Just before dawn on Tuesday, hundreds of Iranians gathered in Isfahan hoping to stop two young men from being hanged. Instead, security forces violently dispersed the crowd and publicly executed 25-year-old Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and 28-year-old Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi.
Both men were convicted on charges stemming from clashes that Iranian authorities say resulted in the deaths of four security officers. Human rights groups say the men were sentenced after proceedings marred by allegations of torture, forced confessions, and closed-door trials. 
The executions stem from the nationwide uprising that began in late December after a currency collapse, soaring inflation, and worsening living conditions sparked protests across Iran. Iranian regime forces responded with a sweeping crackdown that included internet shutdowns, mass arrests, and the widespread use of lethal force. 
The executions, which reportedly took place at 3:40 a.m. local time, coinciding with the morning call to prayer, came despite last-minute appeals from United Nations experts, international human rights organizations, and the State Department.
Days before the hangings, State Department Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Riley Barnes condemned Iran&#8217;s execution campaign, saying the United States stood with &#8220;brave young Iranians who dared to raise their voices&#8221; and calling on the regime to release political prisoners and stop executing individuals for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights.
President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116958077127443735">has continued </a>to call out the treatment of protesters and the executions, including last week, when he shared a graphic about the execution of another January protester, 23-year-old Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi. 
&#8220;The latest one of 52,000, plus, innocent protesters. Savages!!! When will the Dumocrats wake up??? Trump posted.
Human rights groups have not verified Trump&#8217;s figure of 52,000 protesters killed, though Amnesty International and U.N. officials have estimated that several thousand were killed during the regime&#8217;s January crackdown. Iran has acknowledged that 3,117 people were killed.
Rather than silencing dissent, the executions appeared to galvanize it for the first time since January.
Videos posted by <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-isfahan-protests-demonstration-execution-prison-human-rights/33816596.html">Radio Free Europe</a> showed crowds gathering in Isfahan to demonstrate during the executions, with demonstrators chanting &#8220;Without honor!&#8221; while security forces maintained a heavy presence.
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Iranian Demonstrators Protest State Executions In Isfahan
Videos posted on social media appeared to show crowds of protesters gathering in Isfahan on July 28 to demonstrate as state executions of two men took place.
With more executions feared, the videos show groups of people… <a href="https://t.co/6U550mm6od">pic.twitter.com/6U550mm6od</a>
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) <a href="https://x.com/RFERL/status/2082021684832285137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2026</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202607283664">Videos</a> shared by Iran International showed residents gathering overnight in hopes of stopping the executions before authorities dispersed the crowd.
Messages sent to Iran International from Bandar Abbas, Pardis, Khomein, and other cities described a country grieving but increasingly determined to continue resisting the Islamic Republic. Many said they stayed awake until morning hoping the executions would be called off.
&#8220;We wished until sunrise that morning would never come to Isfahan,&#8221; one person wrote.
&#8220;The people of Isfahan showed that when the next call comes, millions across the country will return to the streets,&#8221; one resident of Bandar Abbas said.
Another reaction shared by the outlet echoed that sentiment: &#8220;Did you think executing our brothers and sisters would make us retreat or become afraid? It has only made us more determined.&#8221;
The two men were among 12 defendants sentenced to death in what has become known as the Alikhani Square case, which stems from the January anti-government protests in Isfahan. They are reportedly accused of arson, vandalism, killing four security personnel, and “waging war on God.”
According to the Oslo-based <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/28/prisoners-iran-largest-jail-sew-lips-shut-hunger-strike-executions-soar">Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO)</a> organization, 62 people were initially arrested in connection with the incident and subjected to months of interrogation, during which rights groups allege many were tortured. 
Ahead of the executions, U.N. experts led by Special Rapporteur <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/07/un-experts-urge-iran-quash-death-sentences-12-protesters-single-hearing-halt">Mai Sato</a> urged Iranian authorities to halt the executions and claimed sentencing all 12 defendants to death in a single closed-door proceeding violated internationally recognized fair trial standards. The experts said the convictions relied heavily on televised confessions, while hearings were held behind closed doors and judgments were never made public. 
IHRNGO also alleged that some defendants were tried remotely from prison without lawyers present and that Iranian state television later aired forced confessions as part of a propaganda documentary. The organization also says families of death row prisoners are routinely threatened and coerced into remaining silent about their loved ones&#8217; cases.
According to IHRNGO, at least 26 protesters have been executed in connection with the December 2025–January 2026 uprising, including Sepahi and Safari, and more than 70 additional protesters remain at risk of execution in Isfahan&#8217;s Dastgerd Central Prison.
Even behind prison walls, resistance has continued. Hundreds of death row inmates at Ghezel Hesar Prison near Tehran have joined a mass hunger strike to protest Iran&#8217;s escalating use of the death penalty, reported The Guardian. According to Iranian rights groups, at least 1,500 prisoners have participated in the strike, which began after six men convicted on drug-related charges were transferred to solitary confinement ahead of possible executions. 
Videos shared by rights groups show prisoners holding signs reading &#8220;No to Executions&#8221; and chanting, &#8220;Be our voice.&#8221; 
In one video, a prisoner is seen sewing his lips shut after he said prison officials ignored the protest for days. 
According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/28/prisoners-iran-largest-jail-sew-lips-shut-hunger-strike-executions-soar">IHRNGO</a>, at least 424 people have been executed in Iran so far this year. The organization documented 795 executions in 2025, the highest annual total in years. 
While many of those executions involved drug-related offenses, rights groups say the Islamic Republic has increasingly used capital punishment against political dissidents and protesters in the months following the January anti-government uprising, with many convictions allegedly secured through torture and forced confessions. 
Iran Human Rights Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam condemned Tuesday&#8217;s hangings, calling public executions &#8220;a cruel form of state terror&#8221; intended to instill fear and deter future protests. 
&#8220;By resorting once again to the medieval practice of public hangings, the Islamic Republic is trying to instill fear throughout society and deter future protests,&#8221; Amiry-Moghaddam said. &#8220;Public executions are a cruel form of state terror that the international community must not tolerate.&#8221; 
<a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/07/iran-lack-of-international-justice-six-months-after-january-protest-massacres-risks-further-atrocity-crimes/">Amnesty International </a>warned that the international community&#8217;s failure to hold Tehran accountable for its crackdown risks emboldening further abuses.
“The international community’s failure to pursue international justice for these serious crimes has emboldened the Iranian authorities to threaten further mass killings by ‘trigger-ready’ security forces targeting protesters and dissidents they label as ‘enemies.’” Diana Eltahawy, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said.

Belgium v IR Iran: Group G – FIFA World Cup 2026

The Chilling Message Sent To Anyone Who Dares Speak Out

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President Donald Trump delivered a scorched-earth warning to Tehran on Wednesday, declaring the United States will &#8220;beat the f*cking sh*t out of&#8221; Iran following a brazen overnight sneak attack targeting American troops stationed in Jordan.
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Speaking to Fox News, a furious Trump did not mince words about how the United States intends to handle the Islamic Republic&#8217;s latest provocation.
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“We’ll be hitting them hard, they’re going to get a beating,” Trump warned, promising a swift and devastating response to the surprise barrage.
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According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the assault <a href="https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2082231500318114110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2082231500318114110%7Ctwgr%5E6fee11305a9cb341fe108ab05a5e98353ea31bca%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.dailywire.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1146061action%3Dedit">began</a> at 5:45 p.m. ET when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) unleashed a salvo of ballistic missiles directly from Iranian territory aimed at U.S. bases in the Middle East.
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American defense systems locked on and successfully intercepted every single incoming missile in a high-stakes, real-time operation. Trump revealed he reviewed intense video footage of the shootdown, describing U.S. service members frantically calling out coordinates with just minutes to spare to ensure no enemy fire slipped through.
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The dramatic escalation comes despite behind-the-scenes diplomatic talks. Following a crushing 13-day U.S. bombing campaign, Iranian officials had reportedly approached the White House seeking negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz and their nuclear ambitions. However, Tehran shattered any goodwill with the surprise attack.
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The Iranian regime’s aggression appears to be wildly backfiring. By indiscriminately launching attacks across the Middle East, Tehran has accidentally forged a powerful, informal coalition of regional rivals now uniting to crush Iranian proxies.
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Overnight, U.S. forces teamed up with Saudi Arabia to launch coordinated airstrikes hitting Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militias. Trump confirmed the strikes were coordinated with Iraq&#8217;s government. He slammed the militias as “a cancer on the world” and signaled more warnings to Iranian proxies are coming. Other Gulf nations, including Kuwait and the UAE, have also taken limited military action against Iranian coastal strongholds like Bandar Abbas.
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The explosive developments follow Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called “positive and productive.” It signaled an ironclad, united front between Washington and Jerusalem as Operation Epic Fury heats up.
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While Trump noted behind-the-scenes talks will technically continue, his message to Tehran was crystal clear: an American reckoning is coming.
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President Trump Meets With Lebanese President Joseph Aoun

Trump Vows To ‘Beat The F*cking Sh*t Out Of’ Iran After Its Sneak Attack On U.S. Troops

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There&#8217;s an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TomCottonAR/videos/the-alliance-between-marxists-and-islamists-is-taking-over-the-democrat-party-no/1617106106672082/">emerging alliance</a> in American politics between the far Left and radical Islam. The only tangible thing that Marxists and Islamists have in common is their hatred for Western society. Liberalism, capitalism, and Judeo-Christian values run contrary to both groups. 
Of course, the values of Islamic society are, in practice, more offensive to the Left-wing vision than those of the West. Marxists value socioeconomic equity above all else. There is no metric by which Islam is remotely conducive to this. In traditional Western society, there are different cultural expectations for men and women. In Islamic society women are treated like property. In Western society there is a mobile meritocracy (even Marx did not deny this). In Islamic society there is a rigid aristocracy. Most notably, Western society lends itself to representative government while Islamic society does not.
Yet the Left views Islam as a natural ally in its fight against Western society. The reasons for this are manifold: naivete, delusions of grandeur, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weekend-plans-with-gad-saad">suicidal empathy</a>. Most likely, it’s as simple as the West being the currently established order, while Islam (for the time being) comes from the fringe. Everything looks harmless on the fringe.
But this delusional self-sabotage is nothing new. We saw this before in pre-revolutionary Iran.
In the late 1970s, Iran’s communist Tudeh Party joined forces with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in his rebellion against the Shah. Both groups felt that the Shah was oppressive and wanted change. They worked together to overthrow him and install Khomeini in his place. Once Khomeini consolidated power around himself, he outlawed the Tudeh party and executed the Marxists en masse. In 1988, he issued a fatwa executing thousands of Iranian leftists, including those already imprisoned.
A common adage often applied here is, “When people tell you who they are, believe them.” This is good advice for many of the masses of mindless activists on the ground, but in the case of intellectual thought leaders, it is arrogance more than naivete that drives this mistake. 
Tudeh Secretary General Nureddin Kianuri said in a 1979 <a href="https://www.merip.org/1980/03/interview-with-tudehs-kianuri/">interview</a> that socialism in Iran “cannot have a Muslim content but will be achieved through the cooperation of Muslim forces.” By his own admission, he believed that he could use Islamism as a controlled weapon against the West and then simply turn it off when he was done with it. Nureddin Kianuri was arrested by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1983 and never saw freedom again.
Of course, the Marxists of today will never learn from the mistakes of the Marxists of the past. If they were capable of such a thing, they would not be Marxists in the first place.
Still, the lesson is an important one as coalition-building becomes necessary in the United States. You cannot control fundamentalist ideologies. The Marxists believed they could point jihadism at the Shah like a loaded gun. It wasn’t a gun. It was a plague. And once unleashed, it did not discriminate in who it destroyed.
When you are angry with the establishment, it can be tempting to look for support wherever you can find it. This phenomenon is not localized to the Red-Green alliance. It rears its head in every political movement that finds itself compromising with radicalism to achieve political goals.
Another group that can stand to take notes is the Left-wing establishment. The likes of Senator Chuck Schumer seem to believe that kowtowing to the socialists within his party will keep him in power. At its core, socialism is incompatible with the traditional Democratic Party. Democratic elites think they can accommodate it anyway and simply direct its radical destructionism toward their enemies.
There is no appeasing this group. First they came for the Republicans; next they’ll come for you, Chuck. You’ll be lucky if they even wait that long. It’s all the same to them. Of course, the Schumers of the world won&#8217;t wise up to this anytime soon. If they were capable of such a thing, the Democratic Socialists of America never would have made it this far in the party.
The Marxists believe they can use the Islamists just like the Democrats believed they could use the Marxists. They were wrong. The enemy of your enemy is not always your friend. 
In the conservative movement, we face a similar crossroads. The growing influence of radical influencers, especially among young Republicans, shares commonalities with the socialist takeover of the Democratic Party. We mustn’t make Democrats&#8217; mistake.
That is why there is no point in tiptoeing around conflict with the likes of Tucker Carlson. A great many on our side of the aisle have cautioned against direct conflict with them, especially as influencers such as Megyn Kelly and Piers Morgan become louder opponents of the conservative movement. We’re frequently told not to &#8220;alienate&#8221; these people. We should reject these calls.
If they end up voting the way we do, that’s great. But we cannot give an inch to ideologies that are incompatible with our values. Carlson’s anti-capitalist rhetoric, rampant antisemitism, and suggestion of a class revolution demonstrate where his values lie. If we legitimize him, even as a &#8220;calculated move” against our political adversaries, it will inevitably destroy us.
Whether it was arrogance or naivete that drove the Iranian leftists into the arms of the Ayatollah is ultimately irrelevant. We cannot afford either in the conservative movement. We must see our enemies for who they are. 
***
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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History Already Told Us How This Radical Alliance Ends

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U.S., Saudi Jets Hit Iran-Backed Terror Targets In Iraq

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Ukrainian drones have recently struck vessels and other assets used in military cargo shipments between Iran and Russia across the Caspian Sea. The attacks expand Kyiv’s long-range drone campaign into waters more than 430 miles from Ukraine’s nearest border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed responsibility for the attacks on Saturday. “We also achieved very strong results with long‑range strikes in the Caspian Sea — including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship,” he wrote.
The Security Service of Ukraine said the strikes hit a Russian oil field, a Russian missile boat, and ships used to transport Iranian drones to Russia. The operation forms part of a wider campaign that has also reached oil refineries far inside Russia and contributed to an energy crisis in a country that remains one of the world’s largest petroleum producers.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, blamed Zelensky on Sunday for a strike he said killed a sailor on an Iranian commercial vessel. Araghchi said that he contacted Russian and European Union leaders and stated that Kyiv’s actions could not go unanswered, and Iran summoned the Ukrainian chargé d’affaires in Tehran.
Analysts noted the strikes also allow Ukraine to signal alignment with the Trump administration on Iran. Hanna Notte of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies said the attacks more closely link the European and Middle Eastern theaters.
&#8220;The more that Zelensky can signal to Trump that he’s on Trump’s side against Iran, the better,&#8221; she said.
The Caspian Sea attacks come as Zelensky arrives in Washington for talks with President Donald Trump. Zelensky is expected to press for firmer U.S. commitments on air defenses, including a license that would allow Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. Russia has stepped up ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, Zelensky has said interceptors are urgently needed, and a Raytheon delegation visited Kyiv last week. 
After the meeting with Zelensky, Trump is scheduled to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both leaders are in Washington for the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
The timing has highlighted the growing overlap between the two conflicts. Kyiv has called Iran a “direct accomplice to Russian aggression against Ukraine.” Zelensky said his country has evidence that Russia shared satellite imagery with Tehran to help it attack U.S. military facilities and Gulf states. Trump said he would ask Putin about the claim and that it had no impact even if true.
Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed one-way attack drones since the fall of 2022. Russia later began producing its own version of the drones, the Geran, at a factory 600 miles east of Moscow. Ukrainian forces targeted that plant as recently as last year. The Caspian Sea has served as a key route for the shipment of these drones, along with other military shipments. Russia has used shipping companies to move equipment from Iran to the Russian mainland, with some vessels continuing via rivers and canals to the Black Sea.
The sea gives Iran its most direct path to Russia and Central Asia. Nicole Grajewski, an assistant professor at Sciences Po who has written on the Russia-Iran partnership, described the route as “somewhat unfettered by any kind of interdiction by the United States or other partners.”
Trump paused U.S. strikes on Iran over the weekend while considering further action aimed at loosening Tehran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s southern ports remain more important economically, but the Caspian Sea offers a way around the blockade of its Persian Gulf and northern Arabian Sea facilities.
Israel targeted a naval outpost on Iran’s Caspian coast in March. Continued Ukrainian strikes there could pressure an economic link for both countries under sanctions. Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said Iran sees the attacks “in the context of this bigger picture of being under blockades from both the south and the north.”
Since the U.S. and Israeli campaign against Iran began in February, Tehran has used Shahed drones against commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, civilian airports and seaports, Gulf oil infrastructure, and American bases in the region.
The Ukrainian moves follow earlier U.S. efforts to isolate Iran’s key southern port. In mid-July, American forces struck bridges, railways, and other transport links around Bandar Abbas, the strategic city on the Strait of Hormuz that hosts Iran’s naval headquarters. Those <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-pounds-bridges-and-roads-to-cut-off-irans-strategic-port-city">strikes</a> were intended to cut the city off from the rest of the country while targeting maritime surveillance assets used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In Moscow, the mayor reported that more than 390 Ukrainian drones targeted the capital region overnight into Tuesday, with most intercepted. Damage was confirmed to a high-rise south of the city and a warehouse to the west. No casualties were reported.

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Ukraine Steps Up Attacks On Iranian-Linked Assets As Zelensky Visits Trump

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The United States and Israel appear to be preparing for a potential escalation with Iran, as Washington surges military assets into the Middle East, Israeli cities reopen bomb shelters, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington next week for high-stakes talks with President Donald Trump.
The moves follow nearly two weeks of U.S. strikes against Iranian targets and increasingly aggressive rhetoric from both Washington and Tehran. 
While neither country has announced plans for a broader offensive, a series of military, diplomatic, and civil defense moves suggests officials are preparing for that possibility.
<a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-surges-forces-toward-middle-east-giving-trump-options-to-expand-iran-war-e5d627b1">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported that the Pentagon has quietly expanded its military footprint in recent days, deploying special operations forces, fighter squadrons, aerial refueling tankers, and placing bomber aircraft on heightened alert. 
The Journal also reported that approximately 150 additional medics have arrived at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where wounded U.S. service members from the Middle East are typically treated.
The buildup follows <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-will-never-recover-widow-of-u-s-soldier-killed-in-middle-east-shares-heartbreaking-tribute?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98I+Will+Never+Recover%E2%80%99%3A+Widow+Of+U.S.+Soldier+Killed+In+Middle+East+Shares+Heartbreaking+Tribute">the deaths</a> of several U.S. service members in recent Iranian attacks, including three troops killed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and another soldier killed in northern Iraq while attempting to detonate an explosive from an Iranian drone.
Israel has also begun taking measures that suggest officials are preparing for the possibility of direct Iranian retaliation.
Israeli journalist Amit Segal <a href="https://x.com/AmitSegal/status/2080643117569528009/photo/1">reported</a> that the country&#8217;s alert levels have reached their highest point, with the Israeli Air Force and Military Intelligence Directorate placed on heightened readiness. Home Front Command personnel have reportedly been told to expect call-up orders, while reservists and recently discharged soldiers have been warned they could soon be mobilized. 
Segal also reported that Mossad Director Roman Gofman traveled to Washington roughly two weeks ago to meet with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and White House officials.
Cities across Israel have begun reopening public bomb shelters. 
Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen announced his city had reopened all public shelters after a security assessment concluded that &#8220;the risk of missile fire from Iran over the weekend has increased and is no longer negligible,” reported the <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-903421">Jerusalem Post</a>.
The southern city of Eilat also reopened shelters and ordered emergency personnel to remain prepared to open additional facilities immediately if needed. Israel&#8217;s Health Ministry reportedly has reviewed emergency hospitalization plans with hospitals nationwide.
Despite the moves, there have not been any nationwide changes to Israeli Home Front Command guidance.
The preparations come as Netanyahu is set to visit Washington next week for talks with Trump at the White House. 
In recent days, the president has increased his rhetoric against Iran, including pledging that the U.S. will seize Iranian assets to compensate for damages caused during the conflict. 
He also vowed to hold Iran directly responsible for future Houthi attacks on commercial shipping, warned that any Iranian attack on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz would result in U.S. strikes on bridges or power plants near Tehran, and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/23/trump-axios-iran-interview">told Axios</a> he is considering &#8220;a massive attack&#8221; that would be &#8220;bigger than ever before.&#8221;
Earlier this month, Trump publicly threatened to strike Iran&#8217;s deeply buried &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-is-pickaxe-mountain-and-why-is-trump-talking-about-it?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=What+Is+Iran%E2%80%99s+Pickaxe+Mountain+%E2%80%94+And+Why+Is+Trump+Talking+About+It%3F">Pickaxe Mountain</a>&#8221; nuclear complex, saying the United States had &#8220;eyes on it&#8221; and that it was &#8220;a possible target for a nice big fat shot right in the front door.&#8221;
The site is believed by some analysts to be among Iran&#8217;s most heavily fortified nuclear facilities.
Asked about Israel&#8217;s potential role in any upcoming attack, Trump said the Jewish state &#8220;would join in two minutes if I asked them to,&#8221; while adding that &#8220;we don&#8217;t need anybody.&#8221;
Iran has continued issuing threats of its own.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned civilians across the Middle East to stay at least 500 meters away from U.S. military installations, signaling that additional attacks could be imminent. 
Tehran has also warned that if Iranian oil exports are blocked, no country will be able to export oil safely, adding that the Strait of Hormuz &#8220;will not return to pre-war conditions.&#8221; 
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also condemned Trump&#8217;s proposal to use frozen Iranian assets to compensate victims of the conflict, calling it &#8220;an incendiary precedent.&#8221;
Despite absorbing 13 consecutive nights of U.S. strikes, Iran has largely confined its retaliation to Gulf countries hosting American troops rather than opening a direct front against Israel.
Tehran has struck Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan, all of which host U.S. forces. Although some attacks near Aqaba, Jordan, triggered Israeli air defenses in nearby Eilat, Iran has yet to unleash the sustained missile barrages against Israel that characterized previous confrontations.

Donald Trump & Benjamin Netanyahu

The Signs U.S. And Israel’s Most Punishing Move Against Iran Is Closing In

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Satellite imagery obtained by Israeli and Western officials <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/satellite-images-show-iran-is-rebuilding-fast-199978f7?mod=middle-east_news_article_pos1">shows</a> that Iran has quickly repaired and rebuilt infrastructure damaged by the joint U.S. and Israeli air campaign. The work covers missile bases inside mountains, bridges, ports, and production facilities.
Near Kangavar in Western Iran, Planet Labs satellite images from March showed two tunnel entrances and an access road damaged by airstrikes meant to block access to a missile base. Within weeks, Airbus imagery showed a paved road leading to freshly excavated entrances.
North of Kermanshah, Planet Labs images from the start of the war documented heavy damage to another missile base. By the first week of June, Airbus images showed crews repairing roads as trucks cleared dirt and reopened collapsed tunnel entrances.
A missile base in Dezful was struck by Israel in June of 2025 and again in early March, burying its entrances. Three months later, Airbus images showed Iran digging out multiple tunnel entrances. One Israeli military official said Iran repaired a bridge — which Israel had hit with three bombs — within days.
Planet Labs imagery from early July showed partial reconstruction at a shipyard in Bandar Anzali on the Caspian Sea, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Israel said it hit dozens of targets there in March, including warships, the port, a command center, and the shipyard used to repair and maintain vessels.
Near Tehran, Planet Labs images show partial reconstruction in recent weeks at Raja Shimi Industries, a plant assessed to be involved in missile component production. Several new structures appear to have been rebuilt.
Ran Kochav, former commander of Israel’s air and missile defense forces, said the recovery matches Iran’s record after the 12 day Israel-Iran war last June. “They refilled their stockpiles,” he said. “They have very impressive industrialization and reconstruction capabilities.”
Israeli military officials said strikes often collapsed entry points to mountain bases rather than destroying them. Weapons inside remained intact, meaning that Iran has only to dig them out. One official said: “Iran is rebuilding everything.” A second said Iran retains the know-how to rebuild almost everything, including missile and weapons systems.
Jim Lamson, a visiting research fellow at King’s College London and former CIA analyst, said facilities for advanced components such as carbon fiber could take months or years to restore. Iran may have stockpiled those components at underground sites, however, meaning that they could still potentially assemble dozens or hundreds of new missiles and drones in the short term.
Israeli intelligence services assess that Iran may have transferred thousands of centrifuges into tunnels inside <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-is-pickaxe-mountain-and-why-is-trump-talking-about-it">Pickaxe Mountain</a>.
The early U.S. and Israeli campaign involved more than 20,000 strikes. President Trump said last month that Iran’s military is “a complete and total mess” and that much of its navy and air force “doesn’t even exist anymore.” Netanyahu said Iran’s missile production machine was smashed and that the arsenal was emptying without new production — but that appears to have changed.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the operation destroyed Iran’s missile arsenal and production, sank its navy, weakened its militia allies, and ensured it will not possess a nuclear weapon. “This operation was a resounding victory by any objective measure,” she said.
Iran has continued to target ships and U.S. regional allies with missile and drone attacks — including Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, where an Iranian attack killed three U.S. soldiers over the weekend.
Tal Inbar, senior analyst at the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, said: “It turns out that the rumors about the end or the significant dwindling of the missiles were wrong.”
Iran’s leaders have not signaled any halt. “It is a matter of will, time, and money,” Inbar said.

Satellite imagery of Iran

Satellite Images Show Iran Rapidly Rebuilding Missile Bases And Infrastructure

Global Politics

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Iran war

Military

President Donald Trump may be looking at potential strikes on another growing Islamic terrorist hotbed in the coming weeks — this time in the West African nation of Mali.
The Trump administration has reportedly been considering strikes against Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al Qaeda-linked militant group operating in the Sahel region that has attacked both local militias and international forces and has endeavored to enforce strict Islamic law throughout its areas of control.
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/07/22/trump-administration-weighs-military-options-mali-officials-say/">reported</a> on Wednesday that the Trump administration is divided on military action — and said that one of those in favor of such is the current National Security Council’s senior director for counterterrorism, Sebastian Gorka.
One official did tell the outlet that, despite that division, the United States had been encouraging other nations in the region &#8220;to purchase U.S. equipment and services to support their war efforts against the terrorists.&#8221;
The entire region has been in a state of upheaval in recent years as a series of Russia-backed coups upended democratically elected governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — and the three nations have increasingly rejected ties with Western nations, instead joining together as The Alliance of Sahel States.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/they-kicked-america-out-now-theyre-being-hunted-by-jihadists">previously reported</a>, Niger overtly rejected the United States when President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration delivered an ultimatum just as the West African nation was inking a deal to provide Iran with Uranium. The Biden administration demanded that Niger cut ties with Russia and Iran, but the military junta running things at the time was disinclined to acquiesce. Instead, in addition to refusing Biden&#8217;s ultimatum, Niger ousted all remaining American military assets from the country — including a drone base that was used to target terrorists in the region.
Zineb Riboua, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, told The Daily Wire that the Biden administration&#8217;s presentation may have been the crux of the problem: &#8220;Instead of presenting it as an ultimatum, they could have presented an alternative. Instead of doing a uranium deal with Iran, why don’t you do one with the United States, and you get a school program or something in Niger, something they don’t have.&#8221;
But once the United States was gone, it was soon quickly apparent that the Russian security forces with whom they&#8217;d cast their lots were more of a liability than an asset. As previously reported, &#8220;The Russians were killing untold numbers of civilians and still somehow managing to cede ground to the jihadists. In fact, in Burkina Faso and Mali, the Russians and government forces actually killed more civilians last year than the jihadists.&#8221;
The situation has only deteriorated in the years since, leading to the current consideration of possible military action.
&#8220;We urge regional partners and NATO allies to support the Alliance of Sahel States in their war against JNIM and ISIS,&#8221; the Trump administration official told The Washington Post, noting that partnership with Russia had clearly only allowed the terrorist factions to fester and grow. &#8220;We hope that other African nations take note of Russia’s terrible performance in combating terrorism.&#8221;
When asked, Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not say whether he supported military action. Instead, the State Department said that the United States &#8220;unequivocally condemns the terrorist activity in Mali.&#8221;

Trump Says Israel And Lebanon To Extend Ceasefire By Three Weeks

Trump May Have His Eye On New Jihadi Hot Spot To Bomb

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Biden Administration

gorka

Islamic Jihad

Joe Biden

Mali

Marco Rubio

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Oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel Thursday for the first time since May as markets reacted to a major escalation in the war with Iran. 
Brent crude, the international benchmark, briefly traded above the $100 threshold after Iranian-backed Houthi militants attacked two oil tankers transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. The attacks heightened concerns about global oil shipments as disruptions continued in the Strait of Hormuz. Together, the two waterways handle roughly 30% of the world&#8217;s oil.
Goldman Sachs <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-could-surpass-120-per-barrel-if-disruptions-in-strait-of-hormuz-dont-ease-says-goldman-sachs-047f8f88">warned</a> Brent crude could climb as high as $120 per barrel if disruptions continue in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
President Donald Trump responded Thursday by <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116969243226176328">warning</a> Iran would face dire consequences if the Houthis continued targeting commercial shipping.
Trump said on social media that if the Houthis “do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves.” 
Reuters separately <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-flew-irgc-commanders-missile-gear-yemens-houthis-sources-say-2026-07-23/">reported</a> that Iran earlier this month flew military commanders, advisers, gold, and weapons into neighboring Yemen, citing two Iranian sources who said between 10 and 21 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders were aboard the flight &#8220;to support Houthi operations and provide training on new missile systems.&#8221;
The spike in oil prices also rattled financial markets. The Nasdaq 100 was on <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-23/us-stock-futures-drop-as-traders-focus-on-ai-spending-oil-jumps">pace</a> for its worst day in a month, while the Nasdaq Composite fell <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/live/stock-market-today-thursday-july-23-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-oil-bonds-earnings-084444369.html">2.6%</a>, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.1%, and the S&amp;P 500 lost 1.4%. 
The selloff came despite otherwise encouraging economic news, with initial jobless claims <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/us-weekly-jobless-claims-fall-123957463.html">falling</a> to their lowest level since 1969. 
A sustained rise in crude prices could also complicate the fight against inflation by increasing fuel and transportation costs throughout the economy.
Despite Thursday&#8217;s surge, Goldman Sachs maintained its forecast for Brent crude to average about $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter, citing stronger-than-expected production and weaker demand from China, South Korea, and the Middle East.

Gas pump

Oil Prices Surge Back Across Dire Milestone After Houthis Enter Iran War

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In a fiery speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump honored the troops that had fallen in the war against Iran, Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) gave a powerful rationale for the war.
Sheehy is a decorated Navy SEAL officer with extensive combat leadership experience across Iraq and Afghanistan. His service included leading SEAL Team TWO&#8217;s Bravo Platoon in heavy combat, assisting the 101st Airborne, and joining an urban strike force. He earned the Bronze Star with Valor and a Purple Heart.
&#8220;Yesterday we saw the president of the United States and many others at Dover Air Force Base presiding over a ceremony that is very sacred to those of us who served, and that is a dignified return of remains from the war zone,” he began. “That process happens beginning in the war zone through Dover to the hometown of our fallen heroes. I participated in many of those ceremonies myself to include carrying friends of mine off the plane. One of those is on this bracelet. He was cut in half by an Iranian EFP.”
“This regime that we are fighting does not care about our partisan politics,” he continued. “They don&#8217;t care who you voted for, who you pray to, or where you live. They want to kill all of us. And they don&#8217;t just say it; they actually do it, and they&#8217;ve been doing it for forty-seven years.”
“This is a war of choice,” he declared. “The Democrats are correct. It&#8217;s a war of choice that was begun by a radical lunatic band of terrorists that took over a beautiful nation 47 years ago, took it over with brutality, force, and savagery. And the second they took it over, they didn&#8217;t free their people; they didn&#8217;t unleash the largest oil reserves in the world to build schools and bridges. They took it over to murder their own people and to spread their disgusting ideology across the world, and that is exactly what they have been doing.”
“They don&#8217;t just say it and talk about it,” he pointed out. “You don&#8217;t have to believe what they say. You can simply watch what they&#8217;ve done. They have attacked families, women, children, innocent people. They don&#8217;t just attack them and kill them, they rape them. They skin them alive on camera. They celebrate it. They honor those people who do disgusting things that we would put in jail for the rest of their lives in this country, and they do it for fun, and they pay them money to do it, and they&#8217;re heroes to that nation. They&#8217;ve done it to friends of mine. They&#8217;ve done it to families who&#8217;ve been in this chamber.”
Then he crushed the opponents of the war who sit in Congress.
&#8220;And the fact that we sit here and listen to elected officials of this country defend these lunatics who want us all dead; they want all of you dead,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They want all of us dead. They don&#8217;t want us to disappear with a snap of a finger. They want us to be raped, burned alive, and cut into pieces. Watch the video from October 7. That&#8217;s what they want to happen from Maine to San Diego, from Seattle to Miami. They want this country turned into a burning husk of its former self, and you don&#8217;t have to theorize that. That&#8217;s what they do.&#8221;
He delineated the brutal history of Iran and its allies:
&#8220;From the 1983 barracks bombing, where 280 Marines were vaporized in a morning, from USS Cole to the Achille Lauro, to every terrorist attack, from the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas: These are not humanitarian freedom organizations. They are death-dealing cults, and they want all of us to die brutal deaths. William Buckley was abducted in 1985, an American military officer. He was skinned alive on camera by the Iranians. American prisoners of war who were captured? They were never called prisoners of war because they were captured by lunatic terrorists, so they were not subject to the Geneva Convention. They were captured and murdered, power drills through their brains. This is in Iraq. These are families that have dealt with this, and they&#8217;ve never gotten a single dime. These families have never gotten restitution, and not a single president has ever stood up to them.&#8221;
Sheehy then offered a paean to President Trump:
&#8220;Love Donald Trump or hate him, love his policies; hate ICE; love ICE, whatever. There&#8217;s never been a single president who has stood up to Iran and hit back. For 47 years, our troops and our families have been absorbing attack after attack after attack all over the world. And their radical ideology does not stop at the Persian Gulf. It doesn&#8217;t stop at Tel Aviv. They want to do this everywhere. It&#8217;s a global radical ideology, and we&#8217;ve been fighting it for half a century.&#8221;
“We didn&#8217;t start this war,” he asserted. “We did not, but we will finish it. And forever wars are not popular with anybody these days. Both sides love to attack our forever wars. And I can promise you, being someone overseas wearing the uniform, when you&#8217;re fighting for your country, you don&#8217;t care what party&#8217;s in office, but you&#8217;re fighting to defend your country, and you turn on the news and see your elected officials stabbing you in the back, telling you that you&#8217;re failing, that you&#8217;ve failed every goal of the war, is what I just heard. Last time I checked, we&#8217;ve wiped these bastards out. An occasional missile strike and boats in the straits, that&#8217;s not military strength. Those are the flailings of a failing empire. Those are the flailings of a nation in collapse because they deserve it.”
He concluded, &#8220;So I encourage our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, whatever&#8217;s politically convenient, whatever plays well on Twitter or Facebook, think about the people who are deployed right now, standing on that wall with a loaded weapon, who have volunteered to defend our country and our way of life. Because they are there defending us in a just war, because we did not start a war with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. They started it with us 47 years ago, and their attacks have gone unanswered for half a century. It&#8217;s time to fix this problem and make sure another generation of Americans does not have to fight this murderous, savage adversary.&#8221;

Shutdown Countdown Goes On With More Cards Turned

GOP Senator Bashes Dems For Defending Iranian ‘Lunatics’ In Fiery Speech

Montana

Tim Sheehy

For those who don’t understand the determined nature of our president when it comes to confronting the despotic Iranian regime, Secretary of State Marco Rubio — mincing no words, as usual — laid down Trump’s Law.
“I saw Araghchi, the [Iranian] Foreign Minister, the other day say something about their policy is ‘an eye for an eye,’” Rubio told reporters. “The president’s policy is ‘a head for an eye.’ I mean, honestly, that’s what it’s gonna be. They will pay a very heavy price for the things they&#8217;re doing.”
“They’re already paying a very heavy price,” he continued, before taking a shot at the mainstream media. “You guys don’t know it because you don’t cover it; you’re not in Iran; you’re not in the street; they don’t have a free media. But they’re going to continue to pay a very heavy price; their industrial base has been decimated; their defense industrial base has been decimated. They’re losing launchers; they’re losing radars every single night. They are suffering billions of dollars in damage, and their economy’s a disaster.”
Rubio then turned to the issue of other countries thinking the Iranian regime could be negotiated with:
<blockquote>
But despite all that, these people who are calling us every day, begging, “Let’s do a deal,”  they send us messages through other countries, third countries, I mean, they’re running out of countries to send. I had countries here coming up to me, “Oh, I just spoke to the Iranians. They want to do a deal.&#8221; The problem is, every time these people do a deal, they either break it or after they make it they want to change the deal. So they’re probably not ready to do a deal yet, but they will be soon, because the price they’re paying is very high, despite their tough talk and their flowery language and their stupid LEGO videos they put out.
</blockquote>
“I’ve never seen them, but they put these things out on social media,” he noted. “Despite all that bravado, they are suffering tremendously, and they’re going to suffer more until they come to their senses. They’re not there yet, unfortunately.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
SECRETARY RUBIO: &quot;The President&#39;s policy is a head for an eye.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/VcUExOl8Kr">pic.twitter.com/VcUExOl8Kr</a>
&mdash; Department of State (@StateDept) <a href="https://x.com/StateDept/status/2080284443969720644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

PHILIPPINES-ASEAN

Rubio Lays Down ‘Trump’s Law’ In 5 Words When Asked About Iran

Reuters reported Wednesday that U.S. intelligence analysts are looking into whether Russia helped Iran strike CIA facilities in the Gulf by providing targeting intelligence or advanced drone technology.
The report, which cited four people familiar with the matter, said analysts have not reached definitive conclusions. But the precision of the strikes and Russia&#8217;s longstanding military support for Iran are among the factors under review. 
The investigation into Moscow&#8217;s possible role in the attacks on CIA sites has not previously been reported.
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-strikes-cia-facilities-prompt-questions-about-possible-russian-role-2026-07-22/?utm_source=braze&amp;utm_medium=notifications&amp;utm_campaign=2025_engagement">Reuters</a> has previously reported that Russia provided Iran with targeting assistance and other military support for attacks on U.S. interests in the Gulf. 
At least two CIA facilities were hit in March, including the CIA station housed inside the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and another facility in eastern Iraq. Some sources said additional sites were also hit but did not provide further details. 
One internal memo from a Western intelligence agency, according to a regional official familiar with it, concluded that Russia likely played a role in targeting regional CIA facilities.
Two Western officials in the Gulf briefed on intelligence reports said analysts believe the Saudi attack involved two Russian-enhanced versions of Iran&#8217;s Shahed drones. According to those officials, the first drone breached a vulnerable section of the embassy&#8217;s exterior, allowing the second to fly through the opening before detonating. No deaths or injuries were reported.
While Russia has long supported Iran militarily, helping Tehran target sensitive CIA facilities would mark a significant escalation in Moscow&#8217;s efforts to disrupt U.S. operations amid the ongoing Iran war.
Concerns about Russian assistance intensified after recent strikes on a U.S. military base in Jordan, where Iranian ballistic missiles hit army barracks and killed two soldiers.
Russia has helped Iran improve the range and accuracy of its Shahed drones by supplying the Kometa-M satellite navigation system, which is more resistant to jamming than Iran&#8217;s domestic version. The Wall Street Journal first <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-secretly-sharing-location-of-u-s-targets-with-iran-u-s-officials-say-127d4f1a">reported</a> this assistance in March; the Kremlin called the report &#8220;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-18/kremlin-says-wsj-report-on-russia-sharing-drone-technology-with-iran-is-fake-news">fake news</a>.&#8221;
U.S. analysts have examined whether Iran relied on Russian targeting intelligence during the embassy attack. Some officials noted that few nations besides Russia would have both the capability and interest in providing such sensitive information against the U.S.
Still, some sources cautioned that Iran might have been targeting the broader U.S. Embassy and struck the CIA station by chance.
Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA station chief and undercover operations officer, said Russian assistance in targeting CIA facilities would be consistent with Moscow&#8217;s strategic partnership with Iran. 
&#8220;They share an interest in trying to reduce or eliminate U.S. influence altogether in their self-designated spheres of influence,&#8221; he said.
The White House referred questions to the CIA, which declined comment. Iran&#8217;s mission to the United Nations, Russia&#8217;s Defense Ministry, and the Saudi government did not respond to Reuters&#8217; requests for comment.
CIA facilities overseas typically include stations in embassies, along with offices, safe houses, logistics hubs, and sites for surveillance or other operations. Their locations remain closely guarded.
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