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Iran: Trump’s Victory Won’t Affect our Resolve to Retaliate against Israel

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
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Iran: Trump’s Victory Won’t Affect our Resolve to Retaliate against Israel

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iran has downplayed the effect of US President Donald Trump’s re-election on its decision to retaliate “decisively” against Israel's airstrike on Iranian military bases last month.
Meanwhile, diplomats have signaled Iran's interest in talks with the new US administration, without external pressure.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected any change in Iran's stance after Trump’s return to office. At a weekly press conference on Monday, he said: “Iran will never ask for permission to defend its sovereignty, and any aggression will be met with a strong response.”
Asked about the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear sites, Baghaei replied, “We have taken necessary steps to protect our interests and nuclear program.”
He also referenced Resolution 533, which prohibits any threat or use of force against nuclear facilities under the oversight of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“This document exists,” he said, adding that it stresses the UN Security Council’s responsibility to act against such threats. “A threat to nuclear facilities is a threat to international peace and security.”
On Oct. 26, Israeli warplanes attacked military sites in Iran after a large Iranian missile strike on Israel earlier that month.
Iran had launched 200 missiles at Israel on Oct. 1, in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Israeli airstrikes.
The two nations exchanged direct strikes in April, but did not engage in full-scale war.
As tensions between Iran and Israel grow, there are fears of a direct conflict, after years of covert actions and indirect strikes in the region.
Since last month’s airstrikes, Israel has warned Iran against further retaliation.
However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has promised a “severe response,” and other Iranian officials have threatened revenge.
In the days leading up to the US presidential election on Nov. 5, signs of further escalation emerged.
On Nov. 3, the US announced the deployment of new military assets to the Middle East, scheduled to arrive “in the coming months” to defend Israel and warn Iran, according to a Pentagon statement.
Iranian Army Commander Abdolrahim Mousavi said on Thursday that Iran will decide the timing and method of its response, and when the time is right, “We will not hesitate. Our response will be overwhelming.”
However, Iran’s verbal threats have toned down since Trump's election victory.

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World

Ukrainian Attacks Prompt Russian-Held Crimea to Halt Civilian Gasoline Sales

Cars line up at a petrol station in Simferopol, Crimea, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP)
Cars line up at a petrol station in Simferopol, Crimea, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP)
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Ukrainian Attacks Prompt Russian-Held Crimea to Halt Civilian Gasoline Sales

Cars line up at a petrol station in Simferopol, Crimea, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP)
Cars line up at a petrol station in Simferopol, Crimea, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP)

Officials in Russia-occupied Crimea suspended civilian gasoline sales Sunday as Ukraine ramped up attacks on fuel supplies on the Black Sea peninsula.

Gov. Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that overnight Ukrainian strikes killed four people and wounded 28 others. He did not specify the target of the attack.

He later wrote on social media that local gas stations would halt all sales to non-state companies and individuals for an undefined period.

“Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Aksyonov said. “I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information.”

Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted fuel supplies to Crimea in recent weeks, triggering the worst energy crisis in the region since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement Sunday that a Crimean oil depot, as well as an oil transport facility in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region were among the targets. He described the attacks as part of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia’s energy infrastructure.

“Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace,” he wrote.

Russian officials in Krasnodar reported earlier Sunday that a drone strike sparked a fire at a Black Sea oil terminal in the village of Chushka. They said that Ukrainian attacks struck a ferry, killing one person.

Motorists struggle to find fuel The Crimean peninsula has had periodic fuel shortages from Ukrainian strikes before, but the current crisis is the worst since its 2014 annexation.

At the end of May, authorities restricted the sale of gas to 20 liters (5 1/3 gallons) per vehicle owner per week, using prepaid coupons. Those were snapped up immediately following their release on an official messaging app channel, and motorists lined up for hours, waiting to refuel.

Social networks have been abuzz with requests and advice on where to find fuel, and authorities launched a hotline for tourists in the area who have found themselves trapped.

Some motorists bring their own gas from Krasnodar and elsewhere via the Kerch bridge, but they are restricted to carrying 100 liters (about 26 1/2 gallons) per vehicle. Some speculators are selling gas at double the market price.

In a rare public acknowledgment, the Kremlin has recognized the scope of the problem and promised to address the issue quickly.

However, Ukraine’s successes have highlighted its ability to inflict painful damage on Russia and change the course of the conflict while Moscow’s advances recently have ground to a near halt. On June 11, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine reached its 1,569th day, surpassing the duration of World War I.

World

Taiwan to Stage Five Days of Combat Readiness Drills

FILE PHOTO: Taiwan's High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) fire rockets during a live-fire military exercise, which simulates an enemy invasion, in Taichung, Taiwan June 10, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Angie Teo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Taiwan's High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) fire rockets during a live-fire military exercise, which simulates an enemy invasion, in Taichung, Taiwan June 10, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Angie Teo/File Photo
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Taiwan to Stage Five Days of Combat Readiness Drills

FILE PHOTO: Taiwan's High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) fire rockets during a live-fire military exercise, which simulates an enemy invasion, in Taichung, Taiwan June 10, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Angie Teo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Taiwan's High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) fire rockets during a live-fire military exercise, which simulates an enemy invasion, in Taichung, Taiwan June 10, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Angie Teo/File Photo

Taiwan's military will this ‌week hold a five-day combat readiness drill, the defense ministry said on Sunday, part of modernization plans to shift the focus of training from set piece events to more realistic exercises simulating war.

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory despite the objections of the government in Taipei, says China's armed forces routinely operate in the skies and seas around the island in an effort to pressure Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty.

Taiwan's military has begun basing some of its drills on ‌a scenario where China ‌suddenly turns one of its regular ‌exercises around ⁠the island into ⁠an actual attack, Reuters said.

In a statement, the defense ministry said the "Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise" would start on Monday and run until Friday, describing it as part of the armed forces' annual planned joint operations training.

"The main objective is to train units at all levels to become familiar with combat practices and ⁠the battlefield environment during the readiness deployment phase, and ‌to strengthen rapid peacetime-to-wartime transition ‌and priority deployment actions," the ministry said.

The exercise will be conducted with "actual ‌troops, on actual terrain, in real time, using actual ‌equipment, and through actual implementation", it added.

It will hone command mechanisms at all levels and the troops' combat-oriented capabilities, with an emphasis on improving joint operations command and control, logistical sustainment, and battlefield preparation, the ‌ministry said.

The announcement came on the same day the ministry said China staged another "combat readiness ⁠patrol" near ⁠Taiwan.

The ministry said China sent 21 aircraft, including J-16 fighters, KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and Y-20 aerial refueling aircraft.

Of those aircraft, 19 entered the airspace to Taiwan's southwest and into the Western Pacific to conduct "long-distance training over open seas", it added.

Calls to China's defense ministry seeking comment were not answered outside of office hours on Sunday. Taiwan regularly holds military drills, including earlier this month when it fired its new US-made HIMARS rocket system, which is widely used by Ukraine, into the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan's main annual Han Kuang war games are expected to take place in August.

World

Counterterror Police Investigate after 5 Hurt in Edinburgh Attacks that Appeared to Target Muslims

A still from a video showing British police officers arresting the suspect in Edinburgh.
A still from a video showing British police officers arresting the suspect in Edinburgh.
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Counterterror Police Investigate after 5 Hurt in Edinburgh Attacks that Appeared to Target Muslims

A still from a video showing British police officers arresting the suspect in Edinburgh.
A still from a video showing British police officers arresting the suspect in Edinburgh.

Counterterrorism detectives in Scotland were investigating after five people were injured in attacks in Edinburgh that appeared to target Muslims, police said Saturday.

Police Scotland said that a 36-year-old man was arrested late Friday after officers received multiple reports of attacks in the west and north of the city, The Associated Press said.

The force said that five men — two of them age 22, and others ages 24, 27 and 39 — sustained a range of injuries and three needed hospital treatment. None of the injuries is considered life-threatening.

The charity Muslim Engagement and Development said that several of those injured are Muslim. The Scottish Association of Mosques said that two of the injured men were attacked after attending prayers at their local mosque.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the suspect “appears to be motivated by anti-Muslim hatred.”

“I will not tolerate this — he will face the full force of the law,” Starmer said in a post on X.

Video posted on social media appeared to show a shirtless man carrying a long weapon roaming a street and battering a restaurant door in the Scottish capital. Another video seemed to show the same man on the ground shouting about “protecting the country” while being held by a police officer.

U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that she was “horrified by news of the attack in Edinburgh.

“There is no place for hatred and violence against Muslims,” she said. “I know it is not who we are as a country.”

The Muslim Council of Britain said in a statement that the Muslim community is “rightly nervous and worried.” It said that the violence was “a direct consequence of political rhetoric that demonizes entire communities.”

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton said that it was a “shocking” incident. She said that officers “are being supported by Counter Terrorism Policing.

“I want to send a clear message of support to all our communities that there is no place for racism or faith-based hate in a Scotland, which is at its best when we stand together,” she said.