How Israel failed in Iran
What did Israel accomplish in Iran after 11 days of incessant bombing? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in his statement acknowledging the ceasefire that the Israeli goals have been achieved. Such an assertion seems problematic, to say the least. At the start of the short-lived war, he declared two goals: “decapitating the nuclear programme” and “regime change”. Was the nuclear programme decapitated? The answer is likely negative. It seems that Iran transported fissionable material out of the Fordow facility attacked by the United States. This stockpile is the most important part of the nuclear programme, so “decapitation” seems to have failed. What damage, if any, did Israel inflict on the Iranian nuclear programme? That is also unclear. Israel managed to persuade the US to attack Iranian nuclear facilities using bunker-busting bombs, Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs), but the US did little else to help the Israeli offensive. The extent of destruction would be hard to evaluate since Iran is unlikely to grant outside access. Has Israel generated “regime change” in Iran? The brief answer is that it has very much achieved the opposite. Israel attempted to trigger an uprising against the regime by killing military leaders of Iran’s various security structures. This strategy is based on the firm Israeli belief that the best way to destabilise an enemy is through assassinations of senior leaders. This has never worked. The only possible exception was the effect Hassan Nasrallah’s death had on Hezbollah in Lebanon, but that had a great deal to do with internal Lebanese political dynamics. In all other cases, Israeli assassinations have failed to create any major political change. Advertisement In the case of Iran, the assassinations rallied the people around the government. Israel assassinated the senior commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), perhaps the most powerful element in current Iranian politics, but also one of the most hated by the Iranian public. Regardless, many Iranians who consider themselves staunch opponents of the Islamic Republic and especially of the IRGC found themselves supporting it. Iranians saw Iran in its entirety under attack and not just “the regime”. Israel’s attempts to bomb “regime symbols” only made the situation worse. It attempted to spin its air strikes on Evin Prison, infamous for the torture of political prisoners, as a contribution to the struggle of the Iranian people against the repression of the Islamic Republic. But Israel’s bombs effectively worsened the situation of the prisoners, as the authorities moved many of them to unknown locations. Bombing the “Israel doomsday clock”, which Israelis often employ as a demonstration of Iran’s commitment to Israel’s destruction, was simply pathetic. Israel’s bombing of the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB was also absurd. Israel claimed it was curtailing the regime’s attempt to spread propaganda. As many Israelis pointed out, this bombing gave the Iranians the vindication they needed to threaten Israeli television stations as well. If Israel did not manage to achieve its stated war goals, did it at least manage to rally the world behind it, to make the public forget about Gaza and recast Israel again as fighting the good fight? That seems dubitable at best. True, President Donald Trump and the US did strike Iranian nuclear facilities. By doing so, they violated several major rules of international law. This is likely to have long-term implications. However, Trump did not join the war alongside Israel. Immediately after the strike, the strategic bombers returned to the US. Before and after carrying out the bombing, Trump iterated and reiterated his desire for a deal between the US and Iran, one that may also include Israel. It seems likely that the US president assisted Israel to serve his own interests as well as those of his allies in the Gulf. While several world leaders, most notably German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, were quick to support the US strikes and “Israel’s right to defend itself”, no one adopted Israel’s stringent list of demands, which included that Iran should not be able to enrich uranium at all. The world returned to the formula of “no nuclear weapon”, with which Iran had already announced it was willing to comply. Advertisement When it comes to the operational development of the Middle East, the world appears to find Iran a legitimate partner for doing business. This is a loss for Israel and a victory for Iran. The very real damage to the Israeli heartland should also be considered. Israel achieved aerial dominance over Iran very quickly and struck almost at will. Iranian missiles, however, repeatedly managed to penetrate the famed Israeli air defence system, strike at the heart of Israel and across the entire country, and bring it to a standstill while inflicting an unprecedented number of casualties as well as massive destruction. Israel was running low on interceptor missiles without hopes of immediate replenishment. The Israeli economy was quickly grinding to a halt. This was another triumph for Iran. Iran emerged from the war bruised and bombed, suffering hundreds of casualties and real damage from incessant bombing around the country. But the Islamic Republic did not crumble, even when facing a massive Israeli force. Iranian missiles hit home, Iran’s image was not tarnished (it was seen by most of the world as a victim of an Israeli attack), and Iran’s options for response were not severely constrained. Iran successfully de-escalated by warning in advance about its “retaliation” for the US strike on its military base in Qatar. Iran was powerful enough to convince Trump to warn Israel not to attack after the ceasefire appeared to have been violated. Iran emerged as it prefers to emerge – still standing, and with potential for the future. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Adblock test (Why?)
South Carolina AG mounts gubernatorial bid, advocates for abolishing state income tax, DOGE-ing government
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, an adopted son of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., has announced a Palmetto State gubernatorial bid. “As your governor, we’ll deliver meaningful relief to hard-working people. We’re going to finally eliminate the state income tax,” Wilson, who has served as the state’s attorney general since 2011, said during a speech on Monday. “We’re going to DOGE South Carolina government from top to bottom,” he declared. “We will root out waste, fraud, and abuse, and we will expose it.” SOUTH CAROLINA AG TAKES ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HIT-AND-RUN, PROMISES CRIMINALS ‘WE’RE COMING FOR YOU’ U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who has said that she is considering running for governor, has previously accused Wilson of protecting pedophiles. “How does Alan Wilson explain his record of protecting kids vs. protecting p*dos? You either protect kids or you protect p*dos. You can’t do both. Alan Wilson chose p*dophiles. Hold the line,” Mace wrote in an April post on X. Robert Kittle, spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office, called Mace’s accusations “ridiculous,” telling Fox News Digital in an email on Tuesday that as an assistant attorney general, Wilson previously “prosecuted, and put behind bars, people who sexually abused children.” EXCLUSIVE: NANCY MACE DISMISSES ‘BURNER’ ACCOUNT ALLEGATIONS AS ‘BITTER EXES’ TALE Wilson appeared to push back against Mace’s attacks in a lengthy post on X in May. “I will not stand by and allow someone to lie about, not only me, but the dedicated men and women in my office who’ve been in the trenches protecting kids for years. A would-be candidate for Governor is attacking me, prosecutors, and our law enforcement partners who put their life on the line to protect children and catch predators. Enough is enough. Over the course of the last several weeks, this would-be candidate has peddled lies and mistruths for her own political ambitions and clicks on social media,” he asserted. “Specifically, she has brought up a handful of cases from the last decade related to offenders that obtained illegal images of children. Let me be clear, our ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) division has worked to get these criminals before a judge and hold them accountable. Our objective is to indict, prosecute, and get them added to the Sex Offender Registry,” he noted in part of the long post. “When the would-be candidate for Governor criticizes the Attorney General’s Office, she’s purposefully omitting the fact that judges give sentences, not prosecutors. When she criticizes the prosecutors, she’s ignorant to the fact that often, our office is working in sync with a federal agencies that can get more time,” Wilson declared. Mace fired back at the time, describing the post as “a very long-winded deflection full of excuses, half-truths and lies, as to why you can’t seem to do your job effectively as South Carolina Attorney General.” NANCY MACE BLASTS TIM WALZ AFTER HE FAILS TO DEFINE WHAT A WOMAN IS Current Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, is not eligible to seek another term in 2026 because the state constitution stipulates, “No person shall be elected Governor for more than two successive terms.” McMaster, who became governor in 2017 after Gov. Nikki Haley, also a Republican, stepped down to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, won the state’s 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial elections.
Scandal-plagued former Gov Andrew Cuomo aims to pull off political comeback in the nation’s biggest city
Andrew Cuomo is aiming to pull off the biggest political comeback since President Donald Trump won back the White House last November. Cuomo, the former three-term New York State governor who resigned from office in 2021 amid multiple scandals, is the frontrunner of an 11-candidate field vying for heavily blue New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral nomination. The former governor – who saw his once-large lead deteriorate as progressives coalesced around Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member from Queens and a democratic socialist originally from Uganda – is highlighting his experience. “We know that we can make government work because that’s what we did in New York State. They said we couldn’t do it. We did it,” Cuomo told a large crowd of supporters at a union hall rally on the eve of Tuesday’s New York City primary, as he pointed to his progressive achievements as governor. TRUMP FRONT-AND-CENTER AS NATION’S BIGGEST CITY HOLDS MAYORAL PRIMARY Cuomo is showcasing his fortitude in defending the nation’s most populous city from what he argues are threats from Trump. “Democrats, we are going to stand strong, stand united, stand tall, you’re not going to separate us,” Cuomo emphasized as he referred to the Republican president. “We’re going to lock arms, and we’re going to go forward.” THIS FORMER PRESIDENT BACKS ANDREW CUOMO IN NEW YORK CITY’S DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL PRIMARY Cuomo, who recently said that as mayor that he would mount a national campaign to try and thwart Trump’s agenda, vows to protect New York City from what he suggests is a possible future Trump administration crackdown against immigration protests in New York City, similar to what occurred earlier this month in Los Angeles. Additionally, Cuomo pledged to “stand up to Trump before his antics reach New York.” It is often said that politics is full of second chances, thanks to a long list of politicians who suffered defeat or fell from grace before later winning redemption at the ballot box. Cuomo is trying to be the latest on that list. ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ PHRASE STIRS TENSIONS ON NYC CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RAGES The 67-year-old Cuomo has spent the past four years fighting to clear his name after 11 sexual harassment accusations, which he has repeatedly denied, forced his resignation. He was also under investigation at the time for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic amid allegations his administration vastly understated COVID-related deaths at state nursing homes. Last month, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo after Republicans accused him of lying to Congress about the decisions he made as governor during the coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo has faced plenty of incoming fire over his baggage from his primary rivals on the campaign trail and during the two debates between the candidates. However, Marist University Institute for Public Opinion Director Lee M. Miringoff told Fox News that “there’s a general sense that New Yorkers are willing to provide someone a second chance.” Cuomo’s bigger concern is Mamdani, who soared into second place in the polls this spring and was closing the gap with Cuomo ahead of the primary. Mamdani has taken aim at the former governor, pointing out that many of Cuomo’s donors backed Trump in last year’s presidential election. AOC BACKS RISING PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE IN NYC DEM PRIMARY IN PUSH TO DEFEAT FRONTRUNNER CUOMO “Oligarchy is on the ballot. Andrew Cuomo is the candidate of a billionaire class that is suffocating our democracy and forcing the working class out of our city,” Mamdani’s campaign argued in an email to supporters. Cuomo’s campaign in recent weeks has criticized Mamdani as a “dangerously inexperienced legislator” while touting that the former governor “managed a state and managed crises, from COVID to Trump.” “The mayor of the city of New York is the CEO of one of the largest corporations on the globe. This is not a job for a novice,” Cuomo said on the eve of the primary. “This is not a job… for on the job training. We need someone who knows what they’re doing on day one because your lives depend on it.” Mamdani, who among other things wants to eliminate fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system and make City University of New York “tuition-free,” landed a big boost earlier this month after winning an endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive rock star and New York City’s most prominent leader on the left. A week later, he was also endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up. With multiple candidates on the left running in the primary, the endorsements by Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders aimed to consolidate the support of progressive voters behind Mamdani. The candidate in third place heading into the primary was New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. He grabbed national attention in the closing days of the campaign after he was arrested in Manhattan by Department of Homeland Security agents. Lander was detained for allegedly assaulting a federal officer as he tried to escort a defendant out of an immigration court. Temperatures are forecast to reach 100 degrees in New York on Tuesday as the city holds its primary. The dangerously high temperatures may keep some older voters from heading to the polls. Because of that possibility, the heatwave could affect turnout in a race that may come down to Cuomo’s union support and campaign structure versus Mandani’s volunteer forces. New York City election officials said that more than 384,000 Democrats cast ballots in early voting, which ended on Sunday. The election is being conducted using a ranked-choice voting system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the lowest vote-getter is dropped, with that candidate’s votes reallocated to voters’ next-highest choices. The process is repeated until one candidate cracks 50%. Mamdani is hoping that the ranked-choice process boosts his chances against Cuomo. New York City’s primary comes as the Democratic Party works
India’s 1 lakh tonnes basmati rice shipments stuck at ports due to…
The shipment is scheduled for Iran, which is India’s second-largest basmati rice market after Saudi Arabia.
‘Not our role’: Lawmakers cautious over Middle East peace, not ready for regime change
Lawmakers are anxious that the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran may not hold, but many are not ready to call for regime change in the Islamic Republic. President Donald Trump on Monday announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a truce, but as the evening carried into the wee hours of Tuesday morning, whether that peace would last came into question. TRUMP NOMINATED FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE OVER IRAN-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE DEAL Israel had reportedly geared up for a retaliatory bombing run against Iran, and Trump accused both of breaking the newborn truce. On Tuesday morning, the president put out a sharp reprimand against both countries. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing,” he told reporters. On Capitol Hill, in the immediate wake of the ceasefire announcement, lawmakers were already looking at the deal skeptically but had confidence that the president’s negotiating power would ensure the fragile truce was not shattered. “I remain hopeful,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. “I trust the president. He’s been right on everything, and he’s the only president that’s been able to bring Iran and Israel to the table in this manner. So I’m going to hope and pray that this works, and if it doesn’t, then we know Trump will act decisively.” ‘NOT CONSTITUTIONAL’: CONGRESS INVOKES NEW WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REJECT TRUMP’S STRIKES ON IRAN Trump’s announcement came on the heels of a weekend strikes with bunker-busting bombs that the White House says obliterated Iran’s nuclear program. Many lawmakers stood firm last week that the entire point of supporting Israel in their bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic was to ensure that Iran could not make or obtain an atomic weapon. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital that it was the groundwork Trump laid in his first term with the Abraham Accords and his recent visit to Saudi Arabia that could help solidify a lasting ceasefire between the two sides. “All you can do is just trust that because of the events that have happened, I mean, Iran … their conventional weapons have been decimated, their platforms have been decimated,” he said. “Their nuclear program has been obliterated. So they’re at the table because of that.” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Fox News Digital that Iran has “typically never done what they said they would do.” However, he believed that with the pressure from both the U.S. and Israel, and because Trump was willing to use force — which he described as the president showing he “means business” — things could be different. “I think they’re going to come to the table now, and they’re in a very weak position, so it’s different, but their track record is very bad,” he said. “You can’t count on what they say. So this goes back to the Reagan ‘trust but verify.’ Anything we negotiate with them has to be verifiable, and certainly that’s how the administration is going to approach it.” However, even with a ceasefire, the Iranian regime remains unchanged. A shared sentiment among many lawmakers, however, was that if regime change were to take place in Tehran, it would have to be up to the Iranian people, not the U.S. government. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, who is pushing for his war powers resolution to get a vote in the upper chamber, warned, “Do we really want to get in another regime-change war? “We changed Iran’s regime in 1953 by leading a coup against their prime minister,” Kaine said. “And that’s one of the reasons why the U.S.-Iran relationship is so bad 70 years later. Do we really want to do that again?” TRUMP ‘DOESN’T NEED PERMISSION’ FROM CONGRESS TO STRIKE IRAN, EXPERT SAYS Indeed, the U.S.-backed toppling of then-Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh opened the door for Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to take control of Iran. However, by 1979, the Islamic Revolution took place and removed Pahlavi from power and saw the birth of the current regime. Rep. Jack Bergman, a retired Marine general, laid out his position against regime change in more succinct terms. “It’s not our role.” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., lauded the president’s action over the weekend and said he believed the strikes had put negotiations on a path that could lead to a “generational shift” regarding the future peace and stability of the Middle East and Western World. Still, he noted that “regime changes can break one or two ways, but it would be hard to do worse than what is there today.” “I’m cautiously optimistic, but we’re not there yet,” he continued. Not every lawmaker shared the same feelings, however. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., told Fox News Digital that he believed the U.S. should take a stronger posture when it comes to regime change in Iran. “I’m a Navy SEAL commander who spent time there, and buried a lot of my friends,” he said. “While the attack was brilliant, and it was deceptive, and it made a statement, etcetera, etcetera, I don’t think Iran will bend. I think it’s going to take regime change.”
Timeline: Trump’s Israel-Iran ceasefire nearly collapses hours after announcement
Hours after President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, the fragile agreement nearly collapsed as hostilities flared before the truce took effect. Despite the president’s announcement, Israel continued its military campaign — launching attacks before the ceasefire’s scheduled start 12 hours later. Iran retaliated with a deadly rocket barrage on a hospital in Be’er Sheva, killing at least four people. Israel began preparing a full-scale response before the president stepped in. Trump, visibly frustrated as he departed for the NATO Summit in the Netherlands, blamed both sides — but especially Israel. “Israel. Do not drop those bombs. If you do it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Speaking to reporters while boarding Marine One, the president added, “[Iran] violated it, but Israel violated it too. Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out, and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. The biggest load that we’ve seen. I’m not happy with Israel.” He continued, “When I say, okay, now you have 12 hours — you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them.” IRAN-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE TEETERS AS IDF ACCUSES TEHRAN OF VIOLATIONS Trump posted the ceasefire terms on Truth Social. “It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a complete and total ceasefire (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in-progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered ended… During each ceasefire, the other side will remain peaceful and respectful.” TRUMP LASHES OUT AT ISRAEL AND IRAN WITH PROFANITY FOR BREAKING CEASEFIRE According to Trump, Iran would begin the ceasefire at hour 12. Israel would follow at hour 24. A global salute to the “12 Day War” ending would follow. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office confirmed that Israel launched a major assault hours ahead of the ceasefire starting, hitting central Tehran. “We attacked forcefully in the heart of Tehran, hitting regime targets and killing hundreds of Basij and Iranian security forces,” the statement read. Iranian media confirmed nine casualties in the northern Gilan province. Fars News Agency said, “Four residential buildings were completely destroyed and several neighboring houses were damaged in the blasts.” In response, Iran launched missiles at Be’er Sheva just minutes before the ceasefire took effect. Four people were killed, and several others were injured in the strike on a hospital. Trump once again took to Truth Social. “The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it!” TRUMP BROKERS IRAN CEASEFIRE AS EXPERTS SAY REGIME’S ARSENAL IS SHATTERED BUT THREAT REMAINS Despite the ceasefire, Iran fired three additional missiles in the hours following. The projectiles were either intercepted or landed in open areas without causing casualties. Israel destroyed a radar installation near Tehran and was preparing a broader offensive before Trump publicly expressed his anger. “I’m really unhappy about Israel going out this morning… because of the one rocket that didn’t land — perhaps by mistake. You know what we have? We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing. Do you understand that?” the president told reporters. After a direct call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump persuaded the Israeli leadership to halt further military actions. The Israeli Defense Forces ordered fighter jets to stand down and return to base.
Trump delivers angry outburst at Israel-Iran ceasefire breaches
NewsFeed “They don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.” US President Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary four-letter outburst as he criticised breaches of the Israel-Iran ceasefire. Trump aimed the bulk of his anger at Israel, saying he would try to avert further planned attacks. Published On 24 Jun 202524 Jun 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
What’s with Iran’s Death to America chant?
NewsFeed Donald Trump has painted Iran as a hateful nation, saying people even chant ‘death to America’. But are Iranians really lusting for American tragedy, or does it mean something else? Soraya Lennie breaks it down. Published On 24 Jun 202524 Jun 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
What is life like for Gaza evacuees?
Today on The Stream: Two Palestinians who left Gaza during the genocide share their stories of escape and survival. For the Palestinians who have managed to leave, the decision to stay and risk death or abandon their homes and loved ones is an agonising one. Many more are desperate to escape, but have no way out. So what becomes of those who do make it out? How do they carry on after such deep trauma, while fearing for the families and friends they left behind as the war continues? And will they ever truly heal? Presenter: Stefanie Dekker Guests:Safwat Al Kahlout – Al Jazeera producerAbubaker Abed – Palestinian journalist and commentator Adblock test (Why?)
Rep. Jasmine Crockett drops bid for influential post on House oversight panel
The Dallas Democrat had said her party should respond more aggressively to the Trump administration and pitched herself as the best messenger for the job.