English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 17/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you."
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15/09-14:"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you."

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 16-17/2025
What a Gift—Farah Nabih Berri Becomes Lebanon’s New Ambassador to Britain... Hurry Up and Congratulate/Elias Bejjani/ June16, 2025
The Aura of the Mullahs’ Regime Is a Lie, and Hezbollah Is a Fraud Incapable of Even Protecting Itself/Elias Bejjani/June 17/2025
Celebrating Fathers Day: A Biblical Perspective on Duty, Honor, and Sacrifice/Elias Bejjani/June 15/2025
US envoy to Syria due in Beirut Wednesday
Lebanese leaders indirectly urge Hezbollah to stay out of the Israel-Iran conflict
Salam stresses need to spare Lebanon any involvement in Israel-Iran war
Israeli drone kills man in Houla as 5 Israeli shells hit South
Disarmament stalls: Palestinian arms deal in Beirut derailed by war, internal divisions
Report: Handover of Palestinian arms to begin from south Lebanon
Cabinet approves diplomatic appointments
Aoun, World Bank team discuss banking reforms, reconstruction loan
What has Bassil said on Hezbollah, peace with Israel?
Flights home bring relief, but many Lebanese remain stuck overseas
Romanian plane brings back stranded Lebanese from Sharm el-Sheikh
Pierre Achkar warns Iran-Israel war threatens Lebanon’s summer season
Speaker Berri meets World Bank officials, affirms readiness to pass key reform laws
Ex-Syrian commander questioned in Beirut over missing US journalist
UNIFIL Reaffirms Commitment to Stability Along Blue Line
​​​​​​​Missiles Over Lebanon, Silence Below: When the Government Abdicates Its Sovereignty

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 16-17/2025
Trump: ‘everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!’
Trump predicts Iran will sign nuclear deal, says it should’ve acted before strikes
Netanyahu says Israel’s military campaign against Iran has ‘three main objectives’
Likely all machines at Iran’s main enrichment plant ‘severely damaged’: IAEA chief
US shifts aircraft carrier closer to Israel, deploys aerial refueling tankers to Europe
Israel’s Bazan Group says all refinery facilities shut down after Iranian attack
US can stop Israel’s attacks on Iran with ‘one phone call,’ Tehran says
Pakistan shuts border with Iran as Tehran trades strikes with Israel
Netanyahu says Israel’s operation may lead to regime change in Iran. How likely is that?
Netanyahu says Israel ‘on way’ to destroying Iran’s nuclear, missile threats
Israeli opposition leader Lapid rallies behind Iran operation, after months of criticizing Netanyahu
Israel's air superiority lets it strike Iran on the cheap — and force Tehran into costly retaliation
In this Israeli city hit by an Iranian missile, many people still support their military's operation
Israeli resilience tested as Iranian missile strikes hit home
France blocks access to Israeli weapons stands at Paris Air Show
Israel condemns black partition walls around its pavilions at Paris Air Show
UN nuclear agency warns of possible contamination inside Iran's Natanz site after Israeli strikes
What we know as Israel-Iran conflict enters fourth day
Israeli strike on Iranian state TV fills studio with dust and debris during live broadcast
Israel's ambassador to Canada calls on G7 leaders to act on Iran threat
Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich: the Netanyahu government extremists sanctioned
34 Palestinians killed in new shootings near food distribution centers, medics say

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 16-17/2025
How much damage have Israeli strikes caused to Iran's nuclear programme?/Francois Murphy/Reuters/June 16, 2025
Israel Just Ended China's Great Power Status in the Middle East/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/June 16, 2025
Iran vs. Israel: Adults in the room need to act quickly/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/June 17, 2025
Settling for half a victory in the Iran-Israel war/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 16, 2025
Khamenei, Netanyahu and Trump’s keys/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 16, 2025
European powers must push for Iran-Israel ceasefire/Chris Doyle/Arab News/June 16, 2025
Selected Twittes for Monday June 16/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 16-17/2025
What a Gift—Farah Nabih Berri Becomes Lebanon’s New Ambassador to Britain... Hurry Up and Congratulate!
Elias Bejjani/ June16, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144300/
Rejoice! Celebrate! Host your congratulatory parties! This is your moment, ladies and gentlemen—don’t miss it. Let’s all applaud and preen the feathers of the “Master,” and may God multiply the hats and rabbits of his theatrical circus.
It is worth mentioning that officially it was announced today that the Council of Ministers has appointed Farah Berri, daughter of “President” Nabih Berri, as Lebanon’s new Ambassador to Britain, replacing Ambassador Inaam Osseiran.
This appointment is yet another product of the infamous “quota corruption deals”—the corrupt distribution of diplomatic posts among the ruling mafia. It clearly confirms that Nawaf Salam’s government, along with the tenure credited to Joseph Aoun, are nothing but submissive tools in the hands of “Master Nabih Berri, the very man who once coined the phrase about “pulling her leg out of the window.”
There is no doubt that Farah Berri’s presence in such a prestigious post will bolster her father—the “Master”—renowned for his “noble” legacy of corruption, brokerage, manipulation, and absolute control. He maintains firm dominance over Lebanon’s ruling class and with Hezbollah hijack the decisions and fate of the Shiite community—now taken hostage by the mullah regime and its local mercenaries, led by none other than “Nabih Berri” and “Hezbollah.”
So come on, let’s congratulate, offer blessings, ululate, dance, and cheer: “Long live the tenure of Joseph Aoun!”—a tenure that has become a crippling burden on Lebanon and its people, a roadblock standing in the way of restoring sovereignty and implementing UN international resolutions. And here we are, on a date that was supposed to witness the disarmament of Palestinian factions in Beirut’s camps and suburbs. But of course, it passed unnoticed—nothing achieved, as usual, except for a barrage of flimsy excuses.
Joseph Aoun’s tenure has lost its shine, now lumped in with the failed presidencies of Emile Lahoud, Michel Aoun, and Elias Hrawi. And if you need further proof, just examine the names, backgrounds, and allegiances of Joseph Aoun’s chosen advisors. You’ll quickly realize we are living in an age of ruin and disgrace. ..So pour, my dear, pour—fill my glass again, and raise your voice with me saying Cheers!

The Aura of the Mullahs’ Regime Is a Lie, and Hezbollah Is a Fraud Incapable of Even Protecting Itself
Elias Bejjani/June 17/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144290/
It is urgently necessary for every deluded person who still believes in the illusion of the Mullahs’ strength, the capabilities of the terrorist group Hezbollah, the lie of its so-called resistance, or the fantasy of its possible integration into the Lebanese state, to either seek psychiatric treatment or wake up from their coma of madness, ignorance, and stupidity.

Celebrating Fathers Day: A Biblical Perspective on Duty, Honor, and Sacrifice
Elias Bejjani/June 15/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/130787/
Today, as we gather to celebrate Fathers' Day, we are reminded of the pivotal role fathers play in our lives. Fathers, both in their presence and sacrifices, mirror the divine fatherhood of God Himself. This day is not merely about showering our fathers with gifts and words of appreciation but also about reflecting on our duties and obligations towards them, as underscored by biblical teachings.
The Bible provides profound insights into the importance of honoring our fathers. Ephesians 6:2-3 commands, "Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise—"so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." This directive is clear: honoring our fathers is not just a noble act but a divine injunction that brings blessings.
Furthermore, Proverbs 23:22 instructs us, "Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old." These verses highlight that respect and obedience to our fathers are lifelong duties. They underscore the need to appreciate the wisdom and experience that our fathers impart, recognizing their efforts and sacrifices in nurturing us. Fathers, in many ways, emulate God the Father, who is described in Psalm 103:13: "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him." Just as God’s compassion and care are boundless, so too are the efforts of our earthly fathers. They toil and labor, often in silence, to provide for us, ensuring our well-being and success. In honoring our fathers, we acknowledge the countless sacrifices they have made. From working long hours to provide for the family to making tough decisions for our betterment, fathers constantly put their children's needs before their own. This dedication is aptly captured in the Lebanese saying, "No one is dear to my heart more than my son, but the son of my son." It speaks to the enduring love and legacy that fathers build, emphasizing the generational impact of their devotion. However, it is disheartening to see that not all children recognize or reciprocate this dedication. Some neglect their fathers, disregarding their wisdom and contributions. To such individuals, the biblical admonition in Proverbs 30:17 serves as a stern reminder: "The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures." This vivid imagery warns of the severe consequences of disrespect and neglect towards one’s parents. As we celebrate Fathers' Day, let us remember that honoring our fathers is not limited to a single day of festivities. It is an ongoing commitment to show respect, provide care, and express gratitude for all they do. Let us strive to embody the principles of the Bible, ensuring that our fathers feel valued and appreciated every day of their lives. In conclusion, Fathers' Day is a powerful reminder of the immense love and sacrifices our fathers have made for us. By honoring them, we not only fulfill our biblical duties but also strengthen the bonds of family and faith. Let us cherish our fathers, acknowledging their vital role in our lives and upholding the respect and honor they rightfully deserve.

US envoy to Syria due in Beirut Wednesday
Naharnet/June 16/2025
The U.S. has warned Lebanon against taking part in the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, a local media report said. The report published Monday in al-Binaa newspaper said that Israel would respond harshly to any missile launched from Lebanon and that the Lebanese army is working to prevent any attack from Lebanon. Meanwhile, U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack is due in Beirut Wednesday to meet with Lebanese officials over Hezbollah's weapons and the disputed Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms.

Lebanese leaders indirectly urge Hezbollah to stay out of the Israel-Iran conflict
AP/June 16, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s president and prime minister said Monday that their country must stay out of the conflict between Israel and Iran because any engagement would be detrimental to the small nation engulfed in an economic crisis and struggling to recover from the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. Their remarks amounted to a message to the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group — an ally of both Iran and the Palestinian militant Hamas group in Gaza — to stay out of the fray. Hezbollah, which launched its own strikes on Israel a day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, has been hard-hit and suffered significant losses on the battlefield until a US-brokered ceasefire last November ended the 14 months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. Earlier this year, Hamas fighters inside Lebanon fired rockets from Lebanese soil, drawing Israeli airstrikes and leading to arrests of Hamas members by Lebanese authorities. The Hezbollah-Israel war left over 4,000 people dead in Lebanon and caused destruction worth $11 billions; Hezbollah was pushed away from areas bordering Israel in south Lebanon. In Israel, 127 people, including 80 soldiers, were killed during the war. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam spoke during a Cabinet meeting Monday that also discussed the Iran-Israel conflict and the spike in regional tensions over the past four days. Information Minister Paul Morkos later told reporters that Aoun urged all sides in Lebanon to maintain calm and preserve the country’s stability. For his part, Salam said Lebanon should not be involved in “any form in the war,” Morkos added. Hezbollah, funded and armed by Iran, has long been considered Tehran’s most powerful ally in the region but its latest war with Israel also saw much of Hezbollah’s political and military leadership killed in Israeli airstrikes.
Since Israel on Friday launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program and top military leaders, drawing Iran’s retaliatory ballistic missiles at Israel, the back-and-forth has raised concerns that the region, already on edge over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, would be plunged into even greater upheaval.

Salam stresses need to spare Lebanon any involvement in Israel-Iran war
Naharnet/June 16/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday underscored the need to “prevent Lebanon's entanglement in any way in the ongoing war” between Israel and Iran. Speaking during a cabinet session, Salam said any such involvement would lead to “repercussions that we have nothing to do with.”Salam also noted that he has asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to put into effect the latest Lebanese-Palestinian resolutions regarding Palestinian weapons in Lebanon, while clarifying that an official timetable for arms handover is yet to be decided.

Israeli drone kills man in Houla as 5 Israeli shells hit South
Naharnet/June 16/2025
A beekeeper was killed Monday when an Israeli drone bombed the southern border town of Houla, TV networks said. Al-Jadeed TV said the slain person was beekeeping when he was targeted. Israeli drones were meanwhile overflying Beirut and its suburbs at low altitudes, the state-run National News Agency reported. The Israeli army earlier fired a mortar shell at the al-Awayda area on the outskirts of the southern border town of Kfar Kila as well as four artillery shells at an area between the border towns of al-Taybeh and Adaisseh. Israeli forces had overnight fired medium-caliber machine guns at the outskirts of the border town of Aitaroun.

Disarmament stalls: Palestinian arms deal in Beirut derailed by war, internal divisions
LBCI/June 16/2025
June 16 had initially been set as the start date for the handover of Palestinian weapons, beginning with the camps in Beirut. But the roar of regional war has allowed the failure of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to follow through on his commitments to pass largely unnoticed. However, the war has only served to obscure what was already a faltering process. Even in the absence of conflict, the agreement was unlikely to be implemented. Abbas’s pledge to disarm faces longstanding internal Palestinian obstacles that predate the war. According to two Lebanese sources, Abbas’s commitment to surrender weapons received a lukewarm response within the Palestine Liberation Organization, which includes factions opposed to disarmament. While Palestinian sources insist that the PLO factions will ultimately comply with whatever the Palestinian president decides, regardless of internal objections, they also acknowledge another complicating factor: weapons held by other groups—including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Asbat al-Ansar, and hardline factions, especially in the Ein El Hilweh camp. Addressing this requires direct dialogue with those groups. The sources noted that a Palestinian security delegation had visited Lebanon prior to Eid al-Adha to discuss the issue and then returned to Ramallah, with plans to return after the holiday—a trip that never happened. The Lebanese side had been waiting for a clear timeline and mechanism for the handover, along with a designated starting point for implementation. A week passed without any response before the outbreak of war made it even more difficult for the delegation to travel from Ramallah, due to restricted air travel and the closure of regional airspace. Despite the delay, Lebanese officials maintain that the matter is not closed. Once conditions stabilize, they intend to resume efforts to reach a practical framework for disarmament. Authorities in Lebanon have approached the issue through dialogue rather than confrontation, expressing in several meetings support for Palestinian rights—so long as they do not lead to permanent resettlement—and emphasizing that all arms must ultimately be under the control of the Lebanese state.

Report: Handover of Palestinian arms to begin from south Lebanon
Naharnet/June 16/2025
The major developments in the region, especially the Israeli-Iranian war, have reshuffled all cards in Lebanon and frozen the discussion of a number of files, most notably the handover of Palestinian weapons present in refugee camps, a process that was supposed to begin Monday from Beirut’s camps, a media report said. Official sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that the relevant Palestinian sides in Lebanon are yet to be informed of any instructions, whether from the leadership in Ramallah or from Lebanese security agencies, regarding the handover of weapons present in any camp during the coming days. “This does not mean freezing the file, but rather waiting for resolving some internal Palestinian issues that are being addressed,” the sources said. “The factions requested a grace period before the start of the handover of weapons from Beirut’s camps, and it has been agreed to begin from the South’s camps that fall within U.N. Resolution 1701’s area of operations,” the sources added. “The handover will begin from the Tyre region where the al-Bass camp is located and the al-Rashidiyeh and al-Burj al-Shamali camps will follow,” the sources explained, noting that “execution will take place over stages and without specific deadlines.”And according to Lebanese sources, Azzam al-Ahmad, the Fatah Movement official in charge of the Lebanese file, will return to Lebanon over the next days at the head of a security delegation to continue discussed the handover mechanisms and the rest of the details. Al-Ahmad had spent days in Lebanon prior to Eid al-Adha in a bid to resolve some disputes within the Fatah Movement over this file. He also held talks with Lebanese security agencies and state authorities.

Cabinet approves diplomatic appointments
Naharnet/June 16/2025
Cabinet on Monday approved the diplomatic appointments and tackled an agenda of 49 items and other emergency issues, including the situations after the eruption of the Israeli-Iranian war. Below are the names of the appointed Lebanese ambassadors:
- UAE: Tarek Mneimneh
- Paris: Rabih al-Shaer
- New York: Ahmad Arafa
- Washington: Nada Hamadeh
- UNESCO: Hind Darwish
- Vatican: Fadi Assaf
- Turkey: Munir Anouti
- Cyprus: Jean Mrad
- Geneva: Caroline Ziadeh
- Vienna: Cynthia Chidiac
- Kuwait: Ghadi Khoury
- South Korea: Wael Hashem
- Spain: Hani Chemaitelly
- Moscow: Bashir Azzam
- Ottawa: Bashir Tawk
- Saudi Arabia: Ali Karanouh
Abdel Sattar Issa was meanwhile named as the Foreign Ministry’s secretary-general, Ibrahim Assaf as the Ministry’s political affairs director and Fadi Ziadeh as the Ministry’s financial affairs director.

Aoun, World Bank team discuss banking reforms, reconstruction loan
Naharnet/June 16/2025
President Joseph Aoun on Monday discussed with Ousmane Dione, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, and Jean-Christophe Carré, World Bank Regional Director, projects previously approved by the World Bank's Board of Directors and are still awaiting parliamentary approval.
During the meeting, the importance of accelerating the implementation of reforms related to the banking sector was emphasized, given their “direct impact on creating the appropriate conditions for the World Bank Board of Directors' approval of the reconstruction loan.”

What has Bassil said on Hezbollah, peace with Israel?
Naharnet/June 16/2025
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Monday denied remarks attributed to him about Hezbollah and the possibility of peace between Lebanon and Israel.
“A person whom we do not know made a false and suspicious statement on the MTV channel, claiming that former foreign minister FPM chief Jebran Bassil had once told Lebanese expats in Washington, ‘Rid us of Hezbollah and we’ll be ready for peace with Israel,’” Bassil’s press office said. “The FPM chief’s press office denies what this suspicious and unknown person said about Hezbollah and (ex-)Minister Bassil does not remember at all any knowledge of this person and whether he had participated in any expat conferences or meetings,” the press office added.
As for peace with Israel, the office reminded that Bassil “has been publicly reiterating for years that he supports just peace that puts an end to aggression and returns rights, including occupied Lebanese territory, and that also prevents the naturalization of Palestinians in Lebanon.”

Flights home bring relief, but many Lebanese remain stuck overseas
LBCI/June 16/2025
Three words were enough to sum up the emotions of Lebanese returnees as they stepped off planes—longing, anxiety, and exhaustion. Vox pop interviews at Beirut’s airport captured raw reactions from passengers reuniting with loved ones. But the joy was far from complete. Behind each emotional embrace was the quiet worry of those still waiting for relatives who remain stranded abroad. Hundreds of Lebanese citizens remain stranded in countries around the world. Evacuation operations are ongoing in multiple locations, but the process remains difficult due to widespread flight rescheduling by major airlines. One unresolved case involves Lebanese students who remain stranded in Iran. Between official diplomatic efforts and mounting public pressure, the primary challenge remains to ensure the safety of Lebanese nationals overseas and to secure safe passage for their return.

Romanian plane brings back stranded Lebanese from Sharm el-Sheikh
Naharnet/June 16/2025
A first Romanian plane carrying Lebanese citizens who were stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh due to the Israel-Iran war arrived Monday morning at the Rafik Hariri International Airport. A statement issued by Lebanon’s civil aviation authority had said that it followed up on the issue with the travel agency at the instructions of Public Works and Transportation Minister Fayez Rasamny. Similar flights are scheduled to arrive in Beirut later throughout the day. The unprecedented Israel-Iran confrontation -- involving the use of ballistic and interception missiles, warplanes and drones -- has prompted neighboring countries to close their airspace for lengthy hours and several airlines to cancel flights, which has created travel chaos.

Pierre Achkar warns Iran-Israel war threatens Lebanon’s summer season
LBCI/June 16/2025
Pierre Achkar, the President of the Lebanese Hotel Association, said the war between Iran and Israel is already casting a shadow over Lebanon’s tourism sector. In a statement, Achkar said the closure of regional airspace and the cancellation of incoming flights have begun to take a toll, adding that the aviation sector is facing growing disruption and chaos. “Wars are the enemy of tourism,” he said. “Any conflict has the potential to wipe out an entire tourist season.” Achkar noted that hotel reservations and planned visits to Lebanon are being canceled at an alarming rate. Just weeks ago, indicators for the summer season were highly optimistic, he said, but now the outlook across the entire tourism industry has turned bleak. He warned that the ripple effects of the conflict will not be limited to tourism but will hit other sectors and the broader Lebanese economy. “We’re hoping for a miracle to end the war between Iran and Israel,” he said. “If the conflict ends soon and some kind of agreement is reached, Lebanon might be able to recover some losses and salvage part of the season. But if the war drags on, the impact on Lebanon will be unquestionably negative.”

Speaker Berri meets World Bank officials, affirms readiness to pass key reform laws
LBCI/June 16/2025
Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri met at the Second Presidency headquarters in Ain al-Tineh with World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, Ousmane Dione, and the Bank’s Regional Director Jean-Christophe Carret, in the presence of Berri’s media advisor, Ali Hamdan. The meeting focused on projects and loans that have been under negotiation between Lebanon and the World Bank. Speaker Berri affirmed the Parliament’s readiness to pass legislation and approve draft laws that have been agreed upon with the Lebanese government once they are formally submitted to Parliament and reviewed according to proper procedures—particularly those related to energy, water, agriculture, and reconstruction loans.

Ex-Syrian commander questioned in Beirut over missing US journalist
Associated Press/June 16/2025
Former Syrian official and adviser to ousted President Bashar al-Assad has been interviewed in Beirut by the FBI and the CIA in April, in the presence of Lebanese officials, The Washington Post and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said Sunday. According to the reports, Bassam al-Hassan told the FBI that American journalist Austin Tice was killed in 2013 on the orders of al-Assad, after Tice briefly escaped from his prison cell. The U.S. government is investigating al-Hassan's claims, the Washington Post said, adding that Tice's family believe he is still alive, based on testimony from people who said they had seen him in prison in Syria after 2013. "Hassan gave FBI agents descriptions of the location where Tice’s remains could be found. Those descriptions have shifted somewhat, but are always in the Damascus area," the American daily said. According to BBC Sources, at least one out of three meetings with Hassan was held at the U.S. embassy in Beirut. Sources close to Hassan told the BBC that while in Iran, he received a phone call and was asked to come to Lebanon to meet with U.S. officials. It is believed that he was given assurances that he would not be detained. Hassan had fled to Iran after Assad's ouster. Tice, who has had his work published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and others, disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus as the Syrian civil war intensified. A video released weeks after Tice went missing showed him blindfolded and held by armed men and saying, "Oh, Jesus." He has not been heard from since. Syria has publicly denied that it was holding him. When Syrian prisons were emptied after the fall of Assad in December 2024, there was no sign of Tice.

UNIFIL Reaffirms Commitment to Stability Along Blue Line
This is Beirut/June 16/2025
The Commander of the Western Sector of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Nicola Mandolesi, has reiterated the mission’s commitment to maintaining stability and security along the Blue Line in close coordination with the Lebanese Army.
In an official statement released Monday, UNIFIL's Western Sector highlighted increased collaboration between peacekeepers and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in recent days. Joint operations in South Lebanon have included reconnaissance patrols, inspections of suspected tunnels, and the relocation of a military observation post in Boustane, near Tyre — all part of ongoing efforts to secure the area."Monitoring violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 remains a top priority for the mission, with the goal of preventing escalation and defusing tensions along this sensitive demarcation line," the statement read. UNIFIL also demonstrated its rapid-response capabilities in recent local emergencies. One notable example: a brushfire reported in Tibnine was swiftly contained thanks to effective coordination with Lebanese civil authorities. The episode, according to UNIFIL leadership, underscores the mission’s preparedness in responding to unforeseen incidents. Beyond military efforts, the Western Sector continues its support for local communities. “By securing agricultural zones, joint operations have allowed many farmers to safely return to cultivating their land, reinforcing the peacekeepers’ role in protecting livelihoods,” the statement added. General Mandolesi urged residents to respect the freedom of movement of peacekeepers, describing it as essential for the success of field operations. His remarks come amid recent tensions, with UNIFIL patrols repeatedly blocked by local residents in some South Lebanon villages. These protests have mainly targeted unaccompanied patrols, with locals insisting on the presence of LAF forces as a safeguard for sovereignty and coordination. Meanwhile, early Monday morning, Israeli forces reportedly opened heavy machine gun fire near the outskirts of Aitaroun from positions beyond the Blue Line, adding to growing concerns on the ground.

​​​​​​​Missiles Over Lebanon, Silence Below: When the Government Abdicates Its Sovereignty
Tylia El Helou/This is Beirut/June 16/2025
Overnight from Saturday to Sunday, Iranian ballistic missiles crossed Lebanese skies, heading toward northern Israel, visible from several localities in the South, the Beqaa Valley and even Beirut. They were neither launched from Lebanon nor aimed at it, but they violated its airspace, once again, as if it didn’t exist. And once again, our sovereignty was trampled and the Lebanese government remained silent, numb in its inertia, incapable of reacting to yet another humiliation. No statement. No condemnation. No emergency cabinet meeting to address one of the gravest acts a state can endure: the blatant violation of its national territory by a foreign military arsenal. It wasn’t until several days later, on Monday morning, that the government finally met—not to discuss the security, political or diplomatic implications of these missile overflights, but to discuss… diplomatic appointments. A surreal agenda, reflective of an executive authority disconnected from geopolitical reality and the distress of its citizens.
A Territory Abandoned, Sovereignty Surrendered
What occurred is not a simple technical incident or collateral damage from a regional conflict. It is an act of war—one that may not have targeted Lebanon, but that used its territory as a corridor. A ballistic corridor, at the mercy of powers that treat Lebanese airspace as a mere passage, without even finding it necessary to notify, let alone ask for permission. The silence of the Lebanese government is a confession. A confession of total abdication of its most fundamental responsibilities: to protect its territory, defend its sovereignty and ensure the security of its citizens. This silence is also a form of passive complicity—a way of saying that Lebanon, through cowardice or calculation, accepts being instrumentalized in conflicts that are not its own. When the Government Cares More About Posts Than Missiles
It must be emphasized: it was not the Supreme Defense Council that met after the fact, nor was a crisis unit convened. It was an ordinary Council of Ministers, whose main agenda item concerned ambassadorial appointments and sectarian balances in diplomacy. While Lebanon's skies are pierced by warheads, the government focuses on chairs. This posture is not only irresponsible, it is dangerous. It sends a clear message to all regional powers: Lebanon is a political vacuum, a territory without real authority, where one can fly over, fire through, come and go, without ever facing consequences.
Where Are the Outraged Voices?
It is also striking to observe the deafening silence of the political class as a whole. Few officials have denounced this violation. Most parliamentary blocs, party leaders, opposition or ruling figures, have looked the other way—as if mentioning national sovereignty might upset certain tacit balances or disturb regional alliances. But the Lebanese people saw it. They saw the bright trails of ballistic missiles over their homes. They heard the deep rumble of military overflights. They know their country is no longer master of its land, sky or future.
What This Inertia Reveals
This latest episode reveals the full extent of the Lebanese state’s collapse. A state incapable of saying no. A state with neither a defense strategy nor a geopolitical vision. A state whose institutions have been reduced to bargaining halls for political clans, while national sovereignty melts like snow in the sun. In the past, such an act would have triggered a diplomatic shockwave, an outcry in foreign capitals, an appeal to the Security Council, even an official complaint to the UN. Today, in Lebanon, it provokes only indifference and resignation.
A Sovereignty to Rebuild
Lebanon will never recover unless it reclaims sovereignty over its entire territory, from its airspace to its borders. As long as its leaders treat violations of its territory as routine, it will remain a fragile, submissive and exposed country.It is urgent for the Lebanese people to demand accountability—not just over appointments, budgets or reforms, but over what remains of their country. Silence does not protect, it exposes. And the first step toward restoring sovereignty is refusing to remain silent.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 16-17/2025
Trump: ‘everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!’
AFP/17 June/2025
US President Donald Trump on Monday urged residents of Tehran to leave, backing warnings from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has launched a massive attack on Iran. “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account during a Group of Seven summit in Canada.Trump did not elaborate. Nearly 10 million people live in the Iranian capital. The warning comes as Israel ramps up attacks in Iran which it says are aimed at destroying the cleric-run state’s contested nuclear work. The Israeli military earlier issued a notice urging residents of one district of Tehran to evacuate, an echo of its tactics in Gaza where it has displaced most of the Palestinian population since the October 7, 2023 attacks. Trump has repeatedly declined to say if the United States would participate in Israeli military action, although he says it was not involved in initial strikes. He earlier told reporters at the G7 summit, which ends Tuesday: “As soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something. But I have to leave here.”

Trump predicts Iran will sign nuclear deal, says it should’ve acted before strikes
Agencies/16 June/2025
US President Donald Trump said on Monday Iran should have signed a deal with the United States on its nuclear program before Israeli strikes began and that he believes Tehran now wants to make an agreement. “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 G7 summit. Earlier on Monday, Trump said that Iran was not winning its conflict with Israel and should re-enter negotiations “before it’s too late.”“They have to make a deal, and it’s painful for both parties, but I’d say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it’s too late,” Trump told reporters. He later wrote on Truth Social warning that "IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON" and urging "everyone" to evacuate Tehran. He criticized Iranian leaders for failing to accept the nuclear deal he had proposed during his presidency, calling it a "shame" and a "waste of human life." The post adds to growing fears of a broader regional conflict, with Trump's remarks likely to further inflame tensions amid ongoing military activity. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel on Friday launched a surprise aerial campaign against targets across Iran. Iran has launched several waves of missiles in retaliation at Israel, sparking fears of a wider regional conflict. Israel’s strikes have so far killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to Iranian authorities. The Israeli prime minister’s office says 24 people have been killed in Iranian attacks since Friday.

Netanyahu says Israel’s military campaign against Iran has ‘three main objectives’
Al Arabiya English/17 June/2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin said on Monday Israel was “pursuing three main objectives” with its military campaign against Iran, adding that Israel is “changing the face of the Middle East.” Speaking at a press conference in which he outlined Israel’s strikes against Iranian nuclear and military targets, Netanyahu said Israel was “pursuing three main objectives: the elimination of the nuclear program, the elimination of ballistic missile production capability, and the elimination of the axis of terrorism,” referring to Iranian-backed militant groups in the Middle East. “We will do what is necessary to achieve these goals, and we are well coordinated with the United States,” he said. Netanyahu said Israel was “changing the face of the Middle East” with its military campaign against Iran which could lead to “radical changes” in the country. “We are changing the face of the Middle East and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself,” he said. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel on Friday launched a surprise aerial campaign against targets across Iran. Iran has launched several waves of missiles in retaliation at Israel, sparking fears of a wider regional conflict. “We have eliminated Iran’s security leadership, including three chiefs of staff, the commander of their air force, two intelligence chiefs,” Netanyahu added. “We are eliminating them, one after the other.”Netanyahu asserted that Iranians perception of their government had changed. “They understand that the regime is much weaker than they thought – they realize it, and that could lead to results,” he said. Israel’s strikes have so far killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to Iranian authorities. The Israeli prime minister’s office says 24 people have been killed in Iranian attacks since Friday. With AFP

Likely all machines at Iran’s main enrichment plant ‘severely damaged’: IAEA chief
Reuters/16 June/2025
It is very likely all the roughly 15,000 centrifuges operating at Iran’s biggest uranium enrichment plant at Natanz were badly damaged or destroyed because of a power cut caused by an Israeli strike, the UN nuclear watchdog chief told the BBC on Monday. The International Atomic Energy Agency and its Director General Rafael Grossi had previously said the centrifuges at the underground enrichment plant at Natanz may have been damaged as a result of an airstrike on its power supply, even though the hall housing the plant itself did not seem to have been hit. “Our assessment is that with this sudden loss of external power, in great probability the centrifuges have been severely damaged if not destroyed altogether,” Grossi said in an interview with the BBC. “I think there has been damage inside,” he said, going further than in an update to an exceptional meeting of his agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors hours earlier.Power cuts pose a threat to the fragile, finely balanced machines that spin at extremely high speeds. Israel’s airstrikes have put at least two of Iran’s three operating uranium enrichment plants out of action. The above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Natanz was destroyed, Grossi repeated in his update to the board.Grossi told the board no damage was seen at the separate Fordow enrichment plant dug deep into a mountain, later telling the BBC: “There is very limited if any damage registered (there).”While the IAEA has not been able to carry out inspections since the attacks, it makes extensive use of satellite imagery. Grossi elaborated on the damage to four buildings at the Isfahan nuclear complex, including a uranium-conversion facility that turns “yellowcake” uranium into uranium hexafluoride, the feedstock for centrifuges, so it can be enriched to higher fissile purity. “Four buildings were damaged in Friday’s attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor fuel manufacturing plant, and the UF4 (uranium tetrafluoride) to EU (enriched uranium) metal processing facility, which was under construction,” he said. Grossi later went further, telling the BBC: “In Isfahan you have underground spaces as well, which do not seem to have been affected.”A senior diplomat told Reuters those underground spaces are where much of Iran’s most highly enriched uranium stock is stored, but it will require closer examination to fully assess the situation there.

US shifts aircraft carrier closer to Israel, deploys aerial refueling tankers to Europe
Al Arabiya English/16 June/2025
The United States has redirected an aircraft carrier from the South China Sea to the Middle East and deployed several aerial refueling tankers to Europe, US officials told Al Arabiya English on Monday amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier will once again provide the US miltiary with a second carrier strike group, something which has been consistent since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israel. The USS Carl Vinson arrived to the US Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility earlier this year, replacing the USS Harry S. Truman strike group, both of which played a critical role in the weekslong military campaign against Yemen's Houthis. Overnight, flight tracking radars also showed over 30 refueling aircraft from the US Air Force heading for Europe. US defense officials confirmed these deployments were part of the plans the Pentagon had provided the Trump administration in the event they need to be used to defend US assets in the Middle East. Washington has consistently emphasized that it is not participating in Israeli strikes against Iran; however, it has acknowledged its ongoing efforts to help defend against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones targeting Israel. “Hundreds of thousands of Americans live in Israel, and there are US military assets in Israel we need to protect,” a US official told Al Arabiya English. US President Donald Trump has called for a deal between Israel and Iran to end the most intense fighting between the two countries, reiterating that the US is not involved in the Israeli attacks on Iran, but “it’s possible we could get involved.” On Sunday, the US Embassy in Israel ordered diplomats and family members to shelter in place until further notice and said the embassy and consulates would be closed on Monday. “The US Embassy is not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel,” the State Department said. On Monday, the State Department updated its Travel Advisory for Israel, West Bank, and Gaza to “Do Not Travel” after authorizing the departure of family members and some non-emergency US government personnel.
Separately, the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) has directed additional security measures at all military installations in the continental United States and Alaska due to “world events.”With the increase in the US military's presence, there are currently between 30,000 and 40,000 troops stationed in the Middle East. In addition to these personnel, the US has deployed additional resources, including fighter jets, destroyers and air defense systems such as Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries. While officials have confirmed that at least one THAAD battery is located in Israel, they have not disclosed whether a second one exists. Furthermore, the US has several B-52 bombers stationed on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The B-52s replaced B-2s recently following the ceasefire agreement between the US and Yemen’s Houthis.

Israel’s Bazan Group says all refinery facilities shut down after Iranian attack
Agencies/17 June/2025
Israel’s Haifa-based Bazan Group said all refinery facilities have been shut down after a power station used to produce steam and electricity were significantly damaged in an attack by Iran, according to a regulatory filing on Monday. The group said the Iranian attack resulted in the death of three company employees.The refinery is located in Haifa Bay, according to Israeli media.In a major campaign launched early Friday, Israeli fighter jets and drones have struck nuclear and military sites in Iran, also hitting residential areas and fuel depots.Iran’s health ministry says at least 224 people have been killed and more than 1,200 wounded. Tehran has responded with barrages of missiles and drones that hit Israeli cities and towns, killing at least 24 people and wounding 592 others, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office.

US can stop Israel’s attacks on Iran with ‘one phone call,’ Tehran says
Al Arabiya English/16 June/2025
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that the United States could stop Israel’s attacks on the Islamic Republic with “one phone call.”“If President (Donald) Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential. Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue,” Araghchi said in a post on X. “It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu. That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy,” he added. Araghchi said that Iranian forces will “pummel” Israel until the attacks against Iran stop. “Our powerful Armed Forces are making clear to the world that the war criminals hiding in shelters in Tel Aviv will not go unpunished for their crimes,” he said. “We will continue to pummel the cowards for as long as needed to make sure that they are no longer firing at our people,” Araghchi added. With AFP

Pakistan shuts border with Iran as Tehran trades strikes with Israel
Al Arabiya English/16 June/2025
Pakistan has closed all its border crossings with neighboring Iran for an indefinite period, provincial officials said on Monday, as Israel and Iran trade intense strikes and threaten further attacks. “Border facilities in all five districts -- Chaghi, Washuk, Panjgur, Kech and Gwadar -- have been suspended,” Qadir Bakhsh Pirkani, a senior official in Baluchistan province, which borders Iran, told AFP. Crossing into Iran “has been suspended until further notice,” said Atta ul Munim, an official at one of the crossings in Chaghi district. However, there was “no ban on trade” activities at the border and Pakistani nationals needing to return to their the country from Iran can cross, he added. “We’re expecting around 200 Pakistani students coming today,” Atta said. On Sunday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said 450 Pakistani pilgrims were evacuated from Iran, with more to follow, as well as from Iraq -- the two countries hosting the holiest sites in Shia Islam. Pakistan, the only Muslim-majority country with nuclear weapons, said on Friday it “stands in solidarity with the Government and the people of Iran” against strikes by Israel, which both Islamabad and Tehran do not recognize. Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday warned that the world “should be wary and apprehensive about Israel’s nuclear prowess” and accused it of lacking “any international nuclear discipline.”Israel is the Middle East’s only nuclear power, although undeclared. Media reports have said Pakistan may support Tehran if the conflict was to widen, but officials in Islamabad have reiterated that their country is only showing “moral and diplomatic solidarity.”Pakistan shares a more than 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Iran. Bilateral trade between the two countries stands at around $3 billion and officials have vowed to boost it to $10 billion in the coming years.With AFP

Netanyahu says Israel’s operation may lead to regime change in Iran. How likely is that?
Nadeen Ebrahim/CNN/June 16, 2025
Since Israel began its concerted attack on Iran on Friday, calls for regime change in Iran have grown louder – from hawks in the United States Congress to Israeli officials and some Iranian activists abroad. They argue that the Islamic Republic is significantly weakened, and that now is the time to capitalize on domestic unrest and public discontent to bring about the overthrow of its ruling clerical establishment, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at its head. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday that Israel’s operation “could certainly” result in regime change, as the government in Iran is “very weak.” He claimed that “80% of the people would throw these theological thugs out.”“They shoot women because their hair is uncovered. They shoot students. They just suck the oxygen out from these brave and gifted people, the Iranian people,” Netanyahu said. “The decision to act, to rise up this time, is the decision of the Iranian people.”Freedom of speech is heavily restricted in Iran, and there have been no major public calls from within the country to overthrow the regime following Israel’s attacks. But experts say Netanyahu may be misreading Iranian public sentiment – and that the strikes could backfire. Israel’s attacks are more likely to direct public anger toward Israel, as domestic issues are briefly put aside while Iranians run for shelter, experts say. “Iranian activists, people who fought for freedom and justice all their lives, first of all know that their value has little to do with people like Netanyahu,” Arash Azizi, an Iran expert based in New York City and author of the book “What Iranians Want,” told CNN. They recognize Netanyahu’s right-wing government “is not at all aligned with their values.”Iran has in recent years seen nationwide protests against the regime, especially in 2022 and 2023, sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. Many activists have since been detained, and authorities have sought repress further protest, instilling fear with a rise in criminal prosecutions and executions. Disgruntlement is widespread. But experts, and Iranians currently living under Israeli bombardment, said that most Iranians don’t see Netanyahu or his government as having the solution to their domestic problems.
An uprising is very unlikely right now
Many of those who spoke to CNN in recent days did not want to be named for safety reasons, and none expressed support for Netanyahu’s calls for a revolt. A local Iranian journalist told CNN that while some believe the conflict could be an opportunity for a potential push for regime change, they want to build their future themselves. Others believe that Israeli attacks are not the correct basis for political change, and that such a shift should take place through democratic procedures. Another journalist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told CNN that the perception at home is that the regime isn’t weak, and that people are unlikely to protest while their cities are being bombed. “The people of Iran have fought against the Islamic Republic for years, striving for democracy and freedom,” the journalist said from Tehran. “But I believe that in the current situation, those who are terrified under missiles and explosions, trying to protect their children and loved ones, do not have the psychological or practical capacity to ‘take to the streets.’ The streets, which are constantly under attack, are now emptier than ever.”
“Moreover, from the public’s perspective, the Islamic Republic has not yet become weak enough to collapse through protests. Any action against the regime during wartime will lead to brutal repression,” the journalist said, adding that “now the regime has free rein to label anyone it wants as an Israeli spy.”Others say during a time of national crisis, people are more likely to favor unity, no matter how dissatisfied they are. To them, foreign intervention is a red line. “There is no support that they will give to Netanyahu’s war on themselves and their society. If anything, they are organizing now to help each other defend their country,” Azizi said, referring to anti-regime Iranians. “Any idea that this will lead to a popular uprising of some sort that will bring down the regime has very little basis in reality.”Even in the diaspora, where many anti-regime Iranians live, there is anger at Israel’s actions, with activists calling for unity in the face of Israel’s assault. Narges Mohammadi, one of Iran’s most prominent human rights activists and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has spent years in prison in Tehran on what supporters say are politically motivated charges, posted on X: “Iranian Civil Society Says No to War!”She and other Iranian activists, including fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi and filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, all of whom have been pursued by the regime for their activism, wrote a joint opinion piece in France’s Le Monde newspaper Monday calling for an end to the war – but they also demanded that Iran stop enrichment of uranium and that the regime step down.
“This conflict not only destroys infrastructure and claims civilian lives but also constitutes a serious threat to the very foundations of human civilization,” they wrote.
In recent years, Israel has strengthened ties with Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s deposed monarch. Pahlavi voiced support for Israel’s actions, drawing praise from some in the Iranian diaspora and accusations of betrayal from others. “Soon in Tehran,” Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli posted on X on Friday, along with a picture of himself shaking hands with a smiling Pahlavi. Pahlavi told BBC News on Sunday that Israel’s conflict with Iran was an opportunity to bring down the Iranian regime. “The ultimate solution is regime change,” he said. “Now, we have an opportunity, because this regime is at its weakest point. There’s (a) window in which we can operate and hopefully liberate our country.”His US-backed father had warm ties with Israel before he was overthrown by the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
‘Region cannot be reshaped through force’
Israel has pounded Iran with strikes for four days, striking residential areas and the country’s civilian infrastructure. At least 224 people have been killed in the country since hostilities began Friday, the health ministry said Sunday, according to state media. Israel has said it is doing so to stop the Islamic Republic from acquiring a nuclear weapon and has targeted several of the country’s nuclear sites, but civilians appear to have borne the brunt of the attacks. Iran has retaliated by firing 370 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said. By Monday morning, 24 people had been killed in Israel and 592 others had been wounded. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that “the residents of Tehran will pay the price,” later clarifying that Israel didn’t intend to harm civilians. Israeli officials “don’t even pretend” to care about the safety of Iranian civilians, said Azizi, the Iran expert. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for unity, in a statement released through state media. “The people of Iran must join hands and stand strong against the aggression that has been launched against us,” Pezeshkian said, adding that the Iranians were “not the aggressors” and defending Iran’s right to a peaceful nuclear program. In its operation, Israel has taken out some of Iran’s most senior military officials, including in the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Even if the leadership changes, it may not look like what Netanyahu hopes for, Iran experts said.
“Regime change is a possibility, just not the kind that Netanyahu has in mind,” Mohammad Ali Shabani, editor of the Amwaj news outlet, wrote on X. “Among potential medium-term outcomes of Israel’s war on Iran: military-led administration, possibly armed with nuclear weapons.” Netanyahu’s call for regime change by force has also alarmed other countries in the region. Speaking to the Paris-based journal Le Grand Continent, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, warned that “when a country feels under attack, nationalism tends to intensify.” Asked about Netanyahu’s call for an uprising in Iran, Gargash said: “The region cannot be reshaped through force and confrontation. We may be able to resolve some problems in the short term, but this will lead to others that are at least as serious.”. Iranians who spoke to CNN said they don’t see Israel’s actions as helping their country. “Netanyahu has attacked us, and now he expects us to overthrow Khamenei while we’re standing in lines for bread and fuel, worried about our own survival? To topple Khamenei with Israeli missiles?” one of the Iranian journalists who spoke to CNN said. “Of course, we’re glad to see the leaders of this regime - whose hands are stained with the blood of our children - killed. But the death of ordinary people is painful.”

Netanyahu says Israel ‘on way’ to destroying Iran’s nuclear, missile threats
Elizabeth Crisp/The Hill/June 16, 2025
Netanyahu says Israel ‘on way’ to destroying Iran’s nuclear, missile threats
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his soldiers Monday that Israel is close to “eliminating the nuclear threat and eliminating the missile threat” from Iran as the military conflict between the two countries entered its fourth day. “We are on the way to achieve our two goals: eliminating the nuclear threat and eliminating the missile threat,” said Netanyahu, speaking in Modern Hebrew during a visit to the Israeli air force’s main base near Tel Aviv, as translated by local media. “We are on our way to victory, and this is thanks to our heroic pilots, and our amazing ground crews are also doing an amazing job.”“The IAF controls the skies of Tehran; that changes the entire campaign,” he added, referring to Israel’s air force. “With God’s help, we will succeed and continue until victory.” The Associated Press reported at least five people were killed by Iranian missile attacks in Israel on Monday. Israel conducted a surprise attack on Tehran’s military facilities and high-ranking officials late last Thursday in a move Netanyahu described as necessary to preemptively protect his country from a nuclear threat. Netanyahu blasted Iran for targeting Israeli civilians and contrasted Tehran’s tactics to his own strategy of warning Iranians about threats from his country. “When we control the skies of Tehran, we hit these targets, the enemy’s targets — in contrast to the criminal Iranian regime, which targets our civilians and comes to kill our children and women — we tell the civilians in Tehran: ‘Evacuate’ and we are taking action,” Netanyahu said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Israeli opposition leader Lapid rallies behind Iran operation, after months of criticizing Netanyahu
Tia Goldenberg/AP/June 16, 2025
TEL AVIV, Israel — Roughly 24 hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a blistering assault on Iran, Israel's opposition was scheming to bring down his government. Now, just days into the ongoing operation against Iran, the opposition has closed ranks behind the effort, suspending months of bitter criticism against Netanyahu and his handling of the war in Gaza. It's a sharp about-face for a constellation of parties that have criticized Netanyahu throughout the war for what they have charged is his politically motivated decision-making. “It’s not the right moment to do politics,” opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid told The Associated Press on Monday in his first international media interview since the start of the operation against Iran.The latest conflict began when Israel launched an assault on Iran’s top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon — which Israel says would pose an existential threat. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful. Lapid spoke just days after he called from the dais of the Israeli parliament for an election to oust Netanyahu. The opposition's attempt to dissolve parliament narrowly failed. Lapid said the circumstances have now changed. “Yes, this government needs to be toppled, but not in the midst of an existential fight,” Lapid said. And that fight has become personal. His son’s home was damaged in an Iranian strike, although no one was there at the time except for house pets. Israeli politicians across the spectrum typically fall in line behind government actions during times of war or crisis. But the deep polarization in the country, much of it fueled by the public's view of Netanyahu, and the loud protests against his rule that preceded the war in Gaza and continued through it make the opposition's change of tack all the more striking. The past 20 months have also been an unprecedented time in Israeli history, with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 — the deadliest the country has ever faced — sparking the war in Gaza. And then a war against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and now a major escalation with Iran. Netanyahu, a divisive leader who has governed nearly uninterrupted for 16 years, has been at the helm throughout that period. On trial for alleged corruption and reliant on far-right parties to maintain his power, he has stoked accusations that he's prolonging the war in Gaza to appease his governing partners and delay an election that could put an end to his rule. While Netanyahu says he's acting in Israel's best interest, opposition parties, including Lapid's Yesh Atid, have hit hard at that idea. But after Israel began its operation against Iran, he and other opposition party leaders lent their support, emphasizing that they were backing the military. “We didn’t rally behind the government,” Lapid said from his party office in Tel Aviv. “We rallied behind the necessity to operate on the moment that was inevitable.”
Lapid, a former television anchorman and one-time boxer, entered politics in 2013. He became caretaker prime minister briefly in 2022, as part of a deal with another party. He didn't succeed in forming a coalition in an election held shortly after, which returned Netanyahu to power in a government made up of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties. Throughout most of the war, Lapid and other opposition lawmakers have pushed Netanyahu to make a deal with Hamas to free hostages held in Gaza. Lapid made a speech last month to Israel's parliament, which is called the Knesset, that marked 600 days since the start of the war in Gaza. Lapid slammed Netanyahu for bringing a conflict upon Israel that didn't exist during his own brief time in office. Netanyahu, whose own political fortunes have mostly dimmed throughout the Middle East conflict, has enjoyed brief bumps in public support on the tail of military successes, like a round of fighting with Hezbollah last year. He could gain the same boost, if public opinion rallies behind the Iran operation. Polls before the campaign showed that Netanyahu would struggle to form a coalition if an election were held today. Lapid's party, now the second largest with 24 seats in the 120-seat parliament, could lose half or more of its support, polls show. But Lapid said that the politics, and Netanyahu's motivations, were irrelevant now, because striking Iran was “the right thing to do.”“Benjamin Netanyahu is a bitter political rival,” said Lapid. “I think he’s the wrong person to lead the country. But on that, he was right.”

Israel's air superiority lets it strike Iran on the cheap — and force Tehran into costly retaliation
Jake Epstein/Business Insider/June 16, 2025
Why did Israel unleash hundreds of warplanes against Iran?Scroll back up to restore default view. Israeli fighter jets have battered Iran's air defenses, allowing them to operate more freely. The degraded surface-to-air missile threat means Israeli aircraft can use cheaper weapons to strike. Iran, meanwhile, is left retaliating with its more expensive ballistic missiles. The Israeli military says it has achieved air superiority over swaths of Iran, including the capital Tehran, after battering the country's air defenses in recent bombing runs. The Monday declaration that Israel has an overwhelming advantage in the air comes just a few days into an intensive operation aimed at degrading Iran's nuclear program and wiping out its military capabilities, including a substantial number of surface-to-air missile launchers. Israel is operating its F-35I stealth fighter jets above Iran and also its fourth-generation aircraft, like the F-16 and F-15, that lack some of the same low observable capabilities but can drop cheap glide bombs on Iranian targets. On Sunday, Israeli fighter jets struck the Mashhad airport in eastern Iran, some 1,400 miles away, marking Israel's longest-range attack since beginning its bombing campaign and further underscoring its ability to fly largely uncontested above Iran. The effective Israeli strikes on Iranian air defenses and military airports "will degrade Iran's ability to restrict Israeli operations in its airspace," the Institute for the Study of War, a conflict studies think tank in Washington, DC, said on Sunday.
Israeli F-15 fighter jets are seen on the tarmac in Israel.. Israeli fighter jets have been using cheap glide bombs to strike targets in Iran.Israel Defense Forces. Weapons analysts have identified Israeli fighter jets armed with Joint Direct Attack Munitions. JDAMs, which are made by the US defense contractor Boeing, are dumb bombs fitted with relatively cheap guidance kits that turn them into precision-guided munitions. These weapons are not considered stand-off weapons. Analysts have also spotted Israeli aircraft armed with SPICE bombs. Like JDAMs, guidance kits that turn dumb bombs into precision weapons. They are made by the local defense firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Open-source intelligence accounts have noted the use of JDAMs and SPICE — which stands for Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective — bombs in the airstrikes across Iran, including around Tehran. Israel's ability to fire these munitions suggests it is less concerned about defenses and does not necessarily have to employ its more expensive missiles for high-value targets. It has more options. Iran, which lacks a strong air force, has retaliated against Israel by firing more than 370 ballistic missiles in multiple waves since Friday. There have been at least 30 impact sites so far, killing two dozen people and wounding over 590 others, according to Israeli government statistics. Ballistic missiles, which can cost millions of dollars apiece, are much more expensive than the individual JDAMs and SPICE bombs Israel is using to strike Iran. A single JDAM, for instance, may cost only tens of thousands of dollars. Israeli forces have been striking Iranian air defenses.Israel Defense Forces/. By firing multiple salvos of missiles, Iran is depleting its stockpiles; it is estimated to have hundreds, possibly thousands, that can reach Israel. Israel said on Monday that it had destroyed a third of Tehran's launchers during the fight, limiting its ability to get missiles off the ground. Iran has also launched hundreds of drones at Israel. While these are much cheaper than the missiles — Tehran's notorious Shahed-136 drone is estimated to cost as little as $20,000 — these weapons also travel significantly slower and are much easier to intercept. However, Iran's missile and drone fire forces Israel to expend valuable air defenses, adding to a growing financial toll. At the lower end, a single Iron Dome interceptor costs some $50,000. A missile launched from the Arrow-3 system, which can intercept incoming targets in space, costs several million dollars. US officials said American forces in the region have helped to shoot down Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, but they have said that Washington is not involved in offensive operations. Israeli officials announced the start of "Operation Rising Lion," aimed at degrading Iran's nuclear program, last Friday. Israeli fighter jets have carried out widespread airstrikes across Iran, targeting its nuclear facilities and top scientists, in addition to other military targets, such as Tehran's missile launchers, weapons production sites, air defenses, and senior commanders. The operation could derail President Donald Trump's efforts to reach a new nuclear deal with Iran. Tehran argues that its nuclear program is for civilian use only. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long pushed for a military approach to deal with what he describes as an existential threat.

In this Israeli city hit by an Iranian missile, many people still support their military's operation
Sam Mednick, The Associated Press/June 16, 2025
PETAH TIKVA, Israel — When an Iranian missile slammed into this central Israeli city, Miryam was huddled inside the concrete safe room in her family's apartment. Miryam was unscathed by the blast. But four people in the building next door were killed, and the explosion blew off the doors to the apartment and destroyed the kitchen and bathroom. “This was the scariest thing I’d ever experienced,” said Miryam, who spoke to AP on condition that her last name not be used because she serves in the military. “But the right thing is to attack Iran; I don’t want them to have this power over us.”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long identified Iran as Israel’s greatest enemy, citing its hostile rhetoric and support for militant groups and accusing it of pursuing nuclear weapons — a charge Iran denies. After years of threats, Israel launched a surprise attack on Friday, killing Iranian military leaders and striking nuclear facilities in a blistering aerial assault. While no opinion polls have been released yet, the Israeli public — and even Netanyahu’s rivals in the opposition – appears to be lining up behind the military operation in these early days. Such sentiment was evident in Petah Tikva, a middle-class city outside Tel Aviv where nearly a dozen residents said they support the operation, even after the deadly blast. The Iranian missiles appear to be the strongest assault on Israel’s heartland since then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s Scud missile attacks during the first Gulf War in 1991. Residents in the area had packed suitcases, with some headed to stay with relatives and others to hotels paid for by the city. Idle teenagers sat among the wreckage staring at their ruined apartments. “I still don’t understand it,” said Eitan Tevel, 14, who spent an hour in the safe room of his sixth-floor apartment before emerging to see it damaged. Still, he said, he wants Israel to keep striking Iran. “If we don’t do it, many people will be destroyed,” he said. Israel has inflicted heavy damage on Iran. Officials say at least 224 people have been killed in Israel’s air offensive and hundreds others wounded. On Monday, Israel ordered a neighborhood home to over 300,000 people in Tehran, the Iranian capital, to evacuate ahead of an expected bombing campaign. That has not halted the Iranian missile fire. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured, Israeli officials said, after Iran launched more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones. By mid-day, first responders in Petah Tikva were still assessing the damage and clearing buildings. Four complexes housing hundreds of families were impacted by the missile, which struck the side of one of the buildings and tore off the exterior. Windows and doors were blown off, with few cars in the vicinity unscathed. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, visited the neighborhood, calling the attack “pure evil.”Shmuel Rosner, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, said that as bad as the missile attacks have been, people had expected even worse. “For many years we were told that when the day comes, we might have to spend days and weeks in bomb shelters and see thousands of buildings crash. That’s not the case,” he said. But he warned that if there is a sense that Israel is failing to achieve its objectives, support could quickly dwindle. Older residents in this hard-hit neighborhood said the strikes reminded them of the first Gulf War over 30 years ago. Israel had limited air defenses, and people feared a chemical attack by the Iraqi leader. Many remember carrying gas masks and sealing windows with tape and plastic. People now feel protected by Israel’s robust air defenses, but they also believe there's more at stake in this conflict.
“This is more scary,” said Nadav Shomron, 44, who remembers that war as a boy. “If we have a nuclear Iran, Israel can’t exist."

Israeli resilience tested as Iranian missile strikes hit home
Alexander Cornwell and Crispian Balmer/Reuters/June 16, 2025
TEL AVIV/JERUSALEM-Four days into their war with Iran, Israelis are shaken and anxious, yet remain resilient, still backing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to confront a longstanding foe.Netanyahu ordered a surprise attack on Iran in the early hours of Friday, vowing to end Tehran's nuclear ambitions, which he says represent an existential threat to his nation. In response, Iran has fired nightly barrages of ballistic missiles that have brought destruction in their wake -- and also stirred defiance among some of those who have suffered. "We trust God and Bibi Netanyahu," said Suki Yoram, standing in front of his partially destroyed block of flats in the Petah Tikva neighbourhood, just east of Tel Aviv, which was hit by a missile overnight, killing four people. "We are with you till the end, do not stop, go on... There is no other choice," he told Reuters. Dozens of apartment blocks and other buildings in central and northern Israel have been wrecked by the waves of missiles since Friday, leaving 24 dead and hundreds injured. The severity and depth of the damage have outstripped anything that either Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip or Hezbollah fighters in neighbouring Lebanon have managed to inflict on Israel in decades of confrontation. "It's very sad. And we don't want to lose any people. But what can you do," said Adi Shindler, 71, a Jerusalem resident. Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that Iran was looking to build nuclear weapons and wanted to turn them on Israel -- a small nation home to nearly half the world's Jews. Iran has said its nuclear programme is purely for civilian purposes, but Israelis, whose society has been shaped by the memory of the Nazi Holocaust, think otherwise. "We don't have a choice. It's better this way than to have missiles come at us, nuclear missiles. And then we're all dead," said Shindler. Israel's own airstrikes have gutted Iran's nuclear and military leadership. Iran's death toll has reached at least 224, with civilians accounting for 90% of the casualties, an Iranian official said. Thousands of residents of Tehran are fleeing their homes and stockpiling essential supplies for fear that Israel's campaign will escalate in the coming days.
CLOSING RANKS
Netanyahu is a deeply divisive figure in Israel. Many blame him for failing to prevent the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on southern Israel, that killed around 1,200 people and triggered a brutal war in Gaza that is still grinding on. Opposition politicians have accused him of prolonging that conflict to stave off a reckoning over the 2023 security failings. But they have closed ranks since the Israeli airforce launched its mass assault on Iran on June 13. "When it comes to the security of the people of Israel in the face of our enemies, we are one people, with one mission. Our children will not live in fear of an Iranian nuclear bomb. Not today, not ever," said opposition leader Yair Lapid. A poll released on Monday by Agam Labs researchers said 70% of Israelis supported the military assault on Iran -- a number that rose to 83% among the country's Jewish population. Only 16% of people surveyed opposed the operation. Nonetheless, the nightly rush to air raid shelters and scenes of bombed-out homes is jangling nerves. When an Iranian rocket, which typically carries between 300-700 kg (660-1,540 pounds) of explosives, makes a direct hit near the heavily populated coast, the boom can be distinctly heard 55 km away (35 miles) in Jerusalem. In Tel Aviv, 31-year-old chef Guydo Tetelbaun stood on smashed glass and debris outside what had once his apartment. "It's terrifying because it's so unknown," he said in the early hours of Monday. "This could be the beginning of a long time like this, or it could get worse, or hopefully better, but it's the unknown that's the scariest." While there is undoubtedly broad support for the attack on Iran, not everyone agrees with the war -- the biggest conflagration of the past 20 months during which time Israel has also squared off against Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. "I don't think it will bring any good," said Ben Keller, an Israeli studying for a doctorate in Britain and currently back home to see his family. "I never really believed Iran would use a nuclear weapon. It's just something people like to have in order to make threats, but they won't actually use it," he said.Investors, however, seemed to take the view that the conflict would ultimately be good for Israel, betting that Netanyahu would win his military gamble and manage to destroy Iran's nuclear ambitions, removing a long shadow over the country and its economy. The shekel gained more than 3% against the dollar on Monday -- its biggest daily percentage gain since at least 2008 -- while the Tel Aviv stock market rose 2%. "Reducing Israel's geopolitical risk significantly is likely to reduce the risk premium priced into the bond market and provide Israel with a more positive growth outlook," said Jonathan Katz, chief economist at Leader Capital Markets.

France blocks access to Israeli weapons stands at Paris Air Show
FRANCE 24/June 16, 2025
French authorities shut down the four main Israeli defence industry stands at the Paris Air Show on Monday and put up black partition walls around them, making them inaccessible. France says Israel refused to remove offensive weapons from its displays. Israel demanded an immediate reversal of the decision. France on Monday blocked access to the stands of four Israeli arms manufacturers at the Paris Air Show for displaying "offensive weapons", according to a French government source. A black wall blocked off stands run by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, Uvision, Elbit and Aeronautics for showing "offensive weapons", including those used in Gaza, which allegedly violated terms made with Israel, said the source. The stands were those being used by Elbit Systems, Rafael, IAI and Uvision. Three smaller Israeli stands, which didn't have hardware on display, and an Israeli Ministry of Defence stand, remain open. Rafael, Elbit and IAI produce guided bombs and missiles, while Uvision and Aeronautics produce drones. Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the move on Monday as "outrageous" and called for it to be "immediately corrected". Rafael described the French move as "unprecedented, unjustified, and politically motivated".

Israel condemns black partition walls around its pavilions at Paris Air Show
John Leicester And Jeffrey Schaeffer/The Associated Press/June 16, 2025
PARIS — France's government ordered black partition walls erected around Israeli defense industry exhibits at the Paris Air Show displaying offensive weapons, because of the war in Gaza and rising tensions in the Mideast. Israel's Defense Ministry demanded an immediate reversal of the decision. A French appeals court had ruled Friday against activist groups who sought to block Israeli companies from participating in the show due to Israel's actions in Gaza. The Paris Air Show, held at Le Bourget north of Paris, is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious events for the aerospace and defense industry. The black walls appeared overnight ahead of the show’s opening Monday, visually isolating Israeli booths from dozens of other international exhibitors. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said the decision was made to allow Israeli companies to display their aviation technology but no offensive weapons, ‘’given the situation in the region, the extreme tensions ... given France's diplomatic choices, notably concern about Gaza.''Bayrou said the Israeli Embassy and companies were informed in advance of the restriction and that some complied, but others didn't. As a result the displays were covered up, ‘’I hope temporarily.''The Israeli Defense Ministry said the demand to remove offensive weapons displays came at the last minute. “The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition — weapons that compete with French industries,” the ministry said in a statement Monday, calling the action “ugly and improper.” An array of offensive weapons are on display elsewhere at the Paris Air Show, among the most prominent being French, including its Rafale fighter jets, cruise missiles and other hardware. Bayrou officially opened the air show Monday, visiting several stands, and as he spoke, his voice was partially drowned out by the roar of overhead aircraft. A French official said the decision came from the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security, under the prime minister. The official said Israeli exhibitors were told weeks ago that they couldn’t exhibit offensive weaponry, and that the walls were erected as a last resort when five didn’t comply. Four others did and are allowed to exhibit. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the details. The French prime minister drew a distinction between Israel's recent attacks on Iran and its actions in Gaza. ‘’I have never underestimated the risk that Iran and Iran's preparation of nuclear weapons creates for the whole region, for the whole world,'' Bayrou said. “The situation in Gaza, it touches, it injures, it repulses a large number of our compatriots, including those who are friends of Israel,'' he said. Israel's actions in Gaza since the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, have drawn protests and concerns in France, especially the blockage of humanitarian aid in recent months. Sylvain Pavillet, a lawyer working with the air show organizers, said the final decision on which countries are allowed to exhibit lies with the French government, not the show itself. Two women angry with the French decision drew an Israeli flag and graffiti on the black partitions around the stand for Israeli company Rafael, accusing the French government of discrimination. Security personnel then covered up the graffiti with black plastic.Shlomo Toaff, head of Rafael’s air defense systems division, said he couldn't even enter his company's small display area Monday morning. “These weapons are used by the Israeli government in a legal way in order to to protect our people and in order to free the hostages,'' he told the AP. “We hope that maybe somebody will come to their senses and reopen our show,'' he added. ‘’Anybody that is for a free world, free business, freedom of speech should be outraged by this.''

UN nuclear agency warns of possible contamination inside Iran's Natanz site after Israeli strikes
Stephanie Liechtenstein/The Associated Press/June 16, 2025
VIENNA — The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Monday that there is a possibility of both radiological and chemical contamination within Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz following Israeli strikes, although radiation levels outside the complex are presently normal. The radiation poses a significant danger if uranium is inhaled or ingested, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. The risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory protection devices while inside the facilities, Grossi said. “The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact to the population or the environment from this event,” he said.
Grossi was addressing an urgent session of the IAEA's board in Vienna that was convened at the request of Russia to discuss Israeli attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities. He said that there apparently was no additional damage at Natanz and the Isfahan nuclear research site since Saturday. He said that the main concern inside the Natanz facility is the chemical toxicity of a gas called uranium hexafluoride, which is the result of fluorine mixed with the uranium during enrichment. It's extremely volatile, will quickly corrode, can burn the skin and is especially deadly if inhaled, experts say. “Amid theses challenging and complex circumstances, it is crucial that the IAEA receives timely and regular technical information about the facilities and their respective sites,” Grossi said. Without information, the U.N. agency “cannot accurately assess the radiological conditions and potential impacts on the population and the environment and cannot provide the necessary assistance.”Grossi said that U.N. inspectors would remain present in Iran and inspect the nuclear facilities “as soon as safety conditions allow.”He warned that “military escalation threatens lives, increases the chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people and the environment and delays indispensable work towards a diplomatic solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.”
Venezuela delivered a joint statement at the special board meeting on behalf of a group of states, among them Iran and Russia, condemning Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, diplomats said on the condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show extensive damage at Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. The images captured Saturday by Planet Labs PBC show multiple buildings damaged or destroyed. The structures hit include buildings identified by experts as supplying power to the facility.
Grossi told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. The main centrifuge facility underground didn't appear to be hit, but the loss of power could have damaged infrastructure there, he said.
Israel also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan. The IAEA said that four critical buildings were damaged, including a uranium-conversion facility, but there was no sign of increased radiation at Natanz or Isfahan. Grossi also told the IAEA board of governors on Monday that no damage has been seen at the site of the Fordo enrichment site, which is buried under a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries. Fordo appears designed to withstand airstrikes. Grossi also said that the Bushehr nuclear power plant, Iran’s only commercial nuclear power plant, hasn't been targeted or affected by the recent attacks, and neither has the Tehran Research Reactor. Any country on the 35-member board of the IAEA can call a meeting under its rules. Last week, the IAEA board found Iran to be in noncompliance with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years. The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

What we know as Israel-Iran conflict enters fourth day
Lana Lam, Sofia Ferreira Santos & Jaroslav Lukiv - BBC News/June 16, 2025
Israel and Iran exchanged strikes overnight into Monday, as fighting between the two countries entered its fourth day. The conflict began on Friday when Israel attacked nuclear and military sites in Iran. Iran retaliated with aerial attacks targeting Israel.
More than 220 people have been killed in Israeli strikes so far, according to Iran's health ministry, while Israel says Iranian attacks have killed 24 people.
Here is what we know.
Live: Latest update as Israel targets Iran's nuclear sites
Watch: Footage shows explosions and buildings ablaze in Tehran
Israel has inflicted unprecedented damage on Iran's elite - why now?
Israel chose to act now, whether Trump likes it or not
Iran is reeling from Israel's unprecedented attack - and it is only the start
When and where did the strikes begin?
Explosions were reported in Iran's capital Tehran at about 03:30 local time (01:00 BST) on Friday.
Iranian state television said residential areas in Tehran were hit, with blasts also heard north-east of the city. Israel's military said it had launched strikes on "dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran".
In Israel, people were woken by air raid sirens and received emergency phone alerts, as a state of emergency was declared.
Hours after the initial strikes, Israel targeted the Natanz nuclear facility - about 225km (140 miles) south of Tehran. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its attack caused significant damage.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack - called Operation Rising Lion - targeted "the heart" of Iran's nuclear program. He claimed that "if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time". The global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has said it has not detected an increase in radiation levels at the plant. Israel's strikes killed Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and several senior military figures and nuclear scientists. Iran said civilians, including children, were also among those killed.
BBC journalists are unable to report from inside Iran due to restrictions by the country's government, making it difficult to assess the damage caused by Israel's offensive. The US has said it was not involved in the strikes, but President Donald Trump said he was aware of Israel's plans beforehand.
How did Iran respond?
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel "should anticipate a severe punishment", while its foreign minister called the strikes a "declaration of war".
The foreign ministry said "the US government, as the primary patron of this regime, will also bear responsibility".Iran launched about 100 drones towards Israel on Friday morning, according to the IDF, adding that most had been intercepted.
Iran later launched a ballistic missile attack on "dozens of targets, military centres and airbases" in Israel, in an operation it called True Promise 3. The IDF said fewer than 100 missiles were launched towards Israel in two waves.
Bright flashes could be seen over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as Israel's Iron Dome defence system attempted to intercept the attack.
The Israeli military told residents across the country to remain "close to protected spaces", and to avoid gatherings and movement in public areas.
Strikes continue over the weekend
In Israel, sirens sounded in several areas, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, overnight into Saturday. Israel said its air force had hit dozens of targets in Tehran.
At least two people were killed in Rishon LeZion on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
Oil infrastructure was hit on both sides, with a huge fire visible at Iran's Shahran depot and flames breaking out near the Haifa oil refinery in Israel.
On Sunday, the third day of strikes, six people were killed in Israel's Bat Yam when a 10-storey block of flats was hit. Four people were killed in Iranian attacks on the northern town of Tamra, emergency services and the local hospital said.
Israel's military said on Sunday it had struck more than 80 targets in Tehran throughout the night, including the Iranian Ministry of Defense, and "additional targets where the Iranian regime hid the nuclear archive".
Late on Sunday, sirens blared in Israel as incoming missiles were intercepted. Iranian state television said the country attacked Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities with "tens of Iranian missiles and drones".
How did we get to this point?
Netanyahu said on Friday that the strikes were "a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival".He said the operation would "continue for as many days as it takes to remove the spread". An Israeli military official told the BBC that Iran had enough nuclear material to create nuclear bombs "within days". Iran has said that it has never sought to develop a nuclear weapon. The strikes began as US talks over Iran's nuclear programme, which started in April, appeared to have stalled. The next round of talks, due to take place on 15 June, were cancelled. Iran had called them "unjustifiable" in light of Israel's attacks. Trump had hoped to strike a deal to stop Tehran developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has long insisted that its nuclear activities are peaceful. Last year, Iran and Israel launched a number of air strikes against each other in April and October - though Israel's strikes last year were not believed to have been as wide-ranging as its current operation. Who was killed in Israel's attacks? The IDF said that three Iranian military commanders had been "eliminated in the Israeli strikes across Iran".
They were:
Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)
Gholamali Rashid, commander of Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters
Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran's armed forces
IRGC later said Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of its air force, was also killed alongside a group of other IRGC forces. The Israeli military said its overnight attack focused on "over 100 targets, including senior figures of the Iranian General Staff and leaders of the nuclear program". IRGC-affiliated news agency Tasnim reported six nuclear scientists were also killed in the strikes, of whom five have been named:
Fereydoon Abbasi, former head Iran's Atomic Energy Organization
Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi, who Israel accused of being involved in Iran's nuclear weapons programme which Tehran denies exists. Abdulhamid Minouchehr, head of nuclear engineering at Iran's Shahid Beheshti University
Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, a nuclear engineering professor at Shahid Beheshti University
Amirhossein Feqhi, another nuclear professor at Shahid Beheshti University
Ali Shamkhani, senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, was reported to have been seriously injured, according to Iranian media.
How have other countries reacted?
Reacting to the strikes, Trump said he gave Iran "chance after chance" to make a deal, but "they just couldn't get it done".
"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," he wrote on social media. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was not involved with the strikes and did not provide any assistance. He said the top priority for the White House was to protect US forces in the region.
US citizens have been advised not to travel to Iran, with the state department on Friday urging those who are in the country to leave or "shelter in place".
Russian President Vladimir Putin held separate phone calls on Friday with Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said. Russia is a key military and political ally of Iran. Putin condemned the Israeli actions, and also "expressed the willingness to provide mediation services in order to prevent further escalation of tensions", a statement said. In other international reaction, Oman, which has been mediating US-Iran nuclear talks, said it held Israel responsible for "this escalation and its consequences". The UK, France, Australia and China were among the nations that expressed concern over the escalation and called for calm.
What is Iran's nuclear programme?
A map showing the location of the main nuclear facilities in Iran broken down by their function including the research facilities in Tehran and Bonab, uranium conversion facility in Isfahan, uranium enrichment plants in Fordow and Natanz. Most of the sites are in the top half of the country except the Bushehr power plant and Bandar Abbas mine in the south on the Persian Gulf. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for peaceful, civilian purposes only. It has several facilities around Iran, at least some of which have been targeted in the Israeli strikes. But many countries - as well as the global nuclear watchdog, IAEA - are not convinced the programme is for civilian purposes alone. Last week, the watchdog's board of governors formally declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years. It cited Iran's "many failures" to provide full answers about undeclared nuclear material and Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium. An earlier IAEA report said Iran had enriched uranium to 60% purity, near weapons grade, to potentially make nine nuclear bombs.

Israeli strike on Iranian state TV fills studio with dust and debris during live broadcast
The Associated Press/June 16, 2025
An Iranian state television reporter had to stop a live broadcast Monday when an explosion occurred an hour after Israel issued a warning to evacuate the area of Tehran where the TV studios are located. The reporter for the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network said the studio was filling with dust after “the sound of aggression against the homeland, the sound of aggression against truth and righteousness.”Anchor Sahar Emami rushed off-camera as the screen behind her cut out, and people were heard saying “Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for God is great.The broadcast quickly switched to pre-recorded programs. Soon, Emami came back live from another studio and was seen speaking with another anchor. She said that “bodies of reporters” were at the site of the initial broadcast, and images showed smoke and flames in the sky. Israel’s defense minister took credit for the attack.“The Iranian regime’s propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority was attacked by the IDF after a widespread evacuation of the area’s residents,” Israel Katz said in a statement. “We will strike the Iranian dictator everywhere.”
An hour earlier, the Israeli military had issued an evacuation warning affecting up to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that includes the country’s state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals. The IDF has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes. The warning came on the fourth day of the conflict, when the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above the Iranian capital and could fly over the city without facing major threats.

Israel's ambassador to Canada calls on G7 leaders to act on Iran threat
Bryan Passifiume/Toronto Sun/June 16, 2025
OTTAWA — As leaders of the G7 nations gather in southern Alberta this week, Israel is calling on them to increase pressure on Iran. In a weekend interview with the Toronto Sun, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, said a nuclear-armed Iran poses a dire threat to the entire world, not just Israel. “The cost of this war, in terms of the home front, is huge,” he said. “Iran has no regard for international law, they hit civilian infrastructure they can hit. That’s really concerning, because their heavy missiles cause enormous damage.”
On Friday, Israel attacked more than a dozen sites in Iran as part of “Operation Rising Lion.”The strikes — the largest the Islamic theocracy has sustained since the Iran-Iraq war — were meant to surgically dismantle Iran’s nuclear weapons program and kill key members of its military. That sparked retaliatory ballistic missile and drone barrages from Iran — many of which were intercepted by the American and Jordanian military — but saw several falling on civilian neighbourhoods across Tel Aviv and other areas deliberately targeted by Iran. As of Monday, Israel’s death toll from the Iranian counterattack sits at 24, with nearly 600 wounded.
Canada's support for Gaza UN Vote undermines peace: Jewish groups
Canada's Israel statement garners Hamas praise, condemnation from Jewish, Israeli groupsز With Iran’s nuclear program developing delivery vehicles capable of reaching Europe or even North America, and with Iran supporting violent anti-Israel activists and protests across this continent and around the world, Moed said Iran is truly a global threat. “This is why we all have to come together, and why we also call on the G7 to acknowledge this threat and make sure Iran does not attain its goals,” he said. “It is incumbent on the international community to do whatever it takes to ensure Iran doesn’t execute its murderous plan against Israel and destabilize the region. This is the 11th hour.”Arsen Ostrovsky, leading human rights attorney and CEO of the International Legal Forum, told the Sun that the short-term unrest is necessary to ensure long-term stability in the region. “Israel’s strike was a necessary and lawful act of preemptive self-defense against a regime that has long threatened genocide, armed terror proxies across the region, and was on the verge of obtaining nuclear warheads,” he said. “Far from destabilizing the region, Israel’s action directly confronts the greatest source of instability: the Iranian regime itself. By degrading Tehran’s nuclear and mass weapon capabilities, Israel has advanced the cause of long-term regional and global security.” Ostrovsky said the G7 needs to present a clear and united front backing Israel. “In striking Iran, Israel was not acting alone — but in defence of the West and the very nations and interests that the G7 represents,” he said. “The leaders must unequivocally affirm Israel’s right to self-defence, declare that Iran will never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, provide Israel with whatever support it needs to finish the job, and impose coordinated sanctions to cripple Tehran’s nuclear and terror networks.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich: the Netanyahu government extremists sanctioned
The Conversation/June 16, 2025
The UK’s decision to impose sanctions on two far-right Netanyahu government ministers has put it at loggerheads with the Trump administration over Israel. Announcing on June 10 that Britain would join Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway in sanctioning Israel’s minister for national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and minister of finance, Bezalel Smotrich, the UK foreign secretary David Lammy said the pair had “incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights”.US secretary of state Marco Rubio criticised the decision, releasing a statement the same day saying the sanctions did not “advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war”. He added: “We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.”Britain and its allies also called on the Netanyahu government to respond to extremist Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and to “cease the expansion of illegal settlements which undermine a future Palestinian state”. This has brought the spotlight back to the West Bank, where decades of settler violence towards Palestinians and a planning system which favours the Israeli settlers, have led to the gradual displacement of Palestinian communities.
The announcement seemed to signal a possible breach in relations between the UK government and the Netanyahu government. But with conflict escalating between Israel and Iran, the UK’s chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has said the government may be willing to provide military support for Israel. Smotrich responded to the sanctions, speaking on his “contempt” at Britain’s decision and referring to Britain’s history of administration of what he called “our homeland”. He said: “Britain has already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland, and we will not allow it to do so again. We are determined to continue building.”In retaliation for the sanctions, Smotrich pledged to collapse the Palestinian Authority, by taking measures to prevent Israeli banks for corresponding with Palestinian banks. This has been vital for sustaining the Palestinian economy. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich and their ultra-nationalist followers actually represent a relatively small fraction of Israeli society, but they hold the balance of power in Netanyahu’s coalition, controlling 20 seats in Netanyahu’s 67-seat coalition. This has enabled them to consolidate decades of settler activity outside of parliamentary legitimacy into influencing government policy.
Itamar Ben-Gvir
Ben-Gvir is an admirer of the late racist rabbi Meir Kahane, who founded the far-right Kach party which was labelled a terrorist organisation in 2008 having been banned from running in parliamentary elections. In 2007 he was convicted for incitement to racism and being a supporter of a terrorist organisation. He subsequently told an event to honour Kahane that, while he admired Kahane, he would not try to pass laws to expel all Arabs from Israel and the West Bank or to create a regime which involved ethnic segregation. But Kahane’s violent anti-Arab ideology and desire to establish a theocratic Jewish state has influenced the next generation of ultra-nationalists. The national security minister has been convicted eight times for offences that include racism and support for a terrorist organisation. He gained prominence as a successful defence lawyer for Jews accused of violence against Palestinians. The political party he heads, Otzma Yehudit, advocates for the annexation of the entire West Bank without granting Palestinians Israeli citizenship. Ben-Gvir has become infamous for his provocative statements. In August 2023, he declared in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, that his rights trump those of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. “My right, and my wife’s and my children’s right to get around on the roads in Judea and Samaria, is more important than the right to movement for Arabs,” he said, effectively advocating for a regime of apartheid. He has consistently pushed Netanyahu to maintain the war in Gaza, blocking past attempts to reach a ceasefire.
Bezalel Smotrich
Smotrich also has a history of making inflammatory statements. In February 2023, three days after settler vigilantes rampaged through the West Bank town of Huwara, he called for Israel to wipe the town off the map. He later apologised for this comment after being criticised by both the opposition leader, Yair Lapid, and the US government, saying he hadn’t meant it to be a call for vigilante violence. Smotrich believes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are part of the biblical land of Israel and rightfully belong to the Jewish people. He has dedicated his career to ensuring the establishment of Jewish settlements. In 2006, he helped establish a non-governmental organisation called Regavim as a pressure group to increase settlement of the West Bank. The left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz has criticised Regavim as “an organisation waging a total war on Palestinian construction in the West Bank”. Since Smotrich was given increased control over civil affairs on the West Bank in early 2023, the building of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank has accelerated. He is reported to have recently directed his office to “formulate an operational plan for applying sovereignty” over the West Bank. He told a group touring new settlements approved by the Israeli government that: “"We will not stop until the entire area receives its full legal status and becomes an inseparable part of the State of Israel. We are changing the face of the settlement enterprise not just as a slogan, but through real action.”
Rightward shift
The prominence of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich reflects a rightward shift in the Israeli electorate that has brought ultra-nationalist settler ideology into the mainstream. However, their meteoric rise is also due to their holding the balance of power, which has enabled Netanyahu to remain in office. That Netanyahu remains prime minister is widely believed to be partly responsible for the slow progress of his trials for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Before the November 2022 Knesset election, Netanyahu reportedly brokered a deal whereby Smotrich’s Religious Zionism Party and Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Home party joined forces. This ensured they won enough seats to ensure Netanyahu could form a coalition. And so these two extremists bent on thwarting any hope for Palestinian independence became kingmakers. While they have such influence over the Netanyahu government, there is no possibility for a Palestinian state. Instead it is more likely that the violence towards Palestinians and the dispossession of their land will continue to increase.

34 Palestinians killed in new shootings near food distribution centers, medics say
Wafaa Shurafa And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press/June 16, 2025
DEIR AL-B, Gaza Strip — At least 34 Palestinians were killed Monday in new shootings on the roads leading to Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, the local Health Ministry said. The toll was the deadliest yet in the near-daily shootings that have taken place as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach the food centers. As on previous days, witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire in an attempt to control crowds. The ministry says several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in such shootings since the centers, run by the private contractor Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, opened three weeks ago. There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military. It has said in previous instances that troops fired warning shots at what it calls suspects approaching their positions. Gaza's Health Ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed trying to reach the GHF center near the southern city of Rafah and another on route to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere.
Witnesses describe crowds under fire
Israeli troops started firing as thousands of Palestinians massed around 4 a.m. at the Flag Roundabout before the scheduled opening time of the Rafah food center, according to Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians who were in the crowd. People fell to the ground, trying to take cover, they said. “Fire was coming from everywhere,” said Jouda, who has repeatedly made the journey to get food for her family over the past week. "It’s getting worse day by day," she said. The Red Cross field hospital nearby received some 200 injured Monday, the highest single mass casualty event, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. Only a day earlier, it said, around 170 were brought to the facility, most of them wounded by gunshots while trying to reach the GHF center. The Health Ministry toll made it the deadliest day around the food sites since June 2, when 31 people were killed. The Flag Roundabout, hundreds of meters (yards) from the GHF center, has been a repeated scene of shootings. It is on the route designated by the Israeli military for people to take to reach the center. Palestinians over the past weeks have said Israeli troops open fire to prevent people from moving past a certain point on the road before the scheduled opening of the center or because people leave the road. A GHF spokesperson told The Associated Press on Sunday that “none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours.” It said the incidents have involved aid-seekers who were moving “during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut.” It said it was trying to improve safety measures, including by recently moving the opening times from nighttime to daylight hours.
A new aid distribution system
Israel and the United States say the new GHF system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. GHF says there has been no violence in or around the sites themselves. U.N. agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, have rejected the new system, saying it can’t meet the territory’s needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas.
Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the sites opened last month. Experts have warned that Israel’s ongoing military campaign and restrictions on the entry of aid have put Gaza, which is home to some 2 million Palestinians, at risk of famine. Israel’s military campaign since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It says women and children make up most of the dead but doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. Hamas started the latest war in Gaza with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, with militants killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 16-17/2025
Explainer-How much damage have Israeli strikes caused to Iran's nuclear programme?
Francois Murphy/Reuters/June 16, 2025
VIENNA -Israel has carried out wide-ranging military strikes on Iran, hitting sites including some of its most important nuclear facilities.
Below is a summary of what is known about the damage inflicted on Iran's nuclear programme, incorporating data from the last quarterly report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog on May 31.
OVERVIEW
Iran is enriching uranium to up to 60% purity. This could easily be refined further to the roughly 90% which is weapons grade. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which inspects Iran's nuclear sites including its enrichment plants, says that is of "serious concern" because no other country has enriched to that level without producing nuclear weapons. Western powers say there is no civil justification for enrichment to that level. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. It points to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.
HEART OF THE PROGRAMME: URANIUM ENRICHMENT
Iran had three operating uranium enrichment plants when Israel began its attacks:
* The Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) at Natanz (power supply hit)
A vast underground facility designed to house 50,0000 centrifuges, the machines that enrich uranium. There has long been speculation among military experts about whether Israeli airstrikes could destroy the facility given that it is several floors underground. There are about 17,000 centrifuges installed there, of which around 13,500 were operating at last count, enriching uranium to up to 5%.
Electricity infrastructure at Natanz was destroyed, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told the U.N. Security Council on Friday, specifically an electrical sub-station, the main electric power supply building, emergency power supply and back-up generators.
While there was no indication of a physical attack on the underground hall containing the FEP, "the loss of power ... may have damaged the centrifuges there", he said.
Grossi has cited unspecified "information available to the IAEA". While Iran has provided the agency with some information, the IAEA generally makes extensive use of satellite imagery.
* The Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) at Natanz (destroyed)
The smallest and, being above-ground, the softest target of the three enrichment plants. Long a research and development centre, it used fewer centrifuges than the other plants, often connected in smaller clusters of machines known as cascades.
It did, however, have two interconnected, full-size cascades of up to 164 advanced centrifuges each, enriching uranium to up to 60%. Apart from that, there were only up to 201 centrifuges operating at the PFEP enriching to up to 2%.
Most of the research and development work attributed to the PFEP had recently been moved underground to the FEP, where more than 1,000 of its advanced centrifuges were enriching to up to 5%.
The PFEP was destroyed in the Israeli attack, Grossi said.
* The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (no visible damage)
Iran's most deeply buried enrichment site, dug into a mountain, suffered no visible damage, Grossi reiterated on Monday.
While it has only about 2,000 centrifuges in operation, it produces the vast majority of Iran's uranium enriched to up to 60%, using roughly the same number of centrifuges as the PFEP did, because it feeds uranium enriched to up to 20% into those cascades compared to 5% at the PFEP.
Fordow therefore produced 166.6 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% in the most recent quarter. According to an IAEA yardstick, that is enough in principle, if enriched further, for just under four nuclear weapons, compared to the PFEP's 19.2 kg, less than half a bomb's worth.
OTHER FACILITIES
Israeli strikes damaged four buildings at the nuclear complex at Isfahan, the IAEA has said, including the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) and facilities where work on uranium metal was conducted. While it has other uses, mastering uranium metal technology is an important step in making the core of a nuclear weapon. If Iran were to try to make a nuclear weapon, it would need to take weapons-grade uranium and turn it into uranium metal. Uranium conversion is the process by which "yellowcake" uranium is turned into uranium hexafluoride, the feedstock for centrifuges, so that it can be enriched. If the UCF is out of use, Iran will eventually run out of uranium to enrich unless it finds an outside source of uranium hexafluoride.
SCIENTISTS
At least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in Israeli attacks since Friday, including in car bombs, two sources in the Gulf said on Sunday. Israel's armed forces named nine of them on Saturday, saying they "played a central part of the progress toward nuclear weapons" and that "their elimination represents a significant blow to the Iranian regime's ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction". That assertion could not immediately be verified. Western powers have often said Iran's nuclear advances provide it with an "irreversible knowledge gain", suggesting that while losing experts or facilities may slow progress, the advances are permanent.
URANIUM STOCKPILE
Iran has a large stock of uranium enriched to different levels. As of May 17, Iran was estimated to have enough uranium enriched to up to 60% for it to make nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. At lower enrichment levels it has enough for more bombs, though it would take more effort: enough enriched to up to 20% for two more, and enough enriched to up to 5% for 11 more. Much of Iran's most highly enriched uranium stockpile is stored at Isfahan under IAEA seal, officials have said. The IAEA does not report where it is stored, nor has it said whether it was affected by the strikes.
OPEN QUESTIONS
* How will Iran respond?
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state TV on Saturday Iran would take measures to protect nuclear materials and equipment that would not be notified to the IAEA and it would no longer cooperate with the IAEA as before.
Lawmakers are also preparing a bill that could prompt Iran to pull out of the NPT, following in the footsteps of North Korea, which announced its withdrawal in 2003 and went on to test nuclear weapons.
The IAEA does not know how many centrifuges Iran has outside its enrichment plants. Any further reduction in cooperation with the IAEA could increase speculation that it will or has set up a secret enrichment plant using some of that supply. Existing centrifuge cascades can also be reconfigured to enrich to a different purity level within a week, officials have said.
* What is the status of the uranium stock?
If Iran can no longer convert, its existing stock of uranium hexafluoride and enriched uranium becomes even more important.
* How bad is the damage?
The IAEA has not yet been able to carry out inspections to assess the damage there in detail.
* Will there be more attacks?
Soon after the attacks started on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to make a deal with the United States to impose fresh restrictions on its nuclear programme "before there is nothing left". Talks scheduled for June 15 were called off.

Israel Just Ended China's Great Power Status in the Middle East
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/June 16, 2025
"There were some very, very relieved people in the Gulf as the sun rose this morning.... The Saudis know that China had armed their enemy Iran with nukes and lesser weapons and fully backed the Houthis, who have been waging war on the Kingdom for years." — Jonathan Bass, Chief Executive Officer, Argent LNG, to Gatestone Institute, June 13, 2025. "The Chinese state is only as strong as its main energy provider, and that main energy provider, which so far has not been able to counter Israeli strikes, is unlikely to survive this war in its current form." — Brandon Weichert, author of The Shadow War: Iran's Quest for Supremacy, to Gatestone Institute, June 13, 2025. "With the loss of Syria and Hezbollah, Iran no longer has a command and control center in Damascus, only a two hour drive from Beirut. That means China can no longer manipulate events there." — Jonathan Bass, to Gatestone Institute, June 13, 2025. China has a Trump problem in the wider region as well. With the exception of Iran, almost everybody, including Iran's partner Qatar, seems to love the American president. Trump took the Gulf by storm in his three-nation — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — trip in May.
Narratives will change as the fighting between Ira and Israel continues, but one conclusion is already evident: China, Iran's long-time backer, is a victim of the fighting. That is a quick reversal of fortunes. Only last year, the Chinese looked ascendant in the region. Pictured: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov (L) and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazeem Gharibabadi meet on March 14, 2025 in Beijing. (Photo by Getty Images)
Israeli air and drone strikes during the early hours of June 13th crippled Iran -- and severely set back Tehran's regional ambitions. The Israel Defense Forces hit nuclear weapons development facilities and ballistic missile sites, and killed senior military officers, including Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the armed forces chief of staff, and Major General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iranian media announced the death of Ali Shamkhani, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's top adviser. Tehran said that Israel's action was a "declaration of war." This war is continuing, and Iran has struck back with ballistic missile and drone attacks. Narratives will change as the fighting continues, but one conclusion is already evident: China, Iran's long-time backer, is a victim of the fighting. That is a quick reversal of fortunes. Only last year, the Chinese looked ascendant in the region.
"China is closely following Israel's attacks on Iran and is deeply concerned about the potential grave consequences of the operations," the Chinese foreign ministry stated on X a few hours after the initial attacks. "China opposes actions that violate Iran's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and opposes moves that escalate tensions or enlarge conflicts."
"China stands ready to play a constructive role in helping ease the situation," it added. Beijing may stand ready, but, apart from the Iranian regime itself, the region is not looking for Chinese assistance.
For instance, Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf states are, as academic and analyst Christopher Balding put it, "quietly happy" that Israel has set back Iran in general and its nuclear weapons program in particular. "There were some very, very relieved people in the Gulf as the sun rose this morning," Jonathan Bass told Gatestone the day after Israel's initial attack. As Bass, who travels extensively in the region for Argent LNG points out, the losses sustained by the Iranian military and the IRGC give the Sunni Muslim states fewer reasons to cooperate with Tehran. "The Saudis were not particularly happy with Chinese attempts to forge a relationship between them and the Iranians," Bass said. "The March 2023 deal was not popular in the Kingdom." Bass was referring to the China-brokered pact that led long-time enemies Riyadh and Tehran to reestablish diplomatic relations.
"The Saudis," Bass pointed out, "know that China had armed their enemy Iran with nukes and lesser weapons and fully backed the Houthis, who have been waging war on the Kingdom for years." Yes, the Chinese regime did all that, and the Kingdom has been looking for payback for a long time.Beijing may also suffer another setback. China has been taking more than 90% of Iran's exports of crude oil in recent years. Israeli strikes on June 14th hit a processing plant in Iran's South Pars gas field, the world's largest. There are reports that Israel also attacked Iran's Abadan oil refinery. If the strikes on Iranian energy sites continue, Beijing could soon be scrambling for hydrocarbons.
"As Iran's largest purchaser of energy, China stands the most to lose from the potential fall of Iran's theocracy," Brandon Weichert, author of The Shadow War: Iran's Quest for Supremacy, told this site. "The Chinese state is only as strong as its main energy provider, and that main energy provider, which so far has not been able to counter Israeli strikes, is unlikely to survive this war in its current form."
The possible loss of the Iranian regime reverses two years of fast Chinese progress in the region. "China is the head, Iran is the shoulder, Qatar is the elbow, and the proxies—Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah—are the fingers," Bass notes. "Without the shoulder, the head cannot move either the elbow or the fingers."The decimation of Iran also sets back China in another crucial part of the region. "With the loss of Syria and Hezbollah, Iran no longer has a command and control center in Damascus, only a two-hour drive from Beirut," Bass points out. "That means China can no longer manipulate events there."Syria, once a promising target for Chinese domination, is leaving Beijing's sphere of influence. The country's new leader, former militant Ahmed al-Sharaa, is fast moving Syria closer to the United States.
Sharaa has a willing partner: U.S. President Donald J. Trump. While in Saudi Arabia last month, Trump met with Sharaa after announcing that the U.S. would drop its Assad-era sanctions on his country.
China has a Trump problem in the wider region as well. With the exception of Iran, almost everybody, including Iran's partner Qatar, expresses love for the American president. Trump took the Gulf by storm in his three-nation — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — trip in May.Chinese leaders obviously thought that their backing of Iran would let them ride into control of the region. A proxy war is a sly maneuver when the proxies do well, but it can lead to disaster when the proxies are being ground into the dust.
China's proxies — and China itself — are now being ground into the dust.
Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
*Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter)
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https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21687/israel-iran-china

Iran vs. Israel: Adults in the room need to act quickly
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/June 17, 2025
The Middle East is once again at a dangerous crossroads as tensions between Israel and Iran escalate. This latest round of hostilities threatens to drag the region into yet another prolonged conflict — one that benefits no one except those who thrive on instability. At a time when aggression is outpacing diplomacy, it is imperative for rational voices to intervene before the situation spirals beyond control. Saudi Arabia has taken swift action, demonstrating its commitment to regional peace through intense diplomatic engagement. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has personally communicated with leaders around the world, emphasizing the urgent need to de-escalate tensions and unify international efforts to prevent further violence. Riyadh recognizes that unchecked military confrontation will not only destabilize nations but also hinder progress, development and the fight against violent extremism. The Kingdom has unequivocally condemned the attack on Iran and the violation of its sovereignty, denouncing it as a clear breach of international laws. However, Saudi Arabia understands that words alone are insufficient. Proactive measures must be taken to prevent the situation from deteriorating further. Riyadh is rallying diplomatic channels to reduce tensions, working to ensure that strategic decisions prioritize stability over reckless militarization.
One of the most critical aspects of Saudi Arabia’s approach is preventing its airspace from being exploited for military operations. Riyadh has firmly stated that it will not permit any party to use its territory to fuel hostilities. The Kingdom’s primary concern is the protection of its people, ensuring that Saudi citizens and residents are shielded from the repercussions of war. National security remains a top priority and the Saudi leadership will take every step necessary to maintain it.
Saudi Arabia was among the first nations to condemn Israel’s strikes on Iran, highlighting the severity of the situation and its potential consequences. Riyadh has repeatedly urged the international community — particularly the UN Security Council — to take decisive action against Israel’s pattern of violating sovereignty across the Middle East. The world cannot afford to ignore these aggressions — and it is the responsibility of the global powers to hold Israel accountable for its actions.
Beyond the immediate military confrontation, the risks extend into the broader ideological landscape. War in the Middle East does not remain confined to battlefields — it fuels violent extremism. A drawn-out conflict would create opportunities for extremist groups to exploit, further entrenching instability in the region. Saudi Arabia categorically rejects such an outcome. The Kingdom remains committed to safeguarding the region from regression into turmoil and ensuring that its people can move toward a secure and prosperous future.
Hesitation is not an option — only swift, strategic interventions can prevent this conflict from spiraling further.
There is also a strategic element to consider. Israel’s repeated aggression is not merely reactionary; it is calculated. Disorder serves as a convenient justification for further violations, allowing Israel to strengthen its position under the pretense of security. The governments of the Middle East must recognize this tactic and actively work to counter efforts that threaten national sovereignty. Stability is not just about safeguarding borders — it is about rejecting geopolitical maneuvers that thrive on instability. Saudi diplomacy continues to play a pivotal role in ensuring that the crisis does not escalate beyond repair. Riyadh’s engagement in diplomatic channels serves as a buffer against widespread conflict. Its steadfast commitment to rational negotiation over impulsive warfare has established Saudi Arabia as a stabilizing force at a time when volatility is at its peak.
However, the burden of responsibility does not rest solely on Saudi Arabia. Global powers must act with maturity and wisdom, recognizing the stakes involved. Hesitation is not an option — only swift, strategic interventions can prevent this conflict from spiraling further. Efforts aimed at mediation must be supported and amplified, ensuring that rational discourse prevails over reckless aggression. The success of these diplomatic efforts is crucial, as failure would come at an immeasurable cost. Saudi Arabia’s approach to regional conflicts has always been clear: diplomacy is the key. The Kingdom firmly rejects military escalation, advocating instead for diplomatic resolutions that secure peace and stability. War is not a solution, it is a distraction from the real goal: progress.
This is more than just policy — it is principle. And today, more than ever, it is a principle the world must uphold.
**Faisal J. Abbas is the Editor-in-Chief of Arab News. X: @FaisalJAbbas

Settling for half a victory in the Iran-Israel war
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 16, 2025
This war had been brewing for two decades — long anticipated but repeatedly avoided. Both the Iranian and Israeli sides had succeeded in avoiding direct confrontation, limiting themselves to proxy wars, until the Oct. 7, 2023, attack happened. At that point, the Israelis decided to eliminate the sources of threat and shift their strategy from “mowing the lawn” — targeting the proxy threats as they grew — to destroying the entire octopus. They started with Hamas, then dismantled Hezbollah’s capabilities, exposed the Assad regime in Syria, and now the war has reached Iran. There, Iran is developing its nuclear and missile capabilities, which have rendered Israel’s deterrence doctrine obsolete — making war necessary to restore the balance of power in Israel’s favor and reinforce deterrence.
When it comes to the Israeli concept of deterrence, the country’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion said: “A long war is not an option for us; deterrence is our true weapon.” Moshe Dayan explained it further: “We must scare them from even thinking of waging war, not just win it.”
Deterrence remains a cornerstone of Israel’s military policy and that is why it seeks — at least in theory — to strip Iran of its threatening capabilities. But fighting between two heavily armed and destruction-ready forces is an extremely dangerous affair. We have seen in recent history how wars have spun out of control. Hassan Nasrallah never imagined that he and his group would be wiped out when he launched a few rockets. Bashar Assad never thought he would end up an isolated refugee in a suburb of Moscow. And Yahya Sinwar never envisioned the horrific destruction of Gaza when he planned the Oct. 7 attack.
It has only been a few days of fighting, yet the losses are significant. The Iranians have lost top-tier commanders and their nuclear and missile facilities have sustained major damage. The Israelis are bleeding too — Jaffa, Israel’s third-largest city, has suffered massive destruction not seen since the 1948 war, due to Iranian missile attacks. The Iron Dome did not offer full protection for a small country in terms of both population and land. Fighting between two heavily armed and destruction-ready forces is an extremely dangerous affair.
This confrontation differs from previous wars in terms of how victory and defeat are defined. The Israelis are now prepared to tolerate heavy human losses. In the past, governments would fall if as few as five people were killed. So far, Israel has lost more than 400 soldiers in the Gaza war, and it has not stopped. That is what makes this different — both Israelis and Iranians are willing to bear the cost, and each side sees it as an existential war.
Each party accuses the other of crossing red lines by targeting civilians — seemingly laying the groundwork to justify expanding the war, just as happened in the Iran-Iraq War, when most missiles were deliberately aimed at cities. Israel’s defense minister warned that “Tehran will burn” if Iranian attacks on Israeli cities continue. This in turn will lead to the targeting of political leaders — who were considered off-limits at the start of the war. Can the war be stopped in its first week? Israeli sources say they have achieved immediate success by dismantling Iran’s defenses — systems, missiles and command centers — but strategic Iranian capabilities remain, as not all facilities have been destroyed.
Will both sides settle for half a victory to halt the war and return to nuclear negotiations? Perhaps Tehran is willing in order to stop the ongoing destruction, while the Israelis do not yet seem satisfied with the results — they want to “complete the mission” to ensure Iran will not threaten them for the next 20 years. There are other players too — particularly US President Donald Trump — who are likely inclined to stop the war. Will President Trump act in the second week, before things spiral out of control? How could it spiral? The Russia-Ukraine war began with two countries; today, it includes North Korean troops, Iranian drones and Western European experts.
*Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a Saudi journalist and intellectual. He is the former general manager of Al-Arabiya news channel and former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, where this article was originally published. X: @aalrashed

Khamenei, Netanyahu and Trump’s keys
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 16, 2025
It is no simple feat to make Tehran live at the mercy of Israeli fighter jets and for the Israeli army to declare that the skies leading to the Iranian capital are open to its aircraft. It is also no simple feat to make Tel Aviv come under a barrage of Iranian missiles and for its people to come out of their shelters and observe the destruction around them. The Israeli defense minister declared that Tehran “will burn” if it continued to target civilians, while the Iranians watched as their facilities went up in flames and were turned to rubble.
We are not just being confronted by two countries with no shared borders trading strikes. We are facing a seismic cross-border shift. 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. They awoke to the reality that the fortress was actually weak, despite possessing an extraordinary arsenal. They realized that the walls of the fortress are riddled with holes and that the Iranian missiles can infiltrate them.
After decades of expansion in the region, the Iranians also 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. They believed that the previous blows between Iran and Israel were nothing more than an exchange of messages. The Iranians awoke to the reality that their fortress is weak, with holes so large they allowed Israel to control their skies and Mossad to infiltrate their land and homes. The massacre of generals and nuclear scientists revealed that Israel’s breach of Tehran was much deeper than its breach of Beirut.
This truly is the mother of all battles in the region. It is more dangerous than all the wars the Middle East has seen in half a century
The most difficult battle is that of the image: when the government appears lost or confused and the army appears incapable or in disarray. People grow more fearful when their faith in their guards becomes shaken.
On Oct. 7, 2023, the Israelis were crippled by fear and the world was struck with awe. For several hours, the Israeli government seemed absent or paralyzed and the army unable to protect the fortress. On June 13, 2025, Iran appeared to be in a similar position.
It was not easy on Oct. 7, 2023, to inform Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Yahya Sinwar’s attack. On June 13, 2025, it was not easy at all to inform the Iranian supreme leader about what had happened to the military commanders and nuclear scientists. It was not easy for Netanyahu to watch the funerals caused by the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation or for Ali Khamenei to watch the funerals of the generals and scientists, along with the killing of figures he had decorated with medals in recognition of their loyalty and roles.
The Israeli attack on Iran launched a mutually destructive operation. The two countries and the region entered what appears to be a tunnel where Iran does not have the ability to stop the Israeli raids and Israel cannot stop the barrage of Iranian rockets. Escalating the fight will impact regional security and energy prices and bring about images the people have never seen before, despite the horrors they have witnessed over the years. This truly is the mother of all battles in the region. 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 in failing to recognize what it meant for Donald Trump to return to the White House? Was it 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 advisers fled Syria, Ahmad Al-Sharaa sat down in the presidential palace and Hassan Nasrallah was taken out of the equation? Was it wrong when it failed to assure the International Atomic Energy Agency? Did it underestimate the dangerousness of a gambler called Benjamin Netanyahu and the growing hostility of Israel’s military and security institutions in the 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 will not be long before it urges Netanyahu and the supreme leader to consider their options. Iran does not have many. Expanding the conflict by attacking American bases would only deepen its crisis and so would closing the Strait of Hormuz. 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.
It will not be long before the world urges Netanyahu and the supreme leader to consider their options. Iran does not have many
The situation in the Middle East is worrisome and scary. Israeli fighter jets violate the region’s countries to pounce on targets in Iran. The Iranian rockets and drones violate the skies of various countries to attack targets in Israel. The fight between Israel and Iran has taken the spotlight from the horrors in Gaza and crises elsewhere. The Middle East needs to get out of the tunnels of death, destruction and injustice. It needs countries to respect the borders and sovereignty of others and to recognize people’s rights. It needs Israel to adopt a different policy and for Iran to seek different options. It needs to know the borders of a country called Israel and the limits of Iran’s role in the region. Netanyahu does not have the green light to wage a long, open war. It is difficult to believe that Iran can wage a long fight, one that would shake the foundations of its image and economy and expose the fragility of its regime. A crushing victory will be difficult to achieve. The fight is costly and Trump is looking at his watch. He seems confident that Israel will not be able to achieve peace without US support and that Iran has no other choice than to take 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 the negotiations he is sponsoring.
**Ghassan Charbel is editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. X: @GhasanCharbel

European powers must push for Iran-Israel ceasefire
Chris Doyle/Arab News/June 16, 2025
An Israeli war against Iran, which so many have feared for decades, today threatens to engulf the world in a dangerous conflict with disastrous human, political, economic and environmental consequences. Israel has unilaterally jeopardized global security with a reckless gamble.
Many debate the position of the Trump administration. How much did it know and when? Was President Donald Trump opposed to the action but unable to stop belligerent Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu or did he quietly acquiesce? Is Netanyahu out of control? The White House has been supportive but not enthusiastic. The risk of Netanyahu sucking Trump into his war is genuine, not least if Israeli attacks on Iranian oil and gas infrastructure triggers Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz or attack oil and gas sites in neighboring states.
What are the options for major European powers? The Trump administration had excluded them from the Oman talks on a new Iran nuclear deal and kept them at arm’s length, even though they had been crucial in securing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement in 2015. But Europe will not be immune to the consequences of this war.
The British, French and German leaders have resorted to calling for de-escalation and restraint. This is limp. Israel could reduce the number of daily strikes and that might qualify, but it would resolve nothing. Iran might send a missile salvo half the size of its usual barrage. Calling for a ceasefire is a minimum. The reality is that none of these leaders wish to be publicly seen calling for Israel to stop, as that might invoke lazy accusations of appeasement. But this position hardly looks credible when UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces that Britain is building up its forces in the region. Ministers state that the UK may help defend Israel from Iranian strikes. This is the very path of escalation that will give Israel a comfort blanket from which to continue its chosen path of aggression against Iran. Working together and with regional and other actors, they must root their positions in international legitimacy. European powers need this like a hole in the head. The impact on the price of oil and gas will harm their economies just as many are facing dire economic conditions and are being forced into spending cuts. Defense spending increases were designed to cope with the threat from Russia, not wars in the Middle East.
This is why Britain, France and Germany have offered Iran immediate talks on the nuclear issue. But this train has well and truly left the station. Iran is unlikely to be willing to negotiate while under bombardment. The most likely answer will be: “make Israel stop and then let’s see.” Moreover, if Israel and the US are not on board, why would Iran engage?
But as well as engaging in whatever diplomacy is available, European powers should ensure a posture of no direct involvement in this war. Working together and with regional and other actors, they must root their positions in international legitimacy. Both Israel and Iran should be made to understand that their future relations with Europe depend on ending this conflict. Wherever possible, European actors should encourage the Trump administration to cooperate in bringing this to a close. European actors can also work hard to prevent this conflict from spreading. They will have to protect their assets in the region, but also do everything to stop the situation from deteriorating. Netanyahu has engaged in a war of choice against Iran. European leaders should make this clear and condemn it as such. Israel was not acting in self-defense and to suggest so risks contempt, not respect. They can also express understanding as to why Israel had fears about the Iranian enrichment program, but at the same time make it clear that military action was not warranted. The US-Iran talks should have been allowed a chance to succeed, not be bombed into oblivion. To the extent that it was a preemptive strike, it was against any possibility of a nuclear deal between the US and Iran. Only by returning to a moral high ground and a rules-based approach can European actors regain any respect
European powers should also be clear to Iran that, while the Israeli attacks were an aggression, Iran’s unwillingness to abandon its nuclear program and its threats against Israel were also unacceptable. Arming nonstate actors across the Middle East to disrupt and undermine regional security was wrong and counterproductive.
Palestine should also not drop off the agenda. International actors have so far failed to halt the genocide in Gaza and the settlement frenzy in the West Bank. The message to Israeli leaders should be crystal clear: committing these war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against Palestinians is unacceptable, cannot continue and will have consequences.Only by returning to a moral high ground and a rules-based approach can European actors regain the respect they have occasionally benefited from internationally. Judicial bodies should be encouraged to pay close attention as to how both Israel and Iran conduct this war and what they target. This is a casino war, a reckless gamble in which the stakes are far too high. European leaders cannot be passive observers. They must be at the forefront of a relentless diplomatic onslaught that matches or even surpasses Netanyahu’s fondness for war and Iran’s desire for retaliation.
**Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding in London. X: @Doylech

Selected Twittes for Monday June 16/2025
Reza Pahlavi Communications
"What angers me further is that Ali Khamenei is using my compatriots as a human shield, while he is currently hiding in some underground tunnel like a rat," Prince Reza Pahlavi said in an interview with Fox News.

Reza Pahlavi
https://x.com/i/status/1934530270679478561
As G7 leaders gather for #G7Kananaskis2025, here is my message for them: support the people of Iran.

Iran International English
Iran’s exiled crown prince accused Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of using the Iranian people as human shields while hiding “like a rat in an underground tunnel,” saying he alone bears responsibility for dragging the country into the current conflict with Israel. "What angers me further is that he is using my compatriots as a human shield, while he is currently hiding in some underground tunnel like a rat,"
@PahlaviReza
said in an interview with Fox News. "This is not the Iranian people’s war. It is Ali Khamenei’s war, and he is solely and ultimately responsible for having brought us to this stage." Pahlavi added that senior Iranian government officials have already sent their families abroad. “We have had reports that senior members and officials have already had their families fleeing the country to foreign destinations,” he said.

Mike Pence
**Pence says US ‘needs to be prepared’ to help Israel destroy Iranian nuclear program
**The Fordow Imperative: MAGA isolationists want the President to pressure Israel to stop the war before Iran’s nuclear sites are destroyed - WSJ
**US should 'support Israel in any way that is necessary' | NewsNation

Shadi khalloul שאדי ח'לול
https://x.com/i/status/1934502473810534580
Memorial of the Aramaic people Genocie Seyfo took place yesterday in Holland and other communities around the world among the diaspora. Seyfo & Kafno was a Genocide done by the Authomans against our Aramaic people in 1915. They didn't want to hear the language of Jesus being spoken as testimony for his kingdom on Earth. But, we resist, and here we exist and continue to speak it, teach, and spread it. Church leaders, Rabi Binyomin Jacobs head of the Dutch Jewish community, Yohanin Kurt, head of Holland Aramaic Federation, Dutch parliament members Issa Kahraman, Don Ceder, also participated to honor the memorial of our people.
Israel recognized the Aramaic identity in 2014 and many more countries are invited to follow.

Guila Fakhoury
To all my followers who are not familiar with the Middle East region, I urge you to read my opinion on the matter. I’ve been seeing many fellow Americans expressing a wish that we had stuck with the Obama deal. As an independent Lebanese American who understands the Middle East deeply and has personally suffered because of the Obama administration’s deal with Iran—an agreement that empowered its Hezbollah proxy in Lebanon, Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas in Gaza—it’s difficult for those outside the region to fully grasp the true danger posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. This threat isn’t limited to Iranians or Middle Easterners; the regime and its proxies have been responsible for countless acts of violence—killing, imprisoning, and torturing innocent people, including my own father.
In the Middle East, we have endured the consequences of the power that Iran gained through that deal, which has contributed to the instability and conflict we see today. I also criticize the Trump administration for not doing more to support the brave Iranian people seeking to rise up and overthrow this terrorist regime. However, I understand their stance on non-interference in other nations' internal affairs.
@omriceren
said it perfectly

Omri Ceren
@omriceren
If you want to know how we got here -
Exactly 10 years ago, in just a week and a half, journalists revealed that Obama officials had dismantled pressure on Iran and its terrorist proxies, and were in the process of collapsing on their core nuclear demands. June 9 - the WSJ reported that the admin had dismantled support for anti-Hezbollah groups, "tacitly accepting Hezbollah in an effort to appease Iran." https://wsj.com/articles/u-s-strategy-in-lebanon-stirs-fears-1433886517?cb=logged0.6999968086204462
June 10 - the AP reported that Obama officials had invented a new category of "nuclear-related sanctions," which they filled with whatever Iran was asking for, and that's how they were going to provide the regime with sweeping sanctions relief under a nuclear deal. https://apnews.com/62f2c97dcb544f129196047f34a081c0
June 11 - the AP reported that Obama officials had collapsed on their previous demand for Iran to come clean on its past nuclear weapons work. Without that baseline, there would be no way to verify the deal or prevent Iran from cheating. https://theledger.com/story/news/2015/06/11/officials-nuke-deal-wont-answer-iran-weapons-qs-on-day-1/27059195007/
June 16 - Kerry tried to defend the collapse, saying that the US didn't need Iran to come clean because we had "absolute knowledge" of their nukes work. He was simply lying. 3 months earlier the IAEA chief had said "what we don’t know [is] whether they have undeclared activities... We don’t know what they did in the past." 2 years later Israel revealed the Nuclear Archive and confirmed as much. https://ua.usembassy.gov/secretary-state-john-kerry-press-availability-via-teleconference/
June 18 - Al Monitor reported on a GAO report which said the State Dept. was 3 years behind enforcing sanctions against Iran. http://al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/06/sanctions-delay-state-department-late-iran-report-gao.html

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
If I didn't know any better, I'd have said that Islamist Iran's Ali Khamenei was shopping for a sewer to hide in, just like Saddam and Gadhafi before him.
Tyrants never learn. They live similar lives, make similar mistakes, die similar deaths.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
For over a year, freaking Nasrallah refused to untie Lebanon war from Gaza's. He destroyed Lebanon and died without untying. Bastard Khamenei is now begging Israel to stop the war, promising to give up everything to save himself and his regime. The Shia of Lebanon must be seeing their ears growing long (this is a Lebanese idiom, meaning they're turning into donkeys = idiots). Freaking stupid mercenaries!
Excuse the rant.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
No regional war, World War III, America dragged into war?
Who would have guessed, eh?
Perhaps everyone who warned us of doom and gloom should admit error? Perhaps they should consider switching to a different line of work.
This, ladies and gents, is what foreign policy calls "peace through strength," or "carry a big stick and speak softly."