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Unprecedented US strikes have wrecked Iran’s nuclear program, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday as Washington sought to assess what remained of the three targeted sites.The surprise strikes threaten to deepen conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, with Tehran vowing to retaliate against US involvement.But the United States said President Donald Trump wanted peace and urged Iran to end the conflict after strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz.”We devastated the Iranian nuclear program,” Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation “did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.”Trump “seeks peace, and Iran should take that path”, Hegseth said. “This mission was not, and has not been, about regime change.”Standing beside Hegseth, top US general Dan Caine said that “it would be way too early for me to comment on what may or may not still be there.””Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” he told reporters.- Protests in Tehran -People gathered in the center of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans, state TV showed.Trump claimed total success for the operation in an address to the nation hours after the attack, and Vice President JD Vance followed up on Sunday morning.”We know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night, whether it’s years or beyond,” he told ABC.”We’re not at war with Iran — we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program,” he added. “The president took decisive action to destroy that program last night.”In Tehran, AFP journalists said the roar of aircraft flying over the city was heard repeatedly for the first time since Israel’s initial attacks.The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at the nuclear sites and Tehran said Sunday there were no signs of contamination.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had “crossed a very big red line,” asserting Iran would continue to defend itself “by all means necessary.”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump’s decision to “target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.”The Israeli military was also checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesman saying it was “too soon” to know if Iran had removed enriched uranium from the site.The main US strike group was seven B-2 Spirit bombers flying 18 hours from the US mainland to Iran with multiple aerial refuelings, Caine said.- Global concern -In response to the US attack, Iran’s armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country’s main international gateway near Tel Aviv.Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded.In Jerusalem, Claudio Hazan, a 62-year-old software engineer, said he hoped the US intervention would hasten an end to the Iran-Israel war.”Israel by itself would not stop… and it would take longer,” he said.Israel said it had launched fresh strikes on western Iran and in Qom, south of Tehran. Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported four Revolutionary Guard members were killed in strikes on a military base in the city’s north.The Israeli military said it had “struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralized the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory.”Iran’s Shargh newspaper reported that a “massive explosion was heard” Sunday in Bushehr province, home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant.Iranian news agencies also reported strikes in Yazd province.The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticized the US move and urged de-escalation.The European Union called on all sides “to step back,” while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.The Iranian foreign minister said he would travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.Following his address, Trump warned Iran against retaliation. Iran and its proxies have previously attacked US military bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.Iran’s Huthi allies in Yemen on Sunday repeated their threat to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were ready to target US ships and warships.The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck the country on June 13, repeating his insistence it could never have nuclear weapons.Tehran denies seeking an atomic bomb. On Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran’s right to pursue a civilian nuclear program “cannot be taken away… by threats or war.”burs-wd/bgs/ft

A series of unprecedented US strikes against Iran “devastated” its nuclear programme, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday, as he asserted Washington was not seeking regime change in Tehran. The Pentagon chief urged Iran’s leaders to find an off-ramp to the conflict after President Donald Trump announced the strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz.”We devastated the Iranian nuclear programme,” Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation “did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people”.Trump “seeks peace, and Iran should take that path”, Hegseth continued. “This mission was not, and has not, been about regime change,” he added.Trump’s intervention — despite his past pledges to avoid another “forever war” — threatens to dramatically widen the conflict after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last week, with Tehran vowing to retaliate if Washington joined in.Earlier the US president said Washington would hit more targets if Tehran did not capitulate. Hours later, Iran launched two waves of attacks against its long-time foe Israel.”Iran the bully of the Middle East must now make peace,” Trump said, warning future attacks would be “far greater” unless a diplomatic solution was reached. “Remember, there are many targets left,” he added.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of sabotaging diplomacy after talks with European powers.”This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy,” he wrote on X.Araghchi later told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had “crossed a very big red line”, asserting Iran would continue to defend itself “by all means necessary”.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the US strikes, saying the attack revealed Washington was the “main factor behind” Israel’s military campaign.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump’s decision to “target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history”.-‘Morning of alarms’-The Israeli military said it was checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesman saying it was “too soon” to know if Iran had removed enriched uranium from the key site or if it had been buried in the attack.US Vice President JD Vance maintained his country was “not at war with Iran, we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program”.He added the strikes had “substantially delayed” the development of a nuclear weapon — something Iran has long denied pursuing.Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine said the “main strike package comprised of 7 B-2 Spirit bombers” flying 18 hours from the US mainland to Iran with multiple aerial refuelings.The head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, Pir Hossein Kolivand, said there were no fatalities in the US strikes on the nuclear facilities, according to Iranian state television.In response to the US attack, Iran’s armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country’s main international gateway near Tel Aviv.Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded. Police said at least three impacts were reported.One of them was the Ramat Aviv area of Tel Aviv, tearing holes in the facades of apartment blocks.In Jerusalem, Claudio Hazan, a 62-year-old software engineer, said he hoped the US intervention would hasten an end to the Iran-Israel war. “Israel by itself would not stop… and it would take longer,” he said.David, a 43-year-old Jerusalem resident, told AFP: “We’re all happy that the US is lending a hand.”Israel said it had launched fresh strikes on western Iran and in Qom, south of Tehran. Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported four Revolutionary Guard members were killed in strikes on a military base in the city’s north.The Israeli military said it had “struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralised the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory a short while ago”.Iran’s Shargh newspaper reported that a “massive explosion was heard” Sunday in Bushehr province, home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant.- ‘Step Back’ -Iranian news agencies also reported strikes in Yazd province.In Tehran, AFP journalists said the roar of aircraft flying over the city could be heard repeatedly for the first time since Israel’s initial attacks.The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at key nuclear sites in Iran following the strikes and Tehran said Sunday there were “no signs of contamination”.Saudi Arabia said no radioactive effects were detected in the Gulf and voiced “great concern” over the US strikes.The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticised the US move and urged de-escalation.The European Union called on all sides “to step back”, while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Iran to “return to the negotiating table” over its nuclear ambitions.The Iranian foreign minister said he would travel to Moscow for “serious consultations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.Following his address, Trump warned Iran against “any retaliation”. Iran and its proxies have previously attacked US military bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.Iran’s Huthi allies in Yemen on Sunday repeated their threat to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were “ready to target US ships and warships”.The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck Iran on June 13, repeating his insistence it could never have nuclear weapons.Tehran denies seeking an atomic bomb. On Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran’s right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme “cannot be taken away… by threats or war”.burs-csp/smw

President Donald Trump said US air strikes on Sunday “totally obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites, with Tehran later accusing Washington of “blowing up” talks aimed at a deal on its nuclear programme.Following the attack — the United States’ first large-scale strikes on Iran — Trump warned Washington would hit more targets if Tehran did not make peace. Hours later, Iran launched two waves of attacks against long-time foe Israel.”Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success,” Trump said, adding the key underground enrichment site at Fordo was hit, along with facilities in Isfahan and Natanz.”Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran the bully of the Middle East must now make peace,” he said, warning future attacks would be “far greater” unless a diplomatic solution was reached. “Remember, there are many targets left.”Trump’s intervention — despite his past pledges to avoid another “forever war” — threatens to dramatically widen the conflict, after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran last week, with Tehran vowing to retaliate if Washington joined in.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of sabotaging diplomacy after talks with European powers.”This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy,” he wrote on X.Aragchi later told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had “crossed a very big red line”, asserting Iran would continue to defend itself “by all means necessary”.- ‘Change history’ -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump’s decision to “target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history”.In response to the US attack, Iran’s armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country’s main international gateway near Tel Aviv.Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded. Police said at least three impacts were reported.One of them was the Ramat Aviv area of Tel Aviv, tearing holes in the facades of apartment blocks.”Houses here were hit very, very badly,” said Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai. “Fortunately, one of them was slated for demolition and reconstruction, so there were no residents inside.”In Jerusalem, Claudio Hazan, a 62-year-old software engineer, said he hoped the US intervention would hasten an end to the Iran-Israel war.”Israel by itself would not stop… and it would take longer,” he said.Israel said it had launched fresh strikes on western Iran and in Qom, south of Tehran. Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported four Revolutionary Guard members were killed in strikes on a military base in the city’s north.The Israeli military said it had “struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralised the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory a short while ago”.In Tehran, AFP journalists said the roar of aircraft flying over the city could be heard repeatedly for the first time since Israel’s initial attacks.The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at key nuclear sites in Iran following the strikes and Tehran said Sunday there were “no signs of contamination”.- ‘Step back’ -Saudi Arabia said no radioactive effects were detected in the Gulf and voiced “great concern” over the US strikes.The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticised the US move and urged de-escalation.The European Union called on all sides “to step back”, while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Iran to “return to the negotiating table” over its nuclear ambitions.The Iranian foreign minister said he would travel to Moscow for “serious consultations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.US media reported the strikes were carried out by B-2 stealth bombers dropping bunker-buster bombs, as well as submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles.Following his address, Trump warned Iran against “any retaliation”. Iran and its proxies have previously attacked US military bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.Iran’s Huthi allies in Yemen on Sunday repeated their threat to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were “ready to target US ships and warships”.The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck Iran on June 13, repeating his insistence it could never have nuclear weapons.Israel and Iran have traded wave after wave of devastating strikes since then.Tehran denies seeking an atomic bomb. On Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran’s right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme “cannot be taken away… by threats or war”.burs-csp/dv

Tesla is expected to begin offering robotaxi service Sunday in Austin, an initial step that Elon Musk’s backers believe could lead to the company’s next growth wave.The launch — which comes as Musk refocuses on his business ventures following a controversial stint in Donald Trump’s administration — will employ the Model Y sport utility vehicle rather than Tesla’s much-touted Cybercab, which is still under development.The long-awaited launch follows the dramatic meltdown earlier this month in relations between Musk and Trump, which saw a cascade of bitter attacks from both men.Since then, Musk has publicly expressed regret for some of his statements, while his company’s Texas operation has readied the Austin push — part of a major drive on autonomous technology and artificial intelligence that Tesla bulls believe will yield huge profits.This group includes Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives, who said autonomous technology could be a catalyst for potentially $1 trillion in additional market value or more.”There are countless skeptics of the Tesla robotaxi vision with many bears thinking this day would never come,” said Ives, who predicted that Trump’s administration would clear roadblocks for Tesla and pivot from the recent “soap opera.””The golden era of autonomous for Tesla officially kicks off on Sunday in Austin,” Ives said in a note Friday.- Business-friendly Texas -But the unveiling in the Texas state capital comes amid questions about how Tesla will try to overcome criticism of Musk’s activities for Trump. Tesla saw profits plunge 71 percent in the first quarter following poor sales in several markets.In picking Austin for the debut of the autonomous vehicle (AV) service, Musk is opting for a US state known for its company-friendly approach to regulation. “Texas law allows for AV testing and operations on Texas roadways as long as they meet the same safety and insurance requirements as every other vehicle on the road,” the Texas Department of Transportation told AFP.An Austin website listed six autonomous vehicle companies at various stages of operation: ADMT (Volkswagen), AVRide, Tesla, Zoox (Amazon), Motional (Hyundai) and Waymo (Alphabet/Google).But the Texas legislature this year enacted a new bill that requires prior authorization from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles before companies can operate on a public street without human drivers, a group of seven Democratic lawmakers said in a June 18 letter to Tesla.Citing the enhanced system, the lawmakers asked Tesla to delay testing until after the law takes effect September 1.If Tesla proceeds with the launch this weekend, “we request that you respond to this letter with detailed information demonstrating that Tesla will be compliant with the new law,” the letter said.- Starting slow -Musk had initially planned the launch for June 12, before pushing back, saying he was being “super paranoid” about safety.”We want to deliberately take it slow,” Musk said in a May 20 interview on CNBC, telling the network that Tesla would probably only operate 10 autonomous vehicles the first week.But that number will rise to perhaps 1,000 “within a few months,” Musk told CNBC. “And then we will expand to other cities…. San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio.”The service will be offered from 6:00 am until midnight and will be available to “early access” users on an invitation-only basis in a geofenced area, Tesla owner Sawyer Merritt said Friday on Musk’s X platform, adding that Tesla had given him permission to release the information.Musk last fall unveiled the Cybercab, which has no steering wheel or pedals. But production is not expected to begin on the vehicle until 2026.Tesla’s robotaxi launch comes well after Waymo’s offering of commercial robotaxi service, with more US cities gradually added.The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in October 2024 opened a probe into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software after receiving four reports of crashes.The NHTSA on May 8 asked Tesla for additional information on its technology in light of the Austin launch.But the NHTSA does not “pre-approve” new technologies, the agency told AFP.”Rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA’s rigorous safety standards, and the agency investigates incidents involving potential safety defects,” the NHTSA said.

President Donald Trump said US air strikes on Sunday “totally obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites, as Washington joined Israel’s war with Tehran in a flashpoint moment for the Middle East.In a televised address to the nation from the White House, Trump warned that the United States would go after more targets if Iran did not make peace quickly.The intervention by a US president who had vowed to avoid another “forever war” in the region threatens to dramatically widen the conflict, with Iran having said it would retaliate if Washington got involved.”Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success,” said Trump, adding that they targeted the crucial underground nuclear enrichment plant of Fordo along with facilities at Natanz and Isfahan.”Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran the bully of the Middle East must now make peace,” said Trump.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on the strikes, saying that “with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.”Condemning the US attacks as “lawless and criminal,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country has a right to defend its sovereignty.”The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” he posted on X. “Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”Not long after, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and explosions were heard from Jerusalem as Iranian state TV announced a fresh salvo of missiles launched.Tehran said Sunday there were “no signs of contamination” after the US attacks and Saudi regulators said “no radioactive effects were detected” in the Gulf region.Iranian media confirmed that part of the Fordo plant as well as the Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites were attacked.- Surprise attack -Trump had said Thursday that he would decide “within two weeks” whether to join Israel’s campaign, in a move that many saw as a window of diplomatic opportunity.But the Republican’s decision to strike Iran came far sooner.Flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump said that future attacks would be “far greater” unless Iran reached a diplomatic solution.”Remember, there are many targets left,” he said.Trump however made no mention of regime change, despite having warned last week that Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was an “easy target.”The raid on the Iran nuclear sites was carried out by B-2 stealth bombers that dropped so-called “bunker buster bombs,” along with submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, US media reported.Trump said earlier on his Truth Social site that a “full payload of BOMBS” was dropped on Fordo and said that “all planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors.” Pictures posted by the White House showed Trump in a red “Make America Great Again” cap meeting with top national security officials in the Situation Room, shortly before the strikes were announced.After the address, Trump warned Iran against “any retaliation.” Iran and its proxies have previously attacked US military bases in the region, including in Iraq.Iran’s Huthi allies in Yemen had on Saturday threatened to resume their attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war.The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck Iran on June 13, repeating his insistence that it could never have a nuclear weapon.Israel and Iran have traded wave after wave of devastating strikes since then.- MAGA split -Trump spoke to Netanyahu after the attacks, while the United States also gave key ally Israel a “heads up” before the strikes, a senior White House official told AFP.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had warned earlier Saturday of a “more devastating” retaliation should Israel’s nine-day bombing campaign continue.Iran denies seeking an atomic bomb, and on Saturday Pezeshkian said its right to pursue a civilian nuclear program “cannot be taken away… by threats or war.”Iran’s Revolutionary Guard meanwhile announced early Sunday that “suicide drones” had been launched against “strategic targets” across Israel.The US military strikes on Iran also threaten to cause political tensions at home for Trump.The issue has opened a split in Trump’s “MAGA” movement, with many key Republican supporters calling on Trump to avoid embroiling the United States in another foreign war.Trump’s first 2016 election victory in particular came on the back of his promises to get America out of its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.Democrats have also assailed him.Leading US Democrat Hakeem Jeffries said Trump risked US “entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East,” while others have accused him of bypassing Congress to launch a new war.

For nearly a half-century the United States has squabbled with Iran’s Islamic Republic but the conflict has largely been left in the shadows, with US policymakers believing, often reluctantly, that diplomacy was preferable.With President Donald Trump’s order of strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, the United States — like Israel, which encouraged him — has brought the conflict into the open, and the consequences may not be clear for some time to come.”We will only know if it succeeded if we can get through the next three to five years without the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons, which they now have compelling reasons to want,” said Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and supporter of the 2003 Iraq war who is now vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute. US intelligence had not concluded that Iran was building a nuclear bomb, with Tehran’s sensitive atomic work largely seen as a means of leverage, and Iran can be presumed to have taken precautions in anticipation of strikes.Trita Parsi, an outspoken critic of military action, said Trump “has now made it more likely that Iran will be a nuclear weapons state in the next five to 10 years.””We should be careful not to confuse tactical success with strategic success,” said Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.”The Iraq war was also successful in the first few weeks but President Bush’s declaration of ‘Mission Accomplished’ did not age well,” he said.- Weak point for Iran -Yet Trump’s attack — a week after Israel began a major military campaign — came as the cleric-run state is at one of its weakest points since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.Since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, which enjoys Iran’s support, Israel — besides obliterating much of Gaza — has decimated Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a militant group that would once reliably strike Israel as Tehran’s proxy. Iran’s main ally among Arab leaders, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, was also toppled in December.Supporters of Trump’s strike argued that diplomacy was not working, with Iran standing firm on its right to enrich uranium.”Contrary to what some will say in the days to come, the US administration did not rush to war. In fact, it gave diplomacy a real chance,” said Ted Deutch, a former Democratic congressman who now heads the American Jewish Committee.”The murderous Iranian regime refused to make a deal,” he said.Top Senate Republican John Thune pointed to Tehran’s threats to Israel and language against the United States and said that the state had “rejected all diplomatic pathways to peace.”- Abrupt halt to diplomacy -Trump’s attack comes almost exactly a decade after former president Barack Obama sealed a deal in which Iran drastically scaled back its nuclear work — which Trump pulled out of in 2018 after coming into office for his first term. Most of Trump’s Republican Party and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long seen Iran as an existential threat, attacked Obama’s deal because it allowed Tehran to enrich uranium at levels well beneath weapons grade and the key clauses had an end date.But Trump, billing himself a peacemaker, just a month ago said on a visit to Gulf Arab monarchies that he was hopeful for a new deal with Iran, and his administration was preparing new talks when Netanyahu attacked Iran. This prompted an abrupt U-turn from Trump.”Trump’s decision to cut short his own efforts for diplomacy will also make it much harder to get a deal in the medium and long runs,” said Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, which advocates restraint.”Iran now has no incentive to trust Trump’s word or to believe that striking a compromise will advance Iran’s interests.”Iran’s religious rulers also face opposition internally. Major protests erupted in 2022 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for defying the regime’s rules on covering hair.Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote on social media that Trump’s strikes could either entrench the Islamic Republic or hasten its downfall.”The US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities is an unprecedented event that may prove to be transformational for Iran, the Middle East, US foreign policy, global non-proliferation and potentially even the global order,” he said.”Its impact will be measured for decades to come.”

More than four months since his release from Gaza, former hostage Keith Siegel bears the mental scars of 484 days of captivity in destroyed buildings and tunnels in the hands of Palestinian militant group Hamas.The 66-year-old Israeli-American and his wife Aviva were among 251 hostages seized from residential communities along the Gaza border, army bases and a music festival on October 7, 2023.In a recent interview with AFP, Siegel told of physical and sexual abuse that he had experienced and witnessed in captivity, and of the extreme stress of not knowing if he would ever see his family again.In one incident, he recalled how his captor, out of the blue, pulled out a gun and said: “I’m going to kill you now.””Then he said, ‘now you’re dead’ and laughed,” added Siegel, wearing a t-shirt with the words “Bring them home now”, a call to free the remaining 52 hostages still in Gaza after more than 20 months.One of the locations where Siegel was held was so far underground that he was “gasping for breath”, he recalled.”It was the most horrendous, or one of the most horrendous, situations that I was in.”He was first held with his wife, then with other hostages, as well as spending many months alone.In total, he was moved throughout the Gaza Strip around 33 times, hidden inside tunnels or in bombed-out buildings and private homes.During the darkest moments, Siegel said he used mindfulness techniques to stay strong, having long, imaginary conversations with family and friends.- Nationality checks -Throughout his ordeal, Siegel said he had focused on staying alive so he could see his wife, their four children and grandchildren.”There were peaks of anxiety, fear and just the torture of not knowing, the uncertainty of not knowing,” he said.”I promised myself that I must return and was not able to think that I would not return. I think that gave me a lot of strength psychologically to get through the days.”Recounting some of the lowest points of his lengthy captivity, Siegel said one of his biggest fears initially was Hamas finding out that he was a US citizen, concerned that it could mean separating from his wife.”At the very beginning, on October 7, they asked us all our names, our ages, where we’re from, and if we have another nationality, citizenship… I said that I did not,” he said.”I was worried that they might release me (without Aviva), because I’m an American citizen.”She was released 51 days after the 2023 attack — more than a year before he was, both under short-lived truce deals.Siegel said he experienced taunts about his wife and daughter, and his genitalia, as well as extreme physical abuse that in two instances left him with broken ribs.- ‘Medieval-style torture’ -But it was witnessing the mistreatment of other hostages that made Siegel pause for breath during the interview and tear up.”I witnessed a woman being tortured, literally,” he said, describing it as “medieval-style torture”.”She was on her back, her hands were bound together, and also her feet, and they had put… tape, or a piece of material around her mouth so she couldn’t talk,” Siegel said.”There was a man standing behind her with a metal rod that had a sharp point at the end of it and it was on this woman’s forehead, and he was applying pressure.”Siegel did not name the woman, but his description matches an account given by released hostage Amit Soussana, in media interviews in which the 41-year-old lawyer said her captors had tried to make her confess to being an Israeli soldier.For Siegel, having to watch the torture and being powerless to stop it still gives him “terrible thoughts”.”I just felt paralysed,” he said. – ‘Bring the hostages home’ -Free now, Siegel remains fascinated with the departure “presents” handed over by his captors the day he left.Inside a paper bag with a Hamas logo, there was a gold embossed “release certificate” signed by a commander from the group’s military wing, two key rings with Palestinian flags, and a leather bracelet bearing the same flag.Since returning home, he has become especially active in campaigning for the release of the remaining hostages.Clutching posters of other captives he had spent extended periods of time with — Matan Angrest, Omri Miran, and twins Gali and Ziv Berman –- Siegel called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump “to bring an end to the suffering, bring an end to the war and bring the hostages home”.

In a special exhibit featuring just three paintings, the Frick Collection in New York is inviting viewers to contemplate the age and the art of seduction by the written word.The show brings together a trio of paintings by 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer: the Frick’s own “Mistress and Maid,” “The Love Letter” on loan from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and “Woman Writing a Letter with her Maid” from the National Gallery of Ireland.They are three of six paintings by Vermeer (1632-1675) that focus on the reading and writing of letters. They also depict interactions between women of different classes. Each painting features a woman and a female servant who has likely become a confidante and an intermediary as her mistress conducts a romantic relationship, said exhibit curator Robert Fucci.”While the contents of the letters in Vermeer’s paintings are not made clear, they are most likely amorous,” he said.”Courtship and love letters were an important part of the artist’s social context and a prevalent artistic theme.”In Vermeer’s era, women had increasing autonomy in choosing their life partners, Fucci noted. “Servants played a crucial role. Employers entrusted them with delivery, especially when messages needed to be shared covertly,” he added. – A debt with the baker – “Vermeer’s Love Letters,” on view until the end of August, is the first show on offer since the Frick reopened its doors in April following a top-to-bottom, $330-million renovation. The 20th century mansion filled with paintings, sculptures, and decorative pieces dating from the Renaissance to the 19th century now has 10 new galleries on its second floor, in what used to be the Frick family’s private quarters.Two of the Vermeer paintings — worth a fortune today — helped the artist’s wife, Catharina Bolnes, settle a debt with a baker after she was widowed with 11 children. The show is the first of the Dutch master’s works in New York since 2001. The intimate offering is in sharp contrast to the sprawling Vermeer retrospective at the Rijksmuseum in 2023. Featuring 28 of his 35 known paintings, that was the largest collection of Vermeer’s work ever assembled in one place, and drew thousands of art lovers.”Vermeer certainly continues to compel people and to inspire people today,” said Aimee Ng, another curator at the Frick.  

President Donald Trump said the US military launched a “very successful attack” Sunday on three Iranian nuclear sites including the Fordo uranium enrichment plant, as Washington joined Israel’s air campaign against Tehran.Trump said a “full payload of BOMBS” was dropped on the underground facility at Fordo and he was set to address the nation at 10:00 pm on Saturday Washington time (0200 GMT Sunday) following his surprise announcement of the strikes.The fresh US military entanglement in the Middle East comes despite Trump’s promises to avoid another of his country’s “forever wars” in the region. Iran had vowed to retaliate against US forces in the region if Washington got involved. “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.”A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.”Trump added that “all planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors.” Iranian media confirmed that part of the Fordo plant as well as the Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites were attacked.Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the attacks, while the United States also gave key ally Israel a “heads up” before the strikes, a senior White House official told AFP.In a second post announcing his address to the nation from the White House, Trump said that “IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR.”He described it as a “historic” moment for the United States, Israel and the world.Earlier Saturday there were reports that US B-2 bombers — which carry so-called “bunker buster” bombs — were headed out of the United States across the Pacific.Trump did not say what kind of US planes or munitions were involved.- ‘More devastating’ -Trump said on Thursday that he would decide “within two weeks” whether to join Israel’s campaign — but the decision came far sooner.The US president had also stepped up his rhetoric against Iran in recent days, repeating his insistence that it could never have a nuclear weapon.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had warned earlier Saturday of a “more devastating” retaliation should Israel’s nine-day bombing campaign continue, saying the Islamic republic would not halt its nuclear program “under any circumstances.”Israel and Iran have traded wave after wave of devastating strikes since Israel launched its aerial campaign on June 13, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.On Saturday, Israel said it had attacked Isfahan for a second time, with the UN nuclear watchdog reporting that a centrifuge manufacturing workshop had been hit.Later Saturday Iran’s Mehr news agency said Israel had hit the southern city of Shiraz, which hosts military bases.Iran’s Revolutionary Guard meanwhile announced early Sunday that “suicide drones” had been launched against “strategic targets” across Israel.Iran denies seeking an atomic bomb, and on Saturday Pezeshkian said its right to pursue a civilian nuclear program “cannot be taken away… by threats or war.”- ‘Continued aggression’ -In a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Pezeshkian said “we do not agree to reduce nuclear activities to zero under any circumstances,” he added, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Istanbul on Saturday for a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss the conflict.Top diplomats from Britain, France and Germany had met Araghchi in Geneva on Friday and urged him to resume nuclear talks with the United States that had been derailed by the war.Iran’s Huthi allies in Yemen on Saturday threatened to resume their attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, despite a recent ceasefire agreement.The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Friday that, based on its sources and media reports, at least 657 people had been killed in Iran, including 263 civilians.Iran’s health ministry on Saturday gave a toll of more than 400 people killed in the Israeli strikes.Iran’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least 25 people in Israel, according to official figures.Leading US Democrat Hakeem Jeffries said Trump risked US “entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East,” while the Israeli army has raised its alert level, permitting only essential activities until further notice.

They were once part of an underground network that helped an estimated 11,000 women get abortions before the US Supreme Court established a constitutional right to the procedure in 1973.More than 50 years on, former members of the “Jane Collective” are watching in disbelief as America slides back toward the era they risked everything to end.”I was crushed,” recalls Abby Pariser, speaking to AFP ahead of the third anniversary on June 24 of the landmark Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v Wade and erased the federal right to terminate a pregnancy.”I was infuriated that they could do this to women,” adds the 80-year-old Pariser at her home in Huntington, a suburb of New York City, wearing a T-shirt declaring “Bold Women. Change History.”Like many of the now-retired women, Pariser devoted her life to defending reproductive rights at a time when abortion was widely illegal in the United States.The story began in Chicago in the late 1960s.Students, mothers, and young professionals — “ordinary women,” as they describe themselves — came together, helping others access clandestine abortions. They risked prison as they negotiated prices with doctors willing to perform the procedures — and some even learned to do them themselves.”It was just unbelievable that this would occur in this time and era, that we would go back to something this devastating,” says a fellow ex-Jane, Sakinah Ahad Shannon, her voice breaking with emotion.The seismic reversal — and the release of the HBO documentary “The Janes” — brought renewed attention to their story. Several former members have since spoken out, recounting the hardships women faced before the Roe ruling.- Mobsters and back-alley surgeries -At the time, access to contraception was severely limited, and the very notion of abortion was steeped in taboo, recalls Laura Kaplan, a former Jane and author of a book on the subject, who now lives in the iconic New York village of Woodstock.Out of public view, women resorted to desperate measures to end unwanted pregnancies — from ingesting poison to seeking help from underground abortionists.The illicit trade was dominated by corrupt doctors and Mafia intermediaries, who charged exorbitant fees. Abortions typically cost around $500, Kaplan remembers.”You could rent a decent one-bedroom apartment in Chicago for $150 a month at the time,” she says. “Just to give you a sense of how expensive abortions were.”Beyond the financial burden, women were often subjected to sexual assault, humiliation, or medical malpractice. Some did not survive.”There were wards in every major city’s public hospitals for women suffering the effects of illegal abortions — whether self-induced or performed by someone else — and they were dying,” Kaplan adds.The Jane network emerged in response to this grim reality, aligned with the broader women’s liberation movement of the time. They adopted pseudonyms, opened a phone hotline, and raised funds to help women who could not afford the procedure. Some later trained to perform dilation and curettage procedures themselves.- Hope -“Women paid $10, $50 — whatever they had in their pockets,” says Kaplan.But in the spring of 1972, seven members of the collective, including Pariser, were arrested during a police raid.”It was scary,” she recalls, describing a night in jail and the disbelief of officers who had stumbled upon an all-female clandestine network.Still, the others pressed on. “We knew what we were doing was committing multiple felonies every day we worked,” Kaplan adds with a smile. “We were well aware of that.”Had Roe not been decided, they could all have spent their lives behind bars — a prospect that, today, no longer feels remote.Since the federal right to abortion was overturned, more than 20 states have banned or sharply curtailed access to the procedure, forcing women to travel across state lines or resort — once again — to illegal means.Such restrictions have already led to multiple preventable deaths from delayed miscarriage care, according to reporting by ProPublica.Access could shrink further with the return to power of President Donald Trump, who takes credit for reshaping the Supreme Court during his first term and paving the way for its reversal on abortion. Observers are closely watching for moves to restrict access to abortion pills, which now account for the majority of terminations.”I think we were very naive,” reflects Pariser, believing the battles of their youth had secured lasting progress.”The people who were shooting doctors and killing them in clinics or churches on Sunday — these are maniacs. These are terrible people.” Just this month, a gunman suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker was reportedly found with a hit list targeting abortion providers, activists and politicians who support access to abortion.Even so, the Janes believe today’s generation of women are better informed, with higher reproductive health literacy and broad access to online resources.”Just like we said no 50 years ago, they’re saying no today — and that’s what gives me hope,” says Ahad Shannon.