27/06/2025

FRIDAY | JUNE 27, 2025

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Trump wants trial of Israel PM cancelled

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump weighed in on ally Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial on Wednesday, urging for Israel’s “great wartime prime minister” to be exonerated after the conflict with Iran. “Such a witch hunt, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me,” he wrote in a long post on Truth Social. Trump, who himself has faced an array of criminal charges and convictions that he argued were politically motivated, said he had “just learned” that Netanyahu “has been summoned to court on Monday”. “(Netanyahu) and I just went through hell together, fighting a very tough, longtime enemy of Israel – Iran – and (Netanyahu) could not have been better, sharper or stronger in his love for the incredible Holy Land. WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration hit back on Wednesday at accounts that Iran may have moved enriched uranium before US bombing, as a row grew on how much the strikes set back Tehran’s nuclear programme. Trump has lashed out at media accounts of a classified report that doubted the extent of damage to Iranian nuclear sites. Another key question raised by experts is whether Iran, preparing for the strike, moved out some 400kg of enriched uranium, which could be hidden elsewhere in the vast country. “The United States had no indication that the enriched uranium was moved prior to the strikes, as I also saw falsely reported,“ White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News. “As for what is on the ground right now, it is buried under miles and miles of rubble because of the success of these strikes on Saturday.“ When asked about the uranium on Sunday, Vice-President J. D. Vance had sounded less definitive and said the United States would discuss the issue with Iran. “We are going to work in the coming weeks to ensure we do something with that fuel.“ The quantity of uranium had been reported by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with which Iran is considering severing cooperation after the Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear programme. “The IAEA lost visibility on this material the moment when hostilities began,“ said agency chief US

26 ARRESTED OVER LINKS WITH ISRAEL TEHRAN: Iran’s intelligence services have arrested 26 people, accusing them of collaborating with Israel, state media Fars news agency reported, days after a ceasefire between the two countries was announced. “They have been arrested by the Intelligence Organisation of the Hazrat Vali Asr Corps. Most have confessed to their actions, including anti-security activities, spreading public anxiety and acts of sabotage.“ The arrests came after Israel’s military chief said on Wednesday its commandos had operated secretly inside Iran during the 12-day war, hailing assistance from US intelligence. Iran said on Wednesday it executed three men accused of spying for Israel. – AFP MOSCOW DESTROYS TWO DRONES: MAYOR MOSCOW: Russian air defence units destroyed two drones targeting Moscow, said Mayor Sergei Sobyanin yesterday. He said specialists were examining debris on the ground. The governor of the border region of Voronezh earlier reported that more than 40 drones had been destroyed throughout the day. In Bryansk region, also on the border, the regional governor said seven drones had been destroyed. The Defence Ministry reported that 18 drones had been destroyed over a three-hour period in several regions extending through central and southern Russia. – Reuters Accord signed for tribunal on Russian aggression STRASBOURG: Ukraine and the Council of Europe human rights body signed an agreement on Wednesday forming the basis for a special tribunal intended to bring to justice senior Russian officials for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky and Council of Europe Secretary-General Alain Berset signed the accord in the French city of Strasbourg at the council headquarters. “Every war criminal must know there will be justice and that includes Russia. We are boosting the legal work in a serious way,“ said Zelensky. The 46-member Council of Europe, set up after World War II to uphold human rights and the rule of law, approved the tribunal in May, saying it is intended to be complementary to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and fill legal gaps in prosecutions. The ICC has issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. – Reuters

BR I E F S

military sites over the course of 12 days of war while Iran launched waves of missiles at its regional arch foe in their deadliest-ever confrontation. The United States joined the fray in support of its ally, hitting two nuclear facilities with massive bunker-buster bombs over the weekend while guided missiles from a submarine struck a third. Trump announced the ceasefire shortly after Iran retaliated with strikes targeting a US base in Qatar that Trump said had been fully defeated and forewarned. “It was the United States that saved Israel and now it is going to be the United States that saves Netanyahu,” said Trump in his social media post. – AFP conference to “fight for the dignity of our great American pilots”. CIA director John Ratcliffe said new intelligence from a “historically reliable” source indicated that “several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years”. Iran’s government has said its nuclear facilities were “badly damaged”. – AFP

o ‘Such a witch hunt, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me’

his wife Sara are accused of accepting more than US$260,000 (RM1.22 million) worth of luxury goods, such as cigars, jewellery and champagne, from billionaires in exchange for political favors.

previous night. The unusual public display of anger at Israel saw Trump apparently trying to cajole his ally to call off warplanes in real time. Moments later, he said Israeli planes would “turn around and head home”.

“Netanyahu’s trial should be cancelled immediately, or a pardon given to a great hero,” said Trump. His lavish praise for Netanyahu came a day after he angrily berated Israel in an expletive-filled rant for apparently preparing to attack Iran despite a ceasefire announced the US hits back at accounts of moved uranium Netanyahu’s trial has been delayed many times since it began in May 2020, with the Israeli leader requesting postponements due to the war in Gaza and later conflict in Lebanon. In a first case, Netanyahu and Two other cases allege that Netanyahu attempted to negotiate more favourable coverage in two Israeli media outlets. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing. Before the agreement of a ceasefire on Tuesday, Israel had pounded Iranian nuclear and

was said to have concluded that the strike did not destroy key components and Iran’s nuclear programme was set back months at most. Trump lashed out at the CNN reporter behind the story, taking to Truth Social to demand that the network fire her. He also said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth would hold a news

Rafael Grossi. The US military said it dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs, powerful 13,600kg weapons, on three Iranian nuclear sites. Trump has repeatedly said the attack “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities, including the key site of Fordo buried inside a mountain. But an initial classified assessment, first reported by CNN,

SECURING SUPPLIES ... Palestinians holding guns and weapons to guard aid trucks in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. – REUTERSPIC

China hosts Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers

QINGDAO: China hosted defence ministers from Iran and Russia for a meeting in its eastern seaside city of Qingdao yesterday against the backdrop of war in the Middle East and a summit of Nato countries in Europe that agreed to boost military spending. Beijing has long sought to present the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a counterweight to Western-led power blocs and has pushed to strengthen

robust actions to jointly safeguard the environment for peaceful development”. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said SCO members should “collectively aspire to fulfil the aspirations and expectations of our people as well as tackle today’s challenges”. “The world we live in is undergoing a drastic transformation. Globalisation, which once brought us closer together, has been losing momentum.“ – AFP

a world in “chaos and instability”. “As momentous changes of the century accelerate, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise,“ he said as he welcomed defence chiefs from Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus and elsewhere on Wednesday, according to state news agency Xinhua. “Hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts severely undermine the international order.“ He urged his counterparts to “take more

collaboration between its member countries in politics, security, trade and science. The Qingdao meeting of the organisation’s top defence officials is being held the day after a summit of Nato leaders in The Hague, where members agreed to ramp up their defence spending to satisfy US President Donald Trump. Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun framed the meeting of officials in Qingdao, home to a major Chinese naval base, as a counterweight to