Iran military chief taken out by Israel as Donald Trump steps up pressure
Israel says it has killed Iran’s top military commander as the nations’ escalating war prompted Donald Trump to leave the G7 summit early and call for Tehran’s evacuation.
Israel says it has killed Iran’s top military commander as the nations’ escalating war prompted Donald Trump to leave the G7 summit early, order a second carrier strike group to the Middle East and call for Tehran’s evacuation.
As Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire for a fifth consecutive day there were growing fears the conflict could spiral out of control, with Tehran warning the US of “unfathomable consequences” if it joined the Jewish state’s attacks.
Mr Trump said Iran should have “signed the deal” he offered to dismantle its nuclear program in return for an easing of crippling sanctions, but he believed the regime was now prepared to return to the negotiating table.
As the death toll rose on both sides, with at least 24 Israelis and 244 Iranians killed, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said there were about 600 Australians seeking the government’s help to get out of Israel and 650 pleading for assistance to flee Iran.
“We’re looking at all options and we are assessing very carefully the security implications,” she said. “We will provide the assistance we can to get people to safety when it is safe to do so.”
Treasurer Jim Chalmers warned the conflict represented a “perilous moment” for the global economy, with surging oil prices set to drive up inflation and put a brake on growth.
The Israeli Defence Forces said it had eliminated Iran’s newly appointed military chief Ali Shadmani – a close confidant of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – after an intelligence-led strike on a command centre in Tehran.
Despite reports of Mr Trump’s earlier veto of an Israeli assassination of Khamenei, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to rule out targeting the Supreme Leader.
Mr Trump abandoned the G7 summit in Canada a day early to head back to Washington to oversee the US response to the war.
He lashed “publicity seeking” French President Emmanuel Macron for suggesting he was returning to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
“He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire,” the President said on his Truth Social network. “Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!”
The President signed a G7 leaders’ statement before leaving the summit. It called for “a broader de-escalation of hostilities” in the Middle East.
He directed the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group to the region from the South China Sea, joining the USS Carl Vinson, to provide the US with expanded military options if its interests were threatened. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said American forces were “postured defensively in the region to be strong in pursuit of a peace deal”.
“We certainly hope that’s what happens here,” he told Fox News.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Israeli strikes had “severely damaged if not destroyed” Iran’s underground uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. But other underground facilities, at Isfahan and Fordow, appeared to have suffered “very limited” damage, the IAEA said.
Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said only the US could successfully destroy the deeply buried sites, in a reference to its massive “bunker-buster” bombs. “In order for Fordow to be taken out by a bomb from the sky, the only country in the world that has that bomb is the United States,” he told Merit TV. “That’s a decision the United States has to take.”
Mr Trump lamented Iran’s refusal to agree to his nuclear deal, declaring on his Truth Social network: “What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
The President added on the sidelines of the G7 that “I think a deal will be signed, or something will happen, but a deal will be signed, and I think Iran is foolish not to sign. I think Iran basically is at the negotiating table, they want to make a deal.”
China accused Mr Trump of “pouring oil” on the conflict by “making threats” that would only intensify the hostilities.
Reuters reported that Tehran had asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to persuade Mr Trump to use his influence on Israel to land a ceasefire, with Iran in turn promising to be more “flexible” in nuclear negotiations.
Axios reported there was potential for a meeting between the US and Iran this week, with US officials saying Mr Trump was considering the bunker-buster capability as “leverage” ahead of those talks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that if the President was genuine about stopping the war, his next steps would be “consequential”.
“Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue. It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu,” he said on X.
“Conversely, getting the US mired in the Mother of Forever Wars will destroy any prospect for a negotiated solution, with dangerous, unpredictable and likely unfathomable consequences for regional security and the global economy.”
He added that “if the aggression stops, it is obvious that the ground will be prepared for a return to diplomacy”.
Mr Netanyahu said: “We are changing the face of the Middle East and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself and … pursuing three main objectives: the elimination of the nuclear program, the elimination of ballistic missile production capability, and the elimination of the axis of terrorism. We will do what is necessary to achieve these goals, and we are well co-ordinated with the United States.”
He added Israel had “eliminated Iran’s security leadership”, including three chiefs of staff, the commander of their air force and two intelligence chiefs.”
The comments came amid ongoing missile attacks between the two countries, with 16 Iranian missiles launched towards Israel early on Tuesday morning (AEST).
One of Israel’s biggest oil companies, Bazan, shut all refinery facilities in Haifa because of damage done during the Iranian missile strikes.
More Coverage
Add your comment to this story
Trump won’t kill Ayatollah ‘for now’, warns Iran his patience ‘wearing thin’
The President's warning came as Iran told people in Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Haifa to evacuate 'to save their lives'.
Trump’s G7 exit overshadows Zelensky’s arrival
Even if Zelensky can win support for more sanctions, Trump’s lack of criticism of Russia promises to complicate any effort to increase pressure on the Kremlin.
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout