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ABC News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
US president says he could bomb Iran again, as 3,200 Australians and family members register with DFAT
US President Donald Trump has warned Iran he would order another bombing raid on its nuclear sites, if Tehran resumes efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. Speaking to media in the White House on Friday US-time, Mr Trump said he would "without question, absolutely" consider more military action if necessary. His comments came as approximately 3,200 Australians and family members in Iran registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) crisis portal, with some wanting help to leave the country. On the advice of DFAT, some Australians in Iran travelled to the Iran-Azerbaijan border hoping leave Iran last week but got knocked back by Azerbaijan officials in part because they didn't have a special code, the ABC reported on Thursday. Late on Friday, a DFAT spokesperson said the backlog of Australian requests for border crossing codes had been resolved. DFAT is supporting Australians who wish to leave Iran secure seats on commercial flights that have begun operating out of the country, the spokesperson added. Iranian-Australian Maryam lives and works in Melbourne but is concerned for her mother, brother and his family who are in Iran. "The possibility of war would take everything away, you know, and you worry about what would happen to them and just how we could support them in in all of this," said Maryam. Maryam's mother is not an Australian citizen and while she has previously held visitor visas, she does not have a visa that is currently valid. DFAT allows people who are citizens or their close relatives to register for emergency assistance. Maryam said Australia backing the US strikes against Iran, and Israel's right to defend itself, did not sit well with many Iranians in Australia. "I think every Iranian I talk too, they felt very disillusioned," she said. "You're working here. You're paying tax. We are trying to contribute to this society." There are more than 85,000 Iranian-born people living in Australia, according to Home Affairs. Australian-Iranian Soroush, a civil engineer who works in fly-in fly-out jobs in West Australia, arrived back in Australia last week after leaving Iran via Turkiye. Soroush was in Iran visiting his parents and sister for the first time in two years, but his trip got cut short by the Israel-Iran war. Soroush said the trio drove from Tehran to the Iran-Turkiye border to "escape" the situation and faced chaotic situations trying to get out of the country. He had tried to register with DFAT but couldn't get through the process because of a lack of internet access in Iran. "I couldn't even phone my friends to tell them to do this for me, and then when I decided to exit from Turkiye … I thought if I get stuck somewhere I will continue registering," he said. As a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran continued to hold, there was further heated rhetoric from Mr Trump on Friday US-time in response to comments from Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, last week. Mr Trump scoffed at Ayatollah Khamenei's warning to the US not to launch future strikes on Iran, as well as the Iranian supreme leader's assertion that Tehran "won the war" with Israel. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi hit back at Mr Trump in a post on X early on Saturday. He said a potential nuclear deal was conditional on the US ending its "disrespectful tone" toward the supreme leader. "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, and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers," Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X. Iran has rejected a request by the UN's nuclear watchdog to visit sites bombed by the US and Israel, saying it suggested malign intent. Martin Hodgson is a senior advocate with the Foreign Prisoner Support Service, which works to get Australians detained or otherwise in jeopardy overseas back home. He said he was currently assisting "more than 10" Australians seeking to leave Iran who feared not only Israeli bombs but also Iranian authorities, who he said many suspected were using the war as cover to detain those viewed as unfriendly to the regime. This could include Iranian Australians who were known to be secular intellectuals, people of the Kurdish ethnicity, and Sunni Muslims, he said. Iran's theocratic regime and most of its population are of the Shia sect of Islam. Iranian authorities said on Wednesday (Tehran time) they had executed three men they accused of spying for Israel. Amnesty International's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, Hussein Baoumi, said calls from Iranian officials for expedited trials and executions of those accused of collaborating with Israel showed an effort to "weaponise the death penalty to assert control and instil fear". "The authorities must ensure all those detained are protected from enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment, and afforded fair trials at all times, including during armed conflict," he said. Reuters/AP
The Australian
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Australian
US Senate effort to restrain Trump's war powers fails
An effort by US Senate Democrats to prevent President Donald Trump from taking further military action in Iran without congressional approval was blocked by Republicans, who argued the commander in chief was within his rights to launch strikes on nuclear sites a week ago. The measure failed with 47 in favour and 53 opposed on Friday, largely along party lines, shy of the required simple majority in the GOP-controlled chamber. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania sided with Republicans in voting against the measure, while GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky sided with the Democrats in backing it. The US launched pre-emptive military strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities last Saturday, citing Tehran's progress toward completing a nuclear weapon. Trump characterised the attacks as a complete success and later announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that has halted the conflict for now. Democrats and some Republicans said Trump should have come to Congress before attacking, arguing Iran didn't present an imminent threat to America. They said they were also leery of the US potentially stumbling into another overseas war, following long fights in Iran and Afghanistan. 'Wars are easy to start. But they are hard to end, and that's why the founders wanted us to debate them before the American people,' Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) said in a speech on the Senate floor. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.), would have ordered the removal of US troops 'from hostilities against' Iran and made it clear that Congress needs to approve further attacks. 'War is too big an issue to leave to the moods and the whims and the daily vibes of any one person,' Kaine said in a Senate floor speech prior to the vote. Paul, in explaining his vote, said that ordering US military troops into war 'is the most consequential and humbling responsibility that Congress is entrusted with,' he said in a speech on the Senate floor prior to the vote. But most Republicans said Trump, as the US military's top leader, was within his authority to launch the strikes. Some, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), said this week that they believe that the War Powers Resolution, the 1970s law that attempts to rein in the president's powers, is unconstitutional. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R., Tenn.) called the Kaine resolution ill-conceived and said that had Trump consulted Congress, the element of surprise would have been lost. 'I cannot and I will not support a resolution that removes the ability of the president of the United States to act decisively in defence of national interests, our allies and our armed forces,' he said. Senators were briefed on the Iran strikes on Thursday. Emerging from the closed-door briefing, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said that the country's 'operational capability was obliterated.' Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) said 'it's safe to say that we have struck a major blow' against Iran's nuclear program. Democrats said they agreed that the sites were significantly damaged but said they needed more information to be convinced that Iran's nuclear program was set back by more than a few months and that Trump had a longer-term plan. 'We all agree that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon, but bombing is not the best, most sustainable way of achieving that goal, and nothing I heard yesterday at the intelligence briefing changes that assessment,' said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.). Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said he left the briefing with more questions than answers. 'There is no coherent strategy, no end game, no plan,' he said. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) have criticised Trump for waiting days to send US intelligence officials to share classified details about the operations with lawmakers. Neither lawmaker was extensively briefed prior to the strikes. Dow Jones Newswires Read related topics: Donald Trump The Wall Street Journal Only a select few researchers have the skills for the hottest area in tech. Mark Zuckerberg and his rivals want to hire them, even if it takes pay packages of $US100 million. The Wall Street Journal The US President calls Canada a 'very difficult country to trade with' and ends talks over tariffs on dairy products and what he called an egregious digital-services tax on US tech companies.
Wall Street Journal
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Senate Effort to Restrain Trump's War Powers in Iran Fails
WASHINGTON—An effort by Senate Democrats to prevent President Trump from taking further military action in Iran without congressional approval was blocked by Republicans, who argued the commander in chief was within his rights to launch strikes on nuclear sites a week ago. The measure failed with 47 in favor and 53 opposed on Friday, largely along party lines, shy of the required simple majority in the GOP-controlled chamber. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania sided with Republicans in voting against the measure, while GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky sided with the Democrats in backing it.
New York Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Senate Blocks War Powers Resolution to Limit Trump's Ability to Strike Iran Again
The Senate on Friday blocked a Democratic resolution that would have forced President Trump to go to Congress for approval of further military action against Iran, dealing a blow to efforts to rein in his war powers. The 53-to-47 vote against bringing up the resolution came nearly a week after the president unilaterally ordered strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities without consulting the House and Senate. It also followed a searing debate on the Senate floor over the role of Congress in authorizing the use of military force. The measure, sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, invoked the War Powers Act, a 1973 law aimed at limiting a president's power to enter an armed conflict without the consent of Congress. It would have required the White House to notify lawmakers and seek the approval of both the House and Senate before U.S. forces could take further military action against Iran. Earlier this week, Mr. Kaine said that if the Senate voted to take up his resolution, he would modify it to include language that affirmed the president's authority to act in self-defense. He clarified that it did not limit U.S. support for Israel or any 'defensive measures' it might take against Iran or its proxies. That was in part an effort to unite Democrats around the measure, even though the party is deeply divided over supporting Israel. Still, the resolution had little chance of success in a Republican-led Congress that has split bitterly along partisan lines over the strikes, with most G.O.P. lawmakers — even anti-interventionists on the far right — supporting Mr. Trump's actions, and many Democrats outraged about them. 'War is too big an issue to leave to the moods and the whims and the daily vibes of any one person,' Mr. Kaine said ahead of the vote. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Washington Post
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Senate Democrats are forcing a vote to restrain Trump on Iran but GOP support is doubtful
WASHINGTON — Democrats are forcing a vote Friday on a resolution that aims to prevent President Donald Trump from further escalation with Iran, marking the first attempt to assert congressional war powers after the American military strikes against the country's nuclear facilities. A vote on taking up the resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia is expected Friday evening. With one Democrat — Sen. John Fetterman — already opposed, the outlook appeared dim. Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and almost all were expected to oppose the resolution and stand with the president. The resolution aims to affirm that Trump should seek authorization from Congress before launching more military action against Iran . Asked Friday if he would bomb Iranian nuclear sites again if he deemed necessary, Trump said: 'Sure, without question.' Republicans have said Iran posed an imminent threat that required decisive action from Trump and have defended his decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend without seeking congressional approval. 'We're on the verge of real peace in the Middle East, for the first time in a long time, and that's because of the decisive leadership of the United States,' said House Speaker Mike Johnson after a classified briefing Friday on the Iran strikes with administration officials. Democrats have cast doubt on that justification, arguing the president should have come to Congress first. 'The idea is this: we shouldn't send our sons and daughters into war unless there's a political consensus that this is a good idea, this is a national interest,' Kaine said in a Thursday interview with The Associated Press. The resolution does not aim to limit the president's ability to defend against a threat, Kaine said. But, added, 'If it's offense, let's really make sure we're making the right decision.' Almost all Democrats are expected to vote for the resolution. Their case centers on the War Powers Resolution, passed in the early 1970s, which requires the president 'in every possible instance' to 'consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces.' Speaking on the Senate floor ahead of Friday evening's vote, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced he would support the resolution — and urged fellow Republican senators to do the same. Trump is just the latest in a line of presidents to test the limits of the resolution — though he's done so at a time when he's often bristling at the nation's checks and balances. Trump on Monday sent a letter to Congress — as required by the War Powers Resolution — that said strikes on Iran over the weekend were 'limited in scope and purpose' and 'designed to minimize casualties, deter future attacks and limit the risk of escalation.' But following classified briefings with top White House officials this week, some lawmakers remain skeptical about how imminent the threat truly was. 'There was no imminent threat to the United States,' said Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, after Friday's classified briefings. 'There's always an Iranian threat to the world. But, I have not seen anything to suggest that the threat from the Iranians was radically different last Saturday than it was two Saturdays ago,' Himes said. Despite Democratic skepticism, nearly all Republicans have applauded Trump's decision to strike Iran. And for GOP senators, supporting the resolution would mean rebuking the president at the same time they're working to pass his major legislative package. Kaine proposed a similar resolution in 2020 aimed at limiting Trump's authority to launch military operations against Iran. Among the eight Republicans who joined Democrats in approving the resolution was Indiana Sen. Todd Young. After Thursday's classified briefing for the Senate, Young said he was 'confident that Iran was prepared to pose a significant threat' and that, given Trump's stated goal of no further escalation, 'I do not believe this resolution is necessary at this time.' 'Should the Administration's posture change or events dictate the consideration of additional American military action, Congress should be consulted so we can best support those efforts and weigh in on behalf of our constituents,' Young said in a statement. Trump has said that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran is now in place. But he and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have verbally sparred in recent days, with the ayatollah warning the U.S. not to launch future strikes on Iran. White House officials have said they expect to restart talks soon with Iran, though nothing has been scheduled. ___
