Latest news with #Quds
Express Tribune
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Iran's FM Araghchi says no ceasefire agreed
Missiles launched from Iran towards Israel are seen from Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, June 24, 2025. Photo:REUTERS Listen to article Despite US President Donald Trump's announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, both Israeli and Iranian officials have yet to confirm any formal agreement. Despite an Iranian official confirming that Tehran had agreed to a ceasefire, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denied that any formal truce has been agreed. Speaking to local media, he said Tehran would halt its attacks only if Israel ends its 'illegal aggression' by 4 a.m. local time (00:30 GMT). As of now, Israel has not publicly commented on the reported ceasefire. While Trump called for an end to the '12-day war,' Iranian officials have insisted that no formal agreement has been reached, leaving the situation uncertain and volatile. There have been no reported Israeli attacks on Iran since that time. "The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later," Araqchi added in a post on X. As Iran has repeatedly made clear: Israel launched war on Iran, not the other way around. As of now, there is NO "agreement" on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations. However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no… — Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 24, 2025 These events follow despite US President Donald Trump having announced on June 23 a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran, potentially ending the 12-day war that saw millions flee Tehran and prompted fears of further escalation in the war-torn region. Israel, joined by the United States on the weekend, has carried out attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, after alleging Tehran was getting close to obtaining a nuclear weapon. "On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, 'THE 12 DAY WAR'," Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. Israeli authorities report missile strikes on Beersheba An escalation followed US President Donald Trump's 'ceasefire' announcement as the southern Israeli city of Beersheba also reported suffering from Iranian missile attacks, with reports of casualties adding to the ongoing tensions as reported by Quds news network. At least eight people have been killed in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba as Iran continues to fire waves of missiles into the country. Breaking | Settler platforms report that the death toll from the iranian missile strike in Beersheba has risen to 8. — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 24, 2025 The Israeli military said in its fifth alert that two volleys of missiles were launched from Iran towards Israel in the early hours of Tuesday. Witnesses later heard explosions near Tel Aviv and Beersheba in central Israel. Israeli media said a building had been struck and three people were killed in the missile strike on Beersheba. לפני זמן קצר, הופעלו התרעות במספר מרחבים בצפון הארץ בעקבות גילוי טילים ששוגרו מאיראן לשטח מדינת ישראל. הציבור מתבקש להישמע להנחיות פיקוד העורף. בשעה זו חיל האוויר פועל ליירוט ולתקיפה בכל מקום בו יידרש להסרת האיום. ההגנה לא הרמטית, ועל כן יש להמשיך ולהישמע להנחיות פיקוד העורף — צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 24, 2025 Trump brokers a ceasefire Trump brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran through talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday while his team, including Vice President JD Vance, held talks with Tehran, a senior White House official said. The official, providing details of the ceasefire on condition of anonymity, said Israel agreed to it so long as Iran does not launch fresh attacks. Iran signaled that no further attacks would take place, the official said. Trump appeared to suggest that Israel and Iran would have some time to complete any missions that are underway, at which point the ceasefire would begin in a staged process. Iran denies ever having a nuclear weapons program but Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said that if it wanted to, world leaders "wouldn't be able to stop us". Official says Trump called for talks with Israel and Iran soon after the US attacks. "He directed his team on Saturday night: 'Let's get on the phone .. with the Iranians,'" the official said. "'Get me Bibi. We're going to make peace,'" the official said, quoting Trump. Trump's team had negotiated with Iran on five different occasions in the weeks leading up to the conflict but the talks broke down when Iran would not back away from its demand that it continue enriching uranium. Israel, which is not a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran's agreement during a call with Iranian officials, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters on Tuesday. Following Trump's ceasefire announcement, Qatar Airways resumed flights after its airspace reopened. 'Our priority is getting passengers home or to their destinations safely,' the airline said in an X post warning of significant delays and advising travelers to check its website for updates. Qatar Airways confirms reinstatement of flights as airspace reopens in the State of Qatar. Our focus at this time is to help our passengers return home or reach their onward journey safely and smoothly. We've deployed extra ground staff at Hamad International Airport to support… — Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) June 23, 2025 US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were in direct and indirect contact with the Iranians, a White House official said. Neither Iran's UN mission nor the Israeli embassy in Washington responded to separate requests for comment from Reuters. Hours earlier, three Israeli officials had signaled Israel was looking to wrap up its assault in Iran soon and had passed the message on to the United States. Netanyahu had told government ministers whose discussions ended early on Tuesday not to speak publicly, Israel's Channel 12 television reported. "I'd like to thank the Highly Respected Emir of Qatar for all that he has done in seeking Peace for the Region. Regarding the attack today at the American Base in Qatar, I am pleased to report that, in addition to no Americans being killed or wounded, very importantly, there have… — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 23, 2025 Markets reacted favorably to the news. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4% late on Monday, suggesting traders expect the US stock market to open with gains on Tuesday. US crude futures fell in early Asian trading hours on Tuesday to their lowest level in more than a week after Trump said a ceasefire had been agreed, relieving worries of supply disruption in the region. End to the fighting? There did not appear to be calm yet in the region. The Israeli military issued two evacuation warnings in less than two hours to residents of areas in the Iranian capital Tehran, one late on June 23 and one early on June 24. Israeli Army radio reported early on Tuesday that alarms were activated in the southern Golan Heights area due to fears of hostile aircraft intrusion. Earlier on Monday, Trump said he would encourage Israel to proceed towards peace after dismissing Iran's attack on an American air base that caused no injuries and thanking Tehran for the early notice of the strikes. He said Iran fired 14 missiles at the US air base, calling it "a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered." Iran's handling of the attack recalled earlier clashes with the United States and Israel, with Tehran seeking a balance between saving face with a military response but without provoking a cycle of escalation it can't afford. Tehran appears to have achieved that goal. Iran's attack came after US bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iranian underground nuclear facilities at the weekend, joining Israel's air war. Trump had announced on June 19 that he would make a decision on American use of force "within two weeks," but by afternoon of June 20 he had ordered the United States to bomb the Iranian facilities. Trump's unprecedented decision to bomb Iran's nuclear sites early on Sunday marked a step that he had long vowed to avoid - to intervene militarily in a major foreign war. Moving to join U.S. ally Israel in military strikes stirred up concern within his right-leaning "Make America Great Again" political base, which has clung to his promises to avoid foreign entanglements. Much of Tehran's population of 10 million has fled after days of bombing. The Trump administration maintains that its aim was solely to destroy Iran's nuclear program, not to open a wider war. However, Israel had made clear that its strikes on Evin prison - a notorious jail for housing political prisoners - and other targets in Tehran were intended to hit the Iranian ruling apparatus broadly, and its ability to sustain power. "Iran was very close to having a nuclear weapon," Vice President JD Vance said in an interview on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier." "Now Iran is incapable of building a nuclear weapon with the equipment they have because we destroyed it," Vance said. Trump has cited intelligence reports that Iran was close to building a nuclear weaopon, without elaborating. "Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered. There have been 14 missiles fired — 13 were knocked down, and 1 was 'set free,' because it was headed in a… — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 23, 2025 However, US intelligence agencies said earlier this year they assessed that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, and a source with access to US intelligence reports told Reuters last week that that assessment hadn't changed. But in a social media post on June 22, Trump spoke of toppling the hardline clerical rulers who have been Washington's principal foes in the Middle East since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran's succession plans? The clock's ticking for senior clerics seeking a successor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A three-man committee from a top clerical body, appointed by Khamenei himself two years ago to identify his replacement, has accelerated its planning in recent days since Israel attacked Iran and threatened to assassinate the veteran leader, five insiders with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. Khamenei, 86, is being regularly briefed on the talks, according to the Iranian sources who requested anonymity to discuss highly sensitive matters. He has gone into hiding with his family and is being guarded by the Vali-ye Amr special forces unit of the Revolutionary Guards, a top security official said. The ruling establishment will immediately seek to name a successor to Khamenei if he is killed, to signal stability and continuity, according to the sources who acknowledged that predicting Iran's subsequent political trajectory was difficult. A new leader will still be chosen for his devotion to the revolutionary precepts of the Islamic Republic's late founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, according to one insider, who is close to Khamenei's office and privy to succession discussions. At the same time, the top echelon of power is also considering which candidate might present a more moderate face to ward off foreign attacks and internal revolts, the person said. Two frontrunners have emerged in the succession discussions, the five insiders said: Khamenei's 56-year-old son Mojtaba, long seen as a continuity choice, and a new contender, Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the father of the Islamic revolution. Khomeini, a close ally of the reformist faction that favours the easing of social and political restrictions, nonetheless commands respect among senior clerics and the Revolutionary Guards because of his lineage, the sources added. Khomeini has come into the frame as a serious candidate this month amid the conflict with Israel and America because he could represent a more conciliatory choice internationally and domestically than Mojtaba Khamenei, the five people said. By contrast, Khamenei hews closely to his father's hardline policies, according to the insiders who cautioned that nothing had been determined, candidates could change and the supreme leader would have the final say. However, with the military conflict continuing, it remains unclear whether any new leader could be chosen easily or installed securely or if he could assume the level of authority enjoyed by Khamenei, they added. Previously, Trump had stated in social media post last week "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target." US democrats to check Trump's executive powers Three Democratic lawmakers from the US House of Representatives introduced a war powers resolution on Monday to check President Donald Trump's use of military force against Iran after US strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites over the weekend. Trump's Republican Party holds a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and it is unlikely any resolution restricting Trump's actions could pass both chambers. Iran targeted a US base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation. The Israel-Iran war, which began on June 13 when Israel attacked its regional rival, further raised tensions in a region already on edge since the start of Israel's genocide in Gaza in October 2023. The joint statement issued late on Monday by Democratic US Representatives Jim Himes, Gregory Meeks and Adam Smith came hours after Trump claimed on social media Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire. "President Trump must not be allowed to start a war with Iran, or any country, without Congressional approval," the lawmakers said, adding that Trump ordered the strikes "without meaningful consultation or Congressional authorization." Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers had called on Congress to rein in Trump's use of military force in Iran and prevent US involvement in the conflict. Many Democratic US lawmakers said Trump's actions were unconstitutional and that it was Congress that had the power to declare war on foreign countries. "No thoughtful deliberation nor careful planning occurred here - and serious actions demand serious debate, not presidential impulse," they added. Iran, which says its nuclear program is peaceful, is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while Israel is not.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran's broadcasters become the news on a day of mayhem
The news anchor was in full flow, both hands raised to emphasise her point. Suddenly, a loud explosion rent the air, audibly shattering glass and plunging the main studio of Iran's state broadcaster into darkness. As she scurried from her seat, debris fell from the ceiling and smoke wafted across the screen. Off-camera, a male voice cried out 'Allahu Akbar' – 'God is Great' Israel's attack on the headquarters of state television in Tehran marked the dramatic culmination of a day of mayhem that spread panic throughout the Iranian capital. Credit: IRINN Having neutralised the city's air defences with ease, Israeli forces took advantage of their freedom of manoeuvre to strike targets across the city. From early morning until well into the night, the city echoed to the crump and crunch of explosions, beginning with a strike on the headquarters of the regime's elite Quds force and ending, as darkness fell, with the attack on its chief mouthpiece. The Israeli military had issued a warning ahead of the strike, ordering the evacuation not just of the IRIB building housing the broadcaster but of the entire District 3 in northern Tehran – a bustling suburb of 330,000 people housing government buildings, diplomatic missions and UN offices. The word spread slowly. Internet connectivity in Iran has been severely disrupted in recent days, meaning some missed initially missed the message. But word eventually got out, prompting terrified residents to pour out of apartments blocks and escape the area as best they could. Amid the panic, the station defiantly stayed on air – and resumed transmission just a few minutes after the blast, with Peyman Jebeli, the head of the station, appearing in front of the cameras, looking visibly shaken and clutching a bloodied piece of paper. Whatever Israel did, he told viewers, he and his colleagues would continue 'standing until the end.' As he spoke, fire raged in parts of the building and emergency workers tended to the wounded. It was unclear how many staff at the station were injured – or if any were killed. Credit: Anadolu Agency via Reuters; IRINN Israel justified the attack even before it had taken place, with the country's defence minister warning: 'the Iranian propaganda and incitement megaphone is about to disappear. Evacuation of nearby residents has begun.' The defiance inside the building stood in stark contrast to the chaos engulfing the rest of Tehran, a city of nearly ten million. Authorities appealed for calm. What they got was headlong panic. Once again, anxious queues formed outside petrol stations, most of them empty of fuel. Those unable to fill their cars stood on the roadside with their suitcase-clutching families, desperately trying to hail a taxi or thumb a lift out of town. Even the few who succeeded often got nowhere. For hours, traffic on motorways leading out of the city was at a standstill. 'It's like doomsday,' one resident said. 'We don't know what to do. We never thought this would happen. We never thought war would come to Tehran.' As the death toll rose – with Iran's health ministry reporting at least 224 killed and 1,400 injured since Friday – the forces that once manned Tehran's air defence systems stood by helplessly as Israel struck the city at will. Iran's military has not been fully defanged, however. The regime responded fire with fresh ballistic missile barrages launched at Israel's cities, killing at least eight people. A total of 24 have died since open hostilities began on Friday. And there was more to come, vowed Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. 'Our powerful armed forces are making clear to the world that the war criminals hiding in shelters in Tel Aviv will not go unpunished for their crimes,' he posted on X. 'We will continue to pummel the cowards as long as needed to make sure that they are no longer firing at our people.' Unlike Iran, Israel's skies are still protected by one of the world's most sophisticated anti-missile shields – though its interceptors are only neutralising about 85 percent of Iranian launches, a lower success rate than Israeli commanders had hoped. The reasons remain unclear. According to Giora Eiland, former head of Israel's National Security Council, it may be that some missiles use navigation systems that alter their trajectory shortly before impact, making them harder to intercept. 'When you have a navigation system, it means that the Israeli air defences cannot predict exactly what the route of the missile will be,' he said. 'That may be why we've missed more of them that we really wanted.' Despite mounting civilian casualties, Israeli military officials say that relief may be on the horizon. Israel has eliminated around 30 per cent of Iran's ballistic missile stockpile and neutralised about half its firing capacity, according to Capt. Masha Michelson, an IDF spokeswoman. Airstrikes on Iran's missile bases account for much of that success. But significant damage was also inflicted by off-the-shelf quadcopter drones assembled and launched by Mossad operatives positioned near the sites. As Iranian troops attempted to move missiles from storage to the sites, undercover teams deployed the drones to destroy warheads either as they were being transported in military lorries or as they were being fixed into position. 'We strike a terror target ad then we eliminate launchers and trucks carrying ballistic missiles,' Capt Michelson explained. 'We have been able to narrow the Iranian regime's ability to fire ballistic missiles at Israel by 50 per cent.' The destruction of much of Iran's air defences and the erosion of its ballistic missile capacity has emboldened Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister. 'We are on the way to declaring victory,' he said as he visited the Tel Nof air base in central Israel. 'We are on our way to achieving our two goals: elimination of the nuclear threat and elimination of the missile threat.' In a sign of Israel's rising confidence, Mr Netanyahu openly toyed with defying a taboo laid reportedly set by Donald Trump when he declined to rule out targeting Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Addressing a news conference, the prime minister again did not respond directly to questions about whether he sought regime change in Iran, although he said he believed the leadership could collapse as a result of Israel's offensive. 'It's impossible to predict, but it could be the result of our mighty action,' he said. 'We are changing the face of the Middle East, and this could lead to far-ranging changes within itself.' Gen Eiland, however, insisted that although Iran's regime could collapse as a result of Israel's action it was unlikely to happen soon and was not among the chief military objectives of the operation. 'It is important to emphasise regime change is not one of the formal, explicit goals that we are fighting for,' he said. 'But there is an implicit hope that it will happen sooner or later.'
Miami Herald
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
IDF Claims Major Breakthrough in Iran Conflict
Israel now has "full aerial superiority" over the Iranian capital, Tehran, its military said. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin made the comment at a press briefing on Monday, and said they had "completed another wave of attacks in Tehran" which hit "more than 20 Iranian army and Quds force headquarters". "The wave of strikes last night opened with targeted strikes by air defense arrays designed to protect the centers of power of the Iranian army and a thorn force in the heart of Iran," Defrin said. The Iranian foreign ministry accused Israel of killing a number of civilians in its strikes on Tehran, including children. It said Israel is conducting a "war of aggression". Israel accuses Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb-a mission now intolerably close to fruition-and of genocidal intentions against it. The IDF said it has destroyed 120 of Iran's missile launchers-one-third of the total number-since the start of its Operation Rising Lion. "After hitting the defense systems, we attacked the headquarters with dozens of aircraft, simultaneously, including the headquarters of the Iranian nuclear project," Defrin said. "These headquarters were deliberately placed inside buildings and high-rise buildings. The leaders of the regime thought that this was not how we would find them and they would remain immune. They've gone." Defrin said the intelligence division "tracked them down and the air force attacked them in a precise and targeted manner. Wave after wave, blow after blow. And it's not just in Tehran, it's all over Iran." This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow. Related Articles US Embassy Damaged By Iranian Missile Strike In Tel AvivMark Levin Calls for Regime Change in Iran as MAGA Israel Fissure GrowsIsrael Says Goal Is Not Iran Regime Change as Trump Vetoes Ayatollah StrikeTrump Touts His Conflict Resolution Skills, Calls for Iran Israel Deal 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
New York Post
16-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Israel strikes command center of Iran's elite military unit that lead Tehran's support for Hamas
Israel overnight wiped out the command center of Iran's Quds Force — the elite military unit that served as the 'main conduit' for proxy terror attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday. 'The Quds Force has been the main conduit for many of the terrorist attacks and assaults against Isreal in recent decades,' he said. 'Now, the command centers where these attacks were planned have been completely destroyed.' Israeli Air Force fighter jets taking off ahead of the strikes in Tehran. IDF/GPO/SIPA/Shutterstock Advertisement Israeli missile attack on oil depot north of Tehran causes heavy damage. Mohamed Ali BERNO/SIPA/Shutterstock In total, Israel targeted more than 20 Iranian military and Quds command centers — killing the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard's head of intelligence, his deputy and the deputy head of the Quds Force's intelligence organization. 'The Quds Force is the central terror arm of the Iranian regime. It is responsible for operating Iran's proxies around Israel's borders and for distributing weapons and missiles intended for attack the state of Israel,' Defrin said. Advertisement Hamas is the terror organization in Gaza that conducted the brutal Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israeli civilians that prompted Israel's war. The group continues to hold kidnapped Israelis and the bodies of many dead hostage.
The National
28-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Khamenei says Quds Day demonstrations more 'significant' this year as Israel continues Gaza attacks
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said this year's Quds (Jerusalem) Day marches are more "significant" than the years before, as thousands of people rallied across the country to show solidarity with Palestine, state media reported. Quds Day was instated by Ruhollah Khomeini after the 1979 revolution and falls on the last Friday of Ramadan. Although demonstrations technically begin on Friday, crowds were seen waving the Iranian and Palestinian flags on Thursday, and burning the Israeli and American flags, across various cities in the country. 'Quds Day is always a sign of the unity and strength of the Iranian nation … and a sign that the Iranian nation … will not abandon the slogan of supporting Palestine," Mr Khamenei said in a televised address on Thursday night. Naval commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Alireza Tangsiri vowed to "destroy" anyone who carries out acts of aggression against Iran. Israel and Iran last year exchanged fire in tit-for-tat attacks that sparked fears of a protracted war between the two enemy states. With Israel's continuing bombardment of the Gaza Strip where the death toll has surpassed 50,000 people since October 7, 2023, Iran's foreign ministry accused Israel of being emboldened by the full "political, military, financial and media support" of the US. "The Zionist regime … has pursued the project of erasing Palestine with unprecedented intensity in the form of full-scale genocide," the statement said. The foreign ministry described Quds Day as an opportunity for the world to express its rejection of "the greatest injustice of the 20th century", referring to Israel's occupation of Palestine. Further demonstrations were seen on Thursday in Malaysia and Pakistan.
