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Daily Archives: 18. Juni 2025
Iranian and Israeli Communists Condemn Netanyahu’s War on Iran
Communists in Iran and Israel strongly condemn Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attack on Iran and President Donald Trump’s backing for it. In a common statement issued Tuesday, June 17, the Tudeh Party of Iran and the Communist Party of Israel said “The crimes committed by the right wing reactionary government of Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza and the West bank with the support of US Imperialism, the UK and allies in the EU has not only resulted in more than 55,000 Palestinians losing their lives and over 18,000 children being killed but has also given the Israeli government a green light for further aggression against countries of the region, with the aim of redrawing the map of the Middle East in accordance with the strategic goals of US imperialism. This is a government whose leaders have rightly been accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.”
“While we are witnessing war and destruction in Iran and Israel, we also warn against the exploitation of the situation to intensify and continue the inhumane suffering and oppression of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. We call upon the international community to take real and concrete actions to prevent further disaster to the Palestinian people and to the peoples of the region.
“Recognize a Palestinian state now! End the genocide in Gaza. Only imperialism, its client forces, reactionaries, and the ruling dictatorship benefit from tensions and war.
“Israel and the US – after Iraq, Libya and Syria – are now determined to undermine Iranian sovereignty and will not stop until all regimes in the region are coerced under the same project of imperialism and hegemony in the Middle East that aims at subjugating the people’s will and their right to self-determination.
“We express our fundamental opposition to all nuclear armament programs in the Middle East and worldwide. The road to stop the nuclear race in the Middle East does not pass through an aggressive war on Iran but rather goes via demilitarization of the entire region of nuclear weapons, and the signing up of all its countries, including Israel, to a non-proliferation of nuclear weapons treaty.
“We call upon on all progressive and freedom-loving forces in Israel, Iran, and the world to unite in condemning this blatant and brutal violation of international law and to focus all efforts on prevention of a far-reaching, destructive military conflict and the establishment of peace in the Middle East.
“The global public must go beyond mere concern expressed by the UN Secretary-General over Israel’s attack on Iran. All international mechanisms available through the United Nations and its Security Council must be used to stop the region from plunging into a catastrophic far-reaching war.”
Urgent need to protect civilians amid unprecedented escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran
“Instead of cheering on one party to the conflict over another as if civilian suffering is a mere sideshow, states must ensure the protection of civilians. Preventing further suffering must be the priority – not the pursuit of military or geopolitical goals.
“Both Israeli and Iranian authorities have time and again demonstrated their utter disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law, committing grave international crimes with impunity.
“The world must not allow Israel to use this military escalation to divert attention away from its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, its illegal occupation of the whole Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and its system of apartheid against Palestinians.
“Likewise, the international community must not ignore the suffering that decades of crimes under international law by the Iranian authorities have inflicted upon people inside Iran, that is now being compounded by relentless bombardment.”
Exclusive: Iran conflict to derail EU review of Israeli association agreement
“The pendulum has swung back to [support for] Israel.“
“It’s unlikely the EU will suspend EU-Israel agreement due to Iran Israel war,” one of the sources said.
Speech by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas at the EP Plenary Session, Joint Debate: Situation in the Middle East
Dear President,
Honourable Members,
What was also clear from today’s meeting is that we will not let this new crisis overshadow what is happening in Gaza.
We are now 20 months into a conflict triggered by the horrific attacks of Hamas.
Israel has a right to defend itself. And Hamas should immediately release the remaining hostages. But Israel’s use of force in Gaza, the continuing deaths of civilians, and the targeting of civilian infrastructure go beyond self-defence.
Israel’s actions cannot be justified under humanitarian and international law.
At the last Foreign Affairs Council in May, it was clear that a majority of Member States were in favour of opening a review of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of our Association Agreement.
Article 2 imposes binding obligations on the parties to observe human rights.
This review is now underway and I will present the outcome to the Foreign Ministers on Monday.
Israel is undermining ‘decades of humanitarian principles’, EU’s Kallas says
The EU is currently reviewing its Association Agreement with Israel, a deal governing trade and political relations, after a request from the majority of member countries. Kallas is due to report on the process of the review on Monday.
(…)
Some EU lawmakers reprimanded Kallas for not using the term “genocide” to describe what Israel has done in Gaza. “You’re refusing deliberately to use this term, Ms. Kallas,” The Left co-chair Manon Aubry said. “We should act, protect, sanction, and get away from your complicity because you are complicit.”
Gaza death toll tops 55,600 as Israel continues its brutal assault on Palestinians
At least 55,637 Palestinians have been killed in Israel‘s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
A ministry statement said that 144 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 560 people were injured, taking the total number of injuries in the Israeli onslaught to 129,880.
Israeli forces kill 69 Palestinians in Gaza, including 29 seeking aid
The Israeli military, when asked for comment, told the Reuters news agency that it was looking into the reported deaths of people waiting for food aid.
Trump Will Go To Supreme Court If Newsom Wins Fight Over LA Troops Deployment Again; Appeals Court Considers Temporary Restraining Order
Thousands of heavily armed Guard troops, as well as 700 U.S. Marines have been deployed in the city’s downtown core for over a week in response to protests over ongoing ICE raids and abductions of the undocumented (and in some cases, the documented).
Trump administration activates 2,000 additional military troops to Los Angeles
Governor Newsom‘s office quickly condemned the announcement, saying the new activation is the second set of 2,000 federalized National Guard members under Trump‘s June 9 order.
“This is clean up from the Pentagon. This isn’t a new deployment — it’s the same group of soldiers who have been diverted from critical wildfire work and work at the border, now twiddling their thumbs for Donald Trump’s political theater, the statement from the governor‘s office said.
FULL SPEECH: Sen. Padilla speaks on Senate floor after removal from DHS press conference
California Sen. Alex Padilla delivered a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday, recalling the incident and calling on lawmakers to speak out against the Trump administration.
Alex Padilla: ‘Not shocked in the least bit’ about Brad Lander’s arrest
Padilla, in a phone interview after his speech, said he was “sadly, not shocked in the least bit” to hear of Lander’s detention. He spoke to POLITICO about Lander, the backstory of his appearance at Noem’s news conference, the words that pushed him to interrupt her remarks and more.
“What Authoritarians Do”: NYC Comptroller Brad Lander Speaks Out After ICE Arrests Him in Courthouse
Lander was later released after New York Governor Kathy Hochul condemned the arrest and visited New York City to lobby for his release. Five other mayoral candidates also condemned Lander’s arrest, although current Mayor Eric Adams has stayed silent. Adams “has sold this city out to Donald Trump to try to get his own pardon,” says Lander. “Let’s be clear: It’s only himself he cares about, and he is putting New York’s immigrants in harm’s way.”
Brad Lander Detained by Masked Federal Agents and Accused of Assault — But Released With No Charges
(June 17, 2025)
Lander, who is also running for mayor in next week’s Democratic primary, was held inside the building for over four hours before he was eventually released without charges after an intervention by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“I know I will get due process and that my rights will be protected,” Lander said to a throng of supporters who gathered spontaneously in Foley Square that evening after his release.
“But Edgardo will sleep in an ICE detention facility God knows where tonight…he has been stripped of his due process rights in a country that is supposed to be founded on equal justice under law,” Lander continued, naming the immigrant detained by federal agents at the same time the comptroller was taken into custody.
Brad Lander Is Arrested by ICE Agents at Immigration Courthouse
(June 17, 2025)
Videos taken by reporters at the courthouse show Mr. Lander standing by a migrant man in a hallway on the 12th floor when several men in plainclothes who appear to be law enforcement officers, some wearing masks, push past a crowd in the hallway to arrest the migrant.
Mr. Lander repeatedly asks the agents whether they have a judicial warrant, refusing to let go of the migrant as the agents seek to shepherd the man toward the elevators, according to one of the videos, which was posted on social media by a reporter from The City, a digital news outlet.
ICE Agents Arrest NYC Official and Democratic Mayoral Candidate Outside Immigration Court
(June 17, 2025)
Lander said he was volunteering for an immigrants’ rights organization and that the man he was helping was named Edgardo.
“Edgardo is in ICE detention, and he’s not going to sleep in his bed tonight. As far as I know, he has no lawyer. He has been stripped of his due process rights by a government and a judge that owe him a credible fear hearing before they deport him.”
“So, I will be fine,” Lander added. “But Edgardo is not going to be fine. And the rule of law is not fine. And our constitutional democracy is not fine.”
Here‘s a longer video of Brad Lander‘s detention just now inside 26 Federal Plaza as he tried to walk a man out of immigration court, by masked federal agents.
(June 17, 2025)
„Where is the judicial warrant?“ Chaos erupts as ICE detains NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander
(June 17, 2025)
Chaos unfolded as New York City’s comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by masked federal agents while visiting an immigration court in Manhattan on Tuesday. „You do not have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens,“ Lander said multiple times as he was taken away.
Moment Iranian Missiles Hit Tel Aviv‘s City Centre
(June 16, 2025)
Israel said that eight people were killed in the attacks overnight by Iran and that almost 300 were injured, with at least one person in a serious condition.
Israel’s air defence malfunctions again in Tel Aviv
(14 hours ago)
Footage circulating online appears to show Israel’s air defence system malfunctioning for reportedly the third day in a row as an interceptor missile crashes back down in Tel Aviv.
Interceptor missile crashes in Tel Aviv after failed launch
(June 16, 2025)
‚Israeli‘ interceptor missile crashed in Tel Aviv after a failed attempt to intercept incoming Iranian rockets.
New series of strong blasts heard in Tehran
At least five columns of smoke could be seen in the east and southeast of the Iranian capital, according to an AFP journalist, who reported the blasts were heard around 3:50pm local time.
Iran Air Defences Fire Into The Sky As Israel Strikes Tehran For A Sixth Day | WION Shorts
Iran Air Defences Fire Into The Sky As Israel Strikes Tehran For A Sixth Day | WION Shorts
‚Any US military intervention will be met with irreparable harm‘: Leader
„Prudent individuals familiar with Iran, its nation, and its history never speak to this nation with threats, because the Iranian nation cannot be subdued,“ he declared. „Americans must know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be met with irreparable harm.“
The Leader’s statement followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to target Ayatollah Khamenei and potential U.S. military entry into the war to assist Israel. The Tehran Times understands that every Israeli action since Friday has received full U.S. support, coordination, and cooperation—though American jets have yet to directly engage.
Trump weighs joining Israel in bombing Iran
It marks a major shift for the president, who only days ago insisted the U.S. would not join Israel in its attacks on Tehran.
Following a Situation Room meeting and conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump is considering strikes among a range of other options, hours after he publicly pressed Iran to accept his terms for a nuclear deal.
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You can support the work of this news agency, Nachrichtenagentur Radio Utopie, its mothership Radio Utopie and founder and artist Daniel Neun
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Netanyahu’s Iran gambit aimed to realign the world behind Israel. It may backfire
Netanyahu’s claim that the attack was about preventing an immediate threat to Israeli national security is not just facetious, it’s fictitious. I think it was really an attempt to realign the world behind Israel.
The reason Netanyahu felt he had to do that, even at the cost of starting a full-fledged war, was that Israel had exhausted pretty much all of its options in Gaza after a nearly two-year long genocidal campaign. From military action that has failed to return the hostages, to the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation “aid centers” [that have so far failed to facilitate widespread ethnic cleansing] — nothing Israel was doing in Gaza seemed to catch on. So Netanyahu did what he has done throughout the past two years: open up another front.
Iran was much easier for him [than other fronts] because the idea that the Islamic Republic must be dealt with using military means is perhaps the broadest, most solid consensus in Israeli politics. I think Netanyahu wanted to make political gains and ensure his personal status and future — above all, postponing his trial — as well as try to drag the world into this conflict by forcing, at the very least, the United States to side with Israel.
Death toll across Gaza Strip surges to 55,493, over 129,320 injured
GAZA, June 17, 2025 (WAFA) – Medical sources in Gaza announced on Tuesday that the death toll from Israel’s ongoing aggression on the Strip has risen to 55,493, the majority of whom are women and children, since the start of the war on October 7, 2023.
Tuesday death toll in Gaza rises to 89
At least 89 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, with at least 80 killed in Israeli ambushes at US-run aid distribution centres in Khan Younis and Rafah, the Palestinian health ministry has said in a statement.
Iran-Israel conflict: Foreign Secretary‘s statement
(June 16, 2025)
I want to be clear, the United Kingdom was not involved in the strikes against Iran. This is a military action conducted by Israel.
It should come as no surprise that Israel considers the Iranian nuclear programme an existential threat. Khameini said in 2018 that Israel was a “cancerous tumour” that should be “removed and eradicated”.
We have always supported Israeli security – that’s why Britain has sought to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon through extensive diplomacy. We agree with President Trump when he says negotiations are necessary and must lead to a deal.
That has long been the view, Mr Speaker, of the so-called ‘E3’ – Britain, France and Germany – with whom we have worked so closely on this issue. The view of all of the G7 who have backed the efforts of President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff. And for more than 2 decades, the cross-party view in this House.
Constitution of the United States: Article I
Section 8
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
Lawmakers Revive War Powers Debate as Trump Threatens Iran
In the House, a Democrat and a Republican teamed up on Tuesday to introduce a resolution that would require congressional approval before U.S. troops could engage in offensive attacks against Iran. The measure by Representatives Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, and Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, underscored a view held by many in Congress that Mr. Trump should not be able to decide on his own whether the United States wades deeper into the conflict. Thirteen additional Democrats signed on to the resolution, but no Republicans so far were supporting the effort.
IRGC strikes hit Aman, Mossad headquarters in Israel
Images that briefly circulated in Hebrew-language media—before being swiftly removed—show the impact site belonged to Israel’s military intelligence. The visuals confirm that a highly sensitive security installation was directly hit.
According to Hebrew media sources, there is a strong possibility that secret backup sites linked to Israel’s Unit 8200—an elite electronic surveillance and intelligence division—were completely destroyed in Herzliya.