Wednesday morning news: June 25, 2025

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Ceasefire latest » Will the ceasefire between Israel and Iran continue to hold?

That is the question on the minds of many world leaders, but President Trump says he's optimistic that both countries want the conflict to end.

TRUMP: I think they are both tired of it. I think they don't want it to happen again. And Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon, by the way. I think it's the last thing on their mind right now.

The truce got off to a shaky start though:

SOUND: [BOOM]

That was the sound of explosions in Tehran after Israel launched a blitz of airstrikes early Tuesday morning BEFORE the truce took effect. Iran responded with an onslaught of missiles that killed at least four people in Israel.

Two hours AFTER the truce took effect, Israel accused Iran of firing two more missiles, which Iran denies doing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu halted Israeli airstrikes after a reportedly tense phone call with Trump Tuesday morning.

Washington debate continues over airstrikes » Meanwhile in Washington, lawmakers continue to clash over President Trump's decision to order the weekend airstrikes against nuclear facilities in Iran.

Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu said Iran had to be stopped, but argued that the president may have exceeded his authority.

LIEU: We have to make sure this regime never acquires a nuclear weapon. At the same time, I believe the constitution means what it says: only Congress has the power to declare war.

But almost all Republicans argue the president did not declare war with those limited airstrikes and that he was acting well within his authority under the War Powers Act.

And GOP Senator Lindsey Graham says President Trump made the right call.

GRAHAM: This operation was flawless, it was effective more than anything else. It did obliterate these three sites. The pilots did a fantastic job, but so did President Trump making a bold decision.

Iran says it will restart nuclear program » Questions remain, though, about the condition of Iran’s nuclear facilities and materials after those U.S. airstrike.

Vice President J.D. Vance suggested that recent strikes may have effectively destroyed Tehran’s nuclear program.

But the Pentagon says it’s way too early to assess that. And Raphael Grossi, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency, adds:

GROSSI:  Iran officially told me we are going to be taking protective measures, which may or may not include moving around this material.

He said independent inspectors need to be given access to nuclear sites across Iran to determine if key facilities were truly destroyed.

And what about stockpiles of enriched uranium? Grossi said inspectors need to know:

GROSSI:  Whether there is a possibility that this could have been moved, and where is it?

Some analysts believe Iran’s nuclear program was likely set back by many years.

But others fear that it may be possible that Iran could still be less than a year away from a nuclear weapon.

Iranian nationals arrested » The Department of Homeland Security says U.S. authorities have arrested nearly a dozen Iranian nationals amid heightened concerns about potential terrorist attacks. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher reports.

BENJAMIN EICHER:  DHS says authorities arrested a total of 11 Iranian nationals in the US illegally, across eight states.

Nearly all are accused of crimes beyond immigration violations.

One of them admitted to having ties to the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah.

Another was described as a suspected terrorist, and a former sniper for the Iranian army.

The arrests came amid concerns about possible so-called ‘sleeper cells’ in the United States.

Officials say they are being proactive in locating high-risk illegal immigrants.

But Homeland Security officials say there are currently no known credible threats to the US homeland.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

NATO summit » President Trump is in the Netherlands this morning for day-two of the NATO summit at The Hague.

Member nations formally voted yesterday to set a new target for defense spending. Trump addressed that hours earlier.

Previously, members were expected to spend just 2% of their GDP on defense. But now:

TRUMP:  They're gonna be lifting it to 5%. That's good. It gives them much more power.

That will be 3.5% on core military capabilities, like tanks, weapons, and forces, and another 1.5% on related areas like infrastructure and cybersecurity.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised President Trump for his efforts in getting other member nations to step up their defense contributions. Those efforts date back to the start of Trump’s first term. And Russia’s invasion of Ukraine lit a fire under many European nations to ramp up defense.

Jerome Powell testimony » Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says holding interest rates where they are is the right call for now.

He defended the central bank’s cautious approach in testimony Tuesday before a House committee.

POWELL:  Inflation has come down a great deal, but has been running somewhat above our 2% longer run objective.

He said dropping rates too soon could fuel inflation and that he still believes tariffs are likely to drive consumer prices higher in the months ahead.

Powell added that the economy and labor market remain solid. And that means the Fed feels no urgency to lower interest rates right now.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: understanding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidelines. Plus, one man’s quiet service to his neighborhood.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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