The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they happen.
Iranian FM says law passed barring cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that a bill suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog is now “binding” after being passed by lawmakers and approved by a top vetting body.
“The bill that was approved by (parliament) and has been approved by the Guardian Council today… is binding on us and there is no doubt about its implementation,” he tells state television. “From now on, our relationship and cooperation with the (International Atomic Energy) Agency will take a new form.”
After classified briefing, GOP and Democratic Senators diverge sharply on damage done by Iran strikes
United States Senators emerge with sharply different assessments of the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, with Republicans calling the mission a clear success and Democrats expressing deep skepticism.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came to Capitol Hill to give the classified briefings, originally scheduled for Tuesday.
Many Republicans leave satisfied, though their assessments of how much Iran’s nuclear program was set back by the bombing vary. Senator Tom Cotton says a “major blow” and “catastrophic damage” had been dealt.
“Their operational capability was obliterated. There is nobody working there tonight. It was highly effective. There’s no reason to hit those sites anytime soon,” Senator Lindsey Graham says.
Democrats remain doubtful and criticize Trump for not giving Congress more information. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says the briefing “raised more questions than it answered.”
Condemning latest settler attack, UAE calls on Israel to hold perpetrators accountable
The United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry issues a statement condemning yesterday’s deadly settler rampage in the central West Bank Palestinian village of Kafr Malik.
Abu Dhabi in the statement “warned against the continuous assaults by settlers, and called on the Israeli government to assume full responsibility, condemn these hostile practices and hold the perpetrators accountable.
“The UAE stressed that failure to act will be seen as tacit approval that will only further deepen the cycle of hatred, racism and instability,” the statement adds.
Police free all settlers detained in Wednesday’s deadly rampage of Palestinian village
Police released all five Israeli suspects who were detained in yesterday’s deadly settler rampage in the Palestinian village of Kafr Malik.
The suspects had been detained by Israeli troops before being transferred to police at a nearby station, where officers promptly released them and informed them that they were no longer suspects in the case, Haaretz reports.
No other suspects have been arrested.
Settler attacks on Palestinians throughout the West Bank have been taking place on a near-daily basis with almost complete impunity, in what has sparked mounting sanctions from Western governments.
The head of the Israel Police’s West Bank division is currently under investigation for ignoring settler violence to curry favor in the eyes of Ben Gvir. He was allowed to return to his post, despite the ongoing investigation.
Iran FM says war with Israel caused ‘serious’ damage to nuclear sites
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that damage to Iran’s nuclear sites from the 12-day war with Israel was “serious,” as the country begins assessing the conflict’s impact.
“A detailed assessment of the damage is being carried out by experts from the Atomic Energy Organization [of Iran],” he tells state television.
“Now, the discussion of demanding damages and the necessity of providing them has been placed as one of the important issues on the country’s diplomatic agenda,” he adds.
“These damages are serious, and expert studies and political decision-making are underway at the same time.”
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that airstrikes that the United States launched against Iran’s nuclear sites in support of ally Israel “obliterated” the facilities.
Iran FM says Tehran still deciding whether to hold talks with US, despite Trump claim to the contrary
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister says Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel says the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araghchi says the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
Katz: Israel sought to assassinate Khamenei during war, but opportunity didn’t present itself
Defense Minister Israel Katz reveals in an interview with Channel 13 that Israel had intentions to eliminate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the opportunity never presented itself.
“If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz said, adding, “We wanted to eliminate Khamenei, but there was no operational opportunity.”
Asked whether Israel had sought American approval for such an action, Katz responded: “We don’t need permission for these things.”