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| Trump says Iran will never have a nuclear weapon as Tehran mourns Suleimani – live updates | Trump says Iran will never have a nuclear weapon as Tehran mourns Suleimani – live updates |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Follow the latest developments as huge crowds pack streets of Tehran in memory of Iranian general | Follow the latest developments as huge crowds pack streets of Tehran in memory of Iranian general |
| Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has criticised Trump threat to target 52 Iranian cultural sites if Tehran retaliates against the killing of Suleimani. | |
| In a tweet he urged Trump to remember the killing of 290 Iranians when a US navy ship shot down an Iranian Airbus over the Strait of Hormuz. | |
| The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has demanded an end to the escalation of tensions and warned of the “profound risk of miscalculation”. | |
| He did not name any countries but his warning appeared squarely aimed at the US and Iran. | |
| Speaking to reporters he said: | |
| Guterres also warned that “geopolitical tensions are at their highest level this century”. He added: | |
| The US embassy in Israel has issued a security alert warning US citizens of “heightened tensions” and highlighting the risk of rocket attacks. | The US embassy in Israel has issued a security alert warning US citizens of “heightened tensions” and highlighting the risk of rocket attacks. |
| The alert, published on the embassy’s website, made no mention of the killing of Suleimani. It said: | The alert, published on the embassy’s website, made no mention of the killing of Suleimani. It said: |
| Iraq’s prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, has told the US ambassador to Baghdad, that both countries should work together on implementing an Iraqi parliamentary resolution on the withdrawal of foreign troops. | Iraq’s prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, has told the US ambassador to Baghdad, that both countries should work together on implementing an Iraqi parliamentary resolution on the withdrawal of foreign troops. |
| Reuters quotes a statement from Mahdi’s office as saying: | Reuters quotes a statement from Mahdi’s office as saying: |
| Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has announced the temporary suspension of training in Iraq after chairing a meeting in Brussels over the Iran crisis. | Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has announced the temporary suspension of training in Iraq after chairing a meeting in Brussels over the Iran crisis. |
| Speaking to reporters in the Belgian capital he also distanced Nato from the US killing of Suleimani. | Speaking to reporters in the Belgian capital he also distanced Nato from the US killing of Suleimani. |
| Stoltenberg said: “This is a US decision. It is not a decision taken by the global coalition nor Nato. But all allies are concerned about Iran’s destabilising activities in the region.” | Stoltenberg said: “This is a US decision. It is not a decision taken by the global coalition nor Nato. But all allies are concerned about Iran’s destabilising activities in the region.” |
| Here’s a summary of the latest developments: | Here’s a summary of the latest developments: |
| Donald Trump has issued a new warning to Iran amid mounting tension between Tehran and Washington over his decision to order the killing of Qassem Suleimani last week. In an all-caps tweet the president said Iran would never have a nuclear weapon. | Donald Trump has issued a new warning to Iran amid mounting tension between Tehran and Washington over his decision to order the killing of Qassem Suleimani last week. In an all-caps tweet the president said Iran would never have a nuclear weapon. |
| Trump also defended his threat to target Iranian cultural sites – widely seen as a war crime – if Tehran retaliates for the killing of Suleimani. Speaking to reporters he said: “They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn’t work that way.” Unesco has reminded the US that it has signed treaties committing it not to harm cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict | Trump also defended his threat to target Iranian cultural sites – widely seen as a war crime – if Tehran retaliates for the killing of Suleimani. Speaking to reporters he said: “They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn’t work that way.” Unesco has reminded the US that it has signed treaties committing it not to harm cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict |
| Two senior Senate Democrats, Chuck Shumer and Robert Menendz, have called on Trump to immediately declassify the administrations reasoning for the strike on Suleimani. The former national intelligence director James Clapper made a similar call and cast doubt on the administration’s claim that Suleimani posed a direct threat to US lives. | Two senior Senate Democrats, Chuck Shumer and Robert Menendz, have called on Trump to immediately declassify the administrations reasoning for the strike on Suleimani. The former national intelligence director James Clapper made a similar call and cast doubt on the administration’s claim that Suleimani posed a direct threat to US lives. |
| Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has publicly wept while presiding over a vast public funeral procession in Tehran for Suleimani. Khamenei’s voice cracked with emotion as he recited prayers over the coffin of Suleimani and others killed in the attack. | Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has publicly wept while presiding over a vast public funeral procession in Tehran for Suleimani. Khamenei’s voice cracked with emotion as he recited prayers over the coffin of Suleimani and others killed in the attack. |
| Police in Tehran said millions of mourners gathered in the Iranian capital. Observers said they were the largest crowds in Tehran since the funeral in 1989 of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. | Police in Tehran said millions of mourners gathered in the Iranian capital. Observers said they were the largest crowds in Tehran since the funeral in 1989 of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. |
| Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, said the scale of the crowds was a signal to Donald Trump that the US could not break the will of the Iranian people. Zarif also predicted the end of the “malign US presence” in the region. | Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, said the scale of the crowds was a signal to Donald Trump that the US could not break the will of the Iranian people. Zarif also predicted the end of the “malign US presence” in the region. |
| Suleimani’s daughter, Zeinab, told mourners that the US can expect revenge. She said: “America and Zionism should know that my father’s martyrdom will lead to awakening … in the resistance front and bring about a dark day for them and flatten their homes.” | Suleimani’s daughter, Zeinab, told mourners that the US can expect revenge. She said: “America and Zionism should know that my father’s martyrdom will lead to awakening … in the resistance front and bring about a dark day for them and flatten their homes.” |
| Diplomats across the world have called for calm and implicitly criticised the US in the wake of the killing of Suleimani. The foreign minister of Germany described a threat by Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Iraq if it withdrew US troops as “not very helpful”. China said it believes Iran was forced to reduce its commitment to the nuclear deal. Saudi Arabia said tensions in the regions were at a “very dangerous moment”. EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Iran in Brussels on Friday. | Diplomats across the world have called for calm and implicitly criticised the US in the wake of the killing of Suleimani. The foreign minister of Germany described a threat by Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Iraq if it withdrew US troops as “not very helpful”. China said it believes Iran was forced to reduce its commitment to the nuclear deal. Saudi Arabia said tensions in the regions were at a “very dangerous moment”. EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Iran in Brussels on Friday. |
| Downing Street has said targeting cultural sites in Iran, as Trump has suggested, would breach international warfare conventions. Responding to Trump’s latest comments, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said there were “international conventions in place that prevent the destruction of cultural heritage”. | Downing Street has said targeting cultural sites in Iran, as Trump has suggested, would breach international warfare conventions. Responding to Trump’s latest comments, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said there were “international conventions in place that prevent the destruction of cultural heritage”. |
| The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is to travel to Russia this week for talks with Vladimir Putin about the crisis. She is due to visit Moscow on Saturday at the invitation of Putin, the Kremlin said. | The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is to travel to Russia this week for talks with Vladimir Putin about the crisis. She is due to visit Moscow on Saturday at the invitation of Putin, the Kremlin said. |
| Oil prices have climbed above $70 a barrel for the first time in eight months amid fears that the US airstrike may trigger a retaliation. The attack has sent shockwaves through global markets, causing equity indices in Asia, the US and Europe to slump while the benchmark price of Brent crude climbed to its highest level since May last year. | Oil prices have climbed above $70 a barrel for the first time in eight months amid fears that the US airstrike may trigger a retaliation. The attack has sent shockwaves through global markets, causing equity indices in Asia, the US and Europe to slump while the benchmark price of Brent crude climbed to its highest level since May last year. |
| The husband of the jailed British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has criticised the killing of Suleimani, saying it is hard to demand Iran complies with the rule of law if its adversaries play fast and loose with the same law. Richard Ratcliffe again urged Johnson, the British prime minister, to find time to meet him to discuss his wife’s plight. | The husband of the jailed British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has criticised the killing of Suleimani, saying it is hard to demand Iran complies with the rule of law if its adversaries play fast and loose with the same law. Richard Ratcliffe again urged Johnson, the British prime minister, to find time to meet him to discuss his wife’s plight. |
| A YouGov poll for HuffPost suggests some US public backing for the killing of Suleimani. | A YouGov poll for HuffPost suggests some US public backing for the killing of Suleimani. |
| It found 43% approved of the action compared with 38% who disapproved. But between 43% to 35% said Trump did not plan carefully enough before ordering the strike. | It found 43% approved of the action compared with 38% who disapproved. But between 43% to 35% said Trump did not plan carefully enough before ordering the strike. |
| Josep Borrell, who started work as the EU’s foreign policy chief last month, has invited the Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, for separate talks after a phone call over the weekend. | Josep Borrell, who started work as the EU’s foreign policy chief last month, has invited the Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, for separate talks after a phone call over the weekend. |
| “It is up to the Iranian side to take up the invitation and proceed. I understand that there is interest on both sides to continue the mutual engagement,” a spokesman for Borrell said, when asked if the meeting would go ahead. | “It is up to the Iranian side to take up the invitation and proceed. I understand that there is interest on both sides to continue the mutual engagement,” a spokesman for Borrell said, when asked if the meeting would go ahead. |
| Even as commentators were reading the last rites for the Iran nuclear deal, the EU is seeking to keep alive the agreement it helped secure in 2015. | Even as commentators were reading the last rites for the Iran nuclear deal, the EU is seeking to keep alive the agreement it helped secure in 2015. |
| In a tweet Borrell said he deeply regretted Iran’s latest announcement on the deal, adding: “Full implementation of nuclear deal by all is now more important than ever, for regional stability and global security. I will continue working with all participants on way forward.” | In a tweet Borrell said he deeply regretted Iran’s latest announcement on the deal, adding: “Full implementation of nuclear deal by all is now more important than ever, for regional stability and global security. I will continue working with all participants on way forward.” |
| The EU said it would continue to rely on the verdict of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has responsibility for monitoring Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal. | The EU said it would continue to rely on the verdict of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has responsibility for monitoring Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal. |
| EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Iran in Brussels on Friday, two diplomats have told Reuters. | EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Iran in Brussels on Friday, two diplomats have told Reuters. |
| Earlier Boris Johnson, Emanuel Macron, and Angela Merkel issued a joint statement calling for deescalation of the crisis. | Earlier Boris Johnson, Emanuel Macron, and Angela Merkel issued a joint statement calling for deescalation of the crisis. |
| It said: | It said: |
| Hundreds of Yemenis have taken part in a protest in Sana’a called by Tehran-backed Huthi rebels to vent anger over the US assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Suleimani, AFP reports. | Hundreds of Yemenis have taken part in a protest in Sana’a called by Tehran-backed Huthi rebels to vent anger over the US assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Suleimani, AFP reports. |
| Donald Trump’s capslock diplomacy continues: | Donald Trump’s capslock diplomacy continues: |
| Unesco has reminded the US that it has signed treaties committing it not to harm cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict, after Donald Trump stood by his threat to go after Iranian cultural sites, warning of a “major retaliation” if Iran strikes back for the killing of Suleimani. | Unesco has reminded the US that it has signed treaties committing it not to harm cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict, after Donald Trump stood by his threat to go after Iranian cultural sites, warning of a “major retaliation” if Iran strikes back for the killing of Suleimani. |
| The UN cultural body said that under provisions of the 1954 and 1972 conventions – which have been ratified by both the US and Iran – signatory states undertake not to take any deliberate measures which might damage cultural and natural heritage on the territory of other states party to those conventions. | The UN cultural body said that under provisions of the 1954 and 1972 conventions – which have been ratified by both the US and Iran – signatory states undertake not to take any deliberate measures which might damage cultural and natural heritage on the territory of other states party to those conventions. |
| Downing Street has released a readout of a phone call between Boris Johnson and the prime minister of Iraq, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, about the crisis. | Downing Street has released a readout of a phone call between Boris Johnson and the prime minister of Iraq, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, about the crisis. |
| It said: | It said: |
| This suggests that the UK is trying to persuade Baghdad not to expel US troops from Iraq as its parliament has vowed. | This suggests that the UK is trying to persuade Baghdad not to expel US troops from Iraq as its parliament has vowed. |
| Two senior Senate Democrats have called on Trump to immediately declassify the administrations reasoning for the strike on Suleimani, as suggested by former national intelligence director James Clapper (see earlier). | Two senior Senate Democrats have called on Trump to immediately declassify the administrations reasoning for the strike on Suleimani, as suggested by former national intelligence director James Clapper (see earlier). |
| In a letter to Trump the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, and a Senate foreigns relation committee member, Robert Menendez, said the White House’s classified notification sent to Congress late on Saturday under the War Powers Act was insufficient and inappropriate. | In a letter to Trump the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, and a Senate foreigns relation committee member, Robert Menendez, said the White House’s classified notification sent to Congress late on Saturday under the War Powers Act was insufficient and inappropriate. |
| “It is critical that national security matters of such import be shared with the American people in a timely manner,” they wrote. | “It is critical that national security matters of such import be shared with the American people in a timely manner,” they wrote. |
| Late on Sunday, the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said the House would introduce and vote this week on a war powers resolution to limit the president’s military actions regarding Iran. In a letter to House Democrats, Pelosi called the airstrike provocative and disproportionate and said it had endangered US service members, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran. A similar resolution was introduced in the Senate. | Late on Sunday, the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said the House would introduce and vote this week on a war powers resolution to limit the president’s military actions regarding Iran. In a letter to House Democrats, Pelosi called the airstrike provocative and disproportionate and said it had endangered US service members, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran. A similar resolution was introduced in the Senate. |