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Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump brags he saved Iran leader from ‘ugly death' with order to Israel
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iranian officials have claimed that the US and Israel backed down from the conflict after Tehran struck a military base in Doha, Qatar Donald Trump has claimed he saved Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from an "ugly" and disgraceful death after the Supreme Leader claimed victory over the "American regime". Iranian officials have been presenting last week's ceasefire to the public as a defeat against the US and Israel aggression against the country, which started on Friday, June 13 and continued for 12 gruelling days. The clearly upset president slammed Khamenei for the claims, taking to his Truth Social platform to say: "I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH. "And he does not have to say, 'THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!" Trump claims that he saved the life of the political and spiritual patriarch, who is revered by many Shi'a Muslims in the Middle East, by ordering Israeli jets to do a U-turn while en route to assassinate him. Iranian leaders have claimed that their response to the bombing of their nuclear sites, which was the targeting of a US army base in Doha, was the decisive blow that helped them win the war. However, Tehran did admit that the attacks against them had caused "excessive" damage to the nuclear programme. According to Trump, he saved the Ayatollah's life because he "would not let Israel, or the US Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life". He explained: "In fact, in the final act of the War, I demanded that Israel bring back a very large group of planes, which were heading directly to Tehran, looking for a big day, perhaps the final knockout!" He added: "Tremendous damage would have ensued, and many Iranians would have been killed. It was going to be the biggest attack of the War, by far." He also accused Khamenei of wilfully lying to the people of "war-torn" Iran. "Why would the so-called 'Supreme Leader,' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie, it is not so," he said. "As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie." But some experts believe it is Trump who is wilfully lying about the extent of the damage caused. His boast that he "obliterated" Iranian nuclear bunkers has been deemed "frankly absurd" by an expert, who is adamant the president "couldn't possibly know." The White House has been forced to defend a report issued by the Defence Intelligence Agency, which casts doubt on Trump's claims he "completely and fully obliterated" Iran's deeply buried Fordo uranium enrichment plant. US B-2 stealth bombers dropped several 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, causing the entrance to collapse and damage to the structure, but the underground infrastructure was not destroyed, according to the assessment. Anthony Glees, an academic in security and defence and a lecturer at the University of Buckingham, believes that unless Trump could "look deep into the caves", he "couldn't possibly know the damage" caused.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'They should be prosecuted': Trump accuses Democrats of leaking intel on Iran strike; White House calls it 'crime'
US President Donald Trump Democrats were responsible for the intelligence leak suggesting ineffective strikes against Iran, US President Donald Trump claimed, and called for their "prosecution." The administration has directed the FBI to identify the source who leaked the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) report that indicated American attacks had not destroyed Tehran's nuclear capabilities. The Trump administration believed that the source holds a personal grievance against the president. "The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information on the perfect flight to the nuclear sites in Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "They should be prosecuted!" Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth held a notable press conference, stating he hadn't encountered evidence suggesting Iran relocated its enriched uranium before the bombing, contradicting the leaked intelligence. Addressing the media's coverage of the leaked damage assessment, the defence secretary indicated the US operation had effectively concealed the bomb-making materials. Intelligence reports indicate that 400kg of highly-enriched uranium was moved from Fordow nuclear base to an undisclosed secure location before the attack. Israeli officials informed The New York Times about Iran's recent transfer of equipment and uranium from Fordow. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Operation Midnight Hammer on Saturday involved seven B-2 bombers launching bunker-busting bombs at fortified facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Security sources indicated preliminary assessments showed Iran had removed nuclear materials from Fordow before the weekend operations. At the Pentagon briefing, Hegseth praised the US operation but provided limited details about its effectiveness. "I'm not aware of any intelligence that I've reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be moved or otherwise," Hegseth stated, after avoiding previous questions. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt admitted the information that was leaked was "top secret intelligence." " The FBI is looking for the leaker, so you'll have to ask them in the Department of Justice in terms of this investigation. But, you know, leaking top secret classified intelligence is a crime and people need to be held accountable for that crime," she said at the presser on Thursday. "This administration wants to ensure that classified intelligence is not ending up in irresponsible hands and that people who have the privilege of viewing this top secret classified information are being responsible with it. And unfortunately, clearly someone who had their hands on this and it was a very few people, a very few number of people in our government who saw this report, that person was irresponsible with it, and we need to get to the bottom of it and we need to strengthen that process to protect our national security and protect the American public ," she added.
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
They should be prosecuted: Trump claims Democrats leaked US Intel on Iran
US President Donald Trump on Thursday accused Democrats of leaking classified intelligence about US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, calling for those responsible to be prosecuted, despite no public evidence supporting the a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: 'The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information on the PERFECT FLIGHT to the Nuclear Sites in Iran. They should be prosecuted!'advertisementThe accusation follows the leak of a Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment earlier this week, which suggested that Iran's nuclear program had only been delayed by a few months, contradicting Trump's public claims of a complete destruction. The document was drafted shortly after the US strikes and leaked to the media on Tuesday. The FBI is investigating the source of the leak. But as of now, no officials have identified a specific individual or provided clear evidence pointing to a political party. Trump's fights with the intelligence community were a running theme of his first term as he raged against an investigation into his campaign's alleged links to a sequel is playing out as Trump battles to shape the public's understanding of his foreign policy gamble in Iran, the Associated Press dispute is unlikely to fade anytime soon. Top administration officials are pressing Trump's case, with Hegseth scolding the media at a Pentagon briefing Thursday for 'breathlessly' focusing on an intelligence report he downplayed as preliminary. Briefings are also scheduled for lawmakers, though the White House plans to limit the sharing of classified information after the initial assessment leaked this White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: 'It could have been someone in the intelligence community, or it could have been someone on Capitol Hill who had access to this document'. 'We don't know — but I believe the FBI is investigating to find out who that leaker was, because it's illegal and they should be held accountable,' Leavitt neither Trump nor the White House has offered concrete proof that Democrats were behind the asked about Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's defiant message, the White House brushed off the comments. 'When you have a totalitarian regime, you have to save face,' Leavitt said. 'Any commonsense, open-minded person knows the truth about the precision strikes on Saturday night. They were wildly successful.'- EndsTune InMust Watch
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Credible intelligence' of severe damage to Iran's nuclear sites: CIA
Washington: The CIA says there is credible intelligence that Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged by US bombing, citing new information from reliable sources, as US President Donald Trump stepped up his attacks on reporters who have queried the extent of the destruction. It came as the Trump administration provided slightly more details about the damage it claims was done, saying a uranium conversion facility at Isfahan in central Iran had been 'wiped out'. Trump said the US believed Iran had been unable to move out uranium stockpiles and other equipment before the attack. The administration also moved to dampen scepticism about the efficacy of the strikes by scheduling a news conference at the Pentagon on Thursday morning (10pm Thursday AEST) that Trump said would provide 'irrefutable' evidence of the mission's success, as well as a private briefing for members of Congress. Trump again dismissed a preliminary report from the Defence Intelligence Agency, an arm of the Pentagon, which said it was plausible the sites hit by the US were only partially damaged. Loading 'Since then, we've collected additional intelligence. We've also spoken to people who've seen the site, and the site is obliterated. And we think everything nuclear is down there, they didn't take it out,' he told a news conference after the NATO summit in the Netherlands. 'We think we hit them so hard and so fast, they didn't get to move [the material]. It's very, very heavy, it's very, very hard to move. They were way down, they were literally 30 to 35 storeys down underground. 'We think it's covered with granite, concrete and steel.'
ITV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
CIA director says Iran's nuclear facilities 'destroyed' after report downplayed impact of strikes
The boss of the US spy agency has said recent US strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure caused long-term damage, a day after a leaked report claimed they had had limited impact. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the agency had obtained 'a body of credible evidence' showing that key Iranian nuclear facilities were 'destroyed' in the strikes and would need to be rebuilt 'over the course of years.' It was not clear whether Ratcliffe was offering an official agency assessment or his view of the intelligence. The strikes, carried out on Saturday, targeted three major sites - Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan - and were intended to wipe out Iran's nuclear capabilities. Hours after the attack, US president Donald Trump claimed the raid had left Iran's nuclear facilities "completely and fully obliterated", but the leaked preliminary assessment from the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) on Wednesday cast doubt on the extent of the damage. That analysis suggested Iran's programme may only have been set back by a matter of months. Trump strongly pushed back on the leaked assessment, insisting the strikes had delivered a 'crushing blow' and 'obliterated' Iran's ability to produce a nuclear weapon. 'This was a devastating attack, and it knocked them for a loop,' he said. The White House, along with director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, echoed Trump's view. The DIA's final assessment which involves phased evaluations of physical, functional, and systemic damage, could take weeks to complete. Analysts are relying heavily on satellite imagery, intercepted communications, and intelligence from allies, as US officials are not expected to inspect the sites on the ground.
