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20:29
Trump Says Cease-Fire In Effect After Expressing Anger Over Violations
By RFE/RL
Israeli soldiers work amid the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike that killed several people in Beersheba on June 24.
(Editor's Note: Coarse language in fourth paragraph)
US President Donald Trump claimed a cease-fire between Iran and Israel was in effect on June 24 after lashing out at both sides for violating the agreement he brokered and calling for calm.
Taking questions as he prepared to leave Washington for a NATO summit at The Hague, Trump appeared angry with Israel over reports it was again striking targets inside the territory of its archenemy despite an agreement to hold fire.
They [Iran] violated it, but Israel violated it, too, Trump said. He added, Im not happy with Israel."
Im not happy with them. Im not happy with Iran, either, but Im really unhappy with Israel going out this morning, Trump said adding, We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they dont know what the f*** theyre doing.
Israel said it struck Iranian radar stations near Tehran and accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace after the truce was supposed to take effect. The Iranian military denied firing on Israel, state media reported.
Trump, who arrived later in Amsterdam to attend the NATO summit, said later the deal was saved, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said he held off on a tougher strike against Iran after speaking to Trump.
Read the entire articlehere.
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22:06
Blinken Calls Trump Iran Strike 'A Mistake' But Says 'I Hope It Succeeds'
Antony Blinken, the secretary of state under the previous US administration has been offering his reflections on recent events in Iran.
Describing the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities as "unwise and unnecessary," he echoedconcernsexpressed elsewhere that Iran might "spread its stockpile of uranium already enriched to just short of weapons grade to various secure sites and preserve enough centrifuges to further enrich that stockpile in short order."
Nonetheless, he also voiced hope that the recent military actions might also bring Iran back to the nuclear negotiating table.
"Now that the military die has been cast," he says. "I can only hope that we inflicted maximum damage -- damage that gives the president the leverage he needs to finally deliver the deal he has so far failed to achieve."
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21:53
Netanyahu Hails 'Historic Victory'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just been making atelevised addressto his country.
Describing his country's actions in Iran as a "historic victory" that will "stand for generations," he also had words of praise for the US president, claiming Israel "never had a better friend" than Donald Trump in the White House.
He was also bullish about Israel's recent strikes on Iran, saying "We have dismantled the Iranian nuclear project. And if anyone in Iran thinks of rebuilding it -- we will strike again."
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21:23
12 Days Of War: Takeaways From The Israel-Iran Conflict
By Kian Sharifi
Protestors carry Iranian flags and posters of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei while chanting anti-US and Israel slogans in Tehran on June 24
After 12 days of unprecedented direct hostilities, Israel and Iran have agreed to a cease-fire that has brought a tense and uneasy calm to the region.
The war, marked by devastating air strikes, missile barrages, and covert operations, has left both countries reeling. While the immediate fighting has stopped, the political, military, and nuclear implications of this brief but intense war are only beginning to unfold.
Both countries have rushed to claim success, with the Israelis insisting they accomplished their goals and the Iranians claiming to have imposed the cease-fire on their archfoe.
Yet beneath the official statements, analysts warn that the cease-fire is fragile, the strategic balance has shifted, and the risk of renewed conflict or dangerous escalation remains high.
Israel's Gains, And A Critical Omission
Israels government declared it had achieved all the objectives of Operation Rising Lion, citing the reported destruction of key Iranian nuclear and missile sites, the elimination of senior military leaders, and air superiority over Tehran.
Israel was able to strike key military strategic governmental targets quite effectively, Farzan Sabet, a managing researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute, told RFE/RL.
He said the conflict highlighted the extent of the Israeli infiltration of Irans security apparatus, adding the country's intelligence agency Mossad "was able to basically create a legion of defectors who were probably one of the elements in this war that caused the greatest damage.
Read the entire articlehere.
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18:16
'Concerning Reports' About Iranian-Swedish Researcher On Death Row
Mai Sato, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Iran, says she has been receiving "concerning reports" about imprisoned Swedish-Iranian researcherAhmadreza Djalali. Djalali was detained in 2016 and subsequently sentenced to death for allegedly spying for Israel. He has denied all the charges against him.
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17:22
Iranians Flock To RFE/RL's Radio Farda Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
By RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Audiences inside Iran and across the Middle East have flocked to RFE/RLs Persian-language service, Radio Farda, amid the conflict between Israel and Iran. Without Radio Farda's coverage, millions of Iranians would have been left in an information vacuum or at the mercy of state propaganda.
