Netanyahu says Trump sees scope for deal after military gains in Iran while Tehran denies talks
Tel Aviv/Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had spoken with US President Donald Trump on Monday. Netanyahu said that Trump believes recent US-Israeli military operations in Iran could be translated into a negotiated agreement safeguarding Israel’s interests.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said Trump viewed the “tremendous achievements” of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the US military as an opportunity to realise the objectives of the war through a diplomatic arrangement.
“President Trump believes there is a chance to leverage the tremendous achievements of the IDF and the U.S. military in order to realise the war's objectives in an agreement, an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests,” Netanyahu said, adding, “We will protect our vital interests under any circumstances.”
He stated that military operations were continuing, saying Israeli forces were striking targets in both Iran and Lebanon. Netanyahu reiterated that the ongoing campaign was “crushing the missile programme and the nuclear programme” of Iran and was also “inflicting heavy damage” on Hezbollah.
“Just a few days ago we eliminated two more (Iranian) nuclear scientists. And this is not the end,” he said.
Netanyahu’s remarks came shortly after Trump announced that the United States had held “very good” talks with an unnamed Iranian official. The US President’s diplomatic outreach followed hours before a now-postponed ultimatum he had set for Tehran. The ultimatum issued asked Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane or face US military action against its power plants.
Citing an unnamed Israeli official, news outlet Axios has identified the Iranian interlocutor as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament and one of the country’s most prominent non-clerical figures.
However, Ghalibaf dismissed the report, stating in a post on X that “no negotiations” were under way.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
3 officials of private banks arrested in Gujarat in Rs 2,500 crore cyber fraud; 20 held so far
Rajkot (PTI): Three officials of leading private banks were arrested for their alleged involvement in a Rs 2,500-crore cyber fraud racket in Gujarat's Rajkot district, bringing the number of those held so far in the case to 20, police said on Monday.
Those arrested were identified as Maulik Kamani, a personal manager at Yes Bank in Padadhari; Kalpesh Dangariya, a manager at Axis Bank in Jamnagar; and Anurag Baldha, a personal banker with HDFC Bank, Rajkot (Rural) Superintendent of Police Vijay Gurjar said.
Dangariya and Baldha were previously employed with Yes Bank, he added.
Kamani allegedly assisted the earlier arrested accused in opening and managing suspicious accounts. He also helped bypass banking alerts triggered by high-value transactions by submitting additional documentation to keep accounts active, the SP said.
Kamani was allegedly involved in cash withdrawals that were later routed through hawala channels (illegal money transfer system), supported by digital evidence recovered from his mobile device, he added.
Dangariya is accused of facilitating the opening of fraudulent accounts using fake or misrepresented identities, police said.
He also assisted in structuring documentation, including Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)-related papers, to prevent transactions from being flagged as suspicious, they said.
On the other hand, Baldha opened new accounts after verification and certification processes as part of the racket, Gurjar informed.
All the three accused are in police custody, while others are in jail under judicial remand, SP said.
So far, police have identified 85 bank accounts linked to the racket with 535 complaints filed on the cyber crime portal.
The total transaction linked to the cyber fraud exceeds Rs 2,500 crore, police said.
The earlier fraud amount was pegged by police at Rs 1,500 crore.
