Egyik 19

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Europe

Estonia
June 20, 2025 5:24 pm CET  Estonia’s social affairs minister, Joller, who is also a doctor, is profoundly dismayed at WHO's Europe regional director Kluge's meeting with Russia’s foreign minister, who had discussed from the pandemic deal to HIV prevention, as well as the obligation not to attack health care facilities. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

Latvia
June 20, 2025 4:12 pm CET  The Latvian parliament voted yesterday to bar Russian and Belarusian citizens from buying real estate in the country. (Source: Politico - U.S.) 

Russia
June 20, 2025 11:26 am (EST)  Putin’s war in Ukraine is not just about territory  -  it’s a calculated move rooted in history to reclaim Russia's global influence and potentially redraw Europe’s borders. To safeguard European security, the West must revive its proven strategy: build a strong deterrent while pursuing dialogue to ensure long-term stability. In broad terms, NATO countries should pursue four measures: ’Enhance deterrence’ to stabilize the Russia-West frontier; Aim for domestic consolidation to reduce the scope for Russian meddling; Support the preservation of a sovereign Ukrainian nation-state to tame Russia’s expansionist impulse; Begin a dialogue with Russia about coexistence to lay the foundation for a more secure and peaceful future. Even as the West seeks to counter Putin’s territorial ambitions, it should propose a discussion on how to manage relations responsibly in the years ahead. No matter how the Russia-Ukraine war ends, Russia is going to remain a rival power on the European continent, certainly under Putin and likely under his immediate successors. As during the Cold War, the dialogue should focus on lessening the costs of maintaining stability along the Russia-West frontier and reducing the risks of conflict. Coexistence with a nuclear-armed Russia remains a geopolitical imperative. Making that point a central element of the West’s public presentation of its Russia policy would have the added benefit of reassuring parts of the Russian political elites that there is a way forward from today’s tense adversarial relationship to a less fraught one in which their interests will be properly considered. Although the immediate benefits should not be exaggerated, such an approach could also elevate the domestic pressure on Putin to negotiate in earnest a settlement to his war against Ukraine. In the long run, it will almost certainly lead to a more secure and peaceful future for Europe. (Source: The Council on Foreign Relations - U.S.)
by Graham, a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. His book, Getting Russia Right, was published in September, 2023

Asia

Iran
June 20, 2025, 4:00 PM GMT+2  What could happen if President Trump does decide to use the United States' largest conventional bomb to destroy Iran’s fortresslike Fordo nuclear enrichment facility. (Source: NBC News  - U.S.)

Persian Gulf
(June 20, 2025)  Gulf monarchies hold rival Iran close as Israel conflict rages. Gulf rulers have strong relations with Trump, and his visit to the region last month was considered a success. The US president drew applause in Riyadh when he chastised past US “nation-builders' and neocons for their failed Middle East interventions. Since Israel launched its offensive last week, the rulers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - the region’s biggest economies - have spoken with Iranian President Pezeshkian to express solidarity, and repeatedly condemned Israel’s attacks. Arab monarchies are seeking to stay close to their regional rival Tehran as they frantically try to avoid being engulfed in the war on the other side of the Gulf and to head off potential Iranian missile attacks. They fear US involvement would put Gulf states that host American bases in the line of fire, and could even strangle their oil and gas exports if Iran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz. They have been highly critical of Israel’s conduct of its 20-month war against Hamas in Gaza, and its strikes in Syria as a new government seeks to stabilise the country. (Source: The Financial Times - United Kingdom)

Qatar
(June 20, 2025) 3:11 PM GMT+2  Satellite images captured yesterday, provided by Planet Labs, which operates a fleet of Earth-imaging satellites indicate the removal of U.S. warplanes from Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, one of the main U.S. military bases in the Middle East. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

Turkey
(Friday), 20 Jun 2025 - 11:53 pm  An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers began today in Istanbul, Turkiye, with the participation of Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan. The emergency Arab meeting is being held on the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which begins Saturday, in Istanbul and continues until Sunday. (Source: The Peninsula – Qatar)

North America

United States
June 20, 2025  Within the last week, Trump quietly ordered the movement of the US Air Force’s key B-2 Spirit bombers from California into the Pacific. Their final destination is not yet known, but is almost certainly the US airbase at Diego Garcia, America’s military redoubt in the Indian Ocean that lies within striking distance of Iran. The B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bomber is the best plane in the American arsenal for deploying GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) gravity bombs. These bombs can supposedly collapse the hardened bunkers of Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment facility. Israel was managing to repeatedly strike suspected nuclear weapons development facilities with 3,000 and 5,000-pound bunker busting bombs. It has been apparently unable to destroy hardened facilities such as Fordow. Israeli war planners rightly fear that they will soon be unable to reliably penetrate Iranian airspace and continue striking the hardened Iranian nuclear weapons sites. The Israelis will need the Americans to do this for them. The president has moved the bulk of America’s midair refueling tankers into the Middle East, as well as massive numbers of warplanes. Now, he is positioning an unusual number of warships into the area. 'America’s B-2s, escorted by the Super Hornets and Growlers, will fly into Iran from Diego Garcia. The Growlers will conduct sweeping electronic disruption attacks against the Iranian air defense networks. Meanwhile, the Super Hornets will cover the bombers from any potential enemy fighters or from incoming air defense fire. Floating just across the border from Iran in Saudi Arabia or Iraq, pickets of F-22s and F-35s will be shadowing the B-2s, preparing to enter the fray if they encounter heavier-than-expected resistance. Once in Iran’s airspace, the B-2s will proceed to Fordow and drop their GBU-57 MOP bombs. Once dropped, the B-2s will high-tail it out of the contested Iranian airspace, moving swiftly northward toward the Mediterranean. At some point, these planes will be topped off by US refuelers positioned throughout the region, as the B-2s make their way back to Whitman Air Force Base in the United States via the European air route. This is likely how it will go down this weekend'. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)
by Weichert. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower; Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life; The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book: A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine.

United Nations

20 June 2025  “The Non-Proliferation Treaty is a cornerstone of international security,” United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said. “Iran must respect it. But the only way to bridge the trust gap is through diplomacy – not destruction.” IAEA Director General warned the Security Council that Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities are degrading critical safety systems and placing millions at potential radiological risk. At Natanz, the destruction of electricity infrastructure and direct strikes on enrichment halls have led to internal contamination. While no radiological release has been detected outside the facility, uranium compounds now pose significant health hazards within. At Isfahan, multiple buildings – including a uranium conversion plant and a metal processing facility – were hit. At Arak’s Khondab reactor site, damage was sustained, though the facility was not operational. The greatest risk, however, is the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which remains operational. A direct strike could result in a high release of radioactivity to the environment.” Even disruption of its external power supply could lead to a core meltdown. In the worst-case scenario, radiation would affect populations hundreds of kilometres away and require mass evacuations. Mr. Grossi also warned against any attack on the Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor, which could endanger millions in the capital. He pledged that the IAEA would continue to monitor and report on nuclear safety conditions in Iran and reiterated his readiness to mediate. Mr. Grossi stressed the agency can guarantee, through a watertight inspections system, that nuclear weapons will not be developed in Iran, urging dialogue. (Source: UN News - New York)

NATO

June 20, 202 5  'But to preserve the peace, we must prepare for war. That is precisely what we are doing at our next summit in The Hague'. (Source: Foreign Affairs - U.S.)
by Rutte

. 5 6 21 23:12

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Europe

Spain
Thursday 19 June 2025 14:36 BST  Spain has rejected a NATO proposal to spend 5% of GDP on defense, calling it “unreasonable.” In early June, ’Sweden and the Netherlands said that they aim to meet the new target’. At next week’s NATO summit in The Hague ’most U.S. allies are on track to endorse U.S. President Trump’s demand that they invest 5% of gross domestic product on their defense and military needs’. European allies and Canada are keen to finalize the spending pledge before the summit, and not leave it open for any heated debate that might drag the meeting out. ’Poland and the Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have already publicly committed to 5%, and Rutte has said that most allies were ready to endorse the goal’. “For Spain, committing to a 5% target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive, as it would move Spain away from optimal spending and it would hinder the EU’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its security and defense ecosystem,” Sánchez wrote in a letter sent today to NATO Secretary-General Rutte. „Spain was the lowest spender in the 32-nation military alliance last year, directing less than 2% of its GDP on defense expenditure”. NATO allies agreed to spend 2% of GDP on military expenditure after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The alliance's plans for ’defending Europe and North America against a Russian attack require investments of at least 3%’. ’The aim now is to raise the bar to 3.5% for core defense spending on tanks, warplanes, air defense, missiles and hiring extra troops. A further 1.5% would be spent on things like roads, bridges, ports and airfields so armies can deploy more quickly, as well as preparing societies for possible attack’. What time-frame will get countries to reach the new spending goals? A target date of 2032 was initially floated. Rutte has said that Russia could be ready to launch an attack on NATO territory by 2030’. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

European Commission
19.06.2025  Te EU's recent decisions on security and defense have unlocked funding, with over €800 billion ($918 billion) available to support joint procurement and defense projects. The EU foreign policy chief today hailed Türkiye's role in diplomacy, saying the bloc sees Türkiye as a security player. "When it comes to role of Turkey, then Istanbul has been the place where a lot of meetings take place', Kallas told. Now Türkiye as a candidate country, also has access to SAFE loans for joint projects with the European countries, she said, On the Middle East, she expressed concern over rising tensions, particularly attacks on nuclear sites and fears of wider conflict. The risks of miscalculation are very high, and that's why 'we try to bring the tensions down, she said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Parliament
June 19, 2025  MEPs propose stricter rules on dog and cat welfare and traceability. (Source: European Parliament)

Russia
(June 19, 2025)  At a press briefing, Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry said the Kremlin is particularly concerned about the safety of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which employs Russian specialists. An Israeli strike on Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant in Bushehr would cause a catastrophe on the scale of Chernobyl, Rosatom CEO Likhachev the head of Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company warned today. Bushehr sits on the coast of the Persian Gulf and is Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant. Russia helped Iran build the plant and some of its staff are Russian. An Israeli military spokesperson said today that Israel had struck the plant, but an Israeli military official soon said that this was a mistake and that he could neither confirm nor deny that the Bushehr plant had been hit. Likhachev said that dozens of Russian specialists employed at the plant have been evacuated, RIA reported. Many Gulf Arab states and nuclear experts have been concerned about the environmental contamination that could spread across the Persian Gulf, if the plant was targeted. A strike on the Bushehr plant 'would result in the dispersal of a lot of radiation', Roecker, the vice president for Nuclear Materials Security at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Asia

China
(June 19, 2025)  “The international community, especially major powers that have a special influence on the parties to the conflict, should make efforts to promote the cooling of the situation, not the opposite,” Chinese leader Xi said during a phone call with Russian counterpart Putin, according to a readout from China’s Foreign Ministry. “The parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease fire as soon as possible to prevent the situation from escalating in turn and resolutely avoid the spillover of war,” Xi told Putin, according to the Chinese readout. Both leaders believe there is no military solution to the conflict or to Iran’s nuclear program, as they must be achieved exclusively through political and diplomatic means, the Kremlin said. “(Putin) confirmed Russia’s readiness to undertake possible mediation efforts if needed. The Chinese leader expressed support for such mediation". (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Gaza
(June 19, 2025)  Israeli strikes in Gaza killed more than 70 people today, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. More than 55,160 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s war with Hamas began on October 7, 2023, according to the health ministry, including more than 17,000 children. Attacks on civilians attempting to access food supplies continue, hospitals are overstretched and 55,000 pregnant women are facing growing health risks, according to the most recent report from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The United Nations repeated its warnings today that famine is growing increasingly likely and that there are few areas left in the territory where Palestinians are safe from bombardment. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Iran
(June 19, 2025)  If Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility were damaged or destroyed in a strike 'by the US’, it would likely lead to a limited radiation leak in the immediate area, but it would not pose the same catastrophic consequences as bombing a nuclear reactor. Bombing a reactor is a whole different ball game, Davenport, the Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, said. If bombs were able to penetrate Fordow, it would likely lead to ’some limited radiation from the uranium enriched and stored at the facility,’ but ’it’s unlikely to cause significant, widespread environmental health contamination.’ Attacking a site where uranium hexafluoride gas - the material fed into the facility’s centrifuges - is stored, ’is going to create chemical toxicities’ and ’low level alpha radiation,’ which would likely be localized to the site, she explained. Davenport said that it would likely be ’manageable if people are wearing the right protective equipment.’ Taleblu, the Iran program senior director and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), also described the potential damage as being a chemical hazard. Roecker, the Vice President for Nuclear Materials Security at NTI explained: ’There isn’t a major radiation dispersal risk at Fordow because that enriched uranium is fresh.’ It’d be localized around the site, and because it’s buried underground too, ’I don’t know you know how much of that would even be released,’ he said. Davenport said she believes it’s extremely unlikely Israel would bomb a nuclear reactor - a move that “would be a clear violation of international law.” ’You risk a reactor meltdown, widespread radiation and environmental contamination, devastating to the region,’ she said. (Source: CNN - U.S.)
by Hansler

Thursday 19 June 2025 at 8:57am  Israel attacked Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, Iranian state television said today. Iran reported there was “no radiation danger whatsoever" and that the facility had been already evacuated before the attack. Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. Iran had agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to relieve proliferation concerns. In 2019, Iran started up the heavy water reactor's secondary circuit, which at the time did not violate Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Britain at the time was helping Iran redesign the Arak reactor to limit the amount of plutonium it produces. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, has been urging Israel not to strike Iranian nuclear sites. IAEA inspectors reportedly last visited Arak on May 14. (Source: ITW News - United Kingdom)

(June 19, 2025)  Internet connectivity across the country plummeted from 78% to just 3% yesterday afternoon, according to data from Netblocks, a non-governmental organization that monitors internet governance. Iran’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology said it had imposed temporary internet restrictions, citing security concerns. The Israeli military said it struck what it said was a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz, around 300 kilometers south of Tehran, which it said contained 'components and specialized equipment' used to advance a nuclear weapons development. Israel had also struck Natanz on June 13, on the first day of its attack on Israel. IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Defrin said Iran had launched more than 450 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel. Most of the drones had been launched from Iran, Defrin said, but some had come from proxies in the region. He said Israel had destroyed approximately two-thirds of Iran’s missile launchers. Still more than 100 launchers left by the IDF’s estimates and are still capable of striking Israel. Defrin said the IDF is also attacking Iran’s ballistic missile production facilities. Iran launched at least one ballistic missile at Israel today morning armed with multiple warheads, the Israeli military said. It was the first time such a warhead had landed in Israel. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

June 19 2025 08:54  Israeli Defence Minister Katz said yesterday afternoon that air force jets had 'destroyed the internal security headquarters of the Iranian regime'. (Source: Hurriyet Daily News - Turkey)

Israel
(June 19, 2025  Israel has never acknowledged its nuclear weapons program. But it is one of nine countries known to have nuclear weapons. Israel began exploring nuclear weapons development ’before its establishment’ in 1948, then at a secret development site in 1958, near the southern town of Dimona. It has signed and ratified the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which obligates signatories not to explode a nuclear device in the atmosphere or oceans. Israel first assembled its first nuclear weapon around 1966 or 1967. In 1968, the CIA issued a report that said Israel had successfully started production of nuclear weapons. Israel has not signed the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and opposes diplomatic efforts to establish a WMD Free Zone in the Middle East. It is believed to have conducted a clandestine atmospheric nuclear test in 1979, which it denies. In an interview with CNN in May 2018 – shortly after Israel stole Iran’s nuclear archive from Tehran – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked if he was ready to acknowledge Israel’s own program. ’We’ve always said that we won’t be the first to introduce (a nuclear weapon), so we haven’t introduced it,’ he said. Israel now possesses around 90 nuclear warheads and is believed to have enough nuclear material to produce up to 300 nuclear weapons, according to the Washington, DC-based NGO, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). It is continuing to modernize its stockpile, according to SIPRI, who said that Israel conducted a test of a missile propulsion system in 2024 that could be related to its Jericho family of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Israel also appears to be upgrading its plutonium production reactor site at Dimona, SIPRI said. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

19.06.2025 With no treaty obligations, no inspections, and strong backing from Western allies, Israel remains nuclear power without transparency or accountability, shows a recent UK House of Commons research briefing, which exposes Israel’s secret nuclear arsenal. The report outlines decades of strategic silence, lack of treaty commitments, and minimal international pressure on Israel’s undeclared arsenal. Estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) suggest Israel holds 80 to 90 warheads, with fissile material stockpiled for as many as 200. At the heart of Israel’s covert nuclear effort lies the Dimona nuclear facility, originally constructed with French assistance in the late 1950s. Publicly presented as a civilian reactor, 'Dimona is thought to have produced enough plutonium for over 100 nuclear warheads,' the report said. ’Inspections by American and international officials were misled through false walls and hidden elevators’, while Israel reassured allies that its intentions were peaceful. In 1986, Vanunu, a technician at Dimona, delivered photographic evidence and detailed testimony to The Sunday Times. The information he revealed is still considered the most detailed public account of Israel’s nuclear capability, the report underlined. Kidnapped by Mossad agents in Rome, Vanunu was smuggled back to Israel, tried in secret, and imprisoned for 18 years - 11 of them in solitary confinement. Despite widespread knowledge of its capabilities, unlike India, Pakistan, or North Korea, Israel is not subject to the same level of international scrutiny as other states, it has faced little pressure from its Western allies. Israel signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996 but has not ratified it and retains the right to conduct nuclear tests. In 1979, a mysterious ’double flash’ detected over the South Atlantic raised suspicions of a clandestine Israeli nuclear test, possibly in collaboration with apartheid-era South Africa. „Efforts to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, led by Arab nations and backed by the UN, have consistently met Israeli resistance’. ’Israel has consistently voted against UN resolutions calling for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East,’ the report said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Thursday 19 June 2025 at 8:57am  A spokesperson for the Soroka Medical Centre in Beer Sheba said the hospital suffered extensive damage in different areas and people had been wounded in the attack. The hospital has over 1,000 beds and provides services to the approximately 1 million residents of Israel's south. Iran claims it was targeting a military site next to Soroka Hospital which was accurately hit, causing damage to the hospital in the blast wave. (Source: ITW News - United Kingdom)

(June 19, 2025)  'The principal target of the attack was the vast command and intelligence base of Israel’s army (IDF C4i) and the campus of their military intelligence, located in the Gav-Yam technology park, next to Soroka hospital in Beer Sheva,' Iran’s IRNA state news agency has claimed. The apparent target, Gav-Yam Negev technology park, is less than a mile from Soroka Medical Center, the Beer Sheva hospital which was damaged in the strike. The technology park’s website describes itself as “Israel’s most advanced center of research and development… adjacent to the Ben Gurion University campus and the IDF C4i Branch campus.” C4i directorate is the IDF’s elite technological unit. The website adds that the park connects “veterans of the IDF’s elite technological units, graduates of Ben Gurion University, the high-tech industry” as well as investors and academics. Iran’s latest wave of missiles struck shortly after 7 a.m. local time (00.00 ET) an area near Tel Aviv, causing damage to several high-rise buildings on a street in Ramat Gan city, around three miles from Tel Aviv city center. In Ramat Gan the missile struck shredded the facades of buildings and blew out windows in high-rise blocks. Damage to other structures surrounding the site can also be seen. Ramat Gan city has an estimated population of just over 175,000 and is home to Israel’s Diamond Exchange, one of the world’s top diamond districts. Neighboring cities Tel Aviv and Holon were also hit in the Iranian attack. Israel’s health ministry says at least 271 people were admitted to hospital this morning following Iranian strikes across the country. 'The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to intensify strikes against strategic targets in Iran and against government sites in Tehran, in order to remove the threats facing the State of Israel and destabilize the Ayatollahs’ regime,' Israel’s Defense Minister Katz said, after Iran launched its latest wave of ballistic missiles at cities across Israel today. Iran fired more missiles at Israel today, the Israeli military said. Sirens sounded in the northern city of Haifa and its surroundings. ’A dictator like Khamenei, who’s heading a state like Iran, who set himself the goal of destroying the state of Israel… he can no longer continue to exist,’ Israel’s Defense Minister Katz said today, speaking to reporters in the central city of Holon, which was also targeted by Iran overnight. Iran’s foreign minister asked Israelis to avoid being near military and intelligence sites as his country continues to carry out strikes. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

19.06.2025 The Israeli army reported air raid sirens sounding today across northern Israel triggered by missile launches from Iran. Sirens warning of suspected drone infiltration sounded in Nazareth and several surrounding towns. The Israeli Air Force said earlier that it intercepted a drone launched from Iran overnight which set off air raid sirens in multiple areas of northern Israel. A second drone was intercepted shortly afterward in the Jordan Valley. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

June 19 2025 08:54  Explosions heard in Jerusalem around 7:10 am (0410 GMT). Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel known to treat soldiers wounded in Gaza was struck by Iranian missiles. (Source: Hurriyet Daily News - Turkey)

Pakistan
June 19, 2025  US President Trump and Army Chief Field Marshal General Munir discussed regional peace, trade and Iran-Israel tensions over a luncheon at the White House. In their meeting, Trump said Pakistan has valuable insight into Iran and plays a key role in peace efforts in the region. After the successful meeting with President Trump, the Pakistani top general is expected to have follow-up meetings with US Secretary of State Rubio and Secretary of Defense Hegseth as Pakistan and the US enter a new era of strategic cooperation. (Source: Daily Ausaf - Pakistan)

Turkey
12:03 19/06/2025 Thursday   "We have had great support from Turkish authorities to make sure people can cross easily, get connecting flights from eastern part of country to international airport," in facilitating the evacuation of EU citizens from Iran, EU official Berger, director of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Crisis Response Center said today. (Source: Yeni Şafak - Turkey)

North America

United States
(June 19, 2025)  During a news briefing today, White House press secretary Leavitt read a statement from President Trump saying he will decide whether to launch a US strike on Iran within the next two weeks. He wants to allow diplomatic efforts to proceed before making a final decision on US military action, according to the statement. Leavitt also said a deal with Iran must include no enrichment of uranium. After some MAGA allies criticized the administration’s consideration of increased US involvement in the conflict, Leavitt urged supporters to trust in President Trump. 'President Trump has incredible instincts, and President Trump kept America and the world safe in his first term as president in implementing a peace through strength foreign policy agenda,” Leavitt told. “And with respect to Iran, nobody should be surprised by the president’s position that Iran absolutely cannot obtain a nuclear weapon - he’s been unequivocally clear about this for decades, not just as president, not just as a presidential candidate, but also as a private citizen.' Tehran is in a very weak and vulnerable position after eight days of escalating conflict with Israel, the press secretary told. The president “has been very direct and clear: Iran can and should make a deal,” she added. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

June 19, 2025, 1:46 p.m. ET  President Trump’s Iran strategy is being influenced by a military leader who has been given authority to draw up possible plans for a US strike on Tehran’s nuclear sites, potentially with bunker-busting bombs that could eliminate underground facilities. US Central Command chief Gen. Kurilla, known as The Gorilla, has been leading strategy over Defense Secretary Hegseth, with a lot of his proposals for more military assets being approved, despite other administration officials being wary of more involvement in the Middle East. The commander, with the 'lethality look' that Trump’s Pentagon has been keen to promote, has also been getting more face time with Trump. Before Israel carried out its first strikes against Iran, Kurilla indicated that he gave the president the option to use the US military to strike Iran to destroy its nuclear weapons capability. 'President Trump has made it clear that if Iran doesn’t permanently give up its nuclear enrichment, military force by the US may be necessary,' House Armed Services Chair Rogers (R-Ala.). said at a June 10 congressional hearing. “If the president directed, is CENTCOM prepared to respond with overwhelming force to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran?”, Rogers asked Kurilla. ’I have provided the secretary of defense and the president a wide range of options,’ Kurilla responded, later saying ’yes’ to the question. Kurilla is set to leave his post at CENTCOM in just a few months after serving since 2022, leading some to believe ’he’s grown bolder’ in his approach. The four-star Army general would be in charge of carrying out whatever strategy Trump decides on in the region in response to Iran. He has also been responsible for the US response to Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Kurilla deployed to Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan during his service, and to Germany in 2022 to oversee US troop deployment in response to the Russia-Ukraine war. Caldwell, Hegseth’s former senior adviser, indicated that reports of Kurilla being more open to aggressive policies due to his upcoming retirement from CENTCOM could be true. He takes a fundamentally different view of the importance of the Middle East than a lot of other people in the administration - Caldwell said Monday -; he believes that a military campaign against Iran will not be as costly as others. ’So, that’s his view - and I think there are a lot of folks that want to see some type of military action occur before he retires as a result of that,” Caldwell said. “He retires, I believe, in the middle of July - and I don’t think it’s a coincidence you see a lot of the pressure ramping up to do something prior to his retirement.’ (Source: The New York Post - U.S.)

6/19/2025  The president is turning to a couple of four-star generals for guidance on whether to join Israel in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. Kurilla, nicknamed The Gorilla, leads U.S. Central Command and oversees operations in the Middle East. Also advising Trump is General Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. Trump has already signed off on attack plans but has not yet given the final go-ahead to execute them, CBS News reported. (Source: MSN / The Daily Beast = U.S.)

(Thursday), June 19, 2025  If Trump wants to preserve his “no new wars” legacy, he needs to stay out of Iran. It would also give him the opportunity to be the president who finally and fully reoriented US priorities and attention to the Indo-Pacific. Since the October 7 attacks, the United States has surged ships, personnel, and other materiel to the region to protect Israel and deter Iran and its ’Axis of Resistance’ allies. In some cases, these military assets have been repositioned from the Indo-Pacific, where they are stationed in large part to deal with potential Chinese threats. In April, Washington relocated missile defense batteries, a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, and the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier from Asia to the Middle East. Before the Trump administration reached a ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis in May, US commanders expressed concern that the military would have to move long-range precision weapons stockpiles from the Indo-Pacific region to the Middle East. The US military expended massive amounts of munitions to fight a militia that couldn’t even take over one of the poorest countries in the world. What kind of resources would it have to marshal - and from where - to prosecute a war against a state like Iran with serious military capabilities? The military is further shifting resources and moving ships and other assets to the region in light of Israel’s attack on Iran and the ongoing back-and-forth between the two countries. On Monday, Reuters reported that the USS Nimitz left the South China Sea and was heading west toward the Middle East. These military assets and the roughly 40,000 American personnel in the region are now especially vulnerable to Iranian attacks. Before Israel’s attack, Tehran vowed to strike US targets in the region if its nuclear sites were targeted. Now that threat could become a reality that sucks America into a pointless war while diverting attention away from China, which the Trump administration and several previous presidents have said is that biggest threat to the United States. Every military asset moved to the Middle East is one that could be used to deter China in the Indo-Pacific. Iran is a relatively weak country halfway around the world and poses no serious threat to core US interests. If you liked the failed forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, you’d love the quagmire of a war in Iran - a country of 90 million people with a significantly stronger military than those two countries. Israel appears intent on drawing the United States into this destabilizing war of choice. Because Israel can’t totally eliminate Iran’s nuclear program alone, it has urged the United States to intervene directly. A joint US-Israeli war in Iran harms American interests and would threaten American lives while draining resources and diverting strategic attention from pressing priorities. Indeed, one of the most crucial reasons why Washington needs to stay out of the war is that it serves as a distraction from more critical strategic challenges. While China’s efforts and wherewithal to dominate the Middle East are overhyped, Beijing does have considerable interests that a regional war would threaten. China relies heavily on the region for its energy supplies, with half of its imported oil coming from the Persian Gulf. Iran and China have a strong relationship, and Beijing would not like to see the destruction of the regime in Tehran. A war with Iran would offer short-term strategic benefits for China - advantage of a distracted United States by making more aggressive moves against Taiwan or in the South China Sea and a much-needed strategic breathing room in its backyard. A war with Iran would underscore Beijing’s argument that the rules-based order only applies to Washington’s adversaries. The United States called out Russia for illegally invading Ukraine. But under what pretext would the United States join a war against Iran? These kinds of double standards have driven droves of Global South countries into China’s embrace and undermined American competition with its strategic rival. President Trump often extols his record of not starting new wars during his first administration. Joining Israel’s war would certainly betray that legacy and be seen as an act of perfidy by the millions of Americans who voted for a president who promised to pursue peace. For years, Republican and Democratic presidents have pledged to pivot to Asia and prioritize competition with China, America’s only near-peer competitor. The new Trump administration came into office making the same promises. Yet nearly all these presidents have entangled America’s attention and resources in the Middle East, a region of declining strategic significance to US interests. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)

(February 19, 2025)  The United States yesterday said that new norms had been framed and it will restart its student visa appointment process soon but added that all applicants will need to unlock their social media profiles to allow them to be reviewed. The Trump administration had on May 27 told its embassies worldwide to pause scheduling student visa interviews until further guidance”was issued. More than 1.1 million international students were enrolled in US universities during the academic year 2023-’24, accounting for 6% of those pursuing higher education in the country. India sent the highest number of students, followed by China. The Department of State said that every visa adjudication is a national security decision. (Source: Scroll - India)

Oceania

Cook Islands
June 19, 2025 at 10:55 JST  New Zealand, the Cook Islands’ biggest funder, halts money to the Pacific nation over its China ties until the relationship improves. Cook Islands is self-governing but shares a military and passports with New Zealand. (Source: The Asahi Shímbun - Japan / The Associated Press - U.S.)

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Europe

European Commission
17.06.2025  Addressing the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, the EU foreign policy chief today warned of the ’extremely dangerous’ situation marked by civilian casualties and the risk of radioactive fallout amid ongoing escalation between Israel and Iran. She reiterated the EU's position that Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, emphasizing diplomacy as the preferred path forward. ’Europe stands ready to play its part in brokering a deal regarding the immediate fallout of the conflicts,’ Kallas added. Touching upon Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza, she said Israel's use of force in Gaza, Tel Aviv’s military campaign ’the continuing deaths of civilians and the targeting of civilian infrastructure’ go beyond self-defense, cannot be justified under humanitarian and international law. She highlighted the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, noting that while aid warehouses have opened, ’only one remains operational to accept new deliveries amid relentless military aggression’. At the last Foreign Affairs Council meeting last month, Kallas noted that the majority of member states supported opening a review of Israel's compliance with Article Two of the Association Agreement, which requires all parties to uphold binding human rights obligations. She confirmed that this review is currently underway and announced that she will present its findings to the foreign ministers on June 23. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Asia

Strait of Hormuz
June 17, 2025 6:01 PM GMT+2  Two oil tankers collided and caught fire today near the Strait of Hormuz. There were no injuries to crew or spillage reported. With Iran and Israel firing missiles at each other,’ electronic interference has disrupted navigation systems’ near the waterway between Iran and Oman which handles about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil. The Strait of Hormuz links the Gulf to the northwest with the Gulf of Oman to the southeast and the Arabian Sea beyond. Between the start of 2022 and last month, roughly 17.8 million to 20.8 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through daily, according to data from Vortexa. The multinational, U.S.-led Combined Maritime Force's JMIC information centre said in an advisory this week that it had received reports of electronic interference stemming from the vicinity of the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, on the north shore of the strait, and other areas in the Gulf region. The United Arab Emirates coast guard said it had evacuated 24 people from one of the ships, Adalynn, to the port of Khor Fakkan after the crash 24 nautical miles off its eastern coast. The Adalynn, a Suezmax-class tanker owned by India-based Global Shipping Holding Ltd, had no cargo and was sailing towards the Suez Canal in Egypt, according to monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. Personnel on the second tanker, the Front Eagle, were reported safe with no pollution seen after a fire on its deck, according to its owner, the Oslo-listed company Frontline (FRO.OL), which later told there was no suggestion of outside interference. The Front Eagle was loaded with 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil and was en route to Zhoushan in China, the monitoring service said. TankerTrackers.com said on X that the Front Eagle was moving southbound at a speed of 13.1 knots when it "executed a starboard (right) turn, resulting in a collision with the port quarter (aft port side)" of the Adalynn, which was proceeding southeast at 4.8 knots. Iran has in the past threatened to close the strait to traffic in retaliation for Western pressure. Trump has veered from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the war to suggesting the United States ’might join it’. Dozens of tankers have dropped anchor in major port hubs in the Gulf close to the Strait of Hormuz around Fujairah and Khor Fakkan and Sharjah on the Emirati side, today. Some shipping companies have decided to pause their voyages due to the heightened tensions. Others were awaiting charter hires due to uncertainty. War risk insurance costs for ships heading to Israeli ports have soared in recent days, the costs so far remain stable for voyages through the Gulf, insurance industry sources said today. Rates, for the time being, remain stable with no noticeable increases since the latest hostilities between Israel and Iran. This position could change dramatically depending on any further escalation or general conflagration in the area. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

North America

United States
June 17, 2025  Chief Israel planner at Pentagon, Col. McCormack, the Levant and Egypt branch chief at the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s J5 planning directorate, has referred publicly to Netanyahu ’and his Judeo-supremacist cronies,’ to Washington having ’overwhelmingly’ enabled Israel’s ’bad behavior’ and pro-Israel activists in the United States prioritizing support for Israel over „our actual foreign interests.” The Army’s social-media guide bars “showing contempt for public officials, releasing sensitive information or posting unprofessional material that is prejudicial to good order and discipline under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.” The Pentagon’s social-media guide also tells soldiers to “avoid use of Department of Defense titles, insignia, uniforms or symbols in a way that could imply DoD sanction or endorsement of content on your personal page.” “Also avoid misrepresenting yourself as an official DoD spokesperson on your personal account,” it adds. On Monday afternoon, McCormack wrote about himself as part of the official defense community to endorse the casualty numbers put forward by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. “Along with the World Health Organization and United Nations, we (Department of Defense, Department of State and the U.S. Intelligence Community) consider the Gaza Health Ministry figures to be generally reliable (though not precise),” he wrote, ’but probably less so now than they were originally due to the general destruction and chaos in Gaza.’ (Source: Jewish News Syndicate - U.S)

.5 6 19 01:48

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Europe

European Commission
17/06/2025  The European Commission today set out the legislation ’needed to end the bloc’s reliance on pipeline and liquefied natural gas supplies from Moscow’, starting by prohibiting new deals from next year. The proposed ban sets the stage for heated debate. Supplies under existing contracts shorter than one year will be stopped from June 17, 2026 at the latest. A ban on shipments under existing longer-term deals would take effect by the end of 2027. ’We have taken clear steps to turn off the tap and end the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe for good’, European Commission President der Leyen said. While no longer the bloc’s biggest supplier, Russia still accounts for almost a fifth of European demand. The government in Madrid has asked that the commission consider a mechanism to compensate companies if they incur fines for terminating their contracts. Some member states are nervous it will boost energy prices especially when the EU is struggling to keep its industries globally competitive and cost companies millions of euros in legal fees. and are unsure about the feasibility of the proposal. The commission has argued that alternative supply sources are available and the ban will have a limited impact on prices. To enforce the ban, the commission wants to oblige importers to provide more transport details such as origin of production, the identity of parties or the port of first loading for LNG imports. The decision on whether the gas is of Russian origin will be taken by customs authorities, who will cooperate with the commission and European energy regulators. The bloc’s rules for ending its nuclear reliance on Russia will be proposed at a later date. The European Commission decided not to use sanctions on gas as that would require unanimity from all 27 member states. Instead, it proposed a measure based on weighted majority support that would allow it to bypass the objections from Hungary and Slovakia. The EU proposal would put central Europe in a “serious situation of dependence” by restricting the sources of energy imports, Foreign Minister Szijjártó said at a conference in Budapest today. “Energy policy is a national competence & this endangers our sovereignty & energy security,” Szijjártó had said earlier on X. “We will not let this happen.” Austria warned the rules could stretch EU gas infrastructure and wanted to explore the possibility to reassess the rules should a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia be reached. (Source: Luxembourg Times / Bloomberg - U.S.)

Ukraine
(17 June 2025)  Russia has carried out a mass missile and drone attack on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, killing at least 24 people and wounding more than 100 others, officials say. There were also two fatalities in Odesa. The strikes on Kyiv lasted more than nine hours, from before midnight until after sunrise. Russia's defence ministry said it had targeted Ukraine's military-industrial complexes and that all its targets had been hit. Kyiv's officials said a ballistic missile hit a nine-storey apartment building in one district, with a total of 27 locations in the city coming under fire. Mayor Klitschko accused Russia of firing cluster bomblets filled with ball bearings. People were still under the rubble by late afternoon. Direct talks between the warring sides failed to secure a ceasefire or significant breakthrough. A reported 147 Ukrainian drones were shot down over nine Russian regions overnight, Russian news agencies said. Zelensky and his administration had been hoping to secure US support on the sidelines of the G7 for Ukraine's strategic and military goals speaking with US President Trump at the summit today, but Trump cut short his stay amid the escalating crisis in the Middle East. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Asia

China
5:42 PM GMT+2  Chinese President Xi said he was deeply concerned about Israel’s military actions against Iran. The conflict has 'sharply intensified tensions in the Middle East,' he said in a meeting today with Uzbek President Mirziyoyev. “We oppose any actions that violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries,” Xi said. 'Military conflict is not the solution to problems, and escalaling regional tensions does not serve the common interests of the international community.' Encouraging all parties to work to de-escalate the conflict, he added that China was willing to work with them “to play a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the Middle East.” (Source: NBC News - U.S.) 

Gaza
Tuesday 17 June 2025 11:34, UK  Israeli tank shellfire has killed at least 51 Palestinians in Khan Younis, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. Hundreds of others have been injured. The Israel Defence Forces said it was 'aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals from IDF fire following the crowd's approach' - and said details of the incident were under review. It added: 'The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimise harm as much as possible to them while maintaining the safety of our troops.' The statement claimed that a gathering had been identified near an aid distribution truck that was stuck in the area - near where IDF soldiers were operating. The incident took place as people waited for United Nations and commercial aid trucks in the southern Gaza city. Witnesses said Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on a nearby home before firing at least two shells toward the crowd. Gargavanis, a trauma surgeon and emergency officer at the World Health Organisation, said: 'There's a constant correlation with the positions of the four announced food distribution sites and the mass casualty incidents.' On Monday, Gaza's health ministry said at least 34 people were shot dead near food distribution centres. According to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - which operates these aid centres - more than three million meals have been distributed without incident. (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)

Iran
17 June 2025  The Iranian Health Ministry reported that over a 65-hour period, Israeli airstrikes resulted in more than 1,400 casualties, with over 90% being civilians. The strikes targeted not only military and nuclear sites but also public infrastructure, residential areas, and medical facilities. Israeli airstrikes on June 16 and 17, 2025, targeted Iran's state broadcaster IRIB in Tehran and hospitals in Tehran and Kermanshah, resulting in civilian casualties. The attack on IRIB occurred during a live broadcast. Israeli forces reportedly bombed Hakim Children's Hospital in southern Tehran and Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah. The strikes caused significant damage to the facilities and injured patients and staff. Iranian officials condemned these attacks as violations of international law, emphasising that hospitals are protected sites under international humanitarian law. International humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, prohibits attacks on civilian objects, including medical facilities and media organisations, unless they are being used for military purposes. Even in such cases, the principles of distinction and proportionality must be upheld to minimise harm to civilians. The recent Israeli airstrikes have prompted calls for investigations into potential violations of these legal standards. Israel has committed similar war crimes in Gaza for over a year with total impunity as western governments close their eyes and hesitate to condemn Israel for crimes committed against civilian populations in Gaza, Lebanon or now Iran. (Source: Helsinki Times - Finland)

(June 17, 2025) 8:44 PM GMT+2  The Israeli military said it has completed a wave of strikes on missile launch and storage sites in the heart of Iran. Meantime: 'Residents of the occupied territories especially Tel Aviv and Haifa are warned to leave these areas in order to preserve their lives,' Iran's new army chief, Gen. Mousavi, said in televised statements. Mousavi was appointed the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces after the Israelis killed his predecessor, Gen. Bagheri, last week. Huge, continuous and loud explosions are being heard in western Tehran.     Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility has been directly impacted by Israeli airstrikes, the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency said today. The agency 'did not say' if this resulted in any radiological changes in the area.     Israel’s air force has conducted a series of airstrikes on western Iran today. A number of sites and dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers were struck, the Israel Defense Forces said, adding that it also conducted intelligence-based strikes on surface-to-air missile launch sites and radars embedded in western Iran.     Like Lebanon, where Israel killed a large number of leaders from the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, Israel's military appears willing to take out targets if and when they see them. In Iran, the regime is the real government, Israel appears to be talking about effectively decapitating the country's leadership along with the Revolutionary Guard - a significant military force with influence reaching deep into Iran’s power structure. This will certainly mean a different kind of government if Israel can operate there at will militarily and that is regime change.     3:00 PM GMT+2 While Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have called on residents of Tehran to evacuate, leaving the city might prove more difficult. Iran's capital for more than 200 years, the city is home to around 9.5 million, although there are more than 14 million people in the metro area. 11:40 AM GMT+2 Most of those who intended to leave the Iranian capital to avoid Israeli missile strikes have already done so after spending hours stuck in traffic. Many have headed north, where they have homes or places along the Caspian Sea. For a nation of nearly 90 million people, life has shifted rapidly and visibly.     11:31 AM GMT+2 An Israeli airstrike targeted the Farabi Hospital in the western city of Kermanshah, badly damaging its facilities, the Iranian Red Crescent said. A specialized ward and the hospital’s intensive care unit were severely damaged. Yesterday, Israel attacked the Tehran headquarters of Iran’s state broadcaster while it was live on air, calling it a propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority for the Iranian government.     9:36 AM GMT+2 Israel’s military said it had killed Maj. Gen. Shadmani, Iran’s most senior military commander, in an overnight strike on a staffed command center in the heart of Tehran, days after killing his predecessor. Shadmani commanded both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian army, and was the closest figure to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

June 17, 2025 6:25 pm CET  Iran’s cyber command ordered top officials and their security teams to avoid IT equipment connected to telecom networks in a sign they fear digital disruption from Israel. Both Israel and Iran have powerful cybersecurity capabilities. While Iran is considered a major rival power to Western countries, its cyber operations are primarily focused on espionage rather than disruption. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

Israel
(Tuesday), Jun 17, 2025  Stopping Iran from firing missiles is a top priority for the IDF. It has tried to target launch sites since Friday and officials have said that roughly a third - or 120 - of them have been taken out. Iran still has thousands of missiles left that can reach Israel, national security adviser Hanegbi told Israel’s Army Radio on Monday. That’s more than the figure of 2,000 suggested by comments from many Israeli officials in recent weeks. There is also the steep expense of the interceptions. Each of Israel’s Arrow interceptor missiles, the ones typically needed to shoot down long-range projectiles, cost around $2 million to $3 million. Often, more than one is launched toward a ballistic missile to increase the chances of it being hit. In April last year, Bloomberg reported that it probably cost Israel - as well as the American, British, French and Jordanian air forces - around $1.1 billion to foil Iran’s attack. That was for a few hours’ work. This conflict has already lasted much longer. And there’s little sign of a let up yet. (Source: Japan Times / Bloomberg - U.S.)

17.06.2025 Israel denies possessing nuclear weapons. Founded in 1934, ’damaged in Iran's missile attacks’, Weizmann Institute, linked to nuclear research and military projects hosts technological hub of Israeli nuclear research, spearheads Israeli nuclear development. Israel's official stance is to deny possessing nuclear weapons capabilities. Weizmann, one of the leading figures of the Zionist movement, was the founder of the institute and Israel's first president. Described by the Israeli press as the country's “technological backbone” and “strategic base,” the institute is known for its research in fundamental sciences such as physics, chemistry, and biology. In the US-based Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control and the Institute for Middle East Policy Studies, the Weizmann Institute is associated with the nuclear research center located near Dimona in the Negev Desert. Israeli scientist Bergmann is recognized as the “father of Israel's nuclear program.” In a 2014 joint study by the University of Cincinnati in the US and Tel Aviv University in Israel, Bergmann's influence on Israel's policies was evaluated as a mentor to the institute's fundamental research. Bergmann, who was the first chairman of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission in 1952, emphasized the importance of training Israeli scientists with a background in nuclear physics as the foundation for Israel's steps toward developing nuclear weapons. Bergmann was one of the founders of the nuclear research center in Dimona. He utilized the research infrastructure and human resources at the Weizmann Institute to launch and develop the country's nuclear program. After the US government of the time published the Smyth Report on atomic bombs, he reached an agreement with former President Weizmann to send institute personnel to France and Sweden to receive training in nuclear chemistry. Thanks to the intensive efforts of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in 1994 the US administration approved the sale of a total of nine supercomputers to industries related to nuclear and missile programs, including the Technion University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, as well as the Weizmann Institute. According the Weizmann Institute's official website, the institution is Israel's most important scientific research facility. The institute plays an important role in advanced weapons and military technology research and development. The Weizmann Institute of Science collaborates with leading companies such as the Israeli army and the Israel-based defense company Elbit Systems on advanced technology development. The institute also contributes to the development of Israel's drone technology, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

10:40 PM GMT+2  At a bus depot north of Tel Aviv, an Iranian ballistic missile exploded, burned-out vehicles. An Iranian missile attack destroyed a three-story building in the northern Arab-Israeli city of Tamra, killing four. Israel's Arab minority is about 20% of the country's population. Descendants of Palestinians who stayed in the country after 1948, they are Israeli citizens, but many identify with the Palestinian cause. Israel’s Health Ministry said 154 people were hospitalized overnight - all of them injured getting to shelters or suffering with anxiety. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

Jordan
2:00 PM GMT+2  Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Israel’s strikes on Iran are a threat to people everywhere and show that there is no telling where the borders of this battleground will end. “Today, that world is in moral decline,' Abdullah said in an address to European Union lawmakers in Strasbourg, France. 'A shameful version of our humanity is unfolding before our eyes in real time, and our global values are unraveling at a shocking pace with devastating consequences. Nowhere is that clearer than in Gaza.' “If our global community fails to act decisively, we become complicit in rewriting what it means to be human,” he said. Palestinians make up half of his population of 11.5 million. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

North America

Canada
Tuesday 17 June 2025 21:01 BST  Zelensky met Canadian PM Mark Carney, who pledged US$3.15bn in new military assistance and loans as well as new financial sanctions. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

17/06/2025 - 18:50  The United States blocked a joint call to pressure Russia saying it wanted to preserve its role as a mediator with President Putin. G7 leaders, however, managed unity today on a joint statement on the Iran conflict that backed Israel but also called broadly for de-escalation, despite Trump contemplating greater US military involvement. The Group of Seven powers pledged their support for Zelensky today as the US president left the G7 summit early to return to Washington to focus on the Israel-Iran conflict. Zelensky met the remaining leaders at a remote lodge in the Canadian Rockies. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed Zelensky and announced Can$2 billion ($1.47bn) of military support, including drones and helicopters, for Ukraine. (Source: France 24)

(Tuesday), 5:32 AM CEST, June 17, 2025  World leaders had gathered in Canada with the specific goal of helping to defuse a series of global pressure points, only to be disrupted by a showdown over Iran’s nuclear program. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Cancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni held an hourlong informal meeting soon after arriving at the summit late Sunday to discuss the widening conflict in the Mideast. Israel launched an aerial bombardment campaign against Iran four days ago. So far, Israel has targeted multiple Iranian nuclear program sites but has not been able’ to destroy Iran’s Fordo uranium enrichment facility’. The site is buried deep underground - and to eliminate it, ’Israel may need the 14,000-kilogram GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the U.S. bunker-busting bomb that uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets. The penetrator is currently delivered by the B-2 stealth bomber. Israel does not have the munition or the bomber needed to deliver it. Merz told reporters that Germany was planning to draw up a final communique proposal on the Israel-Iran conflict that will stress that Iran must under no circumstances be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons-capable material. Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, France’s President Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President’ Trump participate in a session of the G7 Summit, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Kananaskis, Canada. Canada’s leader Mark Carney formally opens the G7 summit saying: ’The world looks to this table for leadership.’ It’s unclear how much Trump values the perspective of other members of the G7. He immediately criticized the group while meeting with Carney. He said it was a mistake to remove Russia from the summit’s membership in 2014 and doing so had destabilized the world. He also suggested he was open to adding China to the G7. As the news media was escorted from the summit’s opening session, Carney could be heard as he turned to Trump and referenced how the U.S. leader’s remarks about the Middle East, Russia and China had already drawn attention to the summit. “Mr. President, I think you’ve answered a lot of questions already,” Carney said. Going into the summit, there was no plan for a joint statement this year. At the summit, Trump warned that Tehran needs to curb its nuclear program before it’s too late. He said Iranian leaders would like to talk but they had already had 60 days to reach an agreement on their nuclear ambitions and failed to do so before the Israeli aerial assault began. “They have to make a deal,” he said. Trump, for his part, said Iran is not winning this war. „And they should talk and they should talk immediately before it’s too late.’ Trump seemed willing to push back against his own supporters who believe the U.S. should embrace a more isolationist approach to world affairs. Asked what it would take for the U.S. to get involved in the conflict militarily, Trump said today morning, “I don’t want to talk about that.“ By today afternoon, Trump warned ominously on social media, ’Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!’ Shortly after that, President Trump decided to leave the summit. As Trump posed for a picture today evening with the other G7 leaders, he said simply, “I have to be back, very important.” He abruptly left the Group of Seven summit today, skip a series of tomorrow meetings that would address the ongoing war in Ukraine and global trade issues, departing a day early as the conflict between Israel and Iran intensified. The sudden departure only heightened the drama of a world that seems on verge of several firestorms. Trump already has hit several dozen nations with severe tariffs that risk a global economic slowdown. There has been little progress on settling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. President Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer say they are signing a trade deal to ease tariffs between goods from the U.S. and the United Kingdom. The deal does not include tariffs on steel, an especially important piece of bilateral trade. Beyond Carney and Starmer, Trump had bilateral meetings or pull-aside conversations with Merz, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and European Commission President der Leyen. He talked with Macron, according to Macron spokesperson Ladois. In a deeper sense, Trump saw a better path in the United States taking solitary action, rather than in building a consensus with the other G7 nations. Tomorrow, Trump had been scheduled before his departure to meet with Mexican President Sheinbaum and Zelenskyy. One of the topics for discussion would be a ’defense package’ that Ukraine is ready to purchase from the U.S. as part of the ongoing war with Russia, Zelenskyy said - a package whose status might now be uncertain. The G7 leaders all signed a joint statement Monday night saying Iran can never have a nuclear weapon as they urged a “broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.” (Source: Associated Press - U.S.)

United States
June 17, 2025 8:54 pm CET  Does Grandmaster beat Deal Maker? Trump doesn’t play chess, a game requiring patience and method. Trump came into his second term pledging to stop the wars currently raging around the world - he’d end the war in Ukraine in a day, strike a nuclear deal with Iran. He’d be the world’s peacemaker, a Nobel Peace Prize candidate. His loyal America First advisers, too, have been openly and emphatically skeptical of any open-ended adventurism that may risk entangling Washington - which, for example, bombing Iran could well entail. The skeptics include Vice President Vance, whose suspicion of foreign entanglements predates even his MAGA conversion, having its origins in his time as a U.S. Marine in Iraq, where he became disillusioned with America’s ill-fated 'forever wars' in the region. Netanyahu is described as methodical and relentless, armed with back-up schemes and a willingness to switch tactics to secure his overarching strategic aim when obstacles arise, trying to ensure he can adapt and is anticipating twists and turns while keeping his eye firmly on the prize. The 2019 parliamentary elections - one of Netanyahu’s most spectacular turnarounds in a long political career full of remarkable and unexpected comebacks - has earned him the nickname Bibi the Magician. Maybe more appropriate would be to dub him Bibi the Chess Hustler, a skilled player whose deceptive tactics gain him an edge over less seasoned and tenacious players, exploiting and anticipating the impulsive and improvised dealmaker’s reactions to maneuver him to where he wants him. Trump toured last month the Gulf, where the Arab leaders pressed him to secure another Gaza ceasefire and to press on with the negotiations with Iran. Netanyahu offered no complaint that a trip to Israel wasn’t included. Trump lifted sanctions on Syria. Netanyahu opposed, he kept quiet too, hoping to tempt Trump into endorsing his ambition of humbling Tehran’s clerical leaders. Having less exposure in the Middle East has been a theme that others in Trump’s national security team have highlighted since November - they want the focus on China and, of course, on the enemies within. But here Trump is dispatching more warships and hardware to the region and partnered with an Israeli leader who for three decades has ruminated about how to collapse the theocratic regime in Tehran, a diehard adversary of Israel. In the past 48 hours he’s sounded more aggressive, more like Israel’s formal partner. Netanyahu has been firmly fixed on his main Mr. Iran goal. For Bibi, Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been stepping stones for the big confrontation with Ayatollah Khamenei’s Iran. Humbling and wrecking Iran’s proxies so they can do little to distract from the main objective. Netanyahu will have at least two plans in mind - to change the regime, not necessarily directly by war; the subordinate one to stop Iran’s nuclear program and to open the way to Saudi Arabia signing on to the Abraham Accords. And yesterday, Netanyahu said killing Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei, would end the conflict. He and his closest aides knew a reelected Trump wouldn’t hand them a blank check. Trump harbored residual distrust of Netanyahu and he was unlikely to endorse everything he might want. Now some Trump loyalists are shaping a narrative: Netanyahu and Trump together outfoxed Iran and lulled the mullahs into thinking the dealmaker would restrain Netanyahu. (Source: Politico - U.S., owned by a German company)

(June 17, 2025) 10:50 PM GMT+2  Trump is considering a range of options when it comes to Iran, including a possible U.S. strike on the country, administration officials said after he met with his national security team. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

7:35 PM GMT+2  Rep. Massie, R-Ky., has teamed with congressional Democrats and introduced a bipartisan resolution today "to prohibit United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The Massie-Khanna Iran War Powers Resolution is co-sponsored by Democrats who often disagree with Massie on domestic issues. "The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn’t attacked the United States,” Massie said in a statement. “Congress has the sole power to declare war against Iran. The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.” (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

(July 17, 2025) 6:13 PM GMT+2  In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said, 'We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.' Minutes later, Trump posted again, saying he knows where Iran's leader Ayatollah Khamenei 'is hiding.' 'He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,' Trump wrote. "But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.' (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

17.06.2025  In a post shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump rejected Macron’s reported assertion that the US president had left the G7 summit to return to Washington, D.C., in order to work on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. 'Publicity seeking President Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a “cease fire” between Israel and Iran,' Trump wrote. Wrong! he added. 'He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that.' Without providing further details, Trump added: “Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!' (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

NATO

June 17, 2025 3:35 pm (EST)  'Executive summary': This year’s NATO Summit - to be held from June 24 to June 26 in The Hague - comes at a critical moment for the transatlantic alliance. NATO allies are cautiously optimistic leading up to the summit and hope it will be a businesslike meeting without major disruptions. 'Most NATO allies are committed to pledging 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to defense spending, as demanded by the Trump administration'. Tensions remain, however, over Ukraine’s role in the alliance, the U.S. force posture in Europe, and potential troop withdrawals, as well as the long-term future of the alliance. President Trump’s personal unpredictability notwithstanding, the United States and Europe have to develop a new transatlantic security bargain as the main threat for the United States will be in the Indo-Pacific region. This means transitioning to a European-led NATO, without creating capability or deterrence gaps in the interim. 'Europe has little choice but to invest in growing its defense capabilities and to muster the political will and domestic support for such efforts'. (Source: Council on Foreign Relations - U.S.)
by Fix, a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); Lissner, a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at CFR.

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Asia

Iran
(16 june 2025)  Israel said its strikes had hit dozens of targets in Tehran. Iranian media, quoting the health ministry, said 224 Iranians had been killed and 1,277 injured as of Sunday evening. Iran later confirmed the head of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence unit, Kazemi, had been killed, alongside a deputy and another commander. Report from inside Iran, making it to assess the damage caused by Israel's offensive is difficult, due to restrictions by the country's government. Iran's state TV said the country attacked Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities with tens of Iranian missiles and drones. Tehran's oil ministry said the Shahran oil depot in the capital was hit by Israeli strikes overnight. Israel's military said fighter jets struck more than 80 targets in Tehran overnight, including the Iranian Ministry of Defense and additional targets where the Iranian regime hid the nuclear archive. An aerial refuelling aircraft was also struck at an airport in the north-east city Mashhad. The Iranian former crown prince Pahlavi - the son of Iran's former Shah who was overthrown in the country's 1979 Islamic revolution - has told the BBC people who oppose the country's government have been re-energised by Israel's attacks, which killed senior Iranian military leaders. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Israel
June 16, 2025, 10:21 PM  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News today that targeting Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei would end, not escalate, the ongoing fight between Israel and Iran that erupted late last week. ’We've had half a century of conflict spread by this regime that terrorizes everyone in the Middle East; has bombed the Aramco oil fields in Saudi Arabia; is spreading terrorism and subversion and sabotage everywhere,’ Netanyahu said. ’The forever war is what Iran wants, and they're bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression, and we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil.’ Asked if Israel would target the supreme leader, Netanyahu said that Israel was ’doing what we need to do.’ ’I'm not going to get into the details, but we've targeted their top nuclear scientists,’ Netanyahu said. ’It's basically Hitler's nuclear team.’ Netanyahu said it in America's interest to support Israel as it seeks to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. ’Today, it's Tel Aviv. Tomorrow, it's New York. Look, I understand 'America First'. I don't understand 'America Dead'. That's what these people want. They chant 'Death to America.' So we're doing something that is in the service of mankind, of humanity, and it's a battle of good against evil. America does, should, and does stand with the good. That's what President Trump is doing, And I deeply appreciate his support,’ he told. Israel's prime minister dismissed a Wall Street Journal report that Iran has been urgently signaling that it is wants to end hostilities and resume negotiations over its nuclear program. ’I'm not surprised. I mean, they want to continue to have these fake talks in which they lie, they cheat, they string the U.S. along’. We have very solid Intel on that, he said. ’They want to keep on building their nuclear weapons and building their mass ballistic missile arsenal, which they're firing at our people. They want to continue to create the two existential threats against Israel while they're talking. That's not going to happen.’ Asked to respond to some Republicans opposed to America's military support for Israel's strikes against Iran, including commentator Carlson, Netanyahu said Iran is a threat to the entire world. In his Friday newsletter, Carlson wrote that the United States should let Israel fight their own wars - the United States should not at any level participate in a war with Iran: No funding, no American weapons, no troops on the ground. „We're not just fighting our enemy. We're fighting your enemy. For God's sake, they chant, ’death to Israel, death to America.’ We're simply on their way. And this could reach America soon,’ Netanyahu said. "We're taking the action. America is supporting us in defense. Deeply, deeply appreciated. But this is a threat to the entire world,’ Netanyahu said. "It's a threat to Israel; as I said - to our Arab neighbors; to Europe; to America. They chant 'Death to America.' It's though - 'This is not your business'? This is not myopia. This is utter blindness.’ ’Sometimes you have to take a stand against evil. And that's what the American people instinctively understand. Most of them, I have to say. And that's what President Trump understands. We cannot let that happen,’ he added. In an updated travel advisory today, the State Department appears to have classified all of Israel and the West Bank as Level 4: Do Not Travel -  its highest advisory level. Would he stop bombing if Trump requested him to do so and to resume diplomatic talks, Netanyahu was asked. President Trump has been a great leader and a great friend of Israel, and he put forward the terms very clearly in the negotiations, Netanyahu said. "He said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and in order for it not to have a nuclear weapon, it cannot have the capacity to enrich uranium, which is the prerequisite for nuclear weapons.' He later added that the Iranians do not want to continue negotiations in good faith and are stringing the U.S. along as they keep building up their weapons. ’They don't want a seat at the table - they want to blow up the table. Specifically, they want to blow up Israel and purchase time,’ Netanyahu said. He praised the American defenses helping Israel against drones and missiles, but added: As far as what else America will do - that's up to President Trump. „He will do what's in the best interest of the United States, but it's important to understand that we deeply appreciate his help and the help and the support of the great majority of the American people, because they understand what we're fighting against a regime that hates us both, that is trying to assassinate us both, that there is trying to bring death and destruction throughout the Middle East and to the world. And sometimes you have to take a stand. You take a stand with the good against evil. And that's precisely what America is doing under President Trump,' Netanyahu said. Trump, in Canada today at the Group of Seven summit, was asked what it would take for the United States to get involved militarily in the conflict; he replied, “I don't want to talk about that." The death toll in Iran was 224 as of early today, according to the head of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Health. In Israel, 24 have been killed and 592 injured, according to a release from the Prime Minister's office today morning. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi told a meeting of ambassadors in Tehran yesterday that Israel's ongoing attacks on the country could not have happened without the agreement and support of the United States. Araghchi called on the international community to condemn Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities. 'This is perhaps the last red line of international law that the Israeli regime has crossed, and if the international community is indifferent to these red lines, it will certainly have consequences for all other countries,’ Araghchi said. (Source: ABC News - U.S.)

North America

United States
Jun 16, 2025 4:01 PM EDT  About a broader U.S. military buildup in the Middle East. Over two dozen U.S. Air Force KC-135R and KC-46A tankers from across the United States appeared on flight-tracking software yesterday evening, taking off from their bases and heading east over the Atlantic. Such a large, mysterious near-simultaneous migration of the jets at a time of extreme crisis in the Middle East could signal a major contingency being put in place or even a change in U.S. policy on the Iran-Israel war. These are precisely the assets that would be needed if the United States were going to change its support of Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, or if there were urgent concerns that the conflict is about to widen significantly.     Israel lacks robust aerial refueling capabilities, with just a handful of aging 707 tankers (around seven operational) available to support hundreds of fighter aircraft. As Israel gains air superiority further east over Iran, aerial tanking becomes even more important. Aerial refueling will enable much better effectiveness when it comes to hunting for and interdicting Iran’s theater ballistic missiles before they can be launched. Gaining more aerial refueling capacity will enhance just about every facet of Israel’s tactical jet operations, multiplying the available force to a significant degree. The U.S. can provide exactly this support at scale. This would mean the U.S. would enter the air war directly, or is preparing to be more capable of executing that option. This would be a massive shift in U.S. policy, and it could have cascading effects throughout the region, especially in terms of the likelihood that Iran would start targeting American installations. This scenario could also work in reverse if Iran targeted American interests in the region, with the U.S. then entering the direct conflict. Having the tankers pre-positioned for such a contingency would be very helpful.     If preparing to deal with Iran attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz were to occur, U.S. and likely Arab gulf state military aircraft would leap into action in an attempt to curtail the operation. It would require a massive operation that includes SEAD/DEAD and persistent surveillance aircraft sorties. It also means having to hunt for highly mobile shore-based anti-ship missile launchers on a grand scale. This would demand large amounts of continuous tanker support.     American B-2s are the only known conventional assets that have the potential capability of badly disabling or destroying Iran’s deepest underground components of its nuclear program. Pre-positioning a tanker bridge spanning the Atlantic to the Middle East would be needed to support those heavily-laden B-2 operations.     This same bridge can also help American assets get out of the region if the United States evacuates its sprawling bases there out of fears of massive Iranian bombardment.    It’s worth noting that other assets also appear to be moving in Iran’s direction, including a U.S. carrier strike group heading into the Indian Ocean from the South China Sea. (Source: TWZ - U.S.)
By Rogoway, founder and editor-in-chief

Jun 16th, 2025, 1:20 pm  Carlson warned today that U.S. involvement in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict could bring down President Trump and mark the collapse of America’s global influence. In an appearance on Bannon’s WarRoom, Carlson argued a full-scale war in the Middle East could derail Trump’s second term and devastate the country’s standing globally. “I actually really love Trump. I think he’s a deeply humane, kind person,” Carlson said. “But I’m really afraid that my country’s gonna be further weakened by this. I think we’re gonna see the end of the American empire. He added, ’But it’s also going to end, I believe, Trump’s presidency and effectively end it.’ The comments follow a series of attacks Carlson has launched in recent days against Trump, Fox News hosts, and other conservative establishment figures for backing U.S. support of Israeli military action against Iran. Last week, he accused Trump of betraying “America First” by fueling conflict abroad, prompting a rare rebuke from the former president. ’I’m the one that decides that,’ Trump fired back in an interview. Carlson also attacked Fox News hosts Hannity and Levin, as well as its founder, Murdoch, as warmongers. He wrote that they will all have to answer for this in a newsletter in which he called US support for Israel’s bombing campaign in Iran complicity in what could become a ground war. On WarRoom, Carlson expressed doubt and warned of overreach. “The second you get enmeshed in a real war - not a fake, ‘let’s go bomb the villagers’ - you’re in trouble. We don’t even have a good track record [on that]’. he said. ’Why are the Houthis still there?’ He concluded, “How prepared is the U.S. military for a real conflict? The answer is totally unprepared. Scary unprepared. I don’t think people understand that.’ (Source: Mediaite - U.S.)

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Europe

Germany
16.06.2025  Over the weekend, social media posts alleged that a German A400M tanker was visible on flight tracking websites when it accidentally activated its transponder over Jordan during suspected refueling operations with Israeli fighter jets. The aircraft's transponder then went offline shortly after. The Defense Ministry dismisses social media claims that German aircraft refueled Israeli fighter jets over Jordan. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Russia, 
15 June 2025, 8:45pm  In the wake of the Israeli strikes, Putin was the only world leader to speak by phone to Netanyahu, Iranian President Pezeshkian and Trump. Years of two-track diplomacy have allowed Putin to position himself both as a friend to Israel’s Prime Minister and to the Iranian leadership. That will make Russia an indispensable partner for the US once it embarks on the long process of patching up the new political realities of the Middle East in the wake of this war. Though Israeli planes have so far carefully avoided striking Iran’s oil export infrastructure, the war has inevitably spooked markets and boosted sagging crude oil prices – and with them, Putin’s war chest. Back in the 1990s, Moscow helped Iran build its first Shehab long-range ballistic missiles and constructed Iran’s first civilian nuclear reactor at Bushehr, which became operational in 2013. Russia and Iran pooled efforts to shore up Assad’s government in Syria, with Russia deploying warplanes in 2015. Moscow also supplied S-300 air defence missile systems and has been importing thousands of Shahed drones, which it has fired at Ukraine. At the same time, Moscow was a signatory of the US-brokered Iran nuclear deal in 2015, which was scrapped by Trump two years later. This year, Moscow has offered to handle the enrichment of Iran’s nuclear fuel as part of a possible updated nuclear deal. That arrangement could allow Iran to maintain a civilian nuclear energy programme while depriving it of any excuse to enrich uranium to weapons-grade. Russia was selling Iran advanced Su-35 fighter jets that might be a match for Israeli jets in the air. Israeli warplanes have reportedly blown up Iran’s Shahed drone factory in Isfahan just days after Ukrainian long-range drones damaged Russia’s plant for producing their own Shahed clones, known as Geran, in Yelabuga. In the immediate aftermath of Israel’s attack, oil prices jumped from under $60 to $75 a barrel as nervous traders feared disruption to Iran’s ability to export crude. But it soon emerged that Israeli warplanes had not hit key infrastructure at the biggest Iranian oil terminal at Kharg Island, and traffic in the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf appeared normal. Instead, Israel attacked Iran’s domestic energy industry, including gas processing plants and petrol depots across the country – perhaps in an effort to spark price hikes that have spurred anti-regime protests in the past. Washington will be urging Israel to hold off attacking Kharg ’to avoid catastrophic damage to the economy of Iran’s main customer’, China. At the same time, Israel is keeping the option of escalating against oil infrastructure as it negotiates with both enemies and allies. Kremlin was facing the prospect of falling oil prices pushing up deficits and stretching budgets. And with every new conflict - especially a major Middle Eastern conflagration - the importance of the Ukraine war to the West fades a little. ’A war between Israel and Iran will help the Russian army’s success in Ukraine.’ tweeted Kremlin-aligned analyst Markov. And the more opportunity Putin has to leverage Russia’s diplomatic weight and help Washington and Beijing solve the world’s problems, the further he moves away from being a warmonger and towards his coveted role as senior international statesman. Has he always had the devil’s own luck? Washington now faces a multi-dimensional challenge as it simultaneously tries to prevent a global oil price shock, ’a bilateral war between Iran and Saudi Arabia’, and blowback against US military and civilian targets by Iranian agents or proxies. (Source: The Spectator - United Kingdom)
by Matthews, the author of Overreach: The Inside Story of Putin’s war on Ukraine.

June 16, 2025  Overnight, on June 11, Russia launched 85 drones, 40 of which Ukraine intercepted. Kyiv targeted a gunpowder plant known to be a major supplier of explosives to the Russian military in Kotovsk, Tambov Oblast, located approximately 550 km northeast of Kharkiv. Russia has maintained that the strike resulted in no casualties. Ukraine also attacked a factory in Shebekino, Belgorod Oblast. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)

June 16, 2025  Before 2014, Russia contributed to the modernization of China’s armed forces by selling various types of weaponry, while Beijing was a lucrative market for Russia’s military-industrial complex. The annexation of Crimea left Russia with China as the sole remaining major source of much-needed imported military technology and components. In exchange, China has received access to advanced Russian missile, air defense, and electronic warfare technology. Deepening cooperation has also been demonstrated by the growing frequency of joint military exercises. While Russia and China share a strong anti-US stance, Beijing is unwilling making any commitment to Russia that would lead to an open conflict with the West or the introduction of sanctions. Beijing refuse to officially recognize any Russian territorial gains since 2014. Limited trust is also reflected in the joint Russian-Sino military exercises, as these maneuvers are more about demonstrating the will of cooperation to the outside world than improving interoperability between Russian and Chinese armed forces. While military cooperation along shared interests will continue, it is extremely unlikely that it will develop into any functioning, institutionalized alliance. (Source: Center for European Policy Analysis - U.S.)

United Kingdom
16.06.2025  UK government sidesteps questions on possible evacuation plans for Britons in Israel. The Foreign Office is currently advising against all travel to Israel. with Israeli airspace now closed due to the conflict, those already in the country are facing increasing difficulties returning to the UK. ((Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Asia

Iran
16 June 2025, 7:02am  The war may be a huge event for diplomats, for military strategists, and for the fate of the region. The markets don’t care much about Israel and Iran, investors, at least for now, appear indifferent They are assuming that Israel has already won. We rely far less on Middle Eastern oil and gas than we used to. Fracking has turned the United States into the largest oil and gas producer in the world, and there is plenty more to be developed. Even the Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, a fierce opponent of fossil fuels when he ran the Bank of England, is increasing production. At the same time, green energy may be more expensive than its champions predicted, and may require bigger subsidies, but there is starting to be a lot of it. The wind turbines in the North Sea generate 30 per cent of the UK’s electricity. In Spain solar contributes 20 per cent of the total, while wind contributes another 20 per cent. The result? Investors have other things to worry about. (Source: The Spectator – United Kingdom)
by Lynn, a financial columnist and author of ‘Bust: Greece, The Euro and The Sovereign Debt Crisis’ and ‘The Long Depression: The Slump of 2008 to 2031’

(Monday), Jun 16, 2025  The Iranian death toll in four days of Israeli strikes had reached at least 224, with 90% of the casualties reported to be civilians, an Iranian health ministry spokesperson said, adding that more than 1,200 had been wounded. Iranian media said an Israeli strike hit police headquarters in the city center on Sunday. The intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Kazemi, and his deputy were killed in attacks on Tehran on Sunday, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said. (Source: The Japan Times / Reuters (United Kingdom), AFP (France), JIJI (Japan)

Israel
6/16/2025  The US Embassy in Israel's capital Tel Aviv suffered minor damage during an Iranian missile attack overnight, envoy Huckabee confirmed today. No US diplomat or other staff members were injured in the incident. The minor damage to property were from the shock waves (i.e. 'concussions') from the nearby blast, in an X post the envoy said. (Source: MSN - U.S. / India Blooms News Service)

(16 june 2025)  In overnight strikes on Saturday, ten people, including two children, were killed and more than 100 injured in Israel, authorities said. Overnight strikes into Sunday morning, hit homes in northern Arab town of Tamra and a10-storey block of flats in Bat Yam. On Sunday evening, there were explosions in the sky above Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as Israel's defence system shot down missiles fired from Iran. Israeli police confirmed a weapon hit "one of the settlements" in the northern coastal port city of Haifa, where footage showed thick columns of smoke rising into the night sky. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

16 June 2025 The destruction in Tel Aviv and Tehran signals the onset of an all-out war between Israel and Iran. The death toll in both countries continues to grow as their forces trade missiles. Army bases, energy infrastructure and residential blocks all appear to be fair game. The hostilities show no signs of dissipating. Israel was quick to characterise its attack as “pre-emptive”, saying it had no choice but to act in defence of its citizens as Iran advances towards a nuclear weapon. Yet such a claim is without basis in international law. Moreover, the attack has only disrupted planned talks between Iran and the United States aimed at achieving a deal that would restrict the former’s nuclear programme. Israel even assassinated one of Iran’s key negotiators over the weekend. It attacked out of hubris: it seeks to decisively weaken its strongest enemy in the region - already at a cost of hundreds of civilian lives - ’and knows it can do so’ with impunity. At least 20 Israelis have already paid with their lives and hundreds more have been wounded as the country’s air defences struggle to intercept every Iranian projectile. There is also a chance that ’carefully calibrated hostilities’ could quickly spiral out of control, dragging the entire region into conflagration. Now, as it bombs its sixth neighbouring state or occupied territory in less than two years, there should be no doubt that impunity is the lifeblood of Israel’s ’far-right’ government, and the fuel driving its spiralling aggression. Until it runs up against firm international resistance, it will not cease in its campaign’ to militarily re-engineer the entire region’. The death toll from Israel’s assault on Gaza since the Hamas attacks of 7 October has surpassed 55,000. Researchers believe the true figure could be twice as high. Israel’s leaders have made plain their ambition to seize control of the entire Gaza Strip and raze everything in it to the ground, and the army is dutifully obliging: in some cities, the extent of the devastation is greater than in the aftermath of the atomic strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many of the enclave’s two million inhabitants are homeless and starving. If Israel’s government has its way, Gazans may soon be pushed out of the Strip for good. And the war with Iran won’t disrupt this agenda; it will only provide a smokescreen allowing Israel to operate with even less scrutiny. It’s not just Gaza. Israel has also used the cover of war to rapidly accelerate its takeover of the West Bank, where settlers armed by the state have succeeded in wiping scores of Palestinian communities off the map through threatening and administering brutal violence. In the West Bank’s urban centres, the largest Israeli military operation in 20 years has forcibly displaced 40,000 people from several refugee camps, destroying hundreds of homes in the process. The Israeli government additionally announced plans last month to build 22 new illegal settlements in the West Bank. It has also initiated a large-scale land registration process that rights groups have described as a significant leap towards formalising Israeli sovereignty in the occupied territory. This, too, will continue unabated as the world’s attention shifts to war with Iran, and simply imposing sanctions on a pair of outspoken ministers. US President Trump described the attack as excellent, and had reportedly sent Israel a shipment of 300 Hellfire missiles only days earlier despite maintaining that the US was uninvolved in the operation. Keir Starmer’s government has duly followed suit, calling for restraint while simultaneously moving military assets to the Middle East and suggesting the UK could support Israel in the war. Israel’s allies in the region have already helped shoot down Iranian missiles. We can be certain that Western governments will come readily to Israel’s defence - both rhetorically and materially - ensuring it can continue its attacks. The chances of de-escalation in the short term appear slim with Israeli leaders hinting at a loftier goal of bringing about regime change in Iran, This is the overwhelming lesson Israel has drawn from the past 20 months amid its intensifying onslaught on Gaza: there is no limit to what the world will let it get away with. Starmer continues to authorise arms exports to Israel worth hundreds of millions of dollars - including components of F-35 warplanes used to drop bombs. If the UK wants to avoid being dragged into a war that will further destabilise the region, cause countless civilian deaths in Israel and Iran, enable the continuation of Israel’s ethnic cleansing and slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank - not to mention almost certainly lead to more attacks on Israelis and Jews around the world - it must act immediately to force Israel down. Measures are long overdue, popular with the British public, and will end the impunity that Israel has enjoyed for far too long. (Source: New Statesman - United Kingdom)
by Reiff

Jun 16, 2025  Israel has multilayered air defenses against hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles and suicide drones fired at Israel since Friday. An Israeli military official said Saturday that the defensive umbrella had an "80 or 90% success rate," meaning that some Iranian missiles were breaking through the shield. Israeli combat helicopters and fighter jets have fired air-to-air missiles to destroy drones that were heading to Israel, military officials have said. The long-range Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 interceptors, developed by Israel are designed to engage incoming targets both in and outside the atmosphere respectively. They operate at an altitude that allows for safe dispersal of any nonconventional warheads. State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries is the project's main contractor while Boeing is involved in producing the interceptors. The midrange David's Sling system is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles fired from 100 kilometers to 200 kilometers away. Developed and manufactured jointly by Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and RTX, a U.S. company previously known as Raytheon, it is also designed to intercept aircraft, drones and cruise missiles. Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with U.S. backing, the short-range Iron Dome air defense system was built to intercept the kind of rockets fired by Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza. It became operational in 2011. Iron Dome was originally billed as providing city coverage against rockets with ranges of between 4 km and 70 km, but experts say this has since been expanded. Each truck-towed unit fires radar-guided missiles to blow up short-range threats such as rockets, mortars and drones in midair. A naval version, to protect ships and sea-based assets, was deployed in 2017. The system determines whether a rocket is on course to hit a populated area. If not, the rocket is ignored and allowed to land harmlessly. Last October, the U.S. military said that it had sent the advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to Israel. THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats in their terminal phase of flight. The U.S. military helped to shoot down Iranian missiles fired at Israel on Friday, using ground-based systems, one U.S. official said. A U.S. Navy destroyer in the Eastern Mediterranean also helped to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles, Israeli media has reported. Jordan’s air force also intercepted missiles and drones entering its airspace Friday, its state news agency said. (Source: The Japan Times / Reuters - United Kingdom)

Jun 16, 2025  Iranian missiles struck Israel's Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa today, destroying homes. The alerts came in shortly after 4 a.m.in Tel Aviv. Video footage showed several missiles over Tel Aviv and explosions could be heard there and over Jerusalem. The predawn missiles struck near Shuk HaCarmel, a popular market in Tel Aviv. A residential street in nearby Petach Tikva and a school in ultra-Orthodox Jewish city Bnei Brak were also hit. Several residential buildings in a densely populated neighborhood of Tel Aviv were destroyed in a strike that blew out the windows of hotels and other nearby homes just a few hundred meters from a U.S. Embassy premises in the city. Israel's national emergency service said three people were killed in the country's center, while dozens more were wounded in the overnight strikes. In Haifa around 30 people were wounded. Fires were seen burning at a power plant near the port. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the latest attack employed a new method that caused Israel's multilayered defense systems to target each other. (Source: The Japan Times / Reuters (United Kingdom), AFP (France), JIJI (Japan)

Jun 16, 2025 10:42 IST  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Iran's Islamic regime had plotted to assassinate US President Trump, labelling him as enemy number one. (Source: India Today)

Pakistan
Jun 16, 2025 12:20 IST  ’Pakistan has told us that if Israel uses a nuclear bomb on Iran, then Pakistan will also attack Israel with a nuclear bomb,’ General Rezaei, an IRGC commander and member of Iran's National Security Council, said on Iranian state television. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Asif dismissed the claim, saying Islamabad had made no such commitment. Later in a post on X, Asif cautioned that Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal, amid the current volatile situation, could embolden it to act more aggressively - raising the risk of a wider regional conflict. Islamabad has expressed open support for Iran in the broader confrontation with Israel. Following the attack on Tehran, Pakistan had vowed to stand behind Iran, calling for Muslim unity against Israel, a Jewish country. On June 14, Asif told the National Assembly that Muslim nations should unite against Israel or risk meeting the same fate as Iran and Palestine. ’Israel has targeted Iran, Yemen, and Palestine. If Muslim nations don't unite now, each will face the same fate,’ Turkiye Today quoted him as saying. Asif also urged Muslim nations with diplomatic ties to Israel to sever relations and called on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to convene a meeting to form a joint strategy against the Jewish nation. Western powers and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have raised concerns over Iran’s uranium enrichment levels, ballistic missile development, and lack of transparency in past nuclear activities -- suggesting possible military dimensions to its program. Iran officially maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, such as energy production and medical research. It is also a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has consistently claimed it does not seek nuclear weapons. Despite the official silence, the Jewish nation is widely believed to have developed a nuclear arsenal and a doctrine focused on deterrence and counter-proliferation, aimed at preventing adversaries from acquiring similar capabilities. (Source: India Today)

Saudi Arabia
Monday - 16 June 2025  The Israeli defense minister declared that Tehran will burn if it continued to target civilians, meanwhile the Iranians watched as their facilities went up in flames and were turned to rubble. We aren’t just being confronted by two countries with no shared borders trading strikes. Following the deadly blows the Israeli army dealt in recent months in Gaza and Lebanon, the Israelis were deluded into believing that they were living in a fortified fortress. Te walls of the fortress are riddled with holes and the Iranian missiles can infiltrate them. After decades of expanding in the region, the Iranians believed that they were living in a fortified fortress and that the wars in the region were always going to be waged in other people’s countries. Their fortress is weak, with holes so large they allowed Israel to control their skies and the Mossad to infiltrate their land and homes. It wasn’t easy on October 7, 2023, to inform Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Yehya al-Sinwar's attack. On June 13, it wasn’t easy at all to inform the Iranian supreme leader about what had happened to the military commanders and nuclear scientists. The Israeli attack on Iran launched a mutually destructive operation. Iran doesn’t have the ability to stop the Israeli raids. Israel cannot stop the barrage of Iranian rockets. It is more dangerous than all the wars the Middle East has seen in half a century given the arsenals involved and the expected repercussions. Was Iran wrong to ignore his 60-day deadline and the severe consequences of failing to make a deal? Should it have sensed the danger when Iranian advisors fled Syria? Was it wrong when it failed to assure the International Atomic Energy Agency? Did it underestimate the dangerousness of a dangerous player and gambler called Benjamin Netanyahu and the growing hostility of Israel’s military and security institutions in wake of the Al-Aqsa Flood? It will be difficult for the world to live for a long time at the beat of the destructive blows between Israel and Iran. It won’t be long before it urges Netanyahu and the supreme leader to consider their options. Israeli fighter jets violate regional countries to pounce on targets in Iran. The Iranian rockets and drones violate the skies of regional countries to attack targets in Israel. Expanding the conflict by attacking American bases will only deepen its crisis and so will the closure of the Hormuz Strait. The only solution lies in returning to Trump’s table, perhaps with Russian and Chinese help. Trump’s table means abandoning the nuclear dream and opening the door to Iran normalizing ties with the US, the West and the world. This means changing Iran without changing its regime. The fight between Israel and Iran has taken the spotlight from the horrors in Gaza and crises elsewhere. The Middle East needs countries to respect the borders and sovereignty of others and to recognize people’s rights. It needs to know the borders of a country called Israel and the limits of Iran’s role in the region. It needs Israel to adopt a different policy. And for Iran to seek different options. The fight is costly, and Trump is looking at his watch. He seems confident that Israel won’t be able to achieve peace without US support. And Iran has no other choice than taking the path laid out by the ’Great Satan.’ Trump holds the keys. He alone can sway the battle in Israel’s favor. He alone can summon Netanyahu to the negotiating table. He alone can save Iran from Israeli strikes. However, the holder of the keys is not a charity, and Iran will pay a price in negotiations he is sponsoring. (Source: Asharq Al-Awsat - hedquarters in London, United Kingdom, owned by a member of Saudi royal family)
by Charbel, Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper

North America

Canada
June 16, 2025 8:41 PM CET  During a working session at the G7, the U.S. leader claimed Moscow wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if it hadn’t been banned from the forum. “The G7 used to be the G8,” Trump mused after a bilateral meeting with host Prime Minister Mark Carney at the G7 summit in the Canadian Rockies. 'Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in. And I would say that was a mistake because you wouldn’t have a war right now,' he said about Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Trump also told his Canadian audience that it was not a bad idea to have China as part of the G7. Zelensky will attend the G7 meeting as a guest tomorrow. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

United States
16.06.25, 06:42 AM  The Israelis informed the Trump administration in recent days that they had developed a credible plan to kill Khamenei. After being briefed on the plan, the White House made clear to Israeli officials that Trump was opposed to the Israelis making the move. Trump's rejection of the proposal was first reported by Reuters. The US president said he has a track record for de-escalating conflicts, and that he would get Israel and Iran to cease hostilities “just like I got India and Pakistan to make" after the two countries' recent cross-border confrontation. Trump also pointed to efforts by his administration during his first term to mediate disputes between Serbia and Kosovo and Egypt and Ethiopia. The Trump administration is desperate to keep Israel's military operation aimed at decapitating Iran's nuclear programme from exploding into an even more expansive conflict and saw the plan to kill Khamenei as a move that would enflame the conflict and potentially destabilise the region. There's a divide in Trump world about how far the president should go in backing Israel. Rep. Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Turning Point USA founder Kirk, former Fox News host Carlson are among the prominent backers of Trump who have argued voters backed Trump because he would not involve the nation in foreign conflicts. In an interview aired on CBS, GOP South Carolina Sen. Graham said he preferred diplomatic efforts, but if diplomacy doesn't work Trump should 'go all in' on destroying Iran's nuclear program. 'If that means providing bombs, provide bombs,' he said. 'If that means flying with Israel, fly with Israel.' GOP Kentucky Sen. Paul praised Trump for having shown restraint and said he hoped the president's instincts will prevail. "And it's not the U.S.'s job to be involved in this war.” (Source: The Telegraph - India)

(Monday, 16 june 2025)  On Sunday, Trump told ABC News he is open to Russia's Putin becoming a mediator between the two sides. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Jun 16, 2025  By the traditional temporal approach to imminency, Operation Rising Lion did not fulfill the preconditions for anticipatory self-defense. But that rigid standard has been supplanted by an interpretation more attuned to contemporary threats, one that allows States to use force anticipatorily when an adversary is committed to an armed attack using capabilities it wields, and the targeted State must act now lest it forfeit its ability to defend itself effectively. A colorable argument can be made that these criteria were satisfied on June 13, but such an argument requires a somewhat liberal interpretation of each. The nuclear (inter alia) nature of the threat Israel reasonably believes it is facing also bears on the appropriateness of such an interpretation. And if the operation was lawful, U.S. actions to defend against Iran’s retaliation are a lawful exercise of the right of collective self-defense. Yet, a colorable argument also can be made that the situation Israel faced on June 13 fell short on one or more of the criteria, especially that allowing for action only when the defending State is liable to lose the opportunity to mount an effective defense. If so, Operation Rising Lion was, therefore, a use of force in violation of the prohibition resident in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and customary law (see, e.g., Milanovic). This interpretation would raise the question of the United States’ operation in defense of Israel. There is generally no right, individual or collective, to defend against actions undertaken pursuant to the jus ad bellum right of self-defense. Nevertheless, if reports that Iran is targeting population centers in addition to military targets are accurate, the United States is entitled to help Israel defend against them, for unlawful actions (targeting civilians and civilian objects in violation of LOAC) do not satisfy the necessity criterion of self-defense and therefore are themselves unlawful uses of force (armed attacks) triggering the right of individual and collective self-defense. Obviously, the analysis of the current situation is highly fact dependent. That Iran represents a significant threat to Israel is beyond doubt. The fact that the threat is nuclear renders it existential. It is not a threat that Israel can ignore, and, in my opinion, the severity of the threat affords Israel greater leeway under the jus ad bellum than would be the case with a lesser threat. But whether Operation Rising Lion comports with the right of anticipatory self-defense, even in light of the greater leeway merited by the nuclear factor and using the last window of opportunity test as the standard of assessment, is a question that will ultimately be judged against facts that likely will be long contested. For me, a claim that the operation was lawful is colorable, but not incontestable. (Source: The Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare at West Point - U.S.)
Schmitt is the G. Norman Lieber Distinguished Scholar at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is also Professor of Public International Law at the University of Reading and Professor Emeritus and Charles H. Stockton Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the United States Naval War College.

June 16, 2025  American Foreign Policy in an Age of Unrestrained Executive Power. The last decade of scholarship has made clear the very real differences among authoritarian regimes and the implications for their foreign policy and national security choices. In matters of foreign policy and national security, the presidency now has the characteristics of a personalist dictatorship. Without constraints, even from elites in the leader’s inner circle, personalist dictators are prone to military misadventures, erratic decisions, and self-defeating policies. A United States that can change policy daily, treat those who serve its government with cruelty, and take reckless actions that compromise its basic systems and leave shared secrets and assets vulnerable is not one to be trusted. Moreover, if American institutions, especially Congress, are not functional then U.S. foreign policy is fully at the mercy of the whims of each newly elected president. The American presidency has long been imperial. But not until Trump’s second term has a president truly tried to act as an emperor. Since the 9/11 attacks, Congress has granted the presidency more and more power over foreign affairs and declined to take any of it back, and the Supreme Court has been reluctant to provide any meaningful restraints. In July 2024, the Supreme Court, never inclined to check presidential power in foreign affairs and especially deferential on national security matters, gave a literal get-out-of-jail-free card in ruling that the president enjoyed substantial immunity from prosecution for virtually any action related to his official duties. The ruling not only stopped the federal prosecutions of Trump but also made it highly unlikely that Trump will ever be held accountable for violating federal law and the Constitution. Trump inherited an ever-expanding national security apparatus that operates with little oversight. Trump governs today in the wake of the near-complete dismantling of checks and balances on the executive branch, at least in the foreign policy and national security realm. It is worth cataloging three broad categories of damage that add up to one conclusion: Trump has decimated U.S. diplomacy. Trump has also eroded trust in and goodwill toward the United States - and he has done so on live television. with visiting leaders Zelensky,and South African President Ramaphosa. Another blow to U.S. diplomacy - also televised - came on April 2, when Trump dropped a tariff bomb on the global economy. Rebuilding the expertise and experience of the federal bureaucracy ’will be the work of a generation, not an administration’ *. (Source: Foreign Affairs - U.S.)
by Saunders
* Note: Why is not the work of this administration?

Jun 16, 2025  The U.S. president has repeatedly said Iran could end the war by agreeing to tough restrictions on its nuclear program, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes but which Western countries and the IAEA nuclear watchdog say could be used to make an atomic bomb. The latest round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S., due on Sunday, was scrapped after Tehran said it would not negotiate while under Israeli attack. In Washington, two U.S. officials said that Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. When asked about the report, Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that." We do what we need to do, he told Fox's "Special Report. (Source: The Japan Times / Reuters (United Kingdom), AFP (France), JIJI (Japan)

Globalization

June 16, 2025 7:25 PM CET  For years, an annual decrease in the global inventory of nuclear weapons combined with the disarmament of retired warheads by the U.S. and Russia has outstripped the number of new warheads. But a report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found this trend will be reversed in the coming years as dismantlement slows while the deployment of new nuclear weapons increases. China, India, Israel and Pakistan are among those increasing their nuclear muscle. Out of the nine nuclear-armed states - the U.S., U.K., Russia, France, China, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea - all are upgrading existing weapons and adding new versions to their stockpiles. China is leading the pack, with its nuclear arsenal having grown by 20 percent in just one year to an estimated 600 warheads. An estimated 12,241 nuclear warheads existed worldwide as of January. Of those, approximately 9,614 are held in military stockpiles ready for potential use, with more than 2,100 kept on high alert - primarily by the United States and Russia. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

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Europe

Russia
Jun 15, 2025  Russian President Putin told his U.S. counterpart, Trump, yesterday that Moscow was ready to hold a fresh round of peace talks with Kyiv after June 22, once the sides complete exchanging prisoners and soldiers' bodies. Putin and Trump held a call for the fifth time since the Republican took office and sought to reset relations with Moscow. "Both leaders expressed satisfaction with their personal relations" during the call, in which they also discussed the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, the Kremlin said. It added that the presidents "communicate in a businesslike manner and seek solutions to pressing issues on the bilateral and international agenda, no matter how complex these issues may be." Zelenskyy urged the United States to ’shift tone’ in its dialogue with Russia, saying it was "too warm" and would ’not’ help to end the fighting. Washington might relocate resources at its expense, to beef up the defense of its close ally Israel which unleashed a large-scale attack on Iran on Friday. Zelenskyy meanwhile did not mention whether Ukraine would agree to the next round of talks, only saying that the exchanges will be completed and the parties will discuss the next step. Earlier on Saturday, Ukraine and Russia swapped prisoners in the fourth such exchange last week. It is part of a large-scale plan to bring back 1,000 wounded prisoners from each side and return bodies of killed soldiers. As part of the Istanbul agreements, Kyiv also said it had received another 1,200 ’unidentified’ bodies from Russia. Ukraine did not say whether it returned any bodies to Russia. Russia intensified its advances along the front line, especially on the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy, where it seeks to establish a buffer zone, to protect its bordering region of Kursk, previously partly occupied by Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Russia's advance on Sumy was stopped and that Kyiv's forces had managed to retake one village. He said 53,000 Russian soldiers were involved in the Sumy operation. Russia has demanded Ukraine cede territory and renounce Western military support if it wants peace. (Source: The Japan Times / AFP (France)-JIJI (Japan))

Asia

Iran
(Sunday), 15 June 2025 - 09:25  Israel and Iran strike at each other overnight into Sunday. Iran has said 78 people were killed there on the first day of Israel's campaign on Friday, and scores more on the second, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran. The Shahran oil depot in Tehran was targeted in an Israeli attack. A fire had erupted after an Israeli attack on an oil refinery near the capital. Israeli strikes also targeted Iran's defence ministry building, causing minor damage, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said today. In the first apparent attack to hit Iran's energy infrastructure, Tasnim news agency said Iran partially suspended production at South Pars, the world's biggest gas field, after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on Saturday. The South Pars field, offshore in Iran's southern Bushehr province, is the source of most of the gas produced in Iran. Fears about potential disruption to the region's oil exports had already driven up oil prices 9% on Friday even though Israel spared Iran's oil and gas on the first day of its attacks. An Iranian general, Kosari, said on Saturday Tehran was reviewing whether to close the Strait of Hormuz controlling access to the Gulf for tankers. (Times Live – South Africa / Reuters - United Kingdom)

15 Jun 2025 - 08:01 am  In Iran's capital, AFP journalists heard a series of blasts at around 2:30 am. Iranian authorities have not provided an updated toll as of early Sunday. (Source: The Peninsula – Qatar)

Israel
15/06/2025 - 9:42 GMT+2  'Israel military warns Iran to evacuate nuclear sites'. The Israeli military has warned Iran on Sunday to immediately evacuate 'military weapons production factories', likely signalling new strikes. Col. Adraee, a military spokesperson, posted the warning on the social platform X in Farsi. The warning follows a statement by the Iranian minister of foreign affairs Araghchi saying Tehran would stop its attacks on Israel if Israel would stop theirs. (Source: Euronews - based in Lyon, France, „With AP” - U.S.)

15 Jun 2025 - 08:01 am  Air raid sirens and explosions were heard by AFP journalists in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Sunday. Israel's emergency services said at least eight people, including children, were killed in the overnight strikes, and around 200 were wounded. In Bat Yam, outside of Tel Aviv, two women, aged 69 and 80, a girl and a 10-year-old boy were killed, while about 100 others were wounded, according to a spokesperson for Magen David Adom (MDA). In Shfela region, west of Jerusalem, another 37 people were wounded, the MDA spokesperson added. In the north of Israel, in the Western Galilee, rescuers said a strike late Saturday destroyed a three-storey building, killing three women. A woman in her 20s also died after an Iranian missile hit a home in the Haifa region, leaving about a dozen people wounded, MDA said. An MDA spokesman told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 that around 200 people were wounded in the overnight missile strikes fired by Iran. (Source: The Peninsula – Qatar)

Yemen
15.06.2025  Today, Yemen’s Houthis claim striking ‘sensitive Israeli targets’ in Yaffa, central Israel, with hypersonic ballistic missiles, in coordination with the Iranian army, at various times in the last 24 hours. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

North America

United States
15.06.2025 A US official, according to Axios, confirmed that Israel asked Washington to join the military operation, but said currently the administration is not considering it. Washington has repeatedly said that Israel acted alone in its recent military actions against Iran. Citing American and Israeli sources, the news outlet said Israel lacks the capability to destroy Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment site, which is buried deep within a mountain, and needs US assistance to target it ’effectively’. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

June 15, 2025  People from 12 countries are already banned from entering the United States – and now Trump is said to be thinking of adding another 36 countries to the list. An internal memo about it reportedly says these countries have 60 days to meet new requirements, or face restrictions too. They include 25 countries in Africa, four in Asia, four in the Carribbean, and three in Oceania), and include strategic US partners Egypt and Djibouti. The Washington Post said that concerns varied for each country, but were things such as lack of reliable ID documents, lack of a ‘competent or cooperative central government authority’, a high number of citizens who previously overstayed their visas, or claims of antisemitic and anti-American activity in the United States by their citizens. But the paper reported it said that if a country was willing to accept foreign nationals deported from the US in a ‘safe third country’ agreement, they could reconsider the ban even if other reported issues were not resolved. (Source: Metro – United Kingdom)

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Europe

Russia
June 14, 2025 21:19 CEST  Among other things, Russian President Putin discussed the conflict between Iran and Israel during a 50-minute call with US President Trump today, top Kremlin aide Ushakov told state media outlet TASS. Putin condemned Israel’s attack on Iran and offered to mediate between the two countries. The Russian president made a similar offer to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, according to a prior statement from the Kremlin. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Saturday, 14 June 2025 11:58 AM EDT  Russian President Putin held separate talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Pezeshkian following Israel's attack against Iran. When speaking to Netanyahu, per the Kremlin, Putin emphasized the importance of resuming the negotiations and resolving any issues pertaining to Iran's nuclear program exclusively via political and diplomatic means. In addition, the Russian leader expressed willingness to provide mediation so as to prevent further escalation. In his call with Pezeshkian, Putin stressed that Russia condemned Israel's actions, which had been carried out in violation of the UN Charter and international law. The Russian side has been fully supporting the efforts to resolve the situation around Iran's nuclear program peacefully and has proposed concrete initiatives aimed at reaching mutually acceptable agreements. The Kremlin also noted Russia's willingness to "resolving the current situation, which is fraught with the most disastrous consequences for the entire region'. Russia's Foreign Ministry, in a message posted to Telegram, further condemned Israel's attack, describing them as "Unprovoked military strikes against a sovereign UN member state." The foreign affairs office went on to criticize the attacks targeting Iran's citizens, sleeping peaceful cities and nuclear energy infrastructure are categorically unacceptable. "The international community cannot afford to turn a blind eye to such acts of aggression, which threaten peace and undermine both regional and global security,' the ministry added. 'What makes the situation especially cynical is that these Israeli attacks took place in the midst of an [International Atomic Energy Agency] Board of Governors session and just before another round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States.' (Source: Newsmax - U.S.)

June 14, 2025, 5:01 a.m. ET  In May, Russian forces seized roughly 173 square miles, more than double April’s gains, according to DeepState, a Ukrainian group that maps the conflict using combat footage. This spring, both sides have turned to motorcycles and civilian cars to quickly cross open terrain. Ukraine is using them to resupply its defensive lines, while Russia uses them in assaults. It’s a kind of renaissance of the cavalry. Russia is advancing around Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region with small, fast-moving units. The first step is to try to isolate Kostyantynivka from multiple directions, in a semi-encirclement, isolating Ukrainian units while maintaining a narrow, hazardous corridor for retreat. The idea would be to advance eastward across the T-0504 road; northward from Toretsk; and westward from the hilltop town of Chasiv Yar. To the south, Russian forces are bogged down in urban fighting in Toretsk. They have been trying to capture Chasiv Yar for two years, since the nearby city of Bakhmut fell in the spring of 2023. So long as Chasiv Yar remains contested, Russia’s advance to Kostyantynivka will be slowed. West of Kostyantynivka lies Pokrovsk, also in the Donetsk region, where Russian forces are also pressing forward with superior manpower. Russian forces are closing in on Pokrovsk from several directions. Their efforts have recently shifted farther west, with some troops crossing the administrative border between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. In some areas near Kostyantynivka, Russia has a manpower advantage of up to 20 to 1, Ukrainian commanders in the area say. Frontline airstrikes have intensified. At the start of May, Russia was carrying out 11 airstrikes a day. That pace has picked up to 17 in June. In recent months, Russian troops have captured at least a dozen villages in the northern Sumy region. Small assault groups, often just two or three Russian soldiers probe Ukrainian positions in waves. The terrain is full of ravines, movement is only possible on roads. Russian forces were seizing high ground north of Sumy and pushing toward dense forests that dominate the city’s northern and northeastern approaches. If Russia captures four villages - Khotyn, Yunakivka, Pysarivka, and Kyyanytsia - that would threaten the city of Sumy itself. If the battles shift into the forests, it could require additional infantry reinforcements from Ukraine, as drone surveillance becomes less effective. (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)
by Varenikova; Sholudko and Diadchenko contributed

19:52, 14 Jun 2025  British fighter jets are being deployed to the Middle East 'to protect British military interests amid the spiralling Israel-Iran conflict, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says. The escalation came after Iranian state media said American, British and French military bases would be in the firing line if they blocked Iran's drone and missile retaliation. Military capabilities such as further refuelling aircraft and additional fast jets will be deployed in the wake of the threat – adding to British presence there under Operation Shader. Sir Keir Starmer's intervention comes after a diplomatic blitz by telephone in the last 48 hours to the leaders of the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel. ’And of course, all of this is linked to what's going on in Gaza’, the PM said. He will be holding intense negotiations face-to-face with fellow leaders at the G7 on Sunday in Canada. He refused to get into any detail on whether he knew about the Israel attack in advance. It added that Putin also informed Trump about the implementation of the agreements reached at the meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on June 2. Foreign Secretary Lammy had conversations with representatives from Iran, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as well as European foreign ministers yesterday. (Source: The U.S. Sun)

Asia

Iran
June 14, 2025 Following yesterday's attacks, Iran said it was withdrawing from the sixth round of nuclear negotiations that were due to take place in Oman tomorrow with US special Middle East envoy Witkoff. Tehran considered the dialogue with the US over the Iranian nuclear programme meaningless after Israel's biggest military strike yet, which it accused Washington of supporting. 'The other side [the US] acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime [Israel] to target Iran's territory,' the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted foreign ministry spokesman Baghaei as saying. US President Trump told Reuters yesterday that he and his team had known the attacks were coming – and still believed there was room for an accord. 'We knew everything, and I tried to save Iran humiliation and death. I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out,' Mr Trump said. 'They can still work out a deal, however, it’s not too late.' Mr Trump said he had repeatedly pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay an attack to give diplomacy more time, though the US President himself had threatened to bomb Tehran if nuclear talks failed. (Source: The National - United Arab Emirates)

Saturday 14 June 2025 11:45 BST  Iran has warned the US, UK and France that their bases and ships in the region will be targeted if they help stop Tehran's strikes on Israel, Iran state media reported today. Yesterday, a US official said the country’s military had helped shoot down Iranian missiles that were headed toward Israel. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

(14 June 2025)  What if Israel succeeded in its long term aim of forcing the collapse of the Islamic revolutionary regime in Iran? Netanyahu claims his primary aim is to destroy Iran's nuclear capability. His broader aim involves regime change. He told in his statement yesterday "the proud” people of Iran that his attack was ’clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom’ from what he called their ’evil and oppressive regime’. Bringing down Iran's government what vacuum might it leave? What would civil conflict in Iran look like? Many can remember what happened to both Iraq and Libya when strong centralised government was removed. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

(14 June 2025)  What if the Israeli attack fails to destroy Iran's nuclear capability? What if Iran's nuclear facilities are too deep, too well protected? ’What if its 400kg of 60% enriched uranium’ – the nuclear fuel that is just a small step away from being fully weapons-grade, enough for ten bombs or so – is not destroyed? It's thought it may be hidden deep in secret mines. No bombs can destroy Iran's knowhow and expertise. What if Israel's attack convinces Iran's leadership that its only way of deterring further attacks is to race for nuclear capability as fast as it can? What if those new military leaders round the table are more headstrong and less cautious than their dead predecessors? At the very least, this could force Israel to further attacks, potentially binding the region into a continual round of strike and counter-strike. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

14/06/2025 - 08:36  Over the past year, Israel has been targeting Iran’s air defences, hitting a radar system for a Russian-made air defence battery in April 2024 and surface-to-air missile sites and missile manufacturing facilities in October. The first wave of strikes gave Israel significant 'freedom of movement' in Iran’s skies, clearing the way for further attacks, according to an Israeli military official. Sound of explosions and Iranian air defence systems firing at targets echoed across central Tehran shortly after midnight today. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported a fire at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport. Black smoke could be seen rising into the air at Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. UN nuclear chief Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. He said all the electrical infrastructure and emergency power generators were destroyed, as well as a section of the facility where uranium was enriched up to 60%, which is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to have been hit, but the loss of power could have damaged the infrastructure there, he said. According to an Iranian news outlet close to the government that reported hearing explosions nearby, it also appeared to strike a second, smaller nuclear enrichment facility in Fordo, about 100 kilometres southeast of Tehran. Israel said it also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan, and said it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Iran confirmed the strike at Isfahan. The Israeli military official said Israel is prepared for an operation that could last up to two weeks, but that there was no firm timeline. (Source: RFI - France)

14/06/2025 - 04:17  The Fars news agency said two projectiles hit Tehran's Mehrabad airport, and Iranian media said flames were reported there. Close to key Iranian leadership sites, the airport hosts an air force base with fighter jets and transport aircraft. Iran's UN envoy Iravani said 78 people, including senior military officials, were killed in Israel's strikes on Iran and more than 320 people were wounded, most of them civilians. Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only. Tehran had been engaged in talks with the Trump administration on a deal to curb its nuclear programme to replace one that Trump abandoned in 2018. Tehran rejected the last US offer. The UN nuclear watchdog concluded this week that it was in violation of its obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty. (Source: France 24 "with Reuters", United Kingdom)

14.06.2025  The escalation casts doubt over the future of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, which were being mediated by Oman. The sixth round of indirect talks, scheduled for tomorrow, is now likely to be canceled, according to sources familiar with the matter. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Israel
19:52, 14 Jun 2025  Four waves of ballistic strikes: 7pm first Iranian stike on Tel Aviv; 7.30pm: Second wave of strikes on Tel Aviv; 11pm: Third wave of strike on Jerusalem; 3am: Forth vave of strikes on Tel Aviv. (Source: The U.S. Sun)

Jun 14, 2025 21:25 IST  Israel's air defences destroyed the majority of the Iranian ballistic missiles, but some did manage to make an impact on the ground. The most high-value target struck by Iran is the Israeli army headquarters, known as the Kiryat, in Tel Aviv, as per Fox News. At least three Israeli citizens lost their lives and dozens suffered injuries in overnight missile attacks today. Ramat Gan and Rishon LeZion were the worst-affected areas in central Israel. (Source: India Today)

June 14, 2025  Israel said it identified missiles launched from the Islamic Republic and reported explosions from interceptions and falling debris from projectiles. There was video of at least one large explosion in Tel Aviv, and reports of blasts across Jerusalem. An Iranian rocket has killed one person and injured more than 20 when it hit near homes in Rishon Lezion, south of Tel Aviv. A number of people were reported to be trapped under the rubble, it said. The extent to which Israel’s air defences were breached is unknown. US forces assisted by firing on Iranian missiles. (Source: The National - United Arab Emirates)

Saturday 14 June 2025 07:52, UK  How Iran's retaliatory attack on Israel unfolded? /Video/ (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)

14.06.25, 12:16 PM  The situation in West Asia remained tense today, as Iran retaliated against Israel using drones and multiple ballistic missile strikes. /Photo/ (Source: The Telegraph - India)

14/06/2025 - 08:36  Iran launched waves of missiles at Israel late Friday and early today. Explosions lit the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook the buildings below. Israel’s military said more drones were intercepted near the Dead Sea early today. Hours later, an Iranian missile struck near homes in the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, killing two more people and wounding 19. Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service said four homes were severely damaged. Israel’s paramedic services said 34 people were wounded in the barrage on the Tel Aviv area. US ground-based air defence systems in the region were helping to shoot down Iranian missiles, said a US official. (Source: RFI - France)

14/06/2025 - 04:17  'In the last hour, dozens of missiles have been launched at the state of Israel from Iran, some of which were intercepted, the Israeli military said. It said rescue teams were operating at a number of locations across the country where fallen projectiles were reported, without commenting on casualties. The Fars news agency said Tehran launched a third wave of airstrikes on Saturday after two salvos on Friday night. In central Tel Aviv, a high-rise building was hit during a wave of the missile attacks, damaging the lower third of the structure, which stands in a densely populated urban area. An apartment block in nearby Ramat Gan was destroyed. Israel's ambulance service said 34 people were injured on Friday night in the Tel Aviv area, most with minor injuries. Police later said one person had died. Israel's military said Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles on Friday and that most were intercepted or fell short. Several buildings in and around Tel Aviv were hit. Israel's UN envoy Danon said intelligence had confirmed that within days Iran would have produced enough fissile material for multiple bombs. He called Israel's operation "an act of national preservation." (Source: France 24 "with Reuters", United Kingdom)

Jordan, Lebanon
08:16-14 June 2025  Jordan reopened its airspace at 7:30 a.m. (0530 GMT). Lebanon said it will reopen its airspace on Saturday at 10:00 am local time (0700 GMT). ((Source: Asharq Al Awsat - headquartered in London, United Kingdom, owned by a member of Saudi royal family)

Persian Gulf
(14 June 2025)  If Iran failed to damage Israel's well-protected military and other targets, then it could always aim its missiles at softer targets in the Gulf, especially countries that Iran believes aided and abetted its enemies over the years. Remember Iran was accused of striking Saudi Arabia's oil fields in 2019 and its Houthi proxies hit targets in the UAE in 2022. There are lots of energy and infrastructure targets in the region. Since then there has been a reconciliation of sorts between Iran and some countries in the region. But these countries play host to US airbases. Some also – discreetly – helped defend Israel from Iranian missile attack last year. If in a worst-case scenario the Gulf were attacked, then it might demand American warplanes come to its defence as well as Israel's. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

North America

United States
10:36 PM CEST, June 14, 2025  The U.S. military parade in Washington, D.C. commemorates the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, which coincides with President Trump’s 79th birthday. Trump was in Washington for the military parade. (Source: Associated Press - U.S.)

United States
10:36 PM CEST, June 14, 2025  Thousands of demonstrators crowded into streets, parks and plazas across the U.S. today to protest President Trump, marching through downtowns and blaring anti-authoritarian chants mixed with support for protecting democracy and immigrant rights. Federal immigration enforcement raids began last week and Trump was ordering the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, where protesters blocked a freeway and set cars on fire. No Kings’ demonstrations across the US against immigration raids were planned in nearly 2,000 locations across the country, organizers said. The 50501 Movement is orchestrating the protests. (Source: Associated Press - U.S.)

June 14, 2025 22:35 CEST  US President Trump says he spoke with Putin for an hour, mostly about Israel-Iran conflict today. The US president said the leaders spoke about Iran and Israel’s tit-for-tat airstrikes at length and called for an end to the conflict. “President Putin called this morning to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran, a country he knows very well,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Trump said both he and Putin agreed the Israel-Iran conflict should come to an end. “He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Trump said, referring to Russia’s war against Ukraine. (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Saturday, 14 June 2025 11:58 AM EDT  Ostensibly, Israel launched its attack in anticipation of President Trump announcing a deal on Iran's nuclear energy program. However, The Middle East Eye reports that the United States sent Israel 300 Hellfire missiles Tuesday prior to Israel's preemptive strike. 'Two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the publication that the transfer of the missiles suggests the Trump administration was well-informed of Israel's attack plans before its strike on Iran'. ’The situation appears to be developing toward a conflict drawing in the U.S. to aid Israel with military support’, with Russia backing Iran. (Source: Newsmax - U.S.)

14 June 2025 What is still unclear is how Trump will handle Israel’s rush to war despite his opposition. Netanyahu appears to have bet that facing Iran’s retaliation, Trump will come under immense, even irresistible, pressure from Israel’s many influential allies within the US not to leave it unprotected. Those calls are certainly already being made. And so Netanyahu has put Trump in a bind and, for now at least, put any potential US-Iran deal in jeopardy. Iran will not agree to dismantle its nuclear enrichment facilities completely, has made that clear repeatedly, including during the ongoing talks with the US. Israel had a long-running, well-planned intelligence operation running inside Iran, one that likely reached right into the upper echelons of the Iranian government. Once this campaign ends, a witch-hunt will commence in Iran to get at the root of what has been a colossal, embarrassing intelligence failure. Hitting back hard – particularly if that hit included American assets in the region -  would increase the probability that Trump will be forced to jump into the fray to defend Israel. That would make Iran’s military predicament far worse. We cannot dismiss the possibility that, from the outset, Trump may have approved, even if only with the equivalent of a wink and a nod, Netanyahu’s decision to strike Iran. The president may have calculated that an Israeli attack would have put pressure on Iran and forced it to accept a zero-enrichment agreement, which he could then take credit for - but without being seen as having colluded with Israel or having to participate in its war. Netanyahu has launched a war of choice, not of necessity, against a country that, though certainly a major adversary, was not taking any steps that suggested, even remotely, that it was gearing up to attack Israel. Seen thus, Netanyahu’s defense that Israel had no choice but to launch a preemptive attack - which means a response in advance to an enemy’s self-evident preparations to wage war - 'won’t play well internationally, including in Europe', particularly given the human toll that Israel’s war in Gaza continues to take. (Source: New Statesman - United Kingdom)
by Menon, a Spitzer Professor Emeritus of International Relations, City College of New York, and Senior Research Scholar, Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies

(14 June 2025) For all the US denials, Iran clearly believes American forces endorsed and at least tacitly supported Israel's attacks. Iran could strike US targets across the Middle East – such as special forces camps in Iraq, military bases in the Gulf, and diplomatic missions in the region. Iran's supportive militias in Iraq remain armed and intact. The US feared such attacks were a possibility and withdrew some personnel. In its public messaging, the US has warned Iran firmly of the consequences of any attack on American targets. A possible, worst-case scenario: If an American citizen were killed, say, in Tel Aviv or elsewhere, Trump might find himself forced to act. Trump promised his MAGA constituency he would not start any so-called ’forever wars’ in the Middle East. But equally many Republicans support both Israel's government and its view that now is the time to seek regime change in Tehran. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been accused of wanting to drag the US into helping him defeat Iran. Military analysts say only the US has the bombers and bunker-busting bombs that can penetrate the deepest of Iranian nuclear facilities, especially that of Fordow. But if America were to become an active combatant, that would represent a huge escalation with a long, potentially devastating consequential tail. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

08:21 14/06/2025, Saturday  Iran launched a retaliatory attack on Israel Friday night and the US is assisting in shooting down missiles targeting Israel, an American official confirmed yesterday. (Source: Yeni Şafak - Turkey)

International Atomic Energy Agency

Jun 14, 2025 21:25 IST  In testimony before the UN, the IAEA said the above-ground portion of the Natanz plant where Iran was producing uranium enriched up to 60 per cent, had 'been destroyed' and centrifuges may have been damaged. (Source: India Today)

Global

(14 June 2025)  There's a global economic shock - the price of oil is already soaring. What if Iran tried to close the Strait of Hormuz, further restricting the movement of oil? What if – on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula - the Houthis in Yemen redouble their efforts to attack shipping in the Red Sea? They are Iran's last remaining so-called proxy ally with a track record of unpredictability and high risk appetite. Many countries around the world are already suffering a cost of living crisis. A rising price of oil would add to inflation on a global economic system already creaking under the weight of Trump's tariff war. The one man who benefits from rising oil prices is President Putin of Russia who would suddenly see billions more dollars flood into Kremlin coffers. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

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Asia

Iran
June 13, 2025 11:03 CET  Israel's attack on Iran stuns military but could empower Tehran's nuclear drive. (Source: Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty - U.S.)

Friday 13 June 2025 08:43, UK  'The moment people across the Middle East have feared but expected for years'. /Video/ (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)

Israel
Friday 13 June 2025 15:18, UK  IDF shows recreated video of Iran nuclear site at Natanz. /Video/ (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)

June 13 2025 15:07:02  "In light of recent developments, Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided,' read a message posted by the country's embassies in France. Germany, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. (Source: Hurryiet Daily News - Turkey)

Kuwait
June 13, 2025 | 02:32 PM  The State of Kuwait has expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, describing it as a blatant violation of all international laws and conventions, a serious breach of Iranian sovereignty, and a threat to regional security and stability. (Source: Gulf Times - Qatar)

Turkey
13.06.2025  Turkish president Erdogan condemns Israel’s attacks on Iran, calling for international action. Erdogan said the Netanyahu government’s ’reckless, lawless and aggressive actions’ risk plunging the Middle East and the world into disaster. He reiterated that they "do not want to see more bloodshed, destruction, or conflict’ in the region. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

North America

United States
13.06.2025  Speaking to ABC News on the phone, Trump spoke with apparent enthusiasm about the attacks.'I think it's been excellent,' Trump said. "We gave them a chance and they didn't take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come. A lot more.' ​​​​​​​Asked if the US had taken part in the attack in any way, Trump declined to answer, saying: "I don't want to comment on that." (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

June 13, 2025 7:49AM ET  President Trump 'acknowledged in a social media post that he gave Israel the go-ahead to attack Iran, going against claims from his own administration officials'. The president's 5:56 a.m. EST post on Truth Social – I told them, in the strongest of words, to 'just do it' – contradicted secretary of state Rubio's statement from just hours before saying the strike was a 'unilateral action'. (Source: Raw Story - U.S.)

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Europe

Russia
June 13, 2025 7:44 AM  Russia responds to Israel’s strikes on Iran: ‘Full-scale war’ possible. Kosachev, vice-speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament, made clear that Russia would stand by its ally, Iran. (Source: Miami Herald - U.S.)

10:58 am, June 13, 2025  Kremlin ‘strongly condemns sharp escalation’ following Israeli airstrikes on Iran. (Source: Meduza - headquartered in Riga, Latvia)

13 June 2025 - 12:45  Russia said today Israeli strikes on Iran were unprovoked and in breach of the UN charter, accusing Israel of wrecking diplomatic efforts to strike a deal to allay Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear programme. (Source: TimesLive - South Africa)

United Kingdom
JUN 13, 2025 11:00 AM CET  UK defence sources say there aren’t any UK plans to help protect Israel. Clearly this could change throughout the course of day. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s and Foreign Minister Lammy’s statements are urging restraint and deescalation. A British government spokesperson noted that the U.K. did not play a part in the military action in Iran and that British nationals should monitor official travel advisories. (Source: Time – U.S.)

Africa

Egypt
13.06.2025 Egypt condemned the Israeli military attack and warned against the possible unprecedented repercussions on the security and the stability of the Middle East. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

 Asia

Iran
June 13, 2025  The Iranian Supreme Leader has temporarily appointed General Sayyari as the new commander of the Iranian armed forces. General Vahidi has been appointed as the new commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards. (Source: Daily Ausaf - Pakistan)

13/06/2025 - 09:07  Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Salami, 65, an outspoken and hardline critic of Israel, a veteran officer close to supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed today in Israeli strikes targeting Iran's nuclear sites and top commanders. Salami rose through the ranks, being promoted to the top job in 2019 to become head of the Guards' aerospace division, and was placed on Washington's sanctions blacklist. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps force is now 125,000-strong, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Salami repeatedly alluded to calls for Israel to be wiped from the map. (Source: France24 „with AFP”)

08:54 13/06/2025, Friday  'The Zionist regime has committed a crime in our dear country today at dawn with its satanic, bloodstained hands,' Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said on X, saying that Israel 'has revealed its malicious nature even more than before by targeting residential areas. ''By God's grace, the powerful arm of the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces won't let them go unpunished,' he said. (Source: Yeni Şafak - Turkey)

08:50 13/06/2025, Friday  Israel launched a large-scale, sweeping military operation against Iran today, with 200 planes targeting its nuclear program, facilities and long-range missile capabilities. Six nuclear scientist were killed in latest Israeli attack in Iran. The semi-official Tasnim news agency identified the assassinated scientists as Minouchehr, Zolfaghari, Faqhi, Motablizadeh, Tehranchi, and Abbasi. (Source: Yeni Şafak - Turkey)

June 13, 2025 - 13:34:05  Israel carried out strikes on Iran today, targeting its nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions including at the country's main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz. An Israeli military official said Israel was striking ’dozens’ of nuclear and military targets including the facility at Natanz in central Iran. The official said Iran had enough material to make 15 nuclear bombs within days. The United States said it had no part in the operation in the Middle East, a major oil producing region. Israeli military Chief of Staff Zamir said tens of thousands of soldiers had been called up and "prepared across all borders". Israeli Minister Saar was holding "marathon of calls" with counterparts around the world regarding Israel's attack on Iran, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Iran's armed forces spokesperson said Israel and its chief ally the United States would pay a ’heavy price’ for the attack, accusing Washington of providing support for the operation. While the US tried to distance itself from Israel's military operation, an Israeli official told public broadcaster Kan that Israel had coordinated with Washington on Iran. US Secretary of State Rubio said the United States was not involved in the strikes and Tel Aviv had acted unilaterally for self-defence. "We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," Rubio said in a statement. The attacks triggered sharp falls in stock prices in Asian trade on Friday, led by a selloff in US futures. Oil prices jumped as investors scurried to safe havens such as gold and the Swiss franc. The Israeli military said today that it was forced to act based on new intelligence information showing that Iran was ’approaching the point of no return’ in the development of a nuclear weapon. ’In recent months, this program has accelerated significantly, bringing the regime significantly closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon,’ it said in a statement, without disclosing the purported evidence. A source familiar with US intelligence reports said there had been no recent change in the US intelligence assessment that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and that Khamenei had not authorised the restarting of the nuclear weapons programme that was shuttered in 2003. (Source: The Korea Herald - South Korea / Reuters - United Kingdom)

Jun 13, 2025  This is the first time Israel has decided to go after Iran’s atomic facilities, which it views as an existential threat, with airstrikes. Israel launched airstrikes across Iran today morning, targeting nuclear facilities and killing senior military commanders in a major escalation that could spark a broad war in the Middle East. Explosions were heard across Tehran, Natanz - home to a key atomic site - and other cities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel, which used 200 air force planes and said it hit around 100 targets, had ’struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.’ The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Salami, and the military’s chief of staff, Bagheri, were both killed. At least two other senior IRGC members also died. The United Nations’ atomic watchdog said there were no indications of increased radiation levels at Iran’s main uranium-enrichment site of Natanz, an early sign that the strikes have not penetrated the containment layers protecting the Islamic Republic’s nuclear stockpile. Still, Israel pledged more attacks, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying they ’will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.’ Iran immediately vowed to retaliate against Israel and, possibly, U.S. assets in the Middle East. According to Israel, Iran sent a wave of drones toward the Jewish state, a journey which typically takes several hours. Jordan said it intercepted some of them over its airspace. So far, there are no signals that Iran is preparing to launch ballistic missiles, which travel much faster than drones. Some 50 injured civilians were transferred to one hospital in Tehran. A number of residential buildings in the capital’s suburbs were attacked by Israel. Iran hasn’t yet released an official death toll. Netanyahu said the opening strikes were ’very successful’. adding that Israelis would need to prepare for a retaliation and prepare to spend long periods in shelters. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said Israel should ’expect a severe response from Iran’s armed forces.’ Netanyahu’s government ordered the strikes in apparent defiance of U.S. President Trump, who had said yesterday he didn’t want Israel to attack Iran. The U.S. was not involved in Israel’s strikes, Secretary of State Rubio said. He warned Iran against targeting U.S. interests or personnel in retaliation. Republican politicians refrained from criticizing Israel and largely said the country was provoked by Iran. Trump said his administration remained "committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue!” Trump had also suggested he didn’t think an attack was imminent. Hours after the strikes, Trump told Fox News he was aware of Israel’s action before they happened and that he hoped Iran would continue negotiating a nuclear deal. "Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table,” Trump said to Fox. "We will see. There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back.’ The U.S. and Iran countries were meant to meet for their next round of nuclear talks on Sunday in Oman. The U.S. - along with Israel - argues that Iran must not be allowed to enrich uranium, while Tehran had said it must retain that right. The Islamic Republic says it needs to process uranium, at least to a low level, for civilian purposes such as fueling nuclear power plants. Israel closed its airspace until further notice, while Iran halted operations at its main airport in Tehran. While Iran said its oil refineries and storage tanks weren’t damaged, Brent crude was up by 4.9% to $72.75 a barrel as of 3:25 p.m. in Singapore. Oil surged around 13%, though later pared its gains, while investors bought haven assets such as U.S. Treasuries and gold. (Source: The Japan Times / Bloomberg)

Iraq
13 June 2025 2:59 pm  The Iraq news agency released a statement stating: The ministry of transport closes Iraqi airspace and suspends air traffic at all Iraqi airports. According to the data released by Flightradar24, several airlines have cleared out of the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Israel and Jordan. (Source: Outlook - India)

Israel
Jun 13, 2025 11:00 AM CET  A number of moves have been made within Israel in seeming preparation for an attack, including the cancellation of a Pride parade scheduled for today in Tel Aviv. Israeli authorities instructed all hospitals to move their services to protected areas and underground facilities, and they asked the public to only come to hospitals for urgent cases. Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem is in full emergency mode, and it is releasing patients whose conditions permit as well as cancelling non-urgent operations. Israel Manufacturers Association president Dr. Tomer said essential industries will continue to operate throughout any potential emergency so that supplies will be available to the public throughout the country at any given moment. He warned against hoarding, saying there is no need to storm the shelves, in an effort to prevent shortages of foods, medicines, and other essential products. Israeli airline Israir, as well as airlines Arkia and El Al, will evacuate and relocate its aircraft from the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv as part of a contingency plan developed in recent days. Israel’s National Security Council warned Israelis overseas to take precautions as ’terrorist elements will seek to carry out acts of revenge against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world.’ Around 9:30 a.m. in Tel Aviv (2:30 a.m. ET), an IDF official told the media that Israel’s military had begun to shoot down Iranian drones. About two hours later, the IDF said that it had “control over the situation,” though it did not specify at the time whether it had shot down all the drones. (Source: Time – U.S.)

13.06.2025  Israel completely closed its airspace due to retaliatory drone strikes from Ira and suspended flight operations at Ben Gurion International Airport, which is expected to remain closed for three to four days, Yedioth Ahronoth reported, citing Israeli military sources. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Friday, 13 June 2025 07:22 AM EDT  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his case before his people and the world in a seven-minute video explaining his reasoning for striking at Iran's nuclear weapons program, killing senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leaders and six nuclear scientists. 'Iran is now working on what it calls 'the new plan' to destroy Israel.' 'The increasing range of Iran's ballistic missiles would bring that nuclear nightmare to the cities of Europe, and eventually to America. 'Remember: Iran calls Israel the 'Small Satan.' It calls America the 'Great Satan.' And this is why, for decades, it's led millions in the chants of 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America.' 'Today, Israel is responding to those genocidal calls with action, and with a call of our own: Long live Israel, and long live America. Our action will help make the world a much safer place,' he said. /Video/ (Source: Newsmax - U.S.)

June 13, 2025 12:06 pm CET  Danon, Israeli ambassador to the U.N., said today morning that last night’s wide-ranging attack was a result of intelligence suggesting that Iran was moving forward with plans to destroy Israel. 'For years and years there were threats coming from Iran, to destroy Israel, to destroy the U.S., but we gathered the intelligence that they’re actually moving forward,' Danon told, adding that Israel realized Iran was going to implement nuclear capabilities, ballistic missiles and attacks through Iranian proxies in the region. 'They were going to initiate another attack like October 7th. Once we gathered the information about that, we decided not to wait. We believed their intentions,' Danon said. The ambassador said Israel took precautions to minimize casualties among Iran’s civilian population. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

June 13, 2025 / 3:46 AM EDT  Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Brigadier General Defin said in televised remarks today that Iran had launched more than 100 drones and that Israel's air defenses were already "working to intercept the threats." Israeli media said the first Iranian drones were expected to reach the country's airspace around noon local time, which would be about 4 a.m. Eastern, but the IDF confirmed it was already targeting approaching drones outside Israeli airspace amid reports of air raid sirens and possible interceptions in Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The IDF said its operation would continue for days, but that the first wave consisted of 200 Israeli fighter jets dropping over 330 different munitions, to hit more than 100 targets in Iran. /Video/ (Source: CBS News - U.S.)

Jun 12, 2025, 08:17 PM EDT  Israel attacks Iran's nuclear and missile sites and kills top military officials. President Trump urged Tehran to reach a deal with Washington on its nuclear program, warning that Israel’s attacks will only get worse. (Source: Huffpost - U.S.)

Jordan
JUN 13, 2025 11:00 AM CET  Jordanian state media reported that its Air Force jets and air defense systems intercepted ’several missiles and drones’ that entered its airspace today morning, adding that these were intercepted “based on military assessments indicating that the missiles and drones were likely to fall within Jordanian territory, including populated areas, posing a potential threat to civilian safety.’ (Source: Time – U.S.)

Persian Gulf
Friday 13 June 2025 08:14, UK  'If the Persian Gulf becomes a battlefield we will all feel the consequences' - 'Iran's retaliation may involve attacks not just on Israeli and US assets but allies and oil installations in the Persian Gulf'. 'So expect the following: Israel continues striking Iran; Iran hits back with all it can; America is forced to help defend Israel; Iran hits both Israel, the US and possibly US allies.' Explosions in Tehran as Israel strikes Iran. /Video/ (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)

Qatar, United Arab Emirates
13.06.2025  Arab countries denounced today Israel’s latest military strikes on Iran after Israel launched a sweeping military operation against Iran early today, with 200 planes targeting its nuclear program and long-range missile capabilities. Senior military officials and nuclear scientists were killed in the attack. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates strongly condemned Israel’s targeting of Iran and expressed deep concern over the ongoing escalation and its repercussions on regional security and stability. The State of Qatar expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli aggression that targeted the territory of 'the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran', a Foreign Ministry statement said. The UAE Foreign Ministry stressed the need to exercise the utmost self-restraint and judgment to mitigate risks and prevent the expansion of the conflict. It urged the use of diplomatic means to resolve regional disputes over military confrontations and called on the UN to take immediate measures. Palestinian group Hamas stated its firm denunciation of the large-scale aggression. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Saudi Arabia
08:02-13 June 2025  Netanyahu, a former member of an elite special forces unit responsible for some of Israel’s most daring hostage rescues, has dominated its politics for decades, becoming the longest-serving prime minister when he won an unprecedented sixth term in 2022. The past two years have upended the Middle East, with Israel hammering Hamas after it launched a massive surprise attack of its own against Israel in October 2023, and then dismantling much of Hezbollah in just a few days in 2024. Israel has also sparred openly with Tehran since 2024, firing rocket salvos deep into Iran last year that gave Netanyahu confidence in the power of his military reach. The strikes disabled four of Iran's Russian-made air-defense systems, including one positioned near Natanz, a key Iranian nuclear site that was targeted. ’Iran is more exposed than ever to strikes on its nuclear facilities’, Defense Minister Katz said in November. On Friday, after two decades of continually raising the alarm and urging other world leaders to act, Netanyahu finally decided to go it alone, authorizing an Israeli air assault’ aimed, Israel says, at preventing Iran from obtaining weapons of mass destruction. Nearly a century ago, facing the Nazis, a generation of leaders failed to act in time, Netanyahu said in an address to the nation, adding that a policy of appeasing Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had led to the deaths of 6 million Jews, ’a third of my people". ’Well, never again is now today. Israel has shown that we have learned the lessons of history." Much to the consternation of Netanyahu, newly installed US President Trump blindsided him during a visit to the White House in April, when he announced the United States and Iran were poised to begin direct nuclear talks. Netanyahu had hoped that Trump would continue to take an uncompromising stance against Iran when he returned to office this year. In announcing talks, the White House set a two-month deadline for Iran to sign a deal. Even though a fresh round of meetings was set for this weekend, the unofficial deadline expired yesterday and Netanyahu pounced. One Israeli official told state broadcaster Kan that Israel had coordinated with Washington ahead of the attacks and suggested recent newspaper reports of a rift between Trump and Netanyahu over Iran had been a ruse to lull the Tehran leadership into a false sense of security. Trump, who said after the strikes began that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb but that he wants talks to proceed, has previously hailed the right-wing Netanyahu as a great friend. The man once known as King Bibi to his supporters has faced a difficult few years and at 75, time is running out for him to secure his legacy. He has subsequently been indicted by the International Criminal Court over possible war crimes tied to Israel's 20-month invasion of Gaza, which has reduced much of the Palestinian territory to rubble. He rejects the charges against him. Polls show most Israelis believe the war in Gaza has gone on for too long, with Netanyahu dragging out the conflict to stay in power and stave off elections that pollsters say he will lose. ’However, he hopes a successful military campaign against Israel's arch foe will secure his place in the history books’ he so loves to read. ’Generations from now, history will record that our generation stood its ground, acted in time and secured our common future. May God bless Israel. May God bless the forces of civilization, everywhere," he said in Friday's speech. (Source: Asharq Al-Awsat - headquartered in London, United Kingdom, owned by a member of Saudi royal family)

Turkey
13.06.2025  Vice President Yilmaz condemned Israel’s overnight attack on Iran, calling it a barbaric act that disregards humanitarian values and diplomacy. We strongly condemn the Netanyahu administration’s aggression, which lacks any legitimate basis and ’is intended to destabilize the region,’ he said on X. Turkish Parliament Speaker Kurtulmus said it is clear that the attacks will not be limited to Iran. Altun, head of Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, said the international community’s silence over Israel’s assault on Gaza has turned the situation into one that threatens regional stability and global peace. Israel's strikes can have no legitimacy or justification, said Celik, spokesman of Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party. This is barbaric aggression, he wrote on X. Amid rising international pressure against the genocidal campaign in Gaza, Israel has once again launched a new attack to divert attention from its genocide, Celik said. He said that Israel's attack while negotiations between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program are ongoing ’has once again shown that Israel is hostile to all diplomatic efforts.’ Israeli aggression is a threat to the entire world, Celik said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

North America

United States
Friday 13 June 2025 11:12 BST  President Trump has said that the United States will help to defend Israel “if needed” after its wave of airstrikes against Iran on Thursday night provoked a retaliatory drone attack by Tehran. “Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see,” Trump told Fox. “There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back.' The president made the comment in a private phone call with Fox News host Baier, who was adding that Trump had been aware of Israel’s pre-dawn raid before it commenced but that the U.S. had played no part in it. The president has since taken to Truth Social to say: “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it,’ but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done. “I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, by far, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come - And they know how to use it. “Certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all dead now, and it will only get worse! There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end.' He concluded: “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, Just do it, before it is too late. God Bless You All!” Earlier in the day, shortly before the bombing campaign began, Trump had abruptly left a White House picnic for members of Congress without suggesting anything was wrong. The president will attend a National Security Council meeting at 11 am ET today morning to discuss the latest tensions in the Middle East. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

June 13, 2025 04:44  Iran could activate sleeper cells inside US and Israel after attack, expert warns. /Video/ (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

June 13, 2025 04:27  US forces in defensive posture to protect American targets from potential Iranian retaliation. Retired Air Force Brigadier Gen. Teichert breaks down how the U.S. military plans to protect personnel abroad from a potential Iranian retaliation after Israel's attacks. /Video/ (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

June 13, 2025  How war between Iran and Israel could escalate - and drag in the United States: A conversation with Shapiro. (Source: Foreign Affairs - U.S.)

(Friday), June 13, 2025 8:15 AM GMT+2  Trump had repeatedly pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iran, though the president himself had threatened to bomb the Gulf nation if nuclear talks failed. Trump's 'peacemaker' pledge takes big hit - U.S. ally Israel struck dozens of Iranian targets in a dramatic and multi-faceted attack on Thursday that analysts say threatens to eventually spiral into an all-out regional war. Israel has indicated that it has targeted several Iranian leaders in the bombing campaign, which is expected to continue in coming days. While Israel could probably do extensive damage, experts say a more lasting blow would require U.S. military assistance, which U.S. officials said was not provided. Analysts doubt in particular the ability of Israel to destroy Iran's Fordow enrichment plant, which is buried deep underground. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

June 13, 2025 03:22  U.S. Navy Association executive director Lt. Cmd. Rogers (Ret.) analyzes tensions in the Middle East following an Israeli strike on Iran on Fox News Live. /Video/ (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

International Atomic Energy Agency

June 13, 2025 / 3:46 AM EDT  The United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, said in a series of social media posts that its Director General Grossi had been in contact with Iranian authorities today who told him the country's highly-sensitive and highly-secured Fordo nuclear site "has not been impacted" by the Israeli strikes. The IAEA also said Iran's "Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant has not been targeted and that no increase in radiation levels has been observed at the Natanz site." (Source: CBS News - U.S.)

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Europe

Germany
11.06.2025  26% of immigrants - approximately 2.6 million people - consider leaving Germany. ’The main reasons include political dissatisfaction, discrimination in the workplace and during interactions with authorities, high tax burden, and bureaucratic hurdles’. Family considerations and ’better economic prospects in other countries’ are additional factors driving this trend - around 1.2 million (12%) plan to stay temporarily,. while approximately 3 million (30%) are unsure. Approximately 300,000 (3%) already having concrete emigration plans. The EU’s largest economy is currently grappling with an aging population and a substantial shortage of qualified workers in the information technology, renewable energy, construction, and medical sectors. The study found that knowledge-intensive sectors - particularly IT, financial services, and insurance - were most affected, with 30 to 39% of surveyed migrants in these fields indicating they might leave Germany. A slim majority of immigrants (57%, or roughly 5.7 million people) want to stay in Germany permanently. "Those who immigrated for work or education, who have higher education levels, greater economic success, and better language integration, are more likely to consider leaving or have concrete emigration plans," explained IAB researcher Olbrich. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Union
12 Jun 2025 2025  European Heritage Awards winners announced. (Source: European Commission)

Ukraine
June 12, 2025  The June 10 attack. In the early hours of June 10, Kyiv experienced a prolonged aerial assault involving more than 300 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. The attack lasted for five hours, took place across seven of the capital’s ten districts, featured a combined total of 315 aerial threats and was launched in waves throughout the early morning hours to overwhelm the capital’s air defense systems through sheer volume and tactical diversity, designed to exhaust interceptor stockpiles and exploit gaps in radar coverage. The attack inflicted significant destruction on Ukrainian infrastructure. The drones used in the attack were primarily, the Iranian-made Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 loitering munitions. Russia also launched Iskander-M ballistic missiles and probably Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence announced that it had intercepted 277 out of the 315 aerial threats. The defense network consists of many Western systems, including the IRIS-T, NASAM, and Patriot missiles, as well as legacy Soviet systems such as the S-300. Key infrastructure, including Kyiv’s power grid and major hospitals, remained operational throughout the attack. Repeated attacks of this scale will deplete missile defense stockpiles faster than they can be replenished. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)

Africa

South Africa
(Wednesday), 11 Jun 2025  Torrential rain, flooding and landslides claim 49 lives in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, which stretches from the Indian Ocean into high inland mountains, after the severe winter storm truck on Monday with heavy rainfall, snowfalls and strong winds causing damage. (Source: The Guardian – Nigeria)

Asia

India
8:38 PM CEST, June 12, 2025  One passenger survived the crash of an Air India plane bound for London today in Ahmedabad. Air India said the flight bound for London Gatwick Airport was carrying 242 passengers and crew, with 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian aboard. The death toll includes medical students who were in a college hostel when the plane hit the building shortly after takeoff. It appeared the aircraft had its nose up and was not climbing. This is the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner twin-engine aircraft introduced in 2009. Shares of Boeing Co. tumbled nearly 9% before trading opened in the U.S. (Source: AP - U.S.) 

Iran
12 June 2025 - 10:43  Where are Iran's nuclear facilities? Busher, Fordow, Isfahan, Khondab, Natanz, Tehran Research Centre. A complex at the heart of Iran's enrichment programme on a plain abutting mountains outside the Shiite Muslim holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, Natanz houses two enrichment plants: the vast, underground Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) and the above-ground Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP). The FEP was built for enrichment on a commercial scale, able to house 50,000 centrifuges. About 16,000 centrifuges are installed there, roughly 13,000 of which are in operation, refining uranium to up to 5% purity. FEP is about three floors below ground. Damage has been done to centrifuges at the FEP, including an explosion and power cut in April 2021 that Iran said was an attack by Israel. The above-ground PFEP houses only hundreds of centrifuges but Iran is enriching to up to 60% purity there. Fordow, on the opposite side of Qom is an enrichment site dug into a mountain and therefore probably better protected from potential bombardment than the FEP. The 2015 deal with major powers did not allow Iran to enrich at Fordow at all. It now has about 2,000 centrifuges operating there, most of them advanced IR-6 machines, of which up to 350 are enriching to up to 60%. Isfahan, Iran's second largest city has a large nuclear technology centre on the outskirts. It includes the Fuel Plate Fabrication Plant (FPFP) and the uranium conversion facility (UCF) that can process uranium into the uranium hexafluoride that is fed into centrifuges. Iran also stores enriched uranium at Isfahan. There is equipment to make uranium metal, a process that is particularly proliferation-sensitive since it can be used to devise the core of a nuclear bomb. The IAEA has said there are machines for making centrifuge parts at Isfahan, describing it in 2022 as a new location. In Khondab Iran has a partially built heavy-water research reactor originally called Arak. Heavy-water reactors pose a nuclear proliferation risk because they can easily produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb. Under the 2015 deal, construction was halted, the reactor's core was removed and filled with concrete to make it unusable. The reactor was to be redesigned “to minimise the production of plutonium and not to produce weapon-grade plutonium in normal operation”. Iran has informed the IAEA that it plans to start operating the reactor in 2026. Iran's nuclear research facilities in Tehran include a research reactor. Iran's only operating nuclear power plant in Busher, on the Gulf coast, uses Russian fuel that Russia then takes back when it is spent, reducing the proliferation risk. (Source: TimesLive - South Africa)

June 12, 2025  Iran has rejected the latest U.S. nuclear proposal. Supreme Leader Khamenei dismissed calls to halt uranium enrichment, calling them contrary to Iran’s national interests. “Who are you to decide whether Iran should have enrichment?” Khamenei said. U.S. President Trump has threatened military action if negotiations fail. His envoy, Witkoff, called Iranian uranium enrichment a red line. Javan Daily, the newspaper affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards reported that Iran is prepared to walk away from nuclear negotiations if its demands are not met. It claimed Iran is negotiating from a position of strength, with its nuclear capabilities serving as a deterrent against threats. (Source: IranWire - owned by a UK-based company, registered office address: London, United Kingdom)

June 12, 2025  The U.S. anticipates potential retaliation from Iran, particularly against American sites in Iraq, where pro-Iranian militias previously attacked the embassy in Baghdad following the 2020 killing of Iranian commander Soleimani. The Islamic Republic's Defense Minister warned yesterday that Tehran would target all American bases in the region if a conflict were to erupt. ’We will target all American bases in host countries without hesitation.’ He added that Iran would not remain passive and would retaliate decisively against any aggression. (Source: IranWire - owned by a UK-based company, registered office address: London, United Kingdom)

12 June 2025, 10:03  The 6th round of Iran US talks will be held in Muscat this Sunday the 15th, Oman's foreign minister Busaidi made the announcement on the social platform X. Within hours, it also emerged that Israel is now understood to be considering military action against Iran in the coming days. Sources have told US media a strike could be imminent as Washington and Tehran move closer to agreeing provisions for uranium enrichment. Israel views that as unacceptable as it aims to curb Iran's nuclear capabilities. An accord could see the US lift some of its crushing economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for it drastically limiting or ending its enrichment of uranium. A failure to get a deal could see tensions further spike in a Middle East on edge over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. (Source: LBC – United Kingdom)

North America

United States
12 June 2025  With Israel preparing to strike Iran quickly if Witkoff's diplomacy fails this weekend, U.S. fears Iran's response to Israeli strike would be mass casualty event. Last Thursday, President Trump's envoy Witkoff held a closed-door briefing on Iran with a group of top Senate Republicans. Witkoff told the Senators that military strikes by Israel are on the table if no agreement is reached. He then brought up Iran's ballistic missile capabilities. Witkoff warned that Iran could unleash a mass casualty response and damage if Israel bombs their nuclear facilities. The U.S. is concerned Israel's air defenses would not be able to handle an Iranian response involving hundreds of missiles. According to U.S. intelligence estimates, Iran has 2,000 ballistic missiles with warheads that can carry 2,000 pounds of explosives or more. Israel is within range for many of these missiles. An U.S. official said the Iranian goal is to produce more ballistic missiles than the number of missile defense interceptors Israel has. Iran's retaliation could overwhelm Israel's defenses and cause heavy damage, he said. Iran has also vowed to strike U.S. targets in the region in the event of an attack on its nuclear sites. Testifying today before the House Armed Services Committee, CENTCOM commander Gen. Kurilla said an Israeli strike on Iran would expose U.S. forces in the Middle East to the threat of Iranian retaliation. Gen. Kurilla is no longer expected to travel to Israel this weekend. The U.S. is in the process of withdrawing diplomats and military families who could be in harm's way. The State Department imposed security restrictions today on U.S. diplomats and their families in Israel. Israeli officials say the Israel Defense Forces are on high alert. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’has been waiting for a green light from Trump to make his move’. ’The fact that two previous Iranian missile attacks ended with limited damage and few casualties gave Israeli officials confidence they could deal with similar attacks in the future’. Israel's security cabinet will convene today to discuss the crisis. Witkoff spoke yesterday with Netanyahu about the rising tensions, and will meet his top adviser Dermer tomorrow, ahead of his trip to Oman, along with Mossad director Barnea. Trump stressed today that he wants to avoid conflict but said that will require concessions that Iran has been unwilling to make. Trump added that he still wants a deal and would prefer Israel not do anything to ruin it so long as there's a chance. (Source: Axios - U.S.)

12.06.2025  Sources with knowledge of the situation said that Israel views any nuclear agreement between the US and Iran, particularly if it allows Tehran to enrich uranium, as unacceptable. The sources, however, said they were unaware of any US plans for direct involvement in any possible Israeli strike against Iran. While the US demands a complete halt to enrichment, Iranian negotiators insist the program is non-negotiable and will continue with or without a deal. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Jun 12, 2025, 5:20pm GMT+2  The White House and Congress will need to make hard decisions about how America sees its vast migrant workforce. Even the most dedicated restrictionists, like White House border czar Homan, acknowledge that criminals are a tiny minority. The Trump administration is planning to ramp up civil and criminal prosecutions of companies that employ workers without legal status, Homan said in an interview yesterday. “They’re coming here for a better life and a job, and I get that,” Homan said. “The more you remove those magnets, the less people are going to come. If they can’t get a job most of them aren’t going to come.” Behind the scenes, American companies are freaking out, calling in a panic about the possibility of civil and criminal sanctions, or about the operational impact of losing a huge labor force, said Thomas, a partner at Holland & Hart, who represents employers in immigration cases. Trump appeared to respond to those worries today morning: “Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” he posted on Truth Social, promising that changes are coming. Major public companies have begun to warn investors that their models depend on migrant labor. Unlike most developed economies, the US has no standardized national requirement that employers use its system for checking workers’ papers, known as eVerify - and many workers evade that system by using a different legal worker’s identity. Almost a quarter of construction workers lack legal status, a 2021 survey found, and as many as half of meatpacking workers. A focus on those industries could also undercut two of Trump’s campaign promises: to make housing more affordable and bring down food prices. While cameras roll for dramatic deportation footage, the industries dependent on illegal migration are maintaining business as usual. “Congress has a job to do,” Homan said. “We’re going to do worksite enforcement operations until there’s a deal made.” Democrats may also see employers, rather than workers, at the center of the debate. The prospect of a bipartisan agreement seems as remote as ever. The US has struggled for decades to reach an agreement to regularize the “magnet” of migration, a tacit agreement system. “I truly believe that nobody hires an illegal alien from the goodness of their heart. They hire them because they can work them harder, pay them less, and undercut their competition - that hires US citizen employees, and drive wages down,” he told. (Source: Semafor – U.S.)

06/12/25 10:34 AM ET  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a new poster online featuring World War II imagery, urging citizens to help locate and report immigrants who are in the country without documentation. Help your country and yourself, reads the poster, which shows Uncle Sam with a hammer nailing a flier to a wall. Report all foreign invaders, it says, providing a phone number to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Trump ordered plans for the U.S. military to assist in his deportation efforts, as DHS officials say threats against ICE agents and other federal law enforcement officers have ramped up in recent weeks. (Source: The Hill – U.S.)
See also the poster: June 11, 2025 5:22 pm "Help your country locate and arrest illegal aliens" (Source: X / Homeland Security = U.S.)
14,7Million views

Jun 12, 2025 08:22 IST  Talks between the US and Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program appear to have hit an impasse. US intelligence indicates that Israel has been making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. (Source: India Today)

June 12, 2025 12:00 AM GMT+2  United States is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region. The partial evacuations come after 18 months of war in Gaza that has raised fears of a wider conflagration pitting the U.S. and Israel against Iran and its allies. In an interview released today, Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if stuttering talks over its nuclear programme fail and he said he was growing less confident that Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium, a key American demand. A senior Iranian official told that a military threat has always been part of the United States’ negotiation tactics with Iran. Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon and U.S. militarism only fuels instability, Iran's U.N. mission today posted on X. Iranian Defence Minister Nasirzadeh said today that if Iran was subjected to strikes it would retaliate by hitting U.S. bases in the region. The United States has a military presence across the major oil-producing region, with bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. In recent months the United States had deployed more military assets in the Middle East -- including B-2 bombers, which have since been replaced, and extending the deployment of a second aircraft carrier, which has since departed. Iraq, a rare regional partner of both the United States and its arch regional foe Iran, hosts 2,500 U.S. troops. Iraq's state news agency cited a government source as saying Baghdad had not recorded any security indication that called for an evacuation. Oil futures climbed $3 on reports of the Baghdad evacuation with Brent crude futures at $69.18 a barrel. Earlier today Britain's maritime agency warned that increased tensions in the Middle East may lead to an escalation in military activity. It advised vessels to use caution while travelling through the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Straits of Hormuz, which all border Iran. The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States are due in the coming days with Iran expected to hand over a counter proposal after rejecting an offer by Washington. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

6/12/2025  Los Angeles yesterday endured a sixth day of protests that have been largely peaceful but occasionally punctuated by violence, mostly contained to a few blocks. "Los Angeles was safe and sound for the last two nights. Our great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the L.A. Police in a position to effectively do their job," Trump posted on social media today. "They all worked well together, but without the Military, Los Angeles would be a crime scene like we haven’t seen in years." Trump is carrying out a campaign promise to deport immigrants, employing forceful tactics consistent with the norm-breaking political style that got him elected twice. A battalion of 700 Marines would join the National Guard under the authority of a federal law known as Title 10, not to conduct civilian policing but to protect federal officers and property, the military said. "Title 10 forces may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances such as to stop an assault, to prevent harm to others, or to prevent interference with federal personnel performing their duties," the Northern Command said. (Source: MSN - U.S.  / Reuters - United Kingdom)

Wednesday 11 June 2025 18:54 BST  The State Department is preparing to order the departure of all nonessential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad due to the potential for regional unrest. The Baghdad embassy has already been on limited staffing, and the order will not affect a large number of personnel, but the department also is authorizing the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait. That gives them an option on whether to leave the country. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

6.11.2025 1:40 PM  Polling shows that Trump's focus on the border and his promise to stop the flow of immigrants was a major factor in convincing voters to give him another try at the presidency. The border is no longer the focus. Four months after Trump returned to the Oval Office, the number of migrants crossing the southern border in recent months has been a fraction of what was seen over the past few years. But Trump - and his anti-immigrant advisors, like White House Deputy Chief of Staff Miller - are still in crisis mode. Now, the White House wants you to believe that the crisis extends to nail salons, hardware stores, farms, and restaurants across the country, where undocumented immigrants who are peacefully exchanging labor for dollars are being targeted. Here's how The Wall Street Journal summarizes what's happening: "Federal agents make warrantless arrests. Masked agents take people into custody without identifying themselves. Plainclothes agents in at least a dozen cities have arrested migrants who showed up to their court hearings. And across the U.S., people suspected of being in the country illegally are disappearing into the federal detention system without notice to families or lawyers, according to attorneys, witnesses and officials." The White House wants Americans to believe that rounding up suspected illegal immigrants in communities across the country is merely an extension of its efforts to fix the border crisis and prevent dangerous criminals from entering the country illegally. Distinctions can be lost and context collapses in the face of a crisis. It is one thing for the administration to target criminals and gang members who have done actual harm to people and property.  That is not what is currently happening - as Miller's edict demanding more disruptive arrests makes clear. These workplace raids are not just a new front in the Trump administration's war on immigration. They are a different policy altogether. One that the administration can gleefully use to justify further escalations of force that will erode the civil liberties of immigrants ’and American citizens alike’. (Source: Reason. – U.S.)

(Wednesday), 17:07 ET, Jun 11 2025  The anti-ICE riotests continued through today in Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city - with another downtown curfew anticipated today night to stop vandalism and looting. White House Press Secretary Leavitt suggested that police in Los Angeles were not being allowed to do their jobs by the Governor of California. A federal judge in San Francisco denied California's request to immediately block Trump from using Marines and members of the state's National Guard on Tuesday, despite Gov. Newsom's pleas. (Source: The Mirror US)

June 11, 2025, 5:20 a.m. ET  On the fifth day of protests in Los Angeles against federal immigration raids, yesterday evening, from a studio in Los Angeles, in a nationally televised address, Gov. Newsom of California implored demonstrators to be peaceful and said those who incited violence or destroy property would be prosecuted. He said 370 people had been arrested so far. Newsom made the case that President Trump’s decision to send military forces to immigration protests in Los Angeles ’has put the nation at the precipice of authoritarianism’. “You are the ultimate authoritarian who shut down restaurants and masked our kids while you went to the French Laundry,’ Gallagher, the Republican leader of the California State Assembly said on X, referencing a dinner party at the famed Napa Valley restaurant that Newsom attended while gatherings were restricted in 2020. The governor is considered a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 2028. The address was an unusual move for Mr. Newsom, who has dyslexia and dislikes reading from a teleprompter to deliver formal speeches. Well beyond his stated intent to just go after violent and serious criminals, Mr. Trump's agents are arresting dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses, Newsom said, and that Mr. Trump had inflamed a combustible situation by taking over California’s National Guard, and by calling up 4,000 troops and 700 Marines. ’Other states are next. Democracy is next’, he said. Newsom called on Americans to stand up to President Trump. Not since the civil rights movement in the 1960s has a president sent National Guard troops to quell unrest without the support of the state’s governor. (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

Globalization

6/12/2025  The annual Bilderberg Meeting formed in 1954 to foster dialogue between the U.S. and Europe kicks off in Sweden today. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will give a speech on Sweden's and the EU's competitiveness and Sweden's support for Ukraine. Transatlantic relations top the agenda, with Ukraine, critical raw materials and AI also on the list, the organisers said. Other than that, information is scarce. (Source: MSN - U.S. / Reuters - United Kingdom)
See also: This year's delegate list, published by the organisers. (Source: Bilderberg Meetings)

Sun

June 11, 2025  Chaotic solar magnetism in the solar polar region - first-ever images of Sun’s South Pole released by the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter. (Source: The New York Times - U.S.)

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January, 2020  Bitter rivals.  Iran and Saudi Arabia's 40-year rivalry has plunged the Middle East into sectarian war, fueled sectarian extremism across the Middle East for political gain. Correspondent Smith travels to seven countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq and Yemen to examine how the power struggle has rippled across the region. /Video - Full documentary, Part One/ (Source: PBS – U.S.)
Note: Since Jan 8, 2020: 3 650 264 views

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France
Aug 27, 2024  In February, France’s President Macron went full hawk on Ukraine by declaring a potential willingness to deploy French troops in Ukraine and then abruptly disappeared from the radar. He went to the Védrine school of international relations, the French foreign minister (1997-2002). Macron appreciates the views of former Prime Minister de Villepin (2005-2007), famous for his strong stance against the war in Iraq and Western interventionism. He also takes inspiration from former President Sarközy (2007-2012), who supports the need to simultaneously build up the European Union, remain in NATO, and seek rapprochement and accommodation with Russia. Macron respects the alliance with the United States but also understands that France’s interests do not always align with Washington’s views. He wants France to play its own part in order to stay relevant on the world stage and remain engaged with Russia, China, and the ’Global South.” When the war in Ukraine started, Macron tried to play the mediator. He visited Putin in Moscow in early February 2022. Macron believed he had averted war after a phone call with the Kremlin. The next day, however, Putin called to tell him he would recognize the independence of the Donbas. In June, Macron warned the West against any aim to humiliate Russia, seemingly in contrast to the hard line of London and Washington. By late 2023 and early 2024, French intelligence had concluded that Ukraine was hopelessly losing the war. Macron had the June elections to the European Parliament on his calendar and little to show for his seven years in power. He lacked the parliamentary majority he enjoyed before. Macron needed something to campaign on for the European elections. Faced with the prospect of a direct clash with a NATO country, Macron believed Putin would be more open to negotiation. And "he believed a hawkish stance would also serve to neutralize Germany’s incentives to rearm” - with France in command, Berlin would feel less need to step up militarily against Russia. French officers warned the president that their forces were in no shape to take on the far larger and battle-hardened Russian military and that a small expeditionary force would likely be decimated without achieving much. Beyond Ukraine, however, assuming the role of the savior of Europe and the “Free World” would serve electoral purposes and help seal German Pandora’s box of rearmament. Macron continued hinting at direct French involvement until June 7, two days before the vote. In June’s European elections, however, Macron’s party suffered a rout. In July, it also lost the parliamentary elections, although that defeat was less severe than feared. The vast majority of the electorate is clearly opposed to sending troops to Ukraine. Already deeply unpopular and isolated, Macron will be unwilling to risk hundreds of French lives for such a distant war nobody wants. Also, German and American exhaustion with the war has already led to a sharp reduction in financial and military support for Kyiv. France has so far proved unwilling to replace them. In late June, Macron promised he would not send French troops to Ukraine for the foreseeable future. Macron’s diplomatic scheme achieved little, as Moscow remained un-phased. And Macron’s core foreign policy principles only partially align with the Biden administration’s focus on the liberal international order. Macron knows full well what Washington likes to hear and throws around the right rhetoric to garner its support but France remains an independent-minded ally with distinct interests. (Source: Responsible Statecraft - U.S.)
by Motin, who holds a Ph.D. in political science, currently a non-resident Kelly Fellow at the Pacific Forum and a researcher at the Center for International and Strategic Studies, author of Bandwagoning in International Relations: China, Russia, and Their Neighbors (Vernon Press, 2024).

Russia
Aug 27, 2024  Russia’s most formidable challenge has been finding ways to credibly deter the West from continuing to aid and supply Ukraine. Just under 30 months ago, the day the invasion commenced, Russian President Putin warned that anyone who interferes will suffer consequences like you have never seen. Putin’s latest scheme to dissuade further Western involvement in the Ukraine war was to threaten to arm the West’s adversaries in retaliation. Russia lacks the capacity to make good on it without running a red pen through other parts of its global portfolio of military, economic, and political interests. Russia is running out of Western enemies that can be armed without negatively impacting its own interests. The limitations point to a set of expectations and norms that, though never codified and largely unspoken, nevertheless has a real disciplining effect on its participants. Just as the Kremlin was reportedly getting ready to arm the Houthi rebels in Yemen against the United States, Washington coordinated a diplomatic push with Saudi Arabia to stay Moscow’s hand. Russia and North Korea signed a defense pact in June, but there is no evidence to date that the Russians are planning to send any major weapons shipments to North Korea. It’s so far been the other way around, with the DPRK shipping millions of artillery shells to Russia. There has not been anything approximating a comparable exchange of weapons between Moscow and Pyongyang. Any large-scale effort to arm the DPRK could prove fatal to Russia’s relations with South Korea, which have not completely tanked following the 2022 Ukraine invasion despite the ROK’s tight-knit partnership with Washington and obvious susceptibility to U.S. interests. Beijing, too, would be left unsmiling by the destabilizing effects that large Russian arms infusions into North Korea could exercise throughout the region, and the China relationship is one Russia can ill afford to complicate. Turning to the Middle East, Iran emerges as an obvious candidate for Russia’s generosity - it is, after all, a U.S. adversary locked in a bitter struggle with one of America’s closest allies, Israel.  But here, too, the Kremlin finds itself navigating. Part of Russia’s complex Middle East strategy following its intervention in the Syrian civil war has been to support a stable, partner-level relationship with Israel. Both Putin and his Israeli counterpart Bibi Netanyahu regard cordial ties between their two countries as a personal achievement, and they have been remarkably loath to jettison this relationship even as the Ukraine war and 2023 Gaza War have found them on different sides of the barricade. Though Moscow has recurrently needled Israel over its conduct in Gaza, these kinds of rhetorical pinpricks are one thing; supplying Israel’s avowed Iranian enemy with major weapons systems is quite another, and, so far, not a bridge Putin has been willing to cross. Smaller potential players remain in Latin America and parts of Africa, but in these cases, the impact of such provisions is likely to be far too small to carry the punitive effect that is Russia’s raison d'être for pursuing this arms transfer policy in the first place. (Source: Responsible Statecraft – U.S.)
by Episkopos, a Eurasia Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, an Adjunct Professor of History at Marymount University.

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Europe

European Commission
1 June 2025  In connection with Georgia’s Foreign Agents Registration Act, the Joint Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas and Commissioner Kos reminds that in June and October 2024 the EU accession process of Georgia has been de facto halted. (Source: commonspace.eu – The Netherlands; „with the press service of the European External Action Service’)

Asia

Iran
Jun 1, 2025  According to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has significantly expanded its stockpile of uranium enriched close to weapons-grade levels. Iran reiterated that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has issued a religious decree prohibiting nuclear weapons. (Source: India Today)

June 01, 2025  Oman delivered details of US proposal for nuclear deal to Tehran. (Source: The National - United Arab Emirates)

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Asia

Israel
August 26, 2024  Several weeks ago, Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs Chikli reportedly met in a private residence in Herzliya near Tel Aviv with Zorla, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Israeli private intelligence company Black Cube and the head of its Advisory Committee, former Israel Defense Forces Major General Eiland. According to Israeli newspaper The Marker, the purpose of the alleged meeting was to propose an intelligence operation to be carried out on American soil by Black Cube, on behalf of the Israeli government, with the understanding that intelligence operations carried out by the firm on American soil would not be officially attributed to the State of Israel. The intelligence operation would allegedly target a United States-based organization - “Students for Justice in Palestine”, an American-based organization, whose leaders are primarily American citizens  that stands at the forefront of demonstrations against Israel on university campuses in the United States -demonstrations that the state of Israel views as anti-Semitic. The group has staged numerous demonstrations on university campuses across the United States since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October. However, it is unclear whether such intelligence operations were indeed authorized to proceed. Following the publication of The Marker report, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs claimed the proposal for the intelligence operation had been initiated by Black Cube and that Ministry officials ultimately rejected it. An official statement issued by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said: „At the company’s [Black Cube’s] request, a meeting was held with the ministry’s professional echelon, and at the end of it, it was decided not to proceed with any engagement”. Black Cube reportedly rejected the spying initiative based on concerns that such a high-risk operation could damage the company’s standing with the United States government and harm its ability to do business on American soil in the future. Black Cube stated: “[Our] company plans and carries out complex intelligence operations for the benefit of legal proceedings, all in accordance with the law of every country in which it operates. Black Cube does not operate and has never planned to operate against students or political protest groups in the USA”. Further information indicates that the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs may be considering executing such an operation after all. (Source: intelNews - U.S.)
by Dr. Barnea, a research fellow at the National Security Studies Center of the University of Haifa in Israel. He served as a senior officer in the Israel Security Agency (ISA). He is the author of We Never Expected That: A Comparative Study of Failures in National and Business Intelligence (Lexington Books, 2021).

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Europe

Hungary
21 August 2024  Under the new government decree 134, only Ukrainians whose last official address in Ukraine was in an area directly affected by military operations remain eligible for state support. The UN refugee agency said the law change will mean an estimated 2,000-3,000 refugees will lose access to subsidised accommodation. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)
by ’Thorpe’

Russia
21 Aug 2024 Ukraine targets Moscow in ‘one of largest ever’ drone attacks. Assault on the Russian capital launched as Ukraine presses on with incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday that air defence forces shot down 11 drones over Moscow and its surrounding region, with some reportedly downed over the city of Podolsk some 38km south of the Kremlin. No damage or casualties were reported. The barrage was part of a broader attack on Russia, with the Ministry of Defence saying its air defence units destroyed 45 Ukrainian drones in total overnight. 23 drones were downed in the border region of Bryansk, six in the border region of Belgorod, three in the Kaluga region, which borders the Moscow region to its northeast, and two in the embattled Kursk region, the ministry said. Russia’s state news agency RIA reported that two drones were destroyed over the Tula region, which borders the Moscow region to its north. Following the assault on Moscow, temporary restrictions were imposed overnight at Moscow’s Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, but all three returned to normal operations later on Wednesday. Hundreds of prisoners were taken and tens of thousands of civilians were forced to evacuate following Ukraine’s lightning raid on Kursk on August 6. Ukraine now claims to control 1,263sq km of Kursk territory, including 93 settlements. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that its forces have taken control of the settlement of Zhelanne in the Pokrovsk district of Donetsk, as part of an overall drive to capture the entire Donetsk region. Russian President Putin met Chinese Premier Li in Moscow, the Kremlin said. After meeting Putin in July, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kyiv on Friday to meet Zelenskyy, and said he will be discussing ending the war with Russia. India has avoided condemning Russia’s invasion and is the world’s largest buyer of Russian weapons. (Source: Al Jazeera - Qatar)

8/21/2024  In the spring of this year, Moscow’s new military appointee overseeing security in the Kursk province dismantled a council tasked with protecting the vulnerable border region. Col. Gen. Lapin said the military alone had the strength and the resources to protect Russia’s border. Earlier this month Ukrainian troops executed a lightning offensive across the border into Kursk, and now say they occupy more than 400 square miles of Russian territory. Now, Moscow seeks to oust Ukrainian forces from its territory. „Russia is still pulling together its reaction to this incursion by Ukraine. There has been a fairly slow and scattered reaction to it,’ said Gen. Cavoli, commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday. The Russian defense ministry hasn’t publicly issued an explanation for how it allowed Ukrainian forces to cross into Russian territory. Hours after Ukraine’s incursion, Russia’s chief of general staff, Gen. Gerasimov, said Lapin’s forces and border guards were working to destroy the enemy in areas directly adjacent to the Russian-Ukrainian border. In the days leading up to Ukraine’s invasion, Russia’s military correspondents have said, Lapin’s command had sent reports to Moscow warning that Ukrainian forces were building their numbers on the front line. Troops under Lapin’s command still failed to act by enforcing defensive lines or laying mines. When Ukrainian soldiers entered the no-man’s-land between Ukraine and Russia, they were met with no resistance and, inside Russia, no territorial defense forces to help slow them down. ’In Moscow, they simply were not pondering that a scenario like this could happen,’ said Muzyka, director of Poland-based Rochan Consulting, focusing on the Russian military. Likewise, when the Ukrainian soldiers drove into Russia, their first armed resistance was from the 488th motor rifle regiment of the 144th motor rifle brigade, a unit consisting almost entirely of conscripts, who according to Russian policy aren’t supposed to fight inside Ukraine. Under normal circumstances, they would have had around 120 armored vehicles, including tanks and armored personnel carriers. In their first armed encounter, the conscripts likely had between 10 and 20, said Muzyka. ’It wasn’t the first time” poor planning and a lack of men had come together under Lapin’s command. In early September 2022, Ukrainian forces launched a surprise attack in northeast Ukraine. Without the Russians having sufficiently fortified their thin front-line positions, Ukrainians blew past them using fast-moving field vehicles, followed by heavier armored echelons. Russia’s offensive line crumbled and Ukraine managed to reclaim thousands of square miles in northeastern Ukraine. Following the debacle, Chechen strongman leader Kadyrov called for his resignation. The officer was soon removed from his post and later reappointed as deputy commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine. ’It has certainly demonstrated the creativity and the battlefield prowess of the Ukrainians,’ said Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Ryder. (Source: MSN / The Wall Street Journal = U.S.)

Asia

China
August 21, 2024  China is seriously concerned about a report that said the United Stated approved a nuclear strategic plan to focus on China's rapid expansion in its nuclear arsenal, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday. An annual report by the Pentagon last October said China had more than 500 operational nuclear warheads in its arsenal, and will probably have over 1,000 warheads by 2030. According to a report by the New York Times, U.S. President Biden approved in March a highly classified nuclear strategic plan that focused on China's quickly growing arsenal, but also seeks to prepare the U.S for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from China, Russia and North Korea. The White House said on Tuesday that the classified nuclear strategic plan approved by Biden this year is not a response to a single country or threat. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

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