English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 21/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
An hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God
John 16/01-04: “‘I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. ‘I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 20-21/2025
Ian’s threats to involve Hezbollah in its war with Israel confirm that it is merely a terrorist arm under its command./Elias Bejjani/June 20/2025
Lebanon’s Rulers, Political Class, Majority of the Senior Clergy, and Political Parties’ Owners Are of No Use/Elias Bejjani/June 18, 2025
The Imminent Fall of the Evil Mullah Regime: Israel Rescues the World from the Most Dangerous Regime Since Hitler/Elias Bejjani/June 18/2025
A Sovereign and Exceptional Interview with Retired General Halim Feghali From The DNA Youtube Platform
Israeli defense minister warns Hezbollah against joining conflict with Iran
Israel strikes Hibbariyeh and Abbasiyeh, killing at least one person
Report: Envoys tell Lebanon that Israel won't withdraw or halt attacks
Report: Barrack to return to Beirut in 3 weeks, says Trump keen on stability
Barrack to reportedly visit Jumblat and apologize for Ortagus' behavior
Lebanese officials say war decision in state's hand after Qassem's remarks
Berri 'certain', '200% sure' Hezbollah won't join Iran war
Geagea tells Hezbollah's Qassem only state 'can act as it sees fit'
Hezbollah supporters demonstrate in support of Iran
Israel killed and injured 500 children in Lebanon in 2024
Middle East on edge: Hezbollah holds fire for now as Iran warns it is not alone
Lebanon’s state media denies reports of multiple router explosions in Hermel
UN Peacekeeping Chief wraps Lebanon visit: Resolution 1701 implementation a critical condition for peace in the region
Palestinian Ambassador reaffirms support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, including over refugee camps
Joseph Aoun: Beirut Will Always Be the Pulse of Life
Blind to the Fallout: Naïm Qassem’s Defiance/Johnny Kortbawi/ This is Beirut/June 20/2025
Washington: If Hezbollah Enters War, There Will Be Consequences/Bassam Abou Zeid/This is Beirut/June 20/2025
Cabinet Moves Ahead with Kleiate Airport Plans as Political Dispute Erupts
Hezbollah’s Role in the Israel-Iran War Is to Await Iran’s Orders/David Daoud/FDD-Policy Brief/June 20/2025
Lebanese Authorities and the Challenge of Lethal Choices/Hanna Saleh./Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
Katz Warns Hezbollah Against Joining Conflict with Iran

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 20-21/2025
Video Link for an interview with Reza Pahlavi who says there's "no hope for a better future as Iranians" as long as the current regime is in place.
Video Link from DW Youtube platform with John Bolton
Video Link For An English Interview with Farah Pahlavi, Empress of Iran/"End this regime":
Trump says two weeks is ‘maximum’ for Iran decision
Israel-Iran war enters second week as talks take place between Europe and Tehran
Europeans’ meeting with top Iranian diplomat yields hope of more talks, no obvious breakthrough
Iran’s foreign minister holds talks with top European diplomats in Geneva
A week into their war, Israel and Iran launch new strikes even as diplomatic effort gets underway
Hundreds of US citizens left Iran in last week, State Dept cable says
New missile enters Israel-Iran conflict: What we know about Tehran's Sejil
Pro-Palestinian activists say they damaged planes on a UK air force base
More European countries begin evacuating citizens from Israel and Iran
Israel slams UN rights council for giving floor to Iran ahead of nuclear talks
Israel Warns of ‘Prolonged’ War Against Iran
Arab Foreign Ministers to Discuss Political Solutions to Iran-Israel Conflict in Istanbul
Russia says Middle East is plunging into 'abyss'
Russia says any use of tactical nuclear weapons by US in Iran would be catastrophic, TASS reports

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 20-21/2025
Vivian Bercovici: Iran could fall any day, and Carney could not be more irrelevant/Vivian Bercovici/National Post/June 19, 2025
What is uranium enrichment and how is it used for nuclear bombs? A scientist explains/Kaitlin Cook, Australian National University/The Conversation/June 20, 2025
How might Israel attack Iran’s underground nuclear plant? A 2024 raid in Syria could be a template/Clive Jones, Professor of Regional Security, Durham University/The Conversation/June 20, 2025
Arab and Gulf nations fear U.S. attack on Iran will destabilize the region/Nabih Bulos/Los Angeles Times./June 20, 2025
Under attack from Israel, Iran's supreme leader faces a stark choice/Lee Keath/The Associated Press/June 20, 2025
5 Oppressive Iranian Institutions Israel has Targeted/Janatan Sayeh/FDD-Insight/June 20/2025
Qatar’s money isn’t just dirty – its filthy ....Accusations of bribery against the Gulf state are only part of the problem – the Qataris are jihadi financiers/Jonathan Schanzer/The Jewish Chronicle/June 20/2025
Question: “What role does Iran play in the end times?”/GotQuestions.org/June 20/2025
Targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader is Madness/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
The Polish Arab Levant/Hazem Saghieh./Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
Iran and the Popular Uprising./Colonel Charbel Barakat/June 21/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 20-21/2025
Ian’s threats to involve Hezbollah in its war with Israel confirm that it is merely a terrorist arm under its command.
Elias Bejjani/June 20/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144400/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdCw97P8fYE
A recent statement by a senior Iranian official made one thing unmistakably clear: "If the United States enters the war, Hezbollah will join the battle and attack Israel".
"We note with sorrow and disappointment that not a single Lebanese official had the courage to respond to this blatant Iranian statement—an insult and humiliation to all of Lebanon’s leaders, foremost among them the Presidents of the Republic and the Council of Ministers. They swallowed their tongues and remained silent, like the Sphinx."
This declaration strips away every remaining illusion and reaffirms what many have long asserted—Hezbollah is not Lebanese, nor is it a “resistance” movement. It is a fully integrated military brigade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), created, trained, and funded to serve Tehran’s regional agenda.
From its very inception in 1982, Hezbollah has been nothing but an extension of Iran’s military apparatus. Its existence was never intended to defend Lebanon or liberate Palestine, as it falsely claims in its propaganda. Instead, it was established to serve as Iran’s frontline defense in case the Islamic Republic came under Israeli or American attack. The recent Iranian statement was not a mere opinion—it was an official order, a reminder that Hezbollah’s allegiance lies with Iran, not Lebanon.
The Myth of Resistance and the Reality of Subordination
Hezbollah’s slogans of “resistance” and “liberation” are nothing but deceitful rhetoric meant to cover its true mission: acting as a loyal servant to Iran’s expansionist ambitions. It has never had an independent Lebanese decision-making process. Every move, every war, every escalation has been carried out under direct orders from Tehran.
Let us not forget the main terrorist operations Hezbollah has carried out both in Lebanon and abroad at the behest of the Iranian regime:
The 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
The 1983 attack on the Multinational Force headquarters in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. Marines and 58 French soldiers.
The hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985.
The global terror operations in Argentina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and beyond.
Its 2006 war with Israel, launched without any Lebanese consensus, which devastated Lebanon and served Iranian interests.
Hezbollah's Betrayal of Lebanon’s Shiite Community
Far from being a protector of Lebanon’s Shiites, Hezbollah is their greatest enemy. It has taken the Shiite population hostage, using its youth as cannon fodder in Iran’s foreign wars—in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, and the West Bank. It silences dissent within its community, crushes opponents, and enforces a culture of fear and blind allegiance to the Iranian Supreme Leader.
Lebanon’s Shiites never chose Hezbollah. This militia was imposed on them by Iran, aided by a complicit Syrian regime, that was occupying Lebanon, and through internal coercion. A powerful example of this coercion was the Battle of Iqlim al-Tuffah in the late 1980s, where Hezbollah, backed militarily by both Iran and even—ironically—Israel, crushed the Amal Movement militarily. Later, Amal leader Nabih Berri was forced to submit to Iranian authority and align his movement with Hezbollah's project.
This dark chapter illustrates that Hezbollah’s rise was not organic, and certainly not democratic. It was the result of a deliberate Iranian occupation of Lebanon’s Shiite community—and by extension, the entire country.
A Cancer Eating Away at Lebanon
Hezbollah is not just a threat to Lebanese sovereignty—it is a cancer consuming the Lebanese state from within. Its grip over government institutions, its veto power in politics, and its arsenal of weapons all make it a state within a state—one that reports directly to Tehran.
Its continuous threats of civil war are hollow, born out of desperation. Hezbollah today is weaker than it wants the world to believe. But as long as it holds onto its weapons and remains above the law, Israel will be forced to finish the job if the Lebanese Army fails to disarm it.
The Only Solution: Removal—By Peace or by Force
Hezbollah’s continued presence poses an existential threat to Lebanon, not just to its sovereignty, but to its future. The only path forward is to dismantle this Iranian militia—whether through internal peaceful disarmament or, if necessary, through military confrontation. There is no other way.
If Lebanon’s leaders continue their shameful submission and cowardice in the face of Hezbollah’s tyranny, then Israel—or any other force—will eventually be compelled to neutralize this threat themselves.
The price of inaction is the continued occupation of Lebanon by a foreign proxy, and the endless suffering of its people.
In summary, Hezbollah is not a resistance movement, nor is it Lebanese. It is Iran’s foreign, armed, jihadist-terrorist proxy—a tool of war and destruction. Its removal is not a choice, but a national and moral obligation.

Lebanon’s Rulers, Political Class, Majority of the Senior Clergy, and Political Parties’ Owners Are of No Use
Elias Bejjani/June 18, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144365/
Unfortunately, Joseph Aoun is nothing more than a decorative vase and a dull portrait in Baabda Palace—he neither rules nor decides. As for our Bekerki patriarch, he’s absent-minded, estranged, and detached from his role, reduced to a mere false witness. Most of the senior clergy worship the Judas of our time. The bitter truth in the Land of the Cedars is that, to this very moment, Lebanon is actually totally ruled by Nabih Berri and Hezbollah. As for the miserable political parties and their corrupt, greedy owners, they are nothing but submissive Dhimmis—narcissistic, spineless, stripped of will and dignity. Truly, we are living in a time of collapse, misery, and a Judas-like betrayal era.

The Imminent Fall of the Evil Mullah Regime: Israel Rescues the World from the Most Dangerous Regime Since Hitler
Elias Bejjani/June 18/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144345/
After more than four decades of organized terrorism and ruthless brutality, Iran’s evil Mullahs' regime is now crumbling under the weight of decisive Israeli strikes and the clear, unwavering stance of U.S. President Donald Trump. This regime—one that has never known limits to its crimes—is living its final moments after spreading destruction wherever it reached,  hiding behind the Palestinian cause and the liberation of Jerusalem, and wearing a false sectarian religious mask that has nothing to do with either Islam or humanity.
Since 1979, the Mullahs of Iran have ignited proxy wars, assassinated leaders, dismantled governments, destroyed societies, and planted sectarian militias from Lebanon to Yemen, from Iraq to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. The threat posed by this regime has never been limited to Israel alone—it has endangered the Gulf and the entire Arab world.
President Donald Trump made yesterday his position crystal clear: “The Mullahs' regime must surrender unconditionally.”
We believe strongly that the time for diplomatic games is over. No more European appeasement. No more pointless negotiations. This is the moment of truth.
The Iranian regime cannot be reformed—it must be dismantled.
Credit for this historic turning point goes first and foremost to Israel, the only nation that never fell for the Mullahs’ lies. With precision and boldness, Israel has taken out top commanders, destroyed defense systems, disabled nuclear reactors, and completely dominated Iranian airspace—striking whatever and wherever it chooses, while Iran stands powerless, unable to respond. The balance of power is 100% in Israel’s favor.
Unlike many Arab and European nations, Israel never fell for Iran’s deceptive slogans of “resistance,” “liberation,” or praying in Jerusalem. Nor did it believe the genocidal threats of throwing Jews into the sea. From the beginning, Israel saw the truth: a sectarian, hypocritical, bloodthirsty, expansionist regime driven by delusional historical fantasies. Israel built its strategy on confrontation, not compromise. Today, the whole world is reaping the rewards of that clarity and resilience.
One of the most dangerous legacies of Iran’s regime is the ideology of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist), which recognizes neither nations nor borders. It is a dangerous belief system that commands blind loyalty from every Shiite individual—placing allegiance to the Supreme Leader in Tehran above loyalty to their own country and community.
This twisted ideology has destroyed the fabric of national Shiite communities, dragging them into betrayal and subservience. Lebanon is the clearest example, where Hezbollah became the living embodiment of this satanic deviation—holding the Lebanese Shiite community hostage, occupying the state, hijacking its institutions, and dragging the peaceful nation of Lebanon into endless wars and total submission through so-called “divine resistance” and “religious duty.”
The free world—especially the Arab world—owes a great debt to Israel. It never compromised, never hesitated, and never got fooled. Instead, Israel planned, waited, struck, and saved the region from what would have been a nuclear, sectarian nightmare that could have engulfed the Middle East and terrified the world.
Israel’s role in destroying this terrorist regime must be recorded in history not only as an act of self-defense but as a bold initiative on behalf of all humanity. Without Israel’s courage and clarity, this region would already be enslaved by a regime armed with nuclear weapons and a doctrine of death.
The End of the Mullahs: A Victory for All Humanity in general and to the oppressed Iranian people in particular.

A Sovereign and Exceptional Interview with Retired General Halim Feghali From The DNA Youtube Platform
Transcription, text, and wording by Elias Bejjani with absolute freedom
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144418/
Elias Bejjani: General Feghali is A Genuine  Patriotic Lebanese Voice
General Fghali is a rare example of a truly sovereign, independent, and courageous Lebanese military man—honest in word and steadfast in deed. He is no mouthpiece, no Trojan horse, unlike many of the emasculated retired Lebanese Army officers who have rented their voices and loyalties to the Mullahs’ regime and its satanic proxy, Hezbollah.
June 20/2025
In a powerful and exceptionally sovereign video interview published on the "DNA" Youtube Platform, retired General Halim Fghali lays out, with clarity and courage, what Lebanon’s army, government, and ruling class should have done—but failed to do—after Israel struck Hezbollah and decisively defeated it.
General Fghali explains that this failure stems from a long-standing pattern of cowardice, hesitation, delusions of cleverness, and the chronic inability to seize opportunities. He highlights the shocking reality that, even after Hezbollah’s leaders were killed and its false narrative of “resistance” collapsed, the Lebanese army has not taken control of a single building previously held by the terrorist, Iranian-backed group.
The Lebanese State Must Act—Politically or Militarily
General Fghali affirms that Lebanon must rid itself of Hezbollah and its armed occupation. This must begin with firm political action—and if that fails, then through military means. Otherwise, what is the point of maintaining an army that hasn’t yet reclaimed a single site or building still under Hezbollah's grip?
Six months after its formation, the Lebanese government is still procrastinating and has not even set a timetable for the disarmament of Hezbollah. A painful reminder: Lebanon has squandered three opportunities for true independence in just 70 years. As the proverb says, “What the hands do not toil for, the hearts do not grieve over.”
No Hope in a Government That Empowered Hezbollah
There can be no hope in a government that handed the Ministry of Finance to Hezbollah and Amal Movement, enabling them to block any cabinet decision. This is not a government of confrontation, and that’s why it remains paralyzed.
The so-called “containment” of Hezbollah is a constitutional violation. This heretical idea that the government is "containing" Hezbollah contradicts both the law and the spirit of the Lebanese Constitution.
If Hezbollah Enters the War, It Will Be Its End
If Hezbollah decides to join Iran’s regional war efforts, its move will be suicidal and will spell the end of whatever remains of the organization. Those Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon are not martyrs of Lebanon—they are martyrs of Iran. They were never mandated by the Lebanese state to fight any wars. They served Iranian interests, fought Iranian battles, and died as soldiers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Hezbollah Didn’t Liberate South Lebanon—Israel Withdrew on Its Own
Let us be clear: Hezbollah did not liberate South Lebanon. Israel withdrew in 2000 for internal reasons—completely unrelated to Hezbollah's actions. In fact, Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah were among the most vocal opponents of Israel’s withdrawal at the time. Enough lies. Enough false bravado.
Nothing Has Changed Since Hezbollah’s Defeat
Despite Hezbollah’s military and moral collapse, Lebanon’s political and security institutions remain trapped in the same failed approach that existed before its defeat. No change. No reckoning. No courage.
Israel Will Not Stop Its Wars Until the Threat Is Eliminated
Israel’s military campaigns in Iran and across the region will not cease until every threat to its national security is eradicated—and at the top of that list is Hezbollah. Every terrorist organization will be dismantled. That process is underway.

Israeli defense minister warns Hezbollah against joining conflict with Iran
Reuters/June 20, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon’s Hezbollah to exercise caution on Friday, saying Israel’s patience with “terrorists” who threaten it had worn thin. The head of Iran-backed Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, said on Thursday that the Lebanese group would act as it saw fit in the face of what he called “brutal Israeli-American aggression” against Iran. In other statements, the group has made no explicit pledge to join the fighting and a Hezbollah official told Reuters last week that the group did not intend to initiate attacks against Israel.

Israel strikes Hibbariyeh and Abbasiyeh, killing at least one person
Naharnet/June 20/2025
A drone strike targeted a car on the outskirts of the southern town of al-Hibbariyeh hours after another strike targeted a car in al-Abbasiyeh. Israeli soldiers also entered the southern border towns of Mais al-Jabal and Houla and detonated houses in the towns.
Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite a November ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of full-blown war.The ceasefire requires Israel to fully withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in five positions it deems "strategic".

Report: Envoys tell Lebanon that Israel won't withdraw or halt attacks
Naharnet/June 20/2025
International envoys who traveled to Beirut and Tel Aviv have told Lebanon that “Israel does not intend to make any step as to halting its aggression” against Lebanon, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday. “Nothing indicates that it intends to withdraw from the five points or to stop its attacks across Lebanon,” the daily quoted the envoys as saying. It added that the ceasefire committee may convene next week after Italian general Diodato Abagnara assumes his mission as UNIFIL’s new commander on June 24.

Report: Barrack to return to Beirut in 3 weeks, says Trump keen on stability
Naharnet/June 20/2025
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack promised President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam to carry answers regarding their concerns when he returns to Lebanon after three weeks, a Lebanese official source told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
“Contrary to what was circulated prior to his arrival, the U.S. envoy did not carry warnings related to Hezbollah’s arms, although he asked during the meetings about the delay in addressing the matter,” the daily added. He also told Lebanese leaders that U.S. President Donald Trump “wants to stabilize the region and wants to know Lebanon’s viewpoint as to achieving this goal,” Asharq al-Awsat said. “Barrack said that Trump is keen on stability in Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey and would exert efforts to achieve this objective,” the sources added.

Barrack to reportedly visit Jumblat and apologize for Ortagus' behavior
Naharnet/June 20/2025
U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack will visit former PSP leader Walid Jumblat after the latter was insulted by former U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus. "Crack is whack, Walid," Ortagus wrote on the X platform after Jumblat described her conditions as "unrealistic."A report, published Friday on al-Jadeed, said that Barrack will apologize for Ortagus' behavior.Barrack visited Lebanon on Thursday and warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war between Iran and Israel. Barrack is of Lebanese origins and is also the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. He has said that he will temporarily replace Morgan Ortagus as Washington's special envoy to Lebanon. During his first official visit to Lebanon on Thursday he met with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

Lebanese officials say war decision in state's hand after Qassem's remarks
Naharnet/June 20/2025
The decisions of war and peace in Lebanon “belong only to the state,” official Lebanese sources stressed Friday, after Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said Hezbollah is “not neutral” in the war between Israel and Iran and would act as it sees fit.
“Lebanon is against being dragged into the war between Iran and Israel,” the sources told Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel. Qassem’s remarks came after U.S. envoy Tom Barrack warned that Hezbollah’s involvement in the war would be a “very bad decision” and after Speaker Nabih Berri said that "Lebanon will '200%' not enter the war because it … would pay the price and because Iran does not need us."

Berri 'certain', '200% sure' Hezbollah won't join Iran war
Naharnet/June 20/2025
Hezbollah will certainly not join the Israel-Iran war, the group's ally Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly told his visitors.Berri's visitors told al-Jadeed, in remarks published Friday, that the speaker is "certain" that Lebanon will not join the war.
On Thursday, Berri said Lebanon will "200 percent" not enter the war. "It has no interest in that and would pay the price if it did," he said, adding that Iran "does not need us."
A Lebanese government source also told al-Jadeed Thursday that Hezbollah will not join the fray after an Iranian official told al-Jazeera that Hezbollah would act if the United States intervened to back up its ally Israel.
Hezbollah chief says group will 'act as we see fit'-
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Thursday that the group would "act as we see fit" in response to the ongoing war between Iran and Israel.
In a statement, Qassem said Hezbollah was "not neutral" in the conflict between the two regional superpowers, saying that the group would "act as we see fit in the face of this brutal Israeli-American aggression". Berri said Qassem’s remarks are only aimed at showing "solidarity" with Iran and certainly do not mean that Hezbollah will join the war. Earlier this week, Hezbollah political bureau member Mahmoud Qmati denied that Hezbollah would get involved and said that "Iran is strong enough and does not need military support from anyone".
Hezbollah has not fired a single rocket -
U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Thursday warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war between Iran and Israel, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the entire "Shiite axis" is not responding to Israeli attacks on Iran and that "Hezbollah has not fired a single rocket". Caroline Rose, a director at the Washington-based New Lines Institute think tank said that "Iran-backed proxies across the region — particularly Hezbollah— just do not have the capacity" to enter the fray. But Israel could still target them, she said.
Barrack vs Ortagus -
Berri, who met Barrack Thursday, said the meeting was "excellent" and lauded the Lebanese-American diplomat for his tact and savoir-faire, which could be a hint that U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus was not as tactful.
Berri had said after reports that Ortagus would be replaced that Israel's discontent about her replacement is "pleasing to the heart" and more than enough reason for him to be pleased by it. In her first visit to war-hit Lebanon in February, Ortagus voiced from the presidential palace in Baabda pro-Israel statements. "We are grateful to our ally Israel for defeating Hezbollah," Ortagus said. Al-Akhbar newspaper claimed that President Joseph Aoun later expressed to U.S. officials "his unease" over Ortagus' approach. The Presidency’s press office announced that "what Ortagus said from Baabda reflects her viewpoint and the Presidency is not concerned with it."Later on the X platform, Ortagus mocked Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem with a "Yawn" as she reposted some of his words and insulted former PSP leader Walid Jumblat. "Crack is whack, Walid," Ortagus wrote after Jumblat described her conditions as "unrealistic."Ortagus has said that the United States has set a "red line" that Hezbollah should not be a member of Lebanon's next government and demanded that Hezbollah be disarmed. Despite Ortagus' words, Hezbollah took part in Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government. Barrack is of Lebanese origins and is also the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. He has said that he will temporarily replace Ortagus as Washington's special envoy to Lebanon. During his first official visit to Lebanon on Thursday he met with Aoun, Salam and Berri. Ortagus on the other hand, an American diplomat, intelligence analyst, political advisor, naval officer, and former television commentator, has converted to Judaism and is a strong supporter of Israel.

Geagea tells Hezbollah's Qassem only state 'can act as it sees fit'
Naharnet/June 20/2025
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Friday that only the Lebanese state "can act as it sees fit" after Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the militant group would "act as we see fit" in response to the ongoing war between Iran and Israel."Sheikh Naim, you cannot act as you see fit. Only the Lebanese government can do that because it represents the majority of the Lebanese people," Geagea said, adding that it is "absolutely unacceptable" for anyone to allow themselves to act as they like."Lebanon is a country and a state," Geagea said. "This is absolutely unacceptable, otherwise Lebanon will turn into a chaotic place with no rules or laws." Qassem had said that the militant group would "act as we see fit" in response to the ongoing war between its main backer Iran and Israel. In a statement, Qassem said Hezbollah was "not neutral" in the conflict between the two regional superpowers, saying that the group would "act as we see fit in the face of this brutal Israeli-American aggression".This comes after the U.S. special envoy for Syria warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war. Geagea urged Qassem to propose his ideas through Hezbollah's ministers in the government. "Only there, such matters can be discussed," he said.

Hezbollah supporters demonstrate in support of Iran
Associated Press/June 20/2025
Hundreds of supporters of Hezbollah gathered in Beirut’s southern suburbs after Friday afternoon prayers to demonstrate in support of Tehran in the ongoing Israel-Iran war. Demonstrators carried the Iranian, Lebanese and Palestinian flags as well as that of Hezbollah, and chanted "death to America" and "death to Israel." Some also chanted pledges of allegiance to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is revered as religious authority by many Shiite Muslims. Hezbollah suffered severe losses in a war with Israel that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November and has so far remained on the sidelines the Iran-Israel war.
Thousands demonstrate in Iraq -
Thousands of supporters of the influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr also took to the streets on Friday in Sadr City, on the outskirts of Baghdad, in response to a call by al-Sadr to show support for Iran in its conflict with Israel.
The demonstration began after Friday prayers with protesters wearing white burial shrouds in a symbolic gesture of readiness to sacrifice. Some burned Israeli and U.S. flags. The protest comes during escalating regional tensions. Iran-backed Iraqi militias have so far largely stayed out of the fray in the Israel-Iran war but have threatened to attack U.S. forces and interests in Iraq and the region if Washington launches direct attacks on Iran.

Israel killed and injured 500 children in Lebanon in 2024
Agence France Presse/June 20/2025
From Gaza and Lebanon to the Democratic Republic of Congo, violence against children in conflict zones reached "unprecedented levels" in 2024, a United Nations annual report said Thursday. The report calls out Israel's military operations in Lebanon, where more than 500 children were killed or injured last year. "In 2024, violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels, with a staggering 25 percent surge in the number of grave violations in comparison with 2023," according to the report from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The report verified 41,370 grave violations against children in 2024 -- including 36,221 committed in 2024 and 5,149 committed previously but confirmed in 2024 -- the highest number since the monitoring tool was established nearly 30 years ago. The new high beats 2023, another record year, which itself represented a 21 percent increase over the preceding year. With more than 4,500 killed and 7,000 injured, children continue to bear "the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks," the report said. There was also a marked increase in the number of child victims of multiple violations to 22,495. "The cries of 22,495 innocent children who should be learning to read or play ball -- but instead have been forced to learn how to survive gunfire and bombings -- should keep all of us awake at night," said Virginia Gamba, special representative of the U.N. secretary-general for children and armed conflict. "This must serve as a wake-up call. We are at the point of no return." The Israeli armed forces, which were named last year along with Palestinian Hamas, remain on the "list of shame" calling out those responsible for the violations. The Palestinian territories occupy the top spot in the dismal rankings, with more than 8,500 serious violations, the vast majority attributed to Israeli forces, including more than 4,800 in the Gaza Strip. This figure includes confirmation of 1,259 Palestinian children killed in Gaza, and the U.N. notes it is currently verifying information on an additional 4,470 children killed in 2024 in the war-torn territory. Also listed again is the Russian army for its actions in Ukraine, where the report records a 105 percent increase in serious violations between 2023 and 2024.

Middle East on edge: Hezbollah holds fire for now as Iran warns it is not alone
LBCI/June 20/2025
Tensions in the Middle East are escalating rapidly, with the region inching closer to a broader conflict amid the deepening confrontation between Iran and Israel. As threats of American intervention loom, concerns are mounting that Tehran's allies could soon join the battlefield. Secretary of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, Mohsen Rezaee, underscored in a statement that Iran has so far used only a fraction of its capabilities. He said, "We've used just 30% of our power. We haven't activated our land or naval forces, our oil leverage, the Strait of Hormuz, or our friends in the countries surrounding the occupied territories—though they've expressed willingness to help."That willingness has started to manifest in clear warnings from Iran-aligned groups across the region. Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah faction has threatened to target American bases and interests in the event of U.S. involvement, vowing also to shut down the vital Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab straits. In Yemen, the Houthis—who previously fired missiles toward Israel in support of Iran—reportedly told Reuters they would strike American interests if Washington entered the fray. In Lebanon, Hezbollah has not declared a definitive stance on entering the war. Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem stated that the group is "not neutral" and will act as it deems necessary. However, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri adopted a more decisive tone, insisting Lebanon will not participate in the war "200%," saying the country has no interest in joining the conflict and that Iran does not need its support. He emphasized that the real threat stems from Israel, which he accused of seeking to expand the scope of the battle.According to sources close to Berri, Qassem's comments were seen as a politically symbolic gesture of solidarity rather than a military commitment. For its part, Israel continues to issue stern warnings. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz criticized Hezbollah's Naim Qassem, accusing him of failing to learn from the past and threatening severe retaliation. "Israel's patience has run out with those who threaten us," Katz declared. Meanwhile, U.S. envoy to Lebanon Tom Barrack warned that Hezbollah joining the war would be "a terrible decision."

Lebanon’s state media denies reports of multiple router explosions in Hermel
LBCI/June 20/2025
Lebanon’s National News Agency dismissed reports of multiple internet routers exploding in homes across Hermel, calling them inaccurate. The agency clarified that a single router caught fire due to an electrical short circuit in one home. No injuries or damage were reported.

UN Peacekeeping Chief wraps Lebanon visit: Resolution 1701 implementation a critical condition for peace in the region
LBCI/June 20/2025
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, concluded his visit to Lebanon as part of a broader regional tour.  During his stay, Lacroix held high-level meetings with senior Lebanese officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and the leadership of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), marking his final official engagement with Major General Aroldo Lázaro, the Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL, whose mandate is also ending. According to a UNIFIL statement, Lacroix visited several areas near the Blue Line in South Lebanon, which have been among the most affected by recent clashes. He also toured UNIFIL's maritime area of operations off the coast of Naqoura aboard a vessel from the U.N. peacekeeping mission's naval unit. Throughout his visit, Lacroix reiterated UNIFIL's pivotal role in maintaining stability in South Lebanon and underscored the mission's essential support in implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. He emphasized the fragile nature of the current relative calm along the Blue Line and the importance of safeguarding and strengthening it amid growing regional instability.In his discussions with Lebanese officials, Lacroix reaffirmed the joint efforts of UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces in upholding the cessation of hostilities and advancing the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. "In all my visits, I have stressed the importance of sustained political backing for the implementation of Resolution 1701 as a critical condition for peace and security in the region," Lacroix said. He also reaffirmed the mission's commitment to supporting local communities, assisting the parties in implementing the resolution, and continuing close coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces as they redeploy across the south. He expressed deep appreciation for the work of U.N. peacekeepers operating under increasingly complex and challenging circumstances. He reiterated the U.N.'s unwavering support for peace and security for all civilians affected by the conflict.

Palestinian Ambassador reaffirms support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, including over refugee camps
LBCI/June 20/2025
Following a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour affirmed the Palestinian leadership’s commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty. “We confirm the Palestinian people and leadership’s full respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and their keenness to support the extension of its authority over all its territory, including the Palestinian refugee camps,” Dabbour said after the meeting.

Joseph Aoun: Beirut Will Always Be the Pulse of Life
This is Beirut/June 20/2025
President Joseph Aoun emphasized Beirut’s enduring vitality during the “Beirut, Pulse of Life” event held at Martyrs’ Square, celebrating the rehabilitation of Martyrs’ Square and the newly illuminated Nejmeh Square. In his speech, Aoun addressed concerns about launching such initiatives amid ongoing national challenges, saying the event represents a firm commitment to life and renewal in the face of adversity. “Beirut will always be the pulse of life,” he said. Standing in the heart of the city, he described Martyrs’ Square as a place that embodies Lebanon’s history, witnessing both its proudest national moments and its most difficult tests. “‘Beirut, Pulse of Life’ is not a slogan, it is a reality flowing through the city’s veins,” Aoun declared.He praised Beirut’s legacy of resilience, saying the city has taught the world the true meaning of endurance and resilience. Aoun also expressed confidence that Martyrs’ Square “will once again become a cultural center, and that Nejmeh Square, in its new guise, will shine brightly.”“No matter the challenges, Lebanon will remain our homeland, full of life,” he said.The president thanked all those who made the restoration projects possible, including institutions, companies, engineers, workers and supporters. He concluded by commending the people of Beirut for their perseverance and reaffirmed his vision of Lebanon as a beacon of peace and civilization in the Middle East.

Blind to the Fallout: Naïm Qassem’s Defiance
Johnny Kortbawi/ This is Beirut/June 20/2025
As the world holds its breath over the escalating Iran-Israel conflict, global powers are urging de-escalation, hoping to prevent a broader war with potentially nuclear consequences. In this tense context, Naim Qassem stands out for his defiance of caution. Even the United States—Israel’s closest ally—is proceeding carefully, wary of being drawn into a reckless escalation. Yet, Sheikh Naim Qassem has already made his choice. Actually, Naim Qassem remains locked in a profound state of psychological denial—unable to grasp that since last September, his party has been sliding steadily toward the edge of an irreversible collapse. The fate of Hezbollah’s arsenal is no longer a matter of debate, but simply a matter of time. And yet, rather than adopt a position of caution or neutrality in the current conflict, Qassem presses forward—his refusal to step back only underscoring just how deeply he remains out of touch with the reality unfolding around him. The real surprise isn’t what Sheikh Naim Qassem said—his role as the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in Lebanon is well established and uncontested. Hezbollah’s Secretary-General has never been a Lebanese political figure in the conventional sense. He functions more as an envoy of a foreign theocracy governed by the doctrine of Wilayat al-Faqih. This is not an accusation—it’s a political and historical fact that even Hezbollah acknowledges. What is truly troubling, however, is the utter silence of Lebanon’s official authorities. No one has stepped forward to say, clearly and unequivocally: enough. You do not decide matters of war and peace—not anymore, and not ever. Truthfully, even if Sheikh Naim wanted to support Iran—just as he attempted and failed to support Gaza—he simply lacks the military capabilities to do so. His failed attempt to back Gaza brought his group to the brink of self-destruction. And even if those capabilities were at his disposal, he remains gripped by the very real fear that plagued his predecessors, two of whom were assassinated within hours of one another. Given that Israel targets every vehicle suspected of links to Hezbollah—and under the terms of the humiliating defeat agreement Hezbollah signed—how can Sheikh Naim justify his steadfast rejection of neutrality? He is fully aware that Israeli drones hover over him like an ever-present sun. Talk is cheap and Qassem knows it. His frenzied rhetoric aims at rallying his base—no more, no less. But the real issue lies deeper: Sheikh Naim remains trapped in a state of denial stretching back to last September, and this pathological mindset is, to say the least, fundamentally at odds with the current political reality.

Washington: If Hezbollah Enters War, There Will Be Consequences
Bassam Abou Zeid/This is Beirut/June 20/2025
When the Israeli-Iranian war comes to an end and negotiations begin, the fate of Iran’s regional proxies—chief among them Hezbollah—is expected to be decisively addressed. That war’s outcome will likely establish a new strategic equation: a non-nuclear Iran, stripped of its ballistic missile capabilities and its network of armed proxies. In this context, Hezbollah would have no alternative but to disarm—swiftly and unconditionally. This perspective is gaining traction within the US administration. It surfaced again during a recent meeting between Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun and US Presidential Envoy Tom Barrack. According to sources familiar with the discussion, President Aoun stated: “Efforts to enforce the principle of exclusive control over arms—both within Lebanon and among Palestinian factions—are ongoing, and will intensify once the regional landscape stabilizes in the aftermath of the Iranian-Israeli escalation.”According to well-informed Lebanese sources, President Aoun believes that disarmament will become significantly more feasible once the war ends. In fact, if Iran—Hezbollah’s primary sponsor—is compelled to relinquish both its nuclear ambitions and missile arsenal, Hezbollah would be left without any legitimate justification to retain its weapons. This is not the first time President Aoun has linked the question of Hezbollah’s arms to broader developments involving Iran. He has made similar allusions during past engagements with American officials, especially in the context of earlier US-Iran negotiations. Aoun has consistently indicated that any action on this sensitive issue would be contingent on the outcome of such talks—especially if the result offers Lebanon a path to avoid internal conflict, whether through national consensus or a new regional reality that Hezbollah would be unable to resist or ignore.
Meanwhile, American sources have voiced concern over recent statements by Hezbollah officials—most notably the party’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem—suggesting that Hezbollah would not remain neutral in the event of an attack on Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. US officials view Sheikh Qassem’s remarks as a blatant violation of Lebanon’s official stance of neutrality in the ongoing conflict. As a result, they believe the Lebanese government must respond firmly to his statements, which risk entangling the country in a catastrophic war. “We conveyed a clear message to the Lebanese government through Tom Barrack, warning against Lebanon’s involvement in the conflict,” one source stated. “The consequences would far exceed those of any previous confrontation.”According to the same sources, there is also growing concern in Washington over the potential for retaliatory attacks on the US Embassy in Awkar should Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, come under direct threat. American officials have stressed that the safety of the embassy and its personnel lies squarely with the Lebanese authorities. Any failure to prevent an incident, they warned, would be viewed as a serious dereliction of duty—and Lebanese officials would be held fully accountable.

Cabinet Moves Ahead with Kleiate Airport Plans as Political Dispute Erupts
This is Beirut/June 20/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chaired a cabinet session on Friday at the Grand Serail, during which ministers discussed 15 agenda items. Chief among them was the rehabilitation and development of the René Mouawad Airport in Kleiate, Akkar.
Despite media reports suggesting the matter had been delayed, Minister of Information Paul Morcos clarified following the session that the government has officially begun reviewing the project to design, construct, develop and operate the airport under either the BOT or DBOT model. He stressed that the file had not been postponed but placed under focused examination due to its strategic importance, and in coordination with the relevant authorities. To advance the project, the Cabinet formed a small ministerial committee tasked with identifying the most appropriate and expedient legal framework. The committee will also study proposed amendments to the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Law. Its recommendations are expected to be presented at the next cabinet meeting. The session also saw the appointment of banker Toufic Naji as the Ministry of Finance’s representative to the board of directors of Banque de l’Habitat. Naji, who brings 30 years of experience in the financial sector, previously held the same post on the bank's board. Other decisions announced by Minister Morcos included approval to remove expired chemical materials stored at the Jiyyeh and Zouk power plants. The Cabinet endorsed a cooperation agreement with Qatar in the fields of youth and sports. It also authorized the Ministry of Communications to prepare terms and conditions for evaluating and appraising its assets—covering Ogero and the two mobile operators—in line with the Public Procurement Law. Steps were also approved to ensure the continued operation of public schools unable to accommodate student relocations. A separate ministerial committee was formed to assess the condition of leased public buildings and propose appropriate solutions.
However, the session was overshadowed by political tension following recent remarks by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem. Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji called on the government to take an official stance, warning that Qassem’s statements could have serious consequences for Lebanon, particularly in light of recent diplomatic messages cautioning against any escalation. Rajji stressed that the situation demanded a unified government position, reaffirming that decisions on war and peace rest solely with the Lebanese state, per the ministerial policy statement and the principle of exclusive arms control. Prime Minister Salam responded by noting that he had already issued a personal statement on the matter and saw no need for a separate governmental declaration. Minister Rajji objected, arguing that an individual position did not preclude the Cabinet from collectively rejecting any attempt to drag Lebanon into a broader regional conflict. The discussion reportedly grew heated, with ministers divided on the issue. Ultimately, Rajji’s proposal did not pass, and the government refrained from issuing an official position on Qassem’s remarks. Minister of Information Morcos concluded by stating that the Cabinet had also reviewed the country’s security situation and reaffirmed its commitment to the constitutional oath and the ministerial policy statement

Hezbollah’s Role in the Israel-Iran War Is to Await Iran’s Orders
David Daoud/FDD-Policy Brief/June 20/2025
Hezbollah was supposed to be Tehran’s insurance policy if Israel contemplated attacking Iran — the group’s massive arsenal either deterring the Israelis or, failing that, acting as the Islamic Republic’s first line of response. But so far, even after the intense bombardment of Iranian targets as part of Operation Rising Lion, Iran’s star proxy is only offering rhetorical solidarity, its Secretary-General Naim Qassem’s official statement indicating Hezbollah is awaiting orders rather than rushing to join the fight.
Hezbollah Cannot Fight Israel Now
The Israelis inflicted a significant and unprecedented defeat upon the group during their recent war. They have eliminated most of Hezbollah’s top military and political leadership and a significant percentage of its missile stocks — though estimates vary on exact figures. The Israelis have barely let up since, targeting the group’s remaining assets and critical personnel almost daily. Hezbollah is therefore in no state to fight Israel, and renewed war would likely allow the Israels to further degrade the group.
Lebanon’s Domestic Conditions Weigh Against Hezbollah
Lebanon’s domestic mood is also restraining Hezbollah. Most Lebanese — at least 70 percent — don’t trust the group and have raised post-war calls for its disarmament. But the Lebanese have otherwise remained passive, while Beirut’s officialdom continues to treat Hezbollah as an integral part of Lebanon’s society and politics. Restarting the war with Israel now, especially so soon after the last conflict, could transform Lebanese displeasure into active anger and disarmament efforts, especially if the Israeli war effort further weakens Hezbollah.
This anger could very well seep into Hezbollah’s Shiite support base, which suffered the most during the recent war. Aside from a hardened core, most of the group’s supporters are not religiously committed Khomeinist ideologues. They support Hezbollah for its promise to improve their lives, their sect’s domestic standing, and for its efforts to protect them from threats, including Sunni jihadist groups but especially the Israelis. Their tolerance for the group’s purely ideological wars, to “liberate Palestine” or to defend Iran, is therefore limited. So, if Hezbollah provokes Israel instead of following through on its promises to rebuild its supporters’ war-damaged homes, this base could very well abandon the group. That would leave Hezbollah exposed to the efforts by the Lebanese civil and military authorities to disarm them without fearing a civil war.
Iran Will Ultimately Decide Hezbollah’s Next Steps
Hezbollah’s fundamental loyalty is to Iran’s supreme leader. But while it is a messianic theocracy, Tehran can also be pragmatic and calculating. Above all, the Khomeinist regime wants to survive — and to ensure the survival of its proxies — to continue spreading its revolutionary ideology and regional influence.
Iran is unlikely to order Hezbollah, in its current state, to enter the fray and risk losing the group entirely. That could change if the Iranian regime feels its existence to be threatened. Iran could then order Hezbollah and its remaining proxies to attack in a desperate attempt to force Israel to desist or merely to inflict as much harm as possible upon the Israelis before the regime succumbs.
But Israel has said it is not pursuing regime change or seeking to assassinate Iran’s top political echelon. Its war effort, instead, is focused on Tehran’s nuclear weapons program and ballistic missiles arsenal.
Washington can take advantage of Hezbollah’s demonstrable vulnerability without intervening or escalating the conflict by financially and politically squeezing the group. Washington should pressure Lebanon to precondition reconstruction aid on Hezbollah’s disarmament. It should also expose and sanction any Hezbollah foreign donors or financial streams, even low-level employees of known financial or social service arms, like Al Qard Al Hassan, Jihad Al Binaa, and WaTaawanou, and the group’s domestic allies. Finally, Washington should provide Israel with necessary weapons stockpiles to deter Hezbollah from attacking or to further degrade the group if it does.
**David Daoud is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he focuses on Israel, Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs. For more analysis from David and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow David on X @DavidADaoud. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Lebanese Authorities and the Challenge of Lethal Choices
Hanna Saleh./Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
In mid-1964, President Fouad Chehab was counting the days till his presidency ended. The coalition of parties that supported him had a majority of nearly two-thirds in Parliament, and these deputies visited him to explain that they intended to amend the Constitution so that he could be re-elected for a second term. Chehab listened to them defend this proposal but rejected the offer. He had lost any trust that he may have had in the sectarian political class. He called them “fromagistes” (cheese-eaters). He saw his reforms hollowed out, with the heavyweights carving out shares of the state and its institutions for themselves. Chehabist policy reflected the vision of the IRFED mission. He introduced a wave of reforms to achieve a long list of goals: strengthening the state, creating opportunities and a competitive environment that rewarded merit, developing marginalized regions, reinforcing transparency, and enforcing accountability. He relied on a “coalition” that brought together political figures, technocrats, and officers who had earned the general’s trust during his time building the army and safeguarding the republic. To this day, it can be said that his term, which began over 60 years ago, offers a model for serious reform, despite the subsequent distortions.
Chehab, who withdrew into isolation until his death after leaving the presidency, never explained why the experiment had been left incomplete despite his foresight. The reform project had been introduced to the public before a base around which to build it had been formed. Over the decades, especially after the civil war and the Taif Agreement, segments of the political class continued to raise reformist slogans. However, they would always immediately backtrack on their promises in pursuit of more power.
However, the deliberate financial and economic collapse of 2019 that triggered the “October Revolution” exposed the mafioso alliance plundering the treasury, impoverishing the country, and starving the Lebanese people, who were stripped of their life savings. Serious reform was thereby brought back to the forefront. Demand for reform intensified after the “Axis war” that destroyed the country, renewed occupation, and highlighted the urgency of two tasks: bringing all weapons into the hands of the legitimate state and implementing reforms. It has become clear that Lebanon cannot recover without asserting full sovereignty and the state reclaiming its financial and economic authority.
Following the ceasefire agreement that was signed seven months ago (which included unequivocal provisions regarding disarmament and had been approved by the Hezbollah–Amal duo) a combination of external factors and domestic developments led to General Joseph Aoun’s election as president, turning the page on a long vacancy. Simultaneously, a “human tsunami” spurred by the “Change” deputies propelled Judge Nawaf Salam to the premiership, ending the vacuum in the executive.
The agenda and priorities were clear, as the country could no longer afford the luxury of biding its time: implementing the ceasefire agreement (grounded in the principle of seizing any weapons held by non-state actors) was crucial to allowing the country to succeed in its diplomatic campaign to liberate our occupied land. Simultaneously, political and economic reforms had to begin. These reforms cannot be disregarded if Lebanon is to secure the support needed to snatch national recovery from the claws of defeat, thereby reclaiming the state, recovering talent, and breaking the deadly cycle.
The path to recovery, and the assertion of sovereignty, runs through dismantling the grip of the sectarian forces that control public institutions and services. They are responsible for hollowing out the state. Fouad Chehab noticed this early one, in its early stages- before it deepened following the civil war, the general amnesty for war crimes, and the political elite’s monopolization of state resources. The path forward should be clear: the Taif Agreement and the Constitution must be respected, and the era of the “cheese-eaters” must end.
In practice, however, Hezbollah stuck to its old narratives of arms and resistance, even as the Israeli–Iranian war has reshaped the regional landscape, rendering these weapons obsolete. Maintaining them undermines sovereignty, fuels chaos, and offers a pretext for Israel’s violations. At the same time, administrative appointments continue to abide by sectarian quotas, maintaining the spoil-sharing mentality that has plunged the country into rock bottom. The disarmament process has been frozen, and hesitation is hindering reform. Minister of Culture Ghassan Salameh asks: “How can we confront the forces that have filled the void left by the state?” How can the illegitimate forces that have seized control of the country’s key sectors be dismantled when “in every sector there is something like an organized criminal network running the show”?
Raising these questions is important, but the minister is expected to provide answers and solutions. Merely posing questions does not absolve him of responsibility, especially since he is fully aware that non-state actors and the sectarian quota system are the problem. The executive authority, which quickly lost its broad popular support, is aware that serving the interests of sectarian forces and reinforcing the patronage system will prevent the country from overcoming stagnation. The message of abiding by the rules of the sectarian-quota-based spoil-sharing regime is that impunity is ensured to those who had seized control of the government and run it like a gang. Alarmingly, on the eve of general elections, these forces, foremost among them Hezbollah, are seeking to renew their grip on power and impose their political dominance over Lebanon’s suffering population. Hopes had been revived sixty years after the Chehabist experiment. But faith in reform from above paving the way toward modernity and renewal has once again faded. Instead state-building remains paralyzed, reform distorted, rights denied, and the political, economic, and social crises deepened.

Katz Warns Hezbollah Against Joining Conflict with Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon's Hezbollah to exercise caution on Friday, saying Israel's patience with "terrorists" who threaten it had worn thin. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Thursday that the Lebanese group would act as it saw fit in the face of what he called "brutal Israeli-American aggression" against Iran. In other statements, the group has made no explicit pledge to join the fighting. But it has condemned Israel’s surprise strikes on Iran that sparked the conflict and endorsed Iran’s missile barrages over Israel. "I suggest the Lebanese proxy be cautious and understand that Israel has lost patience with terrorists who threaten it,” Katz said in a statement on Friday, adding that "if there is terrorism -- there will be no Hezbollah."Qassem “is not learning a lesson from his predecessors and is threatening to act against Israel in accordance with the Iranian dictator's orders,” Katz stated.
He said on Thursday that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, “cannot continue to exist.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 20-21/2025
Video Link for an interview with Reza Pahlavi who says there's "no hope for a better future as Iranians" as long as the current regime is in place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FhrnNJTN9w
Great man, Great interview/Hopefully will be next Iranian president

Video Link from DW Youtube platform with John Bolton
Berlin Briefing - Exploring German politics and the German perspective on global events shaping our world
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrsS8yJrNW8
US President Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton checked in with Berlin Briefing's hosts. Bolton explained why he doesn't believe Trump will send the bunker-busting bomb to Iran. Pushed for a character assessment, Bolton questioned whether Trump had even made up his mind on what he will do next – on Iran and on NATO. On the question whether Trump is a Russian asset, Bolton says "no" but warns that Trump "thinks he and Vladimir Putin are friends." Listen to DW's Michaela Küfner, Nina Haase and Richard Walker challenge Bolton on the state of instability in the Middle East and beyond, and hear the former US Ambassador to the UN say that he "would disregard" international law on Israel.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
02:36 Iran TACO moment?
03:10 Trump’s “yes men”
05:44 Bunker-busters for Israel?
07:34 EU diplomacy doomed
09:27 “Hands off” Iran
12:24 Japan disagrees
14:53 International law?
16:28 (out of) Arms Control
18:52 JCPOA exit
20:17 Bolton on Churchill
21:13 Trump dislikes international summits (NATO)
22:04 What next for Ukraine?
23:54 Is Trump a Russian asset?
25:50 Will US democracy survive?
28:23 World War III?
29:51 End

Video Link For An English Interview with Farah Pahlavi, Empress of Iran/"End this regime":
Premiered Jul 27, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_KhI-8n15s
Farah Pahlavi, Empress of Iran, is the widow of the late Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Rafael Pinto Borges recently spoke with her about her life, today's Iran, and her hope for the future. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, she continued in her deep devotion to charitable work. Today, she divides her time between Paris and Washington, D.C.

Trump says two weeks is ‘maximum’ for Iran decision
AFP/June 20, 2025
MORRISTOWN, United States: President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran had a “maximum” of two weeks to avoid possible US air strikes, indicating he could take a decision before the fortnight deadline he set a day earlier. Trump added that Iran “doesn’t want to talk to Europe,” dismissing the chance of success in talks between European powers and Iran in Geneva on resolving the conflict between Israel and Iran. Trump also played down the possibility of asking Israel to halt its attacks, after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would not resume talks with the United States until Israel relented. “I’m giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum,” Trump told reporters when asked if he could decide to strike Iran before that. He added that the aim was to “see whether or not people come to their senses.”Trump had said in a statement on Thursday that he would “make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks” because there was a “substantial chance of negotiations” with Iran. Those comments had been widely seen as opening a two-week window for negotiations to end the war between Israel and Iran, with the European powers rushing to talks with Tehran. But his latest remarks indicated that Trump could still make his decision before that if he feels that there has been no progress toward dismantling Iran’s nuclear program. Trump dismissed the chances of Europe making a difference, saying the talks between Britain, France, Germany and EU diplomats and Tehran’s foreign minister “didn’t help.”“Iran doesn’t want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this,” Trump told reporters as he arrived in Morristown, New Jersey. Asked if he would ask Israel to stop its attacks as Iran had asked, Trump said it was “very hard to make that request right now.”“If somebody’s winning, it’s a little bit harder to do than if somebody’s losing, but we’re ready, willing and able, and we’ve been speaking to Iran, and we’ll see what happens.”

Israel-Iran war enters second week as talks take place between Europe and Tehran
Agencies/June 20, 2025
TEL AVIV/DUBAI/WASHINGTON: Israel and Iran’s air war entered a second week on Friday, and European officials sought to draw Tehran back to the negotiating table after President Donald Trump said any decision on potential US involvement would be made within two weeks.
Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying it aimed to prevent its longtime enemy from developing nuclear weapons. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. It says its nuclear program is peaceful.
On Friday, European foreign ministers met with their Iranian counterpart to discuss the conflict. They emerged from a three-hour meeting in Geneva having urged Tehran to resume negotiations with the US over its nuclear program.
Meanwhile in New York, the UN Security Council held a bad-tempered meeting over the conflict, with Iran and Israel trading accusations. The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency Rafael Grossi offered stark warnings over the risks of radiation leaks if Israel continues to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities.
Salvos of Iranian missiles were fired at Israel on Friday, with a strike hitting Haifa and wounding 19. In Tehran, funerals took place for some of those killed in Israel's airstrikes.
European powers urge Iran to continue US nuclear talks
European powers on Friday urged Iran to continue diplomacy to find a solution in the standoff over its nuclear program.
"The good result today is that we leave the room with the impression that Iran is ready to further discuss these questions," said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in a statement alongside his British, French and EU counterparts after talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said "we are keen to continue ongoing discussions and negotiations with Iran, and we urge Iran to continue their talks with the United States", while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said there "can be no definitive solution through military means to the Iran nuclear problem".
UN's Guterres urges 'give peace a chance'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that expansion of the Israel-Iran conflict could "ignite a fire no one can control" and called on both sides and potential parties to the conflict to "give peace a chance."
At the same meeting, Iran said it would continue to defend itself against Israel, while Israel's UN ambassador vowed that his country would not stop its attacks until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled.
"We will not stop," Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon said. "Not until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled, not until its war machine is disarmed, not until our people and yours are safe."
Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani urged the Security Council to take action.
"Israel apparently declared that it will continue this strike for as many days as it takes. We are alarmed by credible report that the United States... may be joining this war," he said.
The US ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Camille Shea, said the United States "continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran's nuclear ambitions."
Iran missile barrage injures 19 in Haifa
Missiles fired from Iran on Friday left at least 19 people injured in the northern Israeli port of Haifa, a local hospital said.
At least one projectile appeared to evade Israel's air defences, slamming into an area by the docks of Haifa where it damaged a building and blew out windows, littering the nearby ground with rubble, AFP images showed.
A spokesman for the city's Rambam hospital said 19 people had been injured, with one in a serious condition.
Earlier, Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service reported two people had been injured by falling shrapnel after the attack but did not specify the location.
IAEA chief warns against strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency on Friday warned against attacks on nuclear facilities and called for maximum restraint amid Israel's strikes on Iran.
"Armed attack for nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with great consequences within and beyond boundaries of the state which has been attacked," Rafael Grossi, director of the International Agency for Atomic Energy, told the UN Security Council. "I therefore, again call for maximum restraint."
Iranian foreign minister says Israel attack 'betrayal' of diplomacy
Iran's foreign minister on Friday condemned the Israeli attacks against the Islamic republic as a "betrayal" of diplomatic efforts with the US, saying Tehran and Washington had been due to craft a "promising agreement" on the Iranian nuclear programme.
"We were attacked in the midst of an ongoing diplomatic process," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva ahead of a crunch meeting with European foreign ministers.
Araghchi, making his first trip abroad since the strikes began, denounced Israel's attack as an "outrageous act of aggression".
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had planned to meet Araghchi in Oman on June 15 but the meeting was cancelled after Israel began the strikes days before.
Thousands protest in Tehran against Israel
Thousands of people joined a protest against Israel in the Iranian capital on Friday after weekly prayers, chanting slogans in support of their leaders, images on state television showed.
“This is the Friday of the Iranian nation’s solidarity and resistance across the country,” the news anchor said. Footage showed protesters holding up photographs of commanders killed since the start of the war with Israel, while others waved the flags of Iran and the Lebanese militant movement Hezbollah.
Iran rejects any negotiation with US while Israeli attacks continue
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected any negotiations with the United States while Israel continues its attacks on Iran, in an interview with state TV broadcast on Friday.
“The Americans have repeatedly sent messages calling seriously for negotiations. But we have made clear that as long as the aggression does not stop, there will be no place for diplomacy and dialogue,” said the chief diplomat, who was due in Geneva for talks with his European counterparts.
Situation at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant is ‘normal’, Russian official says
The head of Russia’s nuclear energy corporation, Alexei Likhachev, said on Friday that Russian specialists were still working at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran and that the situation there was normal and under control.
Likhachev said he hoped Russia’s warnings to Israel not to attack the site had been received by the Israeli leadership.
Russia, which has close ties with Iran, has warned strongly against US military intervention on the side of Israel.
Israeli defense minister warns Hezbollah against joining conflict with Iran
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon’s Hezbollah to exercise caution on Friday, saying Israel’s patience with “terrorists” who threaten it had worn thin.
Katz also instructed the military to intensify attacks on “symbols of the regime” in Tehran, aiming to destabilize it.
“We must strike at all the symbols of the regime and the mechanisms of oppression of the population, such as the Basij (militia), and the regime's power base, such as the Revolutionary Guard.”
The head of Iran-backed Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, said on Thursday that the Lebanese group would act as it saw fit in the face of what he called “brutal Israeli-American aggression” against Iran.
European, Iranian FMs to hold nuclear talks on Friday in Geneva
Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany together with the EU’s top diplomat will hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva on Friday, officials and diplomats said.
The meeting comes as European countries call for de-escalation in the face of Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran’s nuclear program — and as US President Donald Trump weighs up whether or not to join the strikes against Tehran.
“We will meet with the European delegation in Geneva on Friday,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.
European diplomats separately confirmed the planned talks, set to involve French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, as well as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Thursday after meeting high-level US officials that there is still time to reach a diplomatic solution with Tehran.
Lammy met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House, before talks on Friday in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi alongside his French, German and EU counterparts.
“The situation in the Middle East remains perilous,” Lammy said in a statement released by the UK embassy in Washington.
“We discussed how Iran must make a deal to avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,” Lammy said.
Israel has targeted nuclear sites and missile capabilities, but also has sought to shatter the government of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Western and regional officials.
“Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it’s up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.
Iran has said it is targeting military and defense-related sites in Israel, but it has also hit a hospital and other civilian sites.
Israel accused Iran on Thursday of deliberately targeting civilians through the use of cluster munitions, which disperse small bombs over a wide area. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
With neither country backing down, the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany along with the European Union foreign policy chief were due to meet in Geneva with Iran’s foreign minister to try to de-escalate the conflict on Friday.
“Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one,” said British Foreign Minister David Lammy ahead of their joint meeting with Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s foreign minister.
Israel says Iran fired cluster bomb-bearing missile
Iran fired at least one missile at Israel that scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties, the Israeli military said on Thursday, the first reported use of cluster munitions in the seven-day-old war.
Israeli military officials provided no further details.
Israeli news reports quoted the Israeli military as saying the missile’s warhead split open at an altitude of about 4 miles and released around 20 submunitions in a radius of around 5 miles over central Israel.
One of the small munitions struck a home in the central Israeli town of Azor, causing some damage, Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian reported. There were no reports of casualties from the bomb.
Iran appoints new Revolutionary Guards intelligence chief
Iran appointed a new chief of intelligence at its Revolutionary Guards on Thursday, the official Irna news agency said, after his predecessor was killed in an Israeli strike last week.
Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps , appointed Brig. Gen. Majid Khadami as the new head of its intelligence division, Irna said.
He replaces Mohammed Kazemi, who was killed on Sunday alongside two other Revolutionary Guards officers — Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri — in an Israeli strike.
Trump ponders Iran attack
Trump has mused about striking Iran, possibly with a “bunker buster” bomb that could destroy nuclear sites built deep underground. The White House said on Thursday Trump would decide in the next two weeks whether to get involved in the war. That may not be a firm deadline. Trump has commonly used “two weeks” as a time frame for making decisions and has allowed other economic and diplomatic deadlines to slide.
The role of the US, meanwhile, remained uncertain. On Thursday in Washington, Lammy met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, and said they discussed a possible deal.
Witkoff has spoken with Araqchi several times since last week, sources say. Trump, meanwhile, has alternated between threatening Tehran and urging it to resume nuclear talks that were suspended over the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping both condemned Israel and agreed that de-escalation is needed, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
With the Islamic Republic facing one of its greatest external threats since the 1979 revolution, any direct challenge to its 46-year-long rule would likely require some form of popular uprising.
But activists involved in previous bouts of protest say they are unwilling to unleash mass unrest, even against a system they hate, with their nation under attack.
“How are people supposed to pour into the streets? In such horrifying circumstances, people are solely focused on saving themselves, their families, their compatriots, and even their pets,” said Atena Daemi, a prominent activist who spent six years in prison before leaving Iran.
IAEA chief identifies Isfahan as Iran’s planned uranium enrichment site
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on Thursday identified Isfahan, home to one of Iran’s biggest nuclear facilities, as the location of a uranium enrichment plant that Iran said it would soon open in retaliation for a diplomatic push against it.
The day before Israel launched its military strikes against Iranian targets including nuclear facilities last Friday, Iran announced it had built a new uranium enrichment facility, which it would soon equip and bring online. Tehran did not provide details such as the plant’s location.
Iran’s announcement was part of its retaliation against a resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Tehran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations over issues including its failure to credibly explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites.

Europeans’ meeting with top Iranian diplomat yields hope of more talks, no obvious breakthrough
AP/June 20, 2025
GENEVA: A meeting between Iran’s foreign minister and top European diplomats on Friday yielded hopes of further talks but no indication of any immediate concrete breakthrough, a week after the crisis centered on the Iranian nuclear program erupted into war between Israel and Tehran. Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, as well as the European Union’s foreign policy chief, emerged from talks at a Geneva hotel about 3 1/2 hours after Iran’s Abbas Araghchi arrived for the meeting. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict. “The good result today is that we leave the room with the impression that the Iranian side is fundamentally ready to continue talking about all important issues,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said. He said the two sides had held “very serious talks.”British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “We are keen to continue ongoing discussions and negotiations with Iran, and we urge Iran to continue their talks with the United States.” He added that “we were clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”“Military operations can slow Iran’s nuclear program but in no way can they eliminate it, said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. “We know well — after having seen what happened in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya — how illusory and dangerous it is to want to impose regime change from outside.”Barrot also said that European nations ”invited the Iranian minister to envisage negotiations with all parties including the United States, and without waiting for the end of the strikes.”The French Foreign Minister explained that in discussions with Iran, Foreign Minister Araghchi agreed “to put all the issues on the table including some that weren’t there before” and “showed his disposition to continuing the conversation — that we started today — and for the Europeans to help facilitate, including with the United States.”EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ”we agreed that we will discuss nuclear but also broader issues that we have, and keep the discussions open.”Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also addressed reporters outside the meeting venue after the talks ended. He expressed support for “a continuation of discussions with the E3 and the EU and expressed his readiness to meet again in the near future.” He also denounced Israel’s attacks against nuclear facilities in Iran and expressed “grave concern” on what he called “non-condemnation” by European nations.
US considering how to proceed
Lammy traveled to Geneva after meeting in Washington with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff. Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America’s “bunker-buster” bombs. He said Wednesday that he’ll decide within two weeks whether the US military will get directly involved in the war given the “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran’s program, though Trump has said Israel’s campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that “we wanted to open a discussion with the Iranian foreign minister because we believe that there is no definitive solution by military means to the Iranian nuclear problem — military operations may delay it but they can’t eliminate it.”

Iran’s foreign minister holds talks with top European diplomats in Geneva
Jamey Keaten/The Associated Press/June 20, 2025
GENEVA — Iran’s foreign minister was holding talks with top European diplomats in Geneva on Friday about the crisis that centers on concerns about his country’s nuclear program, a week after the long-simmering dispute erupted into war between Israel and Iran. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived at a hotel in the Swiss city for a meeting with his counterparts from France, Germany and the U.K. and the European Union’s foreign policy chief. It is the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict.Ahead of the meeting, Araghchi said his country has “nothing to discuss” with the United States as long as Israel continues its strikes on Iran, but is open to “dialogue” with others, though not negotiations. The war has seen Israeli airstrikes target Iranian nuclear and military sites and Tehran firing back.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that “a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution.” He traveled to Geneva after meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America’s “bunker-buster” bombs. He said Wednesday that he’ll decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in the war given the “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. French President Emmanuel Macron said the European diplomats would make a “comprehensive, diplomatic and technical offer of negotiation” to Iran.
Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran’s program, though Trump has said Israel’s campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks.
Iran says no negotiations while Israeli attacks continue
Iran’s supreme leader rejectedU.S. calls for surrender Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.”
In an interview aired Friday by Iranian state television, Araghchi said that “in the current situation, as the Zionist regime’s attacks continue, we are not seeking negotiations with anyone.”He said that “we have nothing to discuss with the United States, which is a partner in these crimes,” and Tehran rejected negotiations with the Americans. ”As for others, if they seek dialogue, not negotiations, which don’t make sense right now, we have no problem with that," he added. But he said that Friday's discussion would focus “solely on the nuclear issue and regional matters” and Iran won't hold talks on its missiles with anyone. Just before meeting the European diplomats, Araghchi made a brief appearance before the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. He said that Israel’s “attacks on nuclear facilities are grave war crimes,” and insisted that “we are entitled … and determined to defend our territorial integrity, national sovereignty and security with all force.” Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The three European countries played an important role in the negotiations over the original 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. But they have repeatedly threatened to reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the deal if Iran does not improve its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Europeans stand ready to negotiate
Germany's foreign minister acknowledged that years of efforts to relieve concerns about the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon haven't succeeded, but said it's worth talking now. “If there is serious and transparent readiness by Iran to refrain from this, then there is a real chance of preventing a further escalation of this conflict, and for that every conversation makes sense,” Johann Wadephul said in a podcast released by broadcaster MDR on Friday. Wadephul said U.S. officials “not only know that we are conducting these talks but are very much in agreement with us doing so — so I think Iran should now know that it should conduct these talks with a new seriousness and reliability.” Before traveling to Geneva on Friday, Wadephul stressed that “it's Iran's move now.”French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot spoke by phone with Rubio on Thursday evening. A French diplomatic official, who was not allowed to speak publicly on the issue, said Barrot detailed the purposes of the Geneva meeting and Rubio “stressed that the U.S. was ready for direct contact with the Iranians at any time.”

A week into their war, Israel and Iran launch new strikes even as diplomatic effort gets underway
Sam Mednick, Jon Gambrell And David Rising/The Associated Press/June 20, 2025
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war Friday as President Donald Trump weighed U.S. military involvement and new diplomatic efforts got underway with Iran's foreign minister arriving in Geneva for talks.
Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America’s “bunker-buster” bombs. He said he'll decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in the war given the “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program.
Britain’s foreign secretary said he met at the White House with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the potential for a deal that could cool the conflict.
Before flying to Geneva for meetings with the European Union’s top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was “not seeking negotiations with anyone” as long as Israel's attacks continued. He also accused the U.S. of collaborating with Israel, noting that Trump regularly used “we” in social media posts and interviews talking about the attacks on Iran.
“It is the Americans who want talks," he said in comments Thursday that were broadcast Friday by Iranian state television. "They’ve sent messages several times — very serious ones — but we made it explicitly clear to them that as long as this aggression and invasion continue, there is absolutely no room for talk or diplomacy. We are engaged in legitimate self-defense, and this defense will not stop under any circumstances.”
He added that he expected the Switzerland talks to focus only on Iran's nuclear program, and that Iran's missile capabilities were “for defending the country” and not up for discussion.
French President Emmanuel Macron said top European diplomats in Geneva will make a “comprehensive, diplomatic and technical offer of negotiation” to Iran, as a key response to the “threat” represented by Iran’s nuclear program.
“No one can seriously believe that this threat can be met with (Israel’s) current operations alone," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show, saying some plants are heavily fortified and nobody knows exactly where all uranium enrichment is taking place.
"We need to regain control on (Iran’s nuclear) program through technical expertise and negotiation.”
Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors in to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief and other provisions.
After Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal during his last term, however, Iran began enriching uranium to higher levels and limiting access to its facilities.
Israel says air campaign will target more sites
Israel said it conducted airstrikes into Friday morning in Iran with more than 60 aircraft hitting what it said were industrial sites to manufacture missiles. It did not elaborate on the locations. It also said it hit the headquarters of Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, known by its acronym in Farsi, SPND. The U.S. in the past has linked that agency to alleged Iranian research and testing tied to the possible development of nuclear explosive devices.
It also carried out airstrikes targeting the areas around Kermanshah and Tabriz in western Iran, where the military said 25 fighter jets struck “missile storage and launch infrastructure components” Friday morning. There had been reports of anti-aircraft fire in the areas. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the losses, and has not discussed the damage done so far to its military in the weeklong war.
“We are strengthening our air control in the region and advancing our air offensive," Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters.
"We have more sites to strike in Tehran, western Iran and other places.”
Israeli airstrikes also reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early Friday, Iranian media reported. The Israeli military had warned the public to flee the area around Rasht’s Industrial City, southwest of the city’s downtown. But with Iran’s internet shut off to the outside world, it’s unclear just how many people could see the message.
Damage from missiles in southern Israel
In Israel, the paramedic service Magen David Adom, or MDA, said Iranian missiles struck a residential area in southern Israel causing damage to buildings, including one six-story building. They have provided medical treatment to five people with minor injuries such as bruises, smoke inhalation, and anxiety, it said.
Later Friday, as Araghchi's plane approached Geneva, Israel's military warned of more incoming Iranian missiles and air raid sirens blared in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, while several loud explosions could also be heard in the Beersheba area.
The MDA said a 16-year-old boy was in serious condition after suffering shrapnel wounds to his upper body and a 54-year-old man was in moderate condition after a shrapnel injury to his legs. It did not disclose the location where the two were wounded.
On Thursday, at least 80 patients and medical workers were wounded in a strike on the Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beersheba.
After that attack, Israel's defense minister threatened Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the Iranian missile crashed into the hospital. Israel's military “has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist," Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he trusted that Trump would “do what's best for America.” Speaking from the rubble and shattered glass around the hospital, he added: “I can tell you that they’re already helping a lot."
The war between Israel and Iran erupted June 13, with Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel’s multitiered air defenses, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded.
Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. But it is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with a nuclear weapons program but has never acknowledged it.
The Israeli air campaign has targeted Iran’s enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran, a nuclear site in Isfahan and what the army assesses to be most of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers. The destruction of those launchers has contributed to the steady decline in Iranian attacks since the start of the conflict.

Hundreds of US citizens left Iran in last week, State Dept cable says
Reuters/June 21, 2025
WASHINGTON: Hundreds of American citizens have departed Iran using land routes over the past week since an aerial war between the Islamic Republic and Israel broke out, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters on Friday.
While many left without problem, “numerous” citizens had faced “delays and harassment” while trying to exit, the cable said. It said, without giving further details, that one unidentified family had reported that two US citizens attempting to leave Iran had been detained. The internal cable dated June 20 underscores the challenge Washington is facing in trying to protect and assist its citizens in a country with which it has no diplomatic relations and in a war in which the United States may soon get involved.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The cable was first reported by The Washington Post.
HIGHLIGHTS
• US advises land exits via Azerbaijan, Armenia or Turkey
• Some US citizens departing Iran faced problems, cable says
• Over 6,400 US citizens filled possible evacuation form in Israel
President Donald Trump and the White House said on Thursday he will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. Trump has kept the world guessing on his plans, veering from proposing a swift diplomatic solution to suggesting Washington might join the fighting on Israel’s side.
The air war began on June 13 when Israel attacked Iran and has alarmed a region that has been on edge since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons, and said it struck Iran to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is peaceful, has retaliated with its own strikes on Israel. Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Israel is not.
POTENTIAL EVACUATION
The US State Department in a travel alert earlier on Friday urged its citizens wishing to depart Iran to use land routes via Azerbaijan, Armenia or Turkiye. Iranian airspace is closed.
The US Embassy in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat has requested entry for over 100 American citizens, but the Turkmenistan government has yet to give its approval, the cable said. The Islamic Republic treats Iranian-US dual citizens solely as nationals of Iran, the State Department emphasized.
“US nationals are at significant risk of questioning, arrest and detention in Iran,” the alert said. Washington is looking at ways to potentially evacuate its citizens from Israel, but it has almost no way of assisting Americans inside Iran. The two countries have had no diplomatic ties since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Thursday said the administration was looking at different ways to get US citizens out.
“We’re working to get military, commercial, charter flights and cruise ships for evac,” he said in an X post, urging US citizens and green card holders to complete an online form.
As of Friday, more than 6,400 US citizens filled out that form for Israel, a separate internal department email seen by Reuters said. The form allows the agency to predict an approximate figure for potential evacuations.
“Approximately 300-500 US citizens per day would potentially require departure assistance,” said the internal email, also dated June 20 and marked “sensitive.”
The State Department does not have official figures but thousands of US citizens are thought to be residing in Iran and hundreds of thousands in Israel.
Israel’s strikes over the last week have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Israel says Iranian attacks have killed 24 civilians in Israel. “The US Department of State received no reports of US citizen casualties in Israel or Iran,” the second email said.

New missile enters Israel-Iran conflict: What we know about Tehran's Sejil
Aleksandar Brezar/Euronews/June 20, 2025
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday announced the use of a super-heavy Sejil missile as part of what it said was the 12th wave of strikes on Israel. Despite its frequent appearance in the Tehran regime's military parades since it was reportedly brought into service in 2012, the Sejil missile's launch against Israel marks the first time one of its prized assets was used in direct confrontation. Its real-world application also reveals a shift in gears in Tehran's deterrence calculations and response. The Sejil, or "Brimstone", is classified as a surface-to-surface ballistic missile and was developed entirely inside Iran by the Ministry of Defence-run Aerospace Industries Organisation. Although some reports claimed that Tehran used similar Chinese-made missiles as a technical basis for the Sejil, its size and other features suggest it is entirely designed and produced in Iran. The missile, developed to replace the Shabab class of rockets in service since the late 1980s, has a range of about 2,000 kilometres and uses solid fuel as propellant, making it quicker to launch compared to liquid-fueled equivalents. The Sejil is manoeuvrable in all stages of flight, making it difficult to intercept by conventional air defence systems. Although details on its speed are unclear, Tehran reportedly stated that it is capable of reaching Tel Aviv in approximately seven minutes if launched from central Iran. In terms of technical specifications, reports say it measures 25 metres in length, 1.25 metres in diameter, and weighs approximately 2.3 metric tonnes. It can carry warheads weighing up to 700 kilograms and is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
After latest strike on Arak, how did Israel's attacks impact Iran's nuclear programme?
The Sejil first appeared in a field test in 2008, before its improved version, the Sejil-2, was developed in 2009. In this version, the warhead design was modified, and guidance wings were added to enhance accuracy. However, some reports claim that Sejil-2 might not be a separate model, but rather a test name for the same rocket. Yet footage from 2021 military exercises featuring the Sejil shows updates to earlier missiles of the same model have been made, notably to its jet vanes. Furthermore, rumours of another updated model, the Sejil-3, say that a more modern version was developed with a maximum range of 4,000 kilometres, meaning that in theory it could almost reach Brussels from Tehran. Israeli authorities said on Thursday that the Sejil was successfully intercepted, with debris causing damage to a vehicle.

Pro-Palestinian activists say they damaged planes on a UK air force base
Jill Lawless/The Associated Press/June 20, 2025
LONDON — British police are searching for suspects and the military is reviewing security arrangements after pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force Base and damaged two planes with red paint, officials said Friday.
The group Palestine Action said two members entered RAF Brize Norton on Wednesday and used electric scooters to approach the Voyager jets, which are used for air-to-air refueling. The duo sprayed red paint into the planes’ turbine engines with repurposed fire extinguishers and caused further damage with crowbars, according to the group, which released video footage appearing to show an individual approach a jet and spray paint into the engine. The activists left the base without being detained, Palestine Action said. The group said in a statement that “despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets.” It called the U.K. “an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.”Britain's Ministry of Defense confirmed the incident, saying: “We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the vandalism “disgraceful” in a post on X. The government said two planes were being checked for damage, and that the vandalism had not stopped any planned aircraft movements or operations. “A full security review is underway at Brize Norton,” Starmer's office said. “We are reviewing security across the whole defense estate.”Planes from Brize Norton, 70 miles (112 kilometers) northwest of London, regularly fly to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Britain’s main air base for operations in the Middle East. The U.K. has sent more Typhoon fighter jets and Voyager tankers to Cyprus since the Israel-Iran war started a week ago for what Starmer called “contingency support.”Iran has threatened to attack U.S., French and British bases in the region if those countries help Israel fend off Iranian strikes. Thames Valley Police said in a statement that it had “received a report of people gaining access to RAF Brize Norton and causing criminal damage.”Officers were working with staff at the base and the Ministry of Defense Police to arrest the perpetrators, the force said.

More European countries begin evacuating citizens from Israel and Iran
Euronews/June 20, 2025
More European countries begin evacuating citizens from Israel and Iran
More countries are evacuating their citizens from the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran rages on, despite international efforts to find a diplomatic solution. Days of attacks and reprisals by the adversaries have shuttered airspace across the region, severely disrupting commercial flights. A repatriation flight transporting 69 people from Israel landed in Portugal on Thursday evening, with 48 Portuguese citizens among the passengers. The Portuguese government announced the temporary closure of its embassy in Tehran this week, alongside ongoing repatriation operations in the Middle East. In Serbia, 38 people arrived safely in Belgrade on Thursday night, most of whom were Serbian nationals. They arrived on a special Air Serbia flight from Sharm el-Sheikh, organised by the Serbian government, who said the evacuation of those wishing to leave Israel and Iran would continue. On Thursday, Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Cairo to discuss the emergency evacuation of more than 2,500 Serbian nationals stranded in Israel. Meanwhile, in Romania, more than a hundred people arrived in the capital Bucharest on Friday on military transport flights from the Middle East. The Romanian Ministry of Defence sent the planes to the region after its nationals requested assistance. The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on 13 June following Israeli bombings on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, which resulted in the deaths of military leaders, scientists and civilians. More than 400 EU citizens from countries including Greece, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia have been evacuated from Israel in flights supported by the European Commission.

Israel slams UN rights council for giving floor to Iran ahead of nuclear talks
Olivia Le Poidevin/Reuters/June 20, 2025
GENEVA -Israel's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva has raised "vehement objection" to Iran addressing the Human Rights Council ahead of talks with European counterparts in Geneva to try to de-escalate the conflict, according to a letter seen by Reuters. "Affording the Iranian foreign minister the floor before this body continues to undermine the council's credibility and constitutes a blatant betrayal of the many victims of this regime worldwide," Daniel Meron said in a letter addressed to council president Jurg Lauber. The council said on Friday said that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was due to be given the floor. Shortly afterwards, he is due to hold talks with the EU foreign policy chief and his counterparts in Britain, France and Germany in order to de-escalate the conflict. In the letter, Meron accuses Iran of using the council as a international stage to "promote the regime's despotic campaign."
On Wednesday, the Iranian Ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva addressed the council and accused Israeli attacks as representing an act of "war against humanity". Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying it aimed to prevent its longtime enemy from developing nuclear weapons. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. It says its nuclear programme is peaceful.

Israel Warns of ‘Prolonged’ War Against Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
Israel's war against Iran, now in its second week, will be "prolonged", military chief Eyal Zamir said Friday as the arch rivals traded fire and European powers held talks with the country. "We must be ready for a prolonged campaign," Zamir told Israelis in a video statement, eight days after his country launched a massive wave of strikes it said aimed at stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons -- an ambition Tehran has denied. "We have embarked on the most complex campaign in our history to remove a threat of such magnitude," said Zamir. "The campaign is not over. Although we have made significant achievements, difficult days still lie ahead."Iran has responded with barrages of missiles and drones, which Israeli authorities say have killed at least 25 people. A hospital in the Israeli port of Haifa reported 19 injured, including one person in serious condition, after the latest Iranian salvo, which President Isaac Herzog said hit a mosque. Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people since June 13, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. As US President Donald Trump mulls the prospect of entering the war between the two foes, top diplomats from Britain, France and Germany were meeting with their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron said the Europeans were "putting a diplomatic solution on the table". On the ground, Israel's military said it struck missile launchers in southwestern Iran after overnight air raids on dozens of targets including what it called a "nuclear weapons project" research and development center. In Israel, sirens sounded in the afternoon after missiles were launched from Iran for the second time on Friday, with a military official saying that "approximately 20 missiles were launched towards Israel".Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted military sites and air forces bases.
- 'Betrayal' of diplomacy -
Trump has said he will decide "within the next two weeks" whether to involve the United States in the fighting. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said "a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution", while agreeing with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that "Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon". Western governments suspect Iran of seeking a nuclear weapons capability. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that while Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons to enrich uranium to 60 percent, there was no evidence it had all the components to make a functioning nuclear warhead. "So, saying how long it would take for them, it would be pure speculation because we do not know whether there was somebody... secretly pursuing these activities," the agency's chief Rafael Grossi told CNN. "We haven't seen that and we have to say it."
France's foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said that "military solutions are not long-term solutions" to ensure Iran respects its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Friday, Araghchi said Israel's attacks were a "betrayal" of diplomatic efforts to reach a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington. "We were attacked in the midst of an ongoing diplomatic process," he said. In an interview with German publication Bild, Israel's top diplomat Gideon Saar said he did not "particularly" believe in diplomacy with Iran.
"All diplomatic efforts so far have failed," said Saar, whose country had supported Trump's 2018 decision to abandon a previous nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers.
'Madness' -
The UN Security Council convened on Friday for a second session on the conflict, which was requested by Iran with support from Russia, China and Pakistan, a diplomat told AFP on Wednesday. The escalating confrontation is quickly reaching "the point of no return", Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Friday, saying "this madness must end as soon as possible". UN chief Antonio Guterres meanwhile pleaded with all sides to "give peace a chance". Any US involvement in Israel's campaign would be expected to involve the bombing of an underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordo, using powerful bunker-busting bombs that no other country possesses. In Iran, people fleeing Israel's attacks described frightening scenes and difficult living conditions, including food shortages. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said authorities had restricted internet access to avoid "problems" like cyberattacks. Iranian authorities have arrested a European "who sought to spy on sensitive areas of the country", Tasnim news agency reported on Friday. Protests were held in Tehran and other cities after Friday prayers, with demonstrators chanting slogans in support of their leaders, state television showed. "I will sacrifice my life for my leader," read a protester's banner, a reference to supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Switzerland announced it was temporarily closing its embassy in Tehran, adding that it would continue to fulfil its role representing US interests in Iran.

Arab Foreign Ministers to Discuss Political Solutions to Iran-Israel Conflict in Istanbul
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
Arab foreign ministers are set to convene on the sidelines of the upcoming Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul early next week to discuss the repercussions of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict and explore diplomatic avenues to reduce regional tensions, Egyptian and Arab diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. The call for the meeting was spearheaded by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, who urged an emergency session of Arab foreign ministers in Istanbul to coordinate a unified Arab stance amid rapidly evolving developments and regional challenges. Iraq currently holds the rotating presidency of the Arab League, having assumed the role from Bahrain at the regular summit held on May 17. The Iraqi foreign ministry confirmed that the minister’s proposal followed a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on Wednesday. Egypt’s foreign ministry had earlier announced that Abdelatty engaged in consultations with ministers from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain to address the escalating military tensions and the broader implications for regional and international peace and security. An Arab diplomatic source said the upcoming meeting aims to discuss the impact of the Israeli-Iranian conflict and is part of intensified efforts to coordinate regional positions and ease the crisis. The 51st Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of OIC member states, hosted in Istanbul on June 22-23, will gather nearly 1,000 participants from the organization’s 57 member states, along with affiliated institutions, observer states, and international organizations, reported Türkiye's Anadolu Agency. However, the source ruled out any immediate plans for an emergency Arab League summit to address the conflict. Another Egyptian diplomatic official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting would feature several bilateral and multilateral sessions focused on regional coordination, adding that the Istanbul meetings aim to revive diplomatic negotiations. Egypt and several Arab countries have intensified diplomatic outreach to regional and international actors to push for a military de-escalation, a ceasefire, and prevent the conflict from spreading across the Middle East, the source said. Cairo University’s Professor of International Relations Ikram Badreddine highlighted the importance of a coordinated Arab and Islamic position, describing it as a significant regional and international bloc. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “aligned stances among these countries could influence the current escalation and promote conflict containment.” He also warned of the risks posed by failure to contain the Israel-Iran conflict, including the potential involvement of major powers such as the United States, Russia, and Pakistan, which could further destabilize the region.

Russia says Middle East is plunging into 'abyss'
Guy Faulconbridge and Dmitry Antonov/Reuters/June 20, 2025
ST PETERSBURG, Russia -The Kremlin warned on Friday that the Middle East was plunging into "an abyss of instability and war" and said Moscow was worried by events and still stood ready to mediate. Russia, which has warm ties with Iran and also maintains close links to Israel, has urged the U.S. not to strike Iran and has called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis around Tehran's nuclear programme to be found. Asked on Friday if Russia had any red lines when it came to the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that countries in the region were the ones who should have their own red lines. "The region is plunging into an abyss of instability and war," Peskov said. "This war is fraught with (the risk of) geographic expansion and unpredictable consequences. This region is at our borders. It's potentially dangerous for us and we are concerned." Although Russia does not border any country in the Middle East its southern North Caucasus region borders a belt of former Soviet republics which in turn border Iran and Turkey. Peskov said that Moscow observed for now that Israel wanted to continue its military action against Iran, but said Russia has lines of communication open with Israel, the U.S. and Iran. Peskov said it was hard to predict whether an offer by Putin to mediate in the crisis would be taken up or not, but said that Moscow favoured an end to hostilities and a move to diplomacy as soon as possible. Russian nuclear energy chief Alexei Likhachev said the situation at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, where hundreds of Russian specialists work, was "normal" and under control. The Israeli military said at one point on Thursday that it had struck the Russian-built Bushehr facility, but later said the comment had been made by mistake. Likhachev, head of the state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, said on Thursday that any attack on the plant could cause a Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster. On Friday he told reporters in St Petersburg: "We...very much hope that all our signals from yesterday reached the Israeli leadership."Likhachev said Russia has just over 300 staff at Bushehr and a total presence of about 500 people, including family members.

Russia says any use of tactical nuclear weapons by US in Iran would be catastrophic, TASS reports
Reuters/June 20, 2025
MOSCOW -Potential use of tactical nuclear weapons by the United States in Iran would be a catastrophic development, Russian state news agency TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Friday. Peskov was commenting on what he called speculative media reports about that possibility. His comments, as reported by TASS, did not mention any media by name. The Guardian newspaper reported that U.S. defence officials were briefed that using conventional bombs against Iran's underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordow would not be enough to destroy it completely, and that destroying it would require initial attacks with conventional bombs and then dropping a tactical nuclear weapon from a B-2 bomber. However, the British newspaper said President Donald Trump was not considering using a tactical nuclear weapon on Fordow and the possibility was not presented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, in meetings in the White House Situation Room. Trump said on Thursday that any decision on potential U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict would be made within two weeks. Russia, which has close ties with Iran, has warned strongly against U.S. military intervention on the side of Israel.

Sistani Warns Against Targeting Khamenei, Sadr Calls for Mass Protests
Baghdad: Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
As Iraq’s judiciary vowed legal action against anyone seeking to destabilize the country, major Iranian-backed Iraqi militias declared their readiness to take up arms should US President Donald Trump follow through on his repeated threats to target Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Leaders of the prominent militias, including Harakat al-Nujaba and Kata'ib Hezbollah, issued warnings of retaliatory attacks against US interests in Iraq in response to escalating tensions. Their threats came shortly after Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, cautioned against any attempts to strike Khamenei.
In a move seen as a preemptive effort to safeguard national stability, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council head, Judge Faiq Zidan, convened with security and media officials to discuss ways to strengthen the country’s internal cohesion.
This followed a meeting between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Zidan aimed at addressing growing concerns over potential internal unrest. Zidan stressed the priority of Iraq’s security and sovereignty during a high-level meeting, warning that anyone attempting to undermine these national interests would face severe legal consequences, according to a statement from the judiciary. Zidan said: “Iraq’s security and sovereignty are a priority for society, and any attack on these will result in accountability for those trying to harm these national entitlements.”
He added that “propaganda suggesting internal unrest or destabilization will lead to deterrent legal penalties,” underscoring the need for national unity in the wake of the recent Israeli aggression in the region.
Separately, Sistani warned against any attempt to target Khamenei amid repeated US and Israeli threats. In a statement from his office on Thursday, Sistani called on the international community and world nations to intervene to halt the escalation and find a peaceful resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
He condemned ongoing military aggression against Iran and any threats aimed at its highest religious and political leadership. “Such criminal actions, which violate religious and ethical standards as well as international laws and norms, risk severe consequences for the entire region,” Sistani said.
“It could lead to widespread chaos, exacerbating the suffering of peoples and harming the interests of all parties involved to an extreme degree.”Following calls from the Shiite Coordination Framework for supporters to rally in solidarity with Iran, influential cleric and leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, urged peaceful, organized demonstrations after next Friday’s prayers. Al-Sadr condemned what he described as “Zionist and American terrorism, colonial expansion, and hostility toward peoples and religions,” calling on Iraqis to unite in protest against these threats. In a recent social media post, al-Sadr urged Iraqis to take part in “peaceful, organized protests” after Friday prayers next week, calling for demonstrations to be held simultaneously in every provincial capital. Al-Sadr said the protests were motivated by “religious, ideological, and humanitarian concerns.”He denounced what he described as massacres and aggression against Arab and Muslim countries, citing recent attacks on neighboring Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, which he called “the main drivers of wars worldwide.”Meanwhile, the Shiite Coordination Framework - a coalition of major Shiite parties excluding the Sadrist Movement, including the State of Law, Al-Fatah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Al-Nasr, and Al-Hikma blocs - failed to mobilize significant support in their recent call for rallies. Only dozens reportedly attended those demonstrations, while all signs point to much larger turnouts for the Sadrist protests this coming Friday. Observers note the protests reflect deep political and sectarian divides in Iraq, with the Sadrist base, which has largely boycotted parliamentary elections, holding significant influence despite lacking parliamentary majorities held by the Coordination Framework parties.

Iraq Says 50 Israeli Warplanes Planes Violated Its Airspace
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
Iraq's representative to the United Nations said 50 Israeli warplanes planes violated Iraqi airspace shortly before a UN meeting on the Israel-Iran conflict on Friday. Abbas Kadhom Obaid Al-Fatlawi, charge d'affaires of Iraq's UN mission, told the UN Security Council the aircraft came from the Syrian-Jordanian border areas. "Twenty airplanes started, followed by 30 airplanes heading to the south of Iraq, and they flew over Basra, Najaf and Karbala cities," he said. "These violations are violations of international law and the UN Charter," he said, adding: "They also constitute a threat to the sacred sites and regions which might cause strong popular reactions, considering the importance of these holy sites for our peoples."

How the AP decided to refer to the conflict between Israel and Iran as a war
Associated Press/June 20, 2025
The Associated Press is calling the current conflict between Israel and Iran a war, given the scope, intensity and duration of military activities on both sides. Other news organizations also have decided to refer to the conflict as a war, while some are still sticking with words such as “conflict” or “fighting.”
Why does it matter?
When a conflict in the world spills into military action, it’s important to use the correct terms to describe it. Sometimes a one-sided attack occurs without further action, or a conflict bubbles up and then ends quickly. Using “war” widely to describe these kinds of situations can diminish the word's importance. Then, when actual war breaks out, people might not understand its significance.
What does the AP consider?
The Merriam-Webster definition of war is quite broad: “A state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations," or "a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism.”The fight between Israel and Iran meets those criteria, though neither has officially declared war. Since Israel launched an air campaign targeting Iran’s military and nuclear program, there has been a significant escalation in the conflict. Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones into Israel. Israel has assassinated high-level Iranian officials; targeted the country’s infrastructure; called for hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate Iran’s capital, Tehran; and said it will continue its offensive. What are previous examples of conflicts where the AP issued guidance to use the word ‘war’? The AP provided guidance on the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war in the days and weeks after fighting began. In both cases, editors considered the number of casualties, the intensity of fighting, the involvement of each party, and what each country was calling the conflict. In both cases, the AP started using the word “war” to describe the conflicts. Why is it 'war' and not ‘War’? AP capitalizes the word “war” only as part of a formal name, which as of now does not exist.
Could the guidance change?
Decisions on how AP uses the term “war” happen in real time. AP's news leaders and standards editors will continue to monitor developments to see whether changes are necessary. At this point, the level of fighting constitutes the countries being at war, no matter what happens next. If fighting were to end soon, AP would continue saying the countries had been at war. News leaders would consider whether the level of fighting at that time amounted to being at war. If other countries intervene in the war, AP would describe the intervention as military action in support of Israel or military support of Iran. AP would also consider whether the action constitutes those countries also being at war.

Israel's war and settlements a strategy to block Palestinian state: legal expert
RFI/June 20, 2025
In the past 20 months, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip and nearly 950 in the occupied West Bank. International law specialist Monique Chemillier-Gendreau says Israel’s retaliation for the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks is part of a wider plan to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. Western governments, she says, are letting Israel act with impunity. RFI: Your book Making a Palestinian State Impossible: Israel's Objective Since its Creation begins in the late 19th century, when the Zionist movement was gaining ground in Europe. You write that the Western world “sacrificed” the Palestinian people. What do you mean by that? Monique Chemillier-Gendreau: The Zionist project to create a state for Jews on Palestinian land was welcomed in certain circles and in certain Western countries. This led to the Balfour Declaration in 1917, the first official step in support of the project. The British foreign secretary, Arthur Balfour, declared on behalf of the government that it would support Jewish immigration to Palestine, thereby compromising the future of the Palestinian people. The move was all the more unusual given that Great Britain had no claim to Palestine at the time, and therefore was claiming control over a territory over which it had no authority. In 1917, Palestine was still under the control of the Ottoman Empire. But the British were anxious to share the territories that were under Ottoman control with the other victors in the First World War, which was still ongoing at the time, and to get their hands on Palestine.

Israeli strikes kill 44 Palestinians in Gaza, UN warns of drought
Nidal al-Mughrabi and Olivia Le Poidevin/Reuters/June 20, 2025
CAIRO/GENEVA -Israeli fire killed at least 44 Palestinians in Gaza on Friday, many of whom had been trying to get food, local officials said, while the United Nations' children's agency warned of a looming man-made drought in the enclave as its water systems collapse. At least 25 people awaiting aid trucks were killed by Israeli fire south of Netzarim in central Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run local health authority said. Asked by Reuters about the incident, the Israel Defense Force said its troops had fired warning shots at suspected militants who advanced in a crowd towards them.
An Israeli aircraft then "struck and eliminated the suspects", it said in a statement, adding that it was aware of others being hurt in the incident and was conducting a review. Separately, Gazan medics said at least 19 others were killed in other Israeli military strikes across the enclave, including 12 people in a house in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip, taking Friday's total death toll to at least 44. In a statement on Friday, the Islamist Hamas group, which says Israel is using hunger as a weapon against the population of Gaza, accused Israel of systematically targeting Palestinians seeking food aid across the enclave. Israel denies this and accuses Hamas of stealing food aid, which the group denies. Meanwhile UNICEF, the U.N.'s children's agency, warned in Geneva of drought conditions developing in Gaza. "Children will begin to die of thirst ... Just 40% of drinking water production facilities remain functional," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters. "We are way below emergency standards in terms of drinking water..."UNICEF also reported a 50% increase in children aged six months to 5 years admitted for treatment of malnutrition from April to May in Gaza, and half a million people going hungry.
FOOD AID
Elder, who was recently in Gaza, said he had many testimonials of women and children injured while trying to receive food aid, including a young boy who was wounded by a tank shell and later died of his injuries. A lack of public clarity on when the sites - some of which are in combat zones - are open is causing mass casualty events, he added. The route near Netzarim has become dangerous since the start of a new U.S.-backed aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), witnesses told Reuters, with desperate Gazans heading to a designated area late at night to try and get something from aid supplies due to be handed out after dawn. The route has also been used by aid trucks sent by the United Nations and aid groups, and people have also been heading there in the hope of grabbing bags off trucks. UNICEF said GHF was "making a desperate situation worse."On Thursday at least 70 people were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes, including 12 people who tried to approach a site operated by the GHF in the central Gaza Strip. In an email to Reuters, GHF accused Gazan health officials of regularly releasing inaccurate information. It said Palestinians do not access the nearby GHF site via the Netzarim corridor. The statement did not address a question about whether GHF was aware of Thursday's incident. The GHF said in a statement on Thursday it had so far distributed nearly three million meals across three of its aid sites without incident. The Gaza war was triggered when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, while displacing almost the entire population of more than 2 million and causing a hunger crisis.

Armed men in western Niger kill 34 soldiers and wound 14, authorities say
Monika Pronczuk/The Associated Press/June 20, 2025
DAKAR, Senegal — Armed men killed 34 soldiers and wounded 14 others in western Niger near the tri-state border with Mali and Burkina Faso, the defense ministry said. The attack was carred out around 9 a.m. Thursday in Banibangou by attackers using eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes, the ministry said in a statement. The government said its forces killed dozens of attackers it called “terrorists,” adding that search operations by land and air were being conduted to find additional assailants. Niger, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by jihadi groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in the three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance. The three countries have vowed to strengthen their cooperation by establishing a new security alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States. But the security situation in the Sahel, a vast region on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, has significantly worsened since the juntas took power, analysts say, with a record number of attacks and civilians killed by Islamic militants and government forces.

Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria. The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad's brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad. But Assad's December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return. "Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December," Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates, AFP reported. It is "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," he said. "This proves that we need political solutions -- not another wave of instability and displacement." After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed. But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion. Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.

US Senators Introduce Legislation to Repeal Syria's Caesar Act
Washington: Elie Youssef/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
US Senators Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Rand Paul introduced on Thursday a bill repealing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019. “The legislation reflects a growing recognition that while the Caesar Act achieved its goal of isolating the Assad regime, it now risks obstructing Syria’s path toward stability, democracy and reconstruction,” they said in a joint statement. “Repealing the Caesar Act would end broad-based economic sanctions while preserving US tools to hold Syrian officials accountable,” it added. The act was named after a defector from the Syrian army, who smuggled thousands of photos that document the torture and violations committed in Syrian prisons. It was designed to hold the Assad regime and its backers to account for their war crimes and human rights violations. “The Syrian people have a generational opportunity to write a new chapter for their country and the entire Middle East,” said Shaheen. “For too long, the brutal Assad dictatorship, propped up by our adversaries Iran and Russia, has ruled with an iron fist. And for too long, the Syrian people have endured a devastating civil war to rid themselves of this oppression.”“We can keep the new Syrian authorities accountable without decimating the economy. Sustained diplomatic engagement can yield tremendous results,” she stressed. “I look forward to working with Special Envoy Thomas Barrack to support the Syrian people’s aspirations for democracy, stability and security,” she added. For his part, Paul said: “For years, I’ve opposed broad sanctions that hurt innocent people more than the regimes they target. While the Caesar Act was intended to isolate the Assad regime, it has ended up punishing everyday Syrians, fueling poverty, crippling recovery, and blocking progress toward peace.”“This repeal is about restoring a more targeted, principled approach that holds bad actors accountable without inflicting unnecessary suffering on the very people we claim to support,” he stated. Matthew Levitt, Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, said it was logical to end the Caesar Act after the reasons for its adoption are no more. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that it was enacted to tackle the grave human rights violations committed in the Assad regime’s prisons. With the ouster of the regime, there is no need to keep it in place.
Pressure
Meanwhile, Dr. Murhaf Ibrahim, head of the Alawite Association of the United States, said it was important to bolster Syrian-American ties on all levels, to lift sanctions and for the United States to display political and economic openness towards Syria. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said that in order to boost these ties, they must align with American values related to diversity, democracy, decentralization in state management and respect of human rights. So far, the government of Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has not committed to these principles, he stressed. He called on the US Congress to hold the government to account over its pledges to address violations and hold their perpetrators responsible. It must also review the political and constitutional measures it has taken so far and that have sparked criticism because they do not represent the entire Syrian population, he went on to say. Syrian-American lobby. Ahed al-Hendi, Senior Fellow at the Center for Peace Communications in Washington, underlined the importance of the legislation because it was issued by the Senate, which first enacted the Ceasar Act, not the president. Action by the Congress demonstrates the existence of Syrian-American lobby that did not make do with pledges made by the American administration, he said. Rather, it is working hard to secure bipartisan support to turn President Donald Trump’s words in Riyadh into political and legislative action in Washington. Even though the administration has still not shaped a clear policy on Syria, the removal of the Caesar Act will help open a new chapter in relations and deliver a clear message that the lifting of sanctions is a necessary step in Syria’s reconstruction, he added. It will also underscore government efforts to consolidate civil peace, respect minorities and avert regional escalation, he said. Syrian activist Ayman Abdelnour said the removal of the Caesar Act will no doubt revive Syria and push forward reconstruction efforts. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that lifting the sanctions will allow the American administration to assess the performance of the new Syrian government on the political, economic and social levels.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 20-21/2025
Vivian Bercovici: Iran could fall any day, and Carney could not be more irrelevant
Vivian Bercovici/National Post/June 19, 2025
SDEROT, Israel — On Feb. 1, 1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, stood at the top of the stairs of an Air France jet that had just landed in Tehran. This stern, robed man had been whisked from his country villa provided by the French government (then led by President Valery Giscard d’Estaing) to a waiting jet. During his 14 years in exile, Ayatollah Khomeini was treated reverentially by the French. Before descending the stairs, the 40 year old cleric paused, triumphantly. Eleven days later, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi left Iran in disgrace, marking the end of 54 years of his family’s dynastic rule. He died not long after, in exile. I remember the moment the Islamic student militants stormed the American Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979. It was unthinkable. Sixty-six American diplomatic staff and other embassy personnel were taken hostage and held for 444 days. The footage of them being led, helpless and blindfolded, through the embassy compound is still so fresh. The “students” were enraged that the United States had admitted the Shah for cancer treatment. The fanatical supporters of the Islamic regime were veiled, bearded and unsmiling. They spent months painstakingly piecing together strips of documents that had been shredded in the final, panicked moments before the embassy was stormed. It was all so dramatic, dark and ominous. They were also masters at media manipulation.
The gravity of the moment was not lost on anyone. But, almost 50 years on, many world leaders seem oblivious to the import of what is going down in Iran today. Some, of course, were barely in grade school in 1979. The intensity of the seismic shift — when Islamism was empowered — is not seared in their historical memory. And it shows. In recent days, small minds huddled in Kananaskis country, just north of Calgary for a G7 summit. They were embarrassingly unconcerned with events unfolding in Iran and were much more excited by the self-aggrandizing diplomatic statements they churned out lionizing their brilliant accomplishments. Meanwhile, an emerging new world order rendered their theatrics irrelevant. The disconnect was total. Since 3 am local time, Friday June 13, an indescribably brilliant Israeli assault on key strategic and military sites throughout Iran has made the collapse of this repressive, theofascist dictatorship suddenly become very possible. Intelligence assessments confirming that Iran was possibly moments away from nuclear breakout created the urgency. U.S. President Donald Trump had been persistent for months in urging Iranian leadership to negotiate a deal which would require that they abandon all military nuclear ambitions. Iran refused. Israel attacked. Five days later, the map of the Middle East and the world — is dramatically different. Borderlines remain but realities have shifted. The Israeli air force dominates Iran’s skies.
Shortly after two long telephone conversations last weekend — one with Trump and another with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — Russian President Putin withdrew all his country’s military personnel from Iran. Hezbollah, the heavily armed fanatical Islamist army entrenched in Lebanon and armed to the teeth for decades by Iran, refused to support its benefactor when requested.
On June 13, Israel focused its efforts on neutralizing Iranian air defence systems. Days 2 and 3 brought a mind-blowing blizzard of activity. Air attacks targeted key military and industrial infrastructure: missile manufacturing sites, launchpads, oil refineries, training bases. Dozens of senior military, intelligence and government officials were assassinated in constant waves of assaults; some from the air and many at close range. Days 4 and 5 have seen pinpoint hits on critical state, military infrastructure and government offices. On Monday evening the Israel Defense Forces urged civilians to leave Tehran, leading thousands fleeing. One moment, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is reported to be reaching out indirectly to Israel and the U.S. to negotiate a truce. The next he is breathing fire and brimstone and swearing to wipe out the Zionist regime. The demonization of the Jewish state has been the rallying cry for Iran and its Islamofascist allies and supporters around the world since 1979.  In the immediate aftermath of the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty, the excesses and repression of the Shah — particularly in his final decade of rule — were openly acknowledged. Its secret police, the SAVAK, were ruthless. Repression of fundamentalist Islam was extreme. But the mullahs were creative. Ayatollah Khomeni famously recorded inspirational messages for the masses from his plush French villa. His encouragement to the faithful to rise up and rebel was distributed within Iran on home made tape cassettes. It almost sounds prehistoric today. But those cassette recordings were a key element of the strategy to organize and motivate the people of Iran to overthrow the Shah’s regime. Today, the Supreme Leader resorts to social media and — until it was bombed by Israel earlier this week — state-controlled television and radio to get his message out. He knows well that control of information is a critical component of any revolutionary effort. As well as maintaining control and power. In the region, and much of the world, we wait. Will Trump give the order for the B-2 bombers to drop the MOAB — mother of all bombs — on the Islamic regime’s Fordow nuclear site? This would likely result in the Iranian nuclear program being pulverized into oblivion. Fordow is an underground mountain fortress where military grade enriched uranium is centralized. It also houses Iran’s nuclear centrifuge.
When the G7 leaders met in Canada, it was being reported that Khamenei was asking the U.S. to engage in ceasefire talks. Trump hollered on his social media account: UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!! By then he had left the G7.
French President Emmanuel Macron — who Trump holds in boundless contempt — declared that the American president had departed early to negotiate a ceasefire with Khamenei. Trump rebuked Macron sharply, saying that he had no idea what was going on. Macron, apparently believing himself to have influence in the middle east, warned that working to bring regime change to Iran would result in “chaos.” We have come full circle, it seems, with yet another French president demonstrating support for an Islamofascist regime. Beyond his pompous utterances, Macron does nothing to substantiate his declarations.
Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has gone mute and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seems unaware of this momentousness of this geopolitical moment. Instead, he drones on about this and that agreement. Ceasefire. D-escalate. Every now and then he makes a dull, uninspired comment along those lines. This lot is so besotted with their bureaucratic dullness that they do not comprehend that now is perhaps one of the most significant moments of the last century. Early Thursday morning Iranian ballistic missiles scored a series of direct hits that were intended to provoke a harsh Israeli reaction. A major hospital in Be’er Sheva was slammed as were several high-rise civilian apartment buildings in central Israel. It is difficult to fathom why Iran is goading Israel and America to escalate their responses. Because it will not end well for the regime. Should the Islamic Republic of Iran fall in the coming days — which is looking increasingly likely — Germany, Israel, America and most middle eastern nations will likely be uninterested in what Canada, the U.K. and France have to say. One thing is certain is that neither the U.S., Israel nor the prospective leadership of Iran is seeking the advice of these self-satisfied relics of the past. As for Carney in particular, for all his tough guy “elbows up” bravado, he is showing that he is very much a bureaucrat’s bureaucrat. He’s the kind of guy who thrives when functionaries function and machines hum. A visionary he is not.
**National Post/**Vivian Bercovici is a former Canadian ambassador to Israel and the founder of the State of Tel Aviv.

What is uranium enrichment and how is it used for nuclear bombs? A scientist explains
Kaitlin Cook, Australian National University/The Conversation/June 20, 2025
Late last week, Israel targeted three of Iran’s key nuclear facilities – Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, killing several Iranian nuclear scientists. The facilities are heavily fortified and largely underground, and there are conflicting reports of how much damage has been done. Natanz and Fordow are Iran’s uranium enrichment sites, and Isfahan provides the raw materials, so any damage to these sites would limit Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. But what exactly is uranium enrichment and why does it raise concerns?
To understand what it means to “enrich” uranium, you need to know a little about uranium isotopes and about splitting the atom in a nuclear fission reaction.
What is an isotope?
All matter is made of atoms, which in turn are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. The number of protons is what gives atoms their chemical properties, setting apart the various chemical elements. Atoms have equal numbers of protons and electrons. Uranium has 92 protons, for example, while carbon has six. However, the same element can have different numbers of neutrons, forming versions of the element called isotopes. This hardly matters for chemical reactions, but their nuclear reactions can be wildly different.
The difference between uranium-238 and uranium-235
When we dig uranium out of the ground, 99.27% of it is uranium-238, which has 92 protons and 146 neutrons. Only 0.72% of it is uranium-235 with 92 protons and 143 neutrons (the remaining 0.01% are other isotopes). For nuclear power reactors or weapons, we need to change the isotope proportions. That’s because of the two main uranium isotopes, only uranium-235 can support a fission chain reaction: one neutron causes an atom to fission, which produces energy and some more neutrons, causing more fission, and so on. This chain reaction releases a tremendous amount of energy. In a nuclear weapon, the goal is to have this chain reaction occur in a fraction of a second, producing a nuclear explosion. In a civilian nuclear power plant, the chain reaction is controlled. Nuclear power plants currently produce 9% of the world’s power. Another vital civilian use of nuclear reactions is for producing isotopes used in nuclear medicine for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.
What is uranium enrichment, then?
To “enrich” uranium means taking the naturally found element and increasing the proportion of uranium-235 while removing uranium-238. There are a few ways to do this (including new inventions from Australia), but commercially, enrichment is currently done with a centrifuge. This is also the case in Iran’s facilities. Centrifuges exploit the fact that uranium-238 is about 1% heavier than uranium-235. They take uranium (in gas form) and use rotors to spin it at 50,000 to 70,000 rotations per minute, with the outer walls of the centrifuges moving at 400 to 500 metres per second.
This works much like a salad spinner that throws water to the sides while the salad leaves stay in the centre. The heavier uranium-238 moves to the edges of the centrifuge, leaving the uranium-235 in the middle.
This is only so effective, so the spinning process is done over and over again, building up the percentage of the uranium-235.
Most civilian nuclear reactors use “low enriched uranium” that’s been enriched to between 3% and 5%. This means that 3–5% of the total uranium in the sample is now uranium-235. That’s enough to sustain a chain reaction and make electricity.
What level of enrichment do nuclear weapons need?
To get an explosive chain reaction, uranium-235 needs to be concentrated significantly more than the levels we use in nuclear reactors for making power or medicines.
Technically, a nuclear weapon can be made with as little as 20% uranium-235 (known as “highly enriched uranium”), but the more the uranium is enriched, the smaller and lighter the weapon can be. Countries with nuclear weapons tend to use about 90% enriched, “weapons-grade” uranium.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has enriched large quantities of uranium to 60%. It’s actually easier to go from an enrichment of 60% to 90% than it is to get to that initial 60%. That’s because there’s less and less uranium-238 to get rid of.This is why Iran is considered to be at extreme risk of producing nuclear weapons, and why centrifuge technology for enrichment is kept secret. Ultimately, the exact same centrifuge technology that produces fuel for civilian reactors can be used to produce nuclear weapons. Inspectors from the IAEA monitor nuclear facilities worldwide to ensure countries are abiding by the rules set out in the global nuclear non-proliferation treaty. While Iran maintains it’s only enriching uranium for “peaceful purposes”, late last week the IAEA board ruled Iran was in breach of its obligations under the treaty.

How might Israel attack Iran’s underground nuclear plant? A 2024 raid in Syria could be a template
Clive Jones, Professor of Regional Security, Durham University/The Conversation/June 20, 2025
Operation rising lion has been a concerted effort by the Israel Defense Forces to degrade Iran’s nuclear programme. Launched on June 13, the operation has targeted key nuclear installations, logistical hubs and Iranian nuclear scientists, key intelligence and military personal. Israel has justified the attack by claiming that Iran was on a verge of a “breakout” in its nuclear programme. This means it would be able to break out of its commitments under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which it ratified in 1970. This contradicts the threat assessment briefing delivered by the director of US national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, on March 25 when she said: “Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.” But whatever the veracity of claim and counter claim, Israel has been able to combine precise intelligence with the effective suppression of Iran’s air defence network. This has enabled the Israeli air force to inflict extensive damage on the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and the heavy water plant at Arak, as well as associated research facilities in Tehran. Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. The attacks have also destroyed two-thirds of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers, according to the latest Israeli estimates. In response, Iran has fired salvoes of ballistic missiles at Israel, some of which have penetrated the much-vaunted Iron Dome missile defence system, due to the sheer number of missiles launched. But despite causing between 20 and 30 civilian casualties in Israel (compared to more than 600 in Iran), and despite the fear of attack among much of Israel’s population, little strategic damage appears to have been inflicted. Within three days of launching operation rising lion, Israel claimed complete aerial supremacy over Iran. But despite this, the key enrichment facility at Fordow, close to the ancient religious city of Qom has proved impervious to Israel’s existing military capabilities. The facility is buried hundreds of metres inside a mountain and designed to survive a full scale aerial bombardment. All reports are that besides some limited damage to the ground-level entrance and ventilation shafts, Israeli attacks on the site have failed to affects its operational capacity.
Another enrichment facility near Natanz at Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, or “Pickaxe Mountain,” is thought to be even deeper inside a mountain. Only the US, with 30,000lb GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrator bomb caried by the B-2 stealth bomber is reckoned to have the capability to inflict lasting damage on these underground nuclear facilities. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyhu, has appealed to the US president, Donald Trump, for help in destroying these nuclear assets. Trump has said he is still considering his decision.
Operation many ways
US help is clearly Netanyahu’s main option for neutralising these underground plants. But don’t rule out a ground attack by Israeli special forces. A template for how Israel might deal with Fordow was revealed last year.
Launched on September 8 2024, operation many ways destroyed an underground missile facility that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps had built into a mountainside in the Masyaf area of Syria, just west of Hama and around 125 miles north of the disputed Golan Heights. This facility was responsible for producing sophisticated surface-to-surface missiles for use by Hezbollah as well as by the regime of Bashar al-Asad, Iran’s ally. After months of surveillance, 200 soldiers from the Shaldag (Kingfisher) special forces unit of the Israeli Air Force were helicoptered to the site under the cover of a series of diversionary airstrikes. The surprise attack quickly overwhelmed defensive forces and used around 600kg of explosives to destroy the underground facility. The unit also collected a considerable amount of intelligence documents which they transferred back to Israel. There were no Israeli casualties.
Greater risk
Would Israel risk a similar operation against Fordow? The risks undoubtedly are far greater. The operation would have to be carried out at a much longer range – the enrichment facility is more than 1,000kms from Israel.
Such an operation would need to involve far more troops than operation many ways. And the operational requirement to ensure sufficient air-to-air refuelling capacity for the air force’s heavy lift “Yasur” helicopters would add a layer of logistical complexity.
But the IDF’s ability to innovate around the use of longer-range C130 transport aircraft that can land in rough areas should not be underestimated. They showed this as long ago as 1976 when mounting the famous hostage rescue mission at Entebbe in Uganda.
Also on the plus side for Israel is its air superiority. The country is also a leader in electronic counter warfare measures which would allow it to blind or jam Iranian communications. But while the Iranian armed forces have suffered heavy blows, the ground defences around Fordow will still be formidable. To gain access to and destroy the centrifuges widely believed to be at Fordow with sufficient explosives runs the risks of heavy casualties on all sides. So the calculation Israel’s military planners would have to make is the strategic gain relative to the cost in blood. Yet given Fordow has long been recognised by Israel as the jewel in Iran’s nuclear crown this too might be another gamble Netanyahu is willing to take in a war that, whatever its outcome, is already reshaping much of the Middle East.
**Clive Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Arab and Gulf nations fear U.S. attack on Iran will destabilize the region
Nabih Bulos/Los Angeles Times./June 20, 2025
Last month, President Trump stood in the palatial ballroom of the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh, and rebuked America’s misadventures in the Middle East. As Saudi officials and U.S. business leaders looked on, Trump said that too many of his predecessors were “afflicted with the notion that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins.”“In the end, the so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built,” he added. “And the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand.”A mere five weeks later, Trump appears to be on the cusp of his own Middle Eastern adventure, one with uncomfortable parallels to America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003. That conflict — which killed at least 100,000 Iraqis and some 4,400 Americans, lasted almost nine years and destabilized the region for half a generation after. It became the prime example of the “forever wars” Trump railed against during his election campaign, and a lesson in the folly of intervening with no clear endgame. For Trump’s Persian Gulf and Arab allies, the prospect of a repeat performance has left them scrabbling for a diplomatic off-ramp.
“There are no nations on the face of the Earth working harder than the Gulf countries today to calm the situation and stop this crazy war. They are absolutely against any military confrontation,” said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, an Emirati political scientist and commentator, adding that leaders of the United Arab Emirates have been “burning the phones” round the clock. “I’ve never seen their diplomacy more active and more engaged than it is today to bring an end to this.”Most Arab governments have little love lost on Iran, which they view as an unruly neighbor fomenting unrest in their own backyards. Its nuclear program has long been a concern, but the bigger fear has often been Iran's allies in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, and their loyalties with a Shiite-majority Iran in a Sunni-dominated Arab world.
During the Biden administration, U.S. officials hoped to use that antipathy to forge an anti-Iran coalition that would see friendly nations like Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE cooperating with Israel to isolate Tehran. Instead, rapprochement with Iran has been the modus operandi in recent years, with Gulf countries normalizing and easing tensions with the Islamic Republic under the calculation that regional stability would bring regional prosperity. All were quick to condemn Israel’s attacks last week. Saudi Arabia, which for years engaged in proxy matches with Iran and was often seen as its main competitor for regional influence, denounced what it called “blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran.”The UAE said much the same. Despite being an enthusiastic member of the Abraham Accords, the Trump-brokered treaty that established relations between Israel and a raft of Arab nations, the UAE excoriated Israel for attacking Iran. On Tuesday, the Emirati ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, called Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to express his solidarity; the same day, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed emphasized a diplomatic approach was needed to “prevent the situation from spiraling into grave and far-reaching consequences.”
That focus on diplomacy, observers say, reflects pragmatism: If the U.S. were to enter the conflict, it’s likely Iran — or one of its allied militias — would lash out at American personnel, bases and other interests in the region, including in the UAE. There are more than 40,000 U.S. soldiers and civilian contractors stationed in the Middle East, according to statements by Pentagon officials (though that number has fluctuated since Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023). The Council on Foreign Relations says the U.S. operates military facilities in 19 locations in countries such as Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UAE. Eight of the facilities are considered permanent. Pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and Syria have in the past regularly attacked U.S. bases. Last year, a drone launched by an Iranian-backed militia on a U.S. base in Jordan near the Syrian border killed three U.S. soldiers and injured 47 others. Also, there is precedent for Iran's allies attacking economic concerns, such as when the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen sent drones striking oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia in 2019 and the UAE in 2022.
Iran may also decide to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway that handles a fifth of the world’s energy flows. Meanwhile, Qatar shares ownership of the South Pars/North Dome field in Iran, the largest natural gas field in the world, which was hit last week in Israel’s strikes. Israel's Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on June 13. The UAE and other Gulf countries “absolutely do not want to be caught in the middle of a broader conflict nor do they want to be targeted by any party, as they have been in the past,” said Elham Fakhro, a Gulf researcher at Harvard’s Belfer Center. She added governments also fear fallout from a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities could contaminate natural resources they share with Iran.
Others, unsure how far the U.S. and Israel will go — whether they still stop at crippling Iran’s nuclear and missile programs or push for regime change — fear the impacts of the Iranian state disintegrating. Foremost in their minds are the aftereffects of America’s toppling of Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein, which unleashed sectarian rage, saw Iraq engulfed in blood-drenched bedlam and empowered terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. “It’s not in the interest of the Gulf states to see their large neighbor Iran collapse,” wrote former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Jaber Al Thani in a post on X, adding that the region saw the consequences of what happened in Iraq. He urged Gulf decision-makers to “immediately halt this madness initiated by Israel.” “This war will also have profound repercussions for our region and perhaps the world," he wrote. "Ultimately, the victor will not always be victorious and the vanquished will never be defeated.”
Behind that rhetoric is a growing conviction that Israel, rather than Iran, is the biggest threat to instability in the region, said Abdulla, the Emirati political scientist. Iran, after all, is diminished. In the past, it could rely on the so-called "Axis of Resistance" — a constellation of pro-Tehran militias and governments in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan — to frustrate adversaries’ plans. But the last 20 months of fighting have seen Israel cripple militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah while the U.S. has subdued Iraqi militias.
Israel, on the other hand, he said, continues to wreak havoc in Gaza and is planning to annex the West Bank. It has also occupied areas in Syria. “Imperial Iran is probably no longer. OK, that’s an opportunity. But imperial Israel is not necessarily good for the stability of the region either,” Abdulla said.
U.S. intelligence officials say Iran is not pursuing a nuclear bomb — contradicting Trump, who has said the opposite — and intelligence assessment experts quoted by CNN this week said Tehran was at least three years away from building a bomb and delivering it in a strike.
(For all his complaints about American interventions in the Middle East — and claims that he had opposed the Iraq war two decades ago — when Trump was asked by radio personality Howard Stern in 2002 if he supported invading Iraq, he replied, "Yeah, I guess so. I wish the first time it was done correctly.")
If the U.S. were to attack Iran now, it would likely supercharge efforts to bulk up the militaries not just in Iran but elsewhere in the region. This week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said regional threats necessitated a ramping up of his nation’s medium- and long-range missiles, saying they were needed for deterrence. “Soon, we’ll reach a defense capacity that no one will dare challenge. … If you’re not strong politically, socially, economically and militarily, you lack deterrence, and you’re vulnerable,” Erdogan said. “We will elevate our level of deterrence so high that not only will they not attack us — they won’t even dare to think about it.”

Under attack from Israel, Iran's supreme leader faces a stark choice
Lee Keath/The Associated Press/June 20, 2025
CAIRO — Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who crushed internal threats repeatedly during more than three decades in power, now faces his greatest challenge yet. His archenemy, Israel, has secured free rein over Iran’s skies and is decimating the country’s military leadership and nuclear program with its punishing air campaign. It is also threatening his life: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Khamenei “cannot continue to exist.”The 86-year-old leader faces a choice. He could escalate Iran's retaliation against Israel and risk even heavier damage from Israeli bombardment. Or he could seek a diplomatic solution that keeps the U.S. out of the conflict, and risk having to give up the nuclear program he has put at the center of Iranian policy for years. In a video address Wednesday he sounded defiant, vowing “the Iranian nation is not one to surrender” and warning that if the U.S. steps in, it will bring “irreparable damage to them.”
Here’s what to know about Khamenei:
He transformed the Islamic Republic
When he rose to power in 1989, Khamenei had to overcome deep doubts about his authority as he succeeded the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. A low-level cleric at the time, Khamenei didn't have his predecessor's religious credentials. With his thick glasses and plodding style, he didn't have his fiery charisma either. But Khamenei has ruled three times longer than the late Khomeini and has shaped Iran’s Islamic Republic perhaps even more dramatically. He entrenched the system of rule by the “mullahs," or Shiite Muslim clerics. That secured his place in the eyes of hard-liners as the unquestionable authority — below only that of God. At the same time, Khamenei built the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard into the dominant force in Iran’s military and internal politics. The Guard boasts Iran’s most elite military and oversees its ballistic missile program. Its international arm, the Quds Force, pieced together the “Axis of Resistance,” the collection of pro-Iranian proxies stretching from Yemen to Lebanon that for years gave Iran considerable power across the region. Khamenei also gave the Guard a free hand to build a network of businesses allowing it to dominate Iran’s economy.
In return, the Guard became his loyal shock force.
He fended off domestic challenges
The first major threat to Khamenei’s grip was the reform movement that swept into a parliament majority and the presidency soon after he became supreme leader. The movement advocated for giving greater power to elected officials – something Khamenei’s hard-line supporters feared would lead to dismantling the Islamic Republic system. Khamenei stymied the reformists by rallying the clerical establishment. Unelected bodies run by the mullahs succeeded in shutting down major reforms and barring reform candidates from running in elections. The Revolutionary Guard and Iran’s other security agencies crushed waves of protests that followed the failure of the reform movement. Huge nationwide protests erupted in 2009 over allegations of vote-rigging. Under the weight of sanctions, economic protests broke out in 2017 and 2019. More nationwide protests broke out in 2022 over the death of Mahsa Amini after police detained her for not wearing her mandatory headscarf properly. Hundreds were killed in crackdowns on the protests, and hundreds more arrested amid reports of detainees tortured to death or raped in prison. Still, the successive protests showed the strains in Iran’s theocratic system and lay bare widespread resentment of clerical rule, corruption and economic troubles. Trying to defuse anger, authorities often eased enforcement of some of the Islamic Republic’s social restrictions.
He built Iran into a regional power
When Khamenei took power, Iran was just emerging from its long war with Iraq that left the country battered and isolated. Over the next three decades, Khamenei turned Iran around into as assertive power wielding influence across the Middle East. One major boost was the U.S.’s 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein, which eventually brought Iranian-allied Shiite politicians and militias to power in Iraq. Iraq provided a linchpin in Iran’s Axis of Resistance, grouping Bashar Assad’s Syria, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. By 2015, the alliance was at its height, putting Iran on Israel’s doorstep.
The past two years brought a dramatic reversal
Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel brought massive Israeli retaliation on the Gaza Strip. It also brought a turnaround in Israeli policy. After years of trying to fend off and tamp down Iran's allies, Israel made crushing them its goal. Hamas has been crippled, though not eliminated, even at the cost of the decimation of Gaza. Israel has similarly sidelined Hezbollah — at least for the moment — with weeks of bombardment in Lebanon last year, along with a dramatic attack with booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies that stunned the group. An even heavier blow to Hezbollah was the fall in December of Assad when Sunni rebels marched on the capital and removed him from power. Now, a government hostile to Iran and Hezbollah rules from Damascus.
Iran's Axis of Resistance is at its lowest ebb ever.
Lee Keath, The Associated Press

5 Oppressive Iranian Institutions Israel has Targeted
Janatan Sayeh/FDD-Insight/June 20/2025
As Israel degrades the Islamic Republic of Iran’s military capabilities, the campaign has also targeted key pillars of repression in the country. Among them are senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, the headquarters of the Law Enforcement Command (or NAJA, its Persian acronym) in Tehran, sand the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) — the regime’s primary propaganda machine. While the conflict has tragically taken civilian lives, Israeli strikes have weakened the very institutions used to suppress dissent, often via the lethal use of force against citizens. The targeting marks a shift from words to action — Israel is now making good on its earlier messages of solidarity with the Iranian people who have long endured the brutality of the clerical regime.
1. The Law Enforcement Command: The First Barrier Against Civic Activism
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on June 18 that Israel had “destroyed the Iranian regime’s Internal Security Headquarters — the Iranian dictator’s central repressive arm.” According to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, NAJA is responsible for maintaining “moral and social security” and operates as the first line of repression against civil activism in Iran. In 2011, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned NAJA under Executive Order 13553 for its role in serious human rights abuses following the 2009 Green Movement, citing “Iran’s willingness to turn the machinery of the state, at its highest levels, against its own people to violently suppress their democratic aspirations.” Treasury also highlighted NAJA’s role in a detention center where detainees endured assault and denial of medical care that led to deaths.
2. IRIB: Tehran’s Main Propaganda Apparatus
A propaganda arm under the supreme leader’s direct control, IRIB is shaped by the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence (MOI). It holds a monopoly over the Iranian media, functioning as the regime’s primary censorship engine. Israel struck an IRIB newsroom as it broadcasted wartime propaganda on June 16. Israel then hacked the network on June 18 to air a message urging Iranians to rise up against the regime. IRIB uses forced confessions — often extracted under torture — to spread false narratives, which are then promoted online or used in show trials. In 2022, the United States sanctioned six IRIB staffers for airing statements from families of slain protesters made under duress, aimed at discrediting the victims. The European Union similarly designated leaders of Press TV, IRIB’s foreign-language arm. These broadcasts help the IRGC and MOI legitimize sham trials, secure bogus convictions, and justify executions — all under the guise of televised truth.
3. The IRGC’s Top Commander: The Leading Repressor of the Iranian People
The IRGC is not Iran’s conventional army, but an ideological force dedicated to preserving and exporting the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Hossein Salami, its former top commander, whom Israel eliminated on June 13, directed brutal crackdowns on protesters. During the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom movement, Salami warned, “This ominous sedition will bring no happy ending to you. Do not ruin your future!” He further threatened, “We will turn up at your doors,” and “We will take revenge.” Later in 2022, Canada designated Salami for human rights violations, citing his role in the “systematic persecution of women” during the crackdown on that year’s protests. The European Union sanctioned Salami in 2021 for his role in authorizing the lethal suppression of the November 2019 protests, when IRGC units and the Basij militia targeted unarmed civilians across Iran.
4. The IRGC Intelligence Organization Commander: Surveilling and Torturing Dissidents
Israel also eliminated Mohammad Kazemi, head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO) on June 16, along with his deputy, Mohammad Hassan Mohaghegh. Under their leadership, the IRGC-IO served as one of the regime’s most repressive organs, overseeing mass surveillance, arresting and torturing dissidents, and operating secret detention sites across Iran, including its own ward in Evin Prison known for brutal interrogations. In 2022, the United States sanctioned Mohaghegh for his role in this apparatus, while New Zealand imposed travel bans for his human rights abuses. The U.S. Treasury described Kazemi as overseeing “one of the regime’s most brutal security services” and noted his role in intensifying crackdowns on civil society.
5. The IRGC Aerospace Force Commander: Shooting Down a Civilian Plane
Killed by Israel on June 13, Amir Ali Hajizadeh led the IRGC Aerospace Force — not only the arm responsible for the missiles now aimed at Israeli cities but also the architect of one of the regime’s darkest acts of internal deception. On January 8, 2020, under Hajizadeh’s command, the force deliberately launched two missiles at Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752 just minutes after it departed Tehran. All 176 people aboard were killed, including 29 children. The strike came just days after the United States killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. Rather than retaliate directly, the regime turned its firepower on a civilian airliner leaving its own capital. The regime eventually admitted responsibility, with Salami justifying the act by saying, “Had the plane not been shot down, there would have been war” with the United States.
**Janatan Sayeh is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from the author and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Janatan on X @JanatanSayeh. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_Iran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Qatar’s money isn’t just dirty – its filthy ....Accusations of bribery against the Gulf state are only part of the problem – the Qataris are jihadi financiers
Jonathan Schanzer/The Jewish Chronicle/June 20/2025
Gift or grift? The tiny Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar has just given the United States a 747 jet to serve as the new Air Force One. But what exactly is Qatar getting in return?
Qatar is an insanely wealthy country. Its citizenry is estimated to be 330,000 (with another 1.7 million foreigners serving as hired help on the peninsula). And yet the country controls more than 10 per cent of the world’s energy. In other words, money is no object for Doha. Influence is the name of the game.
US President Donald Trump says he would be crazy not to accept a gift worth $400 million (£300 million). But the man who wrote The Art of the Deal may not be aware of a truism in Washington: If you get something for free, you’re probably the product.
To be fair, Trump isn’t the first American to be enticed by the Qataris. We don’t know the exact amount of Qatari cash sloshing around in America, but then the Qataris reportedly just inked deals worth $1.2 trillion during Trump’s recent swing through the region. We know the jet that the Qataris donated to Trump is worth close to half a billion dollars alone. And The Free Press estimates that Qatar has invested nearly $100 billion in various aspects of the American economy. These investments (which I think are far more than $100 billion) range from education, lobby firms, public-relations firms, retainers for white-shoe law firms, real estate, tech, hedge funds and more. The truth is, nobody seems to know exactly how much money the Qataris have invested in America. At first blush, one might wonder, what’s the problem? After all, American debt is spiralling out of control and Qatari investments could help dig the US out of a serious hole.
Here’s the problem: Qatari money isn’t just dirty – it’s filthy.
Qatar has been linked to multiple high-profile controversies involving allegations of bribery or corruption in recent years. One such case contributed to the downfall of the Democratic senator Bob Menendez in 2024. Another centred on a group of European parliamentarians in 2022. Qatar has also faced longstanding allegations surrounding its successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup. Most recently, Israeli authorities have raised concerns about possible Qatari efforts to exert influence, including reported suspicions involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner circle.
But accusations of bribes are only part of the problem. The Qataris are jihadi financiers. The country is the world’s top financier of the Muslim Brotherhood factions ranging from moderate to extreme. The group has a history of financing Hamas. Qatar is a patron of the murderous Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The regime has sheltered top financiers and operatives from al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Today, it is bankrolling the new al-Qaeda government in Syria.
In other words, even as the United States recognises Qatar as a “Major Non-NATO ally”, there is a compelling case to designate Qatar as a “state sponsor of terrorism” with all relevant financial sanctions applied.
Maddeningly, Qatar has purchased enough soft power to run a remarkably effective influence operation in Washington that has all but removed the not-inconsiderable stench of illicit finance off the regime. Former and current senior officials have benefited from Qatar’s largesse. Hugely influential media figures in America are now believed to be in the pay of Qatar. Major financial interests are beholden to Qatar, too.
Europe is not faring much better. Qatar has gobbled up major brands and assets across Europe. And EU parliamentarians have been accused to be on the take from Qatar. But the quickening of the pace of Qatari money in Washington is alarming.
This appears to be a hugely consequential moment for Qatar, the United States, and I think it’s fair to include Europe. It’s the most obvious moment – just days after the United States accepted the Qatari plane – to force us to publicly wrestle with the Qatari conundrum. The West has, in recent decades, elected to ignore Qatar’s financial activities so long as lucrative Qatari investments continued. This has been not so much a policy as it has become a norm. What was not explicitly forbidden was permissible.
A debate about Qatar is now under way. Or at least, it was. In today’s chaotic news cycle, the crucial question of Qatari influence is now quickly fading into the noise. That’s not good news, because a reckoning is overdue. Reverting to the norm will do nothing to help untie this financial Gordian knot, which will only become more difficult to unravel.
*Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the United States Department of the Treasury, is executive director at Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, DC. Follow him on X @JSchanzer.
https://www.thejc.com/opinion/qatars-money-isnt-just-dirty-its-filthy-t6do49i5

Question: “What role does Iran play in the end times?”
GotQuestions.org/June 20/2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCchWnM1aK8
Answer: There are several biblical prophecies of the end times that mention Iran, called Persia or Elam in the Bible. Given the fact that Iran is often in the news as a nation seeking armaments (possibly nuclear) and repeatedly issuing threats against Israel, students of Bible prophecy are taking note. The conflict with Israel in June of 2025 definitely brought Iran to the forefront of Bible prophecy conversations.
Iran does have a role to play in the end times, but, first, a little history of Iran and its neighborhood, as it relates to biblical history. Jeremiah prophesied that Elam, a nation east of Babylon, west of Persia, and south of Media, would be conquered and then rise to power again (Jeremiah 49:34–39). True to that prophecy, Babylon conquered Elam in 596 BC. But then Persia, under Cyrus the Great, took control of that area, and the Elamites and Medes became part of the Persian Empire. The Medo-Persian Empire ascended to power and conquered Babylon in 539 BC, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 21:2. This happened during the time of Daniel (Daniel 5); in fact, Daniel later resided “in the province of Elam” in Persia (Daniel 8:2). Persia is the setting for the book of Esther and the first part of Nehemiah.
Alexander the Great’s conquests put an end to Persia as a world power, fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 8. In the following centuries, Persia was ruled by the Seleucids, the Parthians, the Sassanians, the Romans, the Byzantines, and finally, in AD 636, the Muslims. In 1501, the state of Iran was founded.
In the New Testament, men from Iran are mentioned indirectly as “Parthians, Medes and Elamites” were present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:9). All three of these people groups were Jews who lived in the area of ancient Persia, modern-day Iran, and they were present in Jerusalem to witness the birth of the church.
Iran’s involvement in the end times will be as one of the nations involved in the battle of Gog and Magog, which probably occurs during the first half of the tribulation. Ezekiel 38:5 specifically mentions Persia as an ally of Magog/Russia. Other nations included in this coalition will be Sudan, Turkey, Libya, and others. This vast army will come against Israel, who at that time will be “a peaceful and unsuspecting people” (verse 11).
The outcome of this end-times invasion is predicted: God supernaturally intervenes, and Gog’s coalition is utterly destroyed. “On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals” (Ezekiel 39:4–5). Iran, allied with Russia, will think their invasion of Israel is a sure victory, but God has different plans. In protecting Jerusalem, God will send a strong message to the world: “I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel” (verse 7).

Targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader is Madness
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
Last week, the idea resurfaced that Israel may target Iran’s Supreme Leader – as if he were just another easy military target in the fierce war between Israel and Iran, which may soon involve the United States. US President Donald Trump made a point of distancing himself from the Israeli plan, announcing that the Iranian Supreme Leader is at the top of Israel’s target list and now within their reach. Trump made it clear he opposes Israel’s move and does not support it. This issue is far more serious than just another military objective; it could become a matter of ideology and trigger deeply dangerous cycles of revenge. There have been times in history when warring parties refrained from targeting leaders and symbolic figures for reasons beyond direct military calculation.For example, Emperor Hirohito of Japan was a ruler and a sacred symbol. Documents confirm that he authorized his military leaders to go to war, invade Manchuria, and carry out the attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to America’s entry into World War II. Yet, during the war, and on the recommendation of General Douglas MacArthur, the US government decided not to target him. He was also excluded from the list of Japanese leaders prosecuted after the American victory and the occupation of Tokyo. That decision paved the way for reconciliation between the US and Japan, and helped the Japanese people accept the Americans. Hirohito remained emperor and respected until his death, living for another 45 years.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a spiritual leader, and any harm inflicted on him would cause wounds that may never heal – regardless of how decisive the Israeli or American victories are on the battlefield.
The Supreme Leader is a lifelong authority, not a president. He would play a vital role in bringing about peace, just as Ayatollah Khomeini did in 1988, when he unilaterally announced an end to the war with Iraq – a war we thought would only end with the complete destruction of one or both countries. We remember that no one in the Iranian regime at that time dared to call for a ceasefire with neighboring Iraq – except the late Supreme Leader.Some people get carried away by the intoxication of war, blinded by overwhelming military power and temporary victories, only to create hatred that could last for decades or even centuries – when they could have achieved victory without doing so. There is no doubt that the Israelis possess superior intelligence capabilities and overwhelming destructive power, which allow them to penetrate deep into Iran and reach its leadership’s hideouts, as they have done in Lebanon and Gaza. But Iran’s Supreme Leader cannot be equated with Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated last year. The difference in symbolic weight is enormous, and the consequences of a miscalculation are grave.
And even if the comparison isn’t entirely accurate, the execution of Saddam Hussein on Eid al-Adha in 2006 – though he was a Baathist and not a religious or tribal leader – came at a heavy price. US generals later attempted to reconcile with Sunni forces, but failed. Washington still suffers the consequences of that event, especially with half the Iraqi population. That grave mistake could have been avoided, and the resulting rift healed, after their military victory.
Israelis are capable of stunning military victories, as they achieved in 1967 and again last year – but that doesn’t mean they win the larger war. We are truly on the brink of entering a new and critical chapter of history that will reshape what we’ve known and lived through over the past half century. What’s needed now is the use of the threat of force without reaching for its maximum limits—to bring about change through consensus, as much as possible. That would benefit everyone, including Israel, the United States, Iran, and all the nations in the region. Both winners and losers share an interest in reducing tensions and achieving a collective peace.

The Polish Arab Levant..
Hazem Saghieh./Asharq Al-Awsat/June 20/2025
Poland is emblematic of the fate of weak countries surrounded by strong ones, which may pay the price of the wars of the strong as well as their agreement.
It has been partitioned three times in its history, and, for years, it disappeared from the map. Mind you, a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was formed in 1385, and it was a formidable and powerful state in the 16th century.
The country was partitioned for the first time in 1772, after Russia, Prussia, and Austria agreed on the dividing lines drawn up by Prussia’s King Frederick II. It was partitioned a second time in 1793 - an episode that many historians explain through the conservative regimes’ struggle against the French Revolution. These regimes saw Poland's reformist policies, including its 1791 constitution, as the result of the French Jacobins’ influence. Accordingly, Russia seized most of the territory that is now Ukraine and Belarus, while the Prussians seized important territories and cities, such as Poznan and Gdansk. Russia annexed an area of 250,000 square kilometers, while Prussia acquired 58,000 square kilometers, leaving the Commonwealth with only 215,000 square kilometers.
It was partitioned a third and last time in 1795. Initially, the decision had been a reaction to a Polish patriotic peasant uprising that sought reunification. However, the uprising was crushed by a Russian clampdown and the country was reconfigured with the aim of averting future uprisings. Ultimately, Prussia seized Warsaw and Austria took Krakow and Lublin, while Russia expanded westward and captured Vilnius, the capital of present-day Lithuania.
Despite the eruption of numerous uprisings in former Polish territories, the Poles were made to wait until the end of World War I in 1918 for their state to return to existence.
The Poles certainly made mistakes here and there along the way, in developing their political system and economic plans. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that, amid tensions in Europe, the "game of nations" was the primary reason for what happened, leaving the weak country’s shrinking political reality shaped by a polarized regional order.
This overview of the Polish experience was not presented because partition is the only threat facing the countries of the Levant, but because the "game of nations" could leave us at existential junctures in which partition becomes a real possibility, as do civil wars and the denial of self-determination and sovereignty.
The Levant has had to live under a balance of terror between Iran and Israel that presided over successive calamities. This overarching political dynamic has weakened (while maintaining nominal unity) the region in a manner similar to how Poland had been weakened by its repeated partition.
It is not insignificant that as soon as the recent war between Iran and Israel broke out, Levantine politicians or developments disappeared from the news cycle. Indeed, almost nothing linked to Gaza and Palestine, from solidarity movements to state actions, has been mentioned since. The reason for this is that the direct clash between Iran and Israel seemed to be the nucleus and foundation of the polarized regional system. However, if this suffocating regional balance were to collapse, it would probably not meet a strong Levant with a reasonable degree of homogeneity.
This state of affairs does not rule out the possibility of the Levant benefiting from potential shifts, but it does oblige the people of the region to strive to make that happen, taking steps that make up for some of the weaknesses in their position and allowing them to become more adaptable to any new situation they could find themselves in.
What always remains troubling, in assessing one’s negotiating capabilities and positions, is the course of our modern history: major shifts in our conditions have all come from without, whereby we only contributed as spectators, condemning or supporting the outside powers. This passivity that has defined, and continues to define, our engagement with events and circumstances certainly remains a factor that reinforces foreign actors’ overwhelming control over our future.
Our societies, in any case, must also do their part at this particular stage. They must resist taking the initiative and "filling the void" that the collapse of the bipolar regional order will leave behind with their only commodities: fanaticism, sectarian fervor, and the potential civil war. Will we manage to build political and social structures superior to those that emerged after the Americans toppled Saddam Hussein, for example? One could reply, rightly, that the actions of foreign powers were a prominent hindrance to Iraq's elevation to a higher stage. However, it is also true that preparations for a civil conflict predated the involvement of outside powers, and the fear is that these preparations - be it in Iraq and elsewhere - will continue, albeit with less intensity, after any external framework collapses.
As for how to obtain some protection from this rock-bottom, this could be achieved by proposing maps and frameworks for states that are better suited to any new realities, making our politics and institutions more representative of the popular wishes - whether religious, sectarian, or ethnic, aggrieved or marginalized. That obliges us to develop a recovery program that partially compensates for our having had no control over our history and leaving change to factors alone for so long.

Iran and the Popular Uprising.
Let us celebrate in advance the end of evil, the collapse of hatred, and the dawn of healing. The region deserves nothing less.
Colonel Charbel Barakat/June 21/2025
Israel’s Strategic Strikes and the Regime’s Desperation
The ongoing conflict in Iran has reached a decisive phase. Israeli aircraft are not only targeting the mullahs’ existing missile arsenal but also systematically dismantling the military industries responsible for producing long-range missiles. These weapons pose a grave threat to the future security of Israel and its neighbors—just as was done in Syria by Israel in the aftermath of Assad’s military collapse, when Israeli air power ensured long-term regional stability by neutralizing Syrian capabilities.
As the war escalates, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has shifted its focus inward, brutally suppressing any sign of internal dissent. Protesters are frequently labeled as Mossad agents in a bid to discredit them and justify their persecution. This paranoia underscores the regime’s deep fear: that widespread public anger could ignite a genuine revolution, one capable of toppling the rule of al-Wali al-Faqih.
Despite the toll this war is taking on its people, Israel—alongside its American allies—remains determined to press forward until Iran’s missile threat is eradicated. Ironically, while the Iranian regime scrambles for a ceasefire to shield its remaining weapons, its very actions are prolonging the conflict.
Lebanon Must Take a Stand
This conflict has serious implications for Lebanon. Lebanese officials must finally recognize the gravity of the regional moment and take decisive action to address the presence of weapons within their borders. The time has come to settle this issue once and for all. If even a single rocket or weapons depot remains that might provoke regional unrest, the Israeli Defense Forces will act swiftly and decisively to eliminate it—before it falls into the hands of any terrorist faction.
This is not just another war; it is the final reckoning. From now on, no infrastructure, installation, or organization that promotes violence will be allowed to operate or spread its poisonous ideologies. Whether they are the relics of a defeated global left, fading Islamist movements like the Brotherhood, or the last remnants of the mullahs’ followers—they will all fade into irrelevance.
Lebanon’s leadership must awaken to the new political reality. The world is moving toward peace, and hesitation or miscalculation could leave Lebanon behind. This is a historic opportunity that cannot be missed.
The Unanswered Questions of Revolution
Has the anger of the Iranian people reached the point of no return?
Will their rage evolve into an unstoppable revolution, one that topples the mullahs and all their instruments of control amid the ongoing destruction?
Can the people of Iran reclaim their sovereignty, freedom, and dignity after decades of oppression and regression?
These pressing questions linger. The answers are forming rapidly as the regime’s grip weakens and the people’s defiance grows. For nearly half a century, Iran’s vast wealth and resources have been hijacked by a regime obsessed with exporting its archaic, expansionist ideology. This regime has not only oppressed its own people but spread terrorism throughout the region, threatening the security and progress of its neighbors.
Signs of Collapse and the People’s Resolve
Despite the worsening crackdown, signs of hope are emerging. Popular movements continue to grow, and reports indicate that some regime elites are fleeing, seeking refuge abroad. The question now is: Will al-Wali al-Faqih fall before or after the regime collapses? Will those who enforce the repression remain loyal when the tide of public anger becomes a force too powerful to resist?
And where will the free world stand in this historic moment? Too often, it has remained silent while the regime crushed protests calling for justice and freedom. Will it act differently this time?
The regime’s power is rapidly eroding. With many of its leaders absent, and its key military and political capabilities destroyed, its control over the ground is slipping. This weakening grip is giving the Iranian people a renewed sense of hope—that liberation is not a fantasy, but a near reality.
A New Era for the Region
The end is approaching. The regime, which has long embraced death and indiscriminate violence as tools of rule and foreign policy, is falling. What comes next must be a rebirth—not just for Iran, but for the entire region.
This tragedy must end. The suffering endured by both the Israeli and Iranian peoples must give way to a new era of cooperation, peace, and prosperity. We wish for a swift and less painful transition, one that restores dignity and hope to the Iranian people and brings an end to the toxic animosity surrounding the Jewish people.
A free Iran will no longer threaten its neighbors. Instead, the Jewish state of Israel—strong, democratic, and forward-looking—can assume its rightful role as one of the regional leaders, guiding the Middle East toward growth, openness, and peace. Let us celebrate in advance the end of evil, the collapse of hatred, and the dawn of healing. The region deserves nothing less.