In his first comments since the Iran-Israel conflict ended in a ceasefire, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei congratulated “the great nation of Iran” for its “victory over the fake Zionist regime.”
He said the United States entered the conflict with Israel “because they felt that if they did not enter, the Zionist regime would be destroyed.”
“However, the Americans did not gain anything in this war.”
This post has been updated with additional remarks from Iran’s supreme leader.
Netanyahu will convene meeting on Gaza with top officials, source says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene a meeting later Thursday to discuss the future of Israel’s strategy in Gaza, according to a source familiar with the matter — one day after US President Donald Trump said he was “very close” to striking a deal on the conflict.
The source told CNN that a small team of ministers and senior defense officials would attend, and that Israel was still interested in the framework proposed by US envoy Steve Witkoff, which would see a ceasefire in return for the release of Israeli hostages, both alive and dead.
Within the government, far-right parties want to continue military operations in Gaza until Hamas is eradicated. But in an interview Wednesday, the leader of the religious Shas party, Aryeh Deri, said he believed “a big opportunity has emerged in the direction of the hostages in Gaza, and in general the war in Gaza […] – I think that now more than ever the conditions to end the war in Gaza were created.”
Shas is part of the governing coalition.
Trump said Wednesday he thought US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites could help lead to a breakthrough in Gaza, and that he was “very close” to striking a deal on that conflict.
The latest proposal from Witkoff calls for the release of 10 Israeli hostages and the bodies of a further 18 Israelis taken on October 7, 2023 as part of a 60-day ceasefire.
Earlier this month, Hamas said it had not rejected the proposal but required stronger guarantees around the end of the war.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has called for the ceasefire between Israel and Iran to be expanded to include Gaza.
Fifty hostages remain in captivity in the enclave, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, according to the Israeli government.
Tehran Symphony Orchestra holds free concert to honors Iranians killed in conflict with Israel
The Tehran Symphony Orchestra held a free concert Wednesday at the city’s famed Azadi Square, dedicating it to Iranians killed in the 12-day conflict with Israel.
As residents gathered for the performance, the orchestra played “Ey Iran,” the country’s unofficial national anthem that has long been considered a song of national pride and resistance and had once been banned by the Islamic Republic due to its association with anti-government sentiment.
Established in 1933, the orchestra has survived multiple regimes, coups, revolution and wars, widely seen as a symbol of resilience.
Its hardest days came during the term of hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when the orchestra was disbanded due to sanctions, financial difficulties and negligence.
Three years later, reformist president Hassan Rouhani revived the orchestra as part of a campaign promise during his presidential bid.
Theaters, cinemas and concert halls went dark during the conflict with Israel, but officials have since promoted musical street performances and poetry readings in an apparent attempt to lift public morale.
The government has also re-opened cultural institutions and has announced a number of free concerts and performances across the capital, along with half-price tickets for films and theatrical shows.
Iran declines to confirm meeting planned with US on nuclear program
Iran’s foreign ministry has declined to confirm whether Iranian and US delegations will meet next week, as was suggested by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Baghaei claimed that there had been many contradictions from US officials.
“While they were discussing diplomacy, just two days before our meeting in Muscat, they gave Israel the green light to attack Iran. So is there any trust left?” he said.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters in The Hague that the US will meet with Iran next week about a potential nuclear agreement, though he said repeatedly that he doesn’t believe such a deal “is that necessary.”
“We’re going to talk to them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don’t know. To me, I don’t think it’s that necessary. I mean, they had a war, they fought, now they’re going back to their world. I don’t care if I have an agreement or not,” Trump said during a press conference at the end of the NATO summit.
“The only thing we’d be asking for is what we were asking for before,” Trump said, adding again that he does not believe such an agreement is necessary due to his insistence that the US successfully destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities, despite early intelligence assessments suggesting otherwise.
Trump asserted that Iran’s nuclear program was destroyed.
Fordow centrifuges “no longer operational” following US attack, says IAEA chief
Rafael Grossi, the director general of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the centrifuges at Fordow, one of Iran’s most important nuclear enrichment facilities, are “no longer operational” following US strikes.
“On the basis of satellite images, we can deduct quite precise conclusions on the consequences of the bombing,” Grossi told French radio station Radio France Internationale Thursday.
“I know the plant very well, it’s a network of tunnels with different types of activity,” Grossi said. “What we saw on the pictures corresponds more or less to the enrichment hall, that’s what’s been hit.”
Iran’s parliament on Wednesday voted to suspend cooperation with IAEA, according to state media.
In a televised interview Wednesday, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the country’s nuclear installations were “badly damaged” after “repeated attacks” by Israel and the US.
Head of UN nuclear watchdog says “essential” for inspections to resume at Iran nuclear sites
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says it has received no response from Iran yet on resuming inspections of nuclear facilities.
When asked whether he thought it was possible for IAEA inspections to resume at Iran’s nuclear facilities, Grossi said it was “more than possible, it’s essential.”
Iran’s parliament voted Wednesday to suspend the country’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, state media reported.
The decision by Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly, known as the Majles, will need to be ratified by the Supreme National Security Council chaired by President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iran is a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), an agreement designed to monitor and prevent the global spread of nuclear weapons as well as promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology. Any signatories to the treaty without nuclear weapons are prohibited from pursuing them.
On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested that Tehran could rethink its membership of the treaty in the wake of US and Israeli strikes on its nuclear sites.
“The attack on our nuclear facilities will certainly have serious and profound repercussions on Iran’s future course,” he told Al Araby Al Jadeed.
Iran’s defense minister goes to China on first reported foreign trip since conflict with Israel
Iran’s defense minister has traveled to diplomatic and economic ally China on his first reported trip abroad since a 12-day clash with Israel that briefly dragged the US into a new regional conflict.
Aziz Nasirzadeh is one of nine defense ministers that Chinese state media say attended a gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a China- and Russia-led regional security grouping that has grown in prominence as Beijing and Moscow look to build alternative international blocs to those backed by the United States.
The two-day gathering began Wednesday in the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao, a day after a ceasefire between Iran and Israel quelled what had been days of aerial assaults between the two, punctuated by a US strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
The SCO gathering coincided with a meeting of NATO leaders at The Hague, where US President Donald Trump said the US would meet with Iran “next week” about a potential nuclear agreement.
Beijing’s gathering, part of events for its rotating SCO chairmanship, spotlighted China’s role as a key international player, even as it remained largely on the sidelines of the Israel-Iran conflict – and the importance Tehran places on its relationship with Beijing.
CIA says it has “credible evidence” Iran’s nuclear program “severely damaged.” Here’s what you need to know
CIA and Trump administration officials are citing “new intelligence” they say proves US strikes severely damaged Iran’s nuclear program, after CNN and other outlets reported on a preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment which found the US only set Iran’s program back a couple of months.
The CIA’s director John Ratcliffe said Wednesday the agency’s new intel showed that “several key Iranian facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years.” President Donald Trump said the strikes “obliterated” Iran’s ability to produce a weapon, after earlier saying the intelligence was “inconclusive.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also posted on X on Wednesday that “new intelligence” supported the notion that Iran’s nuclear facilities were “destroyed” in the strikes.
Meanwhile, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson told Al Jazeera that Iran’s nuclear installations were “badly damaged” after “repeated attacks” by Israel and the US.
Here’s what else you need to know about the aftermath of US strikes on Iran:
- Trump limits intel-sharing: The Trump administration is limiting how much classified information it shares with Congress in an apparent attempt to clamp down on leaks after CNN and other media reported on the DIA report.
- Democrats in the dark: Top Democrats are frustrated at the lack of communication about US strikes in Iran. Sen. Tim Kaine called Trump’s plans to limit intelligence sharing with Congress “troubling,” and said “the US should not be lied into a war.”
- Senate briefing: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and CIA Director Ratcliffe will brief the Senate on Iran Thursday. Hegseth is also set to hold a news conference, which Trump promised will be “interesting and irrefutable.”
- Truce holds: A ceasefire between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding Thursday despite both sides accusing the other of violating the truce in the hours immediately after it was announced.
Why Trump’s strikes on Iran will leave North Korea more determined than ever to keep its nukes
As American B-2 bombers streaked over Iran, targeting facilities tied to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, policymakers and analysts in East Asia were already grappling with a critical question: What signal does this send to North Korea, a country whose nuclear arsenal is far more advanced than Iran’s?
Experts warn Washington’s military actions may harden Pyongyang’s resolve to accelerate its weapons program and deepen cooperation with Russia, as well as reinforcing its leader Kim Jong Un’s belief that nuclear arms are the ultimate deterrent against US-enforced regime change.
Despite yearslong efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, the Kim regime is thought to possess multiple nuclear weapons, as well as missiles that can potentially reach the United States – meaning any potential military strike on the Korean Peninsula would carry vastly higher risks.
“President Trump’s strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities will undoubtedly further reinforce the legitimacy of North Korea’s longstanding policy of regime survival and nuclear weapons development,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor of North Korean studies at South Korea’s Kyungnam University.
“North Korea perceives the recent US airstrike as a preemptive military threat and will likely accelerate efforts to enhance its own capability for preemptive nuclear missile attacks,” said Lim.
That acceleration, analysts caution, could come through Russian assistance, thanks to a blossoming military relationship the two neighbors have struck up in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Read more here.
White House will limit classified information shared with Congress
The Trump administration will limit its sharing of classified information with Congress after CNN reported on an early US intelligence assessment suggesting strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites.
A senior White House official told CNN the administration believes the early Defense Intelligence Agency report was leaked after the assessment was posted to CAPNET — a system used for sharing classified intelligence with Congress — Monday night and therefore will be sharing less on the system. The administration said it’s also conducting a leak investigation.
Axios was first to report the details of the administration’s decision to limit intelligence shared with Congress.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will brief the Senate on Iran Thursday, the official told CNN.
CIA obtained “credible evidence” indicating Iran’s nuclear program was “severely damaged,” director says
CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Wednesday issued a statement saying that the agency had obtained “a body of credible evidence (that) indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes.”
The statement comes a day after CNN and other outlets reported a preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency analysis, produced roughly 24 hours after the strikes, that found that the US bombing likely only set Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon back by a matter of months.
The White House has pushed back on that assessment, calling it “wrong.” President Donald Trump has said that the strikes “obliterated” Iran’s ability to produce a weapon.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also posted on X on Wednesday that “new intelligence” supported the notion that Iran’s nuclear facilities were “destroyed” in the strikes.
Hegseth will hold a news conference Thursday, Trump says
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will hold a news conference at 8 a.m. ET Thursday at the Pentagon, US President Donald Trump announced on social media.
“The News Conference will prove both interesting and irrefutable. Enjoy!” he added.
