By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

Israel's Strikes on Iran to Last Until Threats Remove It

Netanyahu says Israel's strikes on Iran will last until the threats are removed from it.

Trump left the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Canada on June 16, a day early, due to the situation in the Middle East. Fox News reported that he would convene his National Security Council.

“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and a waste of human life. Stated, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform.

Trump during his announcement in Canada:

French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump’s early departure from the G-7 summit was positive, given that the immediate objective was to get Israel and Iran to agree to a ceasefire that the US had proposed.

“There is an offer that has been made, especially to have a ceasefire and to initiate broader discussions. And I think this is a very good thing,” Macron told reporters. “So now we need to see what the stakeholders will do.”

Iranian media soon reported explosions and heavy air defense fire in Tehran early on June 17. Air defenses were also activated in Natanz, home to key nuclear installations 320km away, the Asriran news website reported.

A White House aide said it was not true that the US was attacking Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News that Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran, while adding the US would defend its assets in the region.

In Israel, air raid sirens wailed in Tel Aviv after midnight, and an explosion was heard as Iranian missiles targeted the country again.

Image showing Damage in Israel from the latest impact:

Iranian officials reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, in five days, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said nearly 3,000 Israelis had been evacuated due to damage from Iranian strikes.

Sources claim that Tehran had asked Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to urge Trump to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an immediate ceasefire. In return, Iran would show flexibility in nuclear negotiations, according to two Iranian and three regional sources.

“If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X “Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue.”

Netanyahu told reporters on June 16 that Israel was committed to eliminating threats posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, adding, “If this can be achieved in another way – fine. But we gave it a 60-day chance.”

Speaking to Reuters on June 13, the first day of Israel’s assault, Trump said he had given the Iranians 60 days to agree to halt uranium enrichment and that the time had expired with no deal.

Oil prices rallied more than 2 per cent early in Asia on June 17 after Trump’s evacuation warning, reversing losses on June 16 amid reports that Iran was seeking an end to hostilities.

 

Chinese urged to leave Israel

With security concerns growing and Israeli airspace closed because of the war, the Chinese Embassy in Israel urged Chinese citizens to leave the country via land border crossings as soon as possible.

The Iran-Israel air war – the biggest battle ever between the two long-time enemies – escalated on June 16 with Israel targeting Iran’s state broadcaster and uranium enrichment facilities.

 Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the BBC that the Natanz plant sustained extensive damage, likely destroying 15,000 centrifuges, while Iran’s Fordow plant remained largely intact.

Talks between the US and Iran, hosted by Oman, had been scheduled for June 15 but were scrapped, with Tehran saying it could not negotiate while under attack.

Israel launched its air war with a surprise attack that has killed nearly the entire top echelon of Iran’s military commanders and its leading nuclear scientists. It says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in the coming days.

Trump has consistently said the Israeli assault could end quickly if Iran agreed to US demands that it accept strict curbs on its nuclear program.

“As I’ve been saying, I think a deal will be signed, or something will happen, but a deal will be signed, and I think Iran is foolish not to sign,” Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Canada on June 16.

A US official said Trump would not sign a draft statement from G-7 leaders calling for a de-escalation of the conflict. The draft statement says Iran must never have a nuclear weapon, and that Israel has the right to defend itself.

Blasts rock Tehran and air raid sirens go off in Tel Aviv as Iran says it is preparing for what it calls the largest and most intense missile attack in history on Israeli soil, after a strike on Iranian state television.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would not escalate hostilities, but would “end the conflict”.

US President Donald Trump issued a warning on social media, urging all residents of Tehran to flee and saying that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

The death toll from Israel’s attacks on Iran has risen to more than 220, including 70 women and children. More than 20 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 55,432 people and wounded 128,923, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.

 

 

For updates click hompage here