Attacking Iran, Israel brazenly defies 'man of peace' Trump

Attacking Iran, Israel brazenly defies 'man of peace' Trump
By Shaun TANDON
Washington (AFP) June 13, 2025

US President Donald Trump on Thursday implored Israel not to attack Iran and declared once again his goal was to be a peacemaker.

Hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of Trump's closest international allies, brazenly defied his advice by unleashing a major military campaign described as a "preemptive" strike against Iran's nuclear program.

The attack marks only the latest setback for Trump's lofty goal set out at the start of his second term of being a "man of peace."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Trump has also boasted a warm relationship, has rebuffed his overtures on a ceasefire with Ukraine.

And Israel resumed another massive offensive in Gaza after talks bogged down on extending a ceasefire with Hamas reached with Trump's support at the end of his predecessor Joe Biden's term.

Trump's friend and roving envoy Steve Witkoff -- who has negotiated in all three crises -- had been set to meet Iranian officials again Sunday in Oman.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement made clear the United States was not involved in attacking Iran and warned Tehran not to retaliate against US troops in the region.

Rubio said that Israel advised that it attacked out of "self-defense," but conspicuously did not say if the United States agreed. Trump, hours before the strikes, doubled down with a social media post saying he remained "committed to a diplomatic resolution" on Iran.

Netanyahu has described Iran's cleric-run government, which backs Hamas, as an existential threat and already last year ordered strikes that knocked out its air defenses.

"We've clearly seen a fork in the road in the American and Israeli approaches to this problem set," said Dana Stroul, a former senior Pentagon official who is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"These strikes are going to disrupt and delay and degrade Iran's nuclear program. The question, I think, is whether or not the United States and Israel in the future are going to work together on what to do to maximize the time that's put back on the clock," she said.

- Increasingly at odds -

Stroul noted that rifts had been building between Israel and Trump, who last month agreed to remove sanctions on Syria after former Islamist guerrilla Ahmed al-Sharaa swept into power.

Trump embraced the new Syrian leader after appeals on a tour of Gulf Arab monarchies -- which have also backed diplomacy on Iran.

In Qatar last month, Trump said after meeting the emir that he believed a deal was in sight with Iran and that there would be no "nuclear dust" over the region.

Despite growing disagreements, Israel enjoys robust support in Trump's right-wing base.

The Trump administration in recent days has again taken lonely positions to back Israel, with the United States casting one of the only votes at the UN General Assembly against a Gaza ceasefire resolution and criticizing top allies, including Britain, for imposing sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers.

Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, said the Israeli attack will "destroy US diplomatic efforts" on Iran and called for Trump to reject any US military role in protecting Israel from retaliation.

"Israel has the right to choose its own foreign policy. At the same time, it has the responsibility to bear the costs of that policy," he said.

But lawmakers in Trump's Republican Party quickly rallied behind Israel. Senator Tom Cotton said that the United States should "back Israel to the hilt, all the way," and topple Iran's Islamic Republic if it targets US troops.

Trump's Democratic rivals, who mostly backed his diplomacy on Iran, were aghast at Israel's action on the eve of new US-Iran talks.

"Israel's alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence," said Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Forces Committee.

Israel strikes Iran: what we know
Jerusalem (AFP) June 13, 2025 - Israel said Friday it had carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, promising to continue military action "to remove this threat."

The strikes hit several areas in Iran, with blasts reported in the capital Tehran, as well as at a key uranium enrichment site. Here is what we know:

What was hit?

Israel's military said its jets carried out strikes on "dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran."

Blasts were reported in Tehran, where Iranian state television said fire and smoke were seen at a key site for Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city's east.

State television also reported "loud explosions" in Natanz, in Iran's central Isfahan province, where a key nuclear site is located.

The "Natanz enrichment facility has been hit several times," state TV reported, showing footage of heavy smoke billowing from the site.

Iranian state media said residential buildings in Tehran were damaged and several civilians killed.

An Israeli security official said the strikes had "likely eliminated" Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Islamic republic's armed forces, along with senior nuclear scientists.

Iranian media meanwhile said Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami had been killed.

Why now?

Israel sees the cleric-run state in Tehran as an existential threat and hit Iranian air defences last year.

Its defence minister Israel Katz described the action as a "preemptive strike".

The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it has always denied.

Israel again called for global action after the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency accused Iran on Wednesday of non-compliance with its obligations.

There had been indications a military strike was likely, with US media reporting an imminent Israeli attack that would not be coordinated with the Washington.

"I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen," US President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday when asked if an Israeli attack loomed.

A sixth round of talks over Tehran's nuclear programme had been scheduled between the United States and Iran on Sunday in Oman.

Who was involved?

Israel relies on Washington for military and diplomatic support but carried out the strikes alone, top US diplomat Marco Rubio said.

"We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," he said in a statement warning Tehran against targeting US interests.

Rubio said Israel had "advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence," without offering support or criticism of the strikes.

What has been the reaction?

Air traffic has been halted at Tehran's main international airport, and neighbouring Iraq has closed its airspace entirely.

Israel has warned Iran could retaliate at any moment, declaring a state of emergency and also shutting its airspace.

In Washington, the White House said Trump would convene security chiefs after the strike, which was criticised by a senior Democrat.

"Israel's alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence," said Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

The strikes saw oil prices surge up to six percent.

Senior US Democrat condemns Israel's 'reckless escalation'
Washington (AFP) June 13, 2025 - Democratic senators sharply criticized US ally Israel on Thursday for its strikes on Iran, as the White House distanced itself from the attack but Republican senators voiced gratitude to Israel.

"Israel's alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence," Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island said in a statement.

His comment came after Israel carried out a "preemptive" strike against Tehran's nuclear and military sites, in defiance of a call from US President Donald Trump to refrain from attacking Iran.

Reed, the top Democrat on the US Senate Armed Services Committee, warned that the "strikes threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians but the stability of the entire Middle East and the safety of American citizens and forces."

"While tensions between Israel and Iran are real and complex, military aggression of this scale is never the answer," he insisted.

"I urge both nations to show immediate restraint, and I call on President Trump and our international partners to press for diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control."

Other Democrats also voiced alarm.

"This action ordered by Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to deliberately undermine ongoing American diplomatic negotiations about Iran's nuclear program," Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey said on X.

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut agreed.

"This is a disaster of Trump and Netanyahu's own making, and now the region risks spiraling toward a new, deadly conflict," he warned on X.

He also took a political jab at the US president, insisting that Israel's decision to attack "is further evidence of how little respect world powers -- including our own allies -- have for President Trump."

Republican senators responded as well, but with a very different tone.

Tom Cotton of Arkasas insisted on X that "Iran is the world's worst state sponsor of terrorism, has the blood of thousands of Americans on its hands, and is rushing to build not only nuclear weapons, but also missiles that can strike the United States."

"We back Israel to the hilt, all the way."

Ted Cruz of Texas agreed.

"Israel is doing a favor to America right now by taking out Iran's nuclear capacity," he said.