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    Starmer says UK to help air drop aid into Gaza – but UN warns they could kill starving civilians

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    The UK is working with Jordan on plans to air drop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance, Sir Keir Starmer has announced.But the UN has warned has warned the focus on air drops is a ‘distraction’, and could lead to more deaths in the war-torn enclave. The prime minister held emergency talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday amid mounting global anger at the starving population in the besieged enclave.In a readout of the call, a spokesperson for Sir Keir said the leaders had agreed “it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace”.The UN and experts have warned that Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine More

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      in UK Politics

      Trump administration denies wanting war with Iran or regime change after nuclear site bombing raid

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      Donald Trump’s administration “does not seek war” and is not trying to create regime change, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has claimed after the president authorised a stunning attack on Iran.With the world reeling over the stealth bomber raids on three nuclear sites – dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer – President Trump claimed he had “completely obliterated” Iran’s chances of obtaining nuclear weapons.But despite Mr Hegseth’s comments on Sunday, the attacks have prompted the UK and others to organise repatriation flights for citizens from Israel, Iran and surrounding countries amid fears of all-out war.Click here for the latest on the ongoing conflict.Defence secretary Pete Hegseth revealed new details of the attack at the Pentagon in Washington on Sunday More

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      in Elections

      U.S. Military Is Pulled Back Into Middle East Wars

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      The strikes on Iran ushered in a period of high alert as the Pentagon braced for almost-certain retaliation against American forces in the region.The U.S. strikes on nuclear sites in Iran are an extraordinary turn for a military that was supposed to be moving on from two decades of forever wars in the Middle East, and they put the United States back on war footing.Across the region, where more than 40,000 American troops are on bases and warships, the strikes ushered in a period of high alert as the Pentagon braced for almost-certain retaliation from Iran.President Trump announced on social media that three Iranian sites were hit, including the mountain facility at Fordo. The bombs used in the strikes are believed to include “bunker busters,” which are designed to destroy deep underground bunkers or well-buried weapons in highly protected facilities.A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential intelligence said that multiple 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordo, and that initial damage assessments indicated that the facility had been “taken off the table.”The strikes, whether successful or not, are likely to trigger a fierce response. Tehran has vowed to strike at American bases in the Middle East, and American intelligence agencies confirmed before the strikes took place that Iran would take steps to widen the war and hit U.S. forces in the region. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence, said the strikes against the three nuclear sites were complete. The official said no follow-up attacks were expected, although commanders were ready to respond to any Iranian retaliation.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      in UK Politics

      ‘I may do it, I may not’: Donald Trump taunts Iran over airstrikes as Starmer holds Cobra meeting

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      Donald Trump taunted Iran on Wednesday over the extraordinary prospect of US airstrikes on Tehran, after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected demands for unconditional surrender.“I may do it. I may not do it,” the president said amid a growing divide among his inner circle over whether to join Israel’s attacks.“The next week is going to be very big,” he teased as thousands fled the Iranian capital following the latest aerial bombardment, leaving many shops closed and streets empty.Sir Keir Starmer chaired an emergency Cobra meeting on the Middle East crisis late on Wednesday, two days after he expressed confidence that Mr Trump would not join the unfolding war between Iran and Israel.The Foreign Office has evacuated family members of embassy staff from Israel, but has not advised British nationals to leave the country.Mr Trump on Tuesday demanded Iran’s conditional surrender and issued a chilling warning that US forces knew the whereabouts of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s 86-year-old religious ruler.In a speech aired on Iranian television – his first appearance since bombing began last Friday – the supreme leader said any US intervention would lead to “irreparable damage”.Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addresses the nation More

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      in Elections

      Trump’s Choice on Israel-Iran: Help Destroy Nuclear Facility or Continue to Negotiate

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      Iranian officials have warned that U.S. participation in an attack on its facilities will imperil any chance of the nuclear disarmament deal the president insists he is still interested in pursuing.President Trump is weighing a critical decision in the four-day-old war between Israel and Iran: whether to enter the fray by helping Israel destroy the deeply buried nuclear enrichment facility at Fordo, which only America’s biggest “bunker buster,” dropped by American B-2 bombers, can reach.If he decides to go ahead, the United States will become a direct participant in a new conflict in the Middle East, taking on Iran in exactly the kind of war Mr. Trump has sworn, in two campaigns, he would avoid. Iranian officials have already warned that U.S. participation in an attack on its facilities will imperil any remaining chance of the nuclear disarmament deal that Mr. Trump insists he is still interested in pursuing.Mr. Trump had at one point encouraged his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and possibly Vice President JD Vance, to offer to meet the Iranians, according to a U.S. official. But on Monday Mr. Trump posted on social media that “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran,” hardly a sign of diplomatic progress.Mr. Trump also said on Monday that “I think Iran basically is at the negotiating table, they want to make a deal.” The urgency appeared to be rising. The White House announced late on Monday that Mr. Trump was leaving the Group of 7 summit early because of the situation in the Middle East.“As soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something,” Mr. Trump said. “But I have to leave here.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      in UK Politics

      The UK should protect its allies in the Gulf and Middle East – but Israel isn’t one of them

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      For Britain, Israel is mostly a strategic liability – but it’s also a very close ally in stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.Now that Israel is locked in a war with Iran and Britain is rushing to send a handful of RAF jets to the region, that relationship needs careful management.The UK cannot afford to be seen as guilty by association in respect of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, or to suffer reputational damage by offering Israel unnecessary help – there is plenty for the RAF to do aside from that. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has said that the aircraft may be used to defend the UK’s allies – in other words, shoot down Iranian missiles heading towards Tel Aviv.Helping Israel to stop the erratic and malevolent Iranian regime from making an atomic bomb is smart. Being seen to do so, and protecting Israel against the consequences of its endeavours, is not.Iran has threatened to attack any US ally that defends Israel. The US has already helped to shoot down ballistic missiles fired by Tehran in retaliation for the ongoing, and widespread, Israeli attacks on Iran’s air defences, missile systems, military leadership and nuclear programme. The US has a vast array of military assets very close to Iran, with air force and navy bases positioned across the Persian Gulf, in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman. These are all vulnerable to attack.Rescue teams clear rubble in a neighbourhood in the northern Israeli town of Tamra following an overnight missile attack by Iran More

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      in UK Politics

      UK moving jets to Middle East as Israel warns more severe strikes coming

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      The UK is sending more RAF jets to the Middle East, Sir Keir Starmer said, after Iran threatened to target British, French and US bases if the countries help stop strikes on Israel.The prime minister said further military assets are being deployed to provide “contingency support” across the region amid escalating hostilities between the two long-time foes.Sir Keir’s announcement comes as Iran and Israel continue to bombard one another with airstrikes in the wake of Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear bases. Civilians took cover in bomb shelters as air raid sirens sounded across Israel, while plumes of smoke were seen rising from the streets of Tel Aviv after deadly attacks in both countries. Rejecting international calls to de-escalate the violence, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks would intensify as he claimed to have set back Iran’s nuclear capabilities, possibly by years. “We will hit every site and every target of the ayatollah’s regime and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,” he vowed in a video message on Saturday. Ahead of a gathering of world leaders at a crunch G7 summit in Canada, Sir Keir Starmer confirmed Britain was moving military assets to the region.Buildings in Israel were destroyed by strikes More

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      in Elections

      Defying Calls for De-Escalation, Israel and Iran Exchange Deadly Fire

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      As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to fight “as long as it takes,” Iran fired missiles at Israel, and Israeli warplanes attacked air defenses around Tehran.Israel widened its targets in Iran on Saturday to strike at oil and gas installations, as leaders of both countries vowed to intensify their attacks despite international pleas for de-escalation.In a sweeping assault on Iranian nuclear and military assets that began early Friday, Israel initially focused on Iranian nuclear sites, air defenses and military targets. But the strikes on Saturday went a step further, targeting an energy industry that is vital to Iran’s economy. So far, Israel has killed more than 70 people, including four top security chiefs and several nuclear scientists, damaged Iran’s main nuclear site at Natanz and systematically degraded air defenses, particularly around the capital, Tehran.Iran, in turn, has launched barrages of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel targeting what it says are military assets, but with less apparent success. At least three people have been killed and dozens more wounded.The fighting, the most intense in decades between the two heavily armed countries, has stirred anxiety over the prospect of an increasingly deadly conflict that could draw in the United States and other major powers.The salvos of missiles scuttled talks between the United States and Iran aimed at curbing the Islamic Republic’s progress toward obtaining a nuclear weapon. The talks had been scheduled to resume in Oman on Sunday, but American and Omani officials said they were canceled.A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, said on Saturday that the negotiations would remain suspended until Israel ends its attacks, and he accused Washington of supporting the Israelis.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      in Elections

      Mideast Tense as Long Anticipated Israel-Iran Conflict Sinks Hopes for Détente

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      Israel’s attacks on Iran renewed fears of war between the countries and immediately threatened the region’s economy.In September 2019, a barrage of drones and cruise missiles slammed into two Saudi oil facilities near the Persian Gulf, including one of the largest in the world, igniting small fires that briefly interrupted production.The projectiles were later traced to Iran, and despite its stringent denials, the desire to avoid a repeat of the incident prompted a new and sustained effort by Saudi Arabia and the other Arab Gulf States to use détente and diplomacy toward the Islamic Republic to de-escalate regional tensions.That effort is being put to the test as never before on Friday amid waves of Israeli attacks on Iran aimed at destroying key facilities and decapitating the military and civilian leadership running its nuclear programs.“I think the tension is palpable and everybody is concerned about possible blowback,” said Firas Maksad, the managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group, a New York-based risk analysis organization. “This is a moment of great uncertainty throughout the region. It is the big war the region has been both fearing and anticipating for years.”The Gulf Arab states, and indeed much of the Arab world, were quick to issue robust condemnations of the Israeli attacks like this one from Riyadh: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggression against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran, which undermine its sovereignty and security and constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms.”The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and several others from the region called their Iranian counterpart to repeat the condemnation.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More