Trump administration has 'no imminent plans' to refill nation's emergency oil reserve
WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has no imminent plans for refilling the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.
The emergency oil reserve is currently at its lowest levels since the 1980s after President Joe Biden tapped the stockpile to help lower prices amid market uncertainty.
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Leader Live
37 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Huge crowds mourn Iranian military chiefs and scientists killed in strikes
The caskets of Guard's chief General Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard's ballistic missile programme, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh and others were driven on trucks along the capital's Azadi Street as people in the crowds chanted 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel'. Generals Salami and Hajizadeh were both killed on the first day of the war, June 13, as Israel launched an attack it said was meant to destroy Iran's nuclear programme, specifically targeting military commanders, scientists and nuclear facilities. State media reported more than a million people turned out for the funeral procession, which was impossible to independently confirm, but the dense crowd packed the main Tehran thoroughfare along the entire 4.5km (nearly three-mile) route. There was no immediate sign of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the state broadcast of the funeral. The Ayatollah, who has not made a public appearance since before the outbreak of the war, has in past funerals held prayers for fallen commanders over their caskets before the open ceremonies, later aired on state television. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was on hand, and state television reported that General Esmail Qaani, who heads the foreign wing of the Revolutionary Guard, the Quds Force, and General Ali Shamkhani were also among the mourners. Gen Shamkhani, an adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei who was wounded in the first round of Israel's attack, was shown in a civilian suit leaning on a cane in an image distributed on state television's Telegram channel. Iran's Revolutionary Guard was created after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since it was established, it has evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force to a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehran's allies in the Middle East, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq. It operates in parallel to the country's existing armed forces and controls Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles, which it has used to attack Israel twice during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared on Tuesday, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group. Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people. Saturday's ceremonies were the first public funerals for top commanders since the ceasefire, and Iranian state television reported that they were for 60 people in total, including four women and four children. Authorities closed government offices to allow public servants to attend the ceremonies. Many in the crowd expressed feelings of anger and defiance. 'This is not a ceasefire, this is just a pause,' said Ahmad Mousapoor, 43, waving an Iranian flag. 'Whatever they do, we will definitely give a crushing response.' State media published images of an open grave plot at Tehran's Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery where army chief of staff, General Mohammad Bagheri, who was killed on the first day of the war, was to be buried beside his brother, a Guards commander killed during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war. Many of the others were to be buried in their home towns. The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency confirmed that the top prosecutor at the notorious Evin prison had been killed in an Israeli strike on Monday. It reported that Ali Ghanaatkar, whose prosecution of dissidents led to widespread criticism by human rights groups, would be buried at a shrine in Qom. Iran has always insisted its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes. But Israel views it as an existential threat and said its military campaign was necessary to prevent Iran from building an atomic weapon. Ayatollah Khamenei's last public appearance was on June 11, two days before hostilities with Israel broke out, when he met Iranian parliamentarians. On Thursday, however, he released a pre-recorded video, in his first message since the end of the war, filled with warnings and threats directed toward the United States and Israel, the Islamic Republic's longtime adversaries. The 86-year-old downplayed US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites as having not achieved 'anything significant', and claimed victory over Israel. The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, Rafael Grossi, has characterised the damage done by American bunker-buster bombs to Iran's Fordo nuclear site, which was built into a mountain, as 'very, very, very considerable'.
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The common question that will make people dislike you, according to to a body language expert
An expert in body language and people skills has revealed one question you shouldn't ask in social situations - as it is likely to make people dislike you. Vanessa Van Edwards is the founder of Science of People, an organisation which 'gives people science-backed skills to improve communication and leadership'. She is also the author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People and Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication. She recently appeared on an episode of Steven Bartlett 's podcast Diary of a CEO, where she spoke about a range of topic - including why you shouldn't fake smile, how to be more charismatic, and the question you shouldn't ask people in social situations. While discussing which questions you should ask people if you want to 'level up' your connection with them, Vanessa also highlighted the one query which she believes is a conversational no-no. She said: 'Stop asking "what do you do?" [...]. That is telling them their brain can stay on autopilot. Asking someone that question is really asking "what are you worth?". 'And if someone's not defined by what they do, it's actually a rude question.' Moving on to what to ask in place of that question, she said: 'You can replace it with "working on anything exciting these days?" or "working on anything exciting recently?" Vanessa explained: 'This is permission connection. You ask someone that question, you are giving them permission if they want to tell you about what they do. "If they are not defined by what they do, they'll tell you something better. 'And that also gives you really good nuggets for the next time you see them, when you can say, "hey, how was that thing you were working on?".' Moving onto how people can follow up that question, she suggested asking 'what's your biggest goal right now?'. She continued: 'When you ask this question, you're gonna get one of two responses. One, someone shuts you down [...] or, they're going to tell you about goals. 'That's also a great thing you can follow up on, because then when you see them a month later, or a week later, or a year later, you can be like, "hey, how did that go?".' Discussing how you can get to know someone better, Vanessa suggested another question you can ask them. She said: '[The question] sounds innocuous, but it's not. 'It's "what book, movie or TV character is most like you and why?". It's kind of a silly, dinner party question that sounds casual, but the answer to this question is so incredibly important. 'How someone relates to characters, their values or personality is how they see themselves, and people's answers will shock you.' Vanessa then gave an example, explaining: 'I was friends with someone for six years. [She was] one of my closest friends, I saw them all the time. 'We went on a weekend trip together [...] and I asked her this question. I hypothesised that she's a mom of three, super funny, super savvy. I was like, "she's going to pick a great TV mom character that's super savvy and funny. 'I asked her, she thinks about it for maybe one second, and says "Katniss from The Hunger Games". 'I was like "the one who's fighting for her life?". 'She replied "yes, that's how I feel every day. And we, for the first time in six years, had a conversation about how she feels about her day that was totally different than anything I had ever known - that she feels scared and lonely, and that she's fighting for survival. 'And it was the first time that I truly connected with her. 'This question [has changed my relationship with so many people] based on how they see themselves, not how I see them, but how they see themselves.'
South Wales Guardian
40 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Huge crowds mourn Iranian military chiefs and scientists killed in strikes
The caskets of Guard's chief General Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard's ballistic missile programme, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh and others were driven on trucks along the capital's Azadi Street as people in the crowds chanted 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel'. Generals Salami and Hajizadeh were both killed on the first day of the war, June 13, as Israel launched an attack it said was meant to destroy Iran's nuclear programme, specifically targeting military commanders, scientists and nuclear facilities. State media reported more than a million people turned out for the funeral procession, which was impossible to independently confirm, but the dense crowd packed the main Tehran thoroughfare along the entire 4.5km (nearly three-mile) route. There was no immediate sign of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the state broadcast of the funeral. The Ayatollah, who has not made a public appearance since before the outbreak of the war, has in past funerals held prayers for fallen commanders over their caskets before the open ceremonies, later aired on state television. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was on hand, and state television reported that General Esmail Qaani, who heads the foreign wing of the Revolutionary Guard, the Quds Force, and General Ali Shamkhani were also among the mourners. Gen Shamkhani, an adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei who was wounded in the first round of Israel's attack, was shown in a civilian suit leaning on a cane in an image distributed on state television's Telegram channel. Iran's Revolutionary Guard was created after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since it was established, it has evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force to a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehran's allies in the Middle East, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq. It operates in parallel to the country's existing armed forces and controls Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles, which it has used to attack Israel twice during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared on Tuesday, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group. Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people. Saturday's ceremonies were the first public funerals for top commanders since the ceasefire, and Iranian state television reported that they were for 60 people in total, including four women and four children. Authorities closed government offices to allow public servants to attend the ceremonies. Many in the crowd expressed feelings of anger and defiance. 'This is not a ceasefire, this is just a pause,' said Ahmad Mousapoor, 43, waving an Iranian flag. 'Whatever they do, we will definitely give a crushing response.' State media published images of an open grave plot at Tehran's Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery where army chief of staff, General Mohammad Bagheri, who was killed on the first day of the war, was to be buried beside his brother, a Guards commander killed during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war. Many of the others were to be buried in their home towns. The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency confirmed that the top prosecutor at the notorious Evin prison had been killed in an Israeli strike on Monday. It reported that Ali Ghanaatkar, whose prosecution of dissidents led to widespread criticism by human rights groups, would be buried at a shrine in Qom. Iran has always insisted its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes. But Israel views it as an existential threat and said its military campaign was necessary to prevent Iran from building an atomic weapon. Ayatollah Khamenei's last public appearance was on June 11, two days before hostilities with Israel broke out, when he met Iranian parliamentarians. On Thursday, however, he released a pre-recorded video, in his first message since the end of the war, filled with warnings and threats directed toward the United States and Israel, the Islamic Republic's longtime adversaries. The 86-year-old downplayed US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites as having not achieved 'anything significant', and claimed victory over Israel. The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, Rafael Grossi, has characterised the damage done by American bunker-buster bombs to Iran's Fordo nuclear site, which was built into a mountain, as 'very, very, very considerable'.
