Middle East crisis Reactions

Australian Prime Minister: “Goals achieved – scale down”

The original goals of the US war in Iran have been achieved and it is not clear what further can be achieved by continuing the operation. This is what Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says, AFP reports.

He now wants to see a scale down.

– What is clear is that the longer the war goes on, the worse the consequences for the world economy will be, Albanese said during a speech in Canberra.

The statement came around the same time as US President Donald Trump gave a speech to the nation in which he again said that the operation in Iran is expected to last another two to three weeks.

Trump: King Charles probably shares my view of the Iran war

Donald Trump has criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer almost daily during the Iran war because he has been reluctant to back him in the war. One British leader that the American president likes, however, is King Charles, he tells The Telegraph.

He describes the king as his friend, a brave man and a good representative of Britain who cannot be blamed for what Trump calls a breakdown in relations between the countries.

Trump also says that he believes the king has a different opinion on the Iran war than Starmer.

– I think he would have taken a completely different stance, but he doesn't. I mean, he's a real gentleman, he says.

Trump has long looked up to the British royal family in general, and Charles in particular. King Charles announced this week that he will visit the United States during the celebration of the country's 250th birthday later this year.

The war divides the large exiled Iranian diaspora

The US and Israel's war against the Iranian Islamist regime has led to infected conflicts among many of the millions of exiled Iranians abroad, writes the New York Times.

Personal beliefs about what is best for Iran vary, but are usually deeply rooted and often based on personal experiences in their homeland.

Osveh Varastegan left Iran in 2020 and became a personal trainer in the Netherlands. Shortly before the outbreak of war, she wrote to her 80,000 followers on Instagram that she certainly wants the regime to go, but not through foreign military intervention.

This led to her inbox being filled with angry messages accusing her of playing into the hands of the regime. Some exiled Iranian clients stopped using her – while others expressed support.

“I have lost friends without even arguing with them. People simply cut off contact because they knew where I stood,” she says.