Thousands Evacuated as Typhoon Haikui Heads for Taiwan

Huge waves are seen in Yilan as Typhoon Haikui makes its way to eastern Taiwan. I-Hwa Cheng / AFP
Huge waves are seen in Yilan as Typhoon Haikui makes its way to eastern Taiwan. I-Hwa Cheng / AFP
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Thousands Evacuated as Typhoon Haikui Heads for Taiwan

Huge waves are seen in Yilan as Typhoon Haikui makes its way to eastern Taiwan. I-Hwa Cheng / AFP
Huge waves are seen in Yilan as Typhoon Haikui makes its way to eastern Taiwan. I-Hwa Cheng / AFP

Thousands of people were evacuated in Taiwan ahead of Typhoon Haikui, with hundreds of flights canceled and businesses closed as authorities prepared Sunday for the first tropical storm to directly hit the island in four years.

Haikui -- which had already brought heavy rains by Sunday morning -- is expected to make landfall by 5:00 pm (0900 GMT) in Taitung, a mountainous county in less-populated eastern Taiwan, said AFP.

The storm was around 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of Taiwan just before 9:00 am, Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said in a press conference.

"It is expected to pose a considerable threat to most areas in Taiwan with winds, rains and waves," said deputy director Fong Chin-tzu, urging to public to be "on guard".

"It has gathered some strength since yesterday," he said, adding that the storm would move west to the Taiwan Strait by Monday.

The typhoon was packing a sustained wind speed of about 140 kilometers (39 miles) per hour, as schools and businesses in the southern and eastern parts of the island were closed Sunday.

More than 200 domestic flights were canceled.

"I remind the people to make preparations for the typhoon and watch out for your safety, avoid going out or any dangerous activities," Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said.

Authorities said they had evacuated more than 2,800 people across seven cities -- the majority of them from the mountainous county of Hualien, which neighbors Taitung.

The streets of Hualien were deserted Sunday morning, battered by unrelenting torrential rain, while a fishing harbor in northeastern coastal Yilan county saw towering waves slam against the shore.

The military had mobilized soldiers and equipment -- such as amphibious vehicles and inflatable rubber boats -- around the parts of Taiwan where Haikui is expected to have the heaviest impact.

The last major storm to hit Taiwan was Typhoon Bailu in 2019, which left one person dead.

Haikui is expected to be less severe than Saola, which bypassed Taiwan but triggered the highest threat level in nearby Hong Kong and southern China before it weakened into a tropical storm by Saturday.



Axios: US, Israeli Officials Believe Highly Enriched Uranium is Sealed Off Inside Iran’s Damaged Facilities

This handout satellite image courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows cargo trucks postioned near an underground entrance to Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), in Fordo, Iran on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies / AFP)
This handout satellite image courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows cargo trucks postioned near an underground entrance to Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), in Fordo, Iran on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies / AFP)
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Axios: US, Israeli Officials Believe Highly Enriched Uranium is Sealed Off Inside Iran’s Damaged Facilities

This handout satellite image courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows cargo trucks postioned near an underground entrance to Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), in Fordo, Iran on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies / AFP)
This handout satellite image courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows cargo trucks postioned near an underground entrance to Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), in Fordo, Iran on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies / AFP)

Highly enriched uranium is currently “sealed off” inside damaged facilities in Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, Israeli and US officials say, according to the America news website, Axios.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview that aired Monday with US journalist Tucker Carlson that the nuclear facilities were seriously damaged, but Iran doesn't currently have access to them to accurately assess the situation.

US and Israeli officials say both countries' intelligence services are monitoring Iranian actions around its nuclear facilities to detect efforts to remove material or restore operations, according to Axios.

Netanyahu's top adviser, Ron Dermer, told officials in closed briefings that he came away from a recent visit to Washington with the impression that the Trump administration would back new Israeli strikes on Iran under certain circumstances, two sources with knowledge told the website.

One scenario would be an Iranian attempt to remove the highly enriched uranium inside the damaged facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, according to the sources.

Another would be if the Iranians start rebuilding their nuclear program, particularly enrichment facilities.

Dermer met last week with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Israeli officials said.

Witkoff is planning to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Oslo in the coming days to restart nuclear talks.

According to Axios, the Iranians confirmed such a meeting is in the works but so far no final date has been set.

Dermer told Israeli officials the US remains committed to the principle of zero enrichment on Iranian soil in the nuclear talks, the website wrote.