ANITrump repeats claim of US “obliterated” Iran nuclear sites, cites Israeli report
The ceasefire between Israel and Iran entered its second day on Wednesday. President Donald Trump said the United States would 鈥渢alk to them next week, with Iran.鈥 He made the announcement during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, where he called the 12-day war 鈥渙ver.鈥濃淲e may sign an agreement, I don鈥檛 know,鈥 Trump said. “The way I look at it, they fought, the war is done.”Iran has not confirmed any meeting. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei instead warned that Iran must first assess whether talks were sincere or “part of their tactics to make more problems for the region and for my country.”Ceasefire after missed meeting, massive strikesUS and Israeli officials said Iran was due to meet White House envoy Steve Witkoff on 15 June in Oman. But after intelligence suggested Tehran would not attend, Israeli officials told the US, “we have no reason to wait and we are launching the attack.”Over the following 12 days, Israel and the US targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites. Mossad chief David Barnea credited the CIA and Israeli agents for enabling the air force to “strike the Iranian nuclear project, establish aerial superiority in Iranian skies and reduce the missile threat.”Live EventsIran responded by launching missiles at a US base in Qatar. It later agreed to a ceasefire without publicly outlining terms.Trump claims nuclear programme 鈥榖lown up to Kingdom come鈥橳rump insisted at the NATO summit, “We destroyed the nuclear. In other words, that’s destroyed. I said, ‘Iran will not have nuclear.’ Well, we blew it up.”He dismissed a US intelligence assessment that the strikes had only set Iran’s nuclear programme back by a few months. Instead, he said, “It’s called ‘obliteration’.”Iran acknowledged damage. “Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that鈥檚 for sure,” Baghaei told Al Jazeera, though he declined to elaborate. He added, “Iran is determined to preserve that right under any circumstances.”The Israel Atomic Energy Commission said the strikes had “set back Iran鈥檚 ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years,” without providing evidence.UN watchdog frozen out, France urges dialogueAs a response to the strikes, Iran鈥檚 parliament voted to fast-track a bill suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf criticised the agency for failing “to even pretend to condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.””For this reason, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran will suspend cooperation with the IAEA until security of nuclear facilities is ensured,” he said.IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Iran remained legally bound under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. He told France 2: “During a war, inspections are not possible. But now that hostilities have ceased… we resume our activities as soon as possible.”French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke several times with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the war, has also called for Iran to return to negotiations.No guarantees, but channels remain openWitkoff said the current quiet had created room for diplomacy. “We’re already talking to each other, not just directly, but also through interlocutors,” he told Fox News. “The proof is in the pudding. No one’s shooting at each other. It’s over.”Still, an Israeli official told reporters the ceasefire was limited to “quiet for quiet,” with no broader deal in place. Trump said he was open to signing a document but didn’t think it necessary.”I don’t care if I have an agreement or not,” he said. “If we got a document, it wouldn’t be bad.”Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that Iran must negotiate “directly with the United States, not through some third country or fourth country process.”Casualties mount, covert war acknowledgedIran’s government reported 606 dead and 5,332 wounded. Human Rights Activists, a group based in Washington, put the toll higher at 1,054 killed and 4,476 wounded. Of the dead, 417 were civilians and 318 were security forces.Israel recorded at least 28 fatalities and more than 1,000 injuries.The conflict also included covert operations. Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Israel鈥檚 chief of staff, confirmed that Israeli commandos operated “deep inside enemy territory.”In the aftermath, Iran executed six prisoners accused of spying for Israel. Three were hanged on Wednesday.Trump eyes broader peace, shifts NATO stanceTrump also used the summit to express optimism on the Israel-Hamas conflict. “I think great progress is being made on Gaza,” he said.He met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who told him, “You are a man of strength and also a man of peace.”NATO members, excluding Spain and Slovakia, agreed to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP. Trump called it “The Hague defence commitment.”He also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We appreciate the attention and the readiness to help bring peace close,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.Trump said he now supports Article 5, calling NATO no longer a “rip-off.”As he prepares to return to Washington, questions linger. Iran has not confirmed next week’s talks. The IAEA remains locked out. And while the ceasefire holds, nothing is guaranteed.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
Read More News onIsrael Iran ceasefireDonald Trump NATO summitIran nuclear programInternational Atomic Energy AgencyUS Iran negotiationsEsmail BaghaeiMiddle East conflicthuman rights casualties IranArticle 5 NATOMossad CIA collaboration
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(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onIsrael Iran ceasefireDonald Trump NATO summitIran nuclear programInternational Atomic Energy AgencyUS Iran negotiationsEsmail BaghaeiMiddle East conflicthuman rights casualties IranArticle 5 NATOMossad CIA collaboration(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online….moreless