{"id":154351,"date":"2025-06-23T02:36:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T02:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/israel-iran-war-live-trump-floats-regime-change-to-make-iran-great-again-as-region-braces-for-iranian-response-to-us-strikes-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2025-06-23T02:36:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T02:36:00","slug":"israel-iran-war-live-trump-floats-regime-change-to-make-iran-great-again-as-region-braces-for-iranian-response-to-us-strikes-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/israel-iran-war-live-trump-floats-regime-change-to-make-iran-great-again-as-region-braces-for-iranian-response-to-us-strikes-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel-Iran war live: Trump floats regime change to \u2018make Iran great again\u2019 as region braces for Iranian response to US strikes – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Top officials insist US \u2018not at war with Iran\u2019; Iranian foreign minister reportedly lands in Moscow to discuss \u2018common threats\u2019 with Putin
Iran says US \u2018must receive a response\u2019 after Trump\u2019s strikes on nuclear sites<\/strong><\/a>
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the US and Israeli war on Iran.
US president Donald Trump<\/strong> has brought up the possibility of regime change in Iran<\/a> following US military strikes against key Iran military sites over the weekend, even as top members of his administration insisted the US was not seeking to topple the Iranian leadership.
\u201cIt\u2019s not politically correct to use the term, \u201cRegime Change,\u201d but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn\u2019t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!\u201d Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Earlier, vice-president JD Vance<\/strong> had insisted the US was \u201cnot at war with Iran, we\u2019re at war with Iran\u2019s nuclear programme\u201d while US secretary of state Marco Rubio<\/strong> said that that the US was \u201cnot looking for war in Iran\u201d.
The world was meanwhile braced for Iran\u2019s response after to the US attacks, which saw it joining Israel in the biggest western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi<\/strong> said his country would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said. \u201cThe US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force,\u201d he said.
He later flew to Moscow to discuss \u201ccommon threats\u201d with President Vladimir Putin<\/strong>.
In other key developments:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel<\/a> is very close to meeting its goals in Iran of removing the threats of ballistic missiles and the nuclear programme. <\/strong>Speaking to Israeli reporters, he said: \u201cWe won\u2019t pursue our actions beyond what is needed to achieve them, but we also won\u2019t finish too soon. When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop.\u201d
The UK, France and Germany have released a joint statement following American strikes on Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities, saying that they call upon Iran<\/a> to engage in negotiations leading to agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear program. <\/strong>The three countries also urged Iran \u201cnot to take any further action that could destabilize the region\u201d, adding: \u201cWe have consistently been clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and can no longer pose a threat to regional security.\u201d
Iran\u2019s health ministry said that the US strikes on its nuclear facilities had wounded an unspecified number of people but that none \u201cshowed any signs of radioactive contamination\u201d. <\/strong>\u201cFor years, the ministry of health has set up nuclear emergency units in the nearest medical facilities to nuclear sites,\u201d ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said on X.
Israel said that its fighter jets had struck \u201cdozens\u201d of targets across Iran on Sunday, including a long-range missile site in Yazd in the centre of the country for the first time, Agence France Presse reports. <\/strong>A military statement said that \u201capproximately 30 IAF (air force) fighter jets struck dozens of military targets throughout Iran\u201d – including \u201cthe \u2018Imam Hussein\u2019 Strategic Missile Command Center in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored\u201d.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that \u201cthere are no planned military operations right now against Iran<\/a>.\u201d <\/strong>In a new interview with CBS, Rubio added that \u201cno one will know for days\u201d whether Iran had moved some of its nuclear materials prior to the strikes.
Iran\u2019s parliament has reportedly approved the closing of the key strait of Hormuz shipping lane.<\/strong> Reuters reported Iran\u2019s supreme national security council will make the final decision on the move, which could hamstring global trade by shutting the narrow passage between Iran and Oman.
Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defence, said the impact of the air strikes was still being assessed, but that the bombing had hit the areas that had been identified in the planning of the operation.<\/strong> Hegseth said: \u201cThe battle damage assessment is ongoing, but our initial assessment as the chairman said is that all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike, and had the desired effect.\u201d
Pete Hegseth praised Donald Trump\u2019s leadership, and said he had overseen the \u201cobliteration\u201d of Iran\u2019s nuclear ambitions.<\/strong> Hegseth said: \u201cMany presidents have dreamed of delivering the final blow to Iran\u2019s nuclear program, and none could until President Trump.\u201d
Nine Palestinian civilians were killed late on Sunday by an Israeli artillery strike that targeted people waiting for food aid in the Al-Waha area, northwest of Gaza City, the Palestinian news agency Wafa has reported.
It was not possible to independently verify the report as Israeli does not allow foreign journalists into the occupied territory.
As we reported earlier<\/a>, medical authorities in Gaza say about 450 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more have been injured over the past 12 days in Israeli attacks on people waiting to collect aid from food distribution sites recently opened by the US and Israeli-backed \u201cGaza Humanitarian Foundation<\/a>\u201d.
NZ foreign minister looking for evidence that justified US strikes on Iran<\/strong>
Winston Peters<\/strong>, New Zealand\u2019s foreign minister, has said he is looking for \u201cevidence to do with\u201d Iran\u2019s nuclear program that was \u201cway outside the negotiated position they\u2019ve been taking all this time\u201d to justify the US strikes on sites across the country.
Peters told Radio NZ that Iran had \u201cbeen marvellously good at negotiating their way out of things and the question is, have they kept to their commitments, have they breached their international obligations\u201d.
He said the world needed to \u201cfind that out before we rush to judgment\u201d.
Yesterday, Peters said<\/a> he found the strikes \u201cextremely worrying\u201d and said it was \u201ccritical\u201d further escalation was avoided. He said:
<\/path><\/svg>New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks. Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action.<\/em>
The NZ prime minister, Christopher Luxon<\/strong>, said the right response \u201ccannot be more military action\u201d saying politics needed to take precedent, AAP reports.
\u201cMonumental damage\u201d was done to \u201call Nuclear sites\u201d in Iran<\/a> during the US attack on the country at the weekend, Donald Trump<\/strong> has said in his latest comments, after officials said the extent of damage done remained unconfirmed. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social the US president wrote:
<\/path><\/svg>Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term! The white structure shown is deeply imbedded into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame. The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!
The comments came after Gen Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, said the scale of the damage underground was not yet confirmed. He said it was not clear whether Iran retained some nuclear capability.
Donald Trump when announcing the strikes on Saturday night said that the sites had been \u201ccompletely and totally obliterated\u201d.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese<\/strong> has said his government supports the US strikes on Iran<\/a>, blaming Tehran for not coming \u201cto the table\u201d on nuclear diplomacy but adding that Canberra now wanted \u201cdiplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation\u201d.
Iran was holding talks on a nuclear agreement with Washington when Israel launched its shock attack on the country. International law experts have said<\/a> the US and Israeli strikes are unlawful under the UN charter.
Israel is the only Middle East state with nuclear weapons<\/a> but has never formally acknowledged its arsenal. It has not signed the nuclear nuclear non-proliferation treaty, unlike Iran.
Speaking to reporters in Canberra just now, Albanese said:
<\/path><\/svg>The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that – that is what this is. The US action was directed at specific sites central to Iran\u2019s nuclear program. We don\u2019t want escalation and a full-scale war.<\/em>
We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy. As I have said for many days now, we are deeply concerned about any escalation in the region and we want to see diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation.<\/em>
We have been upfront about the challenge facing the international community – that is, dealing with the threat posed by any Iranian nuclear weapons program and dealing with the risk of regional escalation. That\u2019s why Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program. Iran didn\u2019t come to the table just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations.<\/em>
Israeli forces have bombed tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in al-Buraq camp near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Al Jazeera has reported.
The broadcaster said it had verified footage circulating online that showed a deep crater resulting from the bombing and people searching for those trapped.
It is not possible to independently verify reports from Gaza as Israel does not allow foreign journalists into the occupied territory.
Just after midnight on Thursday morning, Abdullah Ahmed left his sleeping wife and children in their small and crowded home in the battered al-Bureij camp in central Gaza<\/a> and headed north.
The 31-year-old vegetable seller had heard that the nearby food distribution site recently opened by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a secretive Israeli- and US-backed private organisation that began operations in the territory last month, would be handing out food at 2am.
To get there early and maximise his chance of grabbing a box of flour, oil, beans and other basics, Ahmed and some friends set out across the dangerous rubble-strewn roads.
Just reaching the vicinity of the centre, one of four run by the GHF, was dangerous. \u201cAll the time we could hear the sound of shells and stray bullets flying over us. We kept taking cover behind the ruins of houses. Whoever doesn\u2019t take cover is exposed to death,\u201d he said.
All last week, every night and most mornings, there were similar scenes across Gaza<\/a>, as tens of thousands of hungry, desperate people converged on the GHF sites or waited at points where trucks loaded with UN flour were expected.
Every day, somewhere in the devastated territory, these gatherings had a similarly lethal conclusion when Israeli forces open fire.
The exact toll over the last 12 days is unclear. Medical authorities in Gaza say about 450 have died and thousands more have been injured. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admit that some have been hurt by their fire but have not admitted any deaths in shootings, which they say are directed at \u201csuspects\u201d who have posed a threat to their forces and only ever follow warning shots.
More than $10bn has been wiped from the Australian share market on opening after the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, as traders react to worsening economic growth prospects.
The benchmark S&P\/ASX200<\/strong> fell below 8,460 points, back to near where it was at the start of June after holding above 8,500 points on Friday. It had closed at an all-time high of 8,592 on 11 June, days before Israel began its military strikes on Iran<\/a>, but has fallen in six of the subsequent seven trading days.
Energy companies including Woodside, Origin and Santos rose in value after predictions the widening conflict in the Middle East would drive up global oil and gas prices.
But those higher prices would restrict economic activity in Australia, which saw traders sell down the big banks as well as consumer-facing companies from Flight Centre and Qantas to Breville and gambling company Tabcorp. Furniture retailer Temple and Webster shed more than $100m in value.
Worsening prospects for global economic growth mean a poorer outlook for Australian commodity prices, pushing down share prices for Mineral Resources, Pilbara Minerals and Champion Iron.
Earlier, Iran\u2019s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani<\/strong>, told an emergency meeting of the UN security council that the US had \u201cdecided to destroy diplomacy\u201d with its strikes on Iran<\/a>.
Israel has made a \u201cgrave mistake\u201d and \u201cmust be punished\u201d, a social media account associated with Iran\u2019s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/strong> has said in what would be his first comments since the US joined Israel\u2019s war on his country. The post on X<\/a> read:
<\/path><\/svg>The Zionist enemy has made a grave mistake, committed a great crime; it must be punished and is being punished; it is being punished right now.
The post was accompanied by a picture of a skull with the star of David on it sitting on top a darkened city with missiles raining down.
The US State Department has issued a \u201cworldwide caution\u201d for Americans, saying the conflict between Israel<\/a> and Iran could put those travelling or living abroad at an increased security risk. In a post on its website it wrote:
<\/path><\/svg>The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises US citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution.
The statement made no mention of the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend which Tehran has warned will have \u201cirreparable consequences.\u201d
Iran on Sunday warned that US forces could be attacked in retaliation for the unprecedented air strikes, which were condemned by international law experts as illegal.
\u201cAny country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces,\u201d Ali Akbar Velayati<\/strong>, an advisor to Iran\u2019s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/strong>, said in a message carried by the official Irna news agency.
The US on Saturday began evacuation flights from Israel for American citizens and permanent US residents living in Israel or the West Bank.
It also ordered staff at its diplomatic missions in Iraq and Lebanon to leave those countries.
Israel and Iran have exchanged another round of missiles in the past hour.
In Iran, explosions were heard in Karaj, west of Tehran, Iranian news agencies reported. In an update<\/a> last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Israeli strikes had destroyed two buildings in Karaj where different centrifuge components were manufactured.
Iranian outlet Nour news also reported early on Monday that airstrikes had hit Parchin, a military complex south-east of Tehran.
In Israel, sirens were sounded after 3am when the military said that Iran had launched a missile attack, but no direct impacts or injuries were reported.
On Sunday at least three people were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit an ambulance in central Iran<\/strong>, local media reported, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).<\/strong>
The ISNA news agency reported, quoting Hamidreza Mohammadi Fesharaki,<\/strong> the governor of Najafabad county in the central Isfahan province:
<\/path><\/svg>The ambulance \u2026 was en route to transfer a patient when it was severely damaged by a drone strike.<\/em>
All occupants of the ambulance \u2013 including the driver, the patient, and the patient\u2019s companion \u2013 were martyred.<\/em>
The impact of the drone caused the ambulance to veer off course and collide with a passing vehicle.<\/em>
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the US and Israeli war on Iran.
US president Donald Trump<\/strong> has brought up the possibility of regime change in Iran<\/a> following US military strikes against key Iran military sites over the weekend, even as top members of his administration insisted the US was not seeking to topple the Iranian leadership.
\u201cIt\u2019s not politically correct to use the term, \u201cRegime Change,\u201d but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn\u2019t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!\u201d Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Earlier, vice-president JD Vance<\/strong> had insisted the US was \u201cnot at war with Iran, we\u2019re at war with Iran\u2019s nuclear programme\u201d while US secretary of state Marco Rubio<\/strong> said that that the US was \u201cnot looking for war in Iran\u201d.
The world was meanwhile braced for Iran\u2019s response after to the US attacks, which saw it joining Israel in the biggest western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi<\/strong> said his country would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said. \u201cThe US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force,\u201d he said.
He later flew to Moscow to discuss \u201ccommon threats\u201d with President Vladimir Putin<\/strong>.
In other key developments:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel<\/a> is very close to meeting its goals in Iran of removing the threats of ballistic missiles and the nuclear programme. <\/strong>Speaking to Israeli reporters, he said: \u201cWe won\u2019t pursue our actions beyond what is needed to achieve them, but we also won\u2019t finish too soon. When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop.\u201d
The UK, France and Germany have released a joint statement following American strikes on Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities, saying that they call upon Iran<\/a> to engage in negotiations leading to agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear program. <\/strong>The three countries also urged Iran \u201cnot to take any further action that could destabilize the region\u201d, adding: \u201cWe have consistently been clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and can no longer pose a threat to regional security.\u201d
Iran\u2019s health ministry said that the US strikes on its nuclear facilities had wounded an unspecified number of people but that none \u201cshowed any signs of radioactive contamination\u201d. <\/strong>\u201cFor years, the ministry of health has set up nuclear emergency units in the nearest medical facilities to nuclear sites,\u201d ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said on X.
Israel said that its fighter jets had struck \u201cdozens\u201d of targets across Iran on Sunday, including a long-range missile site in Yazd in the centre of the country for the first time, Agence France Presse reports. <\/strong>A military statement said that \u201capproximately 30 IAF (air force) fighter jets struck dozens of military targets throughout Iran\u201d – including \u201cthe \u2018Imam Hussein\u2019 Strategic Missile Command Center in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored\u201d.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that \u201cthere are no planned military operations right now against Iran<\/a>.\u201d <\/strong>In a new interview with CBS, Rubio added that \u201cno one will know for days\u201d whether Iran had moved some of its nuclear materials prior to the strikes.
Iran\u2019s parliament has reportedly approved the closing of the key strait of Hormuz shipping lane.<\/strong> Reuters reported Iran\u2019s supreme national security council will make the final decision on the move, which could hamstring global trade by shutting the narrow passage between Iran and Oman.
Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defence, said the impact of the air strikes was still being assessed, but that the bombing had hit the areas that had been identified in the planning of the operation.<\/strong> Hegseth said: \u201cThe battle damage assessment is ongoing, but our initial assessment as the chairman said is that all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike, and had the desired effect.\u201d
Pete Hegseth praised Donald Trump\u2019s leadership, and said he had overseen the \u201cobliteration\u201d of Iran\u2019s nuclear ambitions.<\/strong> Hegseth said: \u201cMany presidents have dreamed of delivering the final blow to Iran\u2019s nuclear program, and none could until President Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Top officials insist US \u2018not at war with Iran\u2019; Iranian foreign minister reportedly lands in Moscow to discuss \u2018common threats\u2019 with PutinIran says US \u2018must receive a response\u2019 after Trump\u2019s strikes on nuclear sitesHello and welcome to our live coverage of the US and Israeli war on Iran.US president Donald Trump has brought up the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":154352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-154351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}