Fire and smoke from an Israeli attack on the Sharan Oil depot near Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2025 (Reuters)

EA-Times Radio VideoCast: The Myth of the US-UK Trade Deal, Trump’s G7 Walkout, and How Israel Played Donald as It Tries to Break Iran’s Leaders

EA on Australia’s ABC: Israel’s War on Iran

Israel Maintains Deadly Pressure on Iran; Tehran Strikes Tel Aviv and Haifa

UPDATE 2137 GMT:

Donald Trump is evaluating the US joining Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, say “multiple current and former administration officials”.

Trump met in the Situation Room with his national security advisors this afternoon.

Israel needs the American “bunker buster” bombs to reach Iran’s Fordoo uranium enrichment complex, which is built into a mountain.

“We are waiting for the decision of the President,” said a senior Israeli official.

Two Israeli officials added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes Trump offers that support of his own accord, rather than having to pressure the reality TV star into it.

UPDATE 1942 GMT:

Donald Trump has retweeted a fawning message from the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, which could be read as encouraging a nuclear attack on Iran.

Huckabee, a Christian Zionist, declared that “God spared” Trump from assassination to be the “most consequential President in history”.

He then tried
to “encourage” Trump by declaring, “No President in my lifetime has been in a position like yours. Not since Truman in 1945.”

In August 1945, President Harry Truman approved the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan, contributing to the end of World War II.

Huckabee concludes, “You did not seek this moment. This moment sought YOU!”

UPDATE 1652 GMT:

Donald Trump has blustered on social media:

We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.

But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.

US officials have said they rejected an approach by the Netanyahu Government for American support of an assassination. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told an American outlet on Monday that that killing Ayatollah Khameini would not “escalate the conflict” but “end it”

In a subsequent post, Trump — who had said he was pursuing a deal with Tehran — shouted, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER”.

The reality TV star pushed Israel aside as he claimed, “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA.”

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UPDATE 1444 GMT:

An analyst in Tehran, their name withheld for personal safety, writes for the Stimson Center:

For years, Iran’s civil society had been fractured: student activists demanding freedoms, ethnic minorities decrying repression, women resisting the mandatory hijab and a middle class crushed by inflation. Yet Israel’s aggression transformed dissent into solidarity….As Reza Alijani, a journalist in Paris, noted: “The regime’s incompetence invited this strike. But today, blaming them feels like handing victory to Netanyahu.”

Behind the scenes, what looked to many Iranians like a strategic deception orchestrated by Trump and Netanyahu unfolded with chilling precision.

Ardeshir Amir-Arjmand — a former aide to Mir Hossein Mousavi, the possible winner of the disputed 2009 Presidential election who has been under house arrest since February 2011 — described the Israeli attack as “a violation of territorial integrity and a crime against humanity”

Iran and Iranians will not bow to aggression. The struggle against internal despotism should not justify aggression against our country….

Long live Iran.

Exiled analyst Ali Afshari said, “Israel’s attack is aggression, not legitimate defense. Hailing Israeli attacks as legitimate is treason.” Veteran reformist Mohammad Tavassoli said defense of Iran is a “civic duty transcending politics”, and dissident Ghasem Sholeh-Saadi noted, “Hoping for Israel to topple the regime is like welcoming locusts to save crops.”

The analyst notes, “Jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh echoed this duality: ‘We defend Iran’s soil, not its rulers’ mistakes.’ Her words hinted at a future reckoning: once bombs stop, Iran’s unity may fracture anew, with demands for justice against both the regime and its foreign attackers.”

UPDATE 1304 GMT:

Modifying its assessment, the International Atomic Energy Agency believes Israel struck the underground sections of Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment complex as well as those above ground.

Based on continued analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday’s attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz.

Already, an above-ground enrichment hall had been destroyed, as well as electrical equipment that powered the facility.

IAEA head Rafael Grossi had previous said that there was no sign of a direct strike on underground areas, while saying up to 15,000 centrifuges may have been damaged by loss of power.

UPDATE 1218 GMT:

US intelligence agenices assess that Iran is not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon and is up to three years away from being able to deliver one, according to “four people familiar” with the analysis.

But a “senior US official” declared to CNN that Iran is “about as close as you can get before building [a nuclear weapon]. If Iran wanted one, they have all the things they need.”

In March, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told legislators that US agencies did not believe Iran was building a nuclear bomb.

Trump dismissed Gabbard’s statement as he left the G7 summit in Canada early: “I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having it.”

UPDATE 1210 GMT:

Implicitly addressing Israel, the European Union has said diplomacy is the best method to address Iran’s nuclear program.

After an emergency video call among the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said:

We all agreed the urgent need for de-escalation. Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, and diplomacy is the solution to prevent this, and EU will play its part.

Kallas asserted that “as the Iran and US talks have run into some kind of standstill”, Europe “has more to say”.

She said she spoken on Monday to Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and key European counterparts. She had received reassurances from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Washington was not looking to join Israel’s attacks on Iran.

UPDATE 1002 GMT:

A hacking group linked to Israel claims it destroyed the data of Iran’s Bank Sepah.

The group, Gonjeshke Darande (Predatory Sparrow), posted:

Bank Sepah was an institution that circumvented international sanctions and used the people of Iran’s money to finance the regime’s terrorist proxies, its ballistic missile program and its military nuclear program.

Fars, linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, acknowledged, “A cyberattack targeted the infrastructure of Sepah Bank, causing disruptions to the institution’s online services.”

The site said the issue is expected to be resolved within the next few hours.

UPDATE 0750 GMT:

Donald Trump has reiterated his support for Israel’s strikes on Iran.

Trump told reporters during his midnight flight from the G7 summit in Canada that Israel will not be easing its assault: “You’re going to find out over the next two days. You’re going to find out. Nobody’s slowed up so far.”

Asked whether US involvement would destroy the Iranian nuclear program, he expressed hope that it would be “wiped out long before that”.

Trump said he might send real estate developer Steve Witkoff or vice-president JD Vance to meet with Iran, but “it depends what happens when I get back”.

UPDATE 0716 GMT:

Iran fired around 20 ballistic missiles at Israel this morning.

Emergency services said five people were lightly injured after a missile hit a parking lot in central Israel. The strike caused damage and set an empty bus on fire.

The all clear has now been given for people to leave shelters.

UPDATE 0711 GMT:

The Israeli military claimed it has assassinated another senior Iranian commander, Maj. Gen. Ali Shadmani.

Shadmani was appointed as head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters after Gholam Ali Rashid was killed on Friday in Israel’s initial strikes.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Attacking Iran for the fifth day, Israel has called on the Islamic Republic’s leaders to evacuate the capital Tehran.

As the G7 summit tried to limit the war, Donald Trump continued his support of the assault, leaving early and echoing the demand for “immediate evacuation”.

Striking civilian targets such as the main building of the Iran State broadcaster IRIB, the Israelis warned of imminent bombing of “military infrastructure”.

The Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic spokesperson, Col Avichay Adraee, issued the evacuation order on social media. He including, with a map showing much of the third district in northern Tehran — the location of IRIB — shaded in red.

Dear citizens, for your safety, please leave the described area in the 3rd district of Tehran immediately.

In the coming hours, the Israeli army will attack the military infrastructure of the Iranian regime in this area, as it has done in recent days in Tehran. Your presence in this area endangers your life.

The on-air moment of Israel’s strike on Monday, with the presenter fleeing the IRIB studio:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told personnel at an airbase:

The Israeli air force controls the skies over Tehran. This changes the entire campaign.

When we control the skies over Tehran, we strike regime targets, as opposed to the criminal Iranian regime which targets our civilians and comes to kill women and children. We tell the people of Tehran to evacuate, and we act.

In an interview with the US outlet ABC, Netanyahu said he is open to a targeted assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader.

Commenting on Donald Trump’s reported veto of an Israeli plan to kill Ayatollah Khamenei, Netanyahu maintained that assassinating him would not “escalate the conflict” but “end it”.

Defense Minister Israel Katz referred to Iraq’s Saddam Hussein as he told Israel Defense Forces commanders this morning:

I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and launching missiles at Israeli civilians. He would do well to remember the fate of the dictator in the country neighboring Iran who chose this same path against the State of Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces proclaimed overnight that they destroyed “dozens of ground-to-ground missile storage and launch facilities, as well as ground-to-air missile launchers” in western Iran overnight.

Iran responded with a volley of less than 10 missiles, far fewer than in previous waves, on Israel. There were no reported casualties, and Israeli authorities say only one of the

Trump’s Departure from G7

Just after quitting the G7 summit in Canada, Trump posted, “IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”

French President Emmanuel Macron tried to present Trump’s departure as the prospect of an end to the Israeli attacks:

There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange. An offer was made especially to get a ceasefire and to then kickstart broader discussions. We have to see now whether the sides will follow….

Right now I believe negotiations need to restart and that civilians reed to protected….Since the US assured they will find a ceasefire and since they can pressure Israel, things may change.

But Trump poured scorn on Macron’s diplomatic attempt:

Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a “cease fire” between Israel and Iran. Wrong!

He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong.

Iran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Oman to press Trump to use his influence on Israel for agreement to an immediate ceasefire.

Trump confirmed the signals without giving any indication that he would act upon them.

A statement by the leaders of the G7 — France, Italy, Germany, the UK, Canada, Japan, and the US — urged de-escalation. However, it emphasized Israel’s “right to defend itself” and labelled Iran “the principal source of regional instability and terror”.

The European Union’s Ursula von der Leyen summarized:

The G7 reiterates its commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East.

We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities, including a ceasefire in Gaza.

We remain vigilant on the implications on energy markets.

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— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu) June 17, 2025 at 4:57 AM

On a joint phone call, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the UK urged Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi not to escalate the conflict by attacking the US or other countries in the Middle East.

They pressed Iran not to proceed with a threat to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or to reduce cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.