[Global Times correspondents in Egypt and the United States, Huang Peizhao and Li Yong, Global Times special correspondents Pei Ming] “Trump threatens to bomb Iran again.” The Singaporean “Lianhe Zaobao” reported on the 29th that the U.S. President is intensifying pressure on Iran. At a recent White House meeting, Trump warned that if intelligence shows Iran can enrich uranium to military-grade levels, the U.S. will “without doubt” retaliate with another strike. He also claimed he saved Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei from being killed. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condemned Trump’s remarks as “disrespectful” towards Ayatollah Khamenei.
The “Pyramid Newspaper” of Egypt published an article on the 28th, stating that the current U.S.-Iran relationship has entered a “highly confrontational rather than dialogueous dangerous state.” According to observations by the Global Times, many Arab media are not optimistic about the possibility of U.S.-Iran negotiations resuming in the short term, and the likelihood of a new conflict erupting in the Middle East has not truly receded. Agence France-Presse quoted from a statement made by the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and the Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia during a call, expressing doubts about whether the adversary would fulfill its commitments such as ceasefires.
Regarding the situation in the Middle East, international public opinion continues to passionately discuss issues such as whether the Iranian nuclear facilities have been “destroyed” and whether U.S.-Iran negotiations can be resumed. Meanwhile, several foreign media outlets have also noted that, following recent military strikes that “reshaped the Middle East,” some Arab countries have changed their views on regional threats.
According to The New York Times, despite Trump’s warning on the 27th against Iran possibly enriching uranium to a worrying level, he believes such a result is unlikely and stated that Iran is exhausted due to losses and hopes for dialogue with the United States.
On the same day, Trump posted on social media platform “Reality Social” criticizing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, citing his speech last Thursday in which he claimed Iran had “won” in its conflict with Israel and the United States. Trump labeled Khamenei’s statement as a “lie” and stated that he “certainly knows” where the Iranian leader is hiding but chose not to “end his life” by arming Israeli or American forces. Trump also mentioned that he had started working on lifting sanctions against Iran recently, but after Khamenei’s speech, he “immediately abandoned” all related efforts.
Araqzadeh posted on social media on the 28th, stating that if Trump truly wanted to reach an agreement, “he should put aside his disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards the Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei.” The Associated Press believes that while Aragzadeh criticized Trump’s remarks, it also showed that Iran might be open to negotiations. On the same day, Aragzadeh also said, “The great and powerful Iranian people have proven to the world that the Israeli regime has no choice but to ask for ‘Daddy’s help’ to avoid being reduced to rubble by our missiles. The Iranian people will not tolerate threats and insults.”
The Iranian Ambassador to Japan, Siddarth, in an interview with Saudi Arabia’s “Al Arabiya News” on the 28th, said that Tehran is still committed to resolving issues through diplomatic means, but “peace driven by force is not true peace,” and “Americans have not condemned the side that disrupted the negotiations, yet they stand with the aggressors.”
Egypt’s “Pyramid Newspaper” on the 28th article believes that the current US-Iran relationship has entered a highly confrontational state, “Iran will not retreat in humiliation, the US refuses to abandon its deterrence posture, and the space for negotiations has become small.” Lebanese “Square” TV station noted the nationalist sentiment within Iran, saying that the US’s stance “is stirring up stronger distrust of America among the Iranian society.”
On the 28th, Qatar’s Al Jazeera reported that the claim of “US ‘re-bombing Iran'” is not only a deterrent and threat to the latter but also a response to Israel’s internal security anxiety. Israel is pushing for a deeper involvement of the United States in the Iranian issue to divert domestic public opinion from political turmoil and border security concerns. However, there is widespread concern within the U.S. and its international allies about the potential escalation of military confrontation in the Middle East again.
On the same day, Iran held a national funeral for approximately 60 people killed in the war with Israel—including military commanders and nuclear scientists—in recognition of their sacrifice. Foreign media, including The Financial Times and Agence France-Presse, reported that Iran publicly demonstrated its resistance towards the United States and Israel. Iranian state television broadcasted a video showing a crowd dressed in black, waving the Iranian flag and holding photos of the assassinated military commander, while mourners chanted slogans such as “Neither compromise nor surrender, fight against the United States.” The footage showed coffins placed in the center of Tehran city, covered in Iranian flags and featuring portraits of officers in military uniforms.
The Associated Press reported that Khamenei did not attend the funeral ceremony, his last public appearance being on June 11th. Last Thursday, he released a pre-recorded video speech. The attendees at the national funeral included Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ “Quds Force,” Qassem Soleimani. Senior advisor to Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, appeared with a cane, previously reported to have been killed in an attack. Iranian state television quoted Shamkhani saying that it took at least three hours for search and rescue teams to find him after the attack.
IAEA: Iran May Restart Uranium Enrichment Activities After Several Months
According to a report by CBS on the 28th, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, stated during an interview that despite multiple nuclear facilities in Iran being attacked, it is likely that “after several months,” Iran will be able to restart uranium enrichment activities.
The British Broadcasting Corporation stated that this contradicts Trump’s claim about the “destruction” of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Grossi mentioned that even if the nuclear project is no longer in existence, Iran still possesses nuclear expertise and industrial capabilities. The relevant facts should prompt people to understand that a complete resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue cannot be achieved through military means but rather through agreements and verification systems.
Agence France-Presse reported another key issue: whether Iran had transferred part or all of its approximately 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium stockpile before the attack. “We do not know where these materials might be,” Grossi said. Recently, the Iranian Parliament voted to suspend cooperation with IAEA, and Tehran also refused Grossi’s request to visit the damaged facilities. According to Europe edition of “Politico”, Iran has also dismantled surveillance cameras at the nuclear facility. French 24 Hour News reported that the relationship between Iran and IAEA has once again fallen into a low point.
The New York Times mentioned that Trump recently downplayed the concerns of European officials and nuclear experts—that Iran might have moved and hidden its enriched uranium stockpile, saying “nothing was taken away from the site.” The “site” referred to by Trump refers to the underground Faldo nuclear facility.
The Middle East landscape has been reshaped, “but not as expected”
According to Al Jazeera on the 29th, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman spoke with Iranian General Staff Chief Abdul Rahim Mujahid via phone. Agence France-Presse quoted Mujahid saying, “We did not start a war, but we responded fully to the aggressor,” and “we deeply doubt whether the enemy can fulfill commitments including ceasefires.” Khalid stated that the Saudi government condemned the aggression and made significant efforts for a ceasefire.
Several foreign media outlets analyzed recently that after Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran, Middle Eastern countries have changed their views on regional situations.
“以色列与伊朗的战争重塑了中东格局，但与预想的不一样。”美国《华尔街日报》刊文称，新一轮巴以冲突于2023年10月爆发前，沙特准备在一项协议中承认以色列，这将为阿拉伯国家更广泛地接受以色列打开大门。此前，与以色列合作以遏制伊朗对一些中东国家具有吸引力。但随着伊朗如今处于劣势，沙特推动与以色列关系正常化的动力就不大了，它需要时间来评估以色列凭借其军事和情报能力所展现出的“惊人优势”带来的影响。分析人士称，沙特担心自身成为“地区新秩序的接受者”。
“美国看到了一个新的中东，而其海湾地区盟友对不受约束的以色列感到担忧。”美国《华盛顿邮报》28日称，上周，伊朗在发出警告后对位于卡塔尔的美国空军基地发动了导弹袭击，这引发了海湾国家的强烈谴责，但也仅是谴责，这似乎表明，它们与伊朗正在升温的关系“起到了一定程度的保护作用，并且这种趋势可能会持续下去”。文章说，与特朗普上一次担任美国总统时期相比，海湾国家对地区威胁的看法已发生变化。曾经从伊朗那里感受到的威胁得到缓解，与此同时，一些阿拉伯国家对以色列越来越警惕。有中东国家领导人曾表示，当前地区不稳定主要源于“发生在加沙的冲突”。