World, US, Culture, Market, and Sci-Tech News Aggregation from MSM and Independent News
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According to their most religious clerics, it is an Islamic ‘deligious duty’ to kill US president and Israeli PM.
This is Islam.
Hamshahri, a major Iranian newspaper, ran a front page with Mr Trump’s face in the crosshairs of a rifle scope beneath the banner headline “Revenge is certain.”
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A cargo vessel in the Red Sea has reported coming under attack, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre, a British maritime security alert service, said Sunday, amid a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.
The body said it received a report of the incident 30 nautical miles (56 km) southwest of the port city of Al Hudaydah in Yemen.
“A cargo vessel has triggered a distress alert stating that they are under attack by unknown assailants,” the UKMTO said in a post on X, adding that authorities are investigating the incident.
It urged vessels to “transit with caution”.
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Iranian state media outlets reported Wednesday, July 1, that two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in the western city of Paveh in Kermanshah Province.
The incident occurred on the evening of June 30, near the border with Iraq’s Kurdistan region. State television described the event as “a terrorist and cowardly act.”
It added that “exact details of this incident and the measures being taken to identify those responsible are under review.” Two additional IRGC members were wounded in the shooting at the victims’ homes.
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The massive funeral event in Iran over the weekend for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei included calls for murdering President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from both members of the crowd and official speakers at the events.
The UK Guardian noted that the first official day of the elaborately staged funeral on Saturday was a bit smaller, more subdued, and less “militant” than the angry crowds swarming the street on Sunday.
The crowd was treated to such inducements as a government-authorized presentation from poet Mohammad Rasouli, who mixed his poetry with a call for Trump’s murder.
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The Israeli military eliminated several Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commanders responsible for the October 7 massacre as the counter-terrorism operations in Gaza near the 1000-day mark.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday announced the elimination of “Ali Qaid Mohammed Stitan, a Nukhba platoon commander in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization” in a precise aerial strike in central Gaza. “Ali Qaid infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7th Massacre,” the IDF disclosed. “Throughout the war and in recent days, Ali Qaid attempted to advance terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians.”
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It’s Ground Hog day again but this movie isn’t funny.
Oil prices edged higher in early trading Wednesday as investors reacted to Iran’s decision not to hold direct talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Tuesday in Qatar. Brent crude futures rose 50 cents, or 0.69%, to $73.45 a barrel by 12:08 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 63 cents, or 0.91%, to $70.13 a barrel, Reuters reported. Iranian officials and Qatari mediators said the U.S. delegation would meet with intermediaries rather than hold direct talks with Iranian officials, the outlet said (Fox News).
Iranian clerics call for Trump’s assassination: ‘Religious duty’ to kill US president and Israeli PM ‘must not be neglected’, says Tehran’s Assembly of Experts
What is the Iranian plan or strategy?
Institute for the Study of War: Iranian officials are simultaneously employing diplomatic outreach and military coercion to pressure regional states to support a new “regional security mechanism,” likely to advance Iran’s long-standing objective of expelling the United States from the Middle East (ISW).
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An agreement signed four days ago between the Israeli and Lebanese governments, which links Israel pulling its forces out of southern Lebanon with Hezbollah being disarmed, could effectively keep Israeli troops in the neighboring nation indefinitely, analysts say, and that could make a final peace deal between the U.S. and Iran harder to achieve.
Hezbollah has thus far refused to lay down its weapons, and the Lebanese government has proven unable to make the well-armed Iranian-backed group do so.
“This is not an agreement, it is an imposed settlement,” a senior Lebanese politician, who declined to be named, told the Reuters news agency. The lawmaker was quoted as saying Lebanon’s army is simply incapable of forcing Hezbollah to disarm.
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The poll also found a boost to Trump’s approval ratings in the wake of the deal.
A new poll has revealed that the majority of voters in the United States support the peace deal to end the Iran war that was reached earlier in the month under the leadership of President Donald Trump.
Among likely voters, the Big Data Poll found that 62 percent support the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two nations. Among Trump voters, that support was 77 percent, while 50 percent of Kamala Harris voters supported the deal.
The poll also found a boost to Trump’s approval ratings in the wake of the deal. In total, 44.4 percent of likely voters said they somewhat or strongly approve of the job Trump’s doing as president. This is up from May, when 40.7 percent of likely voters said the same.
Big Data Poll Director Rich Baris said, “The war was never popular and voters have been frustrated over what they perceive to be a lack of focus on domestic issues. But this is the first month since the start of the Iran War the picture was a little rosier for the President and Republicans. That said, these results and the transcripts of interviews conducted make it very clear that the fate of the Republican majorities in November is almost certainly tied to a lasting peace with Iran.”
The poll was conducted between June 26 and 28 of 2,971 registered voters and 2,604 likely voters nationwide, and has a margin of error of 1.8 percent for registered voters and 1.7 percent for likely voters.
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Oil prices were slightly higher on Tuesday as energy market participants closely monitored the potential for fresh talks between the U.S. and Iran in Qatar.
International benchmark Brent crude futures with August delivery were last seen up 0.2% at $73.32 per barrel, erasing earlier losses. The contract, however, is on track to end June roughly $19 lower, or 20% lower than the closing session on May 29. Brent crude futures with September delivery, meanwhile, rose 0.5% at $74.29.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with August delivery traded 0.5% higher at $71.08, putting the contract on course for a $16 drop, or 19% fall, from last month’s closing.
The moves come as oil traders monitor the prospect of U.S.-Iran talks in Doha on Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said talks between the two countries would take place in Qatar’s capital on Tuesday, claiming via social media that Tehran had “requested a meeting” following an exchange of strikes over the weekend.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Monday reportedly denied that talks were scheduled over the coming days. They added that an Iranian technical delegation’s visit to Qatar this week was not related to U.S. officials visiting the country.
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is facing a new round of violence in the country’s Kurdish-majority west, raising questions about whether a long-simmering Kurdish insurgency is entering a more active phase as fragile talks between Iran and Washington continue, experts say.
The flare-up matters beyond Iran’s borderlands because Kurdish opposition groups were recently viewed as a potential pressure point against Iran during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran — and now some Kurdish voices fear they could be left exposed as Washington and Tehran return to fragile diplomacy.
In recent days, Iranian security forces have been killed in several reported attacks and clashes across western and northwestern Iran. Four Iranian security personnel reportedly were killed and several others injured in two separate armed attacks Tuesday, reported The Jerusalem Post, in an analysis by Seth J. Frantzman, citing Iraq’s Shafaq News.
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US envoys met with Qatari mediators on Tuesday in Doha to discuss negotiations with Iran, the Gulf state said, after Tehran and Washington agreed a memorandum of understanding this month to halt the Middle East war.
Iran said a team would go to Doha but contradicted US President Donald Trump‘s claim that direct talks would take place.
Qatar also said no high-level meetings or direct talks between the longtime foes were planned.
Here is what we know about the discussions.
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Oil tankers and cargo vessels are anchored off the coast of Oman after being stranded for days as congestion at Port Sultan Qaboos has prevented them from docking on June 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.
Elke Scholiers | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Iran has exported more than 40 million barrels of crude oil since the U.S. removed its naval blockade of Iranian ports, and is now selling oil at prices roughly 20% higher than before the war, parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tuesday.
The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 to end nearly four months of war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and set up 60 days of negotiations to work out a permanent peace deal. The two sides briefly traded strikes over the weekend after Iran attacked two transiting vessels.
The ceasefire prompted a surge in crude shipments through the vital waterway where traffic had largely ground to a halt during the conflict, sending oil prices sharply lower.
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Representatives from the two sides met in Switzerland last weekend for talks to end the war, which resulted in the US partially lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports.
The number of vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz has risen significantly since the MOU was signed, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler.
Its latest data suggests 284 vessels have made the transit from 18 June, the day after the deal was signed, although that is is still well below the pre-conflict average of some 138 crossings each day.
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President Donald Trump was involved in a tense shouting match with Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and other critics in the chamber during a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, according to a report from the New York Post.
The gathering was intended to cover legislative priorities such as the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which addresses voter identification and citizenship requirements. However, discussion shifted to the ongoing U.S. military involvement in Iran and a Senate vote held the previous day on a war powers resolution.
The conflict with Iran started on February 28, 2026, under Operation Epic Fury, which involved strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and leadership targets. The operation was initially projected to last approximately four weeks, but more than four months had passed by late June without all original objectives being met.
Senators in attendance noted that lawmakers had not received comprehensive briefings on a memorandum of understanding signed between the Trump administration and Iranian representatives in the week prior to the meeting.
On June 23, the Senate approved a war powers resolution calling for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities in Iran. The measure was largely symbolic and lacked binding legal effect. It passed with support from four Republican senators joining Democrats: Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania was absent due to a prior commitment with Trump.
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A few hours earlier, at least three commercial vessels, including two oil supertankers, appeared to turn around while attempting to cross Hormuz outbound on the Oman side. Shipping intelligence company Windward Maritime said the u-turns came after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps instructed vessels to turn around using radio calls and social media platforms.
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised President Trump on Wednesday for degrading Iran’s nuclear capability, saying Tehran had been “basically getting its hands on” one. He also credited Trump personally for helping set that program back, remaining the true leader of the free world, and working to ensure Iran is unable to threaten Europe and other allies.
Rutte has been working hard to keep NATO unified since the Iran war, especially after tensions flared over Europe’s reluctance to back U.S. combat operations to open the Strait of Hormuz. Whether his praise is sincere or simply diplomatic damage control, the result is the same: even Trump’s critics have to acknowledge that the war’s bare minimum achievement was a meaningful degradation of Iran’s nuclear capacity.
🚨 NOW: NATO SecGen Mark Rutte has just STUNNED the fake news, coming out 100% in SUPPORT of President Trump scoring victory over Iran
“It would’ve been a threat to the WHOLE WORLD! They were VERY near a nuclear weapon.”
“ALL the G7 leaders applaud the fact the nuclear… pic.twitter.com/22TZAiM3hH
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 24, 2026
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The Senate reversed course late Wednesday night from a day earlier on a resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s war powers in the Iran conflict, giving the president a legislative victory over congressional dissenters on how his administration is handling the military conflict with Iran.
The measure was initially introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and would have required the president to remove the U.S. military from engaging in combat “within or against Iran” unless a congressional vote granted him full authorization. On Tuesday, four Republican senators broke with the party to advance a resolution passed in the House of Representatives to limit the president’s war powers. Two Republicans, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) switched their votes on Wednesday night, and Kaine’s resolution failed to advance in a 47-50-1 vote. Paul voted present, and Cassidy voted against advancing it on Wednesday.
The vote came after Trump expressed anger with Tuesday’s adoption of the resolution that would have limited his war powers. Calling it a “poorly timed and meaningless” vote, Trump said it “provided aid and comfort” to the enemy, and hampered him in negotiations with the Iranians.
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The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Thursday that a cargo vessel was struck by an “unknown projectile” near the Strait of Hormuz, the latest security incident in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
According to the UKMTO, the incident occurred about 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit, Oman.
“A cargo vessel has been hit on the starboard side by an unknown projectile, causing damage to the bridge,” the agency said in an advisory, adding that there were no reported casualties.
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the advisory added.
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The U.S. has issued a sweeping rollback of sanctions on Iranian oil, allowing dollar-denominated trade for the first time in more than four decades, as Washington and Tehran press on with fragile talks toward a permanent peace deal.
The U.S. Treasury on Monday issued a wide-ranging 60-day exemption allowing Iran to produce and sell crude oil, petrochemical and petroleum products in U.S. dollars through Aug. 21.
Under the so-called General License X, vessels and entities previously subject to U.S. sanctions are also cleared for transactions. The waiver also theoretically reopens the door to U.S. imports of Iranian crude, a trade which has effectively collapsed since the 1990s under the weight of heavy sanctions, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
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Thune’s Senate won’t pass or even vote on the SAVE AMERICA but this they pass in a heartbeat. They passed a resolution calling on the president to end the Iran conflict.
Thune won’t allow a vote on the SAVE AMERICA Act, but this gets fast-tracked through the Senate without hesitation.
🇺🇸 BREAKING!!! SENATE PASSES WAR POWERS RESOLUTION
The U.S. Senate has passed a War Powers Resolution 50-48, directing President Trump to remove military forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress declares war or authorizes military force.
Four Republicans, Sens. Susan… pic.twitter.com/OULFjKbDNU
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) June 23, 2026
So, I have Iran on the “ropes,” ready to go down for the fall, willing to give us practically anything, and for the first time in decades, respecting the hell out of the United States and its President, ME, and the U.S. Senate decides to have a poorly timed and meaningless War… pic.twitter.com/IaA64LSZGN
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) June 24, 2026
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“The last thing [unions] should do is violate the rights of the very people whose rights they exist to protect.”
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has opened an investigation into the National Education Association (NEA) following a discrimination charge alleging the nation’s largest teachers union subjected Jewish educators to antisemitic harassment, denied leadership opportunities, and fostered a hostile environment for Jewish members.
The charge was filed by The Louis D. Brandeis Center Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism, which alleges the NEA violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating against Jewish members based on religion, ancestry, and national origin. According to the complaint, the EEOC’s Washington Field Office has already begun gathering evidence and communicating with the Brandeis Center regarding the allegations.
“The last thing [unions] should do is violate the rights of the very people whose rights they exist to protect,” said Kenneth Marcus, chairman and CEO of the Brandeis Center and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education. Marcus said the organization is working with EEOC investigators to provide documents, witness information, and other evidence supporting what it describes as “pervasive anti-Semitism” within the union.
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Iran’s chief negotiator called the deal it struck with the U.S. “a declaration of America’s defeat” on Wednesday.
“The Islamabad understanding was not the result of pressure and coercion, but rather the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation,” Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday of the agreement signed last week.
“That is why, the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding became a declaration of America’s defeat,” he said, adding that security in the Middle East must be ensured by the countries of the region.
President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the agreement last week, launching a designated 60-day negotiating period during which Pakistani and other mediators hope to bring the two sides to a permanent settlement to end the war.
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It’s too bad Senate RINOs aren’t as passionate about election integrity as they are about tying the hands of the nation’s commander-in-chief.
But here we go again.
On Tuesday, four GOP senators stood with Democrats in voting for a House resolution telling President Donald Trump to remove U.S. military personnel from the war (“ceasefire”) in Iran. The resolution is, like most things in Congress, performative — a symbolic congressional directive that Trump has no obligation to follow. The president effectively told Congress to go pound Iranian sand.
In a Truth Social post late Tuesday, Trump insisted he has “Iran on the ropes.”
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WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has told senators it needs roughly $80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the U.S. war against Iran, adding to what is already a sizable military spending boost being sought by President Donald Trump.
The White House Office of Management and Budget has yet to make a formal request to Congress. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, including Monday evening. A top deputy defense secretary told senators about the Iran funding request last week, according to two people familiar with the situation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the developments.
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When it comes to matters of Iran, it’s hard for Americans not to view the Islamic Republic through the lens of the United States.
After all, few issues have been as contentious — even among conservatives and Republicans — as the Iran conflict has been during President Donald Trump’s second term.
But if you were to separate Washington, D.C., from Tehran, it’s evident that Iran’s issues run far, far deeper than anything the United States is doing or has done to the Middle Eastern country.
Just look at what’s happening at the 2026 World Cup.
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani has legitimized Jew-hatred in NYC. This is the result. This coffee shop should be shut down.
A coffee shop in New York City that attacked Rep. Dan Goldman, whose primary against fellow Democrat Brad Lander ended yesterday, took to Instagram to express its revulsion at having inadvertently sold him coffee. The Justice Department noticed, and is investigating.
NBC New York: A social media tête-a-tête between a New York City coffee shop and a Democrat in Congress has caught the attention of the federal government. Poetica Coffee, a chain of half a dozen locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, told Rep. Dan Goldman he was no longer welcome in their stores for his support of Israel. The store made the declaration in a since-deleted Instagram post accompanying what appeared to be a surveillance image of the lawmaker standing by the register.
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Reportedly, one of the results of Monday’s U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva will be a “deconfliction cell” for Lebanon. Its members are supposed to be the U.S., Iran, the Lebanese government, Qatar, and Pakistan. Notably missing from the roster is Israel.
Now — even though Israeli forces in Lebanon have been fending off an ongoing, Iran-directed Hezbollah assault on Israel since March 2 — it’s not even included in “deconfliction.”
Israel Hayom, one of Israel’s two leading dailies, reports that “the State Department strongly opposed the creation of the ‘cell…’ The State Department’s position, as expressed in position papers and closed-door discussions, was that Iran’s goal was to sabotage direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon by creating a bypass route.”