World reacts to Israeli strike on Iran over nuclear activity

Nobonyad Square following Israeli airstrikes, Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025.
©Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Russia ‘strongly condemns’ Israel’s attack on Iran

Russia has strongly condemned Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, warning that the operation risks triggering a dangerous escalation across the Middle East. In a statement on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the attack violated both the UN Charter and international law.

The strikes, carried out early Friday by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), reportedly targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites. Iranian media outlets said the attack killed several senior officials, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Hossein Salami and Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff Gholam Ali Rashid. At least six nuclear scientists were also reported among the dead.

“We strongly condemn the violent action of the State of Israel,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Unprovoked military strikes against a sovereign UN member state, its citizens, sleeping peaceful cities, and nuclear energy infrastructure facilities are categorically unacceptable.”

The ministry noted that the timing of the attacks – amid a session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors and ahead of another round of nuclear talks – “adds particular cynicism” to the situation.

“The hard-won multilateral efforts to reduce confrontation and find solutions that eliminate any suspicions and prejudices regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy have been undermined and set back,” it added, accusing Israel of making “a conscious choice to further escalate tensions” with the strikes.

“There have been repeated warnings about the danger of military actions that threaten stability and security in the region. Responsibility for all the consequences of this provocation will fall on the Israeli leadership,” the ministry stated.

AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER:

"The Zionist regime has committed a crime in our dear country today at dawn with its satanic, bloodstained hands. "That regime should anticipate a severe punishment. By God’s grace, the powerful arm of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces won’t let them go unpunished." "With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see."

LIN JIAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON:

"China opposes the violation of Iran's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, opposes the intensification of contradictions, the expansion of conflicts, and the sudden rise in temperature of the regional situation.

"China calls on all parties concerned to do more things that promote regional peace and stability and avoid further escalation of the tense situation. China is willing to play a constructive role in easing the situation."

SPOKESPERSON FOR U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES:

"The Secretary-General condemns any military escalation in the Middle East. He is particularly concerned by Israeli attacks on nuclear installations in Iran while talks between Iran and the United States on the status of Iran's nuclear programme are underway.

"The Secretary-General asks both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford."

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL:

"This was a unilateral action by Israel. So I think it is crucial for many allies, including the United States, to work as we speak to de-escalate."

RAFAEL GROSSI, HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY:

"I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation. I reiterate that any military action that jeopardises the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond.

"I have indicated to the respective authorities my readiness to travel at the earliest to assess the situation and ensure safety, security and non-proliferation in Iran."

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR

"We call on both sides to refrain from steps that could lead to further escalation and destabilise the entire region."

JEAN-NOEL BARROT, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER:

"We call on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any escalation that could compromise regional stability.

"We have repeatedly expressed our serious concerns regarding Iran's nuclear programme, notably in the resolution recently adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We reaffirm Israel's right to defend itself against any attack."

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE:

"Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.

TURKEY

Said Israel's provocation shows it "does not want issues to be resolved through diplomatic means" and urged it to halt "aggressive actions that could lead to greater conflicts."

KEIR STARMER, UK PRIME MINISTER:

"Escalation serves no one in the region. Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate. Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy."

PENNY WONG, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER:

"This risks further destabilising a region that is already volatile. We call on all parties to refrain from actions and rhetoric that will further exacerbate tensions.

Israel is currently striking Iran’s capital, Tehran.

Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/YzYr0CneRz

— AF Post (@AFpost) June 13, 2025

"We all understand the threat of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program represents a threat to international peace and security, and we urge the parties to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy."

TAKESHI IWAYA, JAPAN FOREIGN MINISTER:

"Amid ongoing diplomatic efforts, including talks between the United States and Iran, to achieve a peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue, the use of military force is deeply regrettable.

"The government strongly condemns this action, which escalates the situation."

JAN LIPAVSKY, CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER:

"Iran has long failed to meet its obligations to the international community, and is building up its nuclear programme. But at the same time, it has rhetoric that is aimed at destroying the state in Israel. We've seen that twice it has conducted a large-scale state ballistic and drone attack in the last year-and-a-half against Israel along with Hamas and Hezbollah, and it seeks to destroy the state of Israel.

"So I have a great deal of understanding for... military action to deter the production of a nuclear bomb in the region."

SAUDI ARABIA:

"Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran, which undermine its sovereignty and security and constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms."

"Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel."

The Russians’new enemy 1 is not the US

The Russians’new enemy 1 is not the US. And we’ve been there before

FILE PHOTO: Soldiers of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, during basic training. ©Sean Gallup/Getty Image

By Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory

They probably won’t but Germans should pay close attention to a recent news item out of Russia: The Levada polling institute – long internationally acknowledged as serious and dependable – has published the result of a recent survey. It shows that Germany is now considered peak hostile by ordinary Russians: 55% of them name Germany as the country most unfriendly toward Russia.

Five years ago, that figure stood at 40%. That was no small number either, but two things stand out now: First, the rapid increase in Germany’s un-favorability rating and, second, the fact that Berlin has managed to take over the top position in this dismal ranking: For 20 years it was securely held by the US, which still came in at a whopping 76% as recently as last year.

But now, clearly responding to Trump’s new, comparatively more rational course toward Moscow, “only” 40% of Russians see the US as the most unfriendly state. To paraphrase an old Soviet motto: Berlin has caught up with and overtaken America.

Many Germans, especially in the political, mainstream media, and conformist ’expert’ elites will either completely ignore or dismiss this shift. Others will even be foolish enough to feel pleased: What better evidence that the new German bellicism has left an impression?

For a historian – or really anyone with a memory – the Levada finding should be alarming. To see why, we need a broader context. The thing about Germany is that, sooner or later, the question of war or peace – at least in Europe or even the world – depends on it, whatever usually unoriginal ideas its elites get worked up about at any given time.

Maybe that special combustibility is due to a deep mismatch between Germany’s resources and location, on one side, and its geopolitical environment, on the other, as Henry Kissinger used to quip. Perhaps the explanation is less forgiving and has to do with a failing political culture shaped by persistent habits of shortsightedness and misguided ambitions.

In any case, in about 1945, after the second global war caused by Berlin in much less than half a century, everyone who mattered – not the Germans anymore at that point – seemed to understand that one large Germany can be, let’s say, awkward for the rest of the world. Two seemed about right, especially when both were under firm control, from Washington and Moscow, respectively.

The other thing generally accepted was that the old enmity between Germany and France had to be buried. A third crucial issue, however, was not only left unresolved but instead weaponized for Cold War purposes: if Germans had to finally play nice with the French and other West Europeans in general, the US needed its Germany to stay nasty toward the Russians, that is, at the time, the Soviets.

In effect, West Germany was re-trained to come to heel toward the West but keep barring its teeth toward the East. The polite term for this act of national house-training in Western “values,” “civilization,” and, last but not least, geopolitical hierarchies is “the long way West.”

Fortunately, from the 1970s and through the unexpected yet quietly earthshaking advent of German unification (de facto West Germany annexing East Germany with Soviet, i.e., Russian permission), the deterrent logic of the Cold War and a fundamentally wise “Ostpolitik” mitigated that teeth-baring a little. But now that policy has not merely been abandoned but anesthetized.

Today, even wanting to talk to “the Russians” to convey anything other than ultimatums is smeared as “appeasement.” Former representatives of normal engagement are either forced into humiliating public recantations (for instance, President – no less – Frank-Walter Steinmeier) or ostracized (the once tone-setting journalist Gabriele Krone-Schmalz, for example). The worst sin in the new old German catechism is to even try to “understand” Russia, literally: A “Russlandversteher” is a heretic almost worthy of the stake now.

Such heretics are clearly in the way of a new course – taken by all mainstream parties – that starts from the assumption that Germany and Russia must always be enemies, as current Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul recently stated in an unguarded and therefore honest moment.

Consequently, the only policy that seems to be left to such hidebound minds is to build up the military and massively increase armament spending. That such spending has already been practiced and has a miserable record of inefficiency in Europe, as even the Financial Times admits, does not matter to them. Neither will it, of course, to the arms industry and its shareholders.

And perish the thought that Germans could be smart enough to do both: (sensibly) modernize their military and, at the same time, engage in genuine talks and compromise – as well as renewed, mutually beneficial commerce, too – with Russia. That pattern – not dumb “appeasement” – after all, was the real signature style of the cheaply maligned “Ostpolitik.” But it seems that this ability to walk and chew gum, as Berlin’s former American idol Joe Biden would have said, has been lost, or, perhaps, willfully abandoned.

With the urge to splurge on weapons comes a clearly coordinated propaganda campaign as not seen since the early 1980s (at best): German politicians, generals, mainstream media, and conformist “experts” have been unleashing a torrent, a veritable “Trommelfeuer” of war hysteria on the German public.

Professors of ancient history – noticing unintentional irony has never been a German forte – are explaining again that parents must be ready to sacrifice their offspring in war. Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, and so on… As if the First World War had never been lost.

The German military’s top general can’t quite make up his mind if Russia will attack in a few years or maybe tomorrow. And one TV talk show and documentary after the other is dedicated to the need for “war proficiency” (in the original German “Kriegstüchtigkeit,” a term with an untranslatably traditional ring to it, in a bad way).

Finally, we have Friedrich Merz, a German chancellor with a flimsy mandate who clearly believes that it is his historic task to be even more bellicose than the Americans and take over their role in NATO Europe if necessary.

The irony of a vassal government finally finding a spine just to be even more ideologically immobile than even its changing hegemon is not new in recent German history. That is, after all, how Erich Honecker, the last (relevant) leader of the former East Germany, chose to go out: by demonstratively snubbing Moscow’s thaw with the West. In a similar spirit, Merz insists on continuing the proxy war in Ukraine and makes a point of not wanting the Nord Stream pipelines repaired, even while Russian and US investors (close to Trump, as it happens) are talking about precisely that.

Merz has just been to see Trump in Washington. And mainstream media reporting on their encounter is unintentionally revealing of just how little he has achieved. In essence, the German chancellor is being praised for not having been brutally humiliated by Trump. Indeed, Merz was spared the fate of Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine – and that is the best that can be said.

Let’s set aside that, actually, Trump did haze his guest, if comparatively mildly, teasing him about Germany’s not-so-great experience of D-Day 1944 and offering condescending congratulations on his English. It was the kind of affability that Trump the former reality show host would have displayed toward an “apprentice” currently in favor.

What is more substantial is that Merz was not given one inch on any topic he cares about: Regarding NATO, US-European trade, and the Ukraine War, the German chancellor got precisely nothing. On the contrary, Trump has already made sure to signal how absolutely unimpressed he is by whatever Merz may have had to say, when not modestly silent: On Ukraine, Trump has publicly conceded that Kiev’s recent sneak drone attack gives Russia the right to massively retaliate. On trade, Trump has increased the pressure again with steel and aluminum tariffs that will hit the EU and Germany hard.

What a world Germany has made for itself: It has the US, a hegemon and “ally” that first either blows up or is involved in blowing up its vital-infrastructure pipelines and then gets ready to take over and repair the ruins to have even more power over Berlin. With Zelensky’s Ukraine, it has a very expensive, very corrupt client that even the Germans now admit was involved in the same terrorist attack on Nord Stream.

Germany’s economy, meanwhile, would greatly benefit from re-establishing a reasonable relationship with Russia. But Berlin’s only strategy regarding Moscow is prolonged confrontation, an extremely costly armament program, and war hysteria so intense it makes it look as if German elites are not-so-secretly longing for yet another devastating clash with Russia.

And by now, Russians have taken notice, not only within the elite but the general population. Good luck, Berlin: You’ve poked the bear long enough to get his attention. Again.

Mark Zuckerberg goes all in on ‘superintelligence’ lab – Bloomberg

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg ©Getty Images/Craig T Fruchtman/Contributor

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is setting up a secretive ‘superintelligence’ lab as part of a push to lead the race toward human-level artificial intelligence, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

People familiar with the plan told the outlet that Zuckerberg is personally recruiting from a trusted circle of AI researchers and engineers. He’s looking to hire around 50 people, including a new head of AI research, and has rearranged desks at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters so the team can work close to him, the sources said.

The goal, according to the report, is to help Meta outperform other tech companies in achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) – the idea that machines can match human performance across a wide range of tasks.

The move comes amid internal dissatisfaction over Meta’s latest large language model, Llama 4, which reportedly failed to meet Zuckerberg’s expectations. Sources say he has demanded a top-tier AI product by the end of the year, prompting teams to work long hours to meet the target.

Plans to release Meta’s most powerful model yet, dubbed ‘Behemoth,’ were reportedly also put on hold after company leadership concluded that it did not significantly improve on earlier versions, despite earlier claims that it would surpass offerings from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.

Zuckerberg’s deeper involvement marks what insiders describe as a return to “founder mode” – a more hands-on approach to decision making. He even created a WhatsApp group called ‘Recruiting Party’ to coordinate talent outreach, the report said.

The new lab is being formed alongside a planned multi-billion-dollar investment in Scale AI, a data infrastructure firm that helps train AI models. Its CEO, Alexandr Wang, is expected to join the team once the deal is finalized. If completed, it would be Meta’s largest external investment to date.

At recruitment meetings, Zuckerberg reportedly pitched Meta’s strong ad revenues as a key advantage, saying the company could fund AI development without outside capital. He also mentioned plans for a massive new data center to support future models.

In a memo to employees earlier this year, Zuckerberg warned that thousands more jobs could be cut in 2025 as part of wider performance-based layoffs. With AI now at the core of his strategy, the superintelligence lab marks a major shift in Meta’s post-layoff direction.

Hasil Akhir - Timnas Indonesia 0 vs Timnas Jepang 6

Timnas Indonesia menutup babak ketiga Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia dengan berbesar hati kalah dari timnas Jepang dengan skor 0 - 6. Timnas Jepang yang langganan di Piala Dunia menunjukkan kelasnya sebagai tim Asia tak tertandingi untuk lolos ke Piala Dunia 2026, namun peluang tim Garuda masih sangat terbuka untuk lolos ke Piala Dunia 2026.

Catatan menarik pada laga timnas Indonesia melawan timnas Jepang, laga ini laga yg paling sportif, karena tidak ada kartu yang dikeluarkan wasit asal Korea Selatan, Kim Jong-hyeon.

Sekalipun tampak para pemain timnas tidak dapat menyembunyikan ekspresi kesedihannya usai wasit meniupkam peluit panjang, hasil itu tidak memengaruhi nasib Timnas Indonesia. Garuda tetap lolos ke putaran keempat Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia.

Hasil yang kurang memuaskan bagi timnas Indonesia, namun Timnas Indonesia tetap di peringkat empat klasemen Grup C Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 setelah dibantai Jepang 0-6 dalam laga terakhir di Stadion Suita, pada hari Selasa, 10/06/2025.

Gol-gol kemenangan Jepang atas Indonesia diberondong Daichi Kamada yang mengemas dua gol, serta masing-masing satu gol dari Takefusa Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino, dan Mao Hosoya.

Kemenangan atas Indonesia mengukuhkan posisi Samurai Biru dalam puncak klasemen Grup C dengan koleksi 23 poin

Sementara, kekalahan dari Jepang membuat posisi Indonesia tidak mengubah posisinya di posisi empat. Indonesia tidak bisa menggusur Arab Saudi di peringkat ketiga.

Skuad Garuda kini di peringkat empat klasemen Grup dengan mengoleksi 12 poin, sedangkan Arab Saudi memiliki 13 poin.

Timnas Arab Saudi sendiri menelan kekalahan yang menempatkannya pada peringkat ketiga, harus mengakui keunggulan timnas Australia dengan skor hasil akhir 2-1. Hasil ini pula membuat Australia lolos ke Piala Dunia 2026.

Zelensky gave Putin ‘reason to bomb the hell out of’ Ukraine – Trump

The recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian airfields hosting long-range nuclear-capable bombers have sharply increased the risk of escalation and gave Moscow a valid reason to retaliate with force, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday.

In addition to launching a coordinated drone strike on multiple Russian airbases, Ukraine also blew up railway bridges in Russia last week, derailing both civilian and freight trains, killing at least seven people, and injuring over 120 others, including children. President Vladimir Putin discussed the attacks in a phone call with his US counterpart on Wednesday, warning that Moscow’s response is inevitable and justified.

Trump told journalists on Friday that he “didn’t like” the escalation when asked whether Kiev’s attack on a key component of Russia’s nuclear triad changed his view of “what’s at stake” and what “cards” Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky holds.

“Well, they gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night,” Trump stated. “That’s something I didn’t like about it. When I saw it, I said: ‘Here we go… now it’s going to be a strike.’”

In response to the recent “terrorist acts” by Kiev, the Russian military carried out large-scale strikes against Ukrainian defense industry sites early Friday morning, using air-, sea-, and land-based missiles as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to the Defense Ministry.

The targets of the overnight strikes included “design bureaus, enterprises involved in the production and repair of Ukraine’s weapons and military equipment, workshops for the assembly of attack drones, flight training centers, as well as warehouses of weapons and military equipment,” the statement said.

Putin described the deadly railway sabotage incidents as “undoubtedly a terrorist act” committed by the “illegitimate regime in Kiev,” which, he said, is “gradually turning into a terrorist organization.”

Moscow has accused Kiev of escalating its attacks in an effort to undermine US-backed peace talks. Russia has also claimed that Trump is receiving “filtered” information about the Ukraine conflict from individuals pushing Washington to support Kiev.

Indonesia lolos ke putaran empat Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia

Indonesia lolos ke putaran Empat Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 zona Asia setelah Arab Saudi mengalahkan Bahrain 2-0 dalam pertandingan ke-9 Grup C di Bahrain National Stadium pada Kamis malam WIB yang selesai Jumat dini hari.

Saudi menang berkat gol Musab Al Juwary pada menit ke-16 dan pemain pengganti Abdulrahman Al Obood pada menit ke-78.

Hasil ini membuat Saudi menggeser Indonesia dari peringkat tiga dengan 12 poin. Meski turun ke peringkat empat, skuad Garuda melaju ke putaran empat.

Indonesia mengumpulkan 12 poin yang sudah tak lagi bisa dikejar Bahrain dan China yang hanya mengoleksi enam poin dengan menyisakan satu pertandingan lagi.

Poin maksimal China dan Bahrain hanya sembilan poin bila memenangkan laga terakhirnya.

Sebelumnya, Indonesia mengalahkan China 1-0 di Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno pada Kamis dari penalti Ole Romeny pada menit ke-40. Wasit menunjuk titik putih usai Ricky Kambuaya dilanggar Yang Zexiang.

Dalam laga lainnya, Australia mengalahkan Jepang 1-0 berkat gol Aziz Behich dalam pertandingan yang berlangsung di Optus Stadium, Perth.

Australia menempati peringkat dua dengan 16 poin, unggul tiga poin dari Arab Saudi. Pertarungan untuk memperebutkan tiket lolos langsung atau finis peringkat dua antara terjadi antara Australia dan Arab Saudi.

Jepang telah memastikan diri lolos setelah mengamankan 20 poin dari sembilan pertandingan.

Hasil pertandingan dan klasemen Grup C pada Kamis, 05/06/2025:

Australia 1-0 Jepang
Indonesia 1-0 China
Bahrain 0-2 Arab Saudi

No	Tim	Main	Menang	Seri	Kalah	Poin
1	Jepang	9	6	2	1	20
2	Australia	9	4	4	1	16
3	Arab Saudi	9	3	4	2	13
4	Indonesia	9	3	3	3	12
5	Bahrain	9	1	3	5	6
6	China	9	2	0	7	6

Ole Romeny Man of The Match Timnas Indonesia vs China

Ole Romeny didapuk Man of The Match laga Timnas Indonesia vs China. Timnas Indonesia mencatat kemenangan penting dalam lanjutan laga Grup C Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 putaran ketiga.

Ole Romeny berselebrasi usai mencetak gol ke gawang China dalam pertandingan Grup C putaran ketiga Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 zona Asia antara Indonesia melawan China di Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Kamis (5/6/2025). [Suara.com/Alfian Winanto]

Ole Romeny tampil gemilang dan layak dinobatkan sebagai pemain terbaik dalam laga penting antara Timnas Indonesia vs China pada Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia. Bertanding di Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno (SUGBK), pada hari Kamis, 05/06/2025, striker berdarah Belanda itu menjadi pembeda lewat satu gol krusial yang membawa Indonesia menang 1-0.

Gol tunggal pada pertandingan ini dicetak oleh Romeny melalui eksekusi penalti dingin pada menit ke-45, yang sekaligus mengantarkan Garuda memetik tiga poin penting di matchday kesembilan Grup C

Ole Romeny angkat bicara usai laga Indonesia vs China. Dia berterima kasih kepada suporter Garuda yang memberikan dukungan luar biasa di Gelora Bung Karno.

"Ini luar biasa. Fans di sini yang terbaik di dunia, terima kasih sudah datang ke sini mendukung kami," kata Ole Romeny.

Kemenangan atas China memperbesar peluang Indonesia lolos ke putaran keempat kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2024. Pasukan Patrick Kluivert saat ini berada di posisi ketiga klasemen Grup C dengan 12 poin.