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Middle East crisis live: US insists Iran has not rejected proposal to end war amid mounting confusion | US-Israel war on Iran
White House insists Iran has not rejected US peace proposal
Asked about reports that Iran has rejected the US 15-point plan to end the war, Leavitt says “they have not” and insisted talks are continuing.
She says:
However, I saw a 15-point plan that was floated in the media. I would caution reporters in this room from reporting about speculative points, speculative plans from anonymous sources.
The White House never confirmed that plan. There are elements of truth to it but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual.
Key events
Leavitt is then asked about Trump’s repeated comments recently that regime change has been achieved in Iran.
“Has it not?” she cuts in. “Their entire leadership has been killed, and nobody has really seen or legitimately heard from this alleged new leader, so wouldn’t you say there’s been a change in the regime?”
She goes on: “There’s been a change in the regime leadership, which is what the president said, so thank you for confirming he is right.”
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in the initial US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on 28 February, was named supreme leader earlier this month. He was injured in that attack, and has not been seen or heard in public since, though written statements have been released in his name, fuelling speculation about the extent of his injuries. Trump has speculated he could even be dead, and had previously expressed his disapproval of him as leader.
Leavitt is then asked whether Trump still believes the US should have a role in choosing Iran’s new leadership. She replies:
I think the president obviously believes the US wants to have someone in leadership in the Iranian regime that will be much more favourable, that would would be willing to with the US, that would no longer chant ‘death to America’ … These would all obviously be good.
Amid mounting confusion over the 15-point plan, Leavitt is asked a follow-up question.
Q. Just to follow up, because you said that some of the information that’s been out there about the 15-point plan is inaccurate. Can you say what is accurate with respect to ballistic missiles, the nuclear ambitions and the strait of Hormuz, which are things that the president has laid out that he wants to see a couple of times in the past?
Here is the White House press secretary’s brow-raising reply:
If you’ve heard it from the president of the United States, obviously it’s true, as well as the objectives of Operation Epic Fury.
She is also pressed on criticism that Trump’s approach has shifted from demanding that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon to tighter restrictions on nuclear enrichment generally.
The president has been “quite clear” on what he wants to see from the Iranian regime, she says, without clearing anything up.
Leavitt is then asked what has changed that has made JD Vance emerge as a more active participant in negotiations with Iran.
“I don’t think anything has changed,” Leavitt says. “The vice-president has always been a key member of the president’s right hand man and a key member of the president’s national security team. He’s been part of these discussions, throughout this entire course of the administration.”
She added: “The vice-president has been by the president’s side every step of the way, and any reporting otherwise is just completely false. I see him in the room, again, the president seeks his counsel on all matters, both foreign and domestic.”
It was reported on Tuesday via Pakistani sources that Vance was being put forward as a probable chief negotiator from the US side if talks went ahead – after Iranian sources said they would refuse to sit down with Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, or Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who led the nuclear negotiations with Iran before the war, and with whom there was “zero trust”.
White House avoids question of whether US boots on the ground needed to reopen strait of Hormuz if talks fail
Leavitt is then asked if the only other option to reopen the strait of Hormuz if negotiations with Iran fail is to put US boots on the ground, given that the US’s allies have said they’re either unable or unwilling to assist.
Leavitt says she won’t answer a hypothetical question, and that the decision is for the president, as commander-in-chief, to make.
Next, Leavitt is asked if the United States is providing support for Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, and if Trump is concerned that more than a million people have been displaced.
On the first part of the question, Leavitt says she’s “not in a position to comment” on this.
On the second part, she says “of course” Trump is concerned and that is why it’s important to “eliminate the threat” of the Iranian regime and their proxies, including Hezbollah.
That’s why Trump “wants to see this move as quickly as possible over the next couple of weeks”, she says.
White House insists Iran has not rejected US peace proposal
Asked about reports that Iran has rejected the US 15-point plan to end the war, Leavitt says “they have not” and insisted talks are continuing.
She says:
However, I saw a 15-point plan that was floated in the media. I would caution reporters in this room from reporting about speculative points, speculative plans from anonymous sources.
The White House never confirmed that plan. There are elements of truth to it but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual.
White House: Trump’s preference is peace – but is prepared to ‘unleash hell’ on Iran
Leavitt says that following president Donald Trump’s “powerful threat” at the weekend, it was made clear to the US that Iran wanted to hold talks.
She says Trump is “willing to listen” and says he has been engaged in constructive discussions, leading to the postponement of planned strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure.
She adds:
The president’s preference is always peace. There does not need to be any more death and destruction.
But if Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be, president Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before.
Leavitt says Trump is not one to bluff and that he is prepared “to unleash hell”.
US military ‘annihilating’ Iran’s navy, destroyed 140 vessels – Leavitt
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says that the United States is “annihilating” the Iranian navy, “steadily degrading its ability to terrorist merchant ships”.
Speaking at a press conference, she said:
Just over three weeks in, it is abundantly clear that Operation Epic Fury has been a resounding military triumph.
More than 9,000 enemy targets have been struck to date. Compared to the start of the operation, Iran’s ballistic missile and drone attacks are down by roughly 90%.
She said the US is also “annihilating” Iran’s navy, having destroyed 140 vessels, including almost 50 mine-layers, adding:
This is the largest elimination of a navy on the face of the planet in a three-week period since World War II.
We are keeping an eye on the White House briefing with Donald Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
It is due to start imminently and any lines relevant to the Middle East crisis, specifically the US-Israeli war on Iran, will be covered here.
Stay tuned.
A joint statement by Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan on has called on Iraq to take the necessary measures to immediately stop attacks launched against neighbouring countries from Iraqi territory.
The statement said the call comes to preserve “brotherly relations” and avoid further escalations.
Since the start of the Israeli-US war on Iran, Iran-backed Iraqi militias have claimed responsibility for attacks on several US bases in the region.
Russia said Wednesday it was “deeply outraged” by a reported strike on the grounds of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, which it partially constructed and helps operate.
“We are extremely outraged by this reckless, irresponsible manifestation of a disastrous course,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.
A projectile landed within the plant’s compound on Tuesday night, Iran’s atomic energy organisation said, accusing the United States and Israel of being responsible.
Stefanie Glinski
The days after Nowruz, the Persian New Year, are usually a bustling time in Tehran, with spring arriving, trees blossoming, businesses reopening after the holidays, and people returning to work and school.
This year, however, Iranians are trying to maintain a semblance of ordinary life against the constant backdrop of explosions, airstrikes – and a conflict many fear may drag on for weeks or months.
“More and more, people are starting to normalise this war,” said Farhad, a photography editor in Tehran. “It’s difficult, but we’re adapting and trying to return to our daily lives as much as possible. There’s no alternative. We’re tired. We just want peace.”
Explosions lit up the city’s skyline overnight on Wednesday as Israel launched fresh airstrikes, but by the morning, joggers were exercising again in the sprawling Pardisan Park. Schools and universities remain closed since the start of the war, but shops, restaurants and cafes are slowly reopening.
Aylar, a 39-year-old human rights worker who spent the first weeks of the war sheltering in her apartment with her cats, said that she had paid for an expensive VPN to try to circumvent the internet blackout imposed by Iranian authorities so she can talk to relatives abroad. “On the same day, I also went for coffee and chocolate cake with friends on what felt like a sunny spring day. These conflicting realities are bizarre,” she said.
Filipino defence minister Gilbert Teodoro, whose country has declared an energy emergency as a result of the Middle East war, has said that the strait of Hormuz must be reopened “immediately”.
Iran has virtually closed the vital strait since the US-Israeli strikes that started the war on 28 February, causing global oil and gas prices to soar.
On Tuesday, Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of “national energy emergency,” citing risks to the domestic fuel supply and energy stability created by the war in the Middle East.
“It is of vital importance to us that the strait of Hormuz be opened immediately and kept safe,” Teodoro told AFP in an interview in Paris.
“Not only for the seafarers, but also for Philippine consumers. The poor Filipinos who need to pay astronomical prices for electricity, fuel, and power. I think the effects are worldwide.”
Iran could open a new front in the Bab al-Mandab Strait if attacks are carried out on Iranian territory or its islands, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim cited an unnamed Iranian military source as saying on Wednesday.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has previously launched attacks in the region where the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait is located, Reuters reported.
Saeed Shah
Iran has sent a warning to the United States that it will carpet bomb its own territory to attack any American troops landing there, according to diplomats from a third country who passed on the threat to Washington.
The US is sending thousands of ground troops to the Middle East, which could be deployed to forcibly lift the Iranian blockade of the strait of Hormuz, which is choking global oil and gas supplies from the Gulf. Kharg Island, a tiny island in the Persian Gulf, is thought by analysts to be a likely target for invasion.
Tehran is willing to bomb its own infrastructure at Kharg Island, a crucial export terminal for Iranian oil, or elsewhere, to target American soldiers there. Iran believes that, as any landing party will have limited missile defences available, this would mean a bloodbath for US forces.
“Iran says that they don’t care that they will have to blow up their own territory,” a diplomat involved told The Guardian. “They will do it to kill American soldiers.”
The presence of Americans on Iranian soil would cross a new red line for Iran. The US military could aim to seize territory, in order to make Iran open the strait. Aside from Kharg, options include deploying the forces along Iran’s coastline or taking one of the other small islands.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Wednesday that negotiating with Israel under fire would amount to “surrender” for Lebanon, as Israel launched new strikes and Hezbollah said it was targeting Israeli troops.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres warned that “the Gaza model must not be replicated in Lebanon”, a comparison previously drawn by Israel officials talking about operations in Lebanon.
“Hezbollah must stop launching attacks into Israel. And Israel must stop its military operations and strikes in Lebanon, which are hitting civilians the hardest,” Guterres told reporters at the United Nations.
William Christou
Iranian officials expressed initial disapproval of a US ceasefire plan on Wednesday, even as intermediaries suggested direct talks between the two could start as early as this weekend.
Representatives from Pakistan who reportedly delivered the US plan to Iran told the Associated Press that it was a 15-point proposal that would include sanctions relief for Iran, dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme, restricting its use of missiles and reopening the strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about 20% of the world’s oil.
An Egyptian official also suggested it would restrict Iran’s support for armed groups across the Middle East. Some of these proposals proved to be intractable sticking points in negotiations before the war began.
A senior Iranian official speaking to Al Jazeera described it as “extremely maximalist and unreasonable”, while other officials said the country was still reviewing the proposal, despite viewing it as too favourable to US demands.
Iran had previously scoffed at the diplomatic effort and mocked the US president, Donald Trump, claiming Washington was negotiating with itself. Overnight and on Wednesday, Tehran launched even more attacks on Israel and Gulf countries, including an attack that sparked a huge fire at Kuwait international airport, while Israel continued its bombardment of Iran.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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