“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw
Jun 19, 2025
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,
0 of 2 minutes, 19 seconds Volume 0%
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.
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
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
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:
- All Things Nuclear
- Nuclear Power
- Nuclear Power Emergencies
- Nuclear War Threats
- Nuclear War
- Yellowstone Caldera & Other Volcanoes (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
- 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 …