TOP STORIES
US and Israel Launch Massive Attack on Iran | Politico
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, killing the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an astonishing joint military operation that could dramatically shift the power dynamics in the Middle East. President Donald Trump green-lit the strikes after the Islamist regime in Tehran failed to meet his expectations in nuclear negotiations. Iran quickly retaliated, firing missiles across the region, where the U.S. has numerous troops in an array of bases. . . . Trump raised the stakes by calling on Iranians to seize the chance to overthrow the Islamist regime. . . . Others killed in the strikes include Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the country’s Security Council and a personal adviser to Khamenei; Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; and Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
3 U.S. Service Members Killed in Iran Conflict | Axios
Three U.S. service members were killed in action and five more seriously wounded as part of the American and Israeli strikes on Iran, U.S. Central Command announced Sunday morning. . . . Several other troops sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and were being returned to duty, CENTCOM said . . .
Iranians Take to the Streets to Celebrate Khamenei’s Death | New York Times
Large crowds of Iranians poured into the streets of Tehran and other cities across Iran overnight, celebrating the news that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed during a day of coordinated U.S. and Israeli attacks. . . . In video calls with The New York Times, three residents of Tehran showed the scenes unfolding in their neighborhoods: Large crowds of men and women dancing and cheering, shouting, “Woohoo, hurrah.” Drivers passing by honked their car horns. Fireworks lit up the sky and loud Persian dance music filled the streets. Many residents, from their windows and balconies, joined in a chant of “freedom, freedom.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
A major public policy nonprofit co-led by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush praised President Donald Trump for ordering Saturday’s military strikes against Iran. United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) was formed in 2008 by Ambassador Mark Wallace, who held a United Nations-centered post in Bush’s brother’s administration, and former George H.W. Bush diplomat Dennis Ross to combat threats posed by the Islamic Republic. . . . “UANI salutes the courage and professionalism of American and Israeli service members carrying out this historic mission against the Iranian regime,” Bush and Wallace told Fox News Digital Saturday. “We applaud President Trump for his courageous decision to launch this military operation. For 47 years, the Iranian regime has unleashed terror, violence and misery—against its own people and across the region—while threatening the United States, Israel and our allies . . . We aim to see Iran free, prosperous, and at peace. This is [the Iranian people’s] time to take their great country back.”
UANI CEO Amb. Mark D. Wallace Discusses Operation Epic Fury | Fox News
Amb. Wallace: “[The] Trump Doctrine is ‘We meant what we said.’ For far too long the United States has vacillated, not meant what it’s said, not adhered to its foreign policy concerns and requirements. And this president has said very clearly: ‘I’m ready to work with you, let’s work out a solution to these serious foreign policy challenges, but if you don’t, we’re going to deploy American power before the threat that you pose becomes so great that it leads to a war.’”
UANI Senior Advisor Tom Tugendhat Discusses Developments Regarding Iran | BBC News
Tugendhat: “What should Britain be doing? The prime minister of the United Kingdom surely has a role here. . . . We have allies in the region and we have citizens in the region. . . . Now we’re seeing rockets falling on Dubai. Why is there not a British warship providing anti-missile defense? Why is the United Kingdom not putting Royal Naval ships into the Gulf to make sure that energy flows to continue?”
The Iranian Force Built to Defend the Regime Now Faces the Ultimate Test | Wall Street Journal
Attacks on IRGC facilities could fracture its control over lower-level operatives and shrink its capacity to put down domestic opposition, analysts said. “If you decapitate the head of the IRGC, the body will start to shake,” said [UANI Senior Advisor] Saeid Golkar, associate professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. . . . “The IRGC is a highly radicalized and indoctrinated force,” said Kasra Aarabi, the director of IRGC research for United Against Nuclear Iran, a policy organization that opposes the Iranian regime. “So the idea of them switching sides, I think, is unlikely.” In Tehran, the IRGC oversees bases in each of the city’s 22 municipal districts manned by the Basij, the voluntary paramilitary group that spearheaded the government crackdown on protesters in January, according to a report written by Aarabi and Golkar.
How the Assault on Iran Unfolded | New York Times
Israeli officials were so emboldened by the freedom of action that some were privately expressing concerns—particularly after a deadly Iranian strike on a residential area west of Jerusalem on Sunday—that the United States wanted to bring the air offensive to a close too quickly. The Israeli Air Force still had many targets to eliminate, Israeli officials said. “Ballistic missiles will take time,” said Zohar Palti, who headed the political-military bureau of Israel’s defense ministry after a long career in intelligence. “That’s not something that you finish today or tomorrow. Let’s try to finish, not to cut it short.” “We need to get the time to clear out the ballistic missiles,” he added.
“Whatever hesitancy kept the Iranian elite from crossing the nuclear threshold has evaporated. They understand now that they wouldn’t be getting bombed if they had the bomb. The Israelis today may be willing to stand sentry in the Gulf, to ‘mow the lawn’ frequently even inside the Islamic Republic. But they lack the resources to police Iran’s far reaches. The regime knows that putting ballistic missiles and a revitalized nuclear program underground works against the Jewish state, which has difficulty in dropping anything bigger than a 5,000-pound bomb. Without an America committed to mowing the Islamic Republic’s lawn, time is on the side of the clerical regime. The great unknown variable is whether its security services will crack when confronted by a future mass uprising. As Mr. Trump intimated in his speech, Iranians will have to do the heavy lifting. If they want their freedom, thousands more are going to die.”
How U.S. Allies Are Bracing for Trump’s Potential Military Action Against Iran | NPR
UANI Senior Advisor Dennis Ross: “At this point, if you were talking about a really prolonged war, I think the answer would be it would become hard [for the United States to go it alone]. If you’re talking about something that is relatively short, something that looks like the 12-day war that took place last June, I think the answer would, be the U.S. can do this without any real help from those in the region. The one country that’s likely to join the U.S. is Israel. The Israelis almost certainly would not initiate it. But they also are convinced that if the U.S. hits Iran, Iran will hit them with ballistic missiles. So the Israelis, for sure, would be joining and would have the ballistic missiles as their most important target.”
Who Will Lead Iran Now? | UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky in the Spectator
The Islamic Republic’s constitution stipulates a succession process whereby the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body, anoints a replacement for the supreme leader should the office become vacant. In the interim, a leadership council is formed which includes the president, chief justice, and a member of the Guardian Council selected by the Expediency Council. There is also a protocol should one or more of these offices lose an incumbent. After Khamenei’s death was confirmed by the state media the Islamic Republic swiftly announced that it had formed this interim leadership council. In addition to the president and chief justice, it named Alireza Arafi, a cleric on the Guardian Council who has headed Iran’s Seminary and is a member of the Assembly of Experts, as its third member. Membership of the council may prove a steppingstone to the supreme leadership, should a successor to Khamenei be chosen. Its clerical members, especially the chief justice and Arafi, are strong contenders to succeed Khamenei.
Khamenei’s Death Opens Uncertain Chapter for Iran’s Entrenched Theocracy | Fox News
“The Islamic Republic's constitution includes a succession process. The Assembly of Experts, a clerical body, is constitutionally charged with selecting the next supreme leader,” Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital. “In the interim, should there be a leadership vacancy, an interim leadership council is formed comprised of the president, chief justice, and a member of the Guardian Council selected by the Expediency Council,” he added. “The IRGC is a key stakeholder in this process, and will heavily influence its outcome.” Over the past three decades, the Bayt-e Rahbari, or the Office of the Supreme Leader, expanded into what a February report by UANI described as a "sprawling parallel state" operating alongside Iran’s formal institutions.
The UK has allowed the US military to use British airbases for “specific and limited defence— with a major RAF base in Cyprus struck by an Iranian drone yesterday. Even so, the PM has fallen short of raising Britain’s terror threat level from “substantial” to “severe” or “critical.” Now, Starmer has been told he must be honest with the Britain about the very real threat on UK’s streets. [UANI Director of IRGC Research] Kasra Aarabi—a specialist in Iranian military and security affairs—told The Sun: “Keir Starmer has a responsibility as Prime Minister to explain the nature of the threat, the threat that this regime poses to people in Britain.”
. . . Jason Brodsky, Policy Director at United Against Nuclear Iran, says the new campaign became inevitable after Washington detected Iran moving to reconstitute its enrichment programme. “Its domestic enrichment program has been effectively suspended after Operation Midnight Hammer,” Brodsky explains. “However, the regime still maintains the ability to rebuild, and the US. detected it preparing to do exactly that—which provides a pathway to nuclear weapons. President Trump had warned the Iranian regime against doing so. It went ahead anyway.”
Trump Says Iran Wants to Talk but Who Will Lead After Khamenei? | Fox News
The cleric and jurist Alireza Arafi, 67, who is part of a three-person temporary leadership council to run Iran might also be the successor to Khamenei. According to the U.S. group United Against a Nuclear Iran, Arafi promised “death” to protesters who knock over the turbans of Iranian Islamic clerics. “Those who attack the turbans of the clergy should know that the turban will become their shroud,” Arafi said. . . . United Against a Nuclear Iran ranked Ayatollah Seyyed Hashem Hosseini Bushehri, who was born in 1956 in Bardkhun, Bushehr, a second tier candidate to replace Khamenei.
Aarabi: “This is a major shock to the foundations of this regime. They have prepared for this scenario, however. People are looking at the visible state, but actually it’s the [Office of the Supreme Leader], this invisible state, along with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps . . . that will be filling that power vacuum to ensure continuity rather than confusion.”
Aarabi: “It’s quite clear that the regime, the Islamic regime, is intent on developing a nuclear weapon and has been doing so for the past 30 years. . . . This is an imminent threat—not only to Israel, not only to the wider Middle East, but also to the West. . . . Khamenei doubled down and said no [to President Trump’s demands]. He is now eliminated. This regime, however, will not stop—it has to be stopped. . . . Do not forget the fact that just a month ago, this regime, the Islamic regime, massacred 40,000 unarmed civilians on the streets of Iran. The people of Iran want this regime gone, and now the regime faces a nightmare scenario, a scenario that it always wanted to avoid: An external conflict taking place against the backdrop of a revolutionary mood on the streets of Iran.
UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky Discusses Operation Epic Fury | LiveNow from Fox
Brodsky: “I think we’re witnessing a historic, unprecedented military campaign by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran. . . . I think we have to reflect on the historic, unprecedented moment here, and be humble in our predictions as to what happens next.”
Aarabi: “The removal of Khamenei will not lead to the toppling of the regime instantly. It lands a devastating blow to the foundations of the Islamic regime, but Khamenei had prepared for this moment. A report that we published . . . reveals that Khamenei had built an extensive apparatus, a hidden power structure, the Bayt-e Rahbari (Office of the Supreme Leader) . . . to ensure that if he was eliminated, the apparatus was there to ensure continuity, not confusion. And that’s what we’re witnessing right now.”
UANI Director of IRGC Research Kasra Aarabi Discusses Operation Epic Fury | GB News
Aarabi: “The prime minister should be standing with our greatest ally. This is a hostile regime. . . . The Islamic regime’s official slogan is ‘Death to England.’ They have plotted more than 20 terror attacks on our soil. They have been targeting our parliamentarians. They have been trying to foment discord in our society. The fall of the Islamic regime is in Britain’s interests, yet Starmer is nowhere to be seen—again.”
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)—a US-based advocacy group working to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons—argues that the visible degradation of the state’s power could provide the missing catalyst. “One hope in the campaign seems to be that the Iranian people will take to the streets and grow bolder in challenging the regime, as they will see it weakened,” Brodsky told RFE/RL. He added that the goal is to “level the playing field” by degrading the state’s ability to crack down on dissent, theoretically allowing the “unarmed Iranian people” to reclaim their country.
Khamenei Killed—What Happens Next for Iran? | Al Arabiya
The Assembly of Experts is responsible for selecting the next leader. The constitution allows for either a single supreme leader or a leadership council. . . . Analysts say the process is likely to be shaped heavily by elite political and security institutions, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC “could try to supplant the entire process given the emergency situation in the country,” Jason Brodsky, policy director at the Washington-based United Against Nuclear Iran, told Al Arabiya English.
The Shadow State Will Secure the Mullahs’ Power over Iran | Aftonbladet (translated from Swedish)
“Khamenei is the most important person, but he is not the system,” says Saeid Golkar, a researcher at the lobby organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and co-author of a report on the supreme leader's office, called Bayt, which roughly translates to “the house.” The report shows a complex network with thousands of employees reaching every corner of society.
‘Mouse Ali’: Khamenei’s Hidden Network Sustains His Authoritarian Rule from Hiding | Jerusalem Post
While Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s absence has been largely mocked by his opposition and interpreted by Western media as a sign of fear, it has demonstrated how deeply embedded his network of control in Iran truly is, a new report by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) noted on Thursday. Reports have suggested that the 86-year-old Islamist has been hiding out in a secure bunker, leading Iranian critics to label him “Moushe-Ali” (Mouse Ali). Nevertheless, years of embedding his loyal clerics throughout civil society have enabled him to maintain control, the organization noted.
The bottom line is that without “boots on the ground”, the ambitious American-Israeli campaign to topple the regime is dependent on the response of the Iranian public and its willingness to risk confronting the regime’s brutal security forces. The regime, fighting for its life and in a “wounded animal” state of mind, will likely be much more aggressive both domestically and abroad, as its survival lies on the line. Together, these conditions set the ground for a prolonged military friction that is likely to get much more destructive before any clear win can be declared, or an alternative “exit strategy” could be identified.
US Designates Iran as State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention | Telegraph
The Islamic Republic is known to detain Westerners as hostages, with at least four Britons currently held in Iran, according to United Against Nuclear Iran.
VP Vance to Meet Omani Foreign Minister a Day After Geneva Talks | Iran International
US Vice President JD Vance will meet Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi in Washington on Friday, a day after indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States were held in Geneva, MSNBC reported. . . . Jason Brodsky, policy director at advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, wrote on X that he read the planned meeting as a sign the president “is not being satisfied with the results from the talks with Iran’s regime in Geneva.”
In recent months, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 86-year-old head of state, has appeared in public far less frequently, and reports suggesting that he may be operating from secure underground locations have intensified speculation . . .
After Massive Strikes, Iran’s Supreme Leader’s Fate Remains Unclear | Independent Journal Review
Analysts say [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s] authority extends through a deeply embedded network spanning the military, intelligence services, and political institutions. Researchers have described that system—often referred to as the “Bayt”—as a parallel structure that functions alongside Iran’s formal government. “The Bayt is the hidden nerve center of the regime in Iran . . . it operates as a state within a state,” Kasra Aarabi of United Against Nuclear Iran said. He added that the network is designed to endure even if the individual at its center is removed. “Even if he is eliminated, the Bayt as an institution enables the Supreme Leader to function,” Aarabi said. “Think of the Supreme Leader as an institution rather than just a single individual.”
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & REGIME CHANGE.
Nine people were killed and more than 40 were injured in Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, on Sunday afternoon by a direct Iranian ballistic missile impact. The missile struck a residential area in the city, destroying a synagogue and causing extensive damage to a public bomb shelter beneath it and surrounding homes.
IDF Names Several Top Iranian Intelligence Officers Killed in Opening Strike | Times of Israel
The IDF announces that several senior Iranian intelligence officials were killed in the opening strikes on Iran on Saturday. Among them is Seyed Yahya Hamidi, Iran’s deputy intelligence minister for Israel affairs, who the IDF says directed terror attacks against Jews, the West, and “regime opponents in Iran and abroad.”
Woman Killed, Dozens Injured as Iranian Missile Strikes Tel Aviv Residential Block | Times of Israel
A woman was killed and dozens more were injured by an Iranian missile that struck a Tel Aviv residential block late Saturday night, in the first deadly barrage to rock Israel during its renewed fighting with Iran.
Allies of US in the Gulf Bear Brunt of Iran Attacks | BBC News
As of Sunday afternoon, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) defence ministry said it had so far “dealt with” 165 incoming ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles and 541 Iranian drones. . . . since this conflict began on Saturday morning, Iran appears to have expanded its target set from just hitting military targets, like the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, to airports and other civilian sites. Now luxury hotels and shopping malls, high-rise apartment blocks, state-of-the-art airport departure terminals are getting sporadically hit as gaps appear in the Arab states’ air defences in the Gulf.
Iran Fires Cheap Drones into Arab Countries, Wreaking Havoc | New York Times
Having already proven its cheap and lethal effectiveness on the Ukrainian battlefield, the Iranian-made Shahed-136 kamikaze drone was unleashed across the Arab Gulf this weekend, inflicting significant damage amid Tehran’s direct retaliation to attacks by the United States and Israel. . . . Videos verified by The New York Times from Saturday show Shahed-136s slamming into buildings in Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
The C.I.A. Helped Pinpoint a Gathering of Iranian Leaders. Then Israel Struck | New York Times
Shortly before the United States and Israel were poised to launch an attack on Iran, the C.I.A. zeroed in on the location of perhaps the most important target: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader. The C.I.A. had been tracking Ayatollah Khamenei for months, gaining more confidence about his locations and his patterns, according to people familiar with the operation. Then the agency learned that a meeting of top Iranian officials would take place on Saturday morning at a leadership compound in the heart of Tehran. Most critically, the C.I.A. learned that the supreme leader would be at the site. The United States and Israel decided to adjust the timing of their attack, in part to take advantage of the new intelligence, according to officials with knowledge of the decisions. The information provided a window of opportunity for the two countries to achieve a critical and early victory: the elimination of top Iranian officials and the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei. The remarkably swift removal of Iran’s supreme leader reflected the close coordination and intelligence sharing between the United States and Israel in the run-up to the attack, and the deep intelligence the countries had developed on Iranian leadership, especially in the wake of last year’s 12-day war. The operation also showed the failure of Iran’s leaders to take adequate precautions to avoid exposing themselves at a time where both Israel and the United States sent clear signals that they were preparing for war.
Why the U.S. and Israel Struck When They Did: A Chance to Kill Iran’s Leaders | Wall Street Journal
At the same time, the president reopened a diplomatic track, saying he would rather cut a deal than attack. The U.S. team pushed tough demands—Iran would have to dismantle its nuclear facilities, turn over its stockpile of uranium and give up nuclear enrichment, none of which were acceptable to Iran. Iran appeared to show an openness to compromises that it had rejected outright in the past. But one of its latest proposals would have left Iran with thousands of advanced centrifuges and permitted Iran to enrich uranium as much as 20%—far in excess of the initial caps on Iran’s nuclear program under the 2015 nuclear deal. The Iranian position wasn’t anywhere close to the token enrichment program the U.S. was willing to consider, U.S. officials said. Trump got on the phone Thursday with his two envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, U.S. officials said. They told him the talks had gone badly: Tehran wasn’t willing to end its nuclear enrichment or dismantle its missile program, the officials said. That further confirmed for Trump that he had one option left, the officials said. The U.S. also had intelligence that Iran considered attacking American targets before Trump authorized strikes, a senior administration official said, adding a sense of urgency to the president’s decision. U.S. casualties and damage to American interests would be higher unless the U.S. moved first, the senior official said.
Inside Trump’s Decision to Attack Iran: ‘A Window of Opportunity’ | Guardian
The US thinking behind decapitating the Iranian regime was a belief that while the Iranian revolutionary guard might be deeply loyal to Khamenei, in the event of his death, they would not back any of his successors to the same extent, the people said. . . . Senior US officials said on Saturday that Trump weighed a number of factors for strikes. One official said the main rationale was Iran’s arsenal of conventional missiles, which they said posed an “intolerable threat” to the US that Iran refused to address. . . . Another official said the US was suspicious of Iran’s claim their nuclear enrichment was for peaceful purposes. The US offered free nuclear fuel “forever,” but that was rejected by Iran. The official said that was a “big tell” to negotiators. The US also developed intelligence that Iran was rebuilding its enrichment sites that were destroyed in Trump’s Operation Midnight Hammer last year, the official said. The US believed Iran was stockpiling partially enriched uranium and ultimately did not want a deal.
How Trump Decided to Strike Iran | NBC News
A last chance to avert war with Iran played out Thursday in Geneva, where Trump administration officials told Iranian counterparts they must not take certain steps needed to build a nuclear bomb. . . . It didn’t go well. As the U.S. delegation laid out its position that Iran couldn’t enrich uranium for the next 10 years, the Iranian side balked, said a senior Trump administration official . . . Iran has an “inalienable right” to enrich uranium, Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, told the Americans. And the U.S. has an “inalienable right” to stop you, Steve Witkoff, a member of the U.S. delegation, replied. After having heard the U.S. demands, Araghchi started yelling at Witkoff, who was accompanied at the meeting by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, among others, said the senior official. “If you prefer, I can leave,” Witkoff said. Afterward, the American delegation reported back to Trump what had happened. Trump was “nonplussed,” the senior official said.
IDF Says 40 Iranian Commanders Killed in Opening Strikes | Times of Israel
The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] says it killed 40 “key” Iranian military commanders in its opening strikes in Iran yesterday, including Iran’s chief of staff, Abdolrahim Mousavi. . . . The IDF says that “the majority of the highest-ranking senior military officials of the Iranian security leadership have been eliminated by the IDF.”
US is Sinking Iran’s Navy, Trump Says | Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the U.S. military was sinking Iran's Navy, having destroyed nine Iranian warships so far and “going after the rest.” . . . U.S. strikes also pummeled Iran's naval headquarters, largely destroying it, Trump said. . . . Trump, who announced plans to completely destroy Iran’s Navy, said the remaining Iranian warships would soon be sunk.
Three Ships Attacked Near Strait of Hormuz as Fears Grow of Oil Price Rises | BBC News
At least three ships have been attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran continues to launch strikes across the Middle East in response to an ongoing attack against it by the US and Israel. Two vessels have been struck, and an “unknown projectile” was reported to have “exploded in very close proximity” to a third, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said. . . . At least 150 tankers have dropped anchor in open Gulf waters beyond the Strait of Hormuz, although a handful of Iranian and Chinese vessels have passed through today, according to ship-tracking platform Kpler.
Trump Says War Could Last Weeks and Offers Contradictory Visions of New Regime | New York Times
President Trump said on Sunday that the U.S. military intends to sustain its assault on Iran for “four to five weeks” if necessary, insisting that it “won’t be difficult” for Israel and the United States to maintain the intensity of the battle even as he warned of the possibility of more American casualties. In a brief telephone interview with The New York Times, Mr. Trump offered several seemingly contradictory visions of how power might be transferred to a new government—or even whether the existing Iranian power structure would run that government or be overthrown. Among the options he suggested was an outcome similar to what he engineered in Venezuela, in which only the top leader was removed during an American military strike and much of the rest of the government remained in place, but newly willing to work pragmatically with the United States.
US Officials Skeptical of Regime Change in Tehran After Khamenei Killing, Say Sources | Reuters
Following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, many senior U.S. officials remain skeptical that the U.S. and Israeli military operation against the Islamic Republic will lead to a regime change in the near term. . . . One U.S. official with knowledge of internal White House deliberations said IRGC officials are unlikely to voluntarily capitulate in part because they have benefited from a vast patronage network designed to maintain internal loyalty.
Trump Says US Military Operations Against Iran Are ‘Ahead of Schedule’ | Iran International
US military operations against Iran are “ahead of schedule,” President Donald Trump said in an interview with CNBC on Sunday.
Push from Saudis, Israel Helped Move Trump to Attack Iran | Washington Post
President Donald Trump launched Saturday’s wide-ranging attack on Iran after a weeks-long lobbying effort by an unusual pair of U.S. allies in the Middle East — Israel and Saudi Arabia — according to four people familiar with the matter . . . Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made multiple private phone calls to Trump over the past month advocating a U.S. attack, despite his public support for a diplomatic solution, the four people said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, continued his long-running public campaign for U.S. strikes against what he views as an existential enemy of his country. . . . In the briefing on Tuesday for the Gang of Eight, which consists of the leaders of the House, the Senate and each chamber’s intelligence committees, Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated to lawmakers that the mission’s timing and goals were shaped by the fact that Israel was going to attack with or without the United States, according to a person familiar with the administration’s outreach to lawmakers. “So the only debate that seemed to be remaining was whether the U.S. would launch in concert with Israel or if the U.S. would wait until Iran retaliated on U.S. military targets in the region and then engage,” the person said.
UK Will Allow US to Use Bases to Strike Iranian Missile Sites, PM Says | BBC News
The UK has agreed to a US request to use British military bases for “defensive” strikes on Iranian missile sites, [British Prime Minister] Sir Keir Starmer has said. But the prime minister said the UK had learned lessons from the “mistakes of Iraq,” and was not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and “will not join offensive action now.”
France ‘Ready’ to Defend Gulf States Against Iran as Middle East Conflict Widens | France 24
France is "ready" to defend Gulf countries and Jordan against Iran if necessary, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Monday.
Iranian Drone Hit RAF Base, Cyprus President Says | BBC News
An Iranian drone crashed into a British RAF base in Cyprus on Sunday, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has said. No casualties were reported and the base sustained ‘minimal damage,’ but the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said family members will be moved to alternative accommodation as a precautionary measure.
UK Plans Mass Evacuation as Iran Strikes Close Middle East Airports | Sky News
The Foreign Office has mounted an unprecedented operation to support British citizens in the Middle East, as airstrikes throw travel in the region into chaos. Sky News understands UK officials are working on plans for potential routes for the evacuation of tens of thousands, should airspace in the Gulf remain off-limits.
DIPLOMACY
‘I Have Agreed to Talk’ | Atlantic
“They [the Iranian regime’s leaders] want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” Trump told me . . . I asked Trump whether he was willing to prolong the U.S. bombing campaign against Iran to support a popular uprising if one unfolds. “Will they continue to get support if it takes some time to overthrow the regime?” I asked. Trump was noncommittal. “I have to look at the situation at the time it happens, Michael. You can’t give an answer to that question,” he said. But the president also expressed confidence that a successful uprising was coming, noting the signs of celebration in the streets of Iran and supportive gatherings of expatriate Iranians in New York and Los Angeles. “That is going to happen. You are seeing that, and I think it’s gonna happen. A lot of people are extremely happy over there and in Los Angeles and in many other places,” he told me.
Trump Floats “Off Ramps” After Attacking Iran | Axios
President Trump told Axios on Saturday that he has several ‘off ramps’ from Operation Epic Fury . . . “I can go long and take over the whole thing, or end it in two or three days and tell the Iranians: ‘See you again in a few years if you start rebuilding [your nuclear and missile programs],’” Trump said . . . “In any case, it will take them several years to recover from this attack,” he predicted. . . . Trump cited two main reasons for launching the strikes—the first being the failure of negotiations this week led by his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “The Iranians got close and then pulled back—close and then pulled back. I understood from that that they don’t really want a deal,” he said. The second reason was Iran’s conduct over the last several decades.
PROXY WARS
Hezbollah Launches Missiles at Israel from Lebanon after Iran Strikes by US, IDF | Axios
Hezbollah fired several missiles from Lebanon towards Israel on Sunday, two days after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, the Tehran-backed militant group and the IDF said.
Israel carried out heavy airstrikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, after the Iran-backed group launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. . . . Lebanon’s government quickly condemned Hezbollah’s decision to bomb Israel without consulting the state. Without naming the militant group by name, Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said he will “not allow the country to be dragged into new adventures.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran Names Interim Leadership After Khamenei Killing | The Hill
Iran has named interim leadership in the wake of the U.S. and Israel’s joint strike that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian state television. In [an X post] . . . Iranian state television Press TV said members of an interim leadership council include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Guardian Council jurist member Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and head of the Iranian judiciary Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i.
HOMELAND SECURITY
U.S. Cities Step Up Security amid Iran Tensions | Axios
U.S. counterterrorism and intelligence teams are on high alert and law enforcement in major cities have bolstered security in the wake of this weekend’s strikes on Iran. . . . FBI director Kash Patel instructed federal counterterrorism and intelligence to “mobilize all assisting security assets needed” after placing them on high alert Saturday, per a post to X, while law enforcement in D.C., New York City and Los Angeles are among those to take additional steps.
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
Hackers Hit Iranian Apps, Websites After U.S.-Israeli Strikes | Reuters
A wave of cyber-enabled operations took place early Saturday morning alongside the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on targets across Iran, according to cybersecurity experts and observers. The operations included the hacking of multiple news websites to display various messages and the hack of BadeSaba, a religious calendar app with more than 5 million downloads, which displayed messages telling users “It’s time for reckoning” and urging armed forces to give up weapons and join the people.
EUROPE & IRAN
EU Nations Call for ‘Maximum Restraint,’ Respect for International Law in Iran Conflict | Reuters
“We call for maximum restraint, protection of civilians and full respect of international law, including the principles of the United Nations Charter, and international humanitarian law,” said a statement issued by [EU foreign policy chief Kaja] Kallas on behalf of all EU members. The statement came after an emergency video conference of EU foreign ministers on Sunday, called after the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, and Tehran responded with strikes on Israel, U.S. forces and Gulf countries. “Iran’s attacks and violation of sovereignty of a number of countries in the region are inexcusable. Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes,” the EU statement said. . . . The text was a compromise that reflected diverse views within the EU . . . on the military action launched by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that now was not the time to lecture partners and allies. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, by contrast, “rejected” the U.S. and Israeli action on Saturday, saying it “contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order.”
IRAQ & IRAN
Protesters Try to Storm Baghdad Zone Housing US Embassy: Security Source | Agence France-Presse
Hundreds of Iraqis attempted Sunday to storm Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located, after the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, an AFP journalist reported. “Their attempts had been thwarted so far, but they keep trying,” a security source told AFP. AFP’s journalist said protesters, some holding flags of pro-Iran armed groups, threw stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas. Local media reported protests in other provinces in southern Iraq.
PAKISTAN & IRAN
At Least 22 People Killed in Pakistan as Protesters Try to Storm US Consulate | Associated Press
Violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi and in the country’s north left at least 22 people dead and more than 120 others injured as demonstrators supportive of the Iranian government attempted to storm a U.S. Consulate on Sunday, authorities said. In the north of the country, demonstrators attacked U.N. and government offices.