US citizens should ‘leave Iran now’, says US state department<\/p>\n
The US state department has said US citizens should leave Iran<\/a> now and \u201cif safe to do so, consider departing Iran by land to Armenia or T\u00fcrkiye\u201d.<\/p>\n The US virtual embassy for Iran<\/a> says citizens should \u201cplan alternative means of communication\u201d due to \u201ccontinued internet outages\u201d and \u201chave a plan for departing that does not rely on US government help\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Here\u2019s more on that statement from Iran\u2019s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, where he calls out the US and Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United States and the Israeli regime bear direct and undeniable legal responsibility for the resulting loss of innocent civilian lives, particularly among the youth,\u201d he wrote in the letter, which was also sent to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.<\/p>\n Amir Saeid Iravani speaks during a June meeting of the UN Security Council. Photograph: Brendan McDermid\/ReutersShare<\/a>Iran accuses US of manufacturing ‘pretext for military intervention’<\/p>\n In the last 20 minutes, Iran has responded to Donald Trump\u2019s comments, and accused the US president of encouraging political destablisation, inciting violence and threatening Iran\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n \u201cUS fantasies and policy toward Iran<\/a> are rooted in regime change, with sanctions, threats, engineered unrest, and chaos serving as the modus operandi to manufacture a pretext for military intervention,\u201d Iran\u2019s mission to the UN posted on X.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll bring you more on this statement soon.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In a post on X, Britain\u2019s minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Hamish Falconer, said on Tuesday evening he summoned the Iranian ambassador to the UK.<\/p>\n I made clear to him that we condemn the brutal use of violence and repression by security forces against peaceful protestors and called on him to ensure the safety of British nationals in Iran.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a>US citizens should ‘leave Iran now’, says US state department<\/p>\n The US state department has said US citizens should leave Iran<\/a> now and \u201cif safe to do so, consider departing Iran by land to Armenia or T\u00fcrkiye\u201d.<\/p>\n The US virtual embassy for Iran<\/a> says citizens should \u201cplan alternative means of communication\u201d due to \u201ccontinued internet outages\u201d and \u201chave a plan for departing that does not rely on US government help\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Further to that, Donald Trump<\/strong> has just told reporters after Air Force One landed at Joint Base Andrews that his administration would look at the \u201cwhole situation that\u2019s going on in Iran\u201d. \u201cIt\u2019s really bad stuff,\u201d Trump said, adding:<\/p>\n Iran is on my mind when I see the kind of death that is happening there.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll get some accurate numbers as to what\u2019s happening with regard to the killing.<\/p>\n The killing looks like it\u2019s significan<\/strong>t, but we don\u2019t know yet for certain. I\u2019ll know within 20 minutes, and we\u2019ll act accordingly.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Donald Trump speaks to the media after exiting Air Force One. Photograph: Anna Moneymaker\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a>Trump says US will take ‘very strong action’ if Iran hangs protesters<\/p>\n Donald Trump<\/strong> has said the United States would take \u201cvery strong action\u201d if the Iranian government starts hanging protesters<\/strong>, but did not elaborate on what those actions would be.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t heard about the hanging. If they hang them, you\u2019re going to see some things … We will take very strong action if they do such a thing<\/strong>,\u201d Trump told CBS News<\/a> in Dearborn, Michigan.<\/p>\n Trump said he was aware a \u201cpretty substantial number\u201d of people have been killed over the more than two weeks of demonstrations, and reiterated that \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of help on the way\u201d for Iranian citizens in \u201cdifferent forms\u201d including economic assistance.<\/p>\n He also mentioned the US airstrikes last year targeting three of Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities to CBS News, though he didn\u2019t give any further specifics.<\/strong><\/p>\n When asked what his end game is in Iran, the US president said:<\/p>\n The end game is to win. I like winning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n And asked what \u201cwinning\u201d means, he reeled off a list of military operations from his first and second terms, adding:<\/p>\n We don\u2019t want to see what\u2019s happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they want to have protests, that\u2019s one thing, when they start killing thousands of people, and now you\u2019re telling me about hanging \u2014 we\u2019ll see how that works out for them. It\u2019s not going to work out good<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.27 EST<\/p>\n The day so far<\/p>\n Donald Trump<\/strong> has urged protesters in Iran to (at grave personal risk) \u201ckeep protesting\u201d and \u201ctake over\u201d their institutions, declaring that \u201chelp is on its way\u201d \u2013 but has not given solid details about what that means.<\/strong> The US president hinted that direct military intervention could be imminent, and also announced that he was cancelling meetings with Iranian officials \u201cuntil the senseless killing\u201d stops. His vice-president JD Vance, who had reportedly<\/a> been urging Trump to try diplomacy first, is currently chairing a a National Security Council principals meeting on Iran. It\u2019s unclear if Trump, who is leaning towards fresh military strikes, will join.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n By one count, US broadcaster CBS has the death toll of at least 12,000 people – and potentially as high as 20,000.<\/strong> CBS said it received that number from two sources within Iran through phone calls. Those sources have cited the number being given by activist groups on the ground tallying medical records from hospitals. The Iranian regime has not provided any official numbers. Reuters cited an unnamed official today saying about 2,000 people had been killed in the past fortnight of protests.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Meanwhile, the family of Iranian protester Erfan Soltani, who was arrested on Thursday, have said<\/a> that he will be executed tomorrow.<\/strong> They told the BBC that the government is using \u201cevery tactic they know to suppress people and spread fear\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX is offering people in Iran free internet through Starlink\u2019s satellite service<\/strong>, according to Bloomberg News<\/a>, as the internet blackout in the country surpassed the five-day mark. The subscription fee has been waived so that people with receivers in Iran<\/a> can access service without paying, according to Bloomberg\u2019s report.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Trump\u2019s envoy Steve Witkoff met in secret with Reza Pahlavi, the exiled former Iranian crown prince, last weekend, Axios reported.<\/strong> A senior US official told the outlet the pair discussed the protests. In previous messages that have been blocked by the Iranian government internet shutdown, he has said that he is ready to lead a transition. He has also pushed for a referendum and nonviolent change in the country.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.08 EST<\/p>\n US<\/strong> vice-president JD Vance<\/strong> is due to chair a National Security Council<\/strong> principals meeting on Iran<\/strong> that will get under way shortly around 4pm ET.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear whether Donald Trump<\/strong>, who is still in Michigan and will head back to the White House later, will join the meeting.<\/p>\n Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal (paywall) reported<\/a> that Vance has been leading the charge within the Trump administration to urge the US president to try to engage in diplomacy before retaliating against the Iranian regime.<\/p>\n Trump has been leaning toward military strikes, according to the WSJ\u2019s report, and as we reported earlier<\/a>, the US president said he has \u201ccanceled all meetings with the Iranian officials, until the senseless killing of protesters stops\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Musk reportedly offers free Starlink in Iran as internet blackout persists<\/p>\n Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX is offering people in Iran free internet through Starlink\u2019s satellite service, according to Bloomberg News<\/a>, as the internet blackout in the country surpassed the five-day mark.<\/p>\n The subscription fee has been waived so that people with receivers in Iran<\/a> can access service without paying, according to Bloomberg\u2019s report.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.33 EST<\/p>\n Trump says again ‘all meetings’ cancelled until ‘killing of protesters stops’<\/p>\n Donald Trump gave a speech on affordability at the Economic Club in Detroit on Tuesday, where he repeated his earlier comments on Iran.<\/p>\n The US president said: \u201cI\u2019ve canceled all meetings with the Iranian officials, until the senseless killing of protesters stops.\u201d<\/p>\n In the past Trump has threatened the Iranian military with strikes as a means of getting Tehran into greater alignment with the US demands. He also announced on Monday that any country that does business with Iran will be subjected to a 25 percent tariff.<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n When asked today if Trump\u2019s administration<\/a> has advised US allies to evacuate from Iran by FT journalist Abigail<\/a> Hauslohner, the president responded: \u201cThey should get out. It\u2019s a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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