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    Trump Reverses Iran Strike Orders Hours After Threatening ‘Total Decimation’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Donald Trump on Monday announced a temporary pause in planned military strikes against Iran, just hours after escalating rhetoric in which he warned the country would face “total decimation.”

    The shift came after what Trump described as “very good and productive conversations” between U.S. and Iranian officials over the past two days, raising the possibility of a broader de-escalation in the ongoing conflict.

    In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had ordered a five-day halt to attacks targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure while negotiations continue.

    “I AM PLEASE TO REPORT THAT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE COUNTRY OF IRAN, HAVE HAD, OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” Trump wrote. “BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WITCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.”

    The announcement marked a notable reversal from Trump’s earlier statements. On Sunday, during a phone interview with Channel 13 reporter Neria Kraus of Israel, the president warned that Iran would soon face overwhelming military action if it failed to comply with U.S. demands.

    “You’re gonna find out soon. It’s gonna be very good. Total decimation of Iran,” Trump said. “It’s gonna work out very good.”

    Trump also criticized Iran’s leadership, saying the country had been “very bad for 47 years” in reference to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, adding, “Now they’re getting their comeuppance.”

    A day earlier, Trump had issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Iran to “FULLY OPEN” the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route. He warned that failure to do so would trigger immediate U.S. strikes on Iranian infrastructure.

    “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” he wrote.

    The ultimatum followed weeks of escalating conflict between the United States and Iran, including joint U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and intensified regional tensions.

    Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has declined sharply since the conflict began on February 28. According to the BBC, maritime traffic dropped as much as 95% in March, with daily vessel counts falling from a typical 138 ships to around 100. The disruption has contributed to a surge in global oil prices, which rose to $98.09 per barrel on Friday—an increase of 47% since before the war began.

    Despite earlier predictions that the conflict was progressing quickly and nearing resolution, Trump’s latest comments suggest a potential shift toward diplomacy, at least in the short term, as negotiations continue.

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    Report: Mysterious Drones Spotted Over Military Base Housing Trump Cabinet Officials

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

    U.S. officials have detected unidentified drones flying over a Washington military installation that houses Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to three people briefed on the situation. Authorities have not yet determined the origin of the drones.

    The sightings come amid heightened security concerns tied to escalating tensions in the Middle East. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told The Washington Post the military has intensified monitoring for potential threats as the United States and Israel conduct strikes against Iran. Multiple drones were observed over Fort Lesley J. McNair on a single night within the past 10 days, prompting additional security measures and a White House meeting to assess possible responses.

    The incidents in Washington coincide with broader security actions both domestically and abroad. The U.S. government has issued a global alert to its diplomatic posts and increased security levels at several military bases. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida have both raised their force protection level to Charlie, indicating that intelligence suggests a possible threat. The only higher level, Delta, is reserved for when an attack is imminent or has already occurred.

    Officials also considered relocating Rubio and Hegseth following the drone activity, according to two of the people briefed. However, the senior administration official said both secretaries remain at their residences on the base, which were publicly identified by multiple news outlets in October.

    Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to provide details about the situation. “The department cannot comment on the secretary’s movements for security reasons, and reporting on such movements is grossly irresponsible,” he said.

    Separately, MacDill Air Force Base—home to U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East—experienced multiple security incidents this week. The FBI is investigating a suspicious package that temporarily closed the base’s visitors center on Monday. On Wednesday, an unspecified incident prompted a shelter-in-place order that lasted several hours.

    “To ensure the safety and security of our people and the mission, commanders adjust their installation’s security posture in accordance with local threat assessments,” an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement.

    The State Department has also directed all U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide to immediately review their security protocols. The order, outlined in a cable reviewed by The Washington Post, cited “the ongoing and developing situation in the Middle East and the potential for spillover effects.”

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    GOP Lawmaker Warns Trump Against One Move That Would ‘Destroy’ Republican Party

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    5

    Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) issued a stark warning Tuesday to President Trump, cautioning that a unilateral move to withdraw the United States from NATO could fracture the Republican Party and trigger long-lasting internal divisions.

    “If he broke up NATO on his own, it would be a civil war in the Republican caucus, or the conference,” Bacon warned CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “Most of us would find that totally unacceptable, and I’m not alone. There’s a large group of us that believe in our alliances and standing up for freedom and pushing back on China and Russia.

    “We don’t want war with these guys, but you’ve got to be strong, and if he went in and somehow destroyed or tore up NATO, it would probably destroy the party for many years,” he added. “There would be many that will never forgive that.”

    Bacon, a retired Air Force general who has often positioned himself as a more traditional, internationalist Republican, has at times broken with Trump on foreign policy and national security issues. While not a consistent antagonist of the former president, he has repeatedly defended U.S. alliances and a robust global posture—placing him at odds with Trump.

    A moment later, Bacon reiterated that he believes the GOP “would implode” if the U.S. were to depart NATO.

    His comments came after Trump sharply criticized the alliance earlier Tuesday in a Truth Social post, arguing that U.S. military strength makes reliance on allies unnecessary. The president lashed out at countries reluctant to support U.S. operations tied to escalating tensions with Iran.

    “Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID!” Trump wrote. “Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!”

    Trump has also been pushing for an international coalition to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route that has been closed since late February amid the conflict with Iran. The disruption has driven sharp increases in oil, gas, and fertilizer prices worldwide.

    On Wednesday, President Trump escalated his rhetoric and floated the idea of shifting responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz to other countries that rely on the strategic shipping route after the U.S. has “finished off” Iran, in a jab at America’s “non-responsive allies.”

    “I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so-called ‘Strait?’ That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!!,” Trump wrote.

    Moments later he added: “Remember, for all of those absolute “fools” out there, Iran is considered, by everyone, to be the NUMBER ONE STATE SPONSOR OF TERROR. We are rapidly putting them out of business!”

    Despite his criticism of NATO, Trump warned Sunday that the alliance faces a “very bad” future if member nations do not contribute more to joint security efforts. He has long argued that NATO countries fail to meet defense spending commitments and has repeatedly threatened to withdraw the U.S. from the alliance.

    Bacon’s warning underscores the divide between Republicans on the issue. As a lawmaker preparing to leave Congress, bacon has opted to speak more candidly about the potential political consequences of Trump’s foreign policy approach. His comments reflect broader concerns among establishment-minded Republicans who view NATO as central to U.S. global leadership and national security.

    Formed in 1949 to counter Soviet expansion, NATO remains a cornerstone of Western military cooperation. While some Republicans aligned with Trump have dismissed it as outdated, others—like Bacon—argue that abandoning the alliance would not only weaken U.S. influence abroad but is also likely to ignite a damaging rift at home.

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    Trump Official Resigns In Protest Over War With Iran

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

    On Tuesday morning, a Trump administration official announced his immediate resignation due to the ongoing conflict with Iran.

    Joe Kent, the Trump-appointed director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned in protest from his position on Tuesday.

    “After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today,” wrote Kent in a letter to Trump, which he also made public on social media:

    I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.

    I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term. Until June of 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.

    In your first administration, you understood better than any modern President how to decisively apply military power without getting us drawn into never-ending wars. You demonstrated this by killing Qasam Solamani and by defeating ISIS.

    Early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran. This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again.

    As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives.

    I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards.

    It was an honor to serve in your administration and to serve our great nation.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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    Trump Threatens New Attacks on Iran as U.S. Ramps Up Largest Strike Campaign Yet

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    President Donald Trump warned Friday that the United States could intensify its military campaign against Iran, boasting of America’s military strength and threatening further attacks that could devastate Tehran’s remaining capabilities.

    In an early morning post on Truth Social, Trump said the U.S. military has overwhelming power and signaled that additional strikes were imminent.

    “We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time – Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,” the president wrote.

    “They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them,” he continued. “What a great honor it is to do so!”

    According to U.S. Central Command (Centcom), American forces have struck approximately 6,000 Iranian targets since the conflict began at the end of February. U.S. operations have also hit or sunk more than 90 Iranian vessels during the campaign.

    Trump’s remarks come as tensions escalate following threats from Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed power after his father was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike.

    In his first public statement since taking power, Khamenei vowed retaliation against American forces in the region. His message came amid reports that he had been severely injured during the strike that killed his father, with speculation circulating that he had been in a coma and had part of his leg amputated. Khamenei also reportedly lost his wife in the same attack.

    In a statement read by Iranian state media, Khamenei warned that Iran would escalate the conflict if necessary.

    “The Strait of Hormuz must remain closed. American bases in the Middle East must be closed,” he said. “Iran’s other military and regional capabilities will be activated if necessary.”

    Trump responded to the threat during an interview with Fox News commentator Brian Kilmeade, saying Iran’s leadership has done “a lot of talking” but may soon be forced to act.

    “We’ll have to see because we are decimating them,” the president said. “We’ve knocked out most of their missiles. We’ve knocked out many of their drones. We knocked out a lot of the manufacturing areas where they manufacture the missiles and now the drones. We’re hitting them harder than anybody’s been hit since World War II.”

    The president also said he believes Iran’s new supreme leader is still alive despite reports of severe injuries.

    “I think he probably is. I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, yeah,” Trump told Kilmeade in an interview set to air Friday morning.

    Senior U.S. officials echoed Trump’s assessment that Iran’s leadership has been severely weakened.

    Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Friday that Khamenei “lacks legitimacy” and suggested the new leader is in hiding following the strikes that killed his father.

    “Iran’s leadership is in no better shape. Desperate and hiding, they’ve gone underground, cowering. That’s what rats do. We know the new so-called not so supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured,” Hegseth said at the Pentagon.

    “He put out a statement yesterday. A weak one, actually, but there was no voice. And there was no video. It was a written statement,” Hegseth continued.

    “He called for unity, apparently killing tens of thousands of protesters is his kind of unity. Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father dead. He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run and he lacks legitimacy.”

    Hegseth also indicated that the United States was preparing to significantly expand its military operations Friday.

    “Today will be yet again the highest volume of strikes that America has put over the skies of Iran and Tehran,” he said.

    “The number of sorties, the number of bomber pulses, the highest yet, ramping up and only up.”

    U.S. officials say the sustained campaign has dramatically degraded Iran’s military capabilities.

    “Iran has no air defenses. Iran has no air force. Iran has no navy,” Hegseth said earlier. “Their missiles, their missile launchers and drones being destroyed or shot out of the sky. Their missile volume is down 90%. Their one way attack drones yesterday, down 95%.”

    “And as the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz. It’s something we’re dealing with. We have been dealing with it and don’t need to worry about it. We’re on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before,” he added.

    The strategic waterway has become a focal point of the conflict. About one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

    U.S. Central Command said American forces destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the strait earlier this week as Iran attempted to disrupt shipping through the crucial route.

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    Senior Iranian Official Issues Deadly Threat To Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A senior Iranian official issued a pointed warning to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, escalating tensions after Iran selected a new supreme leader without consulting the United States and as conflict in the region continues to intensify.

    Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, responded directly to Trump’s recent warnings about Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz.

    “The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats,” Larijani wrote on the social media platform X in a post translated by The Associated Press. “Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”

    Larijani’s remarks came after Trump issued a stark warning Monday on Truth Social, threatening severe retaliation if Iran interferes with oil shipments passing through the strategic waterway.

    “If Iran does anything that tops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” Trump wrote.

    “Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!” he continued. “This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait. Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated.”

    The exchange comes as Iran moves forward with a major leadership transition following the death of longtime supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran’s governing clerical establishment selected his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader — a move that has drawn scrutiny abroad and further strained relations with Washington.

    Trump said he is skeptical that Iran’s new leader will bring stability to the region.

    “I don’t believe he can live in peace,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst.

    Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the new supreme leader of Iran, “would be wise to heed the words of our president, which is to not pursue nuclear weapons and come out and state as such.”

    The leadership change comes amid a rapidly expanding regional conflict. Iranian forces launched a new wave of attacks Tuesday targeting Israel and several U.S.-aligned Gulf nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain, according to The Associated Press.

    In Bahrain, an Iranian strike on a residential building killed a 29-year-old woman and injured eight others.

    The escalating confrontation follows the U.S.-Israeli joint military campaign against Iranian targets, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, which began Feb. 28 and aimed to dismantle Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons capabilities.

    The conflict has also disrupted global energy markets.

    Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it would block oil exports from the region in response to the attacks.

    The Guard said it would not “allow the export of even a single liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice.”

    The threat has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply typically passes through the strait each day, making it one of the most critical energy chokepoints in the world.

    Shipping traffic has slowed dramatically.

    According to monitoring data from hormuzstraitmonitor.com, only two ships passed through the strait in the last 24 hours — far below the typical average of about 60 daily vessels. As of Tuesday, 157 ships remain stranded near the passage, including 98 oil tankers and 34 bulk carriers.

    The disruption has already driven up energy prices.

    West Texas Intermediate crude oil, the benchmark for North American markets, rose to just over $90 per barrel Tuesday morning. The national average price for gasoline in the United States climbed to $3.54 per gallon, according to AAA.

    Trump has defended the military campaign despite the economic fallout, arguing that higher fuel prices are a necessary cost to eliminate Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

    The spike in oil prices is a “very small price to pay,” he said.

    Still, some lawmakers worry the administration may not have fully anticipated the economic consequences.

    Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) criticized the White House for appearing unprepared for the energy market shock.

    “For heaven’s sakes, are you telling me you didn’t game this one out?” she told Punchbowl News last week. “I’m starting to think they didn’t game this one out.”

    With tensions rising and oil markets rattled, the confrontation between Washington and Tehran appears poised to intensify as Iran’s new leadership consolidates power and the U.S. continues its military pressure campaign.

    On Tuesday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters at the Pentagon that Iran is “fighting, and I respect that.”

    “But I don’t think they’re more formidable than what we thought,” he added about Tehran’s defensive capabilities.

    “Our strikes mean we’ve made significant progress in reducing the number of missile and drone attacks out of Iran,” Caine also said. “Ballistic missile attacks continue to trend downward, 90% from where they’ve started, and one-way attack drones have decreased 83%, since the beginning of the operation.”

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    Trump Addresses Possibility Of Ordering Boots On The Ground In Iran

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010

    President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States is “nowhere near” sending ground troops into Iran to secure enriched uranium reportedly stored at the country’s Isfahan nuclear complex.

    In a phone interview with the New York Post, Trump said no decision has been made about deploying American forces on the ground.

    “We haven’t made any decision on that. We’re nowhere near it,” Trump told the outlet.

    Trump’s comments come after reporters aboard Air Force One asked him Saturday about the possibility of deploying ground troops as part of a potential operation involving Iran.

    At the time, Trump indicated such a move would require strong justification.

    “There would have to be a very good reason,” he said.

    “And I would say if we ever did that, [Iran] would be so decimated they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level,” Trump added on Saturday.

    The president also addressed Iran’s leadership transition following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly succeeded him as Iran’s new supreme leader.

    Trump said he was displeased with the development, telling the New York Post he is “not happy” that the younger Khamenei has taken power.

    Asked what actions he might take in response to Iran’s new leadership, Trump declined to elaborate.

    “Not going to tell you. Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him,” Trump said.

    In a separate interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump suggested Iran’s new leader would struggle to remain in power without U.S. backing.

    “Whoever becomes Iran’s new leader is not going to last long without approval from us,” Trump said.

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    Iran Rebukes Trump Demand While Announcing New Supreme Leader

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0
    By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

    Iran has selected a new supreme leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following his death in a U.S.-Israeli strike, while rejecting demands from President Donald Trump to have any role in the leadership selection.

    Iran’s Assembly of Experts — the powerful body of senior clerics responsible for choosing the country’s supreme leader — announced Sunday that Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s 56-year-old son, will succeed his father.

    CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, reporting from Tel Aviv, said the decision came just over a week after the killing of Ali Khamenei during the opening phase of the conflict with Israel.

    “This is just in from Iran’s Assembly of Experts,” Diamond said. “This is the body of senior Iranian clerics responsible for electing the next supreme leader, and they have now chosen, just over a week after the assassination of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei as his successor.”

    Diamond noted that Mojtaba Khamenei is widely seen as a hardline figure with close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

    “He is known for having close ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and his selection will largely be viewed as a continuation of his father’s rule,” Diamond said. “This is quite a hard-line stance for the Assembly of Experts to be choosing as the next supreme leader of Iran.”

    According to the report, Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the same strike that killed his father. The attack also killed his wife.

    His appointment comes amid escalating tensions with the United States and Israel, both of which have sharply criticized Iran’s leadership.

    President Trump had previously dismissed the possibility of Mojtaba Khamenei becoming supreme leader, calling him a “lightweight” in an interview with Axios and saying such a choice would be unacceptable.

    Iranian officials, however, have firmly rejected any suggestion that Washington could influence the selection.

    Speaking Sunday on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the choice of supreme leader is strictly an internal matter for Iran.

    When asked whether Iran would allow Trump any role in choosing the country’s next leader, Araghchi responded bluntly.

    “We allow nobody to interfere in our domestic affairs,” he said. “This is up to the Iranian people to elect their new leader. They have already elected the Assembly of Experts, and the Assembly of Experts will do the job. It is only the business of the Iranian people and nobody else’s business.”

    Araghchi also pushed back on Trump’s earlier demand for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”

    “This is what he asked the previous time in June, when Israel started to attack us,” Araghchi said. “President Trump used the same phrase, ‘unconditional surrender.’ That was the tweet he made. And that didn’t happen.”

    “We resisted, and after 12 days Israelis asked for an unconditional ceasefire,” he continued. “So we never give up, we never surrender, and we will continue to resist as long as it takes. We are defending our territory, our people, and our dignity. And our dignity is not for sale.”

    Even as Iran moves forward with its new leadership, Israeli officials have issued stark warnings that the country’s next leader will also become a target.

    Days before the leadership announcement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that anyone appointed to lead Iran’s ruling regime could face assassination if they continue policies hostile to Israel and its allies.

    “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” Katz wrote in a post on X.

    “It does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides,” he added.

    Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for such action as part of Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Iran, known as Operation Lion’s Roar.

    “The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation Lion’s Roar,” Katz said.

    He added that Israel will continue coordinating with the United States to weaken the Iranian regime and create conditions that could lead to political change inside the country.

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    Hegseth Confirms Leader Behind Trump Assassination Effort Has Been ‘Hunted Down and Killed’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0
    By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the Iranian leader behind multiple assassination attempts against President Donald Trump was killed during U.S. strikes on Iran over the weekend as part of Operation Epic Fury.

    “The leader of the unit that attempted to assassinate Trump has been hunted down and killed,” Hegseth said during a press conference Wednesday morning.

    “Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh,” Hegseth continued. “Now, this is not a ‘mission accomplished’ situation. This is simply a reality check.”

    U.S. officials confirmed earlier this week that strikes against Iran, which began Saturday, killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior figures in the regime’s leadership.

    The military campaign comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran following repeated threats from Iran against Trump after the 2020 U.S. strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

    In 2024, Iran-linked actors attempted to arrange an assassination plot targeting Trump. The U.S. government has also previously warned of other Iranian efforts to target the former president.

    In 2022, an Iranian video depicted an assassination attempt on Trump while he played golf.

    Trump referenced those threats during a phone call with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl earlier this week following reports of Khamenei’s death.

    “I got him before he got me,” Trump said.

    “They tried twice,” Trump continued, referring to Iran’s previous attempts on his life. “Well, I got him first.”

    During Wednesday’s press conference, Hegseth said the combined power of U.S. and Israeli intelligence and military forces is rapidly weakening Iran’s ability to respond.

    “America is winning decisively, devastatingly and without mercy,” Hegseth said.

    He also emphasized that the current military campaign was never intended to be evenly matched.

    “This was never meant to be a fair fight and it is not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be,” he said.

    Iran has launched retaliatory attacks in response to the strikes. A drone strike in Kuwait earlier this week killed at least six Americans, according to U.S. officials. Hegseth vowed those casualties would be avenged.

    He said:

    “As President Trump said, more and larger waves are coming. We are just getting started. We are accelerating, not decelerating. Iran’s capabilities are evaporating by the hour, while American strength grows fiercer, smarter and utterly dominant. More bombers and more fighters are arriving just today. And now, with complete control of the skies, we will be using 500-pound, 1,000-pound and 2,000 pound GPS and laser-guided precision gravity bombs, of which we have a nearly unlimited stockpile. We used more exquisite standoff munitions at the start, but no longer need to. Our stockpiles of those, as well as patriots, remains extremely strong.”

    Hegseth added that the United States has the capacity to sustain the conflict if necessary.

    He warned the U.S. can “sustain this fight easily for as along as we need to.”

    The defense secretary compared Iran’s situation to a football team that had prepared only the opening portion of a game.

    “I liken Iran’s predicament to a football team who scripted the first 20 plays of a game,” he said. “The team knew what plays to run because their first few drives were scripted. But now that the game has started and the blitz is on, they don’t know what plays call, let alone how to get in the huddle and call those plays.”

    Hegseth concluded by saying the strikes represent Trump getting the “last laugh” against Iran.

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    Dem Senator Left ‘Baffled’ By Lack of Support for Trump’s Iran Strikes and Death of ‘Evil’ Leaders

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is expressing disbelief at fellow Democrats who have criticized President Donald Trump’s military strikes against Iran, calling the action a decisive moment for regional peace and security.

    Fetterman questioned members of his own party who voiced opposition to the strikes, arguing that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon has long been a bipartisan priority.

    “Every single member of the Senate has agreed that we can never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb, and clearly they [Iran] were actually intending to do that. So, are you really committed to that?” Fetterman asked Monday on Hannity.

    U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes on Iranian military and government targets on Feb. 28, deploying air, sea and missile power in what officials described as a sweeping operation. The mission, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, struck more than 1,000 military, intelligence and government sites across Iran within its first 24 hours, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior regime officials were eliminated in the strikes.

    Fetterman said he was “baffled” that more people were not celebrating the death of what he described as “one of the most evil men ever” and the crippling of the Iranian regime.

    “It’s a good thing for the region, it’s a good thing for Israel, it’s good for America, and so, for me, that’s why I stand with the country over perhaps what the base may demand,” Fetterman said.

    Watch:

    He also defended the legality and strategic rationale behind the operation, pushing back on critics who questioned whether the president overstepped his authority.

    “Imagine if people just listened to the conventional wisdom, that they could have possibly have acquired a bomb if we weren’t bombed back in June. So, yes, there is a threat. It’s not imminent that it could happen right now. But it’s one that I think is entirely appropriate to deal with it,” Fetterman told CNN host Dana Bash. “And that’s why I support it. So, again, people keep— describe that it was a legal war. Now read the War Powers Act. And, now, that has not been violated at this point what happened yesterday.”

    The War Powers Act requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing U.S. military forces. The Trump administration notified the “Gang of Eight” — the bipartisan group of top congressional leaders and intelligence committee chairs — before the strikes but did not seek formal authorization.

    Fetterman noted that Trump had previously attempted diplomacy before resorting to military action.

    “Well, what is true is that President Trump tried to negotiate that and tried to find a firm kinds [sic] of agreements, absolutely. And they refused to those basic, basic kinds of things: remind everybody, you are never allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. And, clearly, they was [sic]. And I absolutely supported what happened last June,” Fetterman continued.

    Fetterman is one of the few Democrats who backed Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities ordered by President Trump. While most of the Democratic caucus condemned that action, Fetterman later voted as the lone Democratic senator against a war powers resolution seeking to curb the president’s authority following the operation.

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