Latest news with #USAirstrikes
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan won't turn blind eye to allies' wrongdoing, says deputy PM on US strikes in Iran
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday his country did not turn a blind eye to US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this month, adding that close relations with a country do not justify silence in the face of wrongdoing. The statement came during a news briefing in the federal capital, where Dar spoke to the media about Pakistan's recent diplomatic engagements, including his participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Istanbul and the Pakistan-United Arab Emirates Joint Ministerial Commission. Despite a recent revival in bilateral ties with Washington, Pakistan formally condemned the US strikes in a statement, calling them a violation of international law and affirming Iran's right to self-defense under the UN Charter. 'Just because relations are good with a country doesn't mean you should consider something wrong to be right,' he told the media. 'As you witnessed, we didn't hesitate or delay,' he continued. 'I spoke with the foreign secretary, gave a task to the spokesperson and we exchanged draft statements. It's now a part of the historic record: we criticized the attack, and we did it on record.' Dar's remarks came in the wake of a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel that erupted after Israeli strikes targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, prompting retaliation from Tehran. The war began while the administration in Tehran was holding nuclear negotiations with the US that later joined the fray, launching its own strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. While Washington said the attacks had set back Iran's nuclear program by years, there was international concern over a wider regional war. Dar said he had been personally involved in formulating the country's response as Islamabad prepared its official statement. Pakistan, currently a member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), also raised the issue at the world body in New York.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
US divided on fate of Iran's enriched uranium after strikes
US intelligence officials are divided over the fate of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile following recent US and Israeli airstrikes on key nuclear facilities, the New York Times reported on Thursday. The hostilities began on June 13 when Israel launched strikes on Iran, claiming Tehran was close to developing a nuclear bomb – which has been denied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and US intelligence. The US joined the campaign on June 22, striking several nuclear facilities. A ceasefire brokered by Washington came into effect on Tuesday and has so far been upheld. US President Donald Trump has said the strikes 'completely and totally obliterated' Iran's nuclear infrastructure. However, US intelligence assessments and international watchdogs reportedly suggest that while the facilities were damaged, Iran's capability to resume its nuclear program remains. US officials said intelligence assessments on the status of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile are inconsistent, with differing views among Iranian officials contributing to the uncertainty, according to the outlet. Parts of the Natanz nuclear facility, where some of the uranium was believed to be stored, were damaged but not destroyed in the US and Israeli airstrikes, the report said, citing US officials. Due to limited access and conflicting assessments, the US intelligence community has not reached a firm conclusion about how much of the material Iran has retained, people familiar with the findings told the NYT. Following a classified Senate briefing on Thursday, several Republican lawmakers stressed that destroying or seizing the stockpile was not an objective of the strikes. 'I didn't want people to think the problem is over, because it's not,' Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters, noting that the nuclear sites were significantly damaged. There is also uncertainty over the original location of Iran's uranium stockpile. Trump said it was at Fordow, while others pointed to Natanz. The IAEA reported that most of it was stored at Isfahan, where Iran operates reactors and nuclear facilities. Some experts believe the stockpile was dispersed across multiple sites. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Iranian officials told inspectors they would relocate the material if it was threatened. The uranium was stored in containers small enough to fit 'into the trunk of an ordinary car,' he added. In the days leading up to the US missile strike on Isfahan, surveillance reportedly shows vehicles moving items into or out of the labs. Grossi said this week he believes much of the uranium remains in Iran's hands. 'I don't know if they moved all of it,' he said. 'But the evidence points to their moving out a lot of it.'
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Trump's Iran Oil Comments Strain His ‘Maximum Pressure' Policy
President Donald Trump indicated that he might be preparing to ease his 'maximum pressure' campaign against Iran, potentially undercutting a central policy dating to his first term and provoking consternation among foreign policy hawks who argue that now is the time to escalate — not lessen — pressure on Tehran. Days after US airstrikes that he said had 'totally obliterated' Iran's nuclear facilities, the president posted on social media that 'China can now continue to purchase oil from Iran.' That was a dramatic shift from May when he asserted all purchases of Iranian oil and petrochemical products ' must stop, NOW!'
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Trump's Iran Oil Comments May Fray His ‘Maximum Pressure' Policy
President Donald Trump indicated that he might be preparing to ease his 'maximum pressure' campaign against Iran, potentially undercutting a central policy dating to his first term and provoking consternation among foreign policy hawks who argue that now is the time to escalate — not lessen — pressure on Tehran. Days after US airstrikes that he said had 'totally obliterated' Iran's nuclear facilities, the president posted on social media that 'China can now continue to purchase oil from Iran.' That was a dramatic shift from May when he asserted all purchases of Iranian oil and petrochemical products ' must stop, NOW!'
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
What We Know About the Fate of Iran's Nuclear Program After Israeli and U.S. Strikes
This weekend, President Trump declared that Iran's nuclear capabilities were 'completely and totally obliterated' by U.S. airstrikes. The full extent of the damage, which is being assessed by U.S. spy agencies, is still unclear. Several disclosures and claims by U.S. and United Nations officials, along with satellite images taken after the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, have shed some light on the situation in Iran: A leaked U.S. intelligence report said the attacks set back Iran's nuclear program by only a few months — a finding disputed by Mr. Trump. The C.I.A. director, John Ratcliffe, said on Wednesday the strikes had 'severely damaged' Iran's nuclear program. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Thursday that centrifuges at the deeply buried Fordo uranium enrichment plant are 'no longer operational,' but that it would be 'too much' to assert that Iran's nuclear program had been 'wiped out.' Here's what we know so far about the state of Iran's nuclear program after the Israeli and U.S. attacks: Fordo Iran built the Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant deep inside a mountain, impervious to all but a repeated assault from American 'bunker buster' bombs. A U.S. official said that six B-2 bombers dropped a dozen 30,000-pound bombs on Fordo on Sunday. Fordo nuclear site Deep inside a mountain, Fordo is said to contain close to 3,000 sophisticated centrifuges in two enrichment halls. IRAN Support building Tunnel entrances Security perimeter Fordo nuclear site IRAN Deep inside a mountain, Fordo is said to contain close to 3,000 sophisticated centrifuges in two enrichment halls. Support building Tunnel entrances Security perimeter Fordo nuclear site Deep inside a mountain, Fordo is said to contain close to 3,000 sophisticated centrifuges in two enrichment halls. IRAN Support building Tunnel entrances Security perimeter Sources: Nuclear Threat Initiative; Google Earth (terrain) The Fordo site contained thousands of Iran's most advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium, which could be used in a nuclear weapon. In 2023, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, reported that it had discovered uranium that had been enriched to 83.7 percent purity at Fordo — just under the 90 percent required for a weapon. Satellite images taken shortly after the U.S. airstrikes reveal damage and likely entry points for the American bunker-buster bombs. The images show distinct changes in the ground's appearance and gray dust near the possible strike locations. After strikes June 22 Entrance tunnel filled with dirt Security perimeter Fordo nuclear site Entrance tunnels filled with dirt Likely bomb entry holes Entrance tunnel filled with dirt Debris Main enrichment hall thought to be deep underground Debris Support building appears intact Likely bomb entry holes After strikes June 22 Entrance tunnel filled with dirt Fordo nuclear site Entrance tunnels filled with dirt Likely bomb entry holes Entrance tunnel filled with dirt Debris Main enrichment hall thought to be deep underground Debris Support building appears intact Likely bomb entry holes Security perimeter After strikes June 22 Entrance tunnel filled with dirt Fordo nuclear site Entrance tunnels filled with dirt Likely bomb entry holes Entrance tunnel filled with dirt Debris Main enrichment hall thought to be deep underground Debris Support building appears intact Likely bomb entry holes Security perimeter Source: Satellite image from Maxar Technologies By Josh Holder Damaged electric substation Previously destroyed by Israel Natanz Nuclear Facility New damage after U.S. strike Destroyed in 2020 Pilot fuel enrichment plant Likely bomb entry point Gray dust Likely bomb entry point above where the enrichment halls are believed to be built Damaged electric substation Previously destroyed by Israel New damage after U.S. strike Destroyed in 2020 Pilot fuel enrichment plant Likely bomb entry point Natanz Nuclear Facility Gray dust Likely bomb entry point above where the enrichment halls are believed to be built Source: Institute for Science and International Security. Satellite image from June 22 by Maxar Technologies. By Leanne Abraham Entrance tunnels filled with dirt ISFAHAN NUCLEAR FUEL RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION CENTER Previous damage Damage since June 21 Entrance tunnels filled with dirt ISFAHAN NUCLEAR FUEL RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION CENTER Previous damage Damage since June 21 Source: Satellite image from June 23 by Planet Labs By Ashley Cai Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
