Good morning. US intelligence sees limited damage to Iran’s atomic sites. The UK is buying American-made fighter jets. And scientists discover 20 previously unknown viruses in bats. Listen to the day’s top stories.
American airstrikes didn’t destroy Iran’s core nuclear components below ground, according to early Pentagon assessments, and were said to have set the program back several months to a year. The UN watchdog urged fresh inspections of the sites. White House officials dismissed the reports as false and Donald Trump said the nuclear sites are “completely destroyed.”
The UK said it would buy at least 12 new US-made F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the latest attempt by Keir Starmer to curry favor with Trump.
Trade latest: The EU plans to impose retaliatory tariffs on US imports, including on Boeing aircraft, if Trump puts a baseline levy on the bloc’s goods. Chinese firms are boosting exports to the UK to levels not seen in years. And FedEx gave a weak earnings outlook, saying shipments between the US and China, its most profitable route, “deteriorated sharply” in May.
Scientists have discovered 20 previously unknown viruses in bats from China’s Yunnan province, raising fresh concerns about the risk of animal pathogens infecting people.
Among them were two henipaviruses closely related to Nipah and Hendra, which can cause fatal brain inflammation and respiratory illness in people, with mortality rates as high as 75%.
Scientists have long warned that climate change, farming expansion and urbanization are bringing animals and people into closer contact, increasing the likelihood of new viruses emerging and sparking outbreaks, as seen with SARS, Ebola and Covid-19.
Bond traders may have found the next Greece, writes Matthew Winkler. Just when the IMF sees slower growth around the globe, Zambia is poised to expand at least 6% in 2025. The country’s dollar-denominated securities now have no peers in the international bond market.
Rutte and Trump in March. Photographer: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Getty Images
Do tell. Trump posted a private message from NATO’s Mark Rutte, revealing his effusive fawning ahead of the alliance’s summit. The Secretary General praised Trump’s actions in Iran and NATO funding negotiations, saying “Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.”
