Middle East countries impose more restrictions amid growing coronavirus cases

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The UAE has imposed a curfew over the weekend. (File/AFP)
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Updated 28 March 2020
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Middle East countries impose more restrictions amid growing coronavirus cases

  • The number of cases worldwide nearly at 600,000 and deaths climb past 25,000

DUBAI: Countries in the Middle East have taken more containment precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including strict curfew policies and work-from-home campaigns.

The number of cases worldwide topped a half-million and deaths climbed past 24,000 as of Friday morning.

Friday, March 27 (All times in GMT)

21:00 -  Health workers racing to save lives as France contends with one of the world's worst coronavirus outbreaks have received a huge show of gratitude with the help of the Eiffel Tower.
The Paris landmark also had a message for the broader French public: Stay home.
Lights spelled out “Merci," French for ‘Thank you,” and “Stay at home" in English on Friday night along with the tower's famous sparkling illuminations.




The message "Merci" (thank you) in tribute of those on the frontline to fight the coronavirus disease, is seen on the facade of the Eiffel Tower in Paris as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in France, March 27, 2020. (Reuters)

20:37 - President Donald Trump signed an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic rescue package into law Friday, after swift and near-unanimous action by Congress this week to support businesses, rush resources to overburdened health care providers and help struggling families during the deepening coronavirus epidemic.

20:25 - US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an order requiring carmaker General Motors Co to produce ventilators to fight the coronavirus pandemic under the Defense Production Act.

In a memorandum released by the White House, Trump said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar would determine the number of ventilators GM must produce. 

20:20 - Brazil's president Bolsonaro says country's economy is "paralyzed" and the country's coronavirus climate of "hysteria and panic has to stop."

20:10 - US President Donald Trump has issued an order in an effort to force General Motors to produce ventilators under the Defense Production Act.

19:25 - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called on more than 80 million citizens to implement a "voluntary quarantine" and not to leave their homes unless for basic and emergency needs, as the country's death toll from coronavirus reached 92 on Friday.

Erdogan also announced an end to all international flights, and said pandemic councils will be formed in Turkey's 30 big cities to take additional precautions if necessary.

19:20 - The United States has seen a record 18,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 345 deaths over the past 24 hours, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.

There are now 97,028 declared virus cases in the country and there have been 1,475 deaths, Johns Hopkins said.

18:40 - The stars of the movie Contagion on Friday urged fans to listen to experts, wash their hands frequently and practice social distancing.

"That was a movie. This is real life," said Matt Damon, who played someone who was immune to the virus featured in the 2011 film about a pandemic.

Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, and Jennifer Ehle teamed up with scientists from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health to release public service announcements on ways to contain the virus.

18:25 - US President Donald Trump wished Prime Minister Boris Johnson a "speedy recovery" on Friday after the British leader announced he had tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said.

"The president thanked the prime minister for his close friendship and wished him a speedy recovery," it said in a statement.

"President Trump and Prime Minister Johnson agreed to collaborate closely, along with the G7, the G20, and other international partners, to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and boost the global economy."

The leaders voiced optimism that the United States and Britain would emerge "stronger than ever," the White House added.

17:50 - The UAE reported 72 new cases of coronavirus on Friday. 

17:30 - The number of coronavirus cases in Turkey surpassed the 5,000 mark on Friday, while the death toll reached 92.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca reported 2,069 more confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total to 5,698.

Speaking following a meeting of Turkey's scientific council, Koca also told reporters that 17 more COVID-19 patients have died in the past 24 hours.

A total of 344 are currently in intensive care, he said, including 241 who are intubated. So far, 42 patients have recovered.

17:00 - Turkey limited intercity bus travel and banned walks and fishing along the seashore and beaches, as well as jogging in forests and parks on weekends, as Ankara extended measures against the coronavirus.

Local governors could decide to extend the decision to week days, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said during an interview with NTV news channel. 

16:44 - A pet cat has been infected with the novel coronavirus in Belgium after being contaminated by its owner, Belgian health authorities said Friday.

Cases of contamination of pets are rare and authorities ruled out any risk of contamination to humans from home animals.

16:40 - The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has surged by 919 to 9,134, the Civil Protection Agency said on Friday, easily the highest daily tally since the epidemic emerged on Feb. 21.

Prior to Friday's figure, the largest daily toll was registered on March 21, when 793 people died.

The 919 people who died over the last 24 hours compares with 712 deaths on Thursday, 683 on Wednesday, 743 on Tuesday and 602 on Monday.

The total number of confirmed cases rose to 86,498 from a previous 80,539, taking Italy's total past that of China, where the coronavirus epidemic emerged at the end of last year.

The United States already surpassed China's tally of cases on Thursday.

16:35 - World Bank President David Malpass on Friday said poorer countries will need debt relief or restructuring so they can fund their fights against the coronavirus pandemic, and said the World Bank would present a debt-relief approach in April.

16:25 - England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty says after experiencing symptoms compatible with the coronavirus last night, he will be following government guidance and self-isolating for seven days. READ MORE ON BORIS JOHNSON'S COVID-19 POSITIVE TEST.

16:05 - French PM announces two-week extension of lockdown, until April 15.

15:55 - Britain said it was working fast on plans to build more ventilators to help handle the coronavirus outbreak, hoping manufacturers can build larger amounts and do so more speedily.

"The prime minister spoke to a dozen of the companies involved to thank them for all their work so far and to discuss ways that the Government could support them to build ventilators more quickly and in greater quantities for the frontline in the coming weeks," Boris Johnson's Downing Street office said.

Some companies are also working on new designs.

"Any new orders are all dependent on machines passing regulatory tests, but the Government, manufacturers and regulators are working at pace to drive this work forward," the government said.

15:50 - London's second-busiest airport, Gatwick, said on Friday it would shut one of its two terminals next week following a collapse in flight numbers and government restrictions on unnecessary trips.

15:45 - Saudi Arabia’s King Salman discussed on Friday efforts to fight coronavirus with China's President Xi Jinping during a telephone call.

The king congratulated the president on his country's efforts to fight the virus and said that it was important to learn from China’s experience of combating the pandemic.  

15:30 - Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Donald Trump that China "understands the United States' current predicament over the COVID-19 outbreak and stands ready to provide support, the official Xinhua News Agency said Friday.
The White House said only that the two leaders spoke on the phone Thursday and “agreed to work together to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and restore global health and prosperity.”
According to the Chinese news agency, Xi also urged Trump to take “substantive action in improving bilateral relations.”

15:20 - President Donald Trump says the federal government has purchased ventilators from a number of companies, and the names and numbers would be announced later on Friday. He also called on GM to begin manufacturing more and "fast."

14:55 - Coronavirus infections in Italy have yet to reach their peak, the head of the country's national health institute said on Friday, as officials warned that lockdown restrictions would have to be extended beyond April 3.

Italy has reported 8,215 deaths from the illness, more than anywhere else in the world, while confirmed cases total 80,539, with latest data from Thursday showing no let up in new infections, stifling hopes of a possible turnaround.

14:40 - Death toll from virus tops 25,000 globally, most in Europe.

13:50 - Donald Trump makes a Twitter attack on Republican lawmaker Massie who is considering tactics to delay house vote on coronavirus relief bill, adding the Kentucky representative should be thrown out of the Republican party.

13:20 – Dutch coronavirus cases rise by 1,172 to 8,603 with 112 new deaths.

13:10 – UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock announce that they have tested positive for coronavirus. FULL STORY HERE.

12:40 – Saudi health ministry reported 92 new coronavirus cases, 10 of them arrived from outside the country and the remaining cases were in contact with coronavirus cases. The total number of coronavirus cases has reached 1,104, of which 6 are in critical condition. Meanwhile two patients have recovered, bringing total number of recoveries to 35.

12:25 – The number of coronavirus deaths in Israel has reached 11.

12:20 – Russia’s unique policy response to the coronavirus pandemic will put pressure on the credit ratings of its banks, Moody’s forecast on Friday, while Standard & Poor’s said the banking system has adequate capital and liquidity buffers.

12:15 – Switzerland said the number of coronavirus cases has reached 12,161, with 197 deaths.

WATCH: Morocco undertakes sterilization measures as part of the country’s effort to combat the spread of coronavirus. Video posted by @RTwittoma on Twitter 

WATCH: Morocco undertakes sterilization measures as part of the country’s effort to combat the spread of coronavirus. Video posted by @RTwittoma on Twitter
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11:45 – Iraq health ministry reported 76 new coronavirus cases.

11:20 – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tested positive for coronavirus and was self-isolating but would still lead the government’s response to the outbreak. READ THE STORY

11:00 – Iraq is tightening curfews imposed on Sadr City due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, the Baghdad Operations Command said; 20 new coronavirus cases were reported in Najaf. 

10:50 – Lebanon health ministry reported 23 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 391.

10:45 – Spain reported 769 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 4,858, while cases rose to 64,059 froom 56,188 on Thursday.

WATCH: Up to 44 road-cleaning trucks were deployed in Riyadh to clean and to sterilize streets as part of the Kingdom’s precautionary efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus. Twitter video by @Amanatalriyadh

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10:45 – International tourist arrivals to plunge up to 30 percent in 2020 due to coronavirus, the UN said.

10:25 – Bahrain reported 17 new coronavirus recoveries, bringing total to 227.

10:10 – France’s prime minister raised the alarm Friday over an “extremely high” surge in coronavirus cases in the country and warned that the situation would be “difficult in the days to come.”

09:55 – Tunisia’s health ministry reported 30 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infected cases to 227.

09:40 – Iran’s health ministry said the number of coronavirus cases in the country has reached 32,332 and 2,378 deaths. FOR THE STORY




People have their temperature checked as they enter the Palladium Shopping Center, in northern Tehran, Iran. (AP)

09:30 – Kuwait health ministry reported 17 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 225.

09:25 – Seven new coronavirus cases were recorded in Palestine, bringing the total to 91, a government spokesperson said.

09:25 – Oman has reported 22 new coronavirus cases.

09:15 – A shaken South Africa on Friday announced its first two deaths from the coronavirus as the country’s cases rose above 1,000 and a three-week lockdown began, with some police screaming at the homeless on emptying streets. READ THE STORY

09:10 – Malaysia reported 130 new coronavirus cases; there are now 2,161 cases in total.

09:00 – Indonesia has confirmed 153 new coronavirus cases, the biggest daily rise so far and taking the Southeast Asian country's total to 1,046, Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto said/

08:45 – The Philippines reported nine new deaths due to COVID-19, and 96 more infections.

08:40 – The Vietnamese government said it aims to keep the number of coronavirus cases in the country below 1,000.

WATCH: A round-the-clock curfew helped Jordan to contain the coronavirus outbreak, one of the countries to have successfully done so. Video from Twitter user @eyad_saif

WATCH: A round-the-clock curfew helped Jordan to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Video from Twitter user @eyad_saif
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08:40 – Hong Kong confirmed 65 new cases of coronavirus infections, the state’s biggest daily rise.

08:30 – Malaysia announced a stimulus package worth 250-billion ringgit ($58.28 billion) on Friday, its second in a month, to help cushion the economic blow from the coronavirus pandemic. READ THE STORY

08:15 – India’s central bank cut interest rates sharply Friday as the coronavirus outbreak deepens fears for Asia’s third largest economy, which was already battling a prolonged slowdown.

07:20 – Russia suspended operation of tourist facilities, hotels until June 1 due to coronavirus. Moscow reported 196 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 1,036.

07:00 – China has reported 55 new coronavirus cases, and five deaths.

06:45 – Hungary’s Viktor Orbán will impose restrictions on going out in the streets between March 28 and April 11 due to coronavirus, radio reports noted.

WATCH: Beirut resembles a ghost town as Lebanon extends its coronavirus lockdown by two weeks until April 12. Courtesy @whatsuplebanon Instagram

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06:05 – Egypt’s health ministry has reported 39 new coronavirus cases and three deaths, bringing the total number of infected patients to 495. FOR THE STORY

06:00 – Israel’s health ministry reported its ninth coronavirus death, the number of infected cases in the country was now at 2,693.

05:50 – The UAE’s private-sector should allow only a maximum 30 percent of its workforce to report physically for work starting Sunday, March 29, while the rest would be working from home, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation said. READ THE STORY

05:35 – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has risen to 42,288, deaths to 253, Robert Koch Institute monitoring shows.

05:30 – US President Donald Trump said on Friday he spoke with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and discussed “in great detail” the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far killed more than 24,000 people globally.

 

 

05:30 – Kuwait health ministry has reported 8 new coronavirus recoveries, bringing the number of recovered cases in the country to 57.

05:00 – Uzbekistan reports first death of coronavirus patient, the country’s healthcare ministry said.

04:25 ­– Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro decreed Thursday that places of worship are ‘essential services’ that must be exempted from coronavirus confinement orders, the far-right leader's latest jab at aggressive containment measures.




Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has clashed with local authorities who have closed schools and businesses in a bid to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. (AFP)

03:35 ­– Thailand has reported 91 new cases of COVID-19, raising toll to 1,136. READ THE STORY

03:30 – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country would tighten enforcement of self-isolation for citizens returning from overseas. Defense forces will be deployed to support different states and territories in Australia, according to Morrison, to enforce self-isolation.

01:20 – South Korea has reported 91 new cases of coronavirus, bringing total infections to 9,332.

01:10 – A Mexican health official said the total number of coronavirus cases in the country has reached 585.

Thursday, March 26 (All times in GMT)

20:45 – Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management has launched move.gov.ae, a dedicated website where residents can request permission to leave their homes during the sterilization period.

16:50 ­– Oman’s Ministry of Health announced the country has entered the community transmission stage of the virus, warning people to expect a rise in infections in the coming days.

16:05 – The UAE National Media Council (NMC) announced only a maximum of 30 percent of the workforce of non-government media outlet in the country are allowed to work from offices during the 3-day sterilization program. NMC has called on media institutions to dedicate resources to educating the public about the coronavirus and how to prevent its spread.


At UN, Iran accuses US of being complicit in Israeli strikes

Updated 10 min 39 sec ago
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At UN, Iran accuses US of being complicit in Israeli strikes

  • Council the above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Iran's Natanz nuclear site had been destroyed, and that Iran has reported that nuclear sites at Fordow and Isfahan were also attacked

UNITED NATIONS: Iran accused the United States of being complicit in Israel's attacks on the Islamic Republic, which Washington denied, telling Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would "be wise" to negotiate over its nuclear programme. Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel late on Friday after Israel attacked Iran earlier in the day.

Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said Iran had been "preparing for war" and Israel's strikes were "an act of national preservation." His Iranian counterpart, Amir Saeid Iravani, accused Israel of seeking "to kill diplomacy, to sabotage negotiations, and to drag the region into wider conflict," and he said Washington's complicity was "beyond doubt". "Those who support this regime, with the United States at the forefront, must understand that they are complicit," Iravani told the Security Council. "By aiding and enabling these crimes, they share full responsibility for the consequences."

HIGHLIGHTS

• UN Security Council met over Israel's strikes on Iran

• US says Iran would 'be wise' to negotiate on nuclear program

• Iran accuses US of being complicit in Israel's strikes

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he had given Tehran a 60-day ultimatum, which expired on Thursday, to make a deal over its escalating uranium enrichment program. A sixth round of U.S.-Iran talks had been scheduled to take place in Oman on Sunday, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead. Danon said Israel had been patient despite mounting risks.

"We waited for diplomacy to work ... We watched negotiations stretch on, as Iran made false concessions or refused the most fundamental conditions," Danon told the Security Council. He said intelligence had confirmed Iran could have produced enough fissile material for multiple bombs within days.

Senior U.S. official McCoy Pitt said the United States will continue to seek a diplomatic resolution that ensures Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon or pose a threat to stability in the Middle East. "Iran's leadership would be wise to negotiate at this time," Pitt told the council. While Washington was informed of Israel's initial strikes ahead of time it was not militarily involved, he said. U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council the above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Iran's Natanz nuclear site had been destroyed, and that Iran has reported that nuclear sites at Fordow and Isfahan were also attacked.

 


US helps Israel shoot down barrage of Iranian missiles

Updated 14 June 2025
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US helps Israel shoot down barrage of Iranian missiles

  • US also is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to the strikes
  • About 40,000 troops are in the Mideast region now, according to a US official

WASHINGTON: American air defense systems and Navy assets in the Middle East helped Israel shoot down incoming ballistic missiles Friday that Tehran launched in response to Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and top military leaders, US officials said.
The US has both ground-based Patriot missile defense systems and Terminal High Altitude Air Defense systems in the region capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, which Iran fired in multiple barrages in retaliation for Israel’s initial attack.
Naval assets also were involved in assisting Israel as Iran fired missiles at Tel Aviv, one official said. It was not immediately clear if ships fired interceptors or if their advanced missile tracking systems helped Israel identify incoming targets.
The United States also is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to the strikes.
The Navy has directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, which is capable of defending against ballistic missiles, to begin sailing from the western Mediterranean Sea toward the eastern Mediterranean and has directed a second destroyer to begin moving forward so it can be available if requested by the White House, US officials said.
American fighter jets also are patrolling the sky in the Middle East to protect personnel and installations, and air bases in the region are taking additional security precautions, the officials said.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public or to discuss ongoing operations.
President Donald Trump met with his National Security Council principals Friday to discuss options.
The forces in the region have been taking precautionary measures for days, including having military dependents voluntarily depart regional bases, in anticipation of the strikes and to protect personnel in case of a large-scale response from Tehran.
Typically around 30,000 troops are based in the Middle East, and about 40,000 troops are in the region now, according to a US official. That number surged as high as 43,000 last October amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran as well as continuous attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The Navy has additional assets that it could surge to the Middle East if needed, particularly its aircraft carriers and the warships that sail with them. The USS Carl Vinson is in the Arabian Sea — the only aircraft carrier in the region.
The carrier USS Nimitz is in the Indo-Pacific and could be directed toward the Middle East if needed, and the USS George Washington just left its port in Japan and could also be directed to the region if so ordered, one of the officials said.
Then-President Joe Biden initially surged ships to protect Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas that launched the war in Gaza. It was seen as a deterrent against Hezbollah and Iran at the time.
On Oct. 1, 2024, US Navy destroyers fired about a dozen interceptors in defense of Israel as the country came under attack by more than 200 missiles fired by Iran.


Iran’s top military commanders, 6 nuclear scientists among 78 killed in Israeli strikes

Updated 5 sec ago
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Iran’s top military commanders, 6 nuclear scientists among 78 killed in Israeli strikes

  • Khamenei, Revolutionary Guards warn Israel of “harsh punishment” for its attacks
  • Dead scientists identified as Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi

RIYADH: Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei confirmed on Friday that several military commanders and scientists were “martyred” in Israeli strikes on Tehran.

In a statement carried on state television, Khamenei warned that Israel will not go unpunished for its attacks.

“We will not allow them to escape safely from this great crime they committed,” Khamenei said in a recorded message. 

“With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see.”

Iran’s UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in Israeli attacks.

Among those killed were four of Iran’s top military leaders. 

State television and local media identified them as General Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces; Major General Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, or IRGC; Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters; and Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC of the IRGC Aerospace Force. 

Iran’s Nournews reported that Ali Shamkhani, a rear admiral who serves as adviser to Khamenei, was “critically injured.”

Local media confirmed that six scientists working on Iran’s nuclear program were killed, four of them identified as Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranch, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, and Amirhossein Feqhi.

New appointments

Immediately after the strike, Khomenei appointed Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, as the new chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. Mousavi, the army commander since 2017, replaced Bagheri

Replacing Mousavi as army chief was Brigadier General Amir Hatami, who was promoted to the rank of major general. 

Major General Mohammad Pakpour was appointed as the new IRGC chief, replacing “martyred” Salami.

As Pakpour assumed his new post, he warned the Israeli regime to brace for a painful fate.

“The criminal and illegitimate Zionist regime will suffer a bitter and painful fate with huge and destructive consequences,” Iran’s Tasnim News agency quoted Pakpour as saying in a letter to Supreme Leader Khamenei.

With the help of God, the gates of hell will soon be opened upon this child-killing regime, he wrote.

Below is a list of the commanders and scientists killed:

Mohammad Bagheri

A former IRGC commander, Major General Bagheri was chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces from 2016. Born in 1960, Bagheri joined the Guards during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.

Hossein Salami

Salami was commander-in-chief of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Salami, who was born in 1960, as head of the IRGC in 2019.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh

Hajizadeh was the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace Force. Israel has identified him as the central figure responsible for directing aerial attacks against its territory. In 2020, Hajizadeh took responsibility for the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which occurred shortly after Iran launched missile strikes on US targets in Iraq in retaliation for the US drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani.

Gholamali Rashid

Major General Rashid was head of the IRGC’s Khatam al Anbia headquarters. He previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and fought for Iran during the 1980s war with Iraq.

Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani

Abbasi, a nuclear scientist, served as head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization from 2011 to 2013. A hardliner, Abbasi was a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024.

Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi

Tehranchi, a nuclear scientist, was head of Iran’s Islamic Azad University in Tehran.

Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari

Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, a nuclear engineering professor at Shahid Beheshti University.

Amirhossein Feqhi

Amirhossein Feqhi, another nuclear professor at Shahid Beheshti University.
 


Trump says Iran has ‘second chance’ to come to nuclear deal after Israeli strikes devastate Tehran

Updated 13 June 2025
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Trump says Iran has ‘second chance’ to come to nuclear deal after Israeli strikes devastate Tehran

  • Trump, in the hours before the Israeli attack on Iran, still appeared hopeful in public comments that there would be more time for diplomacy
  • Iran late Friday launched hundreds of ballistic missiles toward Israel after firing dozens of drones earlier in the day

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Friday urged Iran to quickly reach an agreement on curbing its nuclear program as Israel vowed to continue its bombardment of the country.
Trumped framed the volatile moment in the Middle East as a possible “second chance” for Iran’s leadership to avoid further destruction “before there is nothing left and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.”
The Republican president pressed on Iran as he met his national security team in the Situation Room to discuss the tricky path forward following Israel’s devastating strikes, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to keep up for “as many days as it takes” to decapitate Iran’s nuclear program.
The White House said it had no involvement in the strikes, but Trump highlighted that Israel used its deep arsenal of weaponry provided by the US to target Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz and the country’s ballistic missile program, as well as top nuclear scientists and officials.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he had warned Iran’s leaders that “it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come — And they know how to use it.”
Just hours before Israel launched its strikes on Iran early Friday, Trump was still holding onto tattered threads of hope that the long-simmering dispute could be resolved without military action. Now, he’ll be tested anew on his ability to make good on a campaign promise to disentangle the US from foreign conflicts.
In the aftermath of the Israeli strikes, the US is shifting its military resources, including ships, in the Middle East as it looks to guard against possible retaliatory attacks by Tehran, according to two US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
The Navy has directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner to begin sailing toward the Eastern Mediterranean and has directed a second destroyer to begin moving forward, so it can be available if requested by the White House.
As Israel stepped up planning for strikes in recent weeks, Iran had signaled the United States would be held responsible in the event of an Israeli attack. The warning was issued by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi even as he engaged in talks with Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
Friday’s strikes came as Trump planned to dispatch Witkoff to Oman on Sunday for the next round of talks with the Iranian foreign minister.
Witkoff still plans to go to Oman this weekend for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, but it’s unclear if the Iranians will participate, according to US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private diplomatic discussions.
The president made a series of phone calls Friday to US television news anchors to renew his calls on Iran to curb its nuclear program.
CNN’s Dana Bash said Trump told her the Iranians “should now come to the table” and get a deal done. And Trump told NBC News that Iranian officials are “calling me to speak” but didn’t provide further detail.
Trump also spoke Friday with British Prime Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron about the evolving situation, as well as Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, oil prices leapt and stocks fell on worries that the escalating violence could impact the flow of crude around the world, along with the global economy.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, offered rare words of Democratic praise for the Trump administration after the attack “for prioritizing diplomacy” and “refraining from participating” in the military strikes. But he also expressed deep concern about what the Israeli strikes could mean for US personnel in the region.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who’s on Democrats’ shortlist for top 2028 White House contenders, said if Israel can set back Iran’s nuclear program with the strikes “it’s probably a good day for the world.”
“But make no mistake: We do not want an all-out war in the Middle East,” Shapiro said. “That’s not only bad for the Middle East, it’s destabilizing for the globe, and it’s something that I hope will not occur.”
Iran late Friday launched hundreds of ballistic missiles toward Israel after firing dozens of drones earlier in the day. The US military assisted Israel intercept the missiles fired by Iran in the retaliatory attack.
Trump, in the hours before the Israeli attack on Iran, still appeared hopeful in public comments that there would be more time for diplomacy.
But it was clear to the administration that Israel was edging toward taking military action against Iran. The State Department and US military on Wednesday directed a voluntary evacuation of nonessential personnel and their loved ones from some US diplomatic outposts in the Middle East.
Before Israel launched the strikes, some of Trump’s strongest supporters were raising concerns about what another expansive conflict in the Mideast could mean for the Republican president, who ran on a promise to quickly end the brutal wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Trump has struggled to find an endgame to either of those conflicts and to make good on two of his biggest foreign policy campaign promises.
And after criticizing President Joe Biden during last year’s campaign for preventing Israel from carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Trump found himself making the case to the Israelis to give diplomacy a chance.
The push by the Trump administration to persuade Tehran to give up its nuclear program came after the US and other world powers in 2015 reached a long-term, comprehensive nuclear agreement that limited Tehran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
But Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the Obama administration-brokered agreement in 2018, calling it the “worst deal ever.”
The way forward is even more clouded now.
“No issue currently divides the right as much as foreign policy,” Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and an ally of the Trump White House, posted on X on Thursday. “I’m very concerned based on (everything) I’ve seen in the grassroots the last few months that this will cause a massive schism in MAGA and potentially disrupt our momentum and our insanely successful Presidency.”
 

 


Netanyahu calls on Iranians to unite against ‘evil and oppressive regime’

Updated 13 June 2025
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Netanyahu calls on Iranians to unite against ‘evil and oppressive regime’

  • “As we achieve our objective, we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom,” he said
  • Iran called the attack “a declaration of war” and threatened to retaliate by opening “the gates of hell” on Israel

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranians Friday to unite against what he described as an “evil and oppressive regime,” telling them Israel was engaged in “one of the greatest military operations in history.”
“The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around its flag and its historic legacy, by standing up for your freedom from the evil and oppressive regime,” Netanyahu said in a video statement after Israel struck over 200 military and nuclear sites in the Islamic republic.
“We are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history, Operation Rising Lion,” he added.
“As we achieve our objective, we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom,” he said, referring to Israeli strikes that hit targets across Iran, including nuclear sites, killing several top military commanders and nuclear scientists.
“The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them. It has never been weaker,” Netanyahu said in his video published shortly after a salvo of Iranian missiles reached Israel.
“Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you,” he said, adding: “This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard.”
Netanyahu also promised that “more is on the way,” having said earlier that Israel’s attack on Iran would “continue for as many days as it takes.”
Iran called the attack “a declaration of war” and threatened to retaliate by opening “the gates of hell” on Israel.
It first sent about 100 drones toward Israel, many of which were intercepted before reaching the country.
The drones were followed by dozens of missiles, some of which caused physical damage in Israeli cities, and injured at least seven people, according to first responders.