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Nippon Steel completed its multi-billion-dollar acquisition of US Steel on Wednesday, granting rare veto-like power over strategic decisions to Washington with a “golden share”.The announcement concludes a saga that began in December 2023, when Nippon Steel agreed to acquire the linchpin of American steelmaking for $14.9 billion.An outright buyout sparked bipartisan political opposition, including from …

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Iran launched a fresh salvo of missiles at Israel on Thursday, with a hospital reported hit, as President Donald Trump warned he was weighing US military action in the conflict.AFP journalists heard violent, sustained explosions in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and sirens sounded in several parts of the country to warn of incoming Iranian missiles.Shortly afterwards, the army said citizens could leave their shelters, while the foreign minister said the Soroka hospital in southern Israel’s Beersheba had suffered “extensive damage” in a strike.Israeli rescuers said at least 32 people were injured in Iran’s latest missile attack.The explosions in Jerusalem were the loudest heard by AFP journalists since the conflict began last week. The barrage came after fresh Israeli strikes on Tehran and elsewhere, and with growing speculation about whether Washington would enter the fray.Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meanwhile rejected Trump’s demand for an “unconditional surrender”, despite claims from the US leader that “Iran’s got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate”.Trump has left his intentions on joining the conflict deliberately ambiguous, saying Wednesday: “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.””The next week is going to be very big,” he added, without further details.- ‘Never surrender’ -The White House said Trump would receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday. Top US diplomat Marco Rubio is set meet his British counterpart for talks expected to focus on the conflict.”I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven’t made a final (decision),” Trump said. “I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, because things change. Especially with war.”The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told aides on Tuesday he had approved attack plans but was holding off to see if Iran would give up its nuclear programme.Trump told reporters that Iranian officials “want to come to the White House”, a claim denied by Tehran.The US president had favoured a diplomatic route to end Iran’s nuclear programme, seeking a deal to replace the 2015 agreement he tore up in his first term.But since Israel unleashed the campaign against Iran one week ago, Trump has stood behind the key US ally.The United States is the only country with the “bunker buster” bombs needed to destroy Iran’s Fordow nuclear plant, but US military action is deeply unpopular with parts of Trump’s base.Khamenei on Wednesday insisted Iran “will never surrender”, and called Trump’s ultimatum “unacceptable”.”America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage,” Khamenei added.- Dozens killed -On Thursday morning, Israel said it was carrying out fresh strikes on Tehran and other parts of Iran, and warned civilians in two villages, Arak and Khondab, to leave ahead of new attacks.An Israeli military official, who asked not to be named, said Wednesday that Iran had fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since the conflict began on Friday. About 20 missiles had struck civilian areas in Israel, the official added.Iranian strikes have killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds since they began, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Monday.Iran said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.Both countries have not issued an updated official toll since then.Israel says its surprise air campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent — far above the 3.67-percent limit set by the 2015 nuclear death but still short of the 90-percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead.Israel has maintained ambiguity on its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says it has 90 nuclear warheads.- ‘Immediate de-escalation’ -Israel’s strikes have prompted mass evacuations and food and fuel shortages in Iran.”There are shortages of rice, bread, sugar and tea,” a 40-year-old Iranian driver told AFP at the Iraqi border crossing of Bashmakh, seeking anonymity for fear of reprisals.There was also a “near-total national internet blackout” in Iran on Wednesday, a London-based watchdog said, with Iran’s Fars news agency confirming heavier internet restrictions after initial curbs imposed last week.The military campaign has sparked calls for a return to diplomacy.Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a deal to guarantee both Israel’s security and Iran’s desire for a civilian nuclear programme was possible.”I believe it would be good for all of us together to look for ways to stop the fighting and seek ways for the participants in the conflict to find an agreement,” he told foreign journalists at a televised event.He said Iran had not asked Russia for military help.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country remains committed to diplomacy, noting Iran “has so far only retaliated against the Israeli regime and not those who are aiding and abetting it”.But there were lingering questions about how the conflict could evolve, with Trump telling reporters that a change in Iran’s government “could happen”, a day after he had boasted that Washington could assassinate Khamenei, but would not, “at least not for now”.burs-sah/lb/jsa

For days, Syrians have watched as Iranian missiles and Israeli interceptors light up the skies over their territory, but the new government in Damascus has so far remained officially silent on the unprecedented conflict.Iran was one of former ruler Bashar al-Assad’s biggest backers, playing a crucial role in propping up his government by providing military advisers and the support of affiliated armed groups throughout the 14-year Syrian civil war.Israel, meanwhile, has occupied the Golan Heights since seizing it from Syria in 1967, and has kept troops in a UN-patrolled buffer zone there since December, when the fall of Assad at the hands of an Islamist-led coalition sparked a wave of Israeli air strikes on military targets.But despite both countries looming large in Syrian affairs over the years, Damascus — and everyday Syrians — appear eager to keep the current crisis at arm’s length.”From my balcony at night, I watch the missiles going towards Israel and the anti-missile systems, and I observe the explosions in the sky,” said surgeon Mohammed Khayr al-Jirudi.”The people are fed up with everything related to killing and destruction, we’ve had enough. Therefore, we are currently in the position of spectators to both sides, and will not gloat over either of them.”On Friday, Israel launched an unprecedented campaign against Iran, saying it aimed to stop the country from obtaining the nuclear bomb — an ambition Tehran denies.Iran has responded with barrages of ballistic missiles targeting Israeli cities, with the exchanges of fire sparking fears of regional spillover.Unlike most Arab countries, which issued strong condemnations of Israel’s strikes, Syria’s new government has not commented on the war, potentially signalling a shift in the country’s regional posture.”It is very difficult for us to take a stand,” Jirudi said, with many war-weary Syrians seeming to share the government’s reluctance.- ‘Both dictatorial systems’ -Sitting with his wife in Damascus’ famous Rawda cafe, 42-year-old actor Ahmad Malas said he hoped to “be rid of both the Iranian and Israeli regimes, as they are both dictatorial systems (and) Syrian people have been paying the price for their actions”.However, he added, “I have an emotional connection with the Iranian people, and with the Palestinian people, as their cause has been ours for a long time”.Iran’s support for Assad following his violent repression of peaceful protests in 2011 created strong animosity towards Tehran among many Syrians.Thousands of Iranians left Syria after the fall of Assad, and Tehran’s embassy was subjected to looting and vandalism.The walls surrounding the embassy in Damascus still bear the spray-painted slogans “curse Iran” and “free Iran”.Since becoming Syria’s interim president, former rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has repeatedly criticised Iran’s role in his country during the civil war, stating that restoring relations with Tehran will require respect for Syria’s “sovereignty” and “non-interference” in its affairs.Iran has said it is “not in a hurry” to establish ties with the new Syrian authorities.Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on Syria since Assad’s fall, saying it aimed to stop advanced weapons from reaching the new rulers, whom it considers jihadists.Israeli troops in the UN-patrolled buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights have also regularly carried out ground incursions, condemned by Damascus.Syria admitted to holding indirect talks with Israel seeking de-escalation, and the United States has called for it to normalise ties with its southern neighbour.- ‘Neutrality’ -Amid the breaches of Syria’s airspace, at least one civilian has been killed and several others injured by fallen debris from intercepted projectiles.The Syrian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the war.”Damascus adheres to a policy of neutrality… It tries to completely distance itself from the war and any mention of it, because Syria has no interest in getting involved,” said Bassam al-Suleiman, a political analyst close to the new authorities.As the government tries to kickstart post-war economic recovery and reconstruction, Syria’s primary battle is “internal”, according to Suleiman.He added that while “both Israel and Iran are a source of danger, we have no stake in this war”, which he said Syria should “avoid”.From a rooftop nightclub overlooking Damascus, a 27-year-old doctor who gave her name as Sarah watched the flash of missiles in the sky.”We try to forget the atmosphere of war by spending time here with friends,” she said.”However, I still fear that some effects of the war will reach us.”

President Donald Trump warned he was weighing US military action against Iran, as Israel launched fresh strikes against Tehran on Thursday.As the war entered its seventh day, Israel’s military said it was striking Tehran and other parts of Iran, but all eyes were on whether Washington would enter the fray.Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meanwhile rejected Trump’s demand for an “unconditional surrender”, despite claims from the US leader that “Iran’s got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate”.Trump has left his intentions on joining the conflict deliberately ambiguous, saying Wednesday: “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.””The next week is going to be very big,” he added, without further details. The White House said Trump would receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday. Top US diplomat Marco Rubio meanwhile will meet his UK counterpart for talks expected to focus on the conflict.”I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven’t made a final (decision),” Trump said. “I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, because things change. Especially with war.”The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told aides on Tuesday he had approved attack plans but was holding off to see if Iran would give up its nuclear programme.Trump told reporters that Iranian officials “want to come to the White House”, a claim denied by Tehran.The US president had favoured a diplomatic route to end Iran’s nuclear programme, seeking a deal to replace the agreement he tore up in his first term.But since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unleashed the campaign against Iran one week ago, Trump has stood behind the key US ally.The United States is the only country with the “bunker buster” bombs needed to destroy Iran’s Fordow nuclear plant, but US military action is deeply unpopular with parts of Trump’s base.Khamenei on Wednesday insisted Iran “will never surrender,” and called Trump’s ultimatum “unacceptable”.”America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage,” Khamenei added.- Dozens of civilians killed -A week of strikes has significantly degraded Iran’s nuclear and military installations, including buildings making and testing centrifuge components in Karaj and Tehran.Centrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear warhead.Iranian strikes have also caused damage in Israel, where at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds wounded, according to Netanyahu’s office.Iran said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then.On Thursday morning, Israel said it was carrying out fresh strikes on Tehran and other parts of Iran, and warned civilians in two villages, Arak and Khondab, to leave ahead of new attacks.Those strikes came after Israel said it had destroyed Iran’s internal security headquarters in Tehran, and Iran unleashed Fattah hypersonic missiles and so-called super-heavy, long-range missiles.An Israeli military official, who asked not to be named, said Wednesday that Iran had fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since the conflict began on Friday. About 20 missiles had struck civilian areas in Israel, the official added.Israel says its surprise air campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.Iran theoretically has enough near-weapons-grade material, if further refined, for more than nine bombs, but it denies seeking nuclear weapons.Israel has maintained ambiguity on its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says it has 90 nuclear warheads.- ‘Immediate de-escalation’ -Israel’s strikes have prompted mass evacuations and food and fuel shortages in Iran.”There are shortages of rice, bread, sugar and tea,” a 40-year-old Iranian driver told AFP at the Iraqi border crossing of Bashmakh, seeking anonymity for fear of reprisals.”People are shocked and distraught, they don’t know what they should do,” said a car dealer in the Iranian city of Bukan who also asked not to be identified by his real name.There was also a “near-total national internet blackout” in Iran on Wednesday, a London-based watchdog said, with Iran’s Fars news agency confirming heavier internet restrictions after initial curbs imposed last week.The military campaign has sparked calls for a return to diplomacy, with UN chief Antonio Guterres on Thursday urging an “immediate de-escalation” and efforts to avoid “further internationalisation of the conflict.”Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a deal to guarantee both Israel’s security and Iran’s desire for a civilian nuclear programme was possible.”I believe it would be good for all of us together to look for ways to stop the fighting and seek ways for the participants in the conflict to find an agreement,” he told foreign journalists at a televised event.He said Iran had not asked Russia for military help.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country remains committed to diplomacy, noting Iran “has so far only retaliated against the Israeli regime and not those who are aiding and abetting it”.But there were lingering questions about how the conflict could evolve, with Trump telling reporters that a change in Iran’s government “could happen”, a day after he had boasted that Washington could assassinate Khamenei, but would not, “at least not for now”.burs-sah/lb

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was still deciding whether to join Israel’s strikes on Iran, claiming Tehran now wants talks at the White House but may have waited too long.Trump held his second Situation Room meeting in two days with his national security team as he left the world guessing about his potential order of military action.”I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump told reporters at the unveiling of one of two giant new flagpoles at the White House.”I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.”He added that “the next week is going to be very big” when it comes to determining Iran’s fate.The White House said Trump would be briefed in the Situation Room again on Thursday, a holiday in the United States.Trump’s comments came after the Islamic republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected his demands for an unconditional surrender and warned the United States of “irreparable damage” if it intervenes.A day after saying Khamenei was an “easy target”, Trump told AFP in the Oval Office that a change of leadership in Tehran “could happen.”But Republican Trump, who faces opposition from the isolationist wing of his support base to joining any more foreign wars, insisted that he had not yet made up his mind on whether to take US action.”I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven’t made a final (decision),” Trump said. “I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, because things change. Especially with war.”The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told aides on Tuesday he had approved attack plans for Iran but was holding off to see if Iran would give up its nuclear program. “All options are on the table,” a White House official told AFP when asked about the report.Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Thursday in Washington with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the State Department said, for talks expected to focus on Iran.- ‘Very late’ -Trump appeared to be in no hurry to reach what would be one of the most consequential decisions of his presidency — spending more than an hour dealing with the installation of his new flagpoles. He said Iran was reaching out to try to strike a deal on its nuclear program to end the conflict with US ally Israel.”They want to come to the White House, I may do that,” Trump said. He added however that it was “very late to be talking… There’s a big difference between now and a week ago.”Iran denied it had offered to send officials to Washington.”No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations posted on X.Trump had favored a diplomatic route to end Iran’s nuclear program, seeking a deal to replace the agreement he tore up in his first term in 2018.But since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched strikes on Iran six days ago Trump has moved in behind the key US ally and is now weighing whether to use American military power against Tehran too.Trump said Wednesday that Iran was “weeks” away from being able to make a nuclear bomb.He noted that the United States is the only country with “bunker buster” bombs capable of taking out Iran’s Fordow nuclear plant “but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do it.” The US president said he had told Netanyahu to “keep going” with Israel’s offensive against Iran, adding that they were speaking every day.Trump however rebuffed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to mediate in the Israel-Iran conflict, saying Russia should end its own war in Ukraine first.”He actually offered to help mediate, I said ‘do me a favor, mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first, okay? You can worry about this later,'” Trump said.