Witness Alleges Hospital’s ‘Egregious’ Breaches of Standard of Care Killed Teen
By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D. | The Defender | June 13, 2025
Witness testimony continued this week in the wrongful death trial of Grace Schara, a 19-year-old with Down syndrome who died in a Wisconsin hospital days after being admitted for a COVID-19 infection. Grace’s sister and expert witnesses testified that doctors violated the standard of care and principles of informed consent.
Grace’s family sued Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital in April 2023 and filed an amended complaint in July 2023, alleging the hospital’s COVID-19 treatment protocols directly resulted in Grace’s death in October 2021, a week after admission.
The trial began last week at the State of Wisconsin Circuit Court for Outagamie County. The lawsuit names several defendants, including some Ascension doctors and nurses and the Wisconsin Injured Patients and Family Compensation Fund.
Grace’s older sister, Jessica Vander Heiden, testified Tuesday that she was unaware that the hospital had placed a “do not resuscitate” (DNR) order in Grace’s chart until shortly before her death and that, in Grace’s final moments, hospital staff refused to intervene and did not honor her family’s repeated requests to revoke the DNR.
Expert witnesses for the plaintiffs testified that there were multiple violations of the standard of care by Ascension doctors and nurses.
Dr. Gilbert Berdine, an associate professor of medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, said that this was the first malpractice case where he testified as an expert witness for plaintiffs and explained why he chose to do so.
“The breaches of the standard of care were egregious, and I could not live with myself without answering the call to review and give advice on this case,” Berdine said.
Hospital staff ignored family’s ‘pleading, screaming, yelling’
During her testimony, Vander Heiden said that on Oct. 11, 12 and 13, 2021 — Grace’s final three days of life — she was present in Grace’s hospital room but was unaware of the DNR order that had been added to her sister’s chart.
Vander Heiden responded to testimony last week by defendant Hollee McInnis, an Ascension nurse who provided care for Grace, that patients with a DNR order are typically fitted with a purple wristband denoting their DNR status. McInnis testified that she did not recall whether Grace wore such a wristband. Vander Heiden said her sister was not wearing a purple wristband.
According to Vander Heiden, when she found out about the DNR order, hospital staff told her that “they could not do anything about it.”
“A nurse read off the computer screen that the doctor had labeled her ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ and they claimed they could not do anything about it,” Vander Heiden said.
As Grace’s condition declined shortly before her death, Vander Heiden said she and Grace’s parents, who were connected on FaceTime, “were pleading, screaming, yelling” for hospital staff to revoke the DNR.
“It actually went on for almost 10 full minutes, trying to get someone to help save her, and no one stepped in that room,” Vander Heiden testified. “They literally stood outside Grace’s room stationary. They would not move.”
This was despite the presence of “roughly 30-plus nurses” in the hallway outside Grace’s room, Vander Heiden said.
During this time, and up to Grace’s death, Vander Heiden said McInnis was nowhere to be found — nor was Dr. Gavin Shokar, a defendant who was the primary physician in charge of Grace’s care. Last week, McInnis testified that she was treating no other patients at the time.
During last week’s proceedings, Grace’s parents testified that they never agreed to a DNR, while witnesses for the hospital, including Shokar and McInnis, provided conflicting testimony on this point.
On Thursday, Dr. David Fisk, an infectious disease doctor and witness for the defense, acknowledged that DNRs are typically signed by the overseeing physician and co-signed by the patient or a representative. He said there are instances where two doctors can place a DNR order, “but that’s very unusual.”
‘The worst kind of breach of the standard of care’
Vander Heiden testified that during her stay with Grace at the hospital, she was not told about the benefits or risks of the medication being administered to her sister, and did not provide informed consent for the drugs, which included the sedatives Precedex, lorazepam and morphine.
“I wasn’t told about anything,” Vander Heiden testified, including alternative courses of treatment available to Grace.
Instead, Vander Heiden recalled that McInnis and another nurse, Samuel Haines, who also testified last week, repeatedly told her that Grace was about to die and that if she was placed on a ventilator, her chances of survival were 1%.
According to Vander Heiden, on Oct. 13, shortly before Grace’s death, the situation “didn’t seem like it was an emergency or urgent in any way,” and Shokar and McInnis did not indicate that Grace required emergency treatment. The previous evening, Grace’s oxygen levels were in “the high 90s” and Grace appeared to be in good spirits.
But on Oct. 13, doctors placed Grace on a feeding tube. Once the feeding tube was placed, Vander Heiden recalled that Grace appeared “very wiped out.” Later that day, Grace was given morphine, and according to Vander Heiden, she began showing signs of distress, including feeling cold to the touch.
“They were starting to drop,” Vander Heiden testified, referring to Grace’s oxygen levels. “This all happened after the morphine.” However, three oximeters in Grace’s room provided conflicting readings. According to Vander Heiden, McInnis did not intervene and suggested covering Grace with a blanket, which she did not provide.
According to Vander Heiden, Grace’s pulse was soon so low that a phlebotomist who came to draw blood was unsuccessful. “She had a hard time even finding a vein,” Vander Heiden testified.
Witnesses for the Schara family corroborated Vander Heiden’s testimony. Berdine testified on Friday that the breaches of the standard of care he identified when reviewing the case “are too numerous to count.”
Berdine said several of these breaches related to the lack of informed consent, including for the DNR order on Grace’s chart.
“Well, that’s the worst kind of breach of the standard of care because you’re supposed to be delivering medical care, and now, you’re entering an order to not deliver medical care,” Berdine said.
Berdine said that a DNR order can be revoked at any time by the patient, the patient’s family, or a power of attorney for the patient “as soon as it escapes the person’s mouth.” He said doctors and medical staff are obligated to “err on the side of saving the patient when there’s confusion.”
Registered nurse Susan Eichinger, another witness for the plaintiffs, agreed. She testified on Monday that the placement of a DNR without informed consent was “a principal breach” that indicated the lack of communication by the hospital with the Schara family.
“There’s nothing in the medical record that indicates these conversations took place. A care plan could have been created talking about end-of-life care. But the main thing is that there are no conversations documented,” Eichinger said.
‘The worst clinical decision I have ever witnessed’
Berdine also questioned the mixture of drugs administered to Grace.
“I find it indefensible that this patient was given medications, very dangerous medications, not theoretically dangerous medications, but medications proved by the medical record to be dangerous, to this patient without informed consent,” Berdine testified.
He said he hadn’t seen a similar case in his years of practice.
“The administration of morphine … to a patient who was unconscious, unresponsive, had lost her blood pressure, had no palpable pulse and whose respiratory pattern was screaming to anybody who would look … is or was the worst clinical decision I have ever witnessed in over 46 years of medical practice,” Berdine testified.
Berdine said that even after they gave Grace morphine, there were treatment options available that could have reversed her condition. For example, they could have given her Naloxone, a medication used to reverse the effects of opioids.
Witnesses for the defense testified that Grace was not oversedated to a life-threatening extent at any point during her stay.
But according to Berdine, Grace was oversedated three times during her hospital stay, and even though her first oversedation event involving Precedex was a “near-death experience,” Ascension doctors and nurses continued to administer the drug — and increased its dosage.
According to Berdine, the sedatives administered to Grace had a “synergistic effect,” where “the total effect is greater than the sum of the parts.” He said the repeated oversedation with these drugs led to metabolic acidosis — a potentially life-threatening condition where the blood is too acidic — and hypotension, or low blood pressure.
Berdine said the administration of lorazepam was wrong as it slowed her breathing at a time when “Grace needed all the ventilation she could muster,” as “it was the only thing keeping her alive.” He added that Grace’s rapid breathing rate was helping to keep her alive, but that the morphine further slowed her breathing.
“In the face of metabolic acidosis and somebody whose body is screaming at you that they’re desperately compensating for metabolic acidosis, the worst possible thing you could do would be to slow their rate of breathing,” Berdine said.
Grace’s oxygen levels declined faster after her father was ejected from her room
Emily Fisher, a registered nurse at Ascension, testified on Tuesday that the hospital was justified in evicting Grace’s father, Scott, from the hospital on Oct. 10, 2021, because he “refused attempts” by nurses “to provide education” and appeared “ill and fatigued” with a possible COVID-19 infection.
Berdine disagreed. He said Scott’s eviction was enforced with “no written notice,” and it denied Grace the opportunity to have an advocate by her bedside who could also provide comfort and assist with tasks such as adjusting her mask or feeding her.
“Particularly after the father, Scott, was evicted, [feeding] became impractical because there was nobody who had the time to do it,” Berdine testified.
According to Berdine, Scott’s eviction also had a tangible, negative impact on her health. “Statistically, Grace’s oxygen levels dropped three times as fast after he was evicted, than prior to his eviction,” Berdine testified.
For Eichinger, Scott’s eviction was one of several breaches indicative of a broader pattern of poor communication by Ascension.
“Based on the evaluation of the record and the depositions, and that this was a persistent attitude of dismissal, and he was marginalized as far as I can see because he wasn’t mentioned in any capacity as a helpful way,” Eichinger testified.
The trial is expected to conclude next week. CHD.TV is livestreaming the trial daily.
Watch the trial here.
This article was originally published by The Defender — Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Please consider subscribing to The Defender or donating to Children’s Health Defense.
Tucker Carlson blasts Trump over Iran attack
RT | June 14, 2025
US President Donald Trump’s support for Israel’s strikes in Iran could spark an “all-out war” in the Middle East, American journalist Tucker Carlson has warned.
Early Friday morning, IDF jets bombed nuclear and military sites across Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with a barrage of drones and missiles targeting Israeli cities. The escalation threatens ongoing negotiations over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, which Trump revived earlier this year.
In what he described as possibly his “final newsletter before all-out war,” Carlson – a key Trump ally during the 2024 presidential election – argued that the US was “complicit in the act of war.”
“While the American military may not have physically perpetrated the assault, years of funding and sending weapons to Israel, which Donald Trump just bragged about on Truth Social, undeniably place the US at the center of last night’s events,” Carlson wrote.
“Washington knew these attacks would happen. They aided Israel in carrying them out. Politicians purporting to be ‘America First’ can’t now credibly turn around and say they had nothing to do with it,” he added.
In a post on X, Carlson contended that “the real divide” is not between supporters of Israel and Iran, but “between warmongers and peacemakers.”
“Who are the warmongers? They would include anyone who’s calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct US military involvement in a war with Iran,” he said.
Carlson stated that the “warmongers” include talk show hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and Republican donors Ike Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson.
While the US State Department has denied involvement in the strikes, Trump confirmed he had prior knowledge of the Israeli operation and praised the attacks as “excellent.” He blamed Iran for the hostilities and accused it of refusing to accept the terms of his proposed nuclear deal.
Addressing the UN Security Council, Iranian envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said the US and other Israeli allies “share full responsibility for the consequences” of Israel’s actions.
Israel’s Attacks on Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Set Dangerous Precedent – Wang Yi
Sputnik – 14.06.2025
BEIJING – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities have set a perilous precedent with potentially catastrophic repercussions, during a telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday.
“Israel’s actions have severely violated the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and fundamental norms of international relations. In particular, the attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities have set a dangerous precedent that could lead to disastrous consequences,” Wang said.
The Chinese foreign minister urged nations with influence over Israel to take concrete action to restore regional peace.
In a separate call with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Wang emphasized that Israel’s strikes on Iran were especially unacceptable amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.
“China has always advocated that any international disputes should be resolved through dialogue and consultation, Beijing opposes the use of force and sanctions,” Wang said, adding that in this regard, China clearly opposes Israel’s violation of international law by attacking Iran with military force.
“Such actions are even more unacceptable when the international community is still seeking a political solution to the Iranian nuclear issue,” the minister said.
Wang also stressed the need for immediate measures to de-escalate tensions and prevent further instability in the Middle East.
Putin Holds Phone Conversation With Trump
Sputnik – 14.06.2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin has conversed with US President Donald Trump by phone today.
The conversation lasted for about an hour, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists. “50 minutes, to be precise,” he clarified.
Ushakov also revealed that:
- The conversation was useful, with the two leaders discussing the escalating situation in the Middle East.
- Putin informed Trump about his recent phone contacts with the president of Iran and the prime minister of Israel.
- Putin reminded Trump of Russia’s proposal to seek mutually acceptable agreements on the Iranian nuclear issue.
- Trump assessed the situation in the Middle East as highly alarming.
- The presidents did not rule out a return to the negotiating track on the Iranian nuclear program.
- Putin also informed Trump about the implementation of the Istanbul agreements reached in Turkiye on June 2
- Russia is ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainian side, Putin said.
- Putin informed Trump that Russia is ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine, as agreed, after June 22.
Putin congratulated Trump on his birthday and Flag Day, Ushakov added.
During the conversation, the leaders noted the wartime brotherhood of the two countries during World War II and expressed satisfaction with their current relationship, which allows for addressing pressing issues.
US gave Israel 100s of laser-guided missiles knowing they would be used against Iran: Report
Press TV – June 14, 2025
The United States quietly delivered hundreds of advanced laser-guided missiles to the Israeli regime, knowing that the projectiles would be used by it towards attacking Iran.
The Middle East Eye (MEE) news and analysis website carried the report on Saturday, identifying its sources as US officials, and naming the projectiles in question as air-to-surface Hellfire missiles.
“There is a time and place for Hellfires. They were useful to Israel [as it was seeking to strike the Islamic Republic],” a senior American military official told the website.
The US also provided the regime with the missiles, knowing that their features specifically armed Tel Aviv for surgical strikes, it added.
Also on Friday, the US president, himself, confirmed in remarks to Reuters that he and his team knew the attacks were coming. “We knew everything,” Donald Trump said.
Observers, meanwhile, note that reports of Washington’s unstinting arms support — aimed at further equipping the regime to better target the Islamic Republic — have emerged, despite the United States being engaged in indirect talks with Iran, ostensibly to give diplomacy a chance.
The MEE further reported that the Trump administration had prior knowledge of the plan for “months.”
The Israeli aggression, targeting various cities across Iran, including the capital, Tehran, included a series of precision attacks aimed at assassinations, which led to the martyrdom of Major General Hossein Salami, the former commander-in-chief of the IRGC.
Among the other victims were Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC’s aerospace division, and Major General Gholam-Ali Rashid, commander of the country’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.
The attacks also claimed the lives of veteran nuclear scientists Mohammad-Mehdi Tehranchi, Fereydoun Abbasi, and Dr. Abdol-Hamid Minoucher, along with more than 70 civilians, including children and women.
The Islamic Republic has responded by firing dozens of missiles and drones towards sensitive and strategic targets across the occupied Palestinian territories.
The retaliation began on Friday and lasted into Saturday, when a new wave of Iranian missiles began targeting the regime.
Iran has, meanwhile, hailed the reprisal as a “major blow” to the regime, and vowed that it is well capable of repeating the operation.
Providing the pledge in a televised interview on Saturday, Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, a senior advisor to the chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said the reprisal, codenamed Operation True Promise III, had witnessed the Corps’ successfully strike at least 150 Israeli targets, including critically strategic bases.
US Involved in Shooting Down Iranian Missiles – Reports
Sputnik – 14.06.2025
Israel received help from US air defense systems and a Navy destroyer in shooting down Iranian missiles launched in response to Israel’s attack on Iran, The Washington Post reported, citing US officials.
Anonymous US officials told The Washington Post that the US has both ground-based Patriot missile defense systems and Terminal High Altitude Air Defense systems (THAAD) in the Middle East. American air defense systems, as well as a US Navy destroyer in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, were used to shoot down Iranian missiles heading toward Israel, the officials said.
US fighter jets are also patrolling the sky in the Middle East and the US is shifting its military resources, including ships, in the region, The Washington Post specified.
Iranian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani told the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Friday that Israel’s aggression against Iran was intentional and fully backed by Washington. Iravani emphasized that Iran “will not forget that our people lost their lives as [a] result of the Israeli attacks with American weapons. These actions amount to a declaration of war.”
Iravani said that at least 78 people were killed and 320 others were injured as a result of Israel’s strikes against Iran, which started in the early hours of Friday, as part of Operation Rising Lion. Attacks across Iran – including Tehran – killed top military officials and Iranian nuclear scientists.
US Representative Pitt McCoy said on Friday during a UNSC meeting that the United States was informed about Israeli strikes against Iran ahead of time but was not militarily involved in the operation.
Iran launched a retaliation, dubbed Operation True Promise 3, against military targets in Israel on Friday, in response to Israel’s strikes.
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei has called Israel’s attacks a crime and vowed Israel would face a “bitter and terrible fate.”
Strikes on Tabriz, Iranian air defenses intercept Israeli missiles
Al Mayadeen | June 14, 2025
Loud explosions were heard in the city of Tabriz, northwestern Iran, on Saturday following an Israeli strike, according to Press TV.
The broadcaster published images showing plumes of smoke rising over the city following the attack.
However, Tasnim News Agency reported that Iranian air defense systems were actively intercepting incoming Israeli missiles over Tabriz, Khorramabad, and Kermanshah. Despite the strikes, Iranian media confirmed that the Tabriz oil refinery remained undamaged.
On a related note, Iran has confirmed that its Fordow nuclear facility sustained limited damage following recent Israeli attacks, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency on Saturday.
Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, stated: “There has been limited damage to some areas at the Fordow enrichment site.”
Kamalvandi clarified that much of the sensitive material and equipment had already been relocated ahead of the strikes, minimizing the impact, adding: “We had already moved a significant part of the equipment and materials out, and there was no extensive damage, and there are no contamination concerns.”
The Fordow site, one of Iran’s most fortified nuclear facilities, has been a key focus in previous Israeli operations targeting the country’s nuclear infrastructure.
Iran confirms oil infrastructure unharmed
On Friday, Iran’s Ministry of Oil confirmed that the Israeli aggression caused no damage to the country’s vital energy infrastructure, including refineries and oil storage facilities, all of which remain fully functional.
“The Israeli attacks caused no damage to refineries or key oil depots, which are continuing operations across the country without obstruction,” the ministry stated in its official announcement.
It further emphasized that “refining facilities and fuel distribution remain uninterrupted nationwide,” underscoring the resilience and preparedness of Iran’s energy sector amid the Israeli aggression.
“Israel” launched a major attack on Iran in the early hours of Friday, targeting residential buildings, nuclear facilities, and military infrastructure across Iran.
Iran shoots down another F-35 fighter jet belonging to Israel: Army
Press TV – June 14, 2025
Iran’s air defense forces have shot down another fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet belonging to the Zionist regime, amid the continued exchange of fire between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
The Iranian Army’s Public Relations Office said in a statement on Saturday that its air defense forces had successfully struck and destroyed another F-35 fighter jet belonging to the Israeli regime over the western part of the country.
It also noted that the fate of the pilot remains unknown and is currently under investigation.
Further information will be released in due course.
This comes a day after Iran’s air defense forces successfully brought down two F-35 fighter jets along with multiple drones belonging to the Israeli regime.
The regime deployed these advanced aircraft in its early Friday morning aggression against the Islamic Republic, which resulted in the assassination of several high-ranking Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians, including women and children.
The F-35 fighters used by the Israeli regime are considered the most advanced in their class.
Israel acquired these jets primarily from the United States, with the F-35 Lightning II being produced by Lockheed Martin, an American aerospace manufacturer. Israel is one of the few countries authorized by the U.S. to operate this cutting-edge fifth-generation stealth fighter.
Delivered under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, the first jets arrived in the occupied territories around 2016.
The F-35I, Israel’s customized variant of the stealth fighter, is designed to evade radar detection, allowing the Israeli occupation military to conduct deep penetration missions with a lower risk of interception or tracking.
Iran-Israel Escalation: What’s Known So Far
Sputnik – 14.06.2025
Tensions continue to escalate after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, prompting Tehran’s response under Operation True Promise III.
Casualties
🔸78 Iranians killed, 320 wounded — mostly civilians — in Israeli strikes, according to Iran’s UN envoy.
🔸At least 3 dead and 91 injured in Israel, per media reports.
Nuclear Sites & Scientists
🔸IDF claims it killed nine key Iranian nuclear scientists, including Ali Bakhouei Karimi, Mansour Asgari, and Saeed Barji.
🔸Israel’s strikes caused limited damage to Fordow and Isfahan nuclear sites.
🔸IAEA confirmed no radiation leaks.
Iran’s Retaliation
🔸Iran launched at least four waves and 200+ missiles.
🔸Tel Aviv suffered serious damage, IDF’s HQ hit.
🔸Iran struck Nevatim and Ovda airbases, key to Israel’s C2 and EW systems, per Tasnim.
🔸Israeli defenses failed to intercept ~25% of Iranian missiles, per Times of Israel.
Ongoing Israeli Strikes
🔸Explosions hit Tabriz; oil refinery was targeted, according to Press TV.
🔸Ballistic launch sites in Asadabad hit; blasts in Khorramabad and Kermanshah.
🔸Four Israeli drones downed near Khorramabad (IRIB).
🔸Three IRGC soldiers killed in Zanjan, Tasnim reports.
🔸Machinery plant hit in western Iran, per Nour News.
🔸Iran extends airspace closure until June 15.
Statements & Threats
🔸Iran’s UN envoy: Israeli strikes are “state terrorism” and a declaration of war.
🔸Tehran warns US, France, UK: their facilities in the Middle East will be targeted if they help Israel, per Mehr.
🔸Israel vows to expand operations, Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says strikes could last “days or weeks”.
🔸Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatens to “burn Tehran” if Iran keeps retaliating.
🔸Iran’s Foreign Ministry said US actions had rendered nuclear talks with Tehran meaningless.
Iran finalizes domestic readiness to resume op. on ‘Israel’: Official
Al Mayadeen | June 14, 2025
Iran has completed all necessary domestic preparedness measures to sustain its ongoing military campaign against “Israel”, according to a statement by the Secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council released on Saturday.
“Domestic preparedness issues have also been reviewed, and the necessary measures have been taken,” the state-run IRIB broadcaster quoted the secretariat as saying.
The announcement followed a high-level meeting of Iran’s security council on June 13, during which officials reviewed the evolving situation and discussed potential retaliatory actions in response to any future acts of aggression by “Israel”.
During the session, the council reportedly approved plans to continue Iran’s military operations, signaling Tehran’s commitment to respond forcefully to any further attacks on its territory.
This latest move underscores Tehran’s strategic approach to counter the ongoing Israeli aggression and reinforces Iran’s readiness to escalate its military response if provoked.
Iran resumes its defense
Iran has launched an estimated seven missile salvos targeting “Israel” in retaliation for its aggression on numerous Iranian regions and sensitive military and nuclear sites.
At dawn, Iran launched a fresh wave of missiles targeting Tel Aviv and vast areas across northern “Israel” amid a state of high alert in occupied territories, Israeli media reported during the early hours of Saturday.
The Israeli occupation then acknowledged the deaths of two settlers and injuries of 40 others in the bombardment of Rishon LeZion in central “Israel”, as reports relay concerns for casualties stuck beneath the rubble. Israeli media additionally reported that around 10 firefighting and rescue teams are operating in the area.
Israeli media further emphasized that the destruction in the central district has been unprecedented, with larger devastation inflicted in Iran’s latest retaliation.
The casualties have risen to three killed and over 170 injured across “Israel”, some of whom are in critical condition, as per Israeli army reports.
Continuation of Iran-US talks amid Israel’s savagery ‘unjustifiable’: FM
Press TV – June 14, 2025
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the continuation of indirect talks between Iran and the United States amid Israel’s savagery is “unjustifiable.”
Araghchi made the remarks in a phone conversation with the European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Saturday, a day after the Israeli regime launched deadly aggression on various civilian and military areas and residential neighborhoods in the capital, Tehran, and other major cities.
The barbaric onslaught claimed dozens of innocent lives, including a number of the Islamic Republic’s top military officials and commanders.
In a crushing response, code-named Operation True Promise III, hundreds of missiles were fired by Iran on Friday evening and successfully breached the Israeli regime’s much-touted multi-layered air defense system.
Since April, Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of indirect negotiations, mediated by Oman, over Iran’s nuclear program amid repeated shifts in US stances, which have prompted Iranian officials to criticize the “contradictory” statements made by their American counterparts.
Araghchi said on Saturday that messages and statements by the US president proved that Israel’s hostile measures against Iran were the result of Washington’s direct support for the regime.
He strongly condemned Israel’s violation of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, its attacks on nuclear facilities and residential areas, which killed a number of military figures, university professors and Iranian women and children.
He said the international community should show a decisive reaction in condemnation of Israel’s aggression.
He added that the Iranian government and people seriously expect all countries that claim to support peace and the rule of law to denounce Israel’s criminal actions and to exert pressure on the regime to stop its aggression and lawlessness.
The Iranian foreign minister also criticized a resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors, drafted by the US and the European troika, against the Islamic Republic’s peaceful nuclear energy program, describing it as an excuse that prepared the ground for the Israeli regime’s hostile action.
“Based on international law, the attack on peaceful nuclear facilities is completely illegal and prohibited and the international community is obligated to hold the Zionist regime accountable for this dangerous and unprecedented violation of the law,” Araghchi said.
On Thursday, the 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution accusing Iran of “non-compliance” with its nuclear obligations.
The resolution, drafted by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, was passed with 19 votes in favor, three against, and 11 abstentions. Russia, China, and Burkina Faso voted against it. Among the countries that abstained were South Africa, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, and Brazil.
Araghchi pointed to Iran’s diplomatic initiatives to draw global attention to the dangers posed by Israel’s destabilizing actions and called on the European Union and the permanent members of the UN Security Council to take a responsible stance in condemning the regime’s acts of aggression and punishing it.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran gave a decisive response to the Zionist regime’s aggression in order to protect its national sovereignty, people, and security, and is determined to exercise its legitimate right to take reciprocal action,” he emphasized.
The EU foreign policy chief, for her part, expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region.
Kallas expressed the EU’s readiness to support diplomatic efforts in the Security Council and other international bodies to help ease tensions and restore peace and security to the region.
Israeli strikes on Iran ‘completely unprovoked’ – Moscow
RT | June 14, 2025
Russia’s envoy to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, has condemned Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, the diplomat said West Jerusalem was acting with impunity, backed by the West.
Israel has launched strikes on uranium enrichment sites in Iran and killed several senior commanders and scientists in targeted assassination operations, claiming the moves were preemptive steps to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran, which denies pursuing a military nuclear program, responded with multiple volleys of ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv.
Nebenzia said the Israeli military action appeared intended to sabotage indirect US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled to resume Sunday. Tehran has declared that the strikes have effectively ended any diplomatic pathway.
“This is a completely unprovoked attack – whatever Israel may claim to the contrary – and it constitutes a gross violation of the UN Charter and international law,” Nebenzia said. “Responsibility for all the consequences of these actions rests entirely with the Israeli leadership and those who condone them.”
He noted that Iran has the right to defend itself and pointed to Tehran’s previous commitment to the 2015 UN-backed nuclear deal, which the US abandoned during President Donald Trump’s first term. Iran denied accusations of secretly violating the agreement at the time but has since ramped up uranium enrichment.
The US and its allies “have been doing everything possible to fuel the escalation, and, essentially, they incited it,” Nebenzia argued, adding that Western support had “spurred Israel to take radical steps.” He also raised alarms over the risk of radiation leaks from the targeted Iranian facilities and warned that “no military solution can be either legitimate or viable.”
Iran’s UN envoy, Amir-Saeid Iravani, described Israel’s attacks as “a chilling display of calculated aggression” that “amounted to a declaration of war.” He called for international action to disarm Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal, which the Israeli government neither confirms nor denies.
Israeli envoy Danny Danon defended the strikes, saying Israel was a “democracy under siege” and had acted to “prevent its destruction” by Iran. He urged the council to reflect on the potential consequences had the Iranian missiles been equipped with nuclear warheads.
Full statement:
Madam President,
We would like to thank Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General. We are grateful for their briefings. First of all, we would like to express our condolences to the people and the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) regarding the numerous victims, including among civilians, as a result of Israel’s strikes.
Before our very eyes, Israel’s actions are triggering an extremely dangerous escalation in the Middle East region, which is something that requires the Council’s urgent attention. We are grateful to Guyana’s presidency for convening this meeting so expeditiously. It is symptomatic that initially the Council was supposed to consider today, at this very time, the humanitarian consequences of inhumane actions by Israel against the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. Instead, we are compelled to discuss yet another dangerous and irresponsible West Jerusalem’s misadventure liable to end up in a large-scale nuclear catastrophe in the region.
In the early hours of June 13, Israel delivered a number of massive strikes against the territory of IRI. The attacks targeted peaceful sleeping cities, civilian infrastructure, and peaceful nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards. We’ve heard from the briefers today that there have been victims among civilians. This is a completely unprovoked attack (whatever Israel may claim to prove otherwise), and it constitutes a gross violation of the UN Charter and international law. The Israeli leadership seems to be convinced that it has a “free hand” in the region and apparently believes that Israel can flout all legal foundations and replace all international structures, including the UN Security Council and the IAEA.
The Russian Federation strongly condemns this action by West Jerusalem, whose military adventures are pushing the region to the brink of a major war. Responsibility for all the consequences of these actions lies entirely with the Israeli leadership and those who condone them. Of particular concern here are the possible radiological consequences of hitting nuclear installations. For a number of years, Russia has warned against trying to solve issues related to Iran’s nuclear program militarily, as it is unacceptable and fraught with dire consequences not only for the Middle East region but for the entire world. However, these calls of ours were not heeded, and the situation is unfolding according to the most negative and unpredictable scenario.
Madam President,
Israel’s actions are aimed at undermining the negotiating efforts, which are ongoing now in various formats and aimed at finding solutions to reduce tensions surrounding Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. While the whole world is anticipating with hope the outcomes of the next round of indirect contacts between Iran and the US (which were previously scheduled for June 15), Israel decided to preempt them in a way it deems the best and began bombing Iran’s nuclear energy infrastructure, demonstrating contempt for laws, norms, agreements, rules – everything that forms the basis of civilized interaction between states.
However, responsibility for what happened lies not only with the Israel but also with its closest allies. This is a direct consequence of the connivance on the part of Western countries, which for months knowingly and methodically pumped up anti-Iranian hysteria both in the UN Security Council and in the IAEA Board of Governors. These states did not even try to come up with a constructive solution to the crisis surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and Security Council Resolution 2231 which endorsed it. They had a completely different objective, namely to exert pressure on Iran by any means possible, to paint it as the source of all evil in the region and baselessly present Tehran’s legitimate response measures – such as the use of the protective mechanisms under the JCPOA – as a violation of the non-proliferation obligations. At the same time, the Iranians were patient for years and did not refuse to interact with the IAEA nor engage in dialogue to find negotiated solutions.
We would like to remind you – and this fact is now of fundamental importance – that all the problems having to do with the JCPOA began after the US unilateral withdrawal from the “nuclear deal” in 2018, and due to the principled unwillingness of the UK, France, and Germany to comply with the obligations they have under the JCPOA, including the obligations to create conditions for Tehran to reap material yield from lifting unilateral sanctions by the European Union that were in force until 2015. Later, these countries reimposed unilateral sanctions, which violates Article 25 of the UN Charter. The EU also joined in exerting pressure, thus disregarding its obligations as an impartial coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission.
The latest glaring example here is the biased resolution adopted yesterday by the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna. The document is completely divorced from reality and refers to some fictitious “threat to international peace and security” allegedly posed by Iran’s nuclear program. This happened despite the fact that Iran strictly complies with its obligations under the NPT and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement; moreover, it remains the most strictly inspected IAEA state with the Agency’s reports clearly indicating the absence of proliferation risks.
In other words, the Western parties to the JCPOA have been doing everything possible to fuel the escalation, and, essentially, they incited it. They artificially created tension on international platforms, which only spurred Israel to take radical steps and fostered the feeling of impunity with West Jerusalem.
In the context of Israel’s current strikes there is something that merits our particular attention. I refer to reported possible coordination of actions between Israel and British special services – immediately after the Israeli strikes on Iran the British sheltered the Israeli aircraft involved in the operation at their base in Cyprus. We have also noted the remarks by the Israeli side who claimed that they warned Germany, which is a JCPOA participant, and Italy of its attacks. It also has come to the fore that our American colleagues were also notified of the strikes. The Israeli strikes were also supported by the French, who were clearly aware of them beforehand. In this regard, we would not be surprised if the members of this “group of like-minded countries” start condemning Iran for its retaliatory actions, which were undertaken fully in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter.
In the current situation, we are closely following the actions of the IAEA Secretariat – the lives and health of its personnel have been put at risk as a result of Israel’s military adventure. We expect the IAEA Director General to provide objective assessments and analysis of the developing situation, including in terms of radiological consequences.
Madam President,
Unprovoked attacks against the territory of sovereign Iran and targeted strikes on peaceful nuclear facilities cannot be justified in any way. The international community cannot and must not stand idly by when provocations occur. Condoning such actions is a path to a major war in the region and a serious threat to global security.
We are convinced that the UN Security Council must give an unambiguous legal and political assessment of what was done by Israel, and call for an immediate halt to any use of force and for a rejection of unilateral military steps. We need to support any and all diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation and a return to negotiations.
Let me underscore once again that settling the issues related to Iran’s nuclear program is only possible through peaceful, political, and diplomatic means. No military solution can be either legitimate or viable here. By the way, it is precisely what the United States itself has repeatedly stated, substantiating the readiness to continue negotiations.
Russia remains committed to strengthening international law, abiding by the UN Charter, and finding solutions that will prevent the region from sliding further into another destructive war. We are ready to cooperate with all those who will advocate diplomacy and seek peaceful ways to resolve differences.
Thank you.
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From the Archives
The lies about the 1967 war are still more powerful than the truth
By Alan Hart | June 4, 2012
In retrospect it can be seen that the 1967 war, the Six Days War, was the turning point in the relationship between the Zionist state of Israel and the Jews of the world (the majority of Jews who prefer to live not in Israel but as citizens of many other nations). Until the 1967 war, and with the exception of a minority of who were politically active, most non-Israeli Jews did not have – how can I put it? – a great empathy with Zionism’s child. Israel was there and, in the sub-consciousness, a refuge of last resort; but the Jewish nationalism it represented had not generated the overtly enthusiastic support of the Jews of the world. The Jews of Israel were in their chosen place and the Jews of the world were in their chosen places. There was not, so to speak, a great feeling of togetherness. At a point David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding father and first prime minister, was so disillusioned by the indifference of world Jewry that he went public with his criticism – not enough Jews were coming to live in Israel.
So how and why did the 1967 war transform the relationship between the Jews of the world and Israel? … continue
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