Trump ramps up pressure on Iran to make deal

BRIDGEWATER, June 6:

The US military said it shot down Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf Arab allies on Friday, while striking some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response, an exchange of fire that further frayed a shaky ceasefire with Tehran.

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The exchange of strikes comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Iran to make a deal to end the conflict.

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US Central Command said on social media Friday night that Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, with US forces intercepting six of the missiles and a seventh failing to reach its target. The military said there were no reports of harm to US personnel.
The ballistic missiles were fired after the US earlier in the day shot down four Iranian drones that were launched toward Strait of Hormuz.
“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” US Central Command said on social media.
Kuwaiti’s military said forces were intercepting missiles and drones attacking the country, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens and told residents to move to the nearest safe location and follow official instructions.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it targeted the Ali Al Salem airbase, which hosts US forces in Kuwait, and the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in the tiny Gulf island nation of Bahrain, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
The US military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s chokehold on the crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments, which has sent energy prices spiking and posed political problems for President Donald Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the midterm congressional elections.
US Central Command said it hit the radar sites, including an island in the strait, “to defend against further attacks.”
It was the latest in back-and-forth attacks that have strained the tenuous ceasefire in the war and efforts to reach a deal to extend that truce. Earlier this week, Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person, wounding dozens and briefly closing the airfield.
Despite the attacks raising new concerns that the ceasefire could collapse, Trump told reporters Friday that “the situation with Iran seems to be going quite well.”
“We’re going to come out of Iran very quickly and it’s going to be very strong one way or the other, whether it’s a piece of paper or the very tough way,” Trump said at an event with farmers in Wisconsin. “The very tough way is maybe the easier way, but we’re going to come out, and your fertilizer prices are going to go way down, just like they were four months ago.”
Trump increasingly appears to be boxed in on a conflict that has settled into a holding pattern. U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement a week ago to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program. But Trump has called for unspecified changes and Iranian officials have shown no public signs of signing off on the deal.
Asked on Friday why it was taking so long, Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” it was because “it’s a very hard thing for them,” citing their “great independence” and the fact that “they’re strong, they’re proud.”
“There are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do. They’ve got no choice, and it takes a little while,” he said in the interview.
Trump said the Iranians still have 21 per cent to 22 per cent of their missiles. (AP)

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 6: An army officer died after slipping in a mountainous area and falling into a deep gorge during an anti-terror operation in Rajouri district this evening.
The officer, a Lieutenant, was part of the security forces engaged in Operation Sheruwali, which entered its 15th day.

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Operation Sheruwali is underway in the Dorimaal and Gambhir Mughalan belt to track down two to three Pakistani terrorists believed to be hiding in the forests of Rajouri district.
During the search operation, the lieutenant reportedly slipped and fell into a 30-metre-deep gorge in the Dorimaal area, the officials said, adding that he succumbed to his injuries.
The body has been recovered, and further details are awaited.

Excelsior Correspondent
DEHRADUN, June 6: The Jammu and Kashmir police has arrested another woman from Haridwar in much talked about suspected financial transactions linked to Pakistan few days back.

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Sources said that a team of Kathua police which is investigating the suspected financial transaction case arrested Puja from Dhanauri in Haridwar. Earlier police had arrested Sonam from Asafnagar village of Haridwar’s Kalyari Kotwali area.
The arrest of two women from Haridwar by Jammu and Kashmir Police for suspected financial transactions linked to Pakistan, has created a flutter among Uttarakhand security forces.
Sources said after the arrest of the first woman, Sonam, from Asafnagar village of Haridwar’s Kaliyar Kotwali area, relating to her alleged financial transaction linked to Pakistan on May 26, Jammu and Kashmir police on June 4 took her friend Pooja along with them for investigation.
The women were arrested following an input received from a man named Rahul Khan of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir who was arrested by Lakhanpur police last month along with his wife for suspected bank transactions from across the border.
Khan confided to police about his Pakistan connection and links with Sonam and Puja in Haridwar.
Khan, who is accused of being involved in financial transactions worth crores of rupees from Pakistan, revealed the involvement of Sonam.
According Haridwar police, Rahul Khan informed J&K Police he was operating a bank account in the name of Sonam for conducting illegal financial transactions worth crores.
According to Haridwar police, Sonam used to transfer the money to other states on behalf of Rahul Khan for a fixed commission in return.
A police official from Haridwar shared on condition of anonymity that Puja, a resident of Dhanauri in Haridwar, had introduced Sonam to a man identified as Umar, following which the latter got Sonam in touch with Rahul Khan.
Haridwar police stated that earlier Jammu and Kashmir police arrested Sonam and took her away with them.
After this talk of the involvement of another woman working with Sonam in the illegal transactions from Pakistan surfaced. On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir Police arrived in Dhanauri and took Puja into custody who was evading arrest till then.
On Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir police sought her transit remand for further probe. Following this, her transit remand was secured on Thursday and late in the evening Jammu and Kashmir police left with Pooja for further probe.
Haridwar Police confirmed that Jammu and Kashmir Police team questioned Puja and took her with them for more investigation.
Sources said police is also investigating the role of one Umar in the case.

UNITED NATIONS, June 6:
India has slammed Pakistan for its “unwarranted reference” to Jammu and Kashmir at the UN, telling the current non-permanent member of the global body that it was a huge responsibility and not a forum for peddling “biased and false narratives”.
“The unwarranted reference by Pakistan to a matter strictly internal to India, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, has compelled me to respond,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said on Friday.

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The strong retort by Harish came after Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in his remarks in the UN General Assembly on Friday on the ‘Annual Report of the Security Council’.
Pakistan, which constantly raises the issue of Jammu and Kashmir as well as other topics internal to India at various UN platforms, currently sits in the Security Council as a non-permanent member and its tenure will end this year.
Harish said in the UNGA hall that Pakistan has decided not to spare this forum either from their characteristic misuse of august UN platforms for their divisive political interests.
“Abuse of its presence on the Security Council by Pakistan, including through the circulation of several misinformed and misleading communications also testifies to this counter-productive approach. I would like to remind Pakistan that being a member of the UN Security Council is a huge responsibility. It is not a forum for peddling biased and false narratives,” Harish said.
Making it clear that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India, Harish emphasised that any assertions to the contrary are baseless, devoid of and inconsistent with historical facts.
“Empty rhetoric and hollow claims by Pakistan would not change this fundamental reality. In the interest of time of the wider UN membership, I would not delve any further into this,” he said.
The Indian envoy also pointed out that the international community recognises the importance of reform of the Security Council to make it fit-for-purpose to handle contemporary and future challenges we face.
“The current structure reflects geopolitical realities of 1945. Retaining the staus quo has so far not enabled effective functioning of the Security Council and cannot do so in future,” he said.
He noted that the “marginal” reform in the 1960s that expanded only the non-permanent category has not changed the fundamental mode of functioning of the Security Council in any impactful manner.
“Expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories is central to implementing real and meaningful reform,” he said. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, June 6:
The All India Newspaper Editors’ Conference has urged the Centre and states to provide adequate protection to journalists and to reform Government advertising policies to ensure the survival of small and medium newspapers, warning that economic pressures and attacks on the press threaten grassroot journalism and democratic accountability.

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At its Annual General Meeting and Annual Conference held on Saturday at Tej Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi, under National President Ramesh Gupta, editors and representatives from across the country deliberated on journalist safety, press freedom, and the growing challenges facing small and medium publications.
The Conference unanimously adopted a resolution urging Central and State Governments to provide “adequate protection, support, and assistance to journalists and media professionals so that they may discharge their duties without fear, intimidation, or interference.”
Members stressed that “a free and fearless press is essential for safeguarding democratic values and protecting the citizens’ right to information.”
Special attention was given to the difficulties faced by small and medium newspapers, which members said play a crucial role in disseminating local news, highlighting grassroot issues, and representing community concerns in towns, districts, and rural areas.
While large newspapers focus primarily on national and international affairs, the Conference observed that small and medium publications remain the backbone of local journalism. However, the existing advertisement policies of the Central and State Governments, as well as those of the Central Bureau of Communication, tend to favour larger publications. As a result, many small and medium newspapers are facing serious financial constraints that threaten their sustainability and continued service to local communities.
Accordingly, the Conference urged the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to give due consideration to the concerns of small and medium newspapers and to formulate policies ensuring a fair and equitable distribution of Government advertisements. “Such measures are essential for strengthening grassroots journalism, preserving media diversity, and ensuring that local communities continue to receive reliable information,” the Conference observed.
To pursue these issues, the Conference constituted a five-member committee under the chairmanship of Padam Mehta, Vice President of AINEC and Editor-in-Chief of Dainik Jalte Deep, Jodhpur. The committee includes Bishambhar Newar from Kolkata, Suman Gupta from Lucknow, Chelverajam from Karnataka, and Pramod Agrawal from Agra, and has been entrusted with addressing issues relating to the protection, development, and welfare of small and medium newspapers and undertaking necessary representations before Central and State Governments.
The proceedings were conducted by Secretary General Bishambhar Newar. Among those who shared views were Bishambhar Newar, Padam Mehta, Dr. Suman Gupta, Suryamani Raghuvanshi, Chelverajam, Pramod Agrawal, Anil Gupta, Harshad Bhai Khamar, and Randheep Singh. Speakers discussed press freedom, journalist safety, challenges facing the media industry, and measures required to strengthen small and medium newspapers.
The meeting was also attended by Raza Rizvi, N Muniyappa, and Venkateshaiah M.U., among other members. Participants emphasized the need for collective efforts to address the challenges facing the newspaper industry and to strengthen AINEC’s role in promoting independent and responsible journalism.
The Conference resolved with a renewed commitment to safeguarding press freedom, promoting ethical journalism, and protecting the democratic values that underpin a free and independent media. (UNI)