Iran’s nuclear sites, Gaza aid, Netanyahu and NYC mayoral primary
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Today, a fragile ceasefire appears to be holding between Iran and Israel, as an intelligence report says the U.S. failed to destroy Iran's nuclear sites. The strikes are still being seen as a boost for Israel's Netanyahu, and the U.S. is set to give millions of dollars to a controversial group delivering aid in Gaza.

It's Wednesday, June 25th. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes every weekday. I'm Kim Van Nel in New Zealand. Before we head to the Middle East, some news from New York. Zoran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, is poised to win the city's democratic mayoral primary.

It's a surprising upset over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who says he's called Mamdani to congratulate him. Mamdani ended the race a virtual unknown and campaigned on New York's affordability crisis. The race is being seen as an early read on the direction Democrats believe the party should take five months into President Donald Trump's second term.

U.S. airstrikes failed to destroy Iran's nuclear capability and have only set it back by a few months. That's according to an intelligence report prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency. The classified document contradicts President Donald Trump's claim that the strikes obliterated Tehran's nuclear program. For now, a ceasefire between Iran and Israel is holding. We'll get to that in a bit.

But first, reporter Graham Slattery is here. Graham, what does the report findings mean for Iran's nuclear capabilities? It's important to take this report seriously. It is a preliminary report. There are many other intelligence agencies that will likely make their own assessments. However, there is evidence that strongly suggests that the administration's position on how successful their strikes were is simply not accurate.

I know just from our conversations with analysts, it's not believed at this point that the U.S. destroyed Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. And the fact that that still very likely exists limits the degree to which the U.S. set back Iran's nuclear program. What are officials from the administration saying about this? The administration is not disputing that this report exists.

but they're calling into question its accuracy. A number of intelligence products are usually produced on any given issue, and they basically say that this intelligence product from the DIA is simply incorrect.

President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, says talks between the U.S. and Iran are promising and that there's hope for a long-term peace deal. It follows Tuesday's announcement by President Trump of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that he brokered. Initially, both sides accused the other of violating the agreement.

President Trump, when asked about the violations, was transparent with his frustration. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they're doing. Do you understand that?

Both Iran and Israel are claiming victory after 12 days of war, which the US later joined in, launching strikes in support of Israel targeting Iranian nuclear sites. Khalil Mosbe says whoever ended the Iran-Israel war needs to do the same for Gaza.

1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack in 2023, which sparked Israel's air and ground attack in the Gaza Strip. That has killed some 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Most recently, some of those were killed while trying to get food or other rations. One of the groups distributing that aid is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Now, Reuters can exclusively report that the U.S. is giving $7 million and a possible $30 million more per month to the foundation for aid to the Strip, despite concerns over security and finances.

Jonathan Landay is our national security correspondent. Jonathan, why is this so controversial? The United States has been supporting the idea of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation diplomatically and urging UN and other organizations to support and provide assistance to the GHF.

They, however, have refused to do so and have actually condemned the model of aid program that GHF is running. That is because it employs contractors that include armed U.S. military veterans. Another problem that some U.S. officials have with GHF is that it has declined to reveal its finances.

My sources also tell me that GHF was also absolved of undergoing an additional level of vetting that aid groups working in Gaza, receiving American funds, have to undergo. And that's vetting for any kind of connections between groups and their subcontractors and suppliers with extremist organizations. What are the security concerns?

The United Nations say more than 400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid both from their aid distribution hubs and GHF operations. The UN says that a majority of those casualties have occurred among Palestinians trying to reach these U.S.-Israeli distribution sites. And

Others have been killed when Israeli forces have fired on Palestinian crowds waiting for food along the routes that lead to these sites. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation responds that it has so far delivered 400 million meals in Gaza. And a GHF spokesman tells Reuters that none of their trucks have been looted.

The State Department, the GHF and Israel's embassy did not respond to request for comment on this report. One person set to benefit from the conflict with Iran is Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Analysts and allies say the 12-day air assault and convincing the US to join in strikes is likely to reframe Netanyahu's legacy after months of political turmoil, war and plummeting popularity. Crispian Balmer is in Jerusalem. Well, I think Netanyahu sees it as a redemption. He...

was in charge in October 2023 when Hamas launched its surprise attack across the border, killing over a thousand Israelis. And that really dented, destroyed in a way, Netanyahu's carefully crafted reputation as the security guardian of the nation. So Netanyahu's domestic standing has undoubtedly been bolstered.

Not only has he taken on Iran, but he's also being able to basically dismantle Hezbollah, another dangerous foe up in Lebanon. And all the while, they keep on grinding down Hamas in Gaza.

What does this mean now for Gaza and the situation there? This morning, the Israeli army announced that seven of its soldiers died in the Palestinian enclave yesterday. That's the largest single loss of life in a day that we've had since the ceasefire ended a couple of months ago.

There is a feeling that maybe with pressure from Trump, that Netanyahu will have to make some sort of a deal with Hamas to end the conflict. And I think that there is work going on behind the scenes with the Gulf and with Egypt to try and bring the two sides to the table and find a workable truce.

NATO leaders are set to back President Trump's defence spending goal at a summit in The Hague today. But Spain is opting out. Carmel Crimmins is here with more. Trump wants NATO members to spend 5% of their annual economic output on defence. The new target is a big increase on the current goal of 2%. But Spain is saying it won't sign up.

It says its military capabilities towards NATO don't require more. In many ways, Spain is well positioned to pay more. Its economy is outperforming its European peers, and it's using its financial firepower to drive a push for debt relief for poorer countries. You can hear all about it in an interview I did with Spain's economy minister, Carlos Cuerpo, on Reuters' Econ World podcast. It's out later today on the Reuters app or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Testifying before Congress, Fed Chair Jerome Powell says it's too soon to start planning to cut interest rates. President Trump has publicly demanded a rate cut, but Powell says the central bank needs more clarity about how tariffs will affect inflation and jobs.

A celebrity wedding party for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez later this week has been moved to a less accessible part of Venice. Sources say the move is due to security concerns and to prevent the risk of protests. And for today's recommended read, a look at how farmers in the driest desert in the world are using fog to grow produce.

In Chile's arid Atacama, researchers are looking to harness water from the air to grow lettuces and lemons, using a net to catch drops of moisture from fog. You can read more about the story by following the link in the pod description. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. And don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.