First, links to six reports: from Reuters, Kyiv Post, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 6-16-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and IRAN entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Ukraine says it held talks with U.S. on supporting defence projects under joint fund. From Reuters. KYIV— Senior Ukrainian officials spoke with their U.S. counterparts about the possibility of supporting defence projects in Ukraine under a joint investment fund set up last month, Kyiv’s first deputy prime minister said today. READ MORE . . .

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Death toll in Kyiv rises to 27 after massive Russian strike, over 130 injured, by Alisa Orlova and John Moretti | Kyiv Post  Ukrainian officials said today that at least 27 people were killed and 134 wounded in Kyiv after one of the deadliest Russian attacks on the capital since the war began more than three years ago. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 17  Overnight Russian attack on Ukraine kills 15 and injures 156, by Samya Kullab, Vasilisa Stepanenko and others | AP  KYIV — An overnight Russian missile and drone bombardment of Ukraine killed 15 people and injured 156, local officials said Tuesday, with the main barrage demolishing a nine-story Kyiv apartment building in the deadliest attack on the capital this year. READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky reportedly may skip NATO summit over uncertainty about Trump’s attendance, by Anna Fratsyvir | The Kyiv Independent  President Volodymyr Zelensky may reconsider attending the NATO summit in The Hague, as questions remain over U.S. President Donald Trump’s participation, the Guardian reported on Tuesday, citing . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated two communities in the Sumy and Kharkov Regions over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 17  G7 abandons joint Ukraine statement as Zelenskiy says diplomacy in crisis, by David Ljunggren, John Irish and Andreas Rinke | Reuters  KANANASKIS, Alberta, Canada — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will leave the Group of Seven summit on Tuesday with new aid from host Canada for its war against invader Russia but without a joint statement of support from members or a chance to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, a link to a report from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (SYRIA 6-12-25 is HERE, or scroll down. GAZA and IRAN entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Syria’s new rulers face unprecedented criticism as Israel uses air space to attack Iran, by Ali Haj Suleiman | Middle East Eye  DAMASCUS — Syria‘s new government is facing mounting criticism at home over its failure to condemn Israel for violating its air space to attack Iran, with Syrians demanding Damascus leverage its growing diplomatic relations and call for a halt to the breaches. For a fifth consecutive day . . .  READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 6-16-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  SYRIA and IRAN entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israeli tanks kill 59 people in Gaza crowd trying to get food aid, medics say, by Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Israeli tanks fired into a crowd trying to get aid from trucks in Gaza today, killing at least 59 people, according to medics, in one of the bloodiest incidents yet in mounting violence as desperate residents . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and National Public Radio; and to three articles of commentary, from Middle East Eye and ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN 6-16-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  SYRIA and GAZA entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes damage Iran’s underground nuclear site, agency says as Trump warns Tehran, by Joseph Krauss, Jon Gambrell, Natalie Melzer and Melanie Lidman | AP  DUBAI — Israel pounded Iran for a fifth day in an air campaign against its longstanding foe’s military and nuclear program, as U.S. President Donald Trump warned residents of Tehran to evacuate and suggested the United States was working on something “better than a ceasefire.” READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Trump rejects U.S. intelligence that Iran is not building nuclear weapon. From Middle East Eye. U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed a U.S. intelligence assessment that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, he said on an overnight flight back to Washington from the G7 summit. READ MORE . . .

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The latest on the conflict between Iran and Israel. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and A Martínez | NPR  President Trump left the G7 summit in Canada to focus on the conflict between Israel and Iran, he said. NPR reports the latest in the rapidly escalating conflict between the two countries. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 16  Israel claims control of Iran’s skies, but Tehran is managing to hit back. Reported by Greg Myre and Scott Neuman | NPR  Israel says it has crippled Iran’s air defenses and that it can now strike targets across the country at will. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM JUNE 16  Israel downs most incoming Iranian missiles, but some got through to deadly effect. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  Missile strikes between Iran and Israel continued over the weekend and we look at a number of places hit in and around the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Why Netanyahu is frantically trying to pull the U.S. into Israel’s war on Iran, by Sami Al-Arian | Middle East Eye  Before Israel’s unprovoked military attack on Iran last Friday, June 13 — two days before the sixth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks was set to resume — Tehran had been working to reaffirm its commitments . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 15  The folly of a war with Iran, by Chris Hedges | Orignal to ScheerPost / Consortium News  The neoconservatives who orchestrated the disastrous wars with Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya — and who were never held accountable for the profligate waste of $8 trillion taxpayer dollars, as well as $69 billion squandered in Ukraine — look set . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 16  The world’s most dangerous man and his enabler, by Patrick Lawrence | Orignal to ScheerPost  It is some years since I described Benjamin Netanyahu as the most dangerous man in West Asia. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, link to reports from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass, and to commentary from the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE 6-15-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and IRAN entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Russia demands Ukraine give up Western arms, slams ‘reckless’ aid, by Alisa Orlova | Kyiv Post  Russia is demanding that Ukraine surrender all Western-supplied weapons as part of a ceasefire deal, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview published today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Ukraine, Europe plotting ‘bloody provocations’ against Russia — SVR. From Tass. MOSCOW — Amid growing problems on the battlefield, Vladimir Zelensky’s regime and European security services are plotting a series of new anti-Russian provocations, according to a statement from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 15  With no new U.S. aid packages on the horizon, can Ukraine continue to fight Russia? by Kateryna Hodunova | The Kyiv Independent  The U.S. has not announced any military aid packages for Ukraine in almost five months, pushing Kyiv to seek new alternatives. But time is running out quickly as . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA 6-15-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE and IRAN entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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UN rights chief urges governments to ‘wake up’ to ‘horrifying’ suffering in Gaza, by Jamey Keaten | AP  GENEVA — The UN human rights chief said Israel’s warfare in Gaza is inflicting “horrifying, unconscionable suffering” on Palestinians and urged government leaders on Monday to “wake up” and exert pressure to bring an end to the conflict. READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s conflict with Iran takes focus even as Gaza war grinds on. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Anas Baba | NPR  Israel’s conflict with Iran is pushing its war in Gaza to the periphery. But Palestinians there are still being killed and are under a near-total blockade. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to 13 reports: from the Cradle, Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor, the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and National Public Radio, and to three articles of commentary from Indian Punchline; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN 6-15-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE and GAZA entry for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Tehran dismantles Mossad sabotage network behind suicide drone attacks. From the Cradle. Iranian security forces have announced the thwarting of Mossad-operated drone production plots aimed at undermining the country’s air defenses and military capabilities as part of Israel’s war against the country. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Anadolu Agency.

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Iran president urges Iraq to block Israel from using airspace to attack Iran. From Middle East Monitor. Iranian News Agency said President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke on the phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Sunday and “emphasised that the Iraqi government must exercise greater vigilance and protection of its borders and airspace so that Iraqi territory is not misused against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” according to an Anadolu Agency report. READ MORE . . .

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Iran missile attacks on Israel kills 5, while Israel claims it now has air superiority over Tehran, by Ami Bantov | AP  TEL AVIV — Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early today, killing at least five people, while Israel claimed in the fourth day of the conflict that it had now achieved “aerial superiority” over Tehran and could . . . Click HERE for AP report including maps, and HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, Anadolu Agency.,  and Middle East Eye.

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Iran’s ballistic missiles cause extensive destruction across Israel. From the Cradle. The latest barrage of ballistic missiles fired by Iran at Israel early today caused widespread destruction in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and elsewhere, video footage and images from after the strikes revealed. READ MORE . . .

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Iranian president says Tehran does not seek nuclear weapons. From Reuters. DUBAI — Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research, President Masoud Pezeshkian said today, reiterating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s religious edict against weapons of mass destruction.

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The latest on the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and A Martínez | NPR  Missile strikes between Iran and Israel continued over the weekend in a rapidly intensifying conflict. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 15  Iran will not stop strikes until U.S.-backed Israeli war ends: FM. From the Cradle. “We are defending ourselves; our defense is entirely legitimate,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday. “This defense is our response to aggression. If the aggression stops, naturally our responses will also stop.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 15  Israel and Iran trade airstrikes for another night. Hadeel Al-Shalchi of NPR reports from Tel Aviv as Israel and Iran trade airstrikes for another night. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 15  What’s the U.S. role in the fighting between Israel and Iran? Reported by Greg Myre and Scott Detrow | NPR  President Trump says Israel and Iran should make a deal to end their exchange of airstrikes. But there’s no sign of a diplomatic solution on the horizon, and Trump is also warning Iran not to strike at any U.S. targets. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Netanyahu’s war on Iran has no future, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Iran’s stamina is of a long distance runner, as the Iran-Iraq war showed, whereas, Israel’s forte is as sprinter on a 100 metre track. Israel, a small country with a population of 8 million people will get hollowed out in a protracted war. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for IP commentary from June 14 and 13.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to two reports from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA 6-12-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 13  Israel declares over 70 percent of Gaza ‘no-go zone.’ From the Cradle. The Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation order to all residents in Gaza Friday declaring vast areas of the strip as “dangerous combat zones” that the citizens should stay away from. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 13  Libyan forces block Sumud aid convoy seeking to break Israeli siege of Gaza. From the Cradle. A land convoy organized to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza has been halted on the outskirts of Sirte, Libya, by forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, the Joint Action Coordination for Palestine said on Friday. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to nine reports: from Reuters, Tass, Anadolu Agency, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Agence France-Presse; to interviews from NPR, WBUR’s Here & Now, and the Tucker Carlson Show; and to commentary from AP and Middle East Eye; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN 6-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down. GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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NEWER  Trump sees peace between Iran and Israel soon, eyes Putin role. From Reuters. WASHINGTON — Despite evidence that the conflict between Israel and Iran is escalating, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism today that peace would come soon and cited the possibility that Russia’s Vladimir Putin could help. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Tass.

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Iran says ready to end attacks if Israel stops assault, by Syed Zafar Mehdi | Anadolu Agency  TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today Iran is ready to halt its attacks on Israel if Tel Aviv ends its assault on Tehran. Speaking to foreign ambassadors in Tehran, he said the war was “imposed” on Iran, which was left with no choice but to respond. READ MORE . . .

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Israel orders Iranians near weapon facilities to evacuate ahead of attacks, by Betul Yilmaz | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — Israel issued an evacuation order for Iranians living near weapons factories today ahead of a new wave of airstrikes — following its coordinated airstrikes on Friday on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, which prompted Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel and Iran bombard each other as Trump says conflict can easily end, by Maayan Lubell and Parisa Hafezi | Reuters  JERUSALEM / DUBAI — Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into today, killing scores, as U.S. President Donald Trump said the conflict could be ended easily while warning Tehran not to strike any U.S. targets. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from AP and Middle East Eye.

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Iraqi resistance group vows to target U.S. bases if Washington joins Israeli war on Iran. From the Cradle. The Kataib Hezbollah resistance faction in Iraq has threatened to intervene against U.S. military bases if Washington directly enters Tel Aviv’s ongoing war against Iran. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 14  Putin, Trump discuss Middle East, Ukraine in call – Kremlin. From AFP. President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as efforts towards a Ukraine settlement in a phone call with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, the Kremlin said Saturday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 14  Understanding the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. Scott Detrow of NPR speaks with Charles Freilich, Israel’s former deputy national security advisor, about the ongoing strikes taking place between Israel and Iran. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 13  What Israel’s escalation in Iran means for the region. Scott Tong of WBUR’s Here & Now speaks with the program’s security analyst Jim Walsh, a senior research associate at MIT’s security studies program, about what the rapid escalation between Israel and Iran could lead to and what’s at stake for the region. Click HERE to listen and, perhaps later, read.

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Russia’s strong ties with both Israel and Iran could help it emerge as a power broker. From AP. Israel’s military strikes this weekend on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, killed top generals and scientists, and Tehran’s response with drones and missiles — put Moscow in an awkward position, requiring fine diplomatic skills to preserve ties with both parties. But it also could open opportunities . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s attack on Iran marks moment of truth for Netanyahu, by Josef Federman | AP  JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on the mission of his lifetime. For years . . . READ MORE . . .

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By allowing Israel to bomb Iran, Trump is pushing Tehran to go nuclear, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  This is the way you behave if you are in charge of a drug cartel, not a global power. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  Jeffrey Sachs on how to save the United States from getting sucked into utterly catastrophic wars with Iran and Russia. Tucker Carlson of the Tucker Carlson Show talks on June 9 with the economist and public policy analyst who teaches at Columbia University — or wherever there is a microphone — about some current geopolitical events and their contexts. Click HERE for video and table of contents.

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For today, links to reports from the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, and Agence France-Presse, and to an interview from the Tucker Carlson Show; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (UKRAINE 6-12-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and IRAN entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Russia reports Ukrainian drone attack on drone factory in Tatarstan, by Dominic Culverwell | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine allegedly launched drones at Russia’s Tatarstan region, killing one and injuring 13, regional governor Rustam Minnikhanov said today. The drones were reportedly shot down, but . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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FROM JUNE 14  Putin, Trump discuss Middle East, Ukraine in call – Kremlin. From AFP. President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as efforts towards a Ukraine settlement in a phone call with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, the Kremlin said Saturday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  Jeffrey Sachs on how to save the United States from getting sucked into utterly catastrophic wars with Iran and Russia. Tucker Carlson of the Tucker Carlson Show talks on June 9 with the economist and public policy analyst who teaches at Columbia University — or wherever there is a microphone — about some current geopolitical events and their contexts. Click HERE for video and table of contents.

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