US strikes Iran again, hours after Trump says ceasefire a ‘waste of time’

“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” U.S. Central Command said.The American military attacked Iran for a second night in a row, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said that negotiating with Iran regime leaders was “just a waste of time” and called the Iranians “liars,” “scum” and “sick people.” “If they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it,” Trump said earlier in the day. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.” U.S. Central Command said that Trump ordered the additional strikes to “further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz." “The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” CENTCOM said.

Trump shared video footage on Wednesday of loud booms, explosions and fire coming out of a building, including apparently at Iran’s Chabahar Port, and stated that “this is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran.” “If it happens again, it will get much worse,” he said. Iran has reportedly said that it plans to respond. On Tuesday, the U.S. military said that it hit more than 80 targets in Iran with “precision munitions as an immediate response to Iran’s latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”

“U.S. forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor,” CENTCOM said at the time. Earlier in the day on Wednesday, CENTCOM said that more than 20 U.S. naval warships were “patrolling waters across the Middle East, as CENTCOM forces continue promoting regional security and stability.”   (Source)

US launches 2nd night of strikes against Iran, as Israel said bracing for war to restart (BUSHEHR)

US refueling planes to reportedly return to region; Iran threatens to close Hormuz; Pakistan urges restraint on all sides; PM: Hegseth nixing visit to Israel ‘could mean something.’

The United States launched fresh strikes on Iran late Wednesday and into early Thursday morning after striking Iranian targets a day earlier in response to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, as the Israeli defense establishment was reportedly keeping a close eye on the rising tensions amid concerns the fighting could quickly escalate and draw Israel back in. The US was also reportedly returning its refueling planes to the region, after they were removed during the ceasefire that began in early April. Some of the planes, whose presence is a potential signal of the war restarting, were previously parked at Ben Gurion Airport.

According to Channel 12 news, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz were holding a security consultation on Wednesday evening, a day after the US and Iran resumed attacks. Tehran fired on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the US to hit Iranian targets overnight Tuesday-Wednesday and Iran to retaliate against US targets in the Gulf. Iranian state media reported that eight members of the Iranian navy and air force were killed in US attacks on southern parts of the country, in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr.

On Wednesday, following those strikes, lead mediator Pakistan urged restraint. But both the US and Iran used bellicose rhetoric, with Iran threatening to close the strait and US President Donald Trump first declaring that the memorandum of understanding between the countries was “over,” then sending mixed signals over whether, or how much, fighting would continue.

“I don’t think it’s going to start again. I think it’s going to go very quickly. They hit a couple of ships, and so we hit them much harder,” Trump said Wednesday during a press conference at the conclusion of a NATO summit in Ankara. “Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly, and we’ll only make it safer — including for oil,” Trump stressed, adding that the US has managed to get significant amounts of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz since the MoU was reached last month. “We’re not looking for long-term,” Trump said. He then said, paradoxically, “I’m not sure I want to make a deal. Let’s just finish the job.” (Read More)

Lebanese source: Beirut won’t attend Rome talks with Israel unless IDF follows through on ‘pilot zone’ withdrawals

Lebanon demands Israel’s withdrawal from two “pilot zones” in the south before participating in the next round of direct talks in Rome next week, a Lebanese diplomatic source tells AFP.

The source, requesting anonymity, says “Lebanon is stipulating Israel’s withdrawal from two pilot zones in order to participate in the round of negotiations” that Italy and Israel said would take place in Rome on July 15 and 16, following a framework agreement signed last month.

An Israeli official told The Times of Israel last month that more time was needed for the IDF to withdraw from one of the two pilot zones in southern Lebanon from which it had agreed to pull back as part of the US-brokered framework deal inked with Beirut. (Ed note: This is a joke. The government and army of Lebanon have little or no control over Hezbollah, so they lean on Israel. Why doesn't Hezbollah withdraw from the "pilot zones" and give northern Israel some peace for a change?) (Source)

Iran Strikes Jordan; US Hits Nuclear Site (BUSHEHR)

US forces struck Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility in broad daylight after hitting a strategic bridge • Iran fired five missiles at American base in Jordan, expanding strike range | Israel prepares for possible Iranian escalation (World News). Israeli security officials confirmed Thursday that the country is preparing for the possibility that Iran will expand its missile strikes to include Israeli territory, following a series of American strikes on Iranian infrastructure that appear to signal the collapse of the Lucerne ceasefire memorandum signed just weeks ago.

The preparations came as the United States conducted an unprecedented daytime strike on the area surrounding Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station Thursday afternoon, marking the second daylight attack in a matter of hours and the deepest penetration into Iranian territory since hostilities resumed this week. The strike followed an earlier American attack on a strategic bridge in northern Iran, in what appears to be a significant expansion of Washington's target set beyond the immediate vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Iranian state media reports cited by CNN, residents of the city of Chaghdak near Bushehr "heard the sounds of multiple explosions" in the early afternoon hours local time. The semi-official Fars News Agency reported the strike, though it remained unclear at press time whether there was any risk of a radiation leak from the facility.

In what appears to be a direct response to the American strikes, Iran fired five ballistic missiles at a US military base in Jordan, significantly expanding the geographic range of its retaliation beyond the Gulf states that had been targeted in previous exchanges. The strike on Jordan marks the first time Tehran has directed fire at American positions outside the immediate Persian Gulf theater since the current round of fighting began. (Read More)

Explosions heard in Iran’s Bushehr, Mehr news reports (BUSHEHR)

Several explosions are heard in Iran’s The Times of Israel Explosions heard in Iran’s Bushehr, Mehr news reports1 hour ago ‌province, the semi-official Mehr news reports.

Bushehr ‌is where an Iranian nuclear power plant is located.  (Ed note: From the Times of Israel. This could get very serious.)  (Source)

NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN IN IRAN (BUSHEHR)

Missiles cloud Mideast skies over the Persian Gulf. Iran shuts down the Strait of Hormuz. Arab oil is choked off to world markets. Hezbollah and Hamas launch scores of missiles into Israel. Terror cells initiate cycles of violence in America. Global economies begin to collapse. Radioactivity permeates the skies over Bushehr’s nuclear reactor. Countless Iranian’s hastily seek refuge into neighboring nations. The Arabian Gulf becomes a cesspool of contamination. Desalinization plants can’t process the polluted waters. A humanitarian crisis burgeons out of control. A disaster of epic biblical proportion has finally arrived in the Middle East!

About 2600 years ago the Hebrew prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel issued parallel end times prophecies concerning modern-day Iran. Today the rogue country is becoming a nuclear nation and aggressively advancing its hegemony throughout the greater Middle East. Nuclear Showdown in Iran, The Ancient Prophecy of Elam is a non-fiction thriller taking the reader on a journey of discovery through the eyes of the prophets and the minds of today’s key national players.Can anything good come from the evil that is about to befall us? The ancient prophecy of Elam will reveal whatGod has ordained, what the prophets saw and what you need to know and do now. (CLICK HERE)

Iran threatens strikes on US bases across Gulf after fresh American attacks

Iranian state-linked media warned of imminent, massive missile and drone strikes on US Gulf bases following fresh American retaliatory attacks against Iran for targeting commercial shipping in the Hormuz Strait. Iranian state-linked media on Wednesday (July 8) warned that Tehran could launch strikes on US military bases across the Gulf following the latest American attacks on Iran, signalling a further escalation in tensions between the two countries. Nour News, an outlet linked to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, cited an unnamed military source as saying Iran was preparing a “massive attack” on US bases in the region Also read: ‘It will get much worse’: Trump threatens stronger US bombing if Iran attacks ships again.

However, there has been no official confirmation that any missiles or drones have been launched. According to the military source quoted by Iranian state media, Tehran intends to target every US military base that launched or supported attacks on southern Iran using “heavy missiles and UAVs”. The source claimed the operation would begin “within minutes”. A separate military source told the Tehran Times that Iran’s response to what it described as US “aggression” would leave Washington with “deep regret”.

The warnings came after the United States launched fresh strikes on Iranian targets on Wednesday, following US President Donald Trump’s threat to retaliate against Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the operation was aimed at reducing Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway, a key route for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Also read: ‘Italy will not join military action against Iran’: Meloni reaffirms ‘very clear line’ on Tehran conflict. “The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X.

The latest exchange follows the collapse of efforts to preserve a ceasefire between the two sides. Earlier, Trump said the ceasefire agreement with Iran was no longer in effect after Tehran allegedly targeted ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking at a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump warned that the US would respond forcefully, saying, “We’re gonna hit ’em hard tonight.” He later expressed confidence that the latest flare-up would end quickly. There has been no independent verification of Iran’s reported threat to strike US bases, and no attacks had been confirmed at the time of writing. (Source)

Kuwait says it’s working to intercept ‘hostile missile and drone attacks’

Kuwait’s air defenses are intercepting “hostile missile and drone attacks,” its military says.

“The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks,” the Kuwait military says in a post on X, without specifying their origin. (Ed note: Wait a minute. What did Kuwait ever do to Iran?)    (Source)

Trump Says He Will Remove Syria from State Sponsors of Terrorism List

After meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he intends to remove Syria from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. "I think I will. Why wouldn’t I? He’s done a great job,” Trump responded when reporters asked if Syria could be stricken from the list. Trump said Syria has become “very stable” under Sharaa’s leadership and “we’re proud of that.”

Trump also suggested Syria “could help with Hezbollah,” the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group that has attacked Israel from both Lebanese and Syrian soil. President Trump has spoken highly of Sharaa since their first meeting at the White House in November 2025, despite the Syrian leader’s history as a member of al-Qaeda and his time in prison after being captured by U.S. forces in Iraq. Trump described Sharaa as a “young, attractive guy” and a “tough guy” with a “very strong past” after that meeting.

Sharaa led an alliance of insurgents and jihadis to overthrow Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in December 2024, bringing a surprise end to the long and brutal Syrian civil war. Sharaa has shown interest in mending fences with the United States and European nations and his government is not overly fond of Assad’s former patrons, Russia and Iran. Trump lifted what sanctions he could from Syria by executive order in June 2025, and a few months later Congress permanently repealed sanctions that were imposed against the Assad regime. The repeal was unconditional, but Congress included a requirement for periodic reports on counter-terrorism and human rights progress under Sharaa’s government.

The Treasury Department removed Syria from its list of “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” in November 2025, at the same time the United Nations removed Syria from its own sanctions list. As of Wednesday, Syria remains on the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) list, a much more exclusive document that currently names only three other nations: Cuba, North Korea, and Iran. Syria was one of the first countries added to the list in 1979 because it provided material and political support to Palestinian terrorist groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, plus Hezbollah in Lebanon. The bloody hand of Bashar Assad’s predecessor and father, Hafez Assad, was seen in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.   (Ed note: Anyone else get the feeling that the fox is being allowed to get near the hen house? Aways keep one eye on the state of Syria.)      (Read More)

Trump Says Iran Ceasefire Is Over "What's Coming?"

________________________________________ This part three episode covers the prophetic importance of current nuclear related events taking place in Iran. Between NOW and FOREVER there are hundreds of world changing biblical predictions destined to find fulfillment! These are aptly entitled, the HERE to ETERNITY prophecies. These foretellings are revealed in the NOW, NEXT, LAST, FINAL and MILLENNIUM Prophecies books and DVDs by Dr. Bill Salus. A compilation of messages taken directly from these five DVDs will be posted in sequential segments on this YouTube channel for you to freely learn from and share with others. This HERE to ETERNITY series was produced between 2018-2021, so please keep in mind that you will see references to dates, events and people over those past years.

BREAKING: U.S. Unleashes Massive Strikes on Iran in Retaliation For Drone Attacks

United States Central Command forces have initiated a massive, powerful bombardment against the Iranian coast, aiming to impose heavy consequences after the regime targeted international merchant vessels. The United States military has initiated a massive kinetic campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran, launching a series of powerful air and missile strikes along the strategic coastline of the Persian Gulf. United States Central Command formalized the operational deployment through an immediate public broadcast, confirming that heavy defensive assets have engaged multiple targets on the terrain. The major military intervention comes as a direct response to a succession of hostile maritime operations carried out by Iranian forces against commercial shipping networks within international waterways.

Local infrastructure along the southern coastal border has suffered substantial damage as the multi axis operation continues to unfold across the strategic maritime theater. Iranian state television networks confirmed that loud, echoing detonations have severely shaken regional transportation hubs, specifically noting multiple blast impacts near the vital harbor city of Sirik, which sits immediately adjacent to the narrow Strait of Hormuz. Additional intelligence logs indicate that a minimum of ten distinct target coordinates have been neutralized by Western assets since the deployment commenced.

The tactical bombardment has focused heavily on strategic naval island outposts situated inside the high traffic shipping lanes. Independent monitoring agencies inside the country reported that at least six powerful, consecutive explosions completely rocked Qeshm Island, an area known to house significant tactical assets for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The rapid accumulation of precision hits suggests a highly coordinated attempt by Western defense planners to neutralize coastal tracking infrastructure, radar arrays, and drone launching installations.

Pentagon officials released formal communications detailing the underlying strategic mandate driving the sudden deployment of force. "U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway", the official military statement clarified. The defense leadership emphasized that the aggressive operations conducted by Tehran were entirely unjustified, hazardous, and constituted a flagrant violation of existing ceasefire frameworks. (Read more)

US strikes southern Iran in response to Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz

A US official told Reuters that the strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and drone launch sites.

Explosions were heard in southern Iran, in Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik, according to reports from Iranian state media, Press TV on Wednesday morning. US forces have begun launching "a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway," CENTCOM reported.  The semi-official Fars News Agency reported 10 explosions in Sirik and four in Mesen, on Qeshm Island early on Wednesday morning. 

A US official told Reuters that the strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and drone launch sites. The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned a US treasury move to revoke the temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales, saying that Iran "holds the United States responsible for violating the memorandum of understanding, and will take any measures we deem necessary to safeguard our interests and national security."

Iran's foreign ministry added that "The US has repeatedly violated the terms of the memorandum of understanding over the past 20 days, either directly or through the actions of the Zionist entity against Lebanon." (Source)

Trump says he doesn't want to 'waste his time' negotiating with Iran after overnight strikes

"When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he felt that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iran was nullified following overnight strikes between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. "To me, I think it's over," he said at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in comments to the press. Trump also stated he felt the US had "wasted a lot of time" negotiating with Iran, and he did not wish to continue talks. "I don't want to deal with them [Iran] anymore. They're scum. They're sick people." "I'm with you [on Iran]," responded NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Earlier, Rutte had insisted the US strikes were "absolutely necessary," noting that Iran had violated the ceasefire, which was signed three weeks ago. "When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," Rutte told reporters. On Tuesday night, US forces began "a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway," according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).

In response, Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) confirmed it targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to the US strikes in southern Iran that targeted air defense systems, coastal surveillance, and missile and drone launch sites. When asked about the strikes, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten stressed the importance of showing Iran that breaches of the "fragile" ceasefire in the Middle East will not be accepted. "At the same time, you must apply maximum diplomatic pressure to make sure talks continue, and a solution is reached," he said. (Read More)

Trump says Iran memorandum is over, calls Tehran leaders 'scums'

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday a memorandum of understanding with Iran aimed at ending the conflict was over, describing Iran's leaders as "liars and scums" and saying he no longer wanted to negotiate with them. "As far as I'm concerned, it's over," Trump told reporters in Ankara before a NATO summit. "I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum... they're sick people, they're led by sick people, and they're vicious, violent people." Trump said he would allow US negotiators to continue talks if they wished but signaled he no longer believed diplomacy would succeed.

"They want to negotiate. They're good people... but they have to come back to me," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them, they're liars." Last month, Washington and Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding setting out a framework to end the conflict, including steps toward a ceasefire and renewed talks over Iran's nuclear program.

Trump defends overnight strikes

Trump defended US strikes carried out overnight, saying they came after Iran launched missiles at ships a day earlier. "We hit them very hard last night, very hard," he said. "I told them every time you hit, we hit." He said Iran targeted commercial shipping after Washington had allowed time for funeral ceremonies for supreme leader Ali Khamenei following earlier fighting. "We said, 'Go and do your funeral stuff,' and instead of that they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday."

'We're going to denuke it'

Trump repeated that Iran could never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. "They can't have a nuclear weapon," he said. "We're going to denuke it. We're not going to let them." He said Iran killed US troops through proxy attacks and blamed former Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani for supplying roadside bombs that killed American soldiers."They've killed thousands and thousands of our soldiers," Trump said. "They've killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people." Trump also said Iran had sought to kill him. "I saw things this morning. I'm on every single one of their lists," he said. "So far I guess I've been lucky." He described Iran's leaders as "evil, sick people" and compared the country to "cancer." "You've got to cut out cancer early."

'They killed 54,000 people'

Trump also said Iran's authorities killed thousands of protesters during anti-establishment demonstrations. "They killed 54,000 people as of now that were protesting," he said. "When people say, 'How come they haven't taken over?' They can't take over because they're dead." He also added that Iran repeatedly breaks agreements. "We make a deal... everyone's agreed, no nuclear weapon... they go outside, talk to the press, they say we never even talked about it," Trump said. "There's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo."    (Read More)

The Ankara Alignment: Trump Blasts European Allies While Declaring Eternal Friendship With Erdogan

President Donald Trump has escalated tensions within NATO by launching a fierce verbal assault against European powers during a bilateral meeting in Ankara, while lavishing praise on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A major diplomatic shift has occurred on the sidelines of the international NATO summit following a highly publicized bilateral meeting in Ankara between the United States and Turkey. President Donald Trump opened his formal visit by conducting a private assembly with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, using the platform to voice intense dissatisfaction with traditional Western partners. The American leader made it clear that his presence at the global security summit was entirely a result of his close personal ties with the Turkish head of state.

The rhetorical broadside began when Donald Trump criticized European member states for failing to contribute equitably to global defense burdens. Trump asserted that Western powers have mistreated American goodwill despite Washington investing trillions of dollars into the alliance to shield Europe from Russian aggression. "I was very disappointed with NATO, and if the summit were not held in Turkey, where my friend is a leader, I might not have come", Trump declared to the assembled press.

The American president went further by questioning the strategic utility of maintaining defensive forces on the European continent while major regional wars loom. Trump revealed deep skepticism regarding whether European capitals would provide concrete assistance during geopolitical standoffs with Tehran. "The UK Prime Minister said he would help us when we finish in Iran, I'm not sure they will be there for us, Italy, Germany, France disappointed us, that's okay, why should we be there for them if they are not there for us?", Trump questioned.

In stark contrast to his remarks about Europe, Trump poured immense praise onto his Turkish counterpart, highlighting a unique geopolitical bond between the two administrations. "We are good friends, we have good chemistry and we have a good relationship", the American leader noted. Trump turned directly to the Turkish president during the joint appearance, telling him, "you are a great leader, you are respected all over the world, we have a special relationship, Turkey has become a very powerful country militarily, I have a lot of respect for the president, we will talk today about trade and about many things that concern Israel, including Iran". (Read More)

NATO summit, Trump’s support for F-35s sale, boost Turkey’s standing, as slumping Israel sees clout erode

Ankara and Jerusalem are again trading barbs, but Netanyahu hasn’t dented US president’s desire to sell Erdogan advanced fighter jets, as Turkey consolidates its position with the West despite increased anti-Israel rhetoric.

As US President Donald Trump visits Ankara for the annual NATO summit, Israel is doing what it can to convince the White House not to provide Turkey with advanced military hardware that would drastically improve its air force. During a Friday phone call, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly urged Trump not to sell Turkey fighter jet engines or allow Ankara back into the F-35 program. In a Monday interview with Fox News, Netanyahu called Turkey “a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood, an extreme movement that hates America and chants ‘Death to America.’”

“I don’t think they should be given F-35s or engines for their fighter jets,” he declared. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has also joined the rhetorical campaign, accusing his Turkish counterpart of incitement to genocide after he called Israel a “burden that humanity can no longer bear” and said it was a “problem” for the world. Israeli leaders’ statements aren’t a backhanded attempt to undermine another regional power. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indeed positioned himself as a leading critic of Israel, and his government openly backs and hosts Hamas.

Yet despite Erdogan’s dismantling of Turkish democracy, extreme anti-Israel rhetoric, and support for a terrorist group, Jerusalem is unlikely to succeed in driving a wedge between Washington and Ankara. Hosting world leaders for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization confab, Turkey is consolidating its position in the region and beyond, while Israel is trending in the opposite direction. “It’s symbolic, but it also says something about the status of Turkey,” said Nimrod Goren, president of Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies.

And, indeed, at a joint press appearance with Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday, Trump said “we would consider” selling F-35s to Turkey, and noted “we have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal, than other countries.” For much of the decade after the Arab Spring protests erupted in 2011, Turkey pursued an aggressive policy in the eastern Mediterranean that antagonized regional powers and pushed its rivals to ally with one another.

Erdogan backed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt after the group was ousted from power in Cairo in 2013. The rivalry between the two Sunni Muslim powers metastasized into other areas and split the Middle East, with Turkey and Qatar leading a pro-Islamist faction, and Egypt siding with Saudi Arabia and the UAE in a pro-Western camp. (Read more)

Why The US Stores Nuclear Bombs In Turkey

A look at why dozens of American B61 nuclear bombs remain stored at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, from Cold War origins to today's security concerns.

Reports that dozens of American B61 nuclear bombs remain stored at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey have resurfaced questions about why the arrangement persists, and what it means for regional security as tensions in the Middle East continue to shift. The bombs at Incirlik are part of a broader NATO arrangement, not a Turkey specific stockpile. Roughly 150 B61 tactical nuclear bombs are spread across six bases in Europe, including sites in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, with Incirlik holding an estimated 20 to 50 of them, according to assessments from the Federation of American Scientists and independent nuclear analysts. The exact number has never been officially confirmed by Washington.

The origins of the arrangement trace back to the early Cold War. Turkey shares a border with the former Soviet Union and sits at the most exposed southeastern edge of NATO territory, which made it a strategically valuable location for forward deployed American nuclear capability. Incirlik itself was built starting in 1951 and became a central node in NATO's nuclear posture through the following decades. Turkey was also at the center of an earlier and even more consequential nuclear episode, when the 1961 stationing of American Jupiter missiles there helped trigger the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, with those missiles ultimately withdrawn as part of the deal that resolved the standoff.

After the Cold War ended, Washington scaled back significantly, pulling nuclear weapons from several other Turkish bases through the 1990s and consolidating everything at Incirlik by 1995. What remained became part of NATO's nuclear sharing policy, under which a handful of non nuclear alliance members host American weapons and, in theory, could help deliver them in a crisis using their own aircraft. The idea was to spread nuclear responsibility and deterrence credibility across the alliance rather than concentrating it solely with the US, Britain and France.

Much of what has kept the weapons there since is inertia as much as strategy. Removing a nuclear stockpile from an ally is itself a political statement, one that effectively signals a loss of trust, and no administration has wanted to be the one to make that statement, even as Turkey's reliability as a partner has become far more complicated. Erdogan's government has grown more authoritarian, clashed with Washington over Syria and the Kurds, and at times moved closer to Moscow, all while Incirlik sits within range of active conflict zones including Syria and, more recently, Iran. (Read More)

US launches ‘powerful’ strikes on Iran following attacks on ships in Strait of Hormuz

The US military has launched a series of strikes against Iran, US Central Command says in a post on X, adding that the strikes are in response to what it says were Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

According to CENTCOM, the “powerful strikes” are meant to “impose heavy costs” on Iran “for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

“Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” it adds.  (Source)

Negotiate or Face Annihilation: Trump Signals Quick Military Endgame if Iranian Leadership Rejects Accord

President Donald Trump has delivered a massive ultimatum to Iranian leadership directly from the Oval Office, warning that the United States will swiftly finish the job if diplomacy fails. United States President Donald Trump has dramatically escalated his rhetoric against the Iranian regime during an official press gathering at the White House. Speaking directly to reporters from the Oval Office, the president addressed the rapidly intensifying geopolitical tensions gripping the Middle East region. Trump laid out an uncompromising roadmap for future relations, presenting the leadership in Tehran with a strict choice between total diplomatic compliance or immediate, decisive military intervention

The president made it clear that the current administration sees only two viable paths remaining on the table to resolve the ongoing crisis. He emphasized that the United States is fully prepared to navigate either trajectory, depending entirely on the willingness of the Islamic Republic to cooperate with American terms. The administration intends to either forge an entirely new comprehensive diplomatic framework or initiate a short, highly intensive military campaign to neutralize the threat permanently.

"We will win one way or another", Trump confidently declared to the assembled journalists as he outlined the dual strategic options. He left no room for ambiguity regarding the potential use of American firepower if negotiations stall in the coming days. "Either we make a deal or we 'finish the work', and it will not be difficult to 'finish the work'", the president added, reinforcing his stance that a military solution would be swift and overwhelming.

Despite the explicit threat of military force, Trump indicated that his administration still holds a strong preference for a peaceful resolution over a devastating active war. He explained that his primary motivation for pursuing a negotiated settlement is rooted in a desire to shield the civilian population of Iran from catastrophic collateral damage. The president expressed a distinct reluctance to see the broader population suffer the consequences of their leadership's decisions. (Ed note: The Deal Maker needs to see things clearly: 1. The Iranian government doesn't care whether its 91 million people  live or die. The government thinks that THEY win if THEY live. The 91 million want that government dead. 2. Remember Trump's rhetoric about what he would do to Hamas? They still have not disarmed, Mr. President.)  (Read More)

Trump warns US can wipe out Iran's power grid in 'small part of an afternoon' if deal not reached

US President Donald Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday about the ongoing negotiations with Iran, at an event marking the launch of Trump Accounts, saying, "We're going to make a deal, or we're going to finish the job." The president said, "We freed up the blockade because we're close to maybe making a deal - I don't know, look - we're going to win one way or the other."   

He then went on to say, "It won't be tough to finish the job. I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people. We can knock down their bridges in one hour; we can knock out their energy supply, all of those big plants that they built - big, beautiful, modern plants; they had a lot of money. "They don't have any money now. We haven't given them any money, but we can knock out their electricity and power-generating plants, I would say in the small part of an afternoon. Every plant will be gone, and they know that."    

"Oil is now at a level that, I think it's even lower, on a barrel basis, than it was before we started. We’ve gotten concessions, and they have to hold those concessions, but there'll be no nuclear weapon. We’re going to be getting the, as I call it, dust; the enriched material," the president said. "I went in for one reason - very strongly - that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I'm not looking for regime change, although this is regime change. The first regime is gone, the second regime is gone, and I think the third regime is more reasonable, but we'll find out."   (Read More)

In Iran’s Zagros, villagers fight oak forest fires the state cannot contain

When flames appeared over the Zagros, local residents again climbed toward the fire with shovels, branches and bottles of water, exposing a recurring failure: Iran’s largest oak landscape is burning faster than the state can protect it. This time, Taghi Changalvaei was one of those who went. He entered the fire to help save Khayiz, a protected area in the southern Zagros near Behbahan, in Khuzestan province. He did not return. For Zagros communities, his death was familiar. For years, local residents and environmental volunteers have been losing friends and relatives to fires that return each summer across the mountains.

Iranian media have reported that since 2020, 27 people have died while trying to control fires in the Zagros. Most were not professional firefighters. They had no specialized training, no protective clothing and little more than improvised tools. They went because the forests were burning, and because in many parts of the Zagros, people know that if they do not move first, help may arrive too late.

A landscape primed to burn

The Zagros Mountains run for about 1,600 kilometers, from northwestern Iran toward the Persian Gulf. Their oak woodlands cover almost six million hectares, roughly 40 percent of Iran’s forest area, and support millions of rural livelihoods while helping regulate water and prevent soil erosion. The Persian oak defines this landscape, shaping village economies, water systems and grazing patterns. But the Zagros oak belt has been shrinking for decades under pressure from illegal logging, overgrazing, drought, climate change and poor management. Each summer, fire turns that decline into an emergency. That pattern was visible again in Khayiz, where a blaze that began on Badil Mountain burned for days through protected forests near Behbahan, exposing shortages of aerial firefighting capacity.

Experts say the fires have become larger, harder to contain and more closely tied to climate stress, fuel buildup and weak management. Winter and spring rains can cover the slopes with grasses and seasonal plants. By early summer, heat dries that vegetation into fuel load: the combustible layer that lets a spark, a cigarette butt, a campfire or an intentional blaze spread quickl One part of the debate concerns grazing. In the past, livestock consumed part of the seasonal vegetation that now dries out in the mountains. From around 2021, authorities pursued efforts to reduce grazing pressure more seriously to help forests and pastures recover from overuse. (Ed note: It is very important to note that the city of Behbahan in the Khuzestan province of Iran has a population of nearly 160,000 people. Behbahan is deeply connected to the ancient area of Elam. The region is historically intertwined with the ancient Elamite city of Arrajan.) (Read More)

Dust storm blankets central Iran as air quality worsens

A dust storm has affected large parts of central and eastern Iran this week, with air quality reaching hazardous levels in some areas, visibility falling and authorities closing roads in parts of the country on Thursday. Air quality monitors showed hazardous pollution levels in parts of Kerman, Yazd, Isfahan, Markazi, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces, according to Iranian media. The sustainable development news site Payam-e Ma reported that air quality index readings reached 500, the highest level on the scale, at several monitoring stations in Kerman province on Thursday morning.

The site said the extent of the dust storm showed it was a regional weather event rather than pollution from local urban or industrial sources. Experts told the outlet that simultaneous increases in airborne particles across several provinces on Iran's central plateau pointed to weather systems carrying dust across the region. Repeated droughts, shrinking vegetation cover, dry wetlands and expanding dust sources had increased the frequency and severity of such events, they said. "From this afternoon, the concentration of dust will gradually decrease," she told state media, adding that skies over the province would remain dusty on Friday, although conditions would improve.

Authorities across affected provinces urged residents to stay indoors where possible, wear masks and avoid unnecessary outdoor activity, particularly children, older people and those with heart or lung conditions. In Isfahan province, crisis management chief Mansour Shishehforoush said a dust mass with domestic origins had entered from Semnan province and northern parts of Isfahan. "This condition will continue until the end of Thursday," he told IRNA. He said authorities had ordered temporary restrictions on polluting industrial units and other measures to reduce health risks. (Ed note: Some of the above provinces are located within the ancient area once known as Elam. Isfahan is connected to ancient Elam. The region around Isfahan was directly linked to the Elamite Empire as a vassal district and vital highland territory.)   (Read More)

Parched Jordan fuming at Israeli refusal to renew expired water deal – report

Jordan is furious about Israel’s continued refusal to renew a 2021 water agreement between the two neighbors, the Kan public broadcaster reported Monday. The 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan mandates that Jerusalem supply 50 million cubic meters annually to its eastern neighbor. In 2021, during the Naftali Bennett-Yair Lapid government, Israel agreed to doublethe amount of fresh water it provides to Jordan, one of the world’s most water-deficient countries. The 2021 agreement expired in late 2025 after a series of extensions, though Israel still supplies the initial 50 million cubic meters laid out in the peace treaty. Israel reportedly conditioned the supply of the additional volume on Jordan moderating its rhetoric toward Israel and restoring full diplomatic ties.    

A Jordanian source close to the royal family told the outlet: “The water issue is very important to us, and is part of the peace treaty.” Jordan’s King Abdullah declined repeated requests from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet in March, according to Israeli media reports. One of Abdullah’s demands for agreeing to a meeting was the renewal of the water agreement, the report said.   

Energy Minister Eli Cohen had been renewing the additional agreement every six months, reportedly under pressure from the US and because Jordan helped shoot down Iranian drones fired at Israel, the Ynet news site reported. However, Jerusalem became reluctant to continue the process in the face of repeated criticism of Israel by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. The water issue is one of the topics that would be on the agenda of a possible trilateral energy summit that would be hosted by the United Arab Emirates, Ynet said.   

Israel is interested in the summit, which would be held in Abu Dhabi and attended by the Israeli, UAE, and Jordanian energy ministers, the outlet reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official.Israel has no obligation to provide the additional water but could do so if “there is goodwill between the two countries,” the official said. “Jordan needs the water, but when you help your neighbors, you expect warmer relations,” the official said. “If there is a meeting, everything will be on the table — normalization, water, and strengthening bilateral ties.”   (Read more)

A 'stab in the back': Israel's refusal to extend Jordanian water agreement may spark crisis

Jerusalem’s refusal to extend a water agreement with Amman until it changes its rhetoric on Israel will likely be interpreted by Amman as a “stab in the back” after the support Jordan gave to Israel during the Iran war, Dr. Ronen Yitzhak, an expert in Israeli-Jordanian relations from the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. The 1994 peace treaty signed by Amman and Jerusalem required Israel to supply Jordan with 50 million cubic meters of water annually, an amount doubled in a commitment made in 2021 which expired in 2025.   

After a series of extensions, Jerusalem conditioned the resumption of supply on Amman softening its rhetoric on Israel and on the thawing of relations, which grew increasingly hostile over the course of the Israel-Hamas war. Yitzhak said the disagreement “reflects the political crisis between the countries,” but added that the issue was not surprising given Amman’s “fear” of Israeli annexation of the West Bank and the potential imposition of sovereignty, including “changing the status quo on the Temple Mount.”   

Jordan is furious about Israel’s continued refusal to renew a 2021 water agreement between the two neighbors, the Kan public broadcaster reported Monday. The 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan mandates that Jerusalem supply 50 million cubic meters annually to its eastern neighbor. In 2021, during the Naftali Bennett-Yair Lapid government, Israel agreed to double the amount of fresh water it provides to Jordan, one of the world’s most water-deficient countries.    

Israel’s reported demands that Amman soften its statements on Jerusalem are being interpreted as “blackmail,” he continued. Should Amman now comply with Israel’s request, it will be seen as “selling support for Palestinians” in exchange for water, an exchange that would be heavily criticized in a country comprised of a population where upwards of 50% are estimated to be of Palestinian origin. (Ed note: Ammon runs his mouth at Israel, then expects the water. Remember, Ammon is northern Jordan in Psalm 83:7. Moab is central Jordan in Psalm 83:6.)  (Read More)

Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion at heart of Gaza smuggling operations

Following the lifting of a gag order, the involvement of the Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion in several cases involving the smuggling of goods into Gaza has been made public. According to a report by i24NEWS, eight soldiers from the battalion's chain of command have been charged in separate smuggling cases in which they allegedly earned tens of millions of shekels. It was reported Sunday night that authorities uncovered a large-scale smuggling operation through which goods worth hundreds of millions of shekels were transferred into Gaza. According to the report, the shipments included dual-use materials and steel ball bearings allegedly used by terrorist organizations to manufacture explosive devices.
One of the investigations reportedly centers on the nephew of the man expected to succeed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The report also claims that the son of a Gaza-based merchant served in the IDF and was involved in the operation. One truck allegedly carried around 20,000 steel ball bearings, while another transported goods valued at approximately 200 million shekels.

According to the report, the smugglers were aware that Hamas imposes a 20% tax on prohibited goods entering the Gaza Strip. The IDF said it views smuggling into Gaza with the utmost seriousness, particularly in cases involving active-duty or reserve soldiers. The military added that the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division, the Military Advocate General's Corps, and other security agencies will continue investigating the cases and work to bring those responsible to justice. 

Regarding the involvement of the Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion, the IDF said: "Following these incidents, significant lessons have been learned. Battalion 585 is undergoing an ongoing strengthening process that includes reinforcing command standards, deepening values-based leadership, and improving operational readiness at all levels."  (Ed note: The Bedouins are just the tip of the iceberg. Also included should be the PLO, elements of the Egyptian army. and criminal Istaelis.)    (Source)

Netanyahu rejects Vance’s claim Trump is Israel’s only friend, says ‘many’ seek ties

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back in an interview with Fox News on Sunday against US Vice President JD Vance’s recent claim that US President Donald Trump is Israel’s only ally, insisting that Jerusalem still has “many friends” around the world, while still highlighting its unique relationship with Washington. Netanyahu also took the opportunity to reiterate that he and Trump share the same goals when it comes to Iran, but stressed that even if Washington doesn’t reach a nuclear deal with Tehran, he will ensure that it never obtains a nuclear weapon so long as he is prime minister.

The premier was questioned during the interview about public disagreements between Washington and Jerusalem over the memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran to end the war that began on February 28. Israel was not a party to the agreement and is not involved in the resulting negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, but was nevertheless required by it to halt its fight against the Islamic Republic. Israeli officials have made their displeasure over the terms of the agreement known, and Netanyahu said last week that he would dispatch a delegation to Washington to discuss the MOU. Nevertheless, he insisted to Fox News that he and Trump “are set on the same goal.”   

“We want to see Iran give up its nuclear weapons program. We want to see the nuclear-enriched material removed. We want to see the enrichment sites for nuclear material dismantled. We have other common objectives,” he said. “President Trump believes that after the battering that the two of us — Israel and the United States — gave to Iran, he thinks that he can generate enough leeway, enough pressure, through the negotiations to get these goals achieved. And, you know, we respect that, and I hope he succeeds,” Netanyahu continued, before adding, “I can tell you this: Deal or no deal, as long as I’m prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.”    (Read More)

Iranian diplomat says regime will ‘definitely’ collect Hormuz fees, defying US

Iran’s ambassador to China insisted Saturday that new fees would be charged to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz — an idea strongly rejected by Washington — while adding that “friendly” nations could receive special treatment. The initial deal struck between Iran and the United States to end their war stipulated that commercial ships would transit the strait free of charge for 60 days, but it remains unclear what will be in place after that period. Iranian Ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told the World Peace Forum in Beijing that his country was working in “collaboration and cooperation” with Oman on “new arrangements” for the vital waterway.    

“As a country where the Hormuz is part of its territorial waters, we will definitely charge service fees,” Azli said in translated remarks, while insisting such fees would not be a “toll.” “These new arrangements will be concerning guaranteeing the security of passage through the Straits of Hormuz, supervision of the passage of the vessels… and also guaranteeing and dealing with the environmental consequences of the massive number of ships,” he said.     

“We will definitely consider special treatment for the countries that were friendly to us and specially stood by us during the hard times,” he added. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in contrast, has said any final deal will bar Iran from charging any sort of fee for passage in the waterway, casting the difference between service fees and tolls as mere semantics. The strait normally carries one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas, but it was all but closed by Iran during its war with the US and Israel, sending energy prices soaring.  (Read more)