English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 24/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Circumcision of the child, John: Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and with the voice of a prophet said these words: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free
Luke 01/57-80: Now it was time for Elisabeth to give birth, and she had a son. And it came to the ears of her neighbours and relations that the Lord had been very good to her, and they took part in her joy. And on the eighth day they came to see to the circumcision of the child, and they would have given him the name of Zacharias, his father’s name; But his mother made answer and said, No, his name is John. And they said, Not one of your relations has that name. And they made signs to his father, to say what name was to be given to him. And he sent for writing materials and put down: His name is John; and they were all surprised. And straight away his mouth was open and his tongue was free and he gave praise to God. And fear came on all those who were living round about them: and there was much talk about all these things in all the hill-country of Judaea. And all who had word of them kept them in their minds and said, What will this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father, Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and with the voice of a prophet said these words: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free, Lifting up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, (As he said, by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the earliest times,) Salvation from those who are against us, and from the hands of those who have hate for us; To do acts of mercy to our fathers and to keep in mind his holy word, The oath which he made to Abraham, our father, That we, being made free from the fear of those who are against us, might give him worship, In righteousness and holy living before him all our days. And you, child, will be named the prophet of the Most High: you will go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways; To give knowledge of salvation to his people, through the forgiveness of sins, Because of the loving mercies of our God, by which the dawn from heaven has come to us, To give light to those in dark places, and in the shade of death, so that our feet may be guided into the way of peace. And the child became tall, and strong in spirit; and he was living in the waste land till the day when he came before the eyes of Israel.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 23-24/2025
The Mullahs Go Hollywood: Iran’s Theatrical Missile Show at Al-Udeid/Elias Bejjani/June 23/2025
Political Islam—Sunni and Shiite, States and Organizations Alike—is Responsible for the Church of Saint Elias Bombing in Damascus and for Every Attack Against Christians Around the World/Elias Bejjani/June 22, 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
Israeli raids deep inside southern Lebanon target Hezbollah’s tunnels
US demands govt. decision on Hezbollah arms, report says
Diplomats say situation in Lebanon does not call for concern
Lebanon's President Aoun condemns attack on Qatar, warns of escalating regional tensions
Lebanese Prime Minister slams attack on Qatar, voices full solidarity
Israeli warplanes carry out wave of airstrikes on south Lebanon
Israeli Jets Bomb Hezbollah Targets North of Litani
Israeli army says targeted 'Hezbollah rocket sites' north of Litani River
Lebanese army inspects destroyed building in Hadath amid ongoing security follow-up
Solidarity with Iran: Will Hezbollah join Iran-Israel-US war?
Qassem warns attack on Iran to have 'hefty prices'
Report: State obtains guarantees from Hezbollah on staying out of war
Berri, sources reconfirm that Hezbollah will stay out of Iran-Israel war
Lebanon condemns Damascus church attack
Hezbollah has stayed out of the Israel-Iran conflict but 'wild cards remain'
Parliament Committee Approves Military Grants and Green Agriculture Loans
Travel Agencies Hit Hard, as Lebanese Cancel Trips Abroad
Pegasus, Transavia suspend Beirut flights amid Middle east conflict
Bekaa Farmers Urge Saudi Arabia to Reopen Agricultural Markets

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 23-24/2025
Trump says Iran and Israel will have a phased-in ceasefire over 24 hours
Trump thanks Iran for early notice on Qatar attack, says it helped prevent casualties
Iran fires missiles at US base in Qatar, Doha says attack intercepted, no casualties
Saudi Arabia condemns ‘unjustifiable’ Iranian attack on Qatar
Iran parliament committee approves general plan to suspend cooperation with IAEA
Iran launches missile attacks on US base in Qatar
Smoke billows over Tehran skyline as Iran-Israel conflict enters 11th day
Iran says missile attack matched number of US bombs, signaling likely desire to de-escalate
Israel attacks Iran's Fordo nuclear site
Israel targets Iran Guards, Tehran prison in fresh wave of strikes
Day 11 of The Iran-Israel War: Latest Developments
IAEA Seeks Access to Iran Nuclear Sites to 'Account for' Highly Enriched Uranium Stockpiles
Netanyahu Hails US Strikes on Iran, Links Operation to Goals in Gaza
Iranian combat drone crashes into restaurant in Jordan’s capital, Amman
Trump exhorts US to drill oil, gas after Iran attacks
Putin Slams Attack on Iran, but Offers no Support to Key Ally
Germany Presses Tehran to Negotiate with the United States
Syria interior ministry announces arrests over Damascus church attack

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 23-24/2025
Video link and transcript of Reza Pahlavi’s speech during a press conference where he discussed his positions and plans regarding the Iranian Mullahs’ Regime, which he called to overthrow/X platform/Jun 23, 2025
Strategic Forecasts/Charles Chartouni/This is Beirut/June 23/2025
Genealogy of a War of Choice/Charles Chartouni/This is Beirut/June 16/2025
Trump Hit Iran, So Will China Attack Taiwan?/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/June 23, 2025
Succession plans for Iran's Khamenei hit top gear/Parisa Hafezi/Reuters/June 23, 2025
What the intensifying Israel-Iran conflict says about the future of diplomacy/ANAN TELLO AND SHEROUK ZAKARIA/Arab News/June 23, 2025
Iran Stands Alone Against Trump and Israel, Stripped of Allies/Bloomberg News/June 23/2025
US Bombing of Iran Is the Most Recent Stage in a Forever War/Alberto M. Fernandez/National Catholic Register.Hune 23/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 23-24/2025
The Mullahs Go Hollywood: Iran’s Theatrical Missile Show at Al-Udeid
Elias Bejjani/June 23/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144519/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bFJ_h-Ju3s&t=110s
In what can only be described as a cheap, theatrical, and utterly absurd Hollywood-style display, Iran today staged what it claimed was a "decisive response" to the destruction of its nuclear facilities—by launching a laughably choreographed missile attack on the U.S. Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. This childish performance could easily be titled: "We fired the missiles—but told everyone in advance so no one would get hurt!"
Yes, these are the same deceitful, arrogant Iranian mullahs who have been chanting “Death to the Great Satan” (America) and “Death to the Little Satan” (Israel) since 1979, while vowing to “erase Israel from the map in seven and a half minutes.” Yet they were the very ones who reportedly sent advance warnings to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and maybe even to Google Maps, politely informing them of the exact time and location of the "attack"—not so they could take cover, but so they could applaud.
President Donald Trump, watching the spectacle from the Situation Room as if it were a Disneyland parade, innocently commented: “I’d like to thank Iran for the early warning. No lives lost. No one injured. Let’s move on to peace!”
A Prearranged, Pathetic Response
From The New York Times to Reuters, and even President Macron, nearly all Western and Arab sources agreed: this was not a military retaliation, but a theatrical stunt. A premeditated performance aimed at helping Iran’s Supreme Leader and his bunker-dwelling clerical gang save face—while they preached “resistance” and “dignity” as they sought permission from their enemies to fire harmless "plastic fury."
We’ve seen this movie before—specifically in January 2020, after Qassem Soleimani’s assassination. Back then, Iran "retaliated" by lobbing unarmed missiles at Ain al-Assad base in Iraq, in a carefully scripted performance designed to avoid casualties—and, more importantly, not to wake the Revolutionary Guards from their naps.
Resistance? Or Just a Failing Film Studio?
Iran today is no longer a nation in the traditional sense. It has become a failed film studio. The mullahs of Tehran don’t fight real wars—they perform them. Their missiles fly like props in a sci-fi movie: either intercepted mid-air, explode silently, or land harmlessly. Meanwhile, Iranian state TV airs “glorious victory” footage set to triumphant military music and accompanied by sound effects seemingly borrowed from a 1980s B-movie.
The result?
Zero injuries.
Zero American retaliation.
Zero impact on U.S. military operations in the region.
The only message Tehran managed to send was this: “We lack courage, but we have cameras and sound effects.”
Defeat Since 1979—But Who’s Counting?
For those with short memories, this isn’t a one-time act. These same delusional rulers, obsessed with wiping Israel “off the map in 7.5 minutes,” have only succeeded in having their own leaders and scientists eliminated—one after another—by pinpoint Israeli strikes. Israel has entered and exited Syria at will, assassinated Iranian commanders and nuclear experts from Tehran to Damascus, to Baghdad, Beirut, and Yemen. The U.S. has repeatedly crippled Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
And Iran? It has responded with empty threats, followed by… “We gave you a heads-up so you could prepare.”
Iran: The Rogue State That Only Fights Its Own People
Let’s be blunt: The Islamic Republic doesn’t know how to fight its enemies, but it has mastered the art of brutalizing its own people. It leads the world in executions. It silences dissent. It lashes women, shuts down universities, bans music, restricts the internet, and would outlaw oxygen if it weren’t filtered through the Supreme Leader’s ideology.
These laughable “pre-informed retaliations” might fool only the hopelessly naïve. Iran is not a resistance. It is not a symbol of values or principles. It is not liberation. It is farce. A rogue regime with a talent for media terrorism and a track record of consistent failure in every real military encounter.
The Bottom Line: Theater of the Absurd
When a state becomes rogue, its leaders become actors, its missiles become props, and its retaliations become prepaid performances, every Iranian “response” to serious American or Israeli military actions becomes nothing more than a commercial for delusion, hallucination, and empty bluster.
And in the end, President Trump thanked Iran’s Hollywood mullahs for their theatrical coordination. Perhaps Qatar should too. Because at this point, let’s face it: Hollywood isn’t in California anymore… it’s in Tehran.

Political Islam—Sunni and Shiite, States and Organizations Alike—is Responsible for the Church of Saint Elias Bombing in Damascus and for Every Attack Against Christians Around the World
Elias Bejjani/June 22, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144479/
We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist massacre carried out today by the Jihadist organization ISIS inside the Church of Saint Elias in the Damascus neighborhood of Al-Dweila. The bombing claimed the lives of over 25 innocent worshippers and injured dozens more, in a vile act of bloodshed that is part of a systematic campaign to eradicate Christian presence in the Levant. It recalls the genocidal atrocities committed in recent years by extremist groups against Christians and other minorities in many countries.
Let it be absolutely clear: ISIS is not an isolated or spontaneous phenomenon. It is a direct product of the terror incubators maintained and funded by states and organizations affiliated with Sunni and Shiite political Islam—chief among them Qatar, Turkey, and Iran, along with their organizational arms such as Hamas, Bako Haram, Hezbollah etc and other radical Islamist factions on both sectarian fronts.
In this context, we also hold the regime of Ahmad Al-Sharaa, formerly known as Al-Jolani, morally and politically responsible for this crime. His regime is ideologically and strategically an extension of ISIS itself—regardless of any “legitimacy” falsely granted to him by the West or by certain Arab regimes. A criminal remains a criminal, no matter how many times he changes his mask. Al-Jolani, the former leader of Al-Nusra, has a blood-soaked history filled with terrorism, executions, and Takfiri- Jihadist extremism.
Since Turkey, with Qatar’s backing, installed him as the de facto ruler of Syria, violations against minorities—especially Druze, Alawites, Christians, and Yazidis—have not only continued, but worsened under a shroud of international complicity and suspicious Arab silence.
The massacre at Saint Elias Church is but one link in a wider, deliberate campaign of attacks against Christians across the Middle East, Africa, and even Europe, executed by a globalized extremist network led by both Sunni and Shiite political Islam, with its two main engines: the Muslim Brotherhood and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Western intelligence reports—including the latest French security report—have clearly identified the Muslim Brotherhood as the most dangerous internal threat to European democratic values, due to its deep infiltration into immigrant communities and exploitation of liberal freedoms to spread hatred, division, and radical ideologies.
We call upon all free people of the world, and every defender of human rights and civil liberties, to break the silence and complicity, and to declare an all-out confrontation against this global terrorist project, and against all those who fund, shelter, or legitimize it as a political partner or “reality on the ground.”
The blood of the martyrs at Saint Elias Church cries out against a world that continues to look the other way. It places upon all of us a sacred responsibility to confront this evil by all legitimate means.
Mercy to the innocent worshippers murdered inside the church. Eternal shame on the killers—and on those who protect, finance, or justify them.
And let it be said once more:
There can be no peace, no stability, and no security in the world as long as political Islam—whether in the form of states or organizations—roams freely in the name of religion, while having nothing to do with any true faith.

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.

Israeli raids deep inside southern Lebanon target Hezbollah’s tunnels
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/June 23, 2025
BEIRUT: Israel launched airstrikes on alleged weapons caches of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, and tunnels in southern Lebanon on Monday, soon after it had struck targets within Iran. Israeli warplanes carried out the surprise strikes on the outskirts of several villages, and valleys and hills in the districts of Jezzine and Nabatieh, and all the way to the district of Sidon.The Israeli military claimed that “air force warplanes raided Hezbollah military sites containing rocket launchers and missiles, as well as weapons depots in the area north of the Litani (River),” adding that “the presence of Hezbollah weapons and activities in this area constitute a flagrant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”According to a Lebanese security source, no casualties were reported in the raids that focused on the valley between Ansar and Al-Zarariyeh, the Kfar Melki valley, and the area between the towns of Azza, Kafrwa Zefta, and Deir Al-Zahrani, along with the outskirts of Al-Aishiyeh, Al-Mahmoudiya, Al-Dashmakiyeh, and Wadi Barghoz. The source told Arab News: “These raids apparently targeted areas containing Hezbollah tunnels and previous gathering points, which had previously been targeted repeatedly.”
The source noted that “the Israeli army used concussion missiles in these new raids, the sound of which caused powerful explosions and ground shaking, and the echoes of the explosions reverberated throughout most of the southern regions.”
He added: “The reason for these raids now is (as) a warning message to Hezbollah not to consider any attempt to rehabilitate what has been completely destroyed. “The Lebanese army has not yet entered these targeted areas north of the Litani River to confiscate their contents, as it is still confining its mission to searching for weapons and ammunition south of the Litani River.”Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and the country’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have held a series of meetings in light of regional developments to help prevent Lebanon suffering any repercussions from the escalating Israeli-Iranian conflict and to keep Lebanon neutral. Aoun said on Sunday: “Lebanon, its leadership, parties, and people, are aware today, more than ever, that it has paid a heavy price for the wars that have erupted on its soil and in the region. It is unwilling to pay more, and there is no national interest in doing so, especially since the cost of these wars has been and will be greater than it can bear.”Salam has stressed the need to “prioritize the supreme national interest and maintain unity and national solidarity, which requires avoiding Lebanon’s involvement or being dragged in any way into the ongoing regional confrontation.”

US demands govt. decision on Hezbollah arms, report says
Naharnet/June 23, 2025
The U.S. administration has asked Lebanon to reach “presidential consensus” on the decision of monopolizing arms between President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam ahead of referring such a decision to Cabinet for formal approval, Al-Jadeed TV has reported. “Washington considers that monopolizing arms is an essential first step that must precede any Israeli withdrawal and border demarcation,” Al-Jadeed added.
“U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has returned to the front burner the files that former U.S. deputy special envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus and her team had finalized, putting them on the table for implementation within a specific time frame, topped by an official decision from the Lebanese government on monopolizing arms in the hand of the state,” Al-Jadeed said.

Diplomats say situation in Lebanon does not call for concern
Naharnet/June 23, 2025
The U.S. decision to evacuate family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Lebanon is part of the precautionary measures taken across the region following the U.S. strikes on Iran, media reports said. “Similar measures were taken at the U.S. embassies in the Arab Gulf over the past two days, especially in Qatar and the UAE,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday. “Until Sunday night, the U.S. statement did not push Western embassies that are allies of the U.S. to issue similar statements or take actual measures,” the daily added, noting that those embassies usually echo any U.S. warnings.
Prominent diplomatic sources meanwhile told the newspaper that “so far, the situations in Lebanon do not call for concern, and the intensive coordination between the Lebanese parties and the international community is reassuring.”“Many messages have said that Lebanon is not concerned with escalation and that the Lebanese agree on that,” the sources added. Other sources also noted that the U.S. evacuation orders “do not indicate that there is a serious increase in risks.”

Lebanon's President Aoun condemns attack on Qatar, warns of escalating regional tensions
LBCI/June 23, 2025
Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun condemned the attack that targeted Qatar on Monday evening, describing it as a violation of the sovereignty of a brotherly nation and a dangerous step that could fuel further tensions in the region. In a statement, Aoun warned that such incidents risk expanding military confrontations and undermining ongoing efforts to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table, which he described as the only path to restoring calm and stability. The president expressed Lebanon's full solidarity with Qatar, noting the Gulf state's longstanding positive role in resolving regional conflicts. He reaffirmed Lebanon's support for Qatar's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its people.

Lebanese Prime Minister slams attack on Qatar, voices full solidarity
LBCI/June 23, 2025
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam strongly condemned the attack that targeted the State of Qatar, expressing Lebanon's full solidarity with the Qatari government and people.
In a statement, Salam wished safety for Qatar and its citizens, stressing Lebanon's rejection of any harm that may befall the Gulf state.

Israeli warplanes carry out wave of airstrikes on south Lebanon
Naharnet/June 23, 2025
Monday’s airstrikes were more intense than the usual near-daily ones that Israel has carried out since a ceasefire ended its 14-month war with Hezbollah in November.
The strikes targeted the outskirts of Ansar-Zrariyeh, Tebna-Bissariyeh, Azza, Buslaya, Houmine al-Fawqa, Mazraat al-Mahmoudiyeh and al-Aishiyeh and came hours after Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said the group will not join the war between Iran and Israel for now. Qassem spoke in his first public comments since the U.S. inserted itself into the war on Sunday, saying his group is ready to back any decision taken by the Lebanese state to force Israel to stop the war.Israeli’s military said it struck rocket launchers and an arms depot for Hezbollah.

Israeli Jets Bomb Hezbollah Targets North of Litani
This is Beirut/June 23, 2025
Israeli warplanes launched a series of intense air raids Monday afternoon, striking multiple locations north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon. The strikes targeted a wide area spanning towns and villages in the cazas of Sidon, Nabatieh, Jezzine and Bint Jbeil, including Zarariyeh, Mahmoudiyeh, Wadi Kfar Melki, Ansar, Tibna, Baysariyeh, Beslayya, Wadi Houmin al Fawqa, Wadi Barghaz, Kfarwa, al-Aaishiyyeh, and the outskirts of Azza and Jbaa. Shortly after the raids, Israeli army Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed the airstrikes, stating that Israeli fighter jets were hitting what he described as Hezbollah military sites and rocket launchers north of the Litani. In a post on the X platform, Adraee claimed that the targeted locations housed “rocket and missile launchers as well as weapons depots.”Separately, an Israeli drone reportedly dropped a stun grenade on a family inspecting their home in the town of Aita al-Shaab, in the Bint Jbeil district, according to the National News Agency (NNA). No injuries were reported. Earlier in the day, debris from an interceptor missile landed between the villages of Majdal Selm and Khirbet Selm, also in the Bint Jbeil area, igniting a fire in nearby fields. Loud explosions were heard across many southern towns as interceptor missiles streaked through the sky. In parallel, Israeli reconnaissance drones were seen flying over several areas in the Tyre district, particularly near the Litani River between Qasimiyeh and Tayr Felsay, heightening tensions in already-volatile border regions.

Israeli army says targeted 'Hezbollah rocket sites' north of Litani River
LBCI/June 23, 2025
The Israeli army announced that its air force carried out a series of airstrikes, allegedly targeting Hezbollah military sites north of the Litani River in Lebanon. According to army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, the raids hit rocket and missile launch platforms as well as weapons depots. The Israeli military said, "Hezbollah's military activity and weapons presence in this area represent a clear violation of understandings between Israel and Lebanon."The army confirmed it will continue operations to eliminate any threats posed to the State of Israel.

Lebanese army inspects destroyed building in Hadath amid ongoing security follow-up
LBCI/June 23, 2025
The Lebanese army conducted a renewed inspection on Monday of a destroyed building in the Hadath–Hayy al-Amerkan area, as part of its ongoing security and technical monitoring efforts. The building, which has been previously inspected multiple times, remains in a state of complete destruction.

Solidarity with Iran: Will Hezbollah join Iran-Israel-US war?
LBCI/June 23, 2025
From the Baabda Presidential Palace to the headquarters of Parliament in Ain el-Tineh, Lebanese officials are sending clear reassurances that Hezbollah will not engage in the ongoing conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States. Intermittent communications are underway between President Joseph Aoun's advisors and three key Hezbollah figures: Wafiq Safa on security matters, Hussein Khalil, and MP Mohammad Raad on political affairs. Direct contact with the group's Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, has not been established. Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri maintains daily, intensive contact with Hezbollah's leadership. Berri has publicly declared with complete certainty that Lebanon will not be dragged into the escalating war. According to informed sources, multiple American warnings have been delivered to the Lebanese government regarding the risks of Hezbollah entering the conflict.
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack and Ambassador Lisa Johnson have conveyed these messages. At the same time, Israel has issued its own warnings—including military action, most notably the targeting of Al-Manar TV's broadcast station in Taoumat Niha. The strike marked a significant escalation, as the station had not been targeted throughout the recent war but came precisely as the U.S. was striking Iran's nuclear sites.Hezbollah has yet to officially state its position on joining the war. While its leadership continues to issue political statements in solidarity with Iran, the group has shown no indications of planning military involvement. Sources close to the ongoing contacts with Hezbollah cite multiple reasons for its current restraint. The group recognizes that entering the war would not significantly alter the evolving regional equations, particularly as its military capabilities are no longer what they once were. Preserving remaining resources and avoiding exposure to Israel's military machine has become a strategic priority, especially with supply routes severed and diminished Iranian support. The same sources emphasize that both Hezbollah's support base and many Lebanese citizens categorically reject any return to conflict, especially as the country has yet to recover from the fallout of the previous "support war." There are also growing concerns about the broader implications for Lebanon's Shiite community if the situation escalates further. The sources concluded: "If Hezbollah chooses to override all these factors and join the war, it would essentially be a suicidal move."

Qassem warns attack on Iran to have 'hefty prices'
Naharnet/June 23, 2025
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem warned in an interview published Monday that “the attack on Iran will have hefty prices because the entire region is in danger.”In an interview with the Hezbollah-affiliated al-Ahed news portal, Qassem also slammed U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats against Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Trump’s threat to assassinate Imam Khamenei is a vile action and at the same an evidence of weakness,” Qassem added. “Trump is ignorant of the reverence of this great leader among Muslims and in the world and ignorant of the dangerous repercussions of such threats,” the Hezbollah leader went on to say. He also stressed that “Iran will emerge victorious, because it is righteous and the one being aggressed against,” adding that “Iran has the leadership of the brave supreme leader who is insisting that Iran be dignified and strong.”“Iran has unified people who have left behind their disputes to be unified in the face of the American-Israeli aggression,” Qassem added. As for Israel’s continued occupation and attacks in Lebanon, Qassem said Hezbollah supports the Lebanese state’s “diplomatic choice” but would take the “appropriate decision” if diplomacy fails to achieve Lebanon’s objectives. Hezbollah is “ready to adopt any choice taken by the state to halt the aggression and secure Israel’s withdrawal,” he said. Noting that the reconstruction of areas destroyed in the latest war with Israel is the “top priority” for Hezbollah and for “the course of the state and its recovery,” Qassem said his group still retains military “capabilities.”“The resistance shall stay and continue and it is repairing itself. It has expressed the strength of its continuity through its people, who rushed to their villages in the South and offered martyrs to remain in their land, and also through the million-man funeral for its two (slain) secretaries-general (Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine) … as well as through its effective contributions to the process of building the state and its institutions,” Qassem went on to say.

Report: State obtains guarantees from Hezbollah on staying out of war
Naharnet/June 23, 2025
The statement issued Sunday morning by President Joseph Aoun was followed by “a series of domestic and foreign contacts, especially with the Americans, that focused on keeping Lebanon away from war and abiding by neutrality,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Monday. Lebanon also held phone talks with the French and the U.N., the daily added, revealing that the Lebanese state “communicated with Hezbollah to avoid intervention (in the Israel-Iran war) and obtained guarantees that there will be no participation.” The Lebanese state had received a message from U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson, who asked that it be passed on to Hezbollah, according to media reports. “Any action against any U.S. base or against U.S. interests in Lebanon will be met with a very harmful response,” the reports quoted Johnson as saying.

Berri, sources reconfirm that Hezbollah will stay out of Iran-Israel war
Naharnet/June 23, 2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reconfirmed Monday that Hezbollah will certainly not join the Israel-Iran war as local media reports said that Amal, Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have been discussing, away from the spotlight, the need to keep Lebanon out of the conflict. Sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, in reports published Monday, that Hezbollah will not join the fray and "give Israel pretexts" to drag Lebanon into a new war. Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite a November ceasefire ending more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah and is occupying five "strategic" hills in south Lebanon. The Nidaa al-Watan newspaper also reported on Monday that the Lebanese state "communicated with Hezbollah to avoid intervention (in the Israel-Iran war) and obtained guarantees that there will be no participation."

Lebanon condemns Damascus church attack
Naharnet/June 23, 2025
President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi have condemned a weekend suicide attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus that killed 22 people. Al-Rahi condemned "the targeting of Christians in the East" while Berri said that "terrorism has no sect or religion" and "terrorists are enemies of God, regardless to which religion they belong."President Aoun called for the unity of the Syrian people and PM Salam expressed the Lebanese government's full solidarity with Syria, describing the attack as "a despicable criminal act that aims to sow discord and division within the Syrian people."A suicide bomber had opened fire then detonated an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church filled with people praying on Sunday, killing at least 22 and wounding 63 others. The attack took place in Dweil’a on the outskirts of Damascus inside the Mar Elias Church. The attack on the church was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus under its de facto Islamist rule is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of extremist groups in the war-torn country. Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba said in a news conference that their preliminary investigation points to the extremist Islamic State group.

Hezbollah has stayed out of the Israel-Iran conflict but 'wild cards remain'
Associated Press/June 23, 2025
Hezbollah has long been considered Iran's first line of defense in case of a war with Israel. But since Israel launched its massive barrage against Iran, triggering the ongoing Israel-Iran war, the Lebanese militant group has stayed out of the fray — even after the U.S. entered the conflict Sunday with strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. A network of powerful Iran-backed militias in Iraq has also remained mostly quiet. Domestic political concerns, as well as tough losses suffered in nearly two years of regional conflicts and upheavals, appear to have led these Iran allies to take a back seat in the latest round convulsing the region.
"Despite all the restraining factors, wild cards remain," said Tamer Badawi, an associate fellow with the Germany-based think tank Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient.That's especially true after the U.S. stepped in with strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran.
The 'Axis of Resistance'
Hezbollah was formed with Iranian support in the early 1980s as a guerilla force fighting against Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon at the time. The militant group helped push Israel out of Lebanon and built its arsenal over the ensuing decades, becoming a powerful regional force and the centerpiece of a cluster of Iranian-backed factions and governments known as the " Axis of Resistance."The allies also include Iraqi Shiite militias and Yemen's Houthi rebels, as well as the Palestinian militant group Hamas. At one point, Hezbollah was believed to have some 150,000 rockets and missiles, and the group's former leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah once boasted of having 100,000 fighters. Seeking to aid its ally Hamas in the aftermath of the Palestinian militants' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel and Israel's offensive in Gaza, Hezbollah began launching rockets across the border.
That drew Israeli airstrikes and shelling, and the exchanges escalated into full-scale war last September. Israel inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah, killing Nasrallah and other top leaders and destroying much of its arsenal, before a U.S.-negotiated ceasefire halted that conflict last November. Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon and to carry out near-daily airstrikes. For their part, the Iraqi militias occasionally struck bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, while Yemen's Houthis fired at vessels in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and began targeting Israel.
Keeping an ambiguous stance
Hezbollah has condemned Israel's attacks and the U.S. strikes on Iran. Just days before the U.S. attack, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a statement that the group "will act as we deem appropriate in the face of this brutal Israeli-American aggression."
A statement issued by the group after the U.S. strikes called for "Arab and Islamic countries and the free peoples of the world" to stand with Iran but did not suggest Hezbollah would join in Tehran's retaliation. Lebanese government officials have pressed the group to stay out of the conflict, saying that Lebanon cannot handle another damaging war, and U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who visited Lebanon last week, said it would be a "very bad decision" for Hezbollah to get involved. Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah militia — a separate group from Hezbollah — had said prior to the U.S. attack that it will directly target U.S. interests and bases spread throughout the region if Washington gets involved. The group has also remained silent since Sunday's strikes. The Houthis last month reached an agreement with Washington to stop attacks on U.S. vessels in the Red Sea in exchange for the U.S. halting its strikes on Yemen, but the group threatened to resume its attacks if Washington entered the Iran-Israel war. In a statement on Sunday, the Houthis' political bureau described the U.S. attack on Iran as a "grave escalation that poses a direct threat to regional and international security and peace." The Houthis did not immediately launch strikes.
Reasons to stay on the sidelines
Hezbollah was weakened by last year's fighting and after losing a major supply route for Iranian weapons with the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key ally, in a lightning rebel offensive in December. "Hezbollah has been degraded on the strategic level while cut off from supply chains in Syria," said Andreas Krieg, a military analyst and associate professor at King's College London. Still, Qassem Qassir, a Lebanese analyst close to Hezbollah, said a role for the militant group in the Israel-Iran conflict should not be ruled out. "The battle is still in its early stages," he said. "Even Iran hasn't bombed American bases (in response to the U.S. strikes), but rather bombed Israel."He said that both the Houthis and the Iraqi militias "lack the strategic deep strike capability against Israel that Hezbollah once had."Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London, said Iraq's Iran-allied militias have all along tried to avoid pulling their country into a major conflict. Unlike Hezbollah, whose military wing has operated as a non-state actor in Lebanon — although its political wing is part of the government — the main Iraqi militias are members of a coalition of groups that are officially part of the state defense forces. "Things in Iraq are good for them right now, they're connected to the state — they're benefitting politically, economically," Mansour said. "And also they've seen what's happened to Iran, to Hezbollah and they're concerned that Israel will turn on them as well." Badawi said that for now, the armed groups may be lying low because "Iran likely wants these groups to stay intact and operational." "But if Iran suffers insurmountable losses or if the Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) is assassinated, those could act as triggers," he said.

Parliament Committee Approves Military Grants and Green Agriculture Loans
This is Beirut/June 23, 2025
A joint parliamentary committee approved a draft law on Monday to open an additional credit line in the 2025 state budget, allocating monthly financial grants to military personnel. Under the proposed law, active-duty soldiers will receive LBP 14 million per month, while retired military personnel will receive LBP 12 million. Payments are scheduled to begin on July 1, 2025. The decision is part of broader efforts to support Lebanon’s security forces, who have been severely impacted by the country’s prolonged economic crisis and currency collapse. The committees also approved a draft law to ratify a loan agreement with the World Bank for the “Green Transition in the Agri-Food Sector for Economic Recovery” project, aimed at boosting Lebanon’s agricultural sector and revitalizing the struggling economy. The session, held at Parliament, was chaired by Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab and attended by several government officials, including Minister of Finance Yassine Jaber, Minister of Information Paul Morcos, Minister of Defense Michel Menassa, Minister of Agriculture Nizar Hani and Minister of the Displaced and Technology Kamal Shehadeh.

Travel Agencies Hit Hard, as Lebanese Cancel Trips Abroad
This is Beirut/June 23, 2025
The disruption or cancellation of Beirut-bound regular flights, which had stranded hundreds of Lebanese in Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh resort due to the escalating confrontation between Iran and Israel, discouraged many from taking summer breaks outside Lebanon.
Travel agencies are bracing for significant losses with the increasing number of cancellations of outbound tourism, a vital source of revenue during the summer season. In a statement to Leb Economy, the president of Lebanon’s Travel Agencies Syndicate, Jean Abboud, sounded the alarm: “We are facing a major crisis in outbound travel bookings. All charter flights, especially those to Turkey and Sharm el-Sheikh, have been halted. At this stage, no one is planning leisure travel abroad.”Abboud explained that travel agencies are feeling the impact of trip cancellations abroad far more than the drop in tourist arrivals to Lebanon. According to him, between 30% and 40% of bookings for July and August have already been canceled, and the situation could worsen: “The closer we get to the intended travel dates, the more cancellations we’re seeing,” he warned. Abboud concluded by stressing that unless regional tensions ease quickly and tangible solutions are found, Lebanese travel agencies risk losing the entire outbound tourism season.

Pegasus, Transavia suspend Beirut flights amid Middle east conflict
Agence France Presse/June 23, 2025
Turkish airline Pegasus has scrapped flights to Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon until June 30, and Iran until July 30, as global airlines suspended or reduced flights in the Middle East amid the Israel-Iran conflict. Flights of Air France's low-cost carrier Transavia from Paris to Beirut have also been suspended until June 30 while the Tel Aviv route is closed until September 7.
Here is the latest airline situation:
European airlines -
British Airways cancelled flights between London's Heathrow Airport and Dubai and Doha on Sunday following U.S. strikes on Iran. But the airline said Monday that it was "scheduled to operate as normal" on those routes. Air France halted flights to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates until at least Tuesday inclusive, the airline said. It also extended the suspension of the Paris-Tel Aviv route until July 14. Germany's Lufthansa group, whose other airlines include Swiss, Austrian and ITA, has suspended flights to the Middle East until June 30. The Amman and Erbil, Iraq, routes were also suspended until July 11. The group will not fly to Tel Aviv and Tehran will until July 31 and is also avoiding the air space of countries involved in the conflict. Greece's Aegean Airlines has stopped Tel Aviv flights until July 12. Its Amman, Beirut and Erbil routes are closed until June 28.No Turkish Airlines flights to Baghdad, Damascus and Tehran are available before July 1.
US and Canadian airlines -
United Airlines has warned passengers that flights to and from Dubai scheduled between June 18 and July 3 may be affected and is offering no-fee ticket changes under certain conditions due to Middle East unrest. The U.S. airline has implemented the same flexibility for Tel Aviv flights between June 13 and August 1, allowing customers to rebook for other major European cities. Air Canada has temporarily suspended its daily non-stop service from Toronto to Dubai starting June 18 and warned the suspension could be extended. Travel via a European stopover on a partner airline remains possible, according to its website.American Airlines is allowing customers to change their bookings to Doha without fees for travel originally scheduled between June 19 and July 20.Asian airlines. Singapore Airlines has cancelled eight flights to Dubai -- two per day from Sunday through Wednesday.

Bekaa Farmers Urge Saudi Arabia to Reopen Agricultural Markets
This is Beirut/June 23, 2025
The head of the Bekaa Wheat and Grains Farmers’ Union and member of the Potato Growers’ Syndicate, Najib Fares, has made an urgent appeal to Saudi Arabia’s leadership on behalf of Lebanese farmers. Addressing King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Saudi authorities, Fares called for the reopening of Saudi markets to Lebanese agricultural and industrial products, especially Bekaa potatoes, as the harvest season begins. In a statement issued Monday, Fares also urged the Lebanese government to meet Riyadh’s conditions, particularly those concerning the protection of Saudi sovereignty and efforts to combat smuggling of illegal goods into the Kingdom. He stressed that farmers, especially potato and vegetable producers, have been suffering significant losses since last year due to the ongoing conflict with Israel and the inability to sell their crops this season, despite a high-quality harvest. Fares highlighted that Lebanese potatoes are ranked among the best in the world. According to him, the cost of cultivating just one dunum (approximately 1,000 square meters) of potatoes has exceeded $900 this year. The sharp rise is attributed to severe drought, which forced farmers to irrigate early and heavily from artesian wells, as well as increased reliance on expensive organic fertilizers. Fares emphasized the urgent need to secure new export markets to revive the local agricultural sector, bring in foreign currency, and ensure the survival of Lebanon’s farming industry. He also urged the Agriculture Minister, who recently visited the Bekaa, to relay the farmers’ demands to the government and push for intensified diplomatic efforts with Saudi Arabia to reopen its markets. Producers warn that, with no outlets for their crops, they are forced to store their potatoes in costly refrigerated warehouses while waiting for a market recovery amid plummeting prices.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 23-24/2025
Trump says Iran and Israel will have a phased-in ceasefire over 24 hours
The Associated Press/Mon, June 23, 2025
The U.S. president said on Truth Social that the ceasefire would bring an “Official END” to war, a major change in the hostilities that follows a U.S. strike over the weekend on three Iranian nuclear sites. The Israeli military declined to comment on Trump’s statement. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. There was also no immediate comment from Iran. Earlier Monday, Iran launched a missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of three key Iranian nuclear facilities. The U.S. said no casualties were reported.

Trump thanks Iran for early notice on Qatar attack, says it helped prevent casualties
Agencies/June 24/2025
President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Iran’s retaliatory strikes that targeted a US base in Qatar as “very weak,” while welcoming “early notice” given by Tehran. “Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, after multiple missiles were launched toward the al-Udeid base in Qatar. “I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured,” he added. Trump called for Iran to seek peace with Israel, saying he did not expect further retaliation from Tehran against the United States after its attack on the al-Udeid base. Iran has “gotten it all out of their ‘system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE,” he said. “Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same,” Trump added. Iran’s military said it carried out a missile attack on the al-Udeid US airbase in Qatar on Monday after explosions were heard across the Qatari capital following Tehran’s threat to retaliate for US airstrikes on its nuclear sites. The Iranian military said the attack was “devastating and powerful” but US officials said no US personnel were killed or injured in the attack on the air base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East. Iran, which had been warned by Washington not to retaliate or face massive US military action, had informed the US via two diplomatic channels hours ahead of the attack, as well as Qatari authorities, a senior regional source told Reuters. Qatar said its air defenses had intercepted missiles directed at the al-Udeid air base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East. Iran had issued threats to retaliate against the United States after US bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities at the weekend, joining Israel’s air war against Tehran, and Trump mooted the possibility of the Iranian government being toppled.

Iran fires missiles at US base in Qatar, Doha says attack intercepted, no casualties
Al Arabiya English/June 23/,2025
Iran’s military said it carried out a missile attack on the al-Udeid US airbase in Qatar on Monday after explosions were heard across the Qatari capital following Tehran’s threat to retaliate for US airstrikes on its nuclear sites. The Iranian military said the attack was “devastating and powerful” but US officials said no US personnel were killed or injured in the attack on the air base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East. Iran, which had been warned by Washington not to retaliate or face massive US military action, had informed the US via two diplomatic channels hours ahead of the attack, as well as Qatari authorities, a senior regional source told Reuters. Qatar said its air defenses had intercepted missiles directed at the al-Udeid air base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East. Iran had issued threats to retaliate against the United States after US bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities at the weekend, joining Israel’s air war against Tehran, and President Donald Trump mooted the possibility of the Iranian government being toppled. The attack came shortly after a Western diplomat told Reuters there had been a credible threat to a US military base in the Gulf state following the unprecedented US airstrikes on Iran’s uranium enrichment program. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Qatar, situated just across the Gulf from Iran, had shut its airspace after receiving the advance warning from Iran. Bahrain, another Gulf Arab state just to the north of Qatar, said it had also shut its airspace after the Iranian strike against the al-Udeid base.In addition, the US Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq had activated its air defense system out of concern for a potential attack, military sources said.
The main US military base in Iraq’s western neighbor Syria was also on full alert for possible attack by Iran or Iran-aligned militia groups, a Syrian security source said. Qatar had earlier announced it had closed its airspace temporarily to ensure the safety of residents and visitors. That followed an advisory from the US embassy in Qatar to Americans to shelter in place, out of what it said was “an abundance of caution.”Two US officials said Washington had assessed that Iran could carry out attacks targeting American forces in the Middle East soon, although the US was still seeking a diplomatic resolution that would see Tehran forgo any reprisal. Earlier on Monday, Israel bombed a political prison in Tehran, in a renewed demonstration of its willingness to strike not only beyond military and nuclear targets but key pillars of Iran’s ruling system. Despite Iran’s threats to challenge oil shipments from the Gulf, oil prices fell 4 percent in volatile trading, suggesting traders doubted the Islamic Republic would follow through on any action that would disrupt global supplies. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as Tehran sought backing from one of its last major power friends for its next steps.
Israel made clear that its strikes on Evin prison and other targets in Tehran were intended to hit the Iranian ruling apparatus broadly, and its ability to sustain power. “Viva la libertad!” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X, accompanying a video of an explosion at a building with a sign identifying it as an entrance to Evin prison. Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster released video showing rescue workers combing the flattened wreckage of a building at the prison, carrying a wounded man on a stretcher. The Mizan news outlet of Iran’s judiciary said urgent action was being taken to protect the health and safety of inmates there. Evin has long been Iran’s primary prison for housing political detainees and security prisoners. Several high-profile foreign prisoners are also held there. Israel’s military said it had also struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command centers responsible for internal security in the Tehran area.
The military was “currently striking, with unprecedented force, regime targets and governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. Much of Tehran’s population of 10 million has fled after 10 days of bombing. Tasnim news agency reported a strike at an electricity feeder station in the Evin neighborhood. Power company Tavanir reported some areas in the capital saw electricity cuts. Since Trump joined Israel’s campaign by dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear production sites on Sunday morning, Iran has repeatedly threatened to retaliate.“Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it,” Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, said on Monday in a recorded, English-language video statement. The Trump administration maintains that its aim is solely to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, not to open a wider war. But in a social media post on Sunday, Trump spoke of toppling the hardline clerical rulers who have been Washington’s principal foes in the Middle East since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. With Reuters

Saudi Arabia condemns ‘unjustifiable’ Iranian attack on Qatar
Al Arabiya English/June 23/,2025
Saudi Arabia on Monday strongly condemned an Iranian attack on Qatar, saying this “aggression cannot be justified under any circumstances.”“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns and denounces in the strongest terms the aggression launched by Iran against the sisterly State of Qatar,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement. “This aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the principles of good neighborliness. It is unacceptable and cannot be justified under any circumstances,” it added. “The Kingdom affirms its solidarity and full support for the sisterly State of Qatar, and is deploying all its capabilities to support the sisterly State of Qatar in all its actions.”Iran’s military said Monday it targeted the al-Udeid US military base in Qatar with a “devastating and powerful” missile attack in response to US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.Qatar condemned the Iranian attack and said it reserved the right to respond directly and in accordance with international law.The United Arab Emirates also denounced in the “strongest terms” an attack by Iran against al-Udeid base in Qatar, the largest US military facility in the region. The UAE “condemns in the strongest terms [Iran’s] targeting of al-Udeid Air Base in the sisterly State of Qatar, considering it a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and airspace,” Abu Dhabi’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by official news agency WAM. With agencies

Iran parliament committee approves general plan to suspend cooperation with IAEA
Al Arabiya English/June 23/,2025
The national security committee of Iran’s parliament approved the general outline of a bill meant to fully suspend Tehran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the state-linked Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, citing committee spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei. Rezaei said that according to the bill, installing surveillance cameras, allowing inspections, and submitting reports to the IAEA would be suspended as long as the security of nuclear facilities is not guaranteed. Parliament still has to approve the bill in a plenary.
Read more: Iran fires missiles at US base in Qatar, Doha says attack intercepted, no casualties

Iran launches missile attacks on US base in Qatar
DAVID RISING, JON GAMBRELL and MELANIE LIDMAN/AP/June 23, 2025
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran launched missile attacks Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites and escalating tensions in the volatile region. Shortly after the attack, the Gulf nation of Bahrain that is home to the U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters temporarily suspended flights in its airspace, which is similar to what Qatar did shortly before it was hit. Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base attack, but said it successfully intercepted the missiles and no casualties were reported. It said its airspace is now safe. Iran said the attack in Qatar matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on its nuclear sites over the weekend, signaling its likely desire to de-escalate. Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.
Iran announced the attack on state television as martial music played. A caption on screen called it “a mighty and successful response" to "America’s aggression.”The Ain al-Assad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq was also targeted, an Iraqi security official who was not authorized to comment publicly told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. But Iran did not claim credit for that attack, which could have been carried out by militias. It was not immediately clear if there was damage to the Iraq base or any injuries. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, its airspace, and international law.”Al Udeid is also home to the Combined Air Operations Center, which provides command and control of air power across the region as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, the largest expeditionary wing in the world. The retaliation came a day after the U.S. launched a surprise attack Sunday morning on three of Iran’s nuclear sites. Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: “We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.”
Israel expands war to include symbolic targets
Earlier in the day, Israel expanded its war against Iran to include targets associated with the country's struggling theocracy, striking the gate of a Tehran prison notorious for holding political activists and hitting the headquarters of the military force that suppressed recent protests. As plumes of thick smoke rose over Tehran, Israel was attacked with yet another barrage of Iranian missiles and drones. The persistent fire has become a reality for civilians in both countries since Israel started the war to target Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. On the 11th day of the conflict, Israel said it attacked “regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran,” but Israeli officials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran's government, their archenemy since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Israeli military warned Iranians that it would continue to attack military sites around Tehran over “the coming days” as its focuses has shifted to symbolic targets as well. The military issued the warning on the social platform X, though Iranians are struggling to access the outside world as an internet shutdown has crippled the country. The latest strikes unfolded only hours after President Donald Trump openly raised the possibility himself after just a day earlier inserting America into the war with its unprecedented stealth-bomber strike on three Iranian nuclear sites. “If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” he asked on his Truth Social website.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as “simply raising a question.” However, suggestions of overthrowing the Iranian government drew new anger from Tehran, which insists it will not negotiate at this time and is threatening to retaliate directly against either American troops or interests in a Mideast already inflamed by the still-raging Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Tehran strikes open new chapter of war
In the Tehran strikes, Israel blew open a gate at Evin prison. Iranian state television shared black-and-white surveillance footage of the strike at the facility known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners run by the paramilitary, all-volunteer Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both U.S. and European Union sanctions. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Iran or significant damage, though the semiofficial Tasnim news agency said there had been a power cut reported outside of Tehran following the Israeli strikes. Iranian state television also aired footage it described as being shot inside Evin, with prisoners under control inside the facility. However, the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran expressed worry about the condition of prisoners there. “Many families of current detainees have expressed deep concern about the safety and condition of their loved ones held inside the prison,” it said. Earlier Monday, Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington that its strikes had given Iranian forces a “free hand “ to “act against U.S. interests and its army.”Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East, many in locations within range of short-range Iranian missiles. The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran’s Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday’s attack by the United States on three nuclear facilities. The Israeli military did not elaborate. “The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,” Israel's Defense Ministry said. According to an Israeli official familiar with the government’s strategy, Israel is targeting these sites to put pressure on the Iranian administration but is not actively seeking to topple it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal government deliberations.
Nuclear fears mount after US strikes
In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. With the strikes Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel’s war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed “a very big red line” with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the agency's board of governors Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed him on June 13 that Iran would “adopt special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials.”“I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared,” Grossi said, without saying whether Iran had responded.
Iran presses on attacking Israel
Iran described its Monday attack on Israel as a new wave of its “Operation True Promise 3,” saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television. Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem, possibly from air defense systems in action, and Israel's Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said there had been no reports of injuries. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists.The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Masha Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 380 civilians and 253 security force personnel.
Calls for de-escalation
The U.S. described its attack on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear site, as a one-off to take out Iran's nuclear program, but Trump has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates. Mousavi described the American attacks as violating Iran’s sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the country, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Russia is one of Iran’s closest allies and on Monday, President Vladimir Putin said after meeting in Moscow with Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, that they had explored “how we can get out of today’s situation.”Putin called the Israeli and American attacks on Iran an “absolutely unprovoked aggression.”Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities.

Smoke billows over Tehran skyline as Iran-Israel conflict enters 11th day
Agencies/June 23, 2025
DUBAI: Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, a human rights group said Monday.
The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 380 civilians and 253 security force personnel being killed. Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country. Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. On Saturday, Iran’s Health Ministry said some 400 Iranians had been killed and another 3,056 wounded in the Israeli strikes.
Qatar suspends air traffic as precautionary measure: statement
Qatar temporarily suspended air traffic around the country, its foreign ministry said Monday, after nearby Iran threatened retaliation for US strikes on its nuclear sites. “The competent authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s airspace, as part of a set of precautionary measures taken based on developments in the region,” the foreign ministry said. It comes as the US embassy in Qatar advised Americans there to “shelter in place” on Monday, with other Western embassies echoing the warning.
Israeli strikes on Iran may have violated international law, UN mission says
A fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations said on Monday that some of Israel’s strikes on Iran may have broken international humanitarian law, citing the killing of civilians in an apartment block and three aid workers in the capital Tehran.
“Among those killed in Tehran were dozens of residents of an apartment complex and three humanitarian workers from the Iranian Red Cross, while damaged sites included a clinic for children with autism and a hospital in Kermanshah,” the investigative body said in a statement to journalists. “This, and the reported lack of effective advance warning by Israel, which may affect the population’s ability to reach safety, raise serious concerns in relation to the principles of proportionality, distinction, and precaution under international humanitarian law.”However, NATO chief Mark Rutte told reporters on Monday US strikes on Iran over the weekend did not violate international law. He was speaking during a briefing ahead of a summit for the military alliance.
Tehran vows to avenge attack on nuclear sites
Tehran threatened on Monday to inflict “serious” damage in retaliation for US strikes on the Islamic republic’s nuclear facilities, as the Iran-Israel war entered its 11th day despite calls for de-escalation. Aerial assaults meanwhile raged on, with air raid sirens sounding across Israel and AFP journalists reporting several blasts were heard over Jerusalem. The Israeli military said it had struck missile sites in western Iran as well as “six Iranian regime airports” across the country, destroying fighter jets and helicopters. President Donald Trump said US warplanes used “bunker buster” bombs to target sites in Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz, boasting the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Other officials said it was too soon to assess the true impact on Iran’s nuclear program, which Israel and some Western states consider an existential threat. Iranian armed forces spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said on state television that the US “hostile act,” following more than a week of Israeli bombardments, would “pave the way for the extension of war in the region.”“The fighters of Islam will inflict serious, unpredictable consequences on you with powerful and targeted (military) operations,” he warned.
Iran foreign minister to meet key ally Putin
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was due to hold “important” talks with key ally Vladimir Putin on Monday, 48 hours after a major US attack on Iran’s key nuclear facilities. Moscow is a crucial backer of Tehran, but has not swung forcefully behind its partner since Israel launched a wave of attacks on June 13, strikes that triggered Iran to respond with missiles and drones. While Russia condemned the Israeli and US strikes, it has not offered military help and has downplayed its obligations under a sweeping strategic partnership agreement signed with Tehran just months ago. “In this new dangerous situation ... our consultations with Russia can certainly be of great importance,” Russian state media reported Araghchi as saying after landing in Moscow.
Australia says it supports US strike, calls for return to diplomacy
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday that Canberra supported the United States strike on Iran and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy. “The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that,” Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday. Albanese said “the information has been clear” that Iran had enriched uranium to 60 percent and “there is no other explanation for it to reach 60, other than engaging in a program that wasn’t about civilian nuclear power.”The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog that inspects Iran’s nuclear facilities, reported on May 31 that Iran had enough uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons. “Had Iran complied with the very reasonable requests that were made, including by the IAEA, then circumstances would have been different,” said Albanese, referring to limitations on enrichment.

Iran says missile attack matched number of US bombs, signaling likely desire to de-escalate
David Rising, Jon Gambrell And Melanie Lidman/The Associated Press/June 23, 2025
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran launched missile attacks Monday on a U.S. military bases in Qatar and Iraq, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites and escalating tensions in the volatile region. People in Doha, Qatar’s capital, stopped and looked up as missiles flew and interceptors fired and struck at least one missile in the night sky. Iran announced on state television that it attacked American forces stationed at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base. A caption on screen called it “a mighty and successful response" to "America’s aggression” as martial music played. Iran also targeted the Ain al-Assad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq, an Iraqi security official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The attacks came shortly after Qatar closed its airspace as a precaution amid threats from Iran. Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: “We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.”In the past, Iran has threatened American forces at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command. Qatar, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, maintains diplomatic relations with Iran and shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran. Earlier in the day, Israel expanded its war against Iran to include targets associated with the country's struggling theocracy, striking the gate of a Tehran prison notorious for holding political activists and hitting the headquarters of the military force that suppressed recent protests. As plumes of thick smoke rose over Tehran, Israel was attacked with yet another barrage of Iranian missiles and drones. The persistent fire has become a reality for civilians in both countries since Israel started the war to target Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. On the 11th day of the conflict, Israel said it attacked “regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran,” but Israeli officials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran's government, their archenemy since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Israeli military warned Iranians that it would continue to attack military sites around Tehran over “the coming days” as its focuses has shifted to symbolic targets as well. The military issued the warning on the social platform X, though Iranians are struggling to access the outside world as an internet shutdown has crippled the country. The latest strikes unfolded only hours after President Donald Trump openly raised the possibility himself after just a day earlier inserting America into the war with its unprecedented stealth-bomber strike on three Iranian nuclear sites.“If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” he asked on his Truth Social website. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as “simply raising a question.” However, suggestions of overthrowing the Iranian government drew new anger from Tehran, which insists it will not negotiate at this time and is threatening to retaliate directly against either American troops or interests in a Mideast already inflamed by the still-raging Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Tehran strikes open new chapter of war
In the Tehran strikes, Israel blew open a gate at Evin prison. Iranian state television shared black-and-white surveillance footage of the strike at the facility known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners run by the paramilitary, all-volunteer Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both U.S. and European Union sanctions. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Iran or significant damage, though the semiofficial Tasnim news agency said there had been a power cut reported outside of Tehran following the Israeli strikes. Iranian state television also aired footage it described as being shot inside Evin, with prisoners under control inside the facility. However, the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran expressed worry about the condition of prisoners there. “Many families of current detainees have expressed deep concern about the safety and condition of their loved ones held inside the prison,” it said. Earlier Monday, Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington that its strikes had given Iranian forces a “free hand “ to “act against U.S. interests and its army.”Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East, many in locations within range of short-range Iranian missiles. The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran’s Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday’s attack by the United States on three nuclear facilities. The Israeli military did not elaborate. “The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,” Israel's Defense Ministry said. According to an Israeli official familiar with the government’s strategy, Israel is targeting these sites to put pressure on the Iranian administration but is not actively seeking to topple it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal government deliberations.
Nuclear fears mount after US strikes
In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. With the strikes Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel’s war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed “a very big red line” with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the agency's board of governors Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed him on June 13 that Iran would “adopt special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials.”“I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared,” Grossi said, without saying whether Iran had responded.
Iran presses on attacking Israel
Iran described its Monday attack on Israel as a new wave of its “Operation True Promise 3,” saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television. Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem, possibly from air defense systems in action, and Israel's Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said there had been no reports of injuries. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Masha Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 380 civilians and 253 security force personnel.
Calls for de-escalation
The U.S. described its attack on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear site, as a one-off to take out Iran's nuclear program, but Trump has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates. Mousavi described the American attacks as violating Iran’s sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the country, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Russia is one of Iran’s closest allies and on Monday, President Vladimir Putin said after meeting in Moscow with Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, that they had explored “how we can get out of today’s situation.” Putin called the Israeli and American attacks on Iran an “absolutely unprovoked aggression.” Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities.

Israel attacks Iran's Fordo nuclear site
Agence France Presse/June 23, 2025
Israel carried out a fresh strike on Iran's underground Fordo nuclear site south of Tehran, a media outlet in the country reported. "The aggressor attacked the Fordo nuclear site again," Tasnim news agency reported, quoting a spokesperson for the crisis management authority in Qom province where the site is located.Israel is carrying out unprecedented strikes on Iran's capital targeting "agencies of government repression", Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Monday. The Israeli military "is carrying out strikes of unprecedented force against regime targets and agencies of government oppression in the heart of Tehran", Katz said as the Iran-Israel war rages on.

Israel targets Iran Guards, Tehran prison in fresh wave of strikes
AFP/June 23, 2025
TEHRAN: Israel hit Revolutionary Guard sites and Evin prison in Tehran on the 11th day of the war Monday, in what it said were its most powerful strikes yet on the Iranian capital. Iran, in turn, fired missile barrages at Israel and vowed retaliation against the United States after American strikes on the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites a day earlier.Loud explosions rocked Tehran, where Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military hit sites with “unprecedented force,” adding to speculation that it is seeking to topple Iran’s clerical leadership. The targets included Evin prison, which Katz said “holds political prisoners and regime opponents,” as well as command centers for the domestic Basij paramilitary and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iranian media and the Israeli military said Israel also struck Fordo, a key nuclear enrichment facility buried deep in the mountains south of Tehran. The military said it had struck Fordo on Monday “in order to obstruct access routes” to the site, which Israel’s ally the United States hit the previous day with massive bunker buster bombs. President Donald Trump boasted that Sunday’s US strikes on three key sites had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but other officials said it was too soon to assess the impact on Iran’s atomic program, which Israel and some Western states consider an unacceptable threat. Sirens sounded across Israel on Monday and AFP journalists reported blasts over Jerusalem and people fleeing to shelters in Tel Aviv. Iranian media said Israel’s strikes hit a power supply system in Tehran, triggering temporary outages. In Israel, the national electricity company reported “damage near a strategic infrastructure facility” in the south that disrupted the power supply, without naming the location or specifying the cause. Israel’s military censorship rules bar the publication of some details about damage in Israel.
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 400 people, Iran’s health ministry has said. Iran’s attacks on Israel have killed 24 people, according to official figures. After the US strikes, global markets reacted nervously, with oil prices jumping more than four percent early Monday but dipping later in the day. China urged both Iran and Israel to prevent the conflict from spilling over, warning of potential economic fallout. Iranian armed forces chief Abdolrahim Mousavi said in a video statement published on state TV that Washington’s bombing “will not go unanswered.”“We will take firm action against the American mistake,” he added. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on China to help deter Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said closing the strategic strait would be “extremely dangerous.”With Iran threatening US bases in the region, the State Department issued a worldwide alert cautioning Americans abroad.In Bahrain, home to a major US naval base, the US embassy said it had “temporarily shifted a portion of its employees to local telework,” citing “heightened regional tensions.”Meanwhile, international oil firms including BP and Total evacuated some of their foreign staff from southern Iraq, the state-owned Basra Oil Company said.
After the Pentagon stressed the goal of US intervention was not to topple the Iranian government, Trump openly toyed with the idea. “If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. His press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Trump was “still interested and engaging in” diplomacy. She suggested, however, that Iranians could overthrow their government if it did not agree to a diplomatic solution.
At a Pentagon press briefing, top US general Dan Caine said “initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage.”Speaking ahead of a NATO summit this week, the alliance’s chief Mark Rutte said Tehran should not be allowed a nuclear weapon, calling it his “greatest fear,” while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said “there is no reason to criticize what America did.”Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that craters were visible at the Fordo facility, but it had not been possible to assess the underground damage.“Armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place,” he added. Iran has consistently denied seeking an atomic bomb, and Grossi has said there was no evidence to suggest it was doing so despite the Islamic republic being the only non-nuclear armed state to enrich uranium to 60 percent. The IAEA said on Monday that Tehran had informed it of “special measures to protect nuclear material” when the Israeli campaign began. The UN agency also said it was seeking access to Iranian nuclear sites to “account for” stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, had accused the United States and Israel of deciding to “blow up” nuclear diplomacy with their attacks.

Day 11 of The Iran-Israel War: Latest Developments
This is Beirut/AFP/June 23/2025
As the eleventh day of the Iran-Israel conflict unfolds, the situation remains fraught with military escalation, diplomatic tension, and worldwide market and political ramifications. Missile exchanges continued Monday between Iran and Israel, which is persisting in targeting specific objectives within the Islamic Republic. In the morning, Tel Aviv launched another attack on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, buried under a mountain south of Tehran, according to a local media report.“The aggressor has once again attacked the Fordow nuclear site,” reported the Tasnim news agency, citing a spokesperson for the crisis management authority of Qom province, where the site is located. According to an Israeli source cited by Al-Hadath, “the entrances to Fordow were targeted to prevent the Iranians from removing the materials” still stored there.
These strikes follow U.S. airstrikes a day earlier on Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, as well as the Natanz and Isfahan facilities in central Iran, where the extent of the damage remains to be assessed. Israeli strikes were also underway early Monday afternoon on the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran and Evin prison, the Israeli military announced, as Iran once again warned the United States of “severe consequences” in response to the unprecedented attacks on its nuclear facilities, and cautioned about a possible “expansion of the war” in the Middle East. Air raid sirens sounded for over 30 minutes across several regions of Israel on Monday, shortly after the military warned of multiple missile salvos launched from Iran. According to initial assessments by the Israeli army, approximately six to seven ballistic missiles were launched in four successive waves. The missile fire spanned nearly 40 minutes, marking one of the longest Iranian attacks since the beginning of the conflict. While there were no immediate reports of casualties, several missile impacts were confirmed on Israeli territory.
The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) reported power disruptions in several southern towns following the impact of an Iranian missile near a strategic infrastructure site in Ashdod. "Teams are currently on their way to affected locations to restore power as quickly as possible. Operations include infrastructure repairs and the removal of safety hazards, in coordination with security forces," the IEC said in a statement. More than 30 minutes after the sirens began, the military issued a notice stating that civilians could leave their shelters. Emergency services have not reported any injuries so far.Meanwhile, powerful explosions were heard in northern Tehran, according to AFP journalists. The Iranian Red Crescent announced that Israeli airstrikes occurred near one of its buildings in the capital.
Trump Hints at Regime Change, Praises Strike Impact
US President Donald Trump has amplified the rhetoric by openly suggesting that "regime change" in Iran is a plausible outcome if the current leadership fails to “make Iran great again.” In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump hailed what he described as “monumental damage” inflicted on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, claiming “obliteration is an accurate term” to describe the US-led airstrikes, and referring to them as a "bullseye.”President Trump proclaimed the operation a “spectacular military success,” warning Iran that it must “now make peace,” and floated the idea of regime change should Iran’s leadership fail to meet his objective of “Make Iran Great Again.”However, top administration officials have attempted to draw a distinction between targeting Iran’s nuclear program and engaging in broader conflict. Vice President JD Vance emphasized that the US is “not at war with Iran,” but rather with its nuclear ambitions, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted Washington is “not looking for war.”According to the Pentagon, B-2 stealth bombers targeted three key Iranian nuclear sites – Natanz, Fordo, and Isfahan – in what has been called one of the most secretive US air operations in recent history. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has yet to fully assess the extent of the damage, citing limited access and ongoing hostilities.
Strategic Calculations and Delicate Diplomacy
Despite the sharp rhetoric, key figures in Washington, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, have emphasized that the US is not seeking a full-scale war with Iran. Officials insist the strikes were limited to degrading Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
However, Iran’s leadership views the attacks as a declaration of war. North Korea, joining the fray with a statement of support for Tehran, accused the US of violating the UN Charter and blamed Israel for regional instability.
Tehran Reacts: No Talks Before Retaliation
Iran has remained defiant. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, currently in Moscow, stated that Iran would consider all possible responses and that no diplomatic engagement would resume until it had retaliated appropriately. “The US has shown it only understands the language of force,” Araghchi said in Istanbul prior to his visit to the Kremlin, where he is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin. While Moscow has condemned the US strikes, describing them as a dangerous breach of international norms, it has stopped short of offering military support. Kremlin officials maintain ongoing communication with both Tehran and Washington. A social media account linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a strong statement condemning Israel’s actions, calling them a serious miscalculation. In what appears to be his first public reaction since the United States became directly involved in the conflict, the message posted on X (formerly Twitter) declared: “The Zionist enemy has made a grave mistake, committed a great crime; it must be punished and is being punished; it is being punished right now.”
Iran's judiciary said it executed on Monday a man found guilty of spying for Israel, as fighting between the two countries entered its 11th day. "Mohammad-Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh was hanged this morning for intelligence cooperation with the Zionist regime," the judiciary said, using Iran's term for Israel. Shayesteh was alleged to have had ties with Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency. He was also convicted of collaborating with Iran International, a Persian-language TV channel based in London that is critical of the Iranian government. Iran considers the broadcaster to be linked to Israel.
Israel Continues Strikes, Seeks Strategic Objectives
Israel, for its part, has intensified its operations. The Israeli Air Force reportedly launched strikes on “dozens of military targets” across Iran, including a strategic missile facility in Yazd, the first confirmed attack on that location. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is close to achieving its objectives: neutralizing Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and crippling its nuclear ambitions. Israel's army said it was striking military sites in western Iran's Kermanshah on Monday. More than 15 Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck a short time ago in the Kermanshah region of western Iran, destroying several launch sites and storage facilities for surface-to-surface missiles aimed at Israeli territory, a military statement said. The Israeli army announced that it had targeted six airports located in western, eastern, and central Iran. According to the army spokesperson, the strikes damaged runways, underground hangars, a refueling aircraft, and a fleet of 15 fighter jets and helicopters, including F-14s, F-5s, and AH-1s, all belonging to the Iranian military. Ten Revolutionary Guards soldiers were killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday in Yazd province in central Iran. This was reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim.
Global Responses and Warnings
World leaders and institutions have issued a flurry of statements urging restraint. The United Nations has warned of a “dangerous escalation,” with its nuclear watchdog calling the situation “deeply destabilizing.”
European powers, including the UK, France, and Germany, issued a joint call urging Iran to return to negotiations and warning against any further moves that could destabilize the region. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese voiced strong support for the US action while reiterating the need for diplomacy. Meanwhile, China has been urged by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to pressure Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Iran’s parliament recently approved a resolution to close the strategic waterway, though the decision ultimately lies with the country’s security apparatus. The strait, a vital artery for global energy trade, is now at the center of international concern.
Markets and Civil Aviation Disrupted
The military strikes have rattled global markets. Brent crude jumped over 3% in early trading on Monday, reflecting fears of disruption in oil supplies. Airlines worldwide, including Singapore Airlines and Air France, have rerouted or suspended flights to parts of the Middle East amid heightened security risks and closed airspace over Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel. Flight tracking data shows vast no-fly zones forming over the region. The airline risk-monitoring site Safe Airspace flagged the situation as “high risk,” particularly for US carriers.
Domestic Fallout and Protest Movements
The strikes have also triggered protests across multiple cities around the world, with demonstrators condemning what they describe as American aggression. In New York, London, Istanbul, and Kuala Lumpur, citizens rallied in opposition to the war, calling for a return to diplomacy.
The US State Department has issued a global security alert for American citizens, citing the potential for retaliatory actions against US interests.
Looking Ahead
President Trump is set to meet with his national security team in the Oval Office later today to assess the next phase of operations. The White House has not ruled out further action but insists any future decisions will depend on Iran’s response.
With AFP

IAEA Seeks Access to Iran Nuclear Sites to 'Account for' Highly Enriched Uranium Stockpiles
This is Beirut/June 23/2025
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday called for renewed access to Iran’s nuclear sites in order to determine the status of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is close to weapons-grade levels.
“We need to allow inspectors to return and assess the uranium stockpiles, particularly the 400 kilograms enriched to 60%,” said Rafael Grossi at the opening of an emergency meeting at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria. He added that on June 13, Tehran had sent a letter informing the IAEA of the implementation of “special measures to protect nuclear equipment and material.”

Netanyahu Hails US Strikes on Iran, Links Operation to Goals in Gaza
This is Beirut/AFP/June 23/2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday praised the US military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, describing them as a turning point for regional stability and a crucial step toward Israel’s broader strategic goals. In a nationally televised address following the overnight US operation, Netanyahu expressed deep gratitude to US President Donald Trump, saying, "Hats off to my friend Trump for what he did in Iran. Significant damage was dealt to the Fordow reactor thanks to his leadership."Netanyahu asserted that the Israeli-US operation aimed to eliminate what he called the “Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile threat,” stating, “What we are doing is changing the face of the Middle East. We will do everything necessary to secure Israel's future.”He further linked the Iran operation to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, saying, “The operation in Iran helps achieve the goal in Gaza. I am confident it will contribute to our mission there.”The prime minister also indicated that Israel has additional military plans ready, should the situation escalate. “We have military plans if further operations are required,” he noted, but added, “When we achieve our goals, we will not continue in an unwanted direction.”

Iranian combat drone crashes into restaurant in Jordan’s capital, Amman
Arab News/June 23, 2025
LONDON: An Iranian Shahed 101 combat drone crashed into a building in the Umm Uthaina area of Jordan’s capital, Amman, on Monday.Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hyari, a spokesperson for the Jordanian army, said the drone had an explosive warhead but did not detonate on impact when it hit the patio of a restaurant in Umm Uthaina. There were no injuries and military engineers dismantled the device. Recently, two drones struck residential buildings in Abu Nseir and Azraq, he said, and 27 intact drones with explosive payloads crashed in uninhabited parts of the country. In addition, hundreds of drone and missile parts fell onto Jordanian territory, Hyari added, but did not cause significant damage or serious injuries. He urged Jordanians to seek shelter when sirens sound, the Jordan News Agency reported. Tensions have been rising in the region since a conflict between Israel and Iran began on June 13, sparking fears of a full-scale war across the Middle East. The two countries have continued to exchange attacks since then, and the situation escalated on Sunday when the US carried out airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.

Trump exhorts US to drill oil, gas after Iran attacks
Timothy Gardner/Reuters/June 23, 2025
(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump urged his administration on Monday to boost drilling rates and market players to keep oil prices down amid fears that the aftermath of the U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities could cause energy prices to spike.
Trump addressed the U.S. Department of Energy in a post on his Truth Social platform encouraging it to "drill, baby, drill" and saying, "I mean now," despite no major oil disruptions after the bombings. In another post on the platform, Trump said in all caps: "Everyone, keep oil prices down, I'm watching! You're playing into the hands of the enemy, don't do it." U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright responded, "We're on it!" to the drilling message, in a post on X. It was not immediately clear what the DOE could do to boost drilling in the world's top oil and gas producer, where drilling decisions are made by private companies. Output already hit record highs during the previous administration of President Joe Biden. The DOE did not immediately respond to a question on Wright's comment. Global benchmark Brent oil prices oscillated on Monday, as oil and gas transit continued on tankers from the Middle East after U.S. air strikes against Iran. It jumped nearly 6% to a five-month high early in the session, then was down 7.3% in afternoon trading after Iran focused its retaliation on a U.S. airbase in Qatar but did not disrupt the oil flow in the region.[O/R] Wright said during an interview on CNBC that he was not surprised that oil prices fell on Monday. "I would not expect much movement of oil upwards from the tensions that are going on," he said. "We're in such a good position today, this American energy dominance that President Trump ran on."If severe interruptions in oil supplies develop, such as the remote possibility that Iran restricts shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the United States could tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the world's largest emergency crude oil stash. Wright also has the power to conduct test sales or exchanges, limited to 5 million barrels, from the reserve, which currently holds about 403 million barrels. But the Trump administration has criticized Biden's use of the SPR after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Doug Burgum, Trump's interior secretary and head of a new National Energy Dominance Council that seeks to boost fossil fuel output, said on X that U.S. oil and gas production "weakens the leverage of authoritarian regimes like Iran who rely on energy coercion to lead."

Putin Slams Attack on Iran, but Offers no Support to Key Ally
This is Beirut/With AFP/June 23/2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday slammed attacks on Iran as "unprovoked" and "unjustified" in a meeting with Tehran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, but did not announce any concrete support to his key ally in the Middle East. Moscow is a crucial backer of Iran, but has not swung forcefully behind its partner even as the United States launched strikes on its nuclear facilities over the weekend. "This absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran is unjustified," Putin said in televised remarks to Araghchi at the start of their meeting.Putin did not single out the US attacks, talking instead broadly of "strikes" against Iran, though the Kremlin had earlier Monday said it condemned and regretted the US strikes. "There has been a new escalation of tensions in the region, and, of course, we condemn this and express our deep regret in this regard," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, shortly before Putin met Araghchi in the Kremlin. Putin has pitched himself as a mediator between Iran and Israel, an idea rejected by US President Donald Trump last week. Araghchi told Putin that Russia has been a "partner and companion" to Tehran and hailed ties between Tehran and Moscow "very close and longstanding". "Iran is exercising legitimate defense against these aggressions," he added. Since Israel launched its wave of strikes on June 13, triggering Iran to respond with missiles and drones, Russia has not publicly offered military help to Tehran. Putin and other officials have also downplayed Moscow's obligations under a sweeping strategic partnership agreement signed with Tehran just months ago, highlighting that it is not a mutual defense pact. Russia was "making efforts to help the Iranian people," Putin said in the meeting, without elaborating. Asked what specific support Russia might offer, Peskov told reporters: "It all depends on what Iran needs. We have offered our mediation services." Peskov also said the US strikes on Iran would not affect bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington, saying they were "different issues".Putin said last week that Iran had not requested any support from Russia.

Germany Presses Tehran to Negotiate with the United States
This is Beirut/AFP/June 23/2025
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday called for a swift return to diplomacy after the US struck three nuclear sites in Iran overnight, his spokesman said. Iran must "immediately enter into negotiations with the US and Israel and to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict", Merz said, according to his spokesman Stefan Kornelius. The German government believes "large parts of Iran's nuclear program have been damaged by the airstrikes", Kornelius said. The US strikes came after Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on June 13 targeting its missile and nuclear facilities, as well as military leaders and security services. Iran's uranium enrichment has for decades caused tension with the West and Israel, which fear the drive is aimed at making an atomic bomb, a charge denied by Tehran. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Sunday said "no one thinks it's a good thing to keep fighting" and Berlin will "keep doing everything we can to make sure we get serious negotiations going"."Everyone knows there has to be a negotiated solution. I think everyone's ready for that," he told the ARD broadcaster. While France has expressed "concern" over the US strikes, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Washington had "taken on a responsibility in the region" in response to a "concrete threat"."What is important here is that a major threat has been eliminated, and I can only repeat that this is good news for the Middle East, but also for Europe," he told ARD. Chancellor Merz last week expressed strong support for Israel's campaign against Iran, describing it as "the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us".

Syria interior ministry announces arrests over Damascus church attack
Arab News/June 23, 2025
DAMASCUS: Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a “heinous” suicide attack on a Damascus church would face justice, as he called for unity in the diverse, multi-faith country. The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the health ministry said. Syria’s interior ministry said Monday that authorities had arrested several suspects in connection with the suicide attack, with the minister saying the operation targeted cells affiliated with the Daesh group. A ministry statement reported the arrest of “a number of criminals involved in the attack” during a security operation near Damascus, while Interior Minister Anas Khattab said the operation targeted “positions of terrorist cells linked to the Daesh group.”
Daesh has not yet claimed the attack. “We promise... that we will work night and day, mobilizing all our specialized security agencies, to capture all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and bring them to justice,” interim President Sharaa said in a statement. The attack follows incidents of sectarian violence in recent months, with security one of the greatest challenges for the new authorities. The attack “reminds us of the importance of solidarity, and unity of the government and the people in facing all that threatens our nation’s security and stability,” Sharaa said. The spokesman for Antonio Guterres said the UN Secretary-General strongly condemned the attack and expressed his “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims and wishes a swift recovery to those injured. He added that Guterres said that all perpetrators of terrorism must be held accountable, and called for a full investigation. “The Secretary-General reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to supporting the Syrian people in their pursuit of peace, dignity, and justice,” the statement added.
The attack was the first suicide bombing in a church in Syria since the country’s civil war erupted in 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.
It was also the first attack of its kind in the Syrian capital since Assad’s ouster. Since the new authorities took power, the international community has repeatedly urged them to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria’s transition, particularly after the recent violence. Interior ministry spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba said Sunday that “the security of places of worship is a red line, and all efforts will be made to ensure people’s freedom to perform their religious rites.”Daesh “aims to sow sectarian division and incite all components of Syrian society to take up arms, seeking to show that the Syrian state is unable to protect its communities and citizens,” he told a press conference.
The top cleric of Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority, Grand Mufti Osama Al-Rifai, condemned acts of violence and terrorism in a statement Monday. “We express our complete rejection of targeting places of worship and terrorizing believers,” he said. Foreign condemnation of the attack continued to roll in on Monday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkiye would not allow extremists to drag Syria back into chaos and instability, vowing that Turkiye would “continue to support the Syrian government’s fight against terrorism.” Turkiye, which is close to the new authorities, has repeatedly offered its operational and military support to fight Daesh and other militant threats. French President Emmanuel Macron also denounced the “horrible” attack, while the EU said it “stands in solidarity” with Syria in combating ethnic and religious violence.
“It is a grave reminder of the need to intensify efforts against the terrorist threat and to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh and other terrorist organizations,” spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said. Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed anger after the attack on the Greek Orthodox Church, calling on the new authorities “to take concrete measures to protect all ethnic and religious minorities.”Syria’s Christian community has shrunk from around one million before the war to fewer than 300,000 due to waves of displacement and emigration. Daesh seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of the civil war, declaring a cross-border “caliphate” in 2014.The militants were territorially defeated in Syria 2019 but have maintained a presence, particularly in the country’s vast desert.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 23-24/2025
Video link and transcript of Reza Pahlavi’s speech during a press conference where he discussed his positions and plans regarding the Iranian Mullahs’ Regime, which he called to overthrow
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144497/
Reza Pahlavi: The complete text of my opening remarks at today's press conference
X platform/Jun 23, 2025
Ladies and Gentlemen, members of the international press corps, good afternoon.
Thank you for being here today. This is a historic moment for our nation. I will begin with a brief message to my compatriots in Iran, in Persian, which I will then translate.
“My fellow compatriots, our beloved Iran has been dragged into a devastating conflict, the architect of which is none other than Ali Khamenei and his corrupt, destructive faction. He has driven our nation’s economy to the brink of collapse, plundered our national infrastructure and resources, squandered the nation's wealth on developing nuclear weapons, shattered Iran’s security, and stolen the sovereignty of the Iranian people. This regime is defeated, teetering on the edge of collapse, and must not be allowed to continue. The time has come to end this ruin and begin a new era for Iran. This is a new dawn for Iran’s Lion and Sun.”
Ladies and gentlemen, over the past few days, I’ve spoken with people across Iran from every walk of life. An officer in the armed forces. A mother fleeing Tehran. A factory worker from Tabriz. A young woman activist from the Women, Life, Freedom movement.
These voices represent a nation, embattled but resilient, that is not asking for its freedom. It is fighting for it. From the 1999 student protests to the Green Movement to the 2017 Dey-mah and 2019 Aban-mah uprisings, thousands of Iranians have given their lives in the fight for Iran’s liberation. Today, millions of my brave compatriots continue the fight.
One of their stories moved me deeply.
In September 2022 Javad Heydari was murdered protesting the Islamic Republic’s killing of Mahsa Amini. His sister has continued his fight. She is one of the hundreds of activists the regime has arrested and harassed in recent days.
When security forces raided her home, she cried out:
“Oh God, where shall we go? Where shall we go to flee from your tyranny?”
One by one, her neighbors began to respond to her:
“We’re not going anywhere! They, the regime, are the ones who’ve got to go!”
These words echo in my heart—and should echo in every corridor of power around the world.
Today, it is clearer than ever: The Islamic Republic is collapsing.
Credible reports indicate that Ali Khamenei’s family—and the families of senior regime officials—are making preparations to flee Iran. The regime is on its last legs, in towns and cities across the country. The military is fractured. The people are united. The foundations of this 46-year tyranny are shaking.
This is our Berlin wall moment.
But like all moments of great change, it comes fraught with danger. We stand at a crossroads. One road leads to bloodshed and chaos. The other—to a peaceful and democratic transition.
The difference in these two roads depends on one factor and one factor alone: whether the current regime in Iran is allowed to survive. If the West throws the regime a lifeline there will be more bloodshed and chaos - because this regime will not submit or surrender after it has been humiliated. It will lash out. As long as it is in power, no country and no people are safe: whether on the streets of Washington, Paris, Jerusalem, Riyadh, or Tehran.
There is only one way to achieve peace: a secular, democratic Iran. I am here today to submit myself to my compatriots to lead them down this road to peace and a democratic transition.
I do not seek political power, but rather to help our great nation navigate through this critical hour toward stability, freedom, and justice.
To the people of Iran— I see your courage. I feel your pain. I know you are suffering. I know many of you are afraid for your loved ones, your children, your future.
So I speak to you today with a heavy heart. I worked for years, for decades, so that the scourge of war would never reach the borders of our land. Seeing the images of the people of Tehran forced to flee our beautiful capital, the explosions in Isfahan, the fires along the Persian Gulf, all fill me with pain.
But more than pain, I am filled with anger because this war is the result of the selfishness, hatred, and terror of one man: Ali Khamenei. While he directs this war from the safety of his hidden bunker, he uses our people as human shields.
It is time to end the suffering.
So today, I have a direct message for Ali Khamenei:
Step down. And if you do, you will receive a fair trial and due process of law. Which is more than you have ever given any Iranian.
To other senior regime officials: those of you whose hands are soiled with the blood of the Iranian people, you too will have to face justice. But we will not repeat the mistakes made in other failed transitions. To those of you who are loyal to the Iranian nation, and not the Islamic Republic: there is a future for you in a democratic Iran, if you join the people now. The choice is yours to make.
I know these officers, these soldiers, these brave men exist because they are reaching out to me and telling me they want to be part of this national salvation. But now, greater coordination is needed.
So to that end, today I am announcing that I am establishing a formal channel for military, security, and police personnel to reach out directly to me, my team, and our expanding operation. This is a secure platform to efficiently manage the growing volume of inbound communications and requests from those breaking with the regime and seeking to join our movement.
For those patriotic members of our armed forces, the time is now to join the nation. If you do, I will make sure your service to Iran is not forgotten and is celebrated.
To the international community: Now is the moment to stand with the Iranian people. Do not repeat the mistakes of the past. Do not throw this regime a lifeline.
You are right to be concerned about stopping nuclear weapons and securing regional stability. Only a democratic transition in Iran can ensure these goals are achieved and are lasting.
Take, for example, the destruction of the Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow enrichment facilities. Yes, this has diminished the regime’s domestic nuclear enrichment. But it does not diminish the regime’s intent to acquire and use nuclear weapons. The regime, enraged and emboldened, will be seeking revenge and can acquire nuclear weapons from other rogue regimes like North Korea.
The destruction of the regime’s nuclear facilities alone will not deliver peace.
But the path I offer can. So work with us to ensure a peaceful transition. Now is not the time for hesitation. Now is the time for principled action, from each of us.
46 years ago when my late father and our family were forced to leave Iran, I took an oath to God and to my country: I would not turn my back on Iran or the Iranian people. Every day since, I have dedicated my life to my compatriots. Today, I am here to reiterate it and to put myself at their service.
I am stepping forward to lead this national transition—not out of personal interest but as a servant of the Iranian people.
I have a clear plan for transition and national renewal. Our transition and future democracy will be based on these three core principles:
1. Iran’s territorial Integrity
2. Individual liberties and equality of all citizens
3. Separation of religion and state
The final form of this future democracy we seek will be for the Iranian people to decide in a national referendum.
What I offer is not just a vision for the future of our country but the plan to execute a peaceful, orderly transition. To achieve that, today I am announcing the following initial steps:
First, I will convene a national unity summit.
This gathering will include activists, dissidents, and groups from across the ideological spectrum who agree to the three principles I outlined above. But it will not be limited just to political groups but business leaders, professionals, experts and other groups with influence across Iranian society.
This summit’s objective will be to agree on a roadmap for democratic transition and reconstruction.
Second, in parallel to the democratic process, I am developing an economic plan to rebuild Iran.
We have already launched the Iran Prosperity Project (IPP) , a comprehensive plan for the economic reconstruction and social stabilization of our country in three phases. The Emergency Phase of the first 4-6 months, the Establishment Phase of 18-24 months, and the Normalization Phase which is long term.
In the coming days, my team of experts will publish the plans for the first 100 days after the collapse of the Islamic Republic based on this work.
We are bringing together some of the world’s greatest investors, builders, entrepreneurs, and experts who care about Iran and see its immense potential. They stand ready to put in the expertise, the talent, and the capital to rebuild our nation and turn it into one of the world’s most attractive markets.
Imagine this new Iran. A free and democratic Iran: living at peace with our neighbors, an engine of growth and opportunity in the region, a beacon of culture, innovation, and pride in the world.
It is within our reach.
We are proud, ancient, resilient people.
The task before us Iranians today is no less than the ones faced by the great leaders. The great unifiers, the great builders of our history like Cyrus the Great.
As we embark on the final steps on this path to national revival, to liberation, to peace, we continue to be inspired by him.
To my compatriots: This is our moment. I am with you. Let us build this new Iran together.
Thank you.

Strategic Forecasts
Charles Chartouni/This is Beirut/June 23/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144504/
The strategic dilemmas facing Israel at this point should be summarized as how to achieve the double and intertwining objectives of the Iranian nuclear weaponization containment and the downfall of the Islamist regime and its imperial outreach. The inner relationship between the two variables is unmistakable and begets the crucial question of how to go about it independently or in a joint undertaking with the United States. Israel has unilaterally proceeded in its strategy while the United States was still pondering the relevance of pursuing the stalled negotiations after two months of Iranian waffling.
The adherence to the negotiation script has proven redundant, since the Iranian regime was maneuvering and buying time. The impressive Israeli military campaign was able to achieve its immediate goals when it decapitated the military, intelligence and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders and the directors of the nuclear program. It also targeted major nuclear and energy infrastructures, infiltrated the lines of defense and controlled the military landscape after the destruction of the air defenses and the ballistic manufacturing industry.
The issues at this juncture revolve around the required steps if it were to reach its strategic and national security objectives. Obviously, the magnitude and the scope of this war cannot be restricted to the preliminary stages. However demanding the challenges, Israel either has to continue the war on its own or coordinate with the United States the finalization of its war objectives.
However reluctant the United States seems, it is compelled either to fill its role within the military division of labor and oversee the destruction of the nuclear fortresses extending between Natanz and Fordo or to engage back the Iranian regime to negotiate capitulation and preempt the continuation of war and its cascading hazards. We should mention that neither Israel nor the United States is interested in occupying Iran or imposing their political narratives.
By refusing the truce, Israel sends a clear message on the inevitability of finishing off the military assignments and setting the terms of the war ending and the stipulations of a working peace agreement. Apparently, the US administration has opted for the blitzkrieg alternative without renouncing the diplomatic course. Political and military actors, on both sides, are in a bind while the war is pursuing its course.
Aside from the fact that the political and strategic imponderables are heavily weighing on the decision-making process, the military objectives depend largely on the political and national security outcomes and their incidence on the viability of both the regime and the country itself. The destruction of the Islamic regime may inevitably lead to the disintegration of the Iranian national entity and its proliferation effects throughout the larger Middle East and South Asia.
The American circumspection is mainly due to its skepticism regarding regime change narratives and their overall impact on intercontinental geopolitics and their shifting tectonics. This problematic has become axiomatic when considering regional conflicts, regime change and conflict management scenarios. None of the countries at stake has evolved a modicum of institutional consistency and political civility that allows for peaceful and constructive political transitions. The Iranian tectonics are not isolated, they partake of the structural volatility of cross-continental geopolitics and its imponderables.
Otherwise, the aporetic debate about war and international law fails to connect the legitimacy of this war to the professed ideological and political adversity towards the State of Israel, its right to exist and the highly proclaimed goal of its annihilation. The strategies of nuclear weaponization and the one of the proxies, “integrated operational platforms,” were deliberately conceived to undermine Israel's national security and question its very survival. The US decision to strike was based on a careful strategic assessment and the urge to upgrade its diplomatic scope and adjust it to the latest military evolutions.
Unless defeated, this totalitarian regime is unable to engage in diplomatic normalization, in spite of its simulated diplomatic attempts. Its compunctions are mainly due to its totalitarianism, inherent insecurity, endemic crisis of legitimacy, and inability to link international normalization and political and societal liberalization. It’s a well-established pattern disrupted irrevocably. The ongoing war has set a watershed between two eras, and it’s useless to revert back to the earlier stages and erstwhile scripts for political reconfiguration.
What we are witnessing goes far beyond the incidental political and military events, it points towards paradigmatic shifts that announce the demise of the Islamist narrative and its structuring role, be it at the ideological or the political levels. The Islamic revolution in Iran was the first attempt at recreating an Islamic-based polity after the downfall of the caliphate template and its historical modulations. The end of the purported Islamic republic reveals the failure of the Islamist ideologies to inspire and guide political and societal changes consonant with modernity and its democratic and liberal norms and peaceful political transitions.Alike communism, ideological fossilization and totalitarian autocracies were the defining features that account for the failed modernity and its deleterious consequences. The Islamist statement of the Muslim Brotherhood (Islam is the solution), which inspired both Sunni and Shia fundamentalisms, marks the end of the ideological history of Islamism. Moreover, the debacle of Iran’s Islamic republic marks the closure of its political history, if I were to borrow the observations that Elie Halevy applied to the history of socialism.

Genealogy of a War of Choice
Charles Chartouni/This is Beirut/June 16/2025
The launched Israeli war is the latest stage of the strategy that aimed at the progressive dismantling of the “integrated operational platforms” instrumentalized by the Iranian regime. The performance and the audacity of the undertaking raise several questions about the future geopolitical and geostrategic evolutions after the earthquake actuated by the Israeli counterstrategy and its transformative impact. The neat distinction set by the Israeli prime minister between the destruction of the murderous political dystopia, represented by the Islamic regime, and the prospects of peace-making with the Iranian people, predicated on the amity that historically united the two peoples, was quite compelling and sets the road for the impending peace treaty in scope.
The systematic unraveling of the Iranian strategy intertwines with the concomitant aspiration to peace and normalization flaunted by the Israeli war cabinet. The pending Palestinian issues are to be reframed on the very basis of the emerging geostrategic facts and the need for a new narrative and readiness to reengage in negotiations to finalize the forthcoming peace treaty. The transforming geopolitical landscape accounts for the discrepancies between the US and Israel regarding the nuclear negotiations and their opportunity. The endless maneuvering of the Iranian regime has led Israel to opt out of the negotiation scenario in favor of a highly elaborate war scenario. This retrospective can be very helpful to understand the circuitous road that led to the war of choice.
The US-Iranian negotiations were, so far, oscillating between a self-fulfilling prophecy and the deliberate obfuscations driven by a decaying religious autocracy fighting for its survival while its legitimacy is questioned by large Iranian constituencies. The US was doing its best to convert the dubious dispositions of the unraveling dictatorship on the basis of a transactional deal that overlooks the ideological restrictions and the battered strategic mortgages.
The terms of negotiations are inherently skewed and disruptive, since they have failed to evolve the necessary consensus that enables the parties to engage in a constructive and cumulative course. The Iranian is determined to impose a unilateral agenda based on a discretionary uranium enrichment scenario and an adamant opposition to the normalization of its international posturing, let alone its domestic liberalization agenda. This curtailed version of negotiations puts at stake the likelihood of a sustainable normalization and a hypothetical peace process throughout a combusted Middle East.
The negotiation script speaks volumes about the questionable motivations of a dictatorial regime, which has no other objectives but its survival and the pursuit of its imperial strategy. It’s obvious that practicalities are not enough to uphold long-term peace-making and geopolitical stabilization. The parties are at loggerheads, and transactional deals are not enough to steady the course and elicit alternative political agendas.
While conducting the negotiations, the Iranians were making sure to resume their politics of destabilization in Lebanon and to use its shrinking operational platforms to undermine the new regime in Syria, unleash a wave of random terrorism and reenergized Sunni terrorism, and threaten the Kurdish areas in the Syrian Northeast. Betting on the Trump administration's disinclination towards war, the Iranian regime was forging ahead on its way towards renewed investments in regional conflicts and instigation of instability.
The lingering uncertainties have come to an end, and the strategic facts on the ground were set for an impending war scenario. The destruction of the “integrated operational theaters,” which premised the overall Iranian strategy, is completed; the preemptive strike on the Iranian ballistic missiles and defense infrastructures surrounding the major nuclear sites in the Natanz area and the harrowing estrangement eating at the roots of a bankrupted and murderous dystopia have set the congenial context for the next war.
Aside from the fact that Israel has to bring to its final destination the geostrategic dynamics it ushered, annihilate Iran’s subversive strategy and proceed with geopolitical stabilization and peace making. In other words, none of the pending geopolitical issues between Israel, the Palestinians and the Middle Eastern environment is likely to be tackled outside the new geostrategic scope and its dictates. The October 7 war is a watershed and a defining political moment in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its repercussions all along the geopolitical spectrum.
The elimination of the Iranian disparaging factor is at the very core of the Israeli war. The discrepancies between the US and Israeli political agendas have come to a head, whereby the two allies have to set their cards. The US cannot engage in an everlasting and single-handed negotiation, and the Israelis have to leverage their geostrategic achievements to finish off the threats posed by an imperial-driven Iran, which perceives Israel as the ultimate obstacle to its domination strategy.
Realistically, one can hardly see a conciliatory scenario between two countries that diverge on every account. The transactional scenario can hardly outweigh the need for a comprehensive approach that may set Israel, Iran and the region on a normalization course. Otherwise, the Trump administration has to overcome the pitfalls of personal diplomacy and political volunteerism and temper the inflated expectations of deal-making with ideological regimes and their harnessed strategic goals. One can hardly see how war prospects can be avoided when the basics of conflict resolution are not only missing but literally subverted.
A cursory review of the Near Eastern terrain and its adjacent geopolitical platforms testifies to the ambiguities of Iranian politics and their self-defeating courses. They have followed the same script drafted under the Obama administration. Maneuvering all along the negotiation course while advancing their military markers. The tragic episode in Gaza is perpetuating the suffering of the Palestinian civilians and maintaining them under the spell of a criminal dystopia with no chances for a negotiated end to the dilemma of the Israeli and Palestinian hostages controlled by Hamas and its Iranian bankrollers.
Lebanon's disrupted deadlocks are reinstated under the unexpected alliance between Hezbollah and a quixotic and de facto partnership between a corrupt military oligarchy, inexperienced "Palestinist" ideologues and opportunists and a coalition of the Hezbollah-Berri tandem. The Syrian regime is fighting its way to engage the new strategic script and preparing for reconstruction. He has to navigate his course through the convoluted roads of Islamist terrorism, address the imbroglios of ethno-national groups and join the Abrahamic Accords.
The Israeli attack on Iran ushers in a new era, whereby the Israelis are defining the new geostrategic coordinates of the Middle East and readying themselves to deal with the manifold challenges of a new era. None of the conventional paradigms would be helpful in coming to terms with Middle Eastern realities. The Arab state system has to readjust to the emerging realities and engage in peace-making. The downfall of the first Islamist dictatorship puts in question the whole issue of political change in this part of the world.

Trump Hit Iran, So Will China Attack Taiwan?
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/June 23, 2025
[E]xpect Xi to up the pressure on Taiwan and others in coming weeks.
Xi fully backed Iran and its three main proxy terrorist groups — Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Yemen's Houthis — against Israel, with Beijing providing economic, diplomatic, propaganda, intelligence and weapons support.
For a time, Beijing looked as if it was driving events with its sly proxy war conducted by Iran. Now, China's Iranian proxy, and its proxies in turn, are being decimated, and Beijing cannot respond other than by cutting and running. The mighty People's Republic of China is bugging out of the Middle East.
But China is not entirely out of the fight. In addition to the renewed air campaign against Taiwan, Beijing has upped the pressure against the Philippines in the South China Sea. On June 19, the same day China started its most recent air campaign against Taiwan, the Philippine Coast Guard announced that more than 50 of China's maritime militia vessels moved close to Iroquois Reef in the South China Sea, a feature within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. A Philippine Coast Guard spokesman correctly called the Chinese action an "illegal swarming."
China claims most of that crucial body of water, including features such as Iroquois, which are far from recognized Chinese shores.
This we learned on June 21: The United States is truly a great power — and China is not.China's President Xi Jinping fully backed Iran and its three main proxy terrorist groups — Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Yemen's Houthis — against Israel, with Beijing providing economic, diplomatic, propaganda, intelligence and weapons support. Now, China's Iranian proxy, and its proxies in turn, are being decimated, and Beijing cannot respond other than by cutting and running. China apparently tried to protect Iran, its client state, with a threat against Taiwan in the days preceding America's destruction of Iranian nuclear sites on June 21.Beijing's gambit failed. President Donald Trump, from all indications, stared down Xi Jinping.
Nonetheless, expect Xi to up the pressure on Taiwan and others in coming weeks.
Beginning late June 19, China sent 74 warplanes near Taiwan's airspace. Sixty-one of the craft crossed the median line, the unofficial boundary running down the middle of the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese provocation came after a long period of quiet in the skies over that contested body of water.
Then, on June 21, the Pentagon told Reuters it had sent B-2 bombers to Guam. At the time, many saw the development as a final warning to Iran.The Guam news was curious because these planes were not necessary for a strike against Iran. B-2s often start and end their missions at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, as did the seven planes that struck Iran on June 21. Moreover, the Pentagon in April positioned at least six of the planes close to Iran, in Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean.
I think the curious Pentagon announcement was Trump's way of telling China's leader to leave Taiwan, not to mention other American allies and friends in the region, alone.
So far, Beijing has heeded Trump's implicit B-2 threat. China's rhetorical reaction to America's June 21 destruction of three Iranian nuclear sites — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan — was swift and harsh, but so far Beijing has done nothing to back up its words.
"China strongly condemns the U.S. attacks on Iran and bombing of nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the IAEA," the Chinese foreign ministry stated, referring to the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "The actions of the U.S. seriously violate the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and international law, and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East."
The destruction of Iran's main nuclear sites reveals that China, despite its image, is weak. Beijing did not, for instance, protect its client state from attack. It does not have many military assets in the region — primarily a few intelligence-gathering ships — and it did not have the political will to base troops in Iran as a tripwire. China does have crucial interests in the region, however. For instance, it buys more than 90% of Iran's exports of crude oil, almost all purchased at a discount to the market price. More important, about half of the country's oil transits the Strait of Hormuz, which flows between Iran's southern coast and the Arabian Peninsula.Nonetheless, Beijing quickly abandoned Iran when the United States got serious about ending the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
For decades, Chinese policymakers had maintained a "balancing act," as Afshin Molavi, senior fellow of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, characterized it in comments to me last year. Beijing, nurturing relationships with all sides, stayed clear of the region's multiple conflicts.
About two years ago, however, Xi changed course and adopted a far more assertive approach. The result was two landmark deals it brokered, one in March 2023 between Riyadh and Tehran and the other in July 2024 among 14 Palestinian factions, the Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity.
That declaration — and China's broader plan for the Middle East — are now in ruins. A week after Beijing's triumph with the Palestinians, a bomb planted in a Hamas guest house in Tehran killed Ismail Haniyeh, the group's political leader. "Haniyeh was being groomed to be the man who would take over the Palestinian Authority in the coming years," wrote the Jerusalem Post's Seth Frantzman. "October 7 was designed to catapult Hamas from its isolation in Gaza to controlling Ramallah and the West Bank, uniting the Palestinian fronts." China, according to Frantzman, was one of the countries that had concocted that plan. In short, Xi fully backed Iran and its three main proxy terrorist groups — Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Yemen's Houthis — against Israel, with Beijing providing economic, diplomatic, propaganda, intelligence and weapons support.
For a time, Beijing looked as if it was driving events with its sly proxy war conducted by Iran. Now, China's Iranian proxy, and its proxies in turn, are being decimated, and Beijing cannot respond other than by cutting and running. The mighty People's Republic of China is bugging out of the Middle East.
But China is not entirely out of the fight. In addition to the renewed air campaign against Taiwan, Beijing has upped the pressure against the Philippines in the South China Sea. On June 19, the same day China started its most recent air campaign against Taiwan, the Philippine Coast Guard announced that more than 50 of China's maritime militia vessels moved close to Iroquois Reef in the South China Sea, a feature within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. A Philippine Coast Guard spokesman correctly called the Chinese action an "illegal swarming."
China claims most of that crucial body of water, including features such as Iroquois, which are far from recognized Chinese shores.
Perhaps Beijing, by upping the pressure on its neighbors, seeks to make gains while the world is focused on Iran, but whatever its motivations, East Asia can expect Xi to create even more friction on China's periphery soon.
Yet Xi should remember that Trump is not afraid of using American power to keep bad actors, including China's friends, in line.
This we learned on June 21: The United States is truly a great power — and China is not.
**Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
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Succession plans for Iran's Khamenei hit top gear
Parisa Hafezi/Reuters/June 23, 2025
DUBAI (Reuters) -The clock's ticking for senior clerics seeking a successor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A three-man committee from a top clerical body, appointed by Khamenei himself two years ago to identify his replacement, has accelerated its planning in recent days since Israel attacked Iran and threatened to assassinate the veteran leader, five insiders with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. Khamenei, 86, is being regularly briefed on the talks, according to the Iranian sources who requested anonymity to discuss highly sensitive matters. He has gone into hiding with his family and is being guarded by the Vali-ye Amr special forces unit of the Revolutionary Guards, a top security official said. The ruling establishment will immediately seek to name a successor to Khamenei if he is killed, to signal stability and continuity, according to the sources who acknowledged that predicting Iran's subsequent political trajectory was difficult. A new leader will still be chosen for his devotion to the revolutionary precepts of the Islamic Republic's late founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, according to one insider, who is close to Khamenei's office and privy to succession discussions.
At the same time, the top echelon of power is also considering which candidate might present a more moderate face to ward off foreign attacks and internal revolts, the person said. Two frontrunners have emerged in the succession discussions, the five insiders said: Khamenei's 56-year-old son Mojtaba, long seen as a continuity choice, and a new contender, Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the father of the Islamic revolution. Khomeini, a close ally of the reformist faction that favours the easing of social and political restrictions, nonetheless commands respect among senior clerics and the Revolutionary Guards because of his lineage, the sources added. "I once again humbly express that this small and insignificant servant of the Iranian people stands ready to proudly be present on any front or scene you deem necessary," the 53-year-old said in a public message of support to the supreme leader on Saturday, hours before the U.S. bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. Khomeini has come into the frame as a serious candidate this month amid the conflict with Israel and America because he could represent a more conciliatory choice internationally and domestically than Mojtaba Khamenei, the five people said. By contrast, Khamenei hews closely to his father's hardline policies, according to the insiders who cautioned that nothing had been determined, candidates could change and the supreme leader would have the final say. However, with the military conflict continuing, it remains unclear whether any new leader could be chosen easily or installed securely or if he could assume the level of authority enjoyed by Khamenei, they added. Israeli strikes have also killed several of Iran's top Revolutionary Guards commanders, potentially complicating a handover of power as the elite military force has long played a central role in enforcing the supreme leader's rule. Khamenei's office and the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body from which the succession committee was drawn, were not available to comment.
TRUMP: KHAMENEI IS EASY TARGET
Planning for an eventual handover was already in the works because of Khamenei's age and the longstanding health concerns of a leader who has dominated all aspects of Iranian politics for decades, the sources said. The urgency of the task was underlined in September when Israel killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a close ally of Khamenei's, and the planning accelerated significantly this month following the Israeli attacks on nuclear sites, which were followed by the American attacks at the weekend. "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding," U.S. President Trump warned on social media last week, calling for Tehran's unconditional surrender. "He is an easy target."Khamenei hasn't publicly expressed any preference for his successor. The sources said he had repeatedly opposed the idea of his son taking over, in succession discussions in the past, concerned about any suggestion of Iran returning to the kind of hereditary rule that ended with the ousting of the shah in 1979. The role of Supreme Leader was created after the revolution and then enshrined in the constitution giving a top cleric ultimate authority in guiding the elected president and parliament. Officially, the leader is named by the Assembly of Experts, made up of 88 senior clerics who are chosen through a national election in which a hardline watchdog body aligned with Khamenei must approve all the candidates. "Whether the Islamic Republic survives or not, it will be a very different one, because the context in which it has existed has fundamentally changed," said London-based Iranian political analyst Hossein Rassam, adding that Hassan Khomeini could fit the bill for a leader to take Iran in a new direction."The regime has to opt for someone who'll facilitate slow transition."Hassan Khomeini's close links to the reformist faction of Iranian politics, which pursued an ultimately unsuccessful policy of opening Iran to the outside world in the 1990s, saw hardline officials bar him from running as a member of senior clerical body the Assembly of Experts in 2016. The succession planners are aware that Khomeini is likely to be more palatable to the Iranian population than a hardliner, the five insiders said. Last year he warned of a "crisis of rising popular dissatisfaction" among Iranians due to poverty and deprivation. By contrast, Mojtaba Khamenei's views echo those of his father on every major topic from cracking down on opponents to taking a hardline with foreign foes, the sources said - qualities they saw as hazardous with Iran under attack. A mid-ranking cleric who teaches theology at a religious seminary in the city Qom, the centre of Iranian religious life, Mojtaba has never held a formal position the Islamic Republic, though exercises influence behind the scenes as the gatekeeper to his father, according to Iran watchers. The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mojtaba in 2019, saying he represented the Supreme Leader in "an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed to a government position" aside from working his father's office.
OTHER CANDIDATES FALL AWAY
Several of the candidates long seen as possible successors to Khamenei have already died.
Former presidents Hashemi Rafsanjani passed away in 2017, former judiciary chief Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi died of natural causes in 2018 and former President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in 2024. Another senior cleric Sadegh Amoli Larijani, has been sidelined.Others, such as the Assembly of Experts member Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, are still in contention but have fallen behind Mojtaba Khamenei and Hassan Khomeini, the five sources said. Beyond the most likely candidates, it's also possible that a less prominent cleric could be chosen as a pawn of Revolutionary Guards, said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group think-tank."It is possible that they would put forward a candidate that no one has ever heard of and would not really hold the same levers of power that Ayatollah Khamenei has held now for more than 30 years," he said. The supreme leader's voice is powerful. After the death of the Islamic Republic's founder Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, Khamenei was publicly hailed as his predecessor's choice. Although he had already served as president, Khamenei was only a mid-ranking cleric and was initially dismissed by influential clerics as weak and an unlikely successor to his charismatic predecessor. However, he steadily tightened his grip to become Iran's unquestioned decision-maker, relying on the Revolutionary Guards as he outmanoeuvred rivals and crushed bouts of popular unrest.
Writing by Parisa Hafezi; editing by Angus McDowall and Pravin Char)

What the intensifying Israel-Iran conflict says about the future of diplomacy
ANAN TELLO AND SHEROUK ZAKARIA/Arab News/June 23, 2025
LONON/DUBAI: The Iranian missile attack which was intercepted by Qatar on Monday night when it launched missiles against US troops stationed at Al-Udeid Air Base comes as a major setback for peace in the region. As Iranian missiles lit up the sky over Doha in a retaliatory strike targeting the US military, a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Iran conflict, which has now drawn in the US, seemed further away than ever, with Tehran appearing to wash its hands of further nuclear talks. Although no casualties were reported at Al-Udeid Air Base — the largest US base in the region — Iran’s counterattack is likely to invite additional American strikes and further regional escalation. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have both condemned the attack on Qatari sovereignty. The Saudi foreign ministry lambasted Iran for its “unjustifiable” attack, offering to deploy “all its capabilities” to support Doha.
Since the Israeli-Iran conflict dramatically escalated over the weekend, the mixed global response to Israeli and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities is testing the limits of modern diplomacy and exposing deep divisions among major powers. What most seem to agree on is that while diplomacy is on the decline, it could have been the solution. Experts say the fractured international reaction to the escalation reflects a shifting global order and the erosion of the post-Cold War consensus. “There is no ‘global response’ to speak of at this moment,” Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Arab News. “This Israel-Iran war is taking place in a fractured geopolitical context.”He argues that divisions among the US, China and Russia “make it next to impossible to marshal a collective diplomatic effort in the way that the world did in previous eras, like the immediate post-Cold War period of the 1990s.
“That’s why we will continue to see a lot of empty words disconnected from the actions that are actually reshaping the Middle East as we know it.”On June 13, Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites including Natanz, Isfahan and Tehran, reportedly killing senior officials, nuclear scientists and civilians. In response, Iran launched “Operation True Promise III,” firing missiles and drones into Israel. Several struck Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities, causing civilian casualties.
Despite initially assuring G7 allies that the US would stay out of the conflict, President Donald Trump reversed course on June 22, ordering B-2 bombers to strike Iran’s underground nuclear facilities with MOP “bunker-buster” bombs — weapons only the US possesses. Although Trump declared that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, it remains unclear whether Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was destroyed or relocated in time. If material and technical capacity remain, diplomacy may be the only path to prevent Iran from eventually building a nuclear weapon — a goal the regime could now prioritize more urgently. Even with severe military losses and the effective loss of airspace control, Iran appears undeterred. Hostilities with Israel continue, and the possibility of Iranian retaliation against US targets is growing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the war will not end until Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is removed from power. The US entry into the conflict has triggered a range of diplomatic responses — from enthusiastic support to fierce condemnation. Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision as a “courageous choice” that would “alter history.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, called it an “outrageous, grave and unprecedented violation” of international law, insisting Tehran reserves “all options” to defend its interests. Iran’s ambassador to the UN demanded an emergency Security Council session and called the strikes “premeditated acts of aggression.”Russia, a close ally of Iran, “strongly condemned” the US action. Its Foreign Ministry labeled the strikes a “gross violation of international law,” while Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, dismissed their impact and provocatively suggested some states might now help Iran obtain nuclear weapons. China echoed the condemnation. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the strikes “seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter,” and warned of regional destabilization.
FASTFACTS
China and Russia have condemned US strikes on Iran while the UN and Europe have appealed for deescalation.Analysts say without regional diplomacy led by powers like Saudi Arabia, the Israel-Iran conflict risks spiraling into wider war. Chinese Ambassador to the UN Fu Cong called on Israel to halt hostilities immediately and backed a UN resolution demanding an unconditional ceasefire. Chinese analysts have also warned that the conflict threatens global trade routes such as the Strait of Hormuz.
Other voices have called for diplomacy. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a “hazardous escalation,” stressing that “military solutions are not viable” and urging a return to negotiations. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer — positioning himself as a bridge between the US and Europe — highlighted the danger of the war spreading beyond the region. While stopping short of endorsing the US strikes, he reiterated that Iran must not develop nuclear weapons and called for negotiations to stabilize the region. European powers had previously been pressing for a deal requiring Iran to halt uranium enrichment, curb its missile program and stop supporting proxy groups. But Iran has rejected a full halt, claiming its enrichment is for peaceful purposes.
With Western diplomacy faltering, regional actors are stepping in. Most Arab states — including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and the Gulf states — have condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran and are working to deescalate tensions. Still, these efforts have so far achieved little. Strikes continue, ceasefire mechanisms remain absent and attempts to coordinate sanctions or arms embargoes have stalled. A narrow diplomatic window may remain. Recent Geneva meetings involving Iranian, US, and European officials showed conditional openness to talks. But the latest US strikes have likely hardened positions.
Analysts say the only viable path forward begins with renewed diplomacy, ideally starting with a ceasefire. Yet fundamental disagreements over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and widespread distrust leave a comprehensive solution elusive. Some fear that Israel, emboldened by US support, may escalate its military campaign to seek regime change in Tehran — a move that would risk greater instability across the Middle East, as the world has seen in the recent attack over Qatar. Others argue that Iran’s military retaliation is a necessary step before negotiations can resume. However, nobody seems to safely conclude just how far this retaliation will go. Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group, told CNN that without such a response, Iran would lack both international leverage and domestic legitimacy to reenter talks. Still, he later added: “Diplomacy is dead for the foreseeable future.”With Iran and Israel entrenched and global powers divided, prospects for a diplomatic breakthrough appear slim. Yet Katulis believes regional “swing states” — such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE — could help shift the dynamic.“One of the biggest brakes on further escalation lies right in the heart of the Middle East itself,” he said. “The key ‘swing states’ like Saudi Arabia and the UAE could lead more regional collective efforts to avoid further escalation by working publicly and quietly with the main combatants to find pathways toward a diplomatic settlement.”
In geopolitical terms, these “swing states” balance relationships with Washington, Moscow and Beijing — and can influence outcomes through neutrality or engagement. Katulis believes Riyadh, in particular, could help change the calculus.
Right now, he said, Israel and Iran “have more incentives to engage in military action than they do to pursue diplomacy.” But “the key powers in the region like Saudi Arabia could do even more than they are already doing to change the calculus for Israel and Iran.”
Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s actions as violations of international law and warned that continued escalation threatens long-term regional stability. The Kingdom has urged the UN Security Council to take meaningful steps to prevent further deterioration and has refused to allow its airspace to be used in military operations — a clear signal of its neutrality and strategic caution. Looking ahead, the stakes remain dangerously high. Maksad has warned that unchecked escalation could have serious consequences. “The last step in that escalatory ladder is to go after American bases, whether it is in the GCC, or perhaps even attempt to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, where some 20 percent of global energy passes through,” he told CNN. As the war drags on, the fragmented international response highlights the fragility of global diplomacy and the difficulty of conflict resolution in an increasingly multipolar world.
For Tehran, halting enrichment altogether would not only undermine decades of strategic investment but also damage regime legitimacy. As Maksad put it, Tehran’s “entire prestige rests on enrichment.”Still, he sees a potential way forward: Focusing not on enrichment itself, but on preventing a weapon. “That,” he said, “opens up the possibility of a negotiated outcome.”

Iran Stands Alone Against Trump and Israel, Stripped of Allies
Bloomberg News/June 23/2025
Iran’s leaders are discovering they’re on their own against the US and Israel, without the network of proxies and allies that allowed them to project power in the Middle East and beyond. As the Islamic Republic confronts its most perilous moment in decades following the bombing of its nuclear facilities ordered by US President Donald Trump, Russia and China are sitting on the sidelines and offering only rhetorical support. Militia groups Iran has armed and funded for years are refusing or unable to enter the fight in support of their patron.
After decades of being stuck in a game of fragile detente, the entire geopolitical order of the Middle East is being redone. The Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel was only the beginning. It led to multiple conflicts and tested decades-long alliances. It offered Trump, on his return to power this year, a chance to do what no president before him had dared by attacking Iran so aggressively and directly.Since Israel started strikes on Iran on June 13, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken of goals beyond neutering Tehran’s nuclear threat, even hinting at regime change. But the risk is that an isolated Iran could become more unpredictable with its once-steadfast allies keeping their distance. “As Iran faces its most critical military test in decades, further tangible assistance from either Moscow or Beijing remains unlikely,” said Bloomberg Economics analysts including Adam Farrar and Dina Esfandiary. “While both maintain bilateral strategic partnerships with Tehran, neither Russia nor China is a formal military ally, and neither is likely to provide significant military or economic aid due to their own limitations and broader strategic considerations.”
Iran isn’t getting any support, either, from the BRICS grouping of emerging markets that purports to want a new global order that’s not dominated by Western nations. The organization — set up by Brazil, Russia, India and China and which Iran joined in early 2024 — has been silent over Israel and the US’s attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Iran signed a strategic cooperation treaty with Russia in January and it was a vital source of combat drones early in President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. However, Russian officials have made clear the pact includes no mutual-defense obligations and that Moscow has no intention of supplying Iran with weapons, even as they say Tehran hasn’t asked for any. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Turkey on Sunday he plans to travel to Moscow to discuss the situation with Putin on Monday. He can expect warm words and little practical support. That’s a far cry from 2015, when Russia joined Iran in sending forces to Syria to save the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad, which was eventually toppled by rebels last year. Moscow risks losing another key ally in the Middle East if the government in Tehran led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei falls. Yet while the Kremlin has condemned the Israeli and US attacks, Putin is distracted and stretched — militarily and economically — by his war in Ukraine.
China, too, “strongly” condemned the US strikes as a breach of international law. But it hasn’t offered assistance to Iran, which sells some 90% of its oil exports to Beijing. Iran’s Gulf neighbors urged restraint and warned of potentially devastating implications for the region if Iran retaliates against US assets in the Middle East. Nations such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates spent months trying to use their geopolitical and economic heft to bolster nuclear talks between the Americans and Iran. In the end, the talks have been overtaken by military power. Iran’s proxy militant groups are mostly absent too. Hezbollah in Lebanon, hitherto the most potent member of Tehran’s “axis of resistance” was pummeled by Israeli forces last year, much as Hamas was. Israeli strikes on Assad’s military in Syria, meanwhile, played a part in his government’s collapse. Hezbollah still poses a threat and on Sunday the US ordered family members and non-emergency government personnel to leave Lebanon. Still, the group’s not threatened to back Iran by firing on Israel, as it did right after Hamas’ attack in 2023.The Houthis in Yemen are an exception and hours after the US strikes on Iran, they issued fresh threats against US commercial and naval ships. Yet they risk another American bombardment like that one Trump ordered before a truce with the group in May. The Europeans, meanwhile, are increasingly irrelevant, in terms of swaying Trump and Israel, and Tehran.
The UK, France and Germany have historically held an important role in the Middle East. They represented the dominant economies in Europe. The first two were colonial powers in the region and in the case of Germany, given its Nazi past, there was a strong pro-Israel voice. Both the UK and France have had to handle a vocal voter constituency that was pro Palestinian and complicated their messaging. That was not always an easy needle to thread. The current UK government is led by Labour, whose legacy was damaged by Tony Blair’s decision to join US President George W. Bush in his invasion of Iraq in 2003. So for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has finally wrested control of the country from Conservatives, there is no upside to supporting any US military involvement. Trump didn’t seem to need it, and the UK was happy to stay out of it even though it has enough of a presence that it could have been useful.
Europeans find themselves sidelined with little power to influence the outcome. At the Group of Seven summit, Trump put France’s President Emmanuel Macron in his place for suggesting the US was working toward a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.That did not stop Macron from working the phones, but the harsh reality that has filtered through is that Europe has its own existential crisis much closer to home. It needs Trump to at least make a cameo in The Hague for a NATO summit on Tuesday and Wednesday. The organization’s leaders want assurances the US post-World War II commitment to stop Russian expansionism still stands. Europe has provided back channels for Iran in the past. In a climate where Europe and the US aren’t working together on Iran, it’s possible some valuable diplomatic signaling may be lost.That’s one side effect of the US going it alone and of Europe being a bit player, as the crisis in the Middle East deepens.
--With assistance from Eric Martin.

US Bombing of Iran Is the Most Recent Stage in a Forever War
Alberto M. Fernandez/National Catholic Register.Hune 23/2025
https://www.ncregister.com/news/us-bombing-of-iran-is-the-most-recent-stage-in-a-forever-war
COMMENTARY: Iran, the United States and Israel have been repeatedly striking each other in a variety of ways since the Islamic Republic began in 1979.
The American attack on Iranian nuclear sites on June 21 has provoked heated controversy, both inside and out of the Catholic Church.
Only hours after the airstrikes, Pope Leo XIV called for diplomacy and a commitment to peace. While he spoke of “alarming news” that “continues to arrive from the Middle East, especially from Iran,” he also mentioned the “dramatic scenario” in Israel and Palestine.
Other Catholic voices have been more emphatic in their condemnation.
Before Saturday’s attack, Catholic philosopher Edward Feser called on the United States to “stay out of Israel’s war with Iran,” while prominent Catholic public intellectual Iranian-born Sohrab Ahmari warned against American involvement from the beginning, highlighting the recklessness of “regime change” rhetoric and how the already-dangerous conflict could spiral out of control.
Of course, one thing that can be said of this war is that this is not exactly new — it is incredibly complex and comes with considerable historical baggage. Iran, the United States and Israel have been repeatedly striking each other in a variety of ways, directly and indirectly, since the beginning of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. They have sometimes done diplomacy, sometimes seemed to calm down, only to later return to conflict. America secretly sold arms to Iran once, while Iran shelters the leadership of the al-Qaida Sunni Salafi jihadist terrorist group. Iran humiliated captured American sailors after signing a nuclear deal with Barack Obama in 2015.
Iran’s enmity toward both the United States and Israel is well-known and, as the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said, it is not just rhetoric but policy. “Death to America” is not supposed to be for mere internal consumption but to be expressed in deeds. Like them or not, the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites are the culmination of a decades-long, bipartisan U.S. policy — stated ad nauseum and always including the threat of force — that “Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb.”
Former Clinton and Biden staffer Jamie Metzl recently stated that “Iran has been at war with the United States for 46 years,” since the attack on the American Embassy in Tehran in November 1979. That international law recognizes diplomatic premises as sovereign territory and protected from invasion by the host country is a long-established fact.
Diplomatic and international law scholars differ as to how much of a violation an act like the 1979-1981 Iran Hostage Crisis was, but it was certainly illegal. Many violations of diplomatic premises or privileges have been minor, but this one was not — and it was not a onetime occurrence.
It is now well established that Iran was also behind the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Beirut and Kuwait in 1983. A separate attack by Iranian surrogates later that year killed 241 American and 58 French peacekeepers in Beirut.
While Iran’s behind-the-scenes role was obvious from the beginning, in 2023 a senior Iranian official admitted Iran’s direct involvement in the attacks at the highest level of the regime. Iranian-controlled militias in Iraq were responsible for the deaths and wounding of hundreds of American soldiers during the U.S. presence in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. Iran has struck Israeli diplomatic missions and Israeli civilians and Jews worldwide for decades. Israel has responded and has recently been successful in striking key regime targets inside Iran, even before the direct conflict that erupted on June 13.
The recent actions from the Trump administration are not even the first time that the United States and Iran have fought directly. Thirty-seven years ago, during Operation Praying Mantis, the Reagan administration damaged or destroyed a significant part of the Iranian navy.
Iran has also been projecting power and waging war not just against Israel but against its Arab neighbors. It was not an Israeli or an American neo-conservative but rather the current mayor of Tehran, Alireza Zakani, close to the supreme leader, who claimed a decade ago that Iran controlled four Arab capitals — Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad and Sanaa, Yemen. Iranian proxies have also fired missiles and drones at targets in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Numerous Arab voices on social media, especially Syrians, have been exultant over Israeli strikes on senior Iranian regime figures. One major Syrian Muslim commentator, Omar Madaniah, posted photos of deceased Iranian commanders with the caption, “whoever does not rejoice in their demise should review their Islam.”
All of this is to say that this conflict is not just about Israel or about us and that reckless American behavior in quagmires in Afghanistan and Iraq, American hubris and American miscalculations — along with well-founded weariness by the American people over new foreign entanglements — are only part of the story. One reason American administrations have been so adamant about preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is not just concern for Israel, but the likelihood that it would trigger a regional nuclear arms race, with at least Turkey and Saudi Arabia seeking to develop their own. Those fears of things spinning out of control are not limited to America or Iran.
One can make the case that both Israel and Iran have miscalculated in the current conflict with each other, which was triggered by the October 2023 Hamas invasion of Israel. This is the first real war Iran has faced against a powerful regional adversary since 1988 (a war Iran lost). Israel faces the prospect of an open-ended war against a well-organized nation-state, maybe for the first time, but at least since Egypt in 1973. Israel clearly has the upper hand, but what is most important is how wars end.
Our Holy Father’s call for peace is always the right one, and Feser’s and Ahmari’s warnings are legitimate, particularly about avoiding protracted conflicts. But a lot of blood was spilled long ago, in multiple directions, in the pursuit of national ambitions before Trump’s recent actions.
Editor’s Note: On Monday evening, President Trump announced a ceasefire timeline between Iran and Israel in a Truth Social post.
*Alberto M. Fernandez Alberto M. Fernandez is a former U.S. diplomat and a contributor at EWTN News.