Category: Supreme Leader
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Balancing acts and breaking points: Iraq’s US-Iran dilemma
MENASource June 30, 2025 • 4:11 pm ET C. Anthony Pfaff Even without the current conflict between Israel and Iran, the prospects for future US-Iraq relations have often appeared dim. Due in part to the reduced threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and also to public opposition to US military presence…
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The D Brief: Putin’s summer offensive in Sumy; ‘Largest combined strike’ vs. Ukraine so far; Fordow repairs underway; More Israeli strikes in Gaza; And a bit more.
Russian attacks on Ukraine are spiking, and Vladimir Putin’s troops are pressing a 3-1 advantage inside the partially-occupied Sumy region, where 50,000 Russian forces are trying to “wear us down with their numbers,” Kyiv’s top military officer Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy told the Wall Street Journal Sunday. Moscow’s forces also just invaded and occupied their first…
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The Israel-Iran war may have saved both countries’ embattled leaders
In this photo illustration, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seen on a screen, June 24, 2025. Dilara Irem Sancar / Anadolu via Getty Images June 30, 2025 09:00 AM ET Commentary Iran Israel There’s a bitter irony in war: When missiles start falling, they sometimes have a…
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Iran Faces New Realities
Kachor Valentyna/Shutterstock Tehran’s response last week to US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites was carefully calibrated. By launching a ballistic missile salvo at the US’ Al-Udeid Air Base — with advance warning and no casualties — Iran managed to send a message while avoiding provoking further US attacks. But notwithstanding the delicate Israel-Iran ceasefire…
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The Crisis Between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency Deepens
The Iranian parliament, the Majlis, has passed a law—also approved by the Guardian Council—mandating the government to halt all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Some members of the Majlis expressed extreme positions, including direct threats against IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, and called for his prosecution. The hardline newspaper Kayhan, which is…
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The greatest problem right now is not what happened at Fordow – but what escaped them
While the Israelis believe that much of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is buried under rubble and collapsed tunnels, hundreds of kilograms remain unaccounted for. Donald Trump was triumphalist. “Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!” he declared on Truth Social on June 22.…
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Why the Houthis Went Missing in Action
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the 12-day Israeli-Iranian conflict, in which the United States bombed three sites and then negotiated a cease-fire, is what didn’t happen. The Houthis, Iran’s most capable remaining regional ally, largely remained absent. The Houthis fired a handful of missiles at Israel on June 14 and 15, and, then, on…
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Khamenei Vows to ‘Never Surrender’ to the U.S. in Defiant Speech
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Iran’s message to the United States and Israel, Europe’s security threats, and barriers to aid entering Gaza. ‘A Slap to America’s Face’ Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued his first public statement on Thursday following Tehran and Israel ending their 12-day conflict. In a prerecorded…
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What really happened to Fordow? Three possible futures for Iran’s nuclear program after US strikes.
As the Israel-Iran war gives way to an uneasy cease-fire, the overriding question of whether the US-Israeli military offensive will prove a strategic success largely hinges on the fate of a sprawling nuclear-enrichment facility buried deep within a mountain. In support of Israel’s objective to thwart Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, the United States bombed…
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Trump’s Iran Deal Withdrawal Comes Back to Haunt Him
As the dust continues to settle after the U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which were meant to destroy Tehran’s ability to build nuclear weapons but did not apparently succeed entirely, one question looms above all: What did the United States gain from walking away from the nuclear deal with Iran seven years ago? The…
