“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jun 25, 2025

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A satellite overview shows the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility, along with damage from recent airstrikes, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, near Qom, Iran, June 24, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY and the GLOBAL RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

In My Opinion:

From the Reuters’ article posted below: Trump said over the weekend that the U.S. deployment of 30,000-pound bombs had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. But that claim appeared to be contradicted by an initial assessment by one of his administration’s intelligence agencies, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Is anyone other than me getting sick and tired of Trump’s continual lies and their possible consequences? It goes on and on, as it always has since his prior term as president (more than 30,000 documented lies) and every time he lies, he influences gullible people, the media, and dangerously creates misunderstandings around the globe, including the decisions of other world leaders. His lies have become excessively dangerous, especially when we are dealing with an issue as severely dangerous as nuclear weapons and nuclear energy.

I have to wonder why our our 15 federal departments, or at a minimum, our congress, our judiciary, our military, and his own administration allows Trump’s perpetual lying to go on and on unresolved despite their obvious knowledge that he is creating a divided country and a divided world. ~llaw

I saw meme making the rounds of the social world just this morning that the congressional republicans “had Trump’s back” and they would not allow him to be impeached.

Here is a credible meme of Trump lies that were about his dealings with other world leaders:

Trump is making the United Staes of America the laughing stock of the world!

US strikes failed to destroy Iran’s nuclear sites, intelligence report says

By Gram Slattery, Alexander Cornwell and Parisa Hafezi

June 24, 20255:17 PM PDT Updated 9 hours ago

US strikes may only delay Iran nuclear program by months, sources say

• Summary

• LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
• Israeli prime minister, Iran president both claim victory
• US airstrikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months, initial US intelligence assessment finds
• US tells UN Security Council that strikes ‘degraded’ nuclear program

WASHINGTON/TEL AVIV/ISTANBUL, June 24 (Reuters) – U.S. airstrikes did not destroy Iran’s nuclear capability and only set it back by a few months, according to a preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment, as a shaky ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump took hold between Iran and Israel.

Earlier on Tuesday, both Iran and Israel signaled that the air war between the two nations had ended, at least for now, after Trump publicly scolded them for violating a ceasefire he announced at 0500 GMT.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

As the two countries lifted civilian restrictions after 12 days of war – which the U.S. joined with an attack on Iran’s uranium-enrichment facilities – each sought to claim victory.

Trump said over the weekend that the U.S. deployment of 30,000-pound bombs had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. But that claim appeared to be contradicted by an initial assessment by one of his administration’s intelligence agencies, according to three people familiar with the matter.

One of the sources said Iran’s enriched uranium stocks had not been eliminated, and the country’s nuclear program, much of which is buried deep underground, may have been set back only a month or two. Iran says its nuclear research is for civilian energy production.

The White House said the intelligence assessment was “flat out wrong.” According to the report, which was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the strikes sealed off the entrances to two of the facilities, but did not collapse underground buildings, said one of the people familiar with its findings.

Some centrifuges still remained intact after the attacks, the Washington Post said, citing an unnamed person familiar with the report.

Trump’s administration told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that its weekend strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had “degraded” Iran’s nuclear program, short of Trump’s earlier assertion that the facilities had been “obliterated.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the attack on Iran had removed the threat of nuclear annihilation and was determined to thwart any attempt by Tehran to revive its weapons program.

“We have removed two immediate existential threats to us: the threat of nuclear annihilation and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles,” Netanyahu said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country had successfully ended the war in what he called a “great victory,” according to Iranian media. Pezeshkian also told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Tehran was ready to resolve differences with the U.S., according to official news agency IRNA.

Israel launched the surprise air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.

Iran, which denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites and cities.

‘GREAT VICTORY’

Israel’s military lifted restrictions on activity across the country at 8 p.m. local time (1700 GMT), and officials said Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main airport near Tel Aviv, had reopened. Iran’s airspace likewise will be reopened, state-affiliated Nournews reported.

A White House official said Trump brokered the ceasefire deal with Netanyahu, and other administration officials were in touch with the Iranian government.

A satellite overview shows the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility, along with damage from recent airstrikes, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, near Qom, Iran, June 24, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

The truce appeared fragile: Both Israel and Iran took hours to acknowledge they had accepted the ceasefire and accused each other of violating it.

Trump scolded both sides but aimed especially stinging criticism at Israel, telling the close U.S. ally to “calm down now.” He later said Israel called off further attacks at his command.

Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said he told his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, that his country would respect the ceasefire unless Iran violated it. Pezeshkian likewise said Iran would honor the ceasefire as long as Israel did, according to Iranian media.

Whether the Israel-Iran truce can hold is a major question given the deep mistrust between the two foes. But Trump’s ability to broker a ceasefire showed Washington retains some leverage in the volatile region.

Israeli armed forces chief of staff Eyal Zamir said a “significant chapter” of the conflict had concluded but the campaign against Iran was not over. He said the military would refocus on its war against Iran-backed Hamas militants in Gaza.

Iran’s military command also warned Israel and the U.S. to learn from the “crushing blows” it delivered during the conflict.

Iranian authorities said 610 people were killed in their country by Israeli strikes and 4,746 injured. Iran’s retaliatory bombardment killed 28 people in Israel, the first time its air defenses were penetrated by large numbers of Iranian missiles.

Oil prices plunged and stock markets rallied worldwide in a sign of confidence inspired by the ceasefire, which allayed fears of disruption to critical oil supplies from the Gulf.

CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS?

Earlier in the day, Trump admonished Israel with an obscenity in an extraordinary outburst at an ally whose air war he had joined two days before by dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s underground nuclear sites.

Before departing the White House en route to a NATO summit in Europe, Trump told reporters he was unhappy with both sides for the ceasefire breach but particularly frustrated with Israel, which he said had “unloaded” shortly after agreeing to the deal.

“I’ve got to get Israel to calm down now,” Trump said. Iran and Israel had been fighting “so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”

Netanyahu’s office acknowledged Israel bombed a radar site near Tehran in what it said was retaliation for Iranian missiles fired three-and-a-half hours after the ceasefire was due to begin.

It did not explicitly say whether the strike on the radar site took place before or after they spoke.

The Islamic Republic denied launching any missiles and said Israel’s attacks had continued for an hour-and-a-half beyond the time the truce was meant to start.

“Who mediated or how it happened doesn’t matter,” said Reza Sharifi, 38, heading back to Tehran from Rasht on the Caspian Sea, where he had fled with his family. “The war is over. It never should have started in the first place.”

Additional reporting by Jonathan Landay and Reuters bureaus; writing by Andy Sullivan, Mark Heinrich, Peter Graff and Jonathan Allen; editing by Timothy Heritage, Ross Colvin, Joe Bavier, Cynthia Osterman and Stephen Coates

Gram Slattery

Thomson Reuters

Gram Slattery is a White House correspondent in Washington, focusing on national security, intelligence and foreign affairs. He was previously a national political correspondent, covering the 2024 presidential campaign. From 2015 to 2022, he held postings in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Santiago, Chile, and he has reported extensively throughout Latin America.

Alexander Cornwell

Thomson Reuters

Alexander has over a decade of international reporting experience. He is currently a senior correspondent in Jerusalem covering Israel & the Palestinian Territories and was formerly in Dubai where he covered the Arabian Peninsula, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, often writing about foreign policy, security and economic-related issues.Subscribed

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’s ALL NUCLEAR DAILY DIGEST” RELATED MEDIA

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War Threats
5. Nuclear War
6. Yellowstone Caldera & Other Volcanoes (Note: There are two Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS DIGEST, Wednesday, (06/25/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Early intel assessment says Iran’s nuclear program was only set back ‘a few months’ – NPR

NPR

“I have a whole lot of questions for this administration,” Warner told All Things Considered. “What are the next steps? How do we make sure that …

US strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear programme, says intelligence assessment – BBC

BBC

… everything we have seen – and I’ve seen it all – our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons”. “Anyone who says the …

Dealing with Iran’s nuclear program requires tricky diplomacy. But there’s low trust – KNPR

KNPR

Her reports can be heard on all NPR News programs, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Sponsored by. Become a sponsor. Latest Stories.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

How the U.S. was so sure Iran was building a nuclear bomb | About That – YouTube

YouTube

… power? 6:51 – The wrong kind of fuel 9:02 – How close is close … How China Won the Thorium Nuclear Energy Race. ColdFusion New 528K views.

New York Governor announces plans for new nuclear plant

World Nuclear News

State Governor Kathy Hochul has directed New York’s public electric utility to develop and construct an advanced nuclear power plant in Upstate …

Shuttered Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Poised for 2027 Restart | OilPrice.com

Oil Price

Constellation Energy announced Tuesday it is accelerating plans to restart Unit 1 of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant by 2027.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

IAEA and Romania hosting nuclear emergency exercise

World Nuclear News

More than 75 countries and 10 international organisations are taking part in what the International Atomic Energy Agency says is the “world’s …

ConvEx-3 (2025): IAEA and Romania Lead Largest Global Nuclear Emergency Drill

Current Affairs – Adda247

This 36-hour drill simulates a severe nuclear accident at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, Romania’s sole nuclear energy facility. The objective …

Outdoor warning sirens to be tested at Robinson Nuclear Plant – WPDE

WPDE

Officials said local broadcasting stations will not interrupt regular programming during this test to broadcast Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

US strikes failed to destroy Iran’s nuclear sites, intelligence report says | Reuters

Reuters

“We have removed two immediate existential threats to us: the threat of nuclear … Israel launched the surprise air war on June 13, attacking Iranian …

US strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear programme, says Pentagon assessment – BBC

BBC

“We have removed two immediate existential threats to us – the threat of nuclear annihilation and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic …

Israel-Iran live news: Trump insists nuclear sites ‘destroyed’ after intelligence suggests …

The Guardian

… war with Iran, had removed “the threat of nuclear annihilation”. He … “We have removed two immediate existential threats to us: the threat of nuclear …

Nuclear War

NEWS

US strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear programme, says Pentagon assessment – BBC

BBC

… attack show large craters visible at the Fordo nuclear site in Iran. The US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities did not destroy the country’s nuclear …

Strike Set Back Iran’s Nuclear Program by Only a Few Months, U.S. Report Says

The New York Times

Before the attack, U.S. intelligence agencies had said that if Iran tried to rush to making a bomb, it would take about three months. After the U.S. …

US strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months, report says – AP News

AP News

Israel killed at least 14 scientists in an unprecedented attack on Iran’s nuclear know-how. Newsletters. The Morning Wire. Our flagship newsletter …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Tourist Trapped in Indonesian Volcano Found Dead – Explorersweb »

Explorersweb »

… caldera with crater lake. Thousands of visitors flock to … A multicolored hot spring. Yellowstone’s Hidden Magma Cap Shows Supervolcano’s …

15 Natural Disasters That Created Tourist Attractions – Go2Tutors

Go2Tutors

Yellowstone Caldera. DepositPhotos. The Yellowstone supervolcano’s last major eruption occurred around 640,000 years ago, creating the massive …

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jun 24, 2025

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LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY and the GLOBAL RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

In My Opinion:

I am seeing a lot of articles about whether or not Trump’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities was successful or not! In this case we don’t even know — nor should we care — about what is meant by “successful” because either way it was not a success for humanity’s sake. This irritates and infuriates the living hell out of me! Why, you ask? Let me count the ways . . .

And I don’t need an article to support what I have to say . . .

It doesn’t matter in the least about Trump’s entirely uncalled for and extremely irresponsible and stupid decision to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. What matters is that it happened and it will lead to consequences that we will be very fortunate to come away from without it turning into WWIII! The sides appear to be chosen already, and essentially it’s the USA against the rest of the world. I suspect that even some, if not all, of our closest former allies will never side with us.

Iran agreed in March of this year to meet with the U.S. at Trump’s invitation to draw up a new agreement about allowable conditions and restrictions concerning Iran’s nuclear facilities and operations. Trump failed to come anywhere near reaching an agreement, which would have replaced President Obama’s USA/Iran agreement between the nations, which Trump tore up when he became president the 1st time. Without any agreement or restrictions at all — because of Trump’s ignorance — Iran was free to do whatever they desired with their nuclear program, including, but not limited to, refining (enriching) their uranium fuel not only for their nuclear power plants, but rather to any grade they wanted to, including 100%, or nuclear weapons grade.

Trump removed, without replacing, Obama’s Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, on May 8, 2018, even though he was advised against that action by other allied countries who had endorsed Obama’s Iran nuclear agreement. So, with Trump’s foolish decision and lack of attention, Iran had free sailing to build nuclear bombs if they so desired for more than seven years, yet during nearly a decade Iran most likely never built a nuclear bomb, and even if they had, they obviously never used it. So why are we so suddenly worried half-to-death about it now — all of a sudden. Israel’s Netanyahu has been crying about the “sky falling” for decades, and yet Trump sided with him about Iran, and I have to wonder why he did so., even though I have a couple of good ideas.

That is the brief history of this story, and now we must look at what was just done by Trump, apparently without consultation nor required congressional approval. Trump had indicated he was going to wait a couple of weeks before deciding what to do, but all of this smacks us in the face after we wake up on Sunday morning to the news of the USA bombing of three Iranian nuclear enriching facilities on Saturday night, June 21st, just 3 days ago. This could be the biggest human mistake ever made in the history of the world, including most all life extinctions! All other extinctions were caused by so-called “Acts of God”.

Trump has lied to the American public and to the entire world about this episode of uncalled for war and other abhorrible intentions, yesterday blaming Israel’s Netanyahu and Iranian supreme leader Khamenei for Trump’s own mistakes and recently responding to a reporter’s interview by unequivocally flaming both leaders by saying for the whole world to hear, “They don’t know what the fuck they are doing.”

This kind of public response to an innocent reporter’s question is not very presidential, even in his White House office, but to say it outdoors to a reporter, excessively loudly with a pretense of anger, is beyond the dignity of a U.S. president, plus what he said was untrue, as usual . . .

This is a long story made short, but of course the media is all over it on both sides of the issue — when there should be just one — and in my own humble opinion Trump should be arrested, impeached, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment. ~llaw

Take your pick of the flood of media stories below — there are more than enough!

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’s ALL NUCLEAR DAILY DIGEST” RELATED MEDIA

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War Threats
5. Nuclear War
6. Yellowstone Caldera & Other Volcanoes (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS DIGEST, Tuesday, (06/24/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

4 things to know about the U.S. airstrikes on Iran – NPR

NPR

The Trump administration said its strikes were intended to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon … All Things Considered · Fresh Air · Up …

U.S., Israel Attack Iranian Nuclear Targets—Assessing the Damage

Council on Foreign Relations

The United States joined Israel’s bombing campaign of Iran’s nuclear program. A clear picture of the damage inside Iran—and the state of its …

Iranian retaliation, a sudden ceasefire, and lingering nuclear questions – CNN

CNN

The official also warned that “if Israel makes a mistake, all occupied territories will be attacked.” … What about Iran’s nuclear program? Israel’s …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

New York Again Embraces Nuclear Power With Plans to Build New Plant

The New York Times

New York still derives about one-fifth of its electricity from three nuclear plants operated by Constellation Energy on the south shore of Lake …

What we know about US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites – BBC

BBC

Maxar Technologies Satellite image shows an overview of the Fordo nuclear facility in Iran on 22 … The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization has called …

Palisades nuclear restart decision on track despite federal upheaval – MLive.com

MLive.com

This file photo from November 2023 shows the nuclear reactor building at Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Michigan. The facility stands to …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Should you stop using conditioner in a nuclear attack? Surprisingly, the answer is yes

Shreveport Times

Radiation emergencies include a nuclear detonation for explosion, an accident at a nuclear power plant, a transportation accident involving a …

Secretary Wright Issues Emergency Order to Secure Southeast Power Grid Amid Heat Wave

Department of Energy

The Department of Energy (DOE) today issued an emergency order authorized by Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act to address pial grid ..

Belarus participates in IAEA nuclear emergency response exercise – BELTA

BELTA

… nuclear emergency exercise simulating a severe accident at a nuclear power plant. The exercise is being conducted by the International Atomic .

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

F.B.I. Warns of Possible Retaliation by Iran After Bombing of Nuclear Sites – The New York Times

The New York Times

F.B.I. and D.H.S. officials cautioned state and local law enforcement of the possibility of threats to U.S. communities.

FBI Warns of Possible Iran Retaliation Following Strikes on Nuclear Sites – Newsweek

Newsweek

The agency urged field offices to monitor for potential threats, especially to military facilities and individuals seen as possible targets for …

Trump’s attack isn’t the end of Iran’s nuclear threat

msnbc.com

You can’t bomb knowledge. Trump’s attack isn’t the end of Iran’s nuclear threat. The U.S. most likely damaged but didn’t totally destroy the nuclear …

Nuclear War

NEWS

U.S., Israel Attack Iranian Nuclear Targets—Assessing the Damage

Council on Foreign Relations

The United States joined Israel’s bombing campaign of Iran’s nuclear program. A clear picture of the damage inside Iran—and the state of its …

Here’s how Iran could respond to US strikes on its nuclear sites – CNN

CNN

Knowing that it can’t outright win a conflict against Israel and the US, experts have said that Tehran could seek to engage in a war of attrition, …

Were U.S. Strikes On Iran’s Nuclear Program Successful? : State of the World from NPR

NPR

The U.S. entered Israel’s war against Iran over the weekend, dropping bombs and firing missiles on three Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities.

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

YVO looks back at what caused the Gros Ventre Slide – Buckrail

Buckrail

This week’s Caldera Chronicles, written by the scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), delves into the geological reasons for the …

Photography In The National Parks: Yellowstone’s Grand Loop Road Part 3

National Parks Traveler

… Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson. As you head toward Norris Basin, you’ll be ascending, then driving parallel to the Yellowstone Caldera rim …

Rescuers Attempt to Save Tourist Trapped In Active Volcano – Explorersweb »

Explorersweb »

… Yellowstone · Where the Yellowstone Volcano Will Erupt Next. When Yellowstone erupts again, as it certainly will, it… January 12, 2025. Reynier …

I

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jun 23, 2025

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Traces of missiles are seen in the sky after Iran’s armed forces say they targeted the Al-Udeid base in a missile attack, as seen from Doha, Qatar, on June 23. Stringer/Reuters

Number of missiles fired at base in Qatar matches number of bombs US dropped on nuclear sites, Iran says

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LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY and the GLOBAL RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

In My Opinion

It is amazing how the USA has twisted Israel’s and our own attacks on Iran so that we American citizens will believe that Iran is the bad actor, and that the attack on the U.S. air base in Qatar was an attack on the Qatar country itself. Trump has lied, from the March beginning of this episode, to the American public about our actions as well as his own from the neutral beginning of the apparent well-planned war on Iran since March 7th when Trump invited Iran to the negotiations table to make a Trump-led “deal” on limiting Iran’s nuclear operations and uranium enrichment program for their county’s nuclear power plants. Those talks fell apart beginning with the very 1st meeting due to Trump’s confusing and contradictory rules changes after each conference until the talks became impossible to be successful and were abandoned.

I have followed this entire affair from day one and it seems to me that the entire scheme was a U.S. ruse made to fail intentionally so Trump/Netanyahu would have an excuse for both Israel and the U.S. to attack Iran militarily and attempt to destroy their nuclear facilities.

So it is that now we are have become a global outcast with the rest of the world including the following pointed out below by the Secretary of Homeland Security, not to mention NATO and other former allies, including Canada, Greenland, Denmark, and Panama:

“We have incredible threats to this country from many nations that are enemies to the United States of America. You know, it’s not just Iran. It’s North Korea, Russia, China,” she said. “My job is to do all I can to protect our country before something bad does happen.” ~ Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem

There also seems to be an extremely important and sensitive part of the coverage missing from the article which may have been removed: Trump floats Iran regime change as Israel says strikes launched at ‘heart of Tehran’ – CNN, which I try to follow-up on if possible ~llaw

Live Updates

Iranian missiles fired at US base in Qatar intercepted

By Nectar Gan, Helen Regan, Jessie Yeung, Rhea Mogul, Rob Picheta, Maureen Chowdhury, Aditi Sangal and Elise Hammond, CNN

Updated 3:14 PM EDT, Mon June 23, 2025

Videos show missiles above Qatar as Iran attacks US-run military base

00:36

What we’re covering

• Iran’s operation against US base: Iran has launched a “powerful” attack on a US air base in Qatar, the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said. Al Udeid Air Base was attacked “by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran,” a US defense official said.

• Attack intercepted: Qatar’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses “successfully” intercepted the missile attack targeting the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. No deaths or injuries have been reported.

• Response after US strikes: American officials have been preparing for the likelihood that Iran may target US facilities ever since the US struck Iran’s nuclear sites over the weekend. The US military had moved some planes from the Al Udeid base amid the conflict between Israel and Iran, two defense officials told CNN last week.

87 Posts

1 New Update

22 min ago

Iran launched missiles toward a US base in Qatar. Here’s what we know

From CNN staff

Iran launched multiple missiles toward US bases in Qatar Monday after the US struck Iran’s nuclear sites over the weekend.

Qatar’s air defenses intercepted the missile attack, and there have been no reports of injuries. Still, Qatar condemned Iran’s attack on the Al Udeid Air Base, calling it “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and airspace.”

If you’re just reading in now, here’s what else we know about the attack:

• Missiles intercepted: Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was attacked “by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran,” a US defense official said, and Qatar’s defense ministry confirmed that its air defenses successfully intercepted the missiles. Iranian officials gave Qatar advance notice of an attack before launching missiles toward a US military base in the country, according to a source familiar with the matter. The coordination was intended to minimize casualties and preserve an off-ramp, the source said.
• What Iran said: Following the attack, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Iran “will never leave any aggression against its territorial integrity, sovereignty, or national security unanswered.” Iran also said that it is still committed to maintaining warm relations with Qatar and noted that the strikes were “far away from urban installations and residential areas,” the secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said.
• US anticipated retaliation: The Trump administration was anticipating Tehran would retaliate after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. Non-sheltered American planes were moved out of the Al Udeid Air Base last week, according to a satellite image that was taken on June 19 that shows nearly empty tarmacs.
• Commercial flights diverted: At least 26 commercial flights headed to either Dubai in the United Arab Emirates or Doha in Qatar were diverted due to airspace closures in the Middle East on Monday.

27 min ago

Regional countries condemn Iranian attack on US air base in Qatar

From CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq, Abeer Salman and Michael Rios

Multiple countries in the Middle East and North Africa have condemned the Iranian attack on a US base in Qatar.

Egypt called the attack “a violation of (Qatar’s) sovereignty, a threat to its territorial integrity, and a breach of international law and the United Nations Charter,” according to a statement from the government Monday.

The country said it “expresses its deep concern over the rapidly accelerating and dangerous escalation in the region, affirms its complete rejection of all forms of military escalation or infringement on the sovereignty of states, and calls for the necessity of de-escalation and a ceasefire to preserve regional peace and security.”

Saudi Arabia said the attack was a violation of the “principles of good neighborliness, and an entirely unacceptable act that cannot be justified under any circumstances.”

Jordan condemned what it called “aggression launched by Iran against the sisterly state of Qatar.”

Bahrain said it affirms its full support and solidarity with Qatar, “reflecting the close bonds of brotherhood and kinship between them.”

A spokesperson for Oman’s foreign ministry condemned the regional escalation, which they said was triggered by Israel and includes the recent Iranian attack.

The office of the Palestinian Authority President also called the attack a “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the sisterly state of Qatar.”

34 min ago

Oil plunges 7% on relief over Iranian response so far

From CNN’s Matt Egan

An oil refinery and terminal in Saudi Arabia in 2018.

Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters/File

Oil prices plunged Monday after Iran’s response to US military strikes appeared to be intercepted.

The steep sell-off wipes out an initial spike Sunday night driven by concerns that Iran could lash out by targeting energy infrastructure in the Middle East.

Oil prices began tumbling Monday after Iranian missiles lobbed toward a US base in Qatar were intercepted. No injuries or deaths were reported and a source familiar with the matter told CNN that Iran gave Qatar advance notice an attack was coming.

US oil futures plunged 7.2%, to settle at $68.51 a barrel. The drop represents the biggest one-day decline since early April and one of the worst days over the past three years.

Crude finished the day roughly $10 below the Sunday night peak of $78.40.

The energy sell-off lifted US stocks, easing concerns about an oil shock that would worsen inflation.

41 min ago

At least 26 commercial flights diverted due to Middle East airspace closures

From CNN’s Devon M. Sayers and Ross Levitt

At least 26 commercial flights headed to either Dubai, United Arab Emirates, or Doha, Qatar, were diverted due to airspace closures in the Middle East on Monday.

Twenty-two of the flights were headed to Doha, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, with the rest bound for Dubai. Some of the flights diverted to other airports along their route, while others returned to their departing airport.

Twelve of the Doha flights diverted were operated by Qatar Airways, Cirium said.

Another 39 flights from North America and 210 flights from Europe are scheduled to depart later today toward the Middle East, Cirium said. Those flights are at risk of being canceled if the airspace doesn’t reopen.

44 min ago

EgyptAir suspends all flights from Cairo to Gulf countries due to security in the region

From CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq

An EgyptAir Boeing 737-800 aircraft is pictured on the tarmac at Cairo International Airport in Cairo on June 3.

Amir Makar/AFP/Getty Images/File

EgyptAir on Monday announced the cancellation of all flights from Cairo to Gulf countries “until the situation in the region stabilizes.”

“Due to the ongoing events in the region and the closure of airspace in several Gulf countries, EgyptAir flights from Cairo Airport to and from Gulf cities and vice versa have been cancelled until the situation in the region stabilizes,” EgyptAir said in a statement.

55 min ago

Trump’s Mideast envoy has remained in contact with Iranians since US strikes, sources say

From CNN’s Alayna Treene and Kevin Liptak

The US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, delivers remarks at the White House on May 28.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/File

President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has remained in contact with Iranian officials since US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, two sources familiar the matter said, as the administration continues to seek out a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

But his efforts are facing significant challenge from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been exceedingly difficult for Iranian officials to reach after he retreated to a hidden location amid escalating tensions, the sources said.

The understanding among US officials is that the 86-year-old Khamenei will need to sign off on any major diplomatic decisions. But getting information to and from him has become more difficult.

That has left communications between the US and the Iranians — either directly or through intermediaries — somewhat halting, officials said.

Khamenei has not delivered any recorded messages since the US strikes. And US officials believe he is in hiding amid the ongoing conflict to avoid assassination.

Nonetheless, Trump said he hopes that after the weekend strikes, Iran will return to negotiations that had been largely deadlocked before Israel began its attacks this month.

The US and Iran have maintained back-channel communications throughout the current crisis. Before the weekend strikes, the US conveyed a message that the actions would be contained and that Trump was still seeking to resolve the matter diplomatically, officials said.

42 min ago

Qatar says security situation remains stable

From CNN’s Michael Rios

People film projectiles over Doha in Qatar on June 23.

AFP/Getty Images

Qatar’s interior ministry said the security situation in the country “remains stable” and there’s no cause for concern following Iran’s attack on the Al Udeid Air Base.

56 min ago

Iran says it is still committed to warm relations with Qatar “and its noble people”

From CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen

Iran is still committed to maintaining warm relations with Qatar after striking the Al Udeid Air Base in that country, the Secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.

“The base which was targeted by the powerful Iranian forces is far away from urban installations and residential areas in Qatar. This action has no dangerous aspect to our friendly and brotherly country of Qatar and its noble people,” the statement said.

39 min ago

Kuwait Airways suspends flights

From CNN’s Hira Humayun

People walk past a billboard for Kuwait Airways in Kuwait City in 2020.

Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP/Getty Images/File

Kuwait Airways is the latest airline to suspend flights, citing regional developments.

The announcement, posted to the airline’s X account, follows the closure of airspace by Qatar and Bahrain, Reuters reported.

1 hr 34 min ago

Trump administration was anticipating retaliation from Iran, White House official says

From CNN’s Alayna Treene

The Trump administration was anticipating Tehran would retaliate after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, and the president does not want more military engagement in the region, a senior White House official told CNN today.

“We knew they’d retaliate. They had a similar response after Soleimani,” the official said, referring to Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian commander killed in a US airstrike in 2020.

The official said initial assessments were that the missiles fired by the Iranians on Monday didn’t hit their intended targets. Qatar’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted an Iranian missile attack on the US air base in the country.

President Donald Trump is willing to escalate US military involvement if necessary, the official said. Trump was due to talk to national security officials Monday afternoon, and it is possible his posture could change.

39 min ago

Iran attacked US air base with short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, US official says

From CNN’s Haley Brtizky

A missile is intercepted after Iran’s armed forces say they targeted the Al-Udeid base in a missile attack, as seen from Qatar on June 23.

Stringer/Reuters

Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was attacked “by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran,” a US defense official said Monday.

“At this time, there are no reports of US casualties,” the official said. “We are monitoring this situation closely and will provide more information as it becomes available.”

There is no reported damage to the air base following Iran’s missile launch toward the US installation, the official said.

This post has been updated with additional information.

1 hr 45 min ago

Some US military planes were moved out of Al Udeid Air Base last week, satellite image shows

From CNN’s Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen and Thomas Bordeaux

A satellite image shows nearly empty tarmacs at the US military’s Al-Udeid Airbase in Qatar after unsheltered aircraft were moved to other locations.

Planet Labs PBC

Non-sheltered American planes were moved out of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar last week, according to a satellite image that was taken on June 19 that shows nearly empty tarmacs.

This means the planes were moved before Iran launched a missile attack on Al Udeid Monday in response to the US striking its nuclear facilities over the weekend.

Two defense officials told CNN last week the planes were taken to other locations as part of the US military’s effort to protect its assets and equipment in the Middle East amid the conflict between Iran and Israel.

Additionally, all of the US Navy ships that had been forward-deployed at Naval Support Activity Bahrain — the US Navy’s base in the island country — left port last week. It’s not clear where the planes and ships went.

1 hr 20 min ago

Iran gave Qatar advance notice of pending attack on US bases

From Zachary Cohen and Haley Britzky

Iranian officials gave Qatar advance notice of an attack before launching missiles toward a US military base in the country, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The coordination was intended to minimize casualties and preserve an off-ramp, the source said.

A US official told CNN they are not aware of any US injuries or deaths in the reported attack on Al Udeid Air Base. Qatar’s Defense Ministry said Monday that its air defenses intercepted an Iranian missile attack on the air base.

1 hr 24 min ago

Tehran fired missiles toward US military base in Iraq, Iranian state media reports

From CNN’s Kara Fox

Iran said it had fired missiles toward a US military base in Iraq, Iranian state media Tasnim reported.

Iran’s missile operation against American bases in Qatar and Iraq have started, state media reported, citing the operation name, “Besharat al-Fath,” meaning “Blessings of victory.”

Correction: An earlier version of this post gave the wrong name for the operation.

2 hr 2 min ago

Qatar condemns Iranian attack on air base and says it reserves right to respond

From CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq

Qatar has condemned Iran for attacking the US’ Al Udeid Air Base, calling it “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and airspace.”

“We affirm that the state of Qatar reserves the right to respond directly, proportionate to the nature and scale of this blatant aggression and in accordance with international law,” Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said in a statement Monday.

“We are assured that Qatari air defenses thwarted the attack and successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles. A statement clarifying the circumstances of the attack will be issued later by the Ministry of Defense,” Al-Ansari said.

1 hr 54 min ago

Number of missiles fired at base in Qatar matches number of bombs US dropped on nuclear sites, Iran says

From CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen

Traces of missiles are seen in the sky after Iran’s armed forces say they targeted the Al-Udeid base in a missile attack, as seen from Doha, Qatar, on June 23.

Stringer/Reuters

The number of missiles Iran used to attack the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was the same as the number of bombs the US used to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, the secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said.

2 hr 1 min ago

DHS Secretary Noem says US has not seen new threats from Iran as country retaliates over Trump-ordered strikes

From CNN’s Devan Cole

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that the US has not seen any new threats from Iran as the country fires rockets toward American military bases in the Middle East in retaliation to President Donald Trump’s decision to strike its nuclear sites over the weekend.

“We have not seen any currently,” Noem told reporters during an event in West Virginia.

Asked more generally about potential so-called sleeper cells being in the US, the secretary said there have been consistent concerns over the issue since she took over at the department but nothing concrete.

“We have incredible threats to this country from many nations that are enemies to the United States of America. You know, it’s not just Iran. It’s North Korea, Russia, China,” she said. “My job is to do all I can to protect our country before something bad does happen.”

“We have to watch for all of it, and to be diligent on all of it and we’ll continue to do so,” Noem added.

2 hr 3 min ago

Oil plunges 4% as Iran fires missiles toward US bases

From CNN’s Matt Egan

The selloff in the oil market accelerated Monday after Iran fired missiles toward US bases in Qatar and Iraq that appeared to be intercepted. Traders are betting that Iran doesn’t have the willingness or capability to retaliate against US forces.

As of 1:23 p.m. ET, US crude tumbled 4.1% to $70.78 a barrel.

That marks a dramatic turnaround from the Sunday evening spike of 6% to as high as $78.50 a barrel.

2 hr 11 min ago

Loud explosions rocked Qatari capital of Doha, resident says

From CNN’s Kara Fox

Traces are seen in the sky after Iran’s armed forces say they targeted The Al-Udeid base in a missile attack in Qatar on June 23.

Stringer/Reuters

A Doha resident and father of two told CNN that loud explosions rocked the city, but Qatari authorities did not give any warning to citizens to take shelter.

“Our kids were totally taken by surprise and didn’t know what to do when we scrambled them to shelter. There was no warning from Qatar authorities to take shelter. There appear to be a lot of outgoing fire and intercepts,” he said.

2 hr 15 min ago

Qatar defense ministry says it intercepted Iranian missile attack, no casualties reported

From CNN’s Michael Rios

Qatar’s defense ministry said its air defenses “successfully” intercepted a missile attack targeting the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, adding that the attack did not results in any deaths or injuries.

2 hr 17 min ago

Iran launched “powerful and destructive” attack on air base in Qatar, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says

From CNN’s Michael Rios

Iran has launched a “powerful and destructive missile attack” on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in response to the US striking its nuclear facilities, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, relying on Almighty God and the faithful, proud people of Iran, will never leave any aggression against its territorial integrity, sovereignty, or national security unanswered,” the statement read.

1 hr 57 min ago

Footage appears to show missile interceptions over Doha near US embassy

From CNN staff

Iran launched multiple missiles toward US bases in Qatar and Iraq today.

Video captured missiles being intercepted in Doha, Qatar, near the US embassy.

Iranian missiles intercepted in Doha

00:47

2 hr 22 min ago

US personnel at embassies in Qatar and Bahrain are in “duck and cover” positions

From CNN’s Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler

US personnel at the embassies in Qatar and Bahrain are in “duck and cover” positions as Iran launches retaliatory missiles toward Qatar and Iraq, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

The protective measure is taken when there is notification of imminent danger, sources said.

2 hr 35 min ago

Missiles fired from Iran toward US bases in Qatar and Iraq

From CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Alayna Treene, Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins and Jeff Zeleny

The US is tracking multiple missiles fired from Iran toward US military installations in Qatar and Iraq, according to two officials familiar with the matter.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine are in the Situation Room, according to a White House official.

A senior official said earlier that White House and Defense Department officials were monitoring potential attacks threats to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. President Donald Trump toured the base last month, the first commander in chief to visit since 2003. It is the largest US military installation in the Middle East.

“No visit in the Gulf would be complete without stopping to salute the people who keep America safe, strong and free,” Trump told the troops at the base on May 17.

2 hr 35 min ago

Iran says it has begun an operation against US base in Qatar, Iran state TV reports

From CNN’s Kara Fox and Becky Anderson

Iran has begun an operation against a US base in Qatar, Iran state TV has reported.

An official briefed on the matter also said missiles have been launched by Iran on the US-run Al Udeid Air Base.

American officials have been preparing for the likelihood that Iran could target US facilities in the wake of this weekend’s strikes.

---

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’s ALL NUCLEAR DAILY DIGEST” RELATED MEDIA

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War Threats
5. Nuclear War
6. Yellowstone Caldera & Other Volcanoes (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS DIGEST, Monday, (06/23/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

FULL MATCH | Hugo Calderano vs Felix Lebrun | MS Final | #WTTLjubljana 2025

YouTube

… all things WTT! App Store:

https://apps.apple.com.

.. Play Store: https … How Every Country Got Nuclear Weapons Explained. So Basically•5.8M …

Video: Military analyst shows before and after photos of Iran’s nuclear site | CNN

CNN

US airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility have left at least six large craters, indicating the use of bunker-busting bombs, a CNN analysis …

The politics of the U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities: Here’s what to watch next – NPR

NPR

President Trump ran on a pledge to end “forever wars,” so what comes next is pivotal. Here are five things to watch.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

New York to Build One of First U.S. Nuclear–Power Plants in Generation – WSJ

WSJ

New York plans to construct a nuclear–power facility, the first major new U.S. plant in over 15 years. · Gov. Hochul wants the New York Power Authority …

Hochul orders New York Power Authority to build a nuclear power plant in Upstate NY (report)

Syracuse.com

Gov. Kathy Hochul today directed the state power authority to develop one or more nuclear power plants with enough capacity to supply electricity …

New York planning to build first major new US nuclear power plant in over 15 years

New York Post

… the first major new US nuclear power plant in more than 15 years, Gov. Kathy Hochul said — and it will have enough output to power 1 million homes.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

WATCH: UN Security Council holds emergency meeting after U.S. strikes on Iran – PBS

PBS

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed attacks on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear site. Iran and …

US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites ‘marks perilous turn’: Diplomacy must prevail, says Guterres

UN News – the United Nations

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres told an emergency … nuclear armed State, versus developing atomic energy for purely peaceful purposes.

IAEA and Romania to Launch Global Nuclear Emergency Response Exercise

International Atomic Energy Agency

… nuclear emergency exercise, simulating a severe accident at Romania’s Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant. Such exercises are held every three to five …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Terrorism advisory bulletin warns of “heightened threat environment” in U.S. after strikes on Iran

CBS News

While there are no known threats, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said, “It is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially …

U.S. braces for Iran’s response after overnight strikes on nuclear sites – NBC News

NBC News

An open-ended conflict with Israel and the United States could pose a threat to the regime itself, said Jonathan Panikoff, a former career …

World reacts to US attacks on Iran | Israel-Iran conflict News | Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

“This military escalation constitutes a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East and poses serious risks to regional stability,”

Nuclear War

NEWS

U.S., Israel Attack Iranian Nuclear Targets—The Damage So Far

Council on Foreign Relations

The United States joined Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program in a bid to stymie it. A clear picture of the damage inside Iran—and the …

Iran issues warning to ‘gambler’ Trump: We will end this war | Reuters

Reuters

Iran said that the U.S. attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed force called President Donald …

Trump floats Iran regime change as Israel says strikes launched at ‘heart of Tehran’ – CNN

CNN

UN nuclear watchdog says US attack likely caused “very significant damage” at Iran’s Fordow nuclear site. From CNN’s Christian Edwards and Vasco …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Is it safe to drink the water in Yellowstone National Park’s backcountry? – Idaho Capital Sun

Idaho Capital Sun

Enjoy the Yellowstone backcountry, and stay safe! Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the …

Satellite image captures US volcano “ready to rumble”

MSN

What Would Happen If Yellowstone’s Supervolcano Erupted? playIndicator. Live Science. What Would Happen If Yellowstone’s Supervolcano Erupted? 449.

Iliamna Volcano (Cook Inlet, SW Alaska): Small Earthquakes | VolcanoDiscovery

Volcano Discovery

List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano. … Its vast caldera has an amazing moonscape and several …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jun 22, 2025

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Recommended reading for Sunday’s Posts: Nuclear Power Emergencies: CNN’s article link can be found in the Nuclear War section in the Sunday nuclear news below . . .

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a United Nations Security Council emergency meeting in New York on June 22, one day after US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’s All Nuclear Daily Digest” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are noYellowstone Caldera bonus stories available on this weekend’s Sunday Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Sunday, (06/22/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

What to know about the 3 Iranian nuclear sites that were hit by U.S. strikes – PBS

PBS

President Donald Trump said the strikes, which he described as “very successful,” had hit the Natanz, Fordo and Isfahan sites, with Fordo being the …

Trump announces ‘very successful’ air strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran | CNN Politics

CNN

… About Subscribe Newsletters Transcripts Help Center. © 2025 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. CNN Sans …

Experts react: The United States just bombed Iran’s nuclear sites. Here’s what to expect next.

Atlantic Council

Early on Sunday morning in the Middle East, US forces targeted Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Atlantic Council experts survey the fallout for Iran …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

What to know about the 3 Iranian nuclear sites that were hit by U.S. strikes – PBS

PBS

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed there were attacks early Sunday at all three nuclear sites. Israel launched a surprise barrage of …

Live updates: US strikes Iranian nuclear sites as Iran-Israel conflict continues – CNN

CNN

Rafael Grossi, the director of the International Agency for Atomic Energy, warned last week that a direct attack on the Bushehr nuclear plant would …

Explainer: What are the nuclear contamination risks from attacks on Iran? – Reuters

Reuters

Experts have said military strikes on Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities pose limited risks of contamination, and the International Atomic Energy …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Live updates: US strikes Iranian nuclear sites as Iran-Israel conflict continues – CNN

CNN

Switzerland, who assists US citizens in Iran, has closed its protecting power office until further notice. “The Department has opened a crisis intake …

Israel under state of emergency as Iran retaliates | Fox News Video

Fox News

Israel under state of emergency as Iran retaliates. Fox News senior … US drops ‘bunker buster’ bombs to stop Iran’s nuclear power. June 21 …

Update on Developments in Iran (4) | IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency

Nuclear technology and applications · Energy · Health · Climate change … Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he will call an emergency ..

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

US strikes 3 Iranian nuclear sites, inserting itself into Israel’s war with Iran – ABC7

ABC7

However, Trump and Israeli leaders have argued that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat. The decision to …

Live updates: US strikes Iranian nuclear sites as Iran-Israel conflict continues – CNN

CNN

“There was no imminent threat to the United States from [Iran’s] nuclear program. … war with erratic threats and no strategy.” Meanwhile, Democratic …

Strikes on Iran mark Trump’s biggest, and riskiest, foreign policy gamble | Reuters

Reuters

… threats of military action and appeals for renewed negotiation to persuade Iran to reach a deal to dismantle its nuclear program. Advertisement …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Live updates: US strikes Iranian nuclear sites as Iran-Israel conflict continues – CNN

CNN

The US struck several key Iranian nuclear facilities early Sunday, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. US President Donald Trump claimed the …

U.S. completes strikes on Iran nuclear sites, Trump says – NPR

NPR

The attack marks a major escalation in the burgeoning war between Iran and Israel and came despite years of promises by President Trump to keep …

U.S. enters war with Iran, bombing key nuclear sites – The Salt Lake Tribune

The Salt Lake Tribune

The United States dropped bombs on three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday, joining Israel’s war against its nemesis.

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jun 21, 2025

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Flames rise from an oil storage facility after it was hit by an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on June 15, 2025. AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

Saturday’s recommended article: Russia Issues New Nuclear Warning on Iran-Israel Conflict—’Alarm Bells’ (Newsweek link below in “Nuclear Power” Category)

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available on this weekend’s Saturday Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Saturday, (06/21/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Fred Pleitgen asks Iranian official how they would respond if the US bombed nuclear site

CNN

He interviewed Majid Farahani, an official with the Iranian presidency, about the escalating tensions with Israel, Iran’s nuclear program and what …

Shifting World Order Threatens to Expand the Nuclear-Arms Club – WSJ

The Wall Street Journal

… all those other things aside, despite our desire.” Advertisement. The U.S. and other existing nuclear powers long argued against proliferation on …

Donald Trump and the Iran Crisis | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons in tandem with its nuclear … In nearly all things, military matters included, Trump is hardly a model of discernment …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

UN nuclear chief warns of disaster if Israel hits Iran’s Bushehr plant – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

Rafael Grossi, chief of the United Nations’s atomic watchdog, has warned that an Israeli strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant could trigger a …

Russia Issues New Nuclear Warning on Iran-Israel Conflict—’Alarm Bells’ – Newsweek

Newsweek

In a nuclear power plant, the reactor core and the spent nuclear fuel are the most radioactive components. Some of it remains dangerous for thousands …

IAEA chief warns strike on Iran’s Bushehr plant would create nuclear disaster

The Times of Israel

The head of the UN atomic watchdog warns that an Israeli strike on Iran’s southern nuclear plant of Bushehr could trigger a regional disaster, …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Nuclear watchdog warns of ‘serious catastrophe’ if Israel targets Iran’s Bushehr reactor

Hindustan Times

… Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Friday, reported AFP. “Countries of the region have reached out …

‘A fire no one can control’: UN warns of spiralling Iran-Israel war | UN News

UN News – the United Nations

The greatest risk, however, is the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which remains operational. … Security Council meets in emergency session over Iran- …

IAEA chief warns against strike on Iran’s nuclear power plant | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

nhk.or.jp

… nuclear power plant in southern Iran should not be attacked. At the outset of the emergency meeting held on Friday at Iran’s request, UN Secretary …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Israel says it has killed two top al-Quds officials as Iran warns US against joining war

The Guardian

… attack on Iran nuclear-related facilities, says Ehud Barak. 3 Oct 2024. Trump reposts 2018 all-caps anti-Iran threat in response to Israel strike. 14 …

Israel-Iran war live: fresh attacks exchanged as Israel says it has set back Tehran’s nuclear …

The Guardian

Saturday’s strikes come after Israeli ambassador tells UN ‘we will not stop’ until Iranian nuclear threat eliminated while Iran vows to keep …

Australia urged to press US to ‘act responsibly’ as threat of nuclear disaster rises amid Israel …

The Guardian

Australia urged to press US to ‘act responsibly’ as threat of nuclear disaster rises amid Israel-Iran conflict … war‘: the Australians suddenly …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Israel hits Iranian nuclear research facility and says it’s preparing for possibly long campaign

AP News

Israel’s military says it struck an Iranian nuclear … Israel-Hamas war Russia-Ukraine War Español China Asia Pacific Latin America Europe Africa.

US Reportedly Assesses Only a Nuclear Bomb Could Destroy Iran Nuclear Facility | Truthout

Truthout

… nuclear fallout and likely escalating and normalizing the use of nuclear weapons in war. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) …

Iran rules out new nuclear talks until attacks stop – BBC

BBC

Iran says it will not resume talks with the US over its nuclear programme while under attack.

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jun 20, 2025

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Satellite image shows buildings at Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center in Isfahan, Iran May 17, 2025. Planet Labs PBC via REUTERS/File Photo

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY and the GLOBAL RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

In My Opinion

This article from “Reuters” is a primer concerning the present nuclear and other dangers to the lives of humanity and other life relative to the Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. It is definitely worth the reading for understanding the situation as it exists presently, but should the USA join the fray, all hell could break loose.

But still the missile exchanges between the two two warring countries, Israel and Iran, are taking their tolls on innocent civilians in both countries, which, in my opinion, should never have happened. Don’t forget that Israel, not Iran, started this war, and Israel is begging the US to help them out, but Trump has so far failed to respond in either way whether to also attack Iran.

The other thing to remember is that Trump is obviously the ultimate bad-guy in this entire fiasco, and it was his actions, or lack of them, that apparently caused Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear buildings and facilities when Trump’s invitation to Iran — in early May — to jointly reach a negotiated agreement relative to the ongoing nuclear facility’s operations and uses that would satisfy both countries, but also supposedly including Israel.

However, Trump’s constant interference with the terms and conditions of the talks and demanding contradictory and impossible alternatives for Iran’s ability to allow them to operate their existing nuclear power plants stymied the talks and the meetings were left stranded in a vacuum with no hope for a mutual agreement created by Trump’s demands.

During the breakdowns in these talks, Trump had advised Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu at least twice to hold off on any attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities because the talks were “close” to reaching a mutually acceptable “deal”. It appears that eventually Netanyahu lost his patience with the delays in the negotiations and attacked Iran without consulting Trump and the US.

So that brings us to where we are today, and world fears and rumors are flying everywhere, but the one deplorable fact is that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of innocent civilians of both countries are being killed over a nuclear facilities use agreement that was never properly negotiated and therefore never agreed to, and one man caused it to fail. ~llaw

What are the nuclear contamination risks from Israel’s attacks on Iran?

By Andrew Macaskill, Federico Maccioni and Pesha Magid

June 20, 20257:25 AM PDT Updated 4 hours ago

Russia built Bushehr, Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant, and hundreds of Russian specialists work there.

What nuclear contamination risks from Israel’s attacks on Iran?

LONDON/DUBAI, June 19 (Reuters) – Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear installations so far pose only limited risks of contamination, experts say. But they warn that any attack on the country’s nuclear power station at Bushehr could cause a nuclear disaster.

Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities in its military campaign, but that it also wants to avoid any nuclear disaster in a region that is home to tens of millions of people and produces much of the world’s oil.

Fears of catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on Thursday when the Israeli military said it had struck a site in Bushehr on the Gulf coast – home to Iran’s only nuclear power station – only to say later that the announcement was a mistake.

WHAT HAS ISRAEL HIT SO FAR?

Israel has announced attacks on nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. Israel says it aims to stop Iran building an atom bomb. Iran denies ever seeking one.

The international nuclear watchdog IAEA has reported damage to the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, to the nuclear complex at Isfahan, including the Uranium Conversion Facility, and to centrifuge production facilities in Karaj and Tehran.

Israel has also attacked Arak, also known as Khondab.

The IAEA said Israeli military strikes hit the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, which was under construction and had not begun operating, and damaged the nearby plant that makes heavy water. The IAEA said that it was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so there were no radiological effects.

In an update of its assessment on Friday, the IAEA said key buildings at the site were damaged. Heavy-water reactors can be used to produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make an atom bomb.

WHAT RISKS DO THESE STRIKES POSE?

Peter Bryant, a professor at the University of Liverpool in England who specialises in radiation protection science and nuclear energy policy, said he is not too concerned about fallout risks from the strikes so far.

He noted that the Arak site was not operational while the Natanz facility was underground and no release of radiation was reported. “The issue is controlling what has happened inside that facility, but nuclear facilities are designed for that,” he said. “Uranium is only dangerous if it gets physically inhaled or ingested or gets into the body at low enrichments,” he said.

Darya Dolzikova, a senior research fellow at London think tank RUSI, said attacks on facilities at the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle – the stages where uranium is prepared for use in a reactor – pose primarily chemical, not radiological risks.

At enrichment facilities, UF6, or uranium hexafluoride, is the concern. “When UF6 interacts with water vapour in the air, it produces harmful chemicals,” she said.

The extent to which any material is dispersed would depend on factors including the weather, she added. “In low winds, much of the material can be expected to settle in the vicinity of the facility; in high winds, the material will travel farther, but is also likely to disperse more widely.”

The risk of dispersal is lower for underground facilities.

Simon Bennett, who leads the civil safety and security unit at the University of Leicester in the UK, said risks to the environment were minimal if Israel hits subterranean facilities because you are “burying nuclear material in possibly thousands of tonnes of concrete, earth and rock”.

Item 1 of 2 Satellite image shows buildings at Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center in Isfahan, Iran May 17, 2025. Planet Labs PBC via REUTERS/File Photo

[1/2]Satellite image shows buildings at Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center in Isfahan, Iran May 17, 2025. Planet Labs PBC via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WHAT ABOUT NUCLEAR REACTORS?

The major concern would be a strike on Iran’s nuclear reactor at Bushehr.

Richard Wakeford, Honorary Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Manchester, said that while contamination from attacks on enrichment facilities would be “mainly a chemical problem” for the surrounding areas, extensive damage to large power reactors “is a different story”.

Radioactive elements would be released either through a plume of volatile materials or into the sea, he added.

James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said an attack on Bushehr “could cause an absolute radiological catastrophe”, but that attacks on enrichment facilities were “unlikely to cause significant off-site consequences”.

Before uranium goes into a nuclear reactor it is barely radioactive, he said. “The chemical form uranium hexafluoride is toxic … but it actually doesn’t tend to travel large distances and it’s barely radioactive. So far the radiological consequences of Israel’s attacks have been virtually nil,” he added, while stating his opposition to Israel’s campaign.

Bennett of the University of Leicester said it would be “foolhardy for the Israelis to attack” Bushehr because they could pierce the reactor, which would mean releasing radioactive material into the atmosphere.

WHY ARE GULF STATES ESPECIALLY WORRIED?

For Gulf states, the impact of any strike on Bushehr would be worsened by the potential contamination of Gulf waters, jeopardizing a critical source of desalinated potable water.

In the UAE, desalinated water accounts for more than 80% of drinking water, while Bahrain became fully reliant on desalinated water in 2016, with 100% of groundwater reserved for contingency plans, according to authorities.

Qatar is 100% dependent on desalinated water.

In Saudi Arabia, a much larger nation with a greater reserve of natural groundwater, about 50% of the water supply came from desalinated water as of 2023, according to the General Authority for Statistics.

While some Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates have access to more than one sea to draw water from, countries like Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait are crowded along the shoreline of the Gulf with no other coastline.

“If a natural disaster, oil spill, or even a targeted attack were to disrupt a desalination plant, hundreds of thousands could lose access to freshwater almost instantly,” said Nidal Hilal, Professor of Engineering and Director of New York University Abu Dhabi’s Water Research Center.

“Coastal desalination plants are especially vulnerable to regional hazards like oil spills and potential nuclear contamination,” he said.

---

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’s ALL NUCLEAR DAILY DIGEST” RELATED MEDIA

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War Threats
5. Nuclear War
6. Yellowstone Caldera & Other Volcanoes (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS DIGEST, Friday, (06/20/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Iran’s 9 Nuclear Scientists, 9 Different Locations, All Killed At Once; Israel’s Ops Narnia | Watch

YouTube

Under “Operation Narnia,” Israel assassinated 9 of Iran’s top 10 nuclear scientists simultaneously while they slept, using undisclosed special …

Top House Armed Services Democrat advises against U.S. military strike in Iran – NPR

NPR

In a conversation with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, Rep. Adam Smith spoke about his views on Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program and whether Congress …

Israeli Strikes Target Iranian Nuclear Facility – WSJ

WSJ

… Things with Kim Strassel Podcast · Opinion Video · Notable & Quotable … All · 3:42.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, hit by an Israeli airstrike, was part of Tehran’s nuclear deal

AP News

… reactor had no uranium fuel and saw no nuclear release from the strike. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear …

US agencies take action to streamline nuclear roll-out

World Nuclear News

Separate announcements from the US Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission point towards streamlining the pathway to deployment …

Israel is targeting Iran’s nuclear uranium enrichment plants. Here are the contamination risks

ABC News

Israel has targeted five key Iranian nuclear facilities over the past week. Experts say attacks on uranium enrichment plants are mainly a …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

The Iran Emergency – The New York Times

The New York Times

Iran has spent decades building its nuclear program. It has enriched uranium — to generate energy, it said — but not yet enough to make bombs. Still, .

IAEA Chief Grossi Warns of Grave Nuclear Risks Amid Iran-Israel Conflict in Emergency UN Address

Kurdistan24

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In an urgent address to the United Nations on Friday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano …

Iraq assesses risks of nuclear emergency amid Israel-Iran conflict – Yahoo

Yahoo

The new German government will not undertake a “renaissance of nuclear energy,” Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Thursday. On the sidelines of …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

US troops in the Middle East could face increased threats amid Iran conflict – Fox News

Fox News

As of January, approximately 13,500 U.S. troops are based there and primarily are focused on eliminating the threat of ISIS, according to the U.S. …

What are the nuclear contamination risks from Israel’s attacks on Iran? | Reuters

Reuters

What are the nuclear contamination risks from Israel’s attacks on Iran? … Israel-Iran air war enters second week as Europe pushes diplomacy. 2 …

Fact Focus: Israeli strikes on Iran nuclear sites pose limited radiation risks – AP News

AP News

Israel-Hamas war Russia-Ukraine War Español China Asia Pacific Latin America Europe Africa … Tariff threats, wars will slow but not collapse global …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Declassified map shows which US cities would be first hit by nuclear bomb – Irish Star

Irish Star

The map shows a harrowing scenario with a potential casualty rate of 75 percent in the event of a nuclear attack. Article continues below. Similar …

What Happens if Trump Decides to Strike Iran or Assassinate Its Leader?

The New York Times

… war. Iran could negotiate. Before Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran’s nuclear program and other targets last week, Iran and the United …

What could happen if Trump does decide to bomb Iran’s main nuclear site – NBC News

NBC News

If Trump bombs Iran’s Fordo nuclear enrichment site, the main risk would be from the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb itself rather than radiation …

IAEA News

IAEA Chief Grossi Warns of Grave Nuclear Risks Amid Iran-Israel Conflict in Emergency UN Address

Kurdistan24

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In an urgent address to the United Nations on Friday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jun 19, 2025

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A destroyed drone, which the Iranian Army says belongs to Israel, is seen in Isfahan, Iran, in this handout image obtained on June 18, 2025. Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY and the GLOBAL RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

In My Opinion

Trump said in a brief White House interview that, “Nobody knows what I’m gonna do.” I must assume that includes himself.

Innocent people are being killed, there is considerable danger of a “Chernobyl” style nuclear radiation disaster caused by Israeli bombing, Israel nor the U.S. is unlikely to be able to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, most of which are underground, and the world is alarmed and waiting for a solution.

So Trump, who allowed and was mainly responsible for this world-threatening situation to happen, is the sole source of humanity that has the power to cease and desist and stop this potential beginning of WWIII? Has all of humanity lost their minds?

So far, it appears to be so . . . ~llaw

Trump keeps world guessing about US military action against Iran

By Steve Holland, Parisa Hafezi and Alexander Cornwell

June 18, 202511:52 PM PDT Updated 11 hours ago

President Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to say whether the United States would join Israel’s bombing campaign in Iran,

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Trump keeps world guessing about US military action against Iran

• Summary
• Companies

• LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
• ‘I may do it. I may not do it,’ Trump says on joining attacks
• Netanyahu says Israel ‘progressing step by step’ towards eliminating Iranian nuclear, missile threats
• Putin: Don’t want to discuss possibility of Iran leader killing
• Iran to impose temporary restrictions on internet access

WASHINGTON/DUBAI/JERUSALEM, June 18 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump kept the world guessing about whether the United States will join Israel’s bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites as the Israel-Iran conflict entered its seventh day on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump declined to say if he had made any decision on whether to join Israel’s campaign. “I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” he said.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Trump in later remarks said Iranian officials wanted to come to Washington for a meeting and that “we may do that.” But he added, “It’s a little late” for such talks.

The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain plan to hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva aimed at persuading Iran to firmly guarantee that it will use its nuclear program solely for civilian purposes, a German diplomatic source told Reuters.

But while diplomatic efforts continue, some residents of Tehran, a city of 10 million people, on Wednesday jammed highways out of the city as they sought sanctuary from intensified Israeli airstrikes.

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The Wall Street Journal said Trump had told senior aides he approved attack plans on Iran but was holding off on giving the final order to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program.

Asked if he thought the Iranian government could fall as a result of the Israeli campaign, Trump said: “Sure, anything could happen.”

Referring to the destruction or dismantling of Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment center, Trump said: “We’re the only ones that have the capability to do it. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to do it – at all.”

Military analysts believe that Israel might need U.S. military help to destroy Fordow, dug beneath a mountain near the city of Qom.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, rebuked Trump in a recorded speech played on television, his first appearance since Friday.

The Americans “should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage,” he said. “The Iranian nation will not surrender.”

In its latest bombings, Israel said its air force destroyed Iran’s police headquarters.

Israel’s military said sirens sounded in northern Israel just before 2 a.m. local time on Thursday (23:00 GMT on Wednesday) and that it had intercepted a drone launched from Iran. It said several minutes later that another drone was intercepted in the Jordan Valley area.

The Iranian missile salvoes mark the first time in decades of shadow war and proxy conflict that a significant number of projectiles fired from Iran have penetrated defences, killing Israelis in their homes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video released by his office on Wednesday, said Israel was “progressing step by step” towards eliminating threats posed by Iran’s nuclear sites and ballistic missile arsenal.

“We are hitting the nuclear sites, the missiles, the headquarters, the symbols of the regime,” Netanyahu said.

Israel, which is not a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.

Netanyahu also thanked Trump, “a great friend of the state of Israel”, for standing by its side in the conflict, saying the two were in continuous contact.

Item 1 of 21 A destroyed drone, which the Iranian Army says belongs to Israel, is seen in Isfahan, Iran, in this handout image obtained on June 18, 2025. Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Trump has veered from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the war to suggesting the United States might join it.

In social media posts on Tuesday, he mused about killing Khamenei.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, asked what his reaction would be if Israel did kill Iran’s Supreme Leader with the assistance of the United States, said on Thursday: “I do not even want to discuss this possibility. I do not want to.”

A source familiar with internal discussions said Trump and his team were considering options that included joining Israel in strikes against Iranian nuclear installations.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations mocked Trump in posts on X, describing him as “a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance.”

Israel’s military said scores of Israeli jets had struck targets in and around Tehran and in western Iran in the previous 24 hours in three waves, hitting sites producing raw materials, components and manufacturing systems for missiles.

FLEEING TEHRAN

Arezou, a 31-year-old Tehran resident, told Reuters by phone that she had made it out of the city to the nearby resort town of Lavasan.

“My friend’s house in Tehran was attacked and her brother was injured. They are civilians,” she said. “Why are we paying the price for the regime’s decision to pursue a nuclear programme?”

In Israel, sirens rang out anew at dusk on Wednesday warning of further incoming Iranian missiles. A motorist was injured by missile debris, Israeli medics said. The army later advised civilians they could leave protected areas, signalling the threat had passed.

At Ramat Gan train station east of Tel Aviv, people were lying on city-supplied mattresses or sitting in the odd camping chair, with plastic water bottles strewn about.

“I feel scared, overwhelmed. Especially because I live in a densely populated area that Iran seems to be targeting, and our city has very old buildings, without shelters and safe spaces,” said Tamar Weiss, clutching her four-month-old daughter.

Iran has reported at least 224 deaths in Israeli attacks, mostly civilians, but has not updated that toll for days.

Since Friday, Iran has fired around 400 missiles at Israel, some 40 of which have pierced air defences, killing 24 people, all of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

LEVERAGE

Iran has been exploring options for leverage, including veiled threats to hit the global oil market by restricting access to the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important shipping artery for oil.

Inside Iran, authorities are intent on preventing panic and shortages. Fewer images of destruction have been allowed to circulate than in the early days of the bombing, when state media showed pictures of explosions, fires and flattened apartments. A ban on filming by the public has been imposed.

The communications ministry said on Wednesday that temporary restrictions on internet access would be imposed to help prevent “the enemy from threatening citizens’ lives and property”.

Iran’s ability to hit back hard at Israel through strikes by proxy militia close to Israeli borders has been limited by the devastating blows Israel has dealt to Tehran’s regional allies – Hamas and Hezbollah – in conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon since 2023.

Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alistair Bell and Costas Pitas; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Deepa Babington and Diane Craft

Alexander Cornwell

Thomson Reuters

Alexander has over a decade of international reporting experience. He is currently a senior correspondent in Jerusalem covering Israel & the Palestinian Territories and was formerly in Dubai where he covered the Arabian Peninsula, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, often writing about foreign policy, security and economic-related issues.Subscribed

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’s ALL NUCLEAR DAILY DIGEST” RELATED MEDIA

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War Threats
5. Nuclear War
6. Yellowstone Caldera & Other Volcanoes (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS DIGEST, Thursday, (06/19/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Live updates: Israel-Iran conflict, Trump weighs US options on sixth day | CNN

CNN

Asked about what would happen if the Iranian regime falls, Trump said, “I have a plan for everything, but we’ll see what happens. Got a ways to go,” …

Anxiety grips Gulf Arab states over threat of nuclear contamination and reprisals from Iran

CNN

Residents are instructed to “enter a closed and secure indoor space (preferably windowless), seal all … Concern about nuclear fallout has also risen …

Will Trump order US strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities? | CNN Politics

CNN

President Donald Trump declined to say whether he has decided on US military intervention in Iran. The US has been providing defensive support to …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

What are the risks of bombing Iran’s nuclear sites? – BBC

BBC

Israel has been targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, with a key focus on its underground uranium enrichment plants.

Russia warns strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant could cause ‘Chernobyl-style catastrophe’

Reuters

The head of Russia’s nuclear energy corporation warned on Thursday that an Israeli attack on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant could lead to a …

Anxiety grips Gulf Arab states over threat of nuclear contamination and reprisals from Iran

CNN

The reactor at the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) south of Tehran, in 2009. Caren Firouz/Reuters. CNN —. Concern is …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Anxiety grips Gulf Arab states over threat of nuclear contamination and reprisals from Iran

CNN

The reactor at the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) south of Tehran, in 2009. Caren Firouz/Reuters. CNN —. Concern is …

Dozens of Iranian missiles strike major Israeli hospital and residential buildings – New York Post

New York Post

Emergency personnel assist a man and a child following a strike … nuclear power · 6/18/25 · Read Next Kim Jong Un erases two officials from …

Israel attacks Iran’s Arak reactor as Iranian missile hits Israeli hospital – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

Iranian media report air defences were activated in the area of the Khondab nuclear facility, formerly called Arak.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Trump keeps world guessing about US military action against Iran | Reuters

Reuters

Netanyahu says Israel ‘progressing step by step’ towards eliminating Iranian nuclear, missile threats … war to suggesting the United States might join …

Trump’s Iran threats set off scramble to protect Americans abroad – POLITICO

Politico

Trump’s Iran threats set off scramble to protect Americans abroad. Tehran is weakened, but it still has options to attack U.S. interests. U.S. Air …

Iran ‘dangerous’ to peace, says GOP Rep. who backs Trump on U.S. military involvement – NPR

NPR

… nuclear Iran and its continued threats to eradicate the state of Israel. … Traditionally, if the United States was to attack another country, it would …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Iran could still make a nuclear weapon — even if the U.S. strikes

msnbc.com

A U.S. attack on Iran might bring surrender. But it could also start a nuclear

Trump approves Iran attack plan but has not made final decision, US media says – BBC

BBC

Israel’s military launched more attacks on Iran, hitting missile sites and nuclear facilities. Iran said it had fired hypersonic missiles in response.

A US strike on Iran could open a ‘Pandora’s box’ in the Middle East, experts warn | CNN

CNN

“With one wrong decision, you may not only be responsible for Iran’s decision to build a nuclear bomb, but also lead the United States into a war …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Striking new images reveal the hidden magma network beneath Yellowstone

The Brighter Side of News

Seismic reflection data showing the top of the magma reservoir beneath Yellowstone Caldera along a cross section that runs from Canyon Village in the …

$400 Billion Lithium Discovery Under U.S. Supervolcano Sparks Debate Over …

MSN

… Caldera, a supervolcano straddling Nevada and Oregon. While … Are we ready for a mega-blast from the supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park?

Significant Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake 34 km South of Usulutan, El Salvador

Volcano Discovery

It is the most active vent inside the huge Tengger caldera and erupts every few years. … Latest earthquakes under Yellowstone volcano. List and …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jun 18, 2025

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(See the 1st article below for the description and photo credits of this image. ~llaw)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY and the GLOBAL RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

In My Opinion

Today I have posted two articles (one from the “The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists”, and the other from “Al Jazeera” that point out the serious dangers and contradictions of the actions taken by the U.S./Israel attack on the once-peaceful nuclear program(s) of Iran. And also keep in mind that it is very doubtful that Israel took it upon themselves to attack Iran in this manner, the facts seeming to show that it would not have happened without the U.S. and the actions, or lack of them, taken by Trump.

What could have been, beginning on March 5th (more than 90 days ago) Trump made a peaceful proposal by invitation to Iran to negotiate an Iranian nuclear program agreement that would satisfy both the U.S./Iran and other nations around the world. Trump had canceled the previous pact, agreed to under the Obama administration during his first presidency, and the assumption was that a new agreement would be similar to the prior one. But due to Trump’s constant contradictions and confusing inconsistent demands for changes to the original concept, the brief ongoing talks only created dissention and confusion between the two countries, and even though Trump had multiple times publicly told Israel’s Netanyahu that the new pact was “close” to an agreement to prevent an attack on Iran, the facts were that the talks had fallen apart and Netanyahu, either unilaterally or perhaps even with Trump’s clandestine approval, finally attacked Iran regardless of who was ultimately responsible.

And now all hell has broken loose, and Israel is begging for U.S. military help to restrain Iran from countering with its own missile return engagements against Israel, killing innocent citizens in the few days that the counter-attacks have been waged against Israel.

So the question today is, “Who is ultimately responsible for these attacks by and on both nations?” Without doubt I believe it is Donald J. Trump, who has, by his own actions, silenced any future talks for an agreement that Iran was more than willing to participate in, having accepted Trump’s invitation, but the contradictory demands that Trump was making weekly — changing the rules on the fly — succeeded (if that is the right word) in derailing any chance of a post-Obama era agreement with Iran.

I have carefully followed this story on a daily basis and have posted pertinent articles with my accompanying opinions over the entire period, and, as of today, I can only blame, without reservations, on the erroneous actions of Trump that has turned a mutually planned and workable agreement in the beginning to a “war” that is likely to become larger and more destructive each and every day, including involving other countries that are suffering themselves as a result of Trump’s lack of leadership. ~llaw

The United States may destroy the Fordow enrichment plant. It won’t make the Iranian nuclear threat go away

By Richard Nephew | June 17, 2025

The United States may be preparing to join Israel’s ongoing operation against Iran to help targeting underground nuclear facilities, including the Fordow fuel enrichment plant using “bunker busters” like the GBU-57A/B MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) that only US B-2 bombers are certified to carry. (Photo by MikeMareen / depositphotos.com)

If the Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program, started on June 13, is to prove successful in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, then a necessary—but not sufficient—step will involve the elimination of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.

At the Fordow plant, located near the city of Qom, the Iranians have enough centrifuges (including IR-6s, their more advanced type) and uranium hexafluoride gas to produce several nuclear weapons. They could probably produce enough weapon-grade (90 percent) enriched uranium for one nuclear weapon within five to six days. Perhaps more important, Fordow itself is a hardened facility, built within a mountain and protected from many forms of attack. It could—in theory—continue to operate even after other nuclear facilities in the country have been destroyed, with its material then fueling nuclear weapons to be produced clandestinely.

If Israel decides to continue down the military path against Iran’s nuclear program, it has no choice but to ensure that the Fordow enrichment plant no longer poses a threat.

Diplomacy dismantled. When President Barack Obama revealed the existence of this facility publicly in September 2009, he said that “the size and configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program.” This was a factual description but somewhat of an understatement, seeing as Fordow was constructed in secret, sized to house enough centrifuges of the then-current type to produce enough weapon-grade uranium to support nuclear weapons production within a year.

Iran understood clearly what it was doing; its nuclear program was under investigation in 2009 for precisely this sort of clandestine work. It seemed then—and remains—intended to serve at a minimum as a hedge and secure place for Iran’s nuclear program to support weapons production.

Fordow is, therefore, a crucially important place if one attempts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Through the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—also known as the Iran nuclear deal—the United States and its partners hoped to remove the risk from Fordow by forcing its conversion into a facility that could not enrich uranium. Under the JCPOA, Iranians stopped enriching uranium at Fordow. But in November 2019, in response to the decision of the first Trump administration to withdraw from the JCPOA, Iran began preparations to restart production. Since that time, the Iranians moved not only to expand Fordow’s uranium enrichment operations, but also to install advanced IR-6 centrifuges and use them to produce 60-percent highly enriched uranium.

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Military options. Though a diplomatic strategy has considerable benefits, the United States has long planned to deal with Fordow militarily if need be. For instance, the United States has made plans to destroy the site using the massive ordnance penetrator (MOP) weapon—a 30,000-pound (13,600-kilograms) earth-penetrating “bunker buster” bomb that only the US B-2 bomber can carry. It is assessed that the MOP could be successful at accessing Fordow’s underground centrifuge halls and destroying them. Other air-launched weapon systems—including those possessed by Israel—are less likely to be able to access the centrifuge halls.

However, there may be other military approaches to destroy Fordow. For example, some press reports suggested the idea of a commando-style raid. Moreover, above-ground parts of the facility could also be targeted, which would harm operations at and access to the facility, including ventilation shafts, access doorways, and power generation—as reportedly occurred at the Natanz enrichment plant. Still, the absence of any strikes so far against the facility, four days after the attack started since June 13, suggests that Israel believes the United States dropping a MOP “bunker buster” bomb is the most effective way to destroy Fordow.

It would be highly risky to conclude the current Israeli military campaign without destroying Fordow or securing an inviolable set of commitments by the Iranians to dismantle the facility. With this facility intact, Iran could quickly produce weapons-grade uranium, including potentially using material brought to the site from destroyed locations.

Risk of breakout. A deal could be constructed that would permit inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to the site, just as was the case until June 13. But Israel’s attack has most probably changed Iranian strategic calculus fundamentally. While Iran was until last week focused on building and maintaining a nuclear-weapon option, it is unlikely that Tehran will be willing to remain at the threshold going forward if the current government remains in charge.

Even if there were to be a deal in which Fordow remained in existence as a uranium enrichment site, the risk of an Iranian breakout scenario to produce nuclear weapons is probably greater today than it was a week ago: Iran has been shown that its conventional military cannot deter an Israeli attack, and therefore it is far likelier to have difficulty restocking its missile and other military forces (especially air defense) than Israel will.

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But the United States and Israel must acknowledge that Fordow is not the only pathway for an Iranian nuclear weapons program. Iran may have other centrifuges available, including at secret sites, and probably already at work. On June 12, Iran said that it would retaliate for the IAEA Board of Governors’ adoption of a resolution finding Iran in noncompliance with its treaty obligations by unveiling another secret “invulnerable” enrichment facility. Iran could also have a stock of additional centrifuges that it could either rapidly install or use, with enriched uranium from other parts of the country serving as feedstock. Destroying or rendering Fordow inoperable would not preclude Iran from using these alternative sites to potentially produce one or several nuclear weapons.

Intrusive inspections could help—but having been attacked, it is questionable whether Iran would accept such inspections or faithfully adhere to their terms for the long run. In the early 1990s, after a military campaign destroyed Iraq’s nuclear program as part of the overall first Gulf War, the succeeding containment and inspection strategy eventually broke down despite punitive raids and airstrikes, threats of war, and diplomatic entreaties.

Ultimately, Israel chose a high-risk path to try to eliminate the threat from the Iranian nuclear program. Although there was a chance that Iran would try to break out to nuclear weapons possession soon, this was not certain. And a diplomatic approach might have been able to contain this threat too—as it did in 2015.

Having embarked on a military path, Israel either now needs to prevent Iran from breaking out using military means or to coerce Iran into accepting the sorts of intrusive inspections and dismantlement activities it previously refused. This may be theoretically possible; Iran is now under considerable attack and stress, with even calls by President Trump for its “unconditional surrender.” But the odds of a future Iranian breakout—either using Fordow or another site—are not going to go away even with the decimation of Iran’s existing nuclear sites.

Iran warns US intervention in conflict with Israel risks ‘all out war’

Esmaeil Baghaei tells Al Jazeera that ‘any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.’

Published On 18 Jun 202518 Jun 2025

|

Updated:

7 hours ago

Iran has warned that any United States intervention in the conflict with Israel would risk an “all-out war” as the two sides traded attacks for a sixth straight day.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei warned: “Any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.”

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“We have very good relations with Arab countries, and they are very cognisant of the fact that Israel has been trying to drag others into the war. … We are sure our Arab countries hosting US bases would not allow their territory to be used against their Muslim neighbours,” he added.

US President Donald Trump, who initially distanced himself from the Israeli attacks, has since hinted at greater US involvement in the conflict, saying he wants something “much bigger” than a ceasefire. The US has sent more warplanes to the region and is also sending the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier.

Thousands of American soldiers are based in nearby countries within range of Iran’s weapons. The US, however, has threatened a massive response to any attack.

On Tuesday, Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender”.

He also boasted that the United States could easily assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

“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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“A storm is passing over Tehran,” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz posted on the social media platform X. “This is how dictatorships collapse.”

Khamenei said Iran would “never surrender”, and warned the US it would suffer “irreparable damage” if it intervenes in the conflict.

“This nation will never surrender,” Khamenei said in a speech read on state television. “America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage.”

Iran will respond to Israeli strikes “strongly” and “without restraint”, its ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva told reporters.

“We will not show any reluctance in defending our people, security and land. We will respond seriously and strongly without restraint,” Ali Bahreini said.

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TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS DIGEST, Wednesday, (06/18/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Nuclear scientist’s grand plan to solve climate change | LBC – YouTube

YouTube

… all-new LBC App: https … ‘Things got quite testy’ | PMQs Analysed. LBC New 7.7K views · 19:54.

Iran-Israel Live Updates: Trump Says Iran Should Have Made a Nuclear Deal Earlier – WSJ

WSJ

All Things with Kim Strassel Newsletter · All Things with Kim Strassel … Still, Iran hasn’t proved it can build a reliable nuclear device or …

Iran’s nuclear program and Fordo facility probably need to go at this point, says Amos Hochstein

YouTube

Jim Cramer breaks down all things Federal Reserve before Wednesday’s rate decision … Was Iran really about to build a nuclear bomb? | ABC News …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

US nuclear giant plans to build major power plant in Wales – The Telegraph

The Telegraph

… nuclear power plant under construction, have also fuelled concerns about value for money. The Prime Minister has since thrown his weight behind …

The United States may destroy the Fordow enrichment plant. It won’t make the Iranian …

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

If the Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program, started on June 13, is to prove successful in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, …

Israel and U.S. intelligence differ on status of Iran’s nuclear program. Who’s right? – NPR

NPR

“I think Israel is lengthening the time Iran would need to make nuclear weapons, probably significantly,” Albright said. Inspectors from …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

EXPLAINER – Israel’s strikes on Iran: Major sites and fears of ‘regional nuclear emergency‘

Anadolu Ajansı

The Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure began last Friday, a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) censured Iran for a …

Oman steps up emergency preparedness amid strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites – Muscat Daily

Muscat Daily

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Saturday that four key buildings were hit in Isfahan, including a uranium conversion …

U.S. Battery Makers Declare National Emergency After China’s Antimony Ban | OilPrice.com

Oil Price

… Nuclear Power · Solar Energy · Hydroelectric · Renewable Energy · Geothermal … emergency. Last summer, China, which supplies more than half of the …

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NEWS

Iran threatens ‘all-out war‘ if Trump joins Israel’s military campaign | Fox News

Fox News

“We have clear goals and objectives: removing the existential threat to the State of Israel, significantly impairing the nuclear program in all its …

As Trump considers US strikes on Iran, polls suggest Americans may not be into it – CNN

CNN

And Gallup polling last year showed 93% of Republicans and 70% of Democrats described Iran developing nuclear weapons as a “critical threat” to the …

Iran warns US intervention in conflict with Israel risks ‘all out war‘

Al Jazeera

Iran warns US intervention in conflict with Israel risks ‘all out war‘ … nuclear weapons development programme”. The International Atomic …

Nuclear War

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Iran warns U.S. involvement in Israeli strikes would risk “all-out war” – CBS News

CBS News

As Israel attacks new sites linked to Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran warns against the U.S. wading directly into an increasingly deadly war, …

Iran’s leader rejects call to surrender, saying US intervention would cause ‘irreparable damage’

AP News

Israel-Hamas war Russia-Ukraine War … Israeli strikes have hit several nuclear and military sites, killing top generals and nuclear scientists.

4 things to know as the war between Israel and Iran intensifies – NPR

NPR

President Trump posted on his social media platform late Monday also calling for civilians in Tehran to leave. “IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” …

Middle East On Edge As Threat Of Nuclear War Looms | Khamenei | N18G – YouTube – YouTube

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Yellowstone Caldera

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Know before you go: Drinking water in Yellowstone’s backcountry – Buckrail

Buckrail

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — In this week’s Caldera Chronicles, the scientists of Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) discuss the principles of …

End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jun 17, 2025

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LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY and the GLOBAL RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

In My Opinion

I will elaborate at a later date but this is all on Trump, and it never needed to happen had he followed his own invitation to negotiate an agreement with Iran on March 5th of this year, and then reneged on his proposal.

It is plain and simple to see and understand what he has done — nor does it matter whether it was intentional or whether his contradictions creating impossible agreement terms for Iran and his requests (lies) to Israel’s Netanyahu to delay any attacks on Iran were unintentional and caused by his retarded mental condition including the fact that he is a pathological liar. ~llaw

• Trump is just saying: ‘I don’t care what the facts are. “‘We’re just doing this anyway because I say so’.”

NOTE: Not all of the ongoing “Live” Al Jazeera ongoing posts so it may be that you will want to tap into a recent article so that you can follow this ongoing extremely dangerous situation . . . )

• Israel-Iran conflict
• Who is influencing Trump?
• The human toll of attacks on Iran
• What war would mean for the economy
• How ballistic missiles work
• Which oil facilities have been hit?
• How Trump’s base is divided
• Who are Iran’s new military leaders?

Live updatesLive updates,

LIVE: Israel, Iran trade attacks; Trump claims ‘control of skies over Iran’

03:08

Can Israel really destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities?

By Ali Harb and Caolán Magee

Published On 17 Jun 202517 Jun 2025

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• Explosions rock Iran and missiles hit Israel as attacks continue for a fifth-straight day with a Mossad office targeted in Tel Aviv and an alleged high-level assassination in Tehran.
• US President Donald Trump says “we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran” after his vice president, JD Vance, says Trump may take “further action to end Iranian enrichment”.

Read more

186 UpdatesAuto-updates

• 4m ago(21:10 GMT)

Ahmadinejad’s office dismisses death reports

• The office of Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denies reports spreading online that he has been assassinated by Israel.

• Click here to share on social media
• 14m ago(21:00 GMT)

At least Bush had ‘the dignity to lie’, says advocate

• • Ali Harb
  Reporting from Washington, DCJamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a think-tank that promotes diplomacy, says Trump’s rejection of the US intelligence community’s assessment that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon shows that the war is his choice.“Is Netanyahu now calling the shots and giving the president intelligence that he values over the United States’s intelligence? That’s why that that remark is so shocking,” Abdi told Al Jazeera.“I mean, at least when George W Bush started his endless war, he had the dignity to lie to us about WMDs. Trump is just saying, “I don’t care what the facts are; we are just doing this because I say so.”Bush authorised the invasion of Iraq in 2013 based on false accusations that the country had weapons of mass destruction.Click here to share on social media
• 24m ago(20:50 GMT)

Iraq faces threat of spillover conflict amid US-Iran-Israel dynamics

• With Iraq an ally of Iran and a strategic partner of the United States, Baghdad may struggle to avoid the fighting spreading to its territory, an analyst warns.“There is a sizeable risk of a spillover escalation in Iraq,” said political analyst Sajad Jiyad. “Iraqis have a right to be worried.”Jiyad said if the US supports Israel’s attacks, it “may lead to pro-Iran elements inside Iraq targeting US troops” or other American interests such as the embassy in Baghdad or the consulate in Erbil.This could lead to the US and Israel taking retaliatory actions within Iraq, he added. Israel’s use of Iraq’s airspace to attack Iran has angered pro-Tehran groups, who accused US forces of allowing it.Click here to share on social media
• 29m ago(20:45 GMT)

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say strikes targeting Israeli air bases

• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have just issued a statement saying that its latest missile and drone attacks are specifically targeting Israeli air bases which were used to launch strikes on Iranian territory.“Our attacks against Israel will continue in a constant, complex, multi-layered and gradual manner… We targeted the airbases from which the Zionist entity launched attacks against Iranian territory,” it said in a statement.Earlier, IRNA reported Iran launched its tenth wave attacks on targets in Israel.Thee missiles and drones were fired towards Israel in different regions across Iran on Tuesday afternoon, it said.Click here to share on social media
• 34m ago(20:40 GMT)

‘Contradictory messaging’ from Trump administration on Iran’s nuclear programme

• • Kimberly Halkett
  Reporting from the White House, USThe White House put out 40 different examples of where the US president on the campaign trail said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, as well as 15 different times that he has said it since coming into office.But what can also be noted is that in recent weeks, Trump also suggested that Iran may be able to have a nuclear programme for civilian purposes – and when the two sides were very close to sort of inking that deal, then the goal posts moved and the president went back to his refrain that they cannot have a nuclear weapon.So there has been contradictory messaging.This has also been evident in the form of the US president essentially ignoring the director of his national intelligence who has testified in the US Senate that in fact, Iran was not close to weaponising its enrichment programme.Click here to share on social media
• 44m ago(20:30 GMT)

US senator calls for ending ‘terrible chapter’ of Iranian government

• Republican lawmaker Lindsey Graham, a foreign policy hawk and Trump ally, suggests the US should push to overthrow the governing system in Iran.“It is now time to end this terrible chapter in the Middle East and start a new chapter. One of freedom for the Iranian people, economic integration for the region, working in peace and harmony, allowing all boats to rise,” Graham wrote in a social media post.Click here to share on social media
• 54m ago(20:20 GMT)

Russia condemns Israeli attacks on Iran as illegal

• Russia has condemned ongoing Israeli strikes on Iran, calling them illegal and urging a diplomatic resolution to concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme.In a statement posted on Telegram, Russia’s Foreign Ministry highlighted Iran’s “clear statements” affirming its commitment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and its stated readiness to engage in dialogue with the US.Moscow said it is awaiting an “unvarnished analysis” from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on whether Israeli strikes have damaged Iran’s nuclear facilities.Iran remains a signatory to the NPT and has allowed IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites, while Israel has never signed the treaty and is widely believed to possess a nuclear arsenal.Click here to share on social media
• 57m ago(20:17 GMT)

Houthi official says Yemeni group will intervene in support of Iran

• Mohammed al-Bukhaiti says the Houthis will come to the aid of any Arab or Muslim nation under attack.“We will intervene to support Tehran against Zionist aggressions as we supported our brothers in Gaza,” al-Bukhaiti said.The Houthis have been carrying out drone and missile attacks against Israel in a campaign that they say aims to pressure the country to end its war on Gaza.Over the past days, Houthi missiles have coincided with Iranian launches against Israel.
• US suggests it will respond to attacks on Israeli civilians

• Echoing an earlier statement by Trump, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said: “The president has made it clear that if Americans are hurt, or, in this case, a missile [is] shot at civilians or American soldiers, that there would be a repercussion.”Israel has targeted several residential buildings across Iran, killing dozens of civilians, since the start of the attacks.Click here to share on social media
• 1h ago(20:00 GMT)

‘Netanyahu seeks to draw Trump into war’

• PM Netanyahu is actively trying to bring President Trump into the war with Iran, according to Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara.“Netanyahu’s strategy has become how to manipulate Trump, how to convince Trump, how to bring Trump into the war,” Bishara said. “They are looking into the possibility of joint American-Israeli attacks.Bishara described Trump as lacking a clear vision of his own, saying: “Trump does not have a particular ideological or strategic endgame in mind.”The remarks come as Trump attends a national security meeting in the White House Situation Room.Earlier today, the US President claimed on Truth Social that the US knows “exactly” where Iran’s supreme leader is hiding” as speculation grows over whether Washington will be drawn directly into the conflict.Click here to share on social media
• 1h ago(19:55 GMT)

Israel’s missile system ‘overwhelmed’

• The Washington Post reports, citing an unnamed source, that Israel may maintain its missile defence for 10 to 20 days only without new supplies of interceptors from the US.“They will need to select what they want to intercept,” the source said. “The system is already overwhelmed.”Click here to share on social media
• 1h ago(19:50 GMT)

Iran’s military chief calls for Haifa, Tel Aviv residents to leave immediately

• Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi urged residents of the major Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv to evacuate, warning of imminent “punitive” attacks.Referring to Israel, Mousavi said that “residents of the occupied territories, especially Tel Aviv and Haifa, are strongly urged to leave these areas for the sake of their lives”.Click here to share on social media
• 1h ago(19:45 GMT)

‘Search underway’ for Israeli pilot in Iran after plane downed

• Iran’s Mehr news agency is reporting that a search is underway for an Israeli pilot after his plane was targeted.The report said that “an Israeli enemy aircraft was targeted in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province in southwestern Iran, and a search is underway for its pilot”.Click here to share on social media
• 1h ago(19:40 GMT)

‘Unacceptable’: UN calls for justice after hundreds killed at food sites in Gaza

• The UN chief has called for accountability after the latest incidents of Israeli forces killing Palestinians at a food distribution point in Gaza.His deputy spokesman, in comments made at the UN headquarters in New York, said: “The Secretary-General condemns the loss of lives and injuries of civilians in Gaza, where once again being shot at while seeking food.“It is unacceptable,” added Farhan Haq. “As of yesterday, 338 people have been killed and more than 2,800 injured while trying to access food, food near distribution sites.”Click here to share on social media
• 1h ago(19:30 GMT)

Israel claims it struck ‘12 missile launch and storage sites’ in Iran

• The Israeli army says it has completed a new wave of air strikes targeting what it claimed were military sites inside Iran.In a statement, the Israelis said its air force struck “12 missile launch and storage sites” today.Earlier, Israel claimed one of its recent attacks in Tehran killed a top Iranian commander Major General Ali Shadmani.Click here to share on social media
• 1h ago(19:20 GMT)

War will not end without damaging Iran’s Fordow facility: Israeli official

• Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi tells Channel 12 that the military operation against Iran will not end before damaging the country’s main uranium enrichment site Fordow.Experts say that Israel will require US help – with massive bombers and munition – to penetrate Fordow’s defences.The facility, near the city of Qom, is built deep inside a mountain.Click here to share on social media
• 2h ago(19:10 GMT)

Trump meeting with national security team

• US President Trump is meeting his national security team in the White House Situation Room this afternoon, according to a US media report.The meeting comes as Trump weighs whether the US should deepen its involvement in the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.He returned to Washington yesterday, cutting short his appearance at the G7 summit in Canada by a day.Earlier today, Trump made a series of statements on his Truth Social platform, including a pointed message directed at Iran’s leadership, claiming the US knows “exactly” where Iran’s supreme leader is “hiding”.Click here to share on social media
• 2h ago(19:00 GMT)

If you’re just joining us

• It is 10:30pm in Iran, 10pm in Palestine and Israel (19:00 GMT). Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
  • President Trump says “we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran”.
  • Iran’s new military chief Abdolrahim Mousavi says Tehran has only launched attacks to deter Israel, and “punitive operation will be executed soon”.
  • Iran launches more retaliatory attacks against Israel, with Iranian state media saying eight missiles were fired in the latest volley.
  • Iranian news outlets report strong explosions in Tehran as Israel continues its bombardment of the country.
  • Qatar’s Foreign Ministry slams the “reckless targeting of energy and nuclear facilities in the region”.
  Click here to share on social media
• 2h ago(18:56 GMT)

Israel says more Iranian missiles fired

• The Israeli army says sirens have sounded in several areas after missile launches were detected from Iran.Click here to share on social media
• 2h ago(18:50 GMT)

Trump may step into war on Iran ‘at another time’

• Liqaa Maki, a political analyst at Al Jazeera Arabic, says Trump appears to be engaging in a campaign of deception.“I think this indecisiveness and confusion are deliberate,” he said. “I think he is planning to intervene in this war at another time.“He will intervene when he is informed by his military leadership that Iran is in a position of military weakness and cannot respond against US bases and interests. And then maybe he will participate in the war … to get credit for the victory.”Click here to share on social media
• 2h ago(18:40 GMT)

Trump ally in Congress renews opposition to ‘another foreign war’

• Right-wing US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says Americans say the United States government should focus on issues at home, including safety, education and housing.“Considering Americans pay for the entire government and government salaries with their hard earned tax dollars, this is where our focus should be,” she wrote in a social media post. “Not going into another foreign war.”

• WATCH: Will Russia, Turkiye and China provide support to Iran in its conflict?Moscow, Ankara and Beijing have condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran.It is a conflict that has the potential to ignite the entire Middle East. Israel has been attacking Iran, saying Tehran’s nuclear programme poses an existential threat. Iran has responded with a barrage of retaliatory attacks.But now, what role can the global community play?China, Russia and Turkiye have condemned Israel’s actions.Beijing and Moscow maintain economic and political ties with both Iran and Israel. So, what, if anything, can these powers do to end the conflict? And is there a shift in dynamics in the region?Watch the discussion on Inside Story below:

27:07

Will Russia, Turkiye and China provide support to Iran?

• Click here to share on social media
• 4h ago(17:15 GMT)

Iran’s top general says ‘punitive’ attacks will be launched against Israel

• According to Iran’s Press TV, Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said: “The operations carried out so far have been a warning for deterrence – the punitive operation will be executed soon.”Click here to share on social media
• 4h ago(17:10 GMT)

Iran accuses EU of acting as Israel’s ‘apologist’

• The spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry has accused the European Union of acting as an “apologist” for Israel after the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas raised concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme.In a post on X, Esmaeil Baghaei directly addressed Kallas, urging her to “please stop acting as the aggressor’s apologist”.He also said: “How can you express concern over Iran’s peaceful program that is under the most robust IAEA inspections and ignore the fact that the Israeli regime has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons?!”Baghaei reaffirmed Iran’s position that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.While Iran is a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Israel is not a signatory, and is widely believed to possess nuclear arms – although it has never publicly admitted it.“Iran has never sought nuclear weapons,” Baghaei added, “unlike the aggressor that is the only barrier to a Middle East free from nuclear weapons – a goal Iran has advocated since 1974.”Click here to share on social media
• 4h ago(17:00 GMT)

‘People torn to pieces’: Hundreds of casualties in Israeli attack on south Gaza

• Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has issued a statement about the growing number of Palestinian casualties in Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.The organisation said the bodies of 59 killed Palestinians and more than 200 wounded were brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.It added that after many injured Palestinians, including aid seekers, arrived at the facility, the MSF team had to evacuate the maternity ward and turn delivery rooms into emergency operating theatres.“Every day, Palestinians are met with carnage as they try to receive the limited aid trickling into Gaza,” MSF said.Wafaa Abu Nemer, an MSF pediatrician, said “she saw people torn to pieces”.“It’s a disaster,” she added. “Seeking food should not be a death sentence.”Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, the organisation’s emergency coordinator, said the medical complex was “over capacity and running on limited supplies … dangerously close to breaking point”.Click here to share on social media
• 4h ago(16:50 GMT)

What is Trump’s endgame?

• • Ali Harb
  The US president has been issuing seemingly contradictory statements. He would call for ending the war and hint at peace coming “soon”, then suggest that the US may join Israel in bombing Iran.Last night, he called for the evacuation of Tehran, a city of about 10 million people. And this morning, he shared a text message that he said was from his envoy to Israel that suggested that he is facing some sort of major decision.Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, said Trump may be building leverage with threats to strong-arm Iran into accepting his demands of dismantling its nuclear programme.“I think he’s trying to present himself as this madman who is unpredictable, and in so doing, he can then insist on this very hard line that Iran has refused to accept for decades of full dismantlement of its enrichment programme,” Abdi told Al Jazeera.Another possible explanation of Trump’s latest statements, Abdi added, is that he is “being taken for a ride by Bibi Netanyahu to commit the United States to a full-on war with Iran”.He warned that destabilising Iran may potentially lead to “long-term US military commitments to dealing with the blowback of this failed state”.

• Click here to share on social media
• 4h ago(16:45 GMT)

US lawmaker introduces bill to limit Trump’s power to strike Iran

• Congressman Thomas Massie, a member of Trump’s Republican Party, has introduced a measure that would require the US president to seek the approval of Congress before attacking Iran.The bill orders Trump to “terminate” any attacks on Iran that are not authorised by lawmakers.On Monday, a similar measure was introduced in the Senate.While the proposed legislation would likely face a presidential veto if Congress approves it, advocates said the effort could add to the pressure Trump is facing from opponents of war with Iran.Read more about the Senate bill here.Click here to share on social media
• 4h ago(16:40 GMT)

Gaza healthcare at ‘breaking point’ as fuel runs out: WHO

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has pleaded for fuel to be allowed into Gaza to keep its few functioning hospitals running.“For over 100 days, no fuel has entered Gaza, and attempts to retrieve stocks from evacuation zones have been denied,” said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territory.“Combined with critical supply shortages, this is pushing the health system closer to the brink of collapse. Without fuel, all levels of care will cease, leading to more preventable deaths and suffering.”Peeperkorn said 17 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were currently minimally to partially functional. They have a total of about 1,500 beds – about 45 percent fewer than before Israel’s war on Gaza began.Israel continues to restrict most goods entering the besieged territory.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’s ALL NUCLEAR DAILY DIGEST” RELATED MEDIA

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War Threats
5. Nuclear War
6. Yellowstone Caldera & Other Volcanoes (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS DIGEST, Tuesday, (06/17/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

President Trump fires a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission – WCBU Peoria

WCBU Peoria

… WCBU. Weekend All Things Considered. WCBU. Weekend All Things Considered. Next Up: 5:00 PM Conversations From The World Cafe. 0:00. 0:00. Weekend All …

Israel says Iran was racing toward a nuclear weapon. US intel says it was years away – CNN

CNN

If Iran wanted one, they have all the things they need.” Now, after days of Israeli airstrikes, US intelligence officials believe that so far, Israel

President Trump Has Always Been Clear: Iran Cannot Have a Nuclear Weapon

The White House

They — I had to have one thing, no nuclear weapons. You can’t have … “All I want them to do is not have a nuclear weapon. They can’t have a …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Israel strikes Iran: Is the world close to a nuclear radiation incident? – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

… nuclear reactor in the world’s first attack on a nuclear power plant. Israel conducted another air attack the following year, destroying the …

CATF Statement: Dismissal of NRC commissioner undermines nuclear deployment and oversight

Clean Air Task Force

Nuclear energy is a carbon-free, always-available energy source that provides nearly 20% of U.S. electricity generation, and maintaining public trust …

Map Shows World’s Nuclear Stockpiles As China Warheads Increase – Newsweek

Newsweek

… nuclear power, behind Russia and the United States, a report by a Swedish think tank said. When asked to comment, Chinese Foreign Ministry …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Annual Emergency Drill Today (Tuesday) at Monticello Nuclear Power Plant

KRWC 1360 AM

(image: Xcel Energy) The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is advising residents of Wright County, and particularly those who live in, …

Kyrgyzstan Intends to Join International Conventions on Nuclear Safety

The Times Of Central Asia

… radiation emergencies. The legislative initiative was prompted by … Nuclear Power Plant? Central Asia Unites: Evacuations Amid Middle East …

Emergency webinar: No War on Iran. End the Genocide. End the Nuclear Hypocrisy – CND

CND

Join CND and Stop the War Coalition for this emergency webinar to discuss Israel’s illegal attack on Iran and its nuclear hypocrisy. … power is not …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

LIVE: Israel, Iran trade attacks; Trump claims ‘control of skies over Iran’ – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least … Israel has been attacking Iran, saying Tehran’s nuclear programme poses an existential threat.

China stockpiling nuclear warheads at fastest rate globally, new research shows

The Guardian

… threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear armed states. … war, not the climate crisis, is humanity’s biggest threat, according to one …

Israel claims control of Iran’s skies, but Tehran is managing to hit back – NPR

NPR

those that might pose a significant threat to Israeli aircraft have [been].” In October, during tit-for-tat missile and drone attacks between Israel …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Israel strikes Iran: Is the world close to a nuclear radiation incident? – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

A week into the Iran-Iraq War in 1980, Iran’s Operation Scorch Sword damaged Iraq’s unfinished Osirak ​nuclear reactor in the world’s first attack on …

Trump says he wants “real end” to Iran’s nuclear program, not just an Iran-Israel ceasefire

CBS News

Trump says he’s not “looking for a ceasefire” in the Israel-Iran war, as he warns all of Tehran’s residents to evacuate and says Iran should be …

How Israel’s Iran strikes might supercharge the global nuclear arms race – NBC News

NBC News

… nuclear-aspirant nations that nuclear weapons are essential in shielding them against attack. Countries such as North Korea already pointed to …

End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jun 16, 2025

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A drone photo shows the damage over residential homes at the impact site following missile attack from Iran on Israel, in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 16, 2025.

Moshe Mizrahi/Reuter

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY and the GLOBAL RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

In My Opinion

This attack on Iran by Israel and Iran’s counter-attack on Israel was and is entirely unnecessary. And it never would have happened had Trump not failed to act in-good-faith while diligently pursuing the invitation that he originally proposed to Iran on March 5th of this year. He has done nothing but interfere with the agreement talks.

Rather than negotiate he demanded unreasonable, if not impossible, demands on Iran by contradicting, altering, and changing the opening concepts and ground rules from the first meeting day of the very first attempt at an agreement and apparently intentionally demanded even more strict rules before every future meeting until the entire proposal fell apart while all the while telling Israel’s Netanyahu to delay any military attacks on Iran because a so-called Trump “deal” was close to an actual agreement. In fact, he lied to Israel as well as the USA.

So, eventually Netanyahu must have lost faith in Trump’s ability to ever reach an agreement with Iran and attacked their nuclear facilities without any further consultation with Trump or his administration. So it is that innocent Israeli citizens have been killed during the Iranian retaliatory bombing of apartment houses and other buildings, compared to the relatively small damage that has been done to Iran’s nuclear facilities, much of which is underground.

Trump’s lies and/or his incompetency are costing unnecessary human lives, and I believe he needs to be removed from office, not only for this predictable particular judgement error, but also for so many others — both economic and political — that he has made during his short — but far too long — term in office. For the safety of our country, other countries, and the world we must impeach, convict, and imprison this man to ensure a secure future here and elsewhere. ~llaw

With no clear exit strategy in Iran, Israel risks another war with no end

Analysis by Matthew Chance, Chief Global Affairs Correspondent

4 minute read

Updated 6:51 AM EDT, Mon June 16, 2025

Follow:

The Middle EastSee your latest updates

A drone photo shows the damage over residential homes at the impact site following missile attack from Iran on Israel, in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 16, 2025.

Moshe Mizrahi/Reuters

CNN —

Despite stunning early successes in Israel’s unprecedented strikes on Iran, a weekend of intensive bombardment and retaliation is raising questions about Israel’s exit strategy – how it can end this conflict with its ambitious goals achieved.

While Israeli war planes pummel Iranian military and nuclear sites virtually unopposed, dozens of Israelis have been killed and injured in retaliatory Iranian attacks.

Meanwhile, the United States – though helping Israel defend against Iranian missile strikes – is for the moment refusing to take part in attacking Iran, forcing Israel to reassess what its military operations can achieve.

“The end will be diplomatic, not military,” one Israeli source told CNN, adding the Israeli hope is now that its ongoing military action “weakens Iran’s negotiating hand” in any future nuclear talks.

This same theory, that Israeli military action will pressure an adversary to make concessions, has failed to force Hamas in Gaza to cave. Still, the mere mention of Iranian negotiations as a possible outcome suggests a shifting view.

From the start of the unprecedented strikes on Iran last week, Israel made its aims perfectly clear.

The intention, one Israeli military official spelled out to CNN, was to permanently remove the Islamic Republic’s “existential” nuclear and ballistic missile threats.

And no time limit would be set, the official insisted, to fulfil that military objective.

But that ambition, always highly dependent on the United States joining Israel militarily, has now run up against the reality of US reluctance to get drawn into yet another Mideast war.

Related live storyIsrael and Iran broaden attacks in fourth day of conflict

Sources familiar with the matter tell CNN that Israel has spoken with the US about increasing its level of involvement.

But President Donald Trump remains – at least publicly – reluctant to plunge the US into another Mideast war and has continued to distance himself from the violence.

One US official told CNN that Trump rejected an Israeli plan to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the US president is himself insisting that, far from entering the conflict, he is determined to broker an end to it.

“Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, referring to his intervention last month in a brief confrontation between the two South Asian nuclear neighbors over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

But unlike both India and Pakistan, Israel needs America’s firepower, not its diplomatic intervention.

Despite Israel’s success in killing key nuclear scientists, as well as striking enrichment facilities, inflicting lasting damage on Iran’s nuclear program is still beyond its capabilities.

A satellite image shows significant damage to buildings and tunnel entrances at Iran’s Kermanshah Missile Facility after repeated Israeli strikes on the site.

Maxar Technologies

Some of the most important locations are buried deep underground, such as the Fordow enrichment facility in northern Iran, which is built inside a mountain.

Without US military involvement, including logistics support and bunker busting firepower, Iran’s capabilities could survive even a prolonged Israeli pounding.

There’s another flaw with the Israeli strategy too.

Even if every facility were destroyed, they could eventually be rebuilt by a regime that has institutional nuclear know-how. Moreover, if the Iranian regime survives the current onslaught it may understandably calculate that a nuclear deterrent, not a new nuclear deal, is its best defense against future attack.

Mindful of this, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has repeatedly called on Iranian citizens “to act, to rise up” and topple their government.

Related articleWhy it will be hard for Trump to stay out of the conflict with Iran

But intensive bombing campaigns have a way of rallying people around even the most unpopular regimes. Interviews conducted by CNN inside Iran suggest that even long-oppressed Iranians are now even more furious with Israel than they are with their own unpopular leaders.

Of course, it is less than a week into the escalating conflict and much could still change.

Iranians could rise up; nuclear negotiations could resume; President Trump could even change his mind.

But not for the first time, Israel is engulfed in a conflict with no clear exit strategy.

Its ongoing war in Gaza, launched in 2023 after the October 7 attacks, was aimed at destroying Hamas and securing the release of all the hostages being held, but there is still no clear plan for what will follow.

Now, Israelis face yet another grinding, dangerous war of attrition, with no time limits and no clear end.

Up next

A weakened Iran has few options for striking back after Israel’s devastating blows

4 minute read

‘We fight or we die’: How days of frantic diplomacy and dire warnings culminated with Israel’s attack on Iran

10 minute read

Israel hits Iran’s nuclear program and military leadership in unprecedented strikes

7 minute read

Israel hit Iran’s nuclear program – and Iran hit back. Here’s what we know

7 minute read

Iran launches barrage of missiles at Israel following attack

3 minute read

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Subscribed

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’s ALL NUCLEAR DAILY DIGEST” RELATED MEDIA

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War Threats
5. Nuclear War
6. Yellowstone Caldera & Other Volcanoes (Note: There are two Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS DIGEST, Monday, (06/16/2025)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Iran’s nuclear threat is ‘not fully eliminated’ – YouTube

YouTube

… all-encompassing news service delivering breaking news as well as … things don’t deescalate: ‘Very dangerous times’. GBNews New 63K views · 9:59.

The Israel-Iran war is now a brutal test of staying power – The Economist

Israeli officials say they need at least two weeks to degrade Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities. … For Israel, the coming days are all about …

Inside the Effort to Reboot America’s Nuclear Energy Program – Tech News Briefing – WSJ

WSJ

… all the nuclear matter inside. So basically the point is it’s extremely safe. And so Standard Nuclear is a company that is the only standalone …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

How close is Iran to getting a nuclear bomb? – DW

DW

Civilian programs are focused solely on nuclear power plants to generate electricity, while military programs aim to build nuclear warheads — in other …

US utility company makes history with plan for first-of-its-kind facility – Yahoo

Yahoo

This proposal signals nuclear power as a reliable, carbon-free energy source. … The TVA already relies on its three traditional nuclear plants for 40% …

Iran’s nuclear sites have not suffered damage since Friday, says energy chief

The Guardian

Rafael Grossi says while buildings above ground in Natanz have been destroyed, strategic locations underground have not been struck.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

IDF failed to fully destroy Iran’s nuclear site in Natanz – IAEA chief | The Jerusalem Post

The Jerusalem Post

… electrical sub-station, a main electric power supply building, and emergency power supply and back-up generators, was also destroyed.” 10 …

IAEA Director General’s Introductory Statement to the Board of Governors

International Atomic Energy Agency

… emergency power supply and back-up generators, was also destroyed. … Bushehr nuclear power plant has not been targeted nor affected by the …

IAEA / IRAN SITUATION UPDATE | UNifeed – UN Media

UN Media – the United Nations

SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): “Our Incident and Emergency Centre has been up …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Iran-Israel ‘threshold war‘ has rewritten nuclear escalation rules – The Conversation

The Conversation

Without strong proxies to threaten retaliation, Iran is more exposed to Israeli strikes, making nuclear weapons seem like the only reliable deterrent …

With no clear exit strategy in Iran, Israel risks another war with no end – CNN

CNN

With no clear exit strategy in Iran, Israel risks another war with no end … nuclear and ballistic missile threats. And no time limit would be set …

Iran threatens to leave nuclear weapons treaty as Israeli bombing enters fourth day

The Guardian

Iran has threatened to leave the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) … war and Tehran’s race to construct a nuclear weapon. The human …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Iran-Israel ‘threshold war‘ has rewritten nuclear escalation rules – The Conversation

The Conversation

Strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran may increase Tehran’s belief that attaining nuclear weapons is key to establishing a deterrence to regime …

With no clear exit strategy in Iran, Israel risks another war with no end – CNN

CNN

While Israeli war planes pummel Iranian military and nuclear sites virtually unopposed, dozens of Israelis have been killed and injured in …

Nuclear risks grow as new arms race looms—new SIPRI Yearbook out now

SIPRI

Since the end of the cold war, the gradual dismantlement of retired warheads by Russia and the USA has normally outstripped the deployment of new …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Researchers Explain That Not Only Did Rhinos Once Live In The US, They Roamed … – TwistedSifter

TwistedSifter

The eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano, and the enormous ash cloud that followed. And according to the researchers, while the rhinos didn’t die …

Ibu Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: VA TO FL060 LAST REPORTED AT 15/1002Z EST VA DTG

Volcano Discovery

List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano. Latest Quakes · Latest Quakes. See all earthquakes that happened in …