News of the World

[kyonides]

IRAN ATTACKS ISRAEL ONCE AGAIN

Special Edition

MIDDLE EAST

Before today's events...

Trump calls younger Khamenei ‘more rational,’ threatens to take Iran’s uranium by force: ‘Not an endless war’

President Trump expressed hope that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “more rational” than his father as he reiterated his insistence that a deal with the Islamic Republic is “very close.”

The president also rejected criticism that he has taken the US into another “endless war” and kept the possibility of snatching Iran’s enriched uranium by force a top priority.

“Younger. I think more rational,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired Sunday when asked about how the supreme leader compares to his late father, the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“Injured. He’s pretty badly injured. So there’s a certain bravery there,” Trump said of Mojtaba, who was caught in the Israeli strike that killed his father on Feb. 28 and hasn’t been seen in public since the war in Iran broke out.

After over five weeks of fighting, the US and Iran agreed to a cease-fire on April 8 and have spent the past two months negotiating a framework for a peace deal. Progress was called into question Sunday though after Israel said it intercepted a missile attack from Iran.

Trump has been insistent that Iran surrender its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium, which is a few technical steps away from weapons-grade enrichment.

Other Trump administration officials have publicly insisted that the US should get Iran’s 20% enriched uranium supplies as well, though it’s not clear if that’s a dealbreaker for the president.

“I think we’re very close. We have a couple of points,” Trump said on the deal being negotiated with Iran. “They don’t even seem like big points. They’ve conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons.”

Late last month, Trump sought edits to the framework being negotiated with Iran for a broader peace deal.

Trump also stressed that the status quo “isn’t sustainable” for Iran as the US blockade ensures Iran is “losing $400-500 million a day.” Trump imposed the blockade on Iran in April in response to the regime wreaking Havoc on the Strait of Hormuz.

“They’re strong. They’re proud. There are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do. They’ve got no choice. And it takes a little while,” the president replied when asked why Iran isn’t caving. “You know, you’re talking about 47 years of getting away with whatever they wanted.”

And Here Are The Breaking News!

Iran bombards Israel with missiles, threatening to reignite all-out conflict

Iran bombarded Israel with missiles Sunday — threatening to reignite all-out conflict between both sides as President Trump warned them to knock it off.

The attack — which involved about four waves of a total of 10 missiles in northern Israel in under an hour— was the first on Israel since a fragile ceasefire took effect in April.

It occurred less than a day after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs, aiming for the Iranian-allied Hezbollah terror group.

“Tonight, the aggressors received their response,” said Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, on social media.

Iran’s foreign ministry added in an ominous statement that future Israeli attacks on either Tehran or Lebanon would result in a “crushing and comprehensive” response.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for at least one ballistic missile strike on the Ramat David air base in northern Israel, according to state media.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage in Israel, but the Jewish State was bracing for more strikes, ordering schools closed Monday — and preparing to increase its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“The [Israel Defense Force] will continue to operate throughout Lebanon and will intensify its actions against the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” said IDF Brig. Gen. and spokesman Effie Defrin to reporters — calling Iran’s attack “a grave mistake.”

Trump told Fox on Sunday he “wasn’t happy” about Israel’s assault in Lebanon on Saturday, which Israeli officials said was in retaliation for Hezbollah continuing to attack its civilians along the border.

He also claimed to The Post, “Things are going very well.”

He added to Axios that he was calling Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and “telling him not to attack Iran in response.

“Each of them had their fun. If Bibi strikes them back it’s just gonna keep going like the last 47 years, or the last 3,000 years,” the president said.

Trump told the Financial Times that the Israeli president will listen to him — because he has to.

“He won’t have any choice,” Trump said.

“I call the shots. I call all the shots. [Netanyahu] doesn’t call the shots.”

Trump had previously told Iran not to retaliate for Israel’s attack on Lebanon on Saturday — a warning that was not heeded.

On Sunday, he said, “What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough. Get back to the table and make a deal.’’

Iran’s military, in a statement shared with regime media Sunday, accused Israel and the US of violating a ceasefire from April.

“Our acceptance of the ceasefire on April 8 was conditional on a ceasefire on ALL fronts; but as always, America and Israel did not adhere to their commitment, they continued the aggression and crimes in Lebanon, and attacked Iranian vessels,” it said.

US officials have repeatedly cautioned Israel against escalating the war as they try to broker a permanent deal between the Jewish State and Iran.

Last week, the Lebanese and Israeli governments agreed to their own ceasefire, but Hezbollah rejected the deal.

Pakistan is also trying to revive Iran-Israel peace talks between with little success, as Iran stipulates a deal must include an end to Israel’s war in Lebanon.

Israel has maintained a military presence in Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah — a hard-line that has consistently complicated the deal to end the war with Iran.

In NBC’s “Meet The Press” interview that aired Sunday, Trump said he is “not demanding” that Lebanon be part of an overall ceasefire deal.

Netanyahu, who is up for reelection later this year, has insisted on pressing ahead with Israel’s offense in Lebanon until he believes Hezbollah no longer poses a threat.

Before Israel’s strikes in Beirut, Iran warned an attack would spark a full-scale war across the Middle East.

The State Department said in a statement to the New York Times that it still supported the process of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon ahead of more negotiations planned for the week of June 22.

It also noted that the US “supports Israel’s right to self-defense and stands with the legitimate government of Lebanon as it works to deliver a better future for its citizens.”In March, Hezbollah unleashed devastating waves of missile attacks that overwhelmed Israel’s Iron Dome. An Iranian strike later that month injured more than 100 civilians.

Trump tells The Post ‘things are going well’ after Iran bombs Israel – advises Netanyahu not to hit back

President Trump said he planned to tell Israel’s prime minister not to retaliate after Iran launched a missile attack on the Jewish State Sunday —  noting that further escalation will only stall the fragile ceasefire negotiations.

Iran fired at least 10 missiles at Israel on Sunday, hours after the Israel Defense Forces launched its own attack on a Hezbollah command center in Beirut.

Trump told Fox News that he “wasn’t happy” about Israel’s brazen attack on Beirut after he’d told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stand down. But he recognized that Iran’s latest blow wasn’t “going to help negotiations” either.

“What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough. Get back to the table and make a deal,” Trump told the outlet.

The president also boasted about the power of the US military and the ongoing naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which has choked Iran’s oil-reliant economy.

Trump separately told Axios that he was “calling Netanyahu right now and telling him not to attack Iran in response.”

“Each of them had their fun. If Bibi strikes them back it’s just gonna keep going like the last 47 years, or the last 3,000 years,” Trump said.

Reached by The Post Sunday afternoon, Trump also said in a brief phone interview that “things are going very well.”

Iranian officials, meanwhile, appeared eager to ramp up the firefight with Israel and the US.

“Our acceptance of the ceasefire on April 8 was conditional on a ceasefire on ALL fronts; but as always, America and Israel did not adhere to their commitment, they continued the aggression and crimes in Lebanon, and attacked Iranian vessels,” Iran’s military said in a statement shared with regime media on Sunday.

Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, touted the “response” foreign “aggressors” received and promised that Israel would see “a more crushing response and heavier costs” if it retaliates.

Israel doesn’t appear to be standing down just yet. Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, a top Israeli military spokesman, said in brief televised remarks that it was approving plans for further action in Lebanon.

Defrin didn’t note any immediate retaliation for Sunday’s strikes, but blasted Iran for committing “a grave mistake.”

Before the strikes in Beirut, Iran warned an attack would spark a full-scale war across the Middle East.

Other News

Iranian soccer stars touch down in Tijuana — ahead of SoFi Stadium games

Iran’s soccer stars touched down just miles from the California border Sunday as they arrived in Tijuana ahead of a politically charged World Cup campaign with two blockbuster matches in Los Angeles.

Photos showed members of national team arriving in the Mexico border city after an overnight flight from Turkey, where the squad had spent the past three weeks training for the tournament.

The team landed shortly after 5 a.m. in the town across from San Diego, which will serve as their base throughout the World Cup.

Federation officials briefly waved as military and police escorts then accompanied the squad to a Marriott hotel in Tijuana, Reuters reported.

Iran is scheduled to play New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 before returning to Southern California to face Belgium on June 21.

The team will then travel to Seattle for a June 26 showdown with Egypt. But the journey to North America was anything but straightforward.

Iran’s football federation shifted the team’s base camp from Arizona to Mexico at the last minute amid uncertainty over U.S. visas and concerns in Tehran that the squad limit its presence on American soil, according to Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh.

After weeks of skepticism, U.S. authorities approved visas for Iranian players on Friday—just 10 days before the team’s opening match. The dispute, however, didn’t end there.

Iran’s football federation said several members of its delegation, including key managerial and administrative staff, were denied visas. Pasandideh said 15 of the 70 members of the traveling party who arrived in Tijuana were still unable to enter the United States.

The U.S. State Department said it had issued “the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff.”

“We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the U.S. under false pretenses,” the official added.

Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj blasted the delays, accusing Washington of unfair treatment.

“We do not know how far the Americans’ obstructionism will continue,” Taj stated.

ASIA

China and Taiwan Ships Face Off in South China Sea

The Chinese and Taiwanese coast guards engaged in a standoff near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea, Taipei said Friday.

A Chinese vessel, with the hull number 3501, was detected approximately four miles outside the restricted zone Taiwan claims around the Pratas at 7:32 a.m. local time, according to the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration.

Responding Taiwanese patrol boat, Xunhu No. 9, which sailed parallel to the Chinese ship while issuing radio broadcasts ordering it to leave. By 8 a.m., the situation had escalated.

China Coast Guard 3501 ignored the warnings and accelerated from 5 to 9 knots before making a sharp, abrupt turn into the restricted waters, the CGA said. The two ships remained in a standoff at the time of the statement.

"The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and only the [Taiwan] Coast Guard Administration has the authority to enforce the law in the waters around the Dongshas," the agency said, adding it would "take all necessary measures to curb China's unreasonable actions."

The People's Republic of China is the official name of the government in Beijing. The Republic of China is the official name of Taiwan's government, which fled to the island after losing the Chinese Civil War to Communist forces in 1949.

Newsweek reached out to Taiwan's coast guard and the Chinese Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

The Pratas, known in Taipei and Beijing as the Dongsha Islands, are situated about 250 miles southwest of Taiwan and 200 miles east of Hong Kong. They are claimed by both sides but administered by Taiwan, which maintains a small marine garrison on the largest island in the group, also known as Pratas.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out force to achieve unification. Taiwan functions as a de facto sovereign state with its own democratically elected government, military and foreign affairs.

Chinese Patrols Increase

The encounter came just weeks after a state-owned oceanographic vessel operated by Shanghai's Tongji University, the Tongji Hao, sailed in waters off Taiwan's southern Eluanbi Peninsula on May 7 and near the eastern port of Hualien on May 15.

After receiving an intercepting radio warning from Taiwan's coast guard, the research vessel "arrogantly" responded with the broadcast: "There is no Republic of China, only the People's Republic of China."

Chinese fishing and research vessels periodically sail near or into the so-called restricted waters, prompting Taiwan's coast guard to expel them. Chinese coast guard activity there remains lower in intensity than around Taiwan-controlled Kinmen in the Taiwan Strait, but has been increasing—from occasional transits to more than 30 incidents annually, Taipei Times reported, citing the CGA.

Taiwan Official Rejects Fears Trump Could ‘Trade’ Island to China

Taiwan’s Representative to the United States, Alexander Tah-ray Yui, said he isn't concerned that the island is being "traded off" in U.S.-China negotiations and highlighted the necessity of the U.S.'s proposed multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan.

Yui made the remarks in an interview with Politico that was published on Saturday as President Donald Trump weighs approving a proposed $14 billion arms package for Taiwan and has left open the possibility of speaking with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.

Newsweek has reached out to the Representative Office of Taiwan in Washington, D.C. for comment via email on Saturday.

U.S. Policy Stays Consistently Aligned

Yui told the outlet that Trump’s recent visit to China, in which he met with leader Xi Jinping “did not change anything regarding the longstanding position of the United States regarding Taiwan.” He also noted that the administration’s officials “all say there’s been no change in U.S. policy on Taiwan.”

Following a security forum in Singapore late last month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth echoed a similar sentiment saying, “The policy we have on Taiwan is the same as it was at the beginning of this administration."

He continued, "Our stance on Taiwan remains unchanged, just as the president said when we came out of those historic meetings with China.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio also publicly reinforced the administration’s stance following the Beijing meetings, signaling unified messaging across the Cabinet.

The U.S. adheres to its longstanding "One China" policy, acknowledging Beijing's position on Taiwan while maintaining unofficial relations with the island and not endorsing China’s claims. The U.S. is Taiwan's primary arms supplier, and arms sales routinely draw objections from China and threaten to raise tensions.

During his first term, Trump approved about $18.3 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including fighter jets, missiles and other military equipment. Reuters reported last year the total was nearly $10 billion higher than the roughly $8.4 billion approved during Biden's presidency.