16 h. ago Iran defies warnings to 'surrender’ as US gears up for war again

United States war machine gears up to join Israeli air attacks on Iran's nuclear programme and military sites as region hurtles towards all-out war and Iran defies White House command to 'surrender'

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19 h. ago Bunker buster bombs: The American weapon which could spell the end of Iran’s nuclear sites

Experts believe only Washington has the weapons capable of halting Iran’s nuclear programme

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30 h. ago Israel’s gamble on force could push Iran to accelerate nuclear plans

Experts say the strikes have delayed Tehran’s bomb-making by months – but may undermine chances of a diplomatic solutionIn just a few days of war, Israel has killed more than a dozen of Iran’s top nuclear scientists, taken out much of its top military hierarchy and attacked key parts of its nuclear programme.It has been a powerful display of Israeli military and intelligence dominance, but has not critically damaged Iran’s widely dispersed and heavily protected nuclear programme, Israeli military commanders and international nuclear proliferation experts agree. Continue reading...

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30 h. ago Israeli strikes have not knocked out Iran’s nuclear programme

Experts say the strikes have delayed Tehran’s bomb-making by months – but may undermine chances of a diplomatic solutionIsrael-Iran conflict: live updatesIn just a few days of war, Israel has killed more than a dozen of Iran’s top nuclear scientists, taken out much of its top military hierarchy and attacked key parts of its nuclear programme.It has been a powerful display of Israeli military and intelligence dominance, but has not critically damaged Iran’s widely dispersed and heavily protected nuclear programme, Israeli military commanders and international nuclear proliferation experts agree. Continue reading...

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43 h. ago Netanyahu speaks of regime change in Iran. But it’s not the same as regime destruction

Israeli president has no interest in Iran’s future beyond weakening and destabilising a regional rival Middle East crisis – live updatesOn Sunday, in an interview with Fox News, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, pontificated on a theme he has become increasingly attached to in recent years: that Israel under his leadership would not simply attempt to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes through military attack, but in the process usher in regime change in Tehran.The government in Tehran, he said, was “very weak”, adding that given the opportunity, “80% of the people would throw these theological thugs out”. Continue reading...

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43 h. ago Netanyahu speaks of regime change in Iran; what he means is regime destruction

Israeli prime minister has no interest in Iran’s future beyond weakening and destabilising a regional rivalMiddle East crisis – live updatesOn Sunday, in an interview with Fox News, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, pontificated on a theme he has become increasingly attached to in recent years: that Israel under his leadership would not simply attempt to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes through military attack, but in the process usher in regime change in Tehran.The government in Tehran, he said, was “very weak”, adding that given the opportunity, “80% of the people would throw these theological thugs out”. Continue reading...

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43 h. ago What is a bunker buster bomb? US weapon could be key to destroying Iran’s nuclear sites

Experts believe only Washington has the weapons capable of halting Iran’s nuclear programme

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45 h. ago Trump leaves Europe in the cold in the Rocky Mountains, and Iran with a stark choice

Trump sought to underline European irrelevance in the Middle East crisis. All now rests on what he proposesMiddle East crisis – live updatesDiscussing the dilemma facing western diplomats in confronting Iran’s nuclear programme, Henry Kissinger wrote in 2006: “Diplomacy never operates in a vacuum. It persuades not by the eloquence of its practitioners but by assembling a balance of incentives and risks.”Rarely has the balance of incentives and risks been placed so starkly in front of Iran’s leaders as now. Continue reading...

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46 h. ago Donald Trump not seeking ceasefire but wants ‘a real end’ to Iran’s nuclear programme

US president suggests decisive moment is imminent in Israel’s bombing campaignMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has said he is not seeking a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Iran but instead wants to see “a real end” to Iran’s nuclear programme, with Tehran abandoning it “entirely”.The US president predicted Israel would not let up in its bombing campaign and suggested a decisive moment in that campaign was imminent, though he made clear he expected Israel to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities without US help. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago The UK should protect its allies in the Gulf and Middle East – but Israel isn’t one of them

Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear programme is good for the UK – but helping Israel now is not, and here’s why, explains world affairs editor Sam Kiley

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3 d. ago The UK should protect its allies in the Gulf and Middle East

Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear programme is good for the UK - helping Israel now is not, and here’s why, Sam Kiley, World Affairs Editor explains.

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3 d. ago New footage shows IDF striking Iran's 'nuclear programme HQ' as Israeli death toll rises to 13 amid escalating tit

New footage shows the IDF striking Iran's 'nuclear programme headquarters', as it was revealed that children are among the 13 people who have died in Israel following escalating strikes 

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5 d. ago NATALIE LISBONA: I cowered with my children in the shelter as the blasts above said we were under attack

The first indication I had that Israel's long-awaited operation to take out Iran's nuclear weapons programme was under way came in the early hours of yesterday morning.

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5 d. ago Trump scrambles to claim credit for Israel’s Iran attack he publicly opposed

Discordant US response as president says he was fully aware of plans for what Marco Rubio called a ‘unilateral action’ Middle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump is walking a tightrope as he claims that he was fully aware of Israel’s plans to launch massive airstrikes against Iran while continuing to distance the US from those strikes and deny Washington took any active role in the preparations.The White House’s messaging has shifted quickly from Marco Rubio’s arms-length description of the Israeli attack as a “unilateral action”, to Trump claiming on Friday morning that he was fully in the loop on the operation and that it came at the end of a 60-day ultimatum he had given Iran to “make a deal” on its nuclear programme. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago The Guardian view on Israel’s shock attack on Iran: confusing US signals add to the peril | Editorial

The recklessness of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the incoherence of Donald Trump’s deepen the crisis in the Middle EastUS presidents who thought they could easily restrain Benjamin Netanyahu have quickly learned their lesson. “Who’s the fucking superpower?” Bill Clinton reportedly exploded after his first meeting with the Israeli prime minister.Did Donald Trump make the same mistake? The state department quickly declared that the devastating overnight Israeli attack on Iran – which killed key military commanders and nuclear scientists as well as striking its missile capacity and a nuclear enrichment site – was unilateral. Mr Trump had reportedly urged Mr Netanyahu to hold off in a call on Monday, pending US talks with Iran over its nuclear programme due this weekend. The suspicion is that Israel feared that a deal might be reached and wanted to strike first. But Israeli officials have briefed that they had a secret green light from the US, with Mr Trump only claiming to oppos...

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5 d. ago Israelis in triumphant but foreboding mood after unprecedented Iran strikes

Many welcome attack on military and nuclear targets but unease lingers as country braces for what happens nextMiddle East crisis – live updatesTrepidation mixed with triumphalism in Israel on Friday, after an unprecedented attack on Iran’s military and nuclear programme brought ordinary life to an abrupt halt.The country’s main airport was closed “until further notice” with no flights expected for days and hospitals began moving hundreds of vulnerable patients to emergency underground facilities and sending home anyone who could be discharged. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Is Iran as close to building a nuclear weapon as Netanyahu claims?

Israeli PM alleges Tehran has capacity to make nine bombs, but this runs contrary to recent US and UN assessmentsMiddle East crisis – live updatesIn justifying Israel’s attack on Iran, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had acted to pre-empt a secret Iranian programme to build a nuclear bomb, claiming Tehran already had the capacity to build nine nuclear bombs. Israeli officials also claimed to have presented information to the US that Iran had recently made the necessary technical breakthroughs.Netanyahu’s critics are saying he acted to pre-empt something else: a diplomatic agreement between the US and Iran on its civil nuclear programme, or even the demise of his own government. They point out that Israel has been saying for 20 years that Iran is on the brink of building a bomb. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Three terrifying ways the world could destroy Iran's threatened nuclear warheads

Strikes on Iran designed to wipe out the country's nuclear enrichment programme started last night as Israel fears Iran could already have enough enriched uranium for 10 nuclear warheads

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6 d. ago Oil surges after Israel’s attack on Iran, risking ‘stagflationary shock’ – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsIsrael launches strikes on ‘dozens’ of targets in Iran, targeting nuclear programmeBudget airline Wizz, whose shares are down almost 5% today, says it has suspended flights to Tel Aviv and re-routed flights affected by closed airspace in the region for the next 72 hours.The jump in the oil price today, following Israel’s attack on Iran, is a “bad shock for the global economy at a bad time”.For the average consumer, they will be looking at more income uncertainty. They will be looking at higher petrol prices, and in the UK, they’re probably looking now at higher risk of taxation in October.So whatever way you look at it, it’s negative short term, it’s negative longer term. Continue reading...

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6 d. ago Oil surges after Israel’s attack on Iran, as markets slide – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsIsrael launches strikes on ‘dozens’ of targets in Iran, targeting nuclear programmeEuropean stock markets have joined the global selloff, as the overnight escalation in the Middle East has triggered a wave of risk-off sentiment.Here’s now the main indices have fallen:Germany’s DAX: -1.35%France’s CAC: -1.2%Italy’s FTSE MIB: -1.45%Spain’s IBEX: -1.55%This alarming escalation in the Middle East has likely caught many investors off guard. Those who have been looking for an opportunity to sell stocks and take profits are now becoming active. It seems the DAX has seen its yearly high from just over a week ago for the time being.Oil prices are skyrocketing as fears grow not only regarding the disruption of Iran’s recent strengthened oil exports but also the potential targeting of other oil production facilities in the region, should this conflict escalate further. Additionally, the transportation of oil through the Strait of Hormuz...

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