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Trump condemns Israel attack on Beirut, says Iran deal still close

Trump condemns Israel attack on Beirut, says Iran deal still close

United States President Donald Trump has criticised Israel for launching an attack on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, on the day he has said a deal to end the US-Israel war with Iran could be signed. In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said the Israeli attack on Beirut “should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran”. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down,” he said. “There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel,” he said. “This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let’s not blow it!” The statement came shortly after Iran’s top negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Israel’s attacks had again drawn US trust into question. The US and Israel twice launched attacks against Iran – sparking the 12-day war in 2025 and the current war on February 28 – amid ongoing indirect talks over Iran’s nuclear programme. In a post on X, Ghalibaf said the US “either lacks the will to fulfil its commitments or the ability to do so”. “If you lack the will and ability to fulfil your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible,” he added. Authorities have said at least three people have been killed in the Israeli strikes on the Dahiyeh area of Beirut. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said the military launched the strikes in response to Hezbollah firing projectiles towards northern Israel. Advertisement In his post on Truth Social, Trump questioned the justification. “Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process,” he said. US says signing close Trump on Saturday said that a deal with Iran was “scheduled” to be signed on Sunday, with top mediator Pakistan indicating the signing would be digital. But Iranian officials have offered a slightly different timeline, with Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying on Saturday that the signing could take days. Still, both sides have broadly indicated that a signing of a memorandum of understanding to end fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, was closer than ever. While no official terms of that initial agreement have been released, both sides have indicated that the Strait of Hormuz would be open, the US naval blockade lifted, and fighting would be immediately halted. Questions over the deeply entrenched issues of the future of Iran’s nuclear programme, frozen Iranian assets and sanctions relief were expected to be addressed in a 60-day period following the initial signing. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Sami Nader, the director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, called Israel’s attacks on Sunday a “strategic test” for both sides. Israel has repeatedly pushed for Lebanon to be decoupled from any deal with Iran, he explained. “There is also a domestic intention, given the current upcoming election in Israel. Netanyahu has been criticised that he is not doing enough against Hezbollah, that he is very deferential, lenient to Trump,” Nader said during a television interview. US officials have publicly said that US and Israeli objectives for the war diverge. Obama weighs in While fighting between the US and Iran has been largely paused since April 8, barring a handful of flare-ups, efforts to reach a more lasting ceasefire have remained elusive. Trump has repeatedly vowed to reach a deal more stringent than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed in 2015. Under the deal, reached between Iran, the US, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, France, China and the European Union, Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear programme and allow for unprecedented inspections in exchange for sanctions relief. Critics said the timelines of the agreement were not strict enough, with Trump unilaterally withdrawing in 2018. Iran has for years denied seeking a nuclear weapon. Speaking during an interview on the ABC News programme “This Week” released on Sunday, former US President Barack Obama said it was unlikely a better deal on Iran’s nuclear programme could be negotiated than the one his administration negotiated. Advertisement “It is doubtful that any agreement that arises is going to be significantly different or a significant improvement from the deal that we had in the first place,” he said. Obama added that the US can not “just bully our way or bomb our way to solutions”. “You’d think we would have learned that lesson by now,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)

Trump makes endorsement in key Georgia Republican US Senate run-off

Trump makes endorsement in key Georgia Republican US Senate run-off

Donald Trump picks Mike Collins over Derek Dooley in race to determine who will face Democrat Jon Ossoff in November midterms. Published On 14 Jun 202614 Jun 2026 United States President Donald Trump has made a late endorsement in a Republican run-off for a key US Senate race in Georgia ahead of the US midterm elections. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump threw his support behind US Representative Mike Collins over former football coach and political newcomer Derek Dooley. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Collins and Dooley will face off in a Republican run-off race on Tuesday to determine who will challenge incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, in the midterm election in November. In a post on Truth Social, Trump praised Collins for being a staunch supporter of his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and a “true friend, fighter, and WARRIOR”. Ossoff entered office in 2021 as part of a blue wave in Georgia that saw the majority of the state vote for former US President Joe Biden, as well as his fellow Democrat, Senator Raphael Warnock. Georgia, which had for decades been dominated by Republicans, swung back towards Trump in the 2024 vote. Defeating Ossoff is seen as one of the Republicans’ best chances at claiming a new seat in the 100-member chamber, where they are hoping to hold on to their slim 53-seat majority. Democrats are hoping to win control of both the House and the Senate in November, which would create a major bulwark against Trump’s agenda during his final two years in office. Republican divides Trump’s endorsement pits Collins against Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who has supported Dooley. Kemp has remained generally supportive of Trump, but has faced off with him on several issues, notably Trump’s evidence-less claims that the 2020 election in Georgia was marred by fraud. Advertisement Dooley has said he did not vote in 2016 or 2020 when Trump was on the ballot, and has maintained that the election results in Georgia were legitimate. Collins carried about 40 percent of the vote during Georgia’s Republican primary on May 19, with Dooley taking about 30 percent. Representative Buddy Carter, who did not advance to the run-off, came in a close third. It remains unclear how big of an impact Trump’s endorsement will have. He made the announcement after early voting had already ended for the run-off. Trump’s endorsements have seen mixed results in the primary season. Trump’s decision to back Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was seen as aiding in the MAGA loyalist’s defeat of US Senator John Cornyn in Texas’s primary run-off. Cornyn had widely been viewed as the strongest Republican candidate to take on Democratic challenger James Talarico in the general election. In Iowa, Trump’s late endorsement of US Representative Randy Feenstra did not give him the bump needed to defeat fellow Republican Zach Lahn in the gubernatorial primary race. Beyond the run-off in Georgia, Alabama will also hold several primary run-offs on Tuesday. That includes a Republican race for the solidly red seat of US Senator Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor. Oklahoma and the federal district of Washington, DC, will also hold primary votes. Adblock test (Why?)

UK forces seize suspected Russian oil tanker accused of funding Ukraine war

UK forces seize suspected Russian oil tanker accused of funding Ukraine war

NewsFeed British armed forces intercepted an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia’s sanctioned shadow fleet. The oil tanker ‘SMYRTOS’ was taken in an first-ever operation by the British military in the English Channel. Published On 14 Jun 202614 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)