuclear program in a potential "$30 billion" deal. The preliminary proposal is one of several the Trump administration is considering although there is no guarantee any would proceed, the outlets reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the discussions. But Trump hit back on Truth Social, in a post that said the reports were "fake news" which pushed a "ridiculous idea." "It's just another HOAX put out by the Fake News in order to demean," added the post. "These people are SICK!!!" Any such deal as reported by CNN and NBC would be a major policy reversal for Trump who during his first term, pulled the U.S. out a 2015 nuclear deal struck with Iran under the Obama administration. Trump also threatened to drop any sanctions relief for Iran after its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared victory in the war against Israel and downplayed the significance of U.S. attacks. Trump said on Friday he had been working on sanctions relief for Iran but railed at the supreme leader's "lie" and statement "of anger, hatred and disgust." Following Trump's orders to attack Iran, the U.S. Senate rejected a Democrat-pushed resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) that aimed to rein in the president's ability to use military action against the Islamic Republic without congressional approval. In a statement to Newsweek, National Iranian American Council (NIAC) President Jamal Abdi said despite the "disappointing" result of the vote, Trump had no authorization for war with Iran and the American people don't want him to start one. "We saw a near majority do the right thing and stand up against war and for democracy," Abdi said. "We will continue to press the case that war with Iran is against U.S. interests and U.S. security, and redouble our work to prevent the conflict from reigniting." A state funeral was held on Saturday in Iran for dozens of military commanders and nuclear scientists who were killed during the 12-day conflict with Israel which had sought to destroy the Islamic Republic's ability to make a nuclear bomb. What People Are Saying President Donald Trump on Truth Social: "Who in the Fake News Media is the SleazeBag saying that 'President Trump wants to give Iran $30 Billion to build non-military Nuclear facilities.' Never heard of this ridiculous idea." Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on X: "If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran's Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei." What Happens Next Questions remain over Iran's nuclear capabilities after the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said it is still not known how much highly-enriched uranium and the centrifuges needed to purify it, were destroyed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump denies US plan to offer Iran $30bn civilian nuclear deal
Donald Trump strongly rejected media reports that the US considered giving Iran up to $30bn to develop a civilian nuclear energy programme in exchange for halting uranium enrichment. The reports, published by CNN and NBC News this week, cited unnamed officials who claimed discussions had taken place within the Trump administration about a possible deal involving the release of billions in frozen Iranian assets and regional cooperation to support its non-military nuclear development. 'These proposals were preliminary and under consideration,' CNN reported, quoting officials familiar with the discussions. NBC said such ideas marked a dramatic policy shift from Mr Trump's previous position which had seen him abandon during his first term a nuclear agreement with Iran, claiming it provided Tehran with 'a lifeline of cash'. The idea, if pursued, would represent a significant diplomatic opening during a period of heightened tensions in the Middle East. Tehran and Washington were engaged in talks on Iran's nuclear programme until Israel launched a surprise attack on the Islamic Republic earlier this month. The US quickly joined the conflict on Israel's side, bombing three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend. Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, insists its programme is peaceful. The US maintains its objective is to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Mr Trump furiously denied the reports late on Friday. 'Who in the Fake News Media is the Sleazebag saying that 'President Trump wants to give Iran $30 Billion to build non-military Nuclear facilities.' Never heard of this ridiculous idea,' he said on his social media platform, Truth Social. 'Just another HOAX put out by the Fake News.' The denial came just days after Mr Trump declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, following a deadly regional conflict that began on 13 June when Israeli forces attacked Iran. The conflict had stoked fears of instability across the Middle East, already volatile due to Israel's ongoing war in Gaza since October 2023. After the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities, Iran retaliated by hitting an American base in Qatar on Monday. Iran's health ministry reported 627 civilian deaths from Israeli attacks while Israel claimed 28 fatalities from Iranian strikes. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, lashed out at Mr Trump on Saturday for what he described as his 'disrespectful and unacceptable' remarks. The rebuke came after Mr Trump claimed credit for saving supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from an 'ugly and ignominious death'. Mr Araghchi warned that if Mr Trump 'is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful tone and stop hurting millions of heartfelt supporters' of Khamenei. 'The Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO CHOICE but to RUN to 'Daddy' to avoid being flattened by our Missiles, do not take kindly to Threats and Insults,' Mr Araghchi added in a post. His comments came ahead of a state funeral in Tehran for about 60 people, including top military commanders, killed in the conflict with Israel. Meanwhile, in a separate Truth Social post, Mr Trump, appeared to link the diplomatic rift to Iran's rhetoric. 'During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions…But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust,' he said, referring to Mr Khamenei's declaration of victory in the conflict with Israel. 'The sanctions are BITING!' Israel, widely believed to be the only country in the region with nuclear weapons, said it launched its war against Iran to keep it from acquiring similar capabilities. Unlike Iran, Israel is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The UN watchdog has stated it has 'no credible indication' that Iran is currently pursuing a nuclear weapons programme.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Few thought airstrikes could ‘obliterate' Iran's nuclear program. Then Trump said they did.
Experts long argued that airstrikes alone would not be capable of permanently ending Iran's nuclear program absent negotiations. WASHINGTON — A highly politicized debate is unfolding over the impact of June 21 U.S. airstrikes against Iran's nuclear facilities, raising questions over the attack's goal and projected impact. President Donald Trump quickly claimed total victory in the strikes' wake, claiming that Iran's 'key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.' Subsequent scrutiny of that claim amid early assessments from intelligence agencies has led Trump and his allies to double down on and even expand on his declarations of success. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed to CNN that the strikes 'obliterated Iran's ability to create nuclear weapons.' Iran itself has acknowledged the impact of the U.S. and Israeli attacks. But in the years since Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, experts and analysts have emphasized that airstrikes alone would merely delay Iran's nuclear ambitions rather than permanently derail them. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois, reiterated that long-held understanding in a June 26 interview. 'The targets are hard targets, deep targets, mobile targets. So it was never meant to eliminate the program,' Quigley told USA TODAY. 'It was never meant to do anything but slow the program.' The congressman, who is on the House's intelligence committee and has regularly received briefings on Iran, added, 'We've always been told . . . the only way to end this (nuclear) program is with a lot of troops on the ground for a long time. A war.' The former head of the National Nuclear Security Agency's nonproliferation programs, Corey Hinderstein, struck a similar tone. 'The conventional wisdom that you can't destroy the Iranian (nuclear) program through air attack alone has actually held,' said Hinderstein, now a vice president at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 'While some are saying that the airstrikes were tactically and strategically successful, I think that the jury is still out on that, and we don't actually have the information that we need to believe that this program is gone.' Third nuclear site, hidden centrifuges, missing uranium Iran may have another nuclear site that, if equipped with enrichment centrifuges and conversion equipment, could continue the process of preparing uranium for use in a nuclear bomb, if the regime wishes to pursue one. Shortly before Israel began its air campaign against Iran, the regime told the International Atomic Energy Agency that it had a third nuclear enrichment site but did not reveal details. Analysts believe an undisclosed underground facility at Pickaxe Mountain near the Natanz nuclear plant may be even deeper under the surface than the Fordow enrichment plant that was severely damaged in the U.S. strikes. The Pickaxe Mountain facility was first publicly revealed in 2023 by experts who spoke with the Associated Press. And it's unclear how much of Tehran's approximately 880 pounds of highly enriched uranium was destroyed or buried during the strikes — satellite images show cargo trucks parked outside the Fordow enrichment plant in the days before the U.S. attack. U.S. lawmakers briefed June 26 and June 27 on intelligence assessments of the strikes acknowledged the missing uranium and called for a full accounting of the material, according to CNN. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told the news agency that the question of the uranium's whereabouts underscores the importance of Iran negotiating 'directly with us, so the (IAEA) can account for every ounce of enriched uranium that's there.' More: Where is Iran's enriched uranium? Questions loom after Trump claims victory. But whether Iran wants to negotiate is another question. Despite the country's obligations as a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Iran's Guardian Council approved a law June 25 halting the country's cooperation with the IAEA and its inspections of Tehran's nuclear sites 'until the safety and security of our nuclear activities can be guaranteed,' the country's foreign minister said on social media. Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook and Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY Davis Winkie's role covering nuclear threats and national security at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
