Live blog

Trump Drops Meme Teasing What’s Next For Strait Of Hormuz

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Iran

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Protest

Revolution

<div>
A DSA national leader <a href="https://x.com/nataliegwinters/status/2089327354724388899">welcomed</a> a Chinese Communist Party delegation at an event in New York City and laid out the group’s goals in plain terms: “We try to push socialism into the masses of America,” and “China is an incredible positive vision of socialism for everyone around the world.”
Ahmed Husain, who is a prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America’s National Political Committee, described the organization as the largest socialist group in the country, with more than 200 chapters across most states. He said it works to build up the DSA in the United States through different sites of struggle — housing, labor unions, and elections. The stated objective is to push socialism into the masses and build a positive vision for it. China, he said, offers that vision to people in the U.S. and other countries.
Husain is the same DSA leader who <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/07/us-news/dsa-calls-for-ending-us-empire-mourns-iranian-ayatollahs-extrajudicial/">spoke</a> on the group’s “Hands Off Iran” mass video call in early March. Nearly 1,000 people joined that Wednesday night meeting, which opened with a remake of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War.” Speakers on the call framed Iran’s 1979 revolution as throwing off American and Israeli influence. One participant from the National Iranian American Council spoke of deep mourning over the “extrajudicial killing of the supreme leader.”
On that call, Husain told participants the fight would not end with a rally or a vote. “This is going to end with a mass movement to put an end to the war machine,” he said. “We have to create a real cost for the warmongers.” He added that he did not believe the movement was where it needed to be to stop the war: “I don’t care if it’s your neighbor, your co-worker, your dad, your mom, your job is to get them to act. The DSA needs to act on every single front.”
He went on to say the work is cumulative and aimed at building a movement that can change the terrain permanently so the &#8220;war machine&#8221; can no longer function. “We can end the US empire here in America.”
Husain, an immigrant from Bahrain, has previously written on social media about destroying the “decaying fascist American empire” and stated that “Israel never had the right to exist.”
The same DSA national leader who called for ending the U.S. empire in March is now the one presenting China as the positive vision of socialism while welcoming a Chinese Communist Party delegation in New York.
</div>
<section></section>
<div></div>

NYC-DSA holds a rally to tax the rich

DSA Leader Welcomes Chinese Communists, Reveals What He Wants To Push Across America

Mayor Zohran Mamdani

New York

<div>
As the 60-day memorandum of understanding with Iran expired on Monday, President Donald Trump delivered a blunt message to the regime, while warning that if Oman gets in the way of U.S. efforts in the Strait of Hormuz, “we’ll bomb the sh*t out of them.”
Speaking with <a href="https://x.com/TreyYingst/status/2089314268558618803?s=20">Fox News</a>, the president said Iran should &#8220;put up the white flag of surrender.&#8221; He said he has &#8220;no time schedule&#8221; and is &#8220;not in a hurry,&#8221; while emphasizing that Oman must not interfere. The ongoing naval blockade, he made clear, will keep grinding economic pressure on the regime even as Iranian officials talk tough in public.
Trump described the Iranians as “good poker players, but they’re dying.” The blockade is already exacting a real cost, and the domestic midterms are irrelevant to how he forms his approach. He <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-905771">confirmed</a> that American officials are maintaining a direct back channel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking not only with the political leadership in Tehran but with the IRGC officials themselves.
On the military side, the president called what the United States has used so far against Iran “peanuts.” The U.S. still holds significant hoards of mid-level weapons, he mentioned.
The same interview turned to Gaza and the wider Iranian proxy network. Trump said the United States has a different channel with Hamas. His son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner met the previous day in Egypt with Khalil al-Hayya, the current Hamas chief.
According to the president, Hamas has agreed to ultimately give up its weapons as part of talks on demilitarizing the strip. For that reason, he said, Israel shouldn&#8217;t be conducting strikes in Gaza right now.
Kushner is in Jerusalem on Monday meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials, joined by Board of Peace head Nickolay Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to press the next phase of the U.S. plan.
When asked about Israel’s October elections, Trump said he thinks it&#8217;s appropriate to stay out of them, though he may still endorse a party. He described Israeli forces as fighting very well alongside American ones and referred to Israel as the little brother of the United States. Any resumed combat operations in the region, he indicated, would be led by the United States with Israeli support.
Trump also addressed the Houthis in Yemen. Last week, the Iran-backed group launched multiple attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and struck Yemen&#8217;s Mocha Port with enough missiles and drones that authorities were forced to halt all commercial activity. He had previously warned the Houthis against becoming directly involved. He likewise mentioned Hezbollah in southern Lebanon as part of the broader network Tehran has funded for decades.
On Truth Social, President Trump wrote that preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon remains the top priority for the United States. The blockade is already costing the Iranian regime hundreds of millions of dollars each day. Additional Treasury sanctions are expected this week, adding more domestic pressure on officials in Tehran.
<div>
<div>
The 60-day window that expired Monday is largely irrelevant to Trump’s strategy. He has no timeline and is prepared to keep the naval blockade in place while direct talks with the IRGC proceed.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Protest against US attacks on Houthis in Yemen

Trump Threatens To Bomb Another Middle Eastern Country

Hezbollah

Houthis

Iran war

IRGC

Islamic terrorists

Oman

President Donald Trump

An Iranian psychologist who publicly urged President Donald Trump to stand by anti-regime protesters has been sentenced to seven months in prison, and his family says authorities tried to force him to record a video insulting Trump and the American people, Fox News Digital <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-jails-psychologist-trump-plea-regime-demands-americans-look-stupid-family">reported</a> Saturday.
Seyed Ahmad Seyedabdollahi, a 32-year-old psychologist and counselor from Borujen who had been living in Tehran, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-jails-psychologist-trump-plea-regime-demands-americans-look-stupid-family">posted</a> an English-language video on January 4. In it he spoke directly to Trump and urged him to act quickly on his pledge to support Iranian protesters. Young Iranians had trusted his words, he said, and those who helped the Iranian people would be remembered.
&#8220;To prove your good intentions to the Iranian people, either do something without saying anything or act very quickly on your words, because many young people trust what you say. And, as you probably know, many things are useless to people who are dead. I assure you that the Iranian nation remembers good deeds well, and they will try to repay their friends in the future.&#8221;
Ten days later, on January 14, Seyedabdollahi was reportedly arrested at his father’s home in Borujen. Plainclothes agents confiscated phones and electronic equipment. He was held in solitary confinement and at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence detention facility in Isfahan. 
A relative told Fox News Digital that the video brought sustained pressure from Iranian security authorities.
“Since that day, he has faced serious pressure from Iranian security authorities. He was arrested twice and subjected to repeated interrogations,” the relative said. “During his detention, he spent extended periods in solitary confinement.” Fox News Digital reported it could not independently verify the relative&#8217;s account of Seyedabdollahi&#8217;s treatment in custody.
He was held for roughly two months before being released on bail in March, <a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202608066386">according</a> to Iran International.
Branch One of the Borujen Revolutionary Court convicted him of “engaging in media activities against national security.” He received seven months in prison and a five-year ban from government and public services. He was detained again on July 7 to begin serving the sentence and remains in Borujen Prison.
The Hana Human Rights Organization, a Geneva-registered group that monitors abuse in Iran, <a href="https://hanahr.org/en/news/seyed-ahmad-seyedabdollahi-remains-in-boroujen-prison-as-new-case-opens-on-charge-of-propaganda-against-the-state/#&amp;_intcmp=fnc_world_article_main-content_article-body_6_6">said</a> Seyedabdollahi was denied contact with his family for 17 days after his first arrest and that his family initially did not know where he was being held. Iran International reported that he was denied access to a lawyer of his choosing during his detention and was at times prevented from communicating with his family.
Authorities opened a second case against him in June on a charge translated as “propaganda against the establishment” or “propaganda against the system of the Islamic Republic.” That case remains at the preliminary investigative stage.
Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital appear to detail the authorities’ investigation and contain references to alleged foreign contacts and financial transactions involving the United States and Israel. Interrogators accused him of connections to the CIA and Mossad and of receiving money for making the video, the relative said.
“They told him you are a member of the CIA and Mossad and you took money from them for this job,” the relative said.
The relative also alleged that authorities pressured Seyedabdollahi to record a second video repudiating his original message and attacking Trump and Americans.
“He did not give in to numerous pressures to publish a clip that contradicted the first video,” the relative said. “He was asked to sexually insult Trump and make the American people look stupid and ignorant so that we could broadcast your clip on the national media.”
The relative said Seyedabdollahi continues to face pressure in prison after refusing the demands. “His situation in Borujen Prison is not good because he has been out of solitary confinement for a few days, but sometimes they take him to solitary confinement under various pretexts,” the relative said. Monitored telephone calls make it difficult for him to speak openly about his treatment.
The five-year prohibition on public and government employment has added to the burden by threatening his ability to work after release.
“You understand the economic conditions of Iran. Now imagine that in this situation someone has been deprived of their social rights, i.e. job and income, and he is imprisoned,” the relative said.
The relative described Seyedabdollahi as a psychologist and popular speaker with a following among young Iranians, and said that during the brief period when he was free, he stayed focused on those who had suffered more in the crackdown, recalling them saying: &#8220;Don&#8217;t feel weak. Our problems are insignificant compared to the thousands of people who have lost their lives.&#8221;
Seyedabdollahi posted his video two days after Trump wrote on Truth Social that if Iran &#8220;shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,&#8221; adding that the U.S. was &#8220;locked and loaded and ready to go.&#8221; On January 13, Trump urged Iranians to keep protesting and wrote that &#8220;help is on its way.&#8221;
Iran International reported that the crackdown brought mass arrests. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said in early February that more than 50,000 people had been arrested in the roughly six weeks since protests began.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-rights-chief-says-iran-executed-least-56-people-since-march-2026-08-05/">said</a> in an August 5 statement that at least 56 people had been executed on national-security-related charges since March 19, including 27 in cases linked to the January protests. More than 100 others face similar charges and the possibility of execution, Türk said.

Iran Holds Dayslong Funeral For Late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Iranian Prisoner Refuses Regime Order To Film Video Trashing Trump

Mossad

Tehran

United Nations

Two oil slicks have appeared in Iranian waters inside the Gulf, according to satellite imagery, with one spotted off the southern tip of Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz.
A smaller oil slick has also <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-905546">appeared</a> near Sirri Island over 60 miles southwest of Qeshm in the center of the Gulf, where Iranian offshore oil and gas production takes place, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/two-slicks-appear-gulf-huge-oil-spill-off-oman-threatens-disaster-2026-08-14/">Reuters</a>. 
The imagery of the Qeshm slick was taken on August 10. The Sirri imagery is from August 13.
These new slicks arrive as attacks on oil tankers and other vessels by Iran and the United States raise concerns about environmental damage across the Gulf. A separate, larger spill is already unfolding outside the Strait of Hormuz off Oman. 
The grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi is leaking Russian crude into a protected marine area, creating a slick some estimates put at nearly 800 square miles. That incident has not been connected to the conflict with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-iranian-protests-intensify-as-citizens-demand-end-to-ayatollah-rule?author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Top+U.S.+Commander+Meets+With+Gulf+Prince+As+Iran+Continues+To+Attack+Ships">Iran</a>.
On the Qeshm spill, environmental open-source researcher Wim Zwijnenburg of the Dutch peace organization PAX noted that the dark color in parts of the slick pointed to heavy fuel oil. A lighter, diluted portion of the slick stretched about 100 miles.
Video verified by Reuters and posted on August 11 shows a dark bubbling liquid washing up on the beaches of Suza on Qeshm Island, staining the turquoise water surrounding it. 
John Amos, CEO of SkyTruth, which tracks oil spills with satellite imagery, described the Qeshm slick as significant. “This is the biggest one that I’ve seen in recent months really since the conflict between Iran and the U.S. began,” Amos said, calling it “a major incident.”
Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, said the Qeshm Island slick likely occurred from a leak on the Minoan Pioneer, a Liberia-flagged dry bulk carrier. The ship was struck by an unknown projectile near Oman’s coast in a suspected Iranian attack on August 3 while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. One seafarer went missing, and a maritime security source told Reuters the same leak likely reached Qeshm Island as well.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, <a href="https://x.com/IRIMFA_SPOX/status/2087641049858465917">posted on X</a> that oil pollution from the Gulf had reached Qeshm Island and evidence “indicates a foreign bulk carrier as the source.”
Reuters said it could not independently confirm the cause of either slick or identify the substances involved.
A source affiliated with the salvage operation for the Minoan Pioneer, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters on Friday that a tugboat sent to secure the grounded vessel could not approach it due to permission issues from Iranian authorities. The Iranian Mission in Geneva did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Brian Barnes, a satellite oceanographer and research assistant professor at the University of South Florida, said the regional conflict has made it more difficult to assess and clean up spills in the Gulf. “The longer that the oil is leaking into an environment, the more it can spread out and cause damage to ecosystems and coastlines.”

TOPSHOT-UAE-IRAN-ISRAEL-US-WAR

More Middle East Trouble: Massive Oil Leak Discovered In Ocean Near Strait Of Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, as reports have circulated of mental health concerns aboard Lincoln.
The carrier switch, according to a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-sending-fresh-aircraft-carrier-to-middle-east-amid-iran-war-strain-d0d6e98d?eafs_enabled=false">report</a> published Thursday by The Wall Street Journal, is part of a scheduled rotation to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln after more than eight months at sea with limited port calls. The extended deployment — since November 21, 2025 — has reportedly resulted in several sailors aboard Lincoln attempting to jump overboard.
The Navy Times reported on Tuesday that at least two sailors had made such attempts. Annabelle Loma told the outlet that her husband was one of them, and that he was on medical hold.
&#8220;He’s scared. He thinks he’ll get a dishonorable discharge, and just because he was burnt out, his 13-year career is ruined, just like that. That’s not fair, that’s not right. That’s not what he should be worrying about right now,&#8221; she said.
Maria Rodriguez told The Navy Times that her husband had been on watch when another attempt was made, and that he&#8217;d been able to stop the sailor from going overboard.
&#8220;He said he hadn’t felt adrenaline like that in his life, and he was just so thankful he was able to get to [the sailor] in time, to stop them from going overboard,&#8221; she explained.
The Navy has disputed the accounts, telling USNI News on Wednesday that it has &#8220;not identified an increase&#8221; in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard Lincoln.
Other reports have mentioned a number of issues, such as broken toilets, moldy showers, and water contamination — in addition to alleged food shortages and complications with the mail service that kept some care packages from reaching their destinations.
Democrats in Congress <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/13/poor-conditions-are-reported-uss-abraham-lincoln-democrats-demand-answers/">quickly blamed</a> President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration for creating the situation.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) fired off a letter to War Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, demanding answers to several questions about conditions aboard the Lincoln and expressing concerns about Iran, claiming that the objectives had never been clear.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) posted a link to mental health resources for military service members, but <a href="https://x.com/SenMarkKelly/status/2087732648181366848">jabbed vaguely</a> at the administration as well: &#8220;The reports from the USS Abraham Lincoln about multiple sailors attempting to jump into the sea are disturbing. Long deployments are hard. They are a lot harder when the mission isn’t well defined and there is no end in sight.&#8221;
Over the last week, both Cao and Vice Adm. Joseph Cahill (commander of Naval Surface Forces) met with families either in person or virtually to address their concerns. Cao had said that the USS Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group would be deployed to replace Lincoln — but later reports suggest that it will be Washington instead.
&#8220;We hear you loud and clear [regarding] the impact this has on families, on service members and the long-term ability of us to stand, sustain our forces’ health,&#8221; Cahill said.
<a href="https://news.usni.org/2026/08/13/uss-george-washington-heading-west-lincoln-deployment-nears-9-months">Lincoln</a> has been at sea for 241 consecutive days — more than a month longer than the previous record of 206 days, set by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower during the COVID-19 pandemic. The last port call was December 11, 2025, in Guam. The deployment was supposed to end in May, but has been extended due to the ongoing war with Iran.
Secretary Hegseth said on Thursday that some of the reporting concerning the conditions on Lincoln had been &#8220;completely misrepresented.&#8221;
&#8220;Americans don&#8217;t understand what it&#8217;s like to do that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;As someone who&#8217;s — not been on a ship like that — but been on long deployments, I feel it. I want them home as soon as everybody else. I want folks rotated as quickly as possible &#8230; to that crew and to all those crews, we&#8217;re going to do everything we can for you and we are so grateful for their dedication.&#8221;

U.S. Conducts Blockade Operations Near Strait Of Hormuz

Two American Sailors Try To Jump Overboard From Ship Plagued By Food Shortages, Water Problems

USS George Washington To Replace USS Abraham Lincoln As Concerns Grow About Mental Health Of Crew

Military

Pete Hegseth

U.S. Navy

WASHINGTON — Amid an assassination threat from Iran, President Donald Trump secretly departed Turkey aboard an alternate military aircraft while the rest of the world thought he was on board Air Force One, according to a report published on Monday.
As he prepared to leave Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, Trump climbed the stairs of the old Air Force One while the television cameras filmed him as usual. The journalists who took their seats were instructed to close their window shades, a direction that caused chatter on social media at the time.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that Trump was being shuttled to an Air Force C-32A plane on an airport catering truck that is usually used to load food and supplies onto the presidential plane. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also boarded the plane, but he used the stairs of the jet. When that plane took off, Trump&#8217;s real location became unknown to most people in the world for a number of hours, according to the Post.
Air Force One, laden with White House staff and journalists, departed Turkey as a decoy, according to the Post. Publicly, the White House said that Trump left on the old Air Force One rather than the new Qatari plane, and Trump had announced on social media that was his plan amid media prattle over the safety of the new jet.
According to the Post, however, Trump&#8217;s secret departure was due to an Iranian assassination threat against Trump.
<div id="attachment_1154733" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-pulled-off-secret-plane-swap-using-catering-truck-after-iran-threat-report/turkey-us-nato-summit-defence-2" rel="attachment wp-att-1154733"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1154733" class="wp-image-1154733 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2284517912-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2284517912-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2284517912-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2284517912-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2284517912.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>US President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One upon his arrival at Etimesgut Air Base near Ankara, on July 7, 2026. (Photo by Doukan Keskinklç / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
The Washington Post sourced its reporting to a U.S. official, a person with knowledge of the president&#8217;s travel, and &#8220;corroborating material.&#8221; The White House did not confirm or deny the report to The Daily Wire, but it pointed to statements from Steven Cheung and the Air Force about the safety of the Qatari plane.
&#8220;The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,&#8221; Steven Cheung said in a statement, in response to The Daily Wire&#8217;s inquiry. &#8220;As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.&#8221;
The White House also directed The Daily Wire to a statement from the Air Force on the new Air Force One, praising the new aircraft as &#8220;safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission.&#8221;
&#8220;Those requirements were carefully crafted to prioritize mission over aesthetics, leaving much of the previous head of state interior layout minimally changed,&#8221; the Air Force said. &#8220;No risk was taken in security, safety or mission communications, but the collective team made trades on some of the less commonly used mission sets that Boeing must deliver to support the next 40 years.”

TURKEY-US-NATO-SUMMIT-DEFENCE

Trump Pulled Off Secret Plane Swap Using Catering Truck After Iran Threat: Report

Air Force One

Donald Trump

Qatar

Turkey

Washington Post

Iran’s Mehr News Agency <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-905032">released</a> a short video of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei over the weekend, claiming it was new. The undated clip was immediately fact-checked as older footage from months ago.
Iranian state media coverage framed the video as a first public look after months without new images and described the Mehr video as the first release of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. That claim was met with immediate scrutiny.
“By ‘FIRST TIME’, I think you actually mean March 20th, 2026,” an X post <a href="https://x.com/talhagin/status/2086415219920642247">read</a>. He pointed to a March post from Iran&#8217;s state broadcaster, IRIB, which had already published a video of religious science teaching by Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
Ariel Oseran, Senior Middle East Correspondent for i24NEWS, issued a similar criticism. He <a href="https://x.com/ariel_oseran/status/2086205481769386446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2086205481769386446%7Ctwgr%5Eb5897885edc537fe1e32f3a30ec03ea8ab81ca86%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fmiddle-east%2Firan-news%2Farticle-905032">wrote</a>: 
“Iran’s Mehr News released a video claiming to show Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ‘for the first time,’ with no date or location specified. The right side of his face cannot be seen in the footage.” He later added that he had been informed that “this is an old video.” 
Other comments circulating alongside those posts treated the clip as previously seen material. One said “It’s old footage. Another reason to believe he’s dead.” Another wrote, “He is being kept ‘alive’ in press and politically by IRGC so their coup is legitimized.”
The Jerusalem Post reported that media outlets covering the release noted the clip bears striking similarities to another video released earlier in the year. Khamenei has not made a public appearance since the start of the war and the assassination of his father, former supreme leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ali-khamenei">Ayatollah Ali Khamenei</a>. 
He assumed the role in March after the February 28 strike that killed Ali Khamenei. The same reporting stated that the younger Khamenei was reportedly seriously injured in that strike and that he had generally kept a low public profile before becoming supreme leader.
State media said on Sunday that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Khamenei around the start of the president’s third year in office in late July. That meeting covered military affairs and the economy, including securing resources, managing foreign exchange and energy use as well as economic ties with foreign partners, according to state media. 
Pezeshkian has given differing accounts in recent weeks regarding his access to Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since he succeeded his father in the role in March. On July 21, the president said interactions with the supreme leader were “increasing day by day,” but in early August he said communicating with Khamenei was “very difficult.” 
In May, state media also reported that Pezeshkian had met Khamenei for several hours in what was then the first publicly reported meeting between the two since Khamenei became supreme leader.
Basij Organization deputy Qasem Qoraishi said on Sunday that footage and other documentation would be released showing Khamenei among the public, out in the streets as well as in meetings with armed forces commanders.
Qoraishi said the footage would “once again bring disgrace upon the enemies and detractors of the Iranian people.” The comments appeared aimed at countering speculation about Khamenei’s health and lack of public appearances.
The latest video release comes amid persistent questions about Mojtaba Khamenei’s physical condition and whereabouts. A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irans-president-met-new-supreme-leader-in-total-darkness-wondered-if-it-was-really-him">report</a> published days earlier by Iran International described an unusual encounter in which Pezeshkian was reportedly taken to a secret location in Tehran and allowed only a brief meeting in complete darkness with a man he was told was the supreme leader. 
The interior was kept so dark that neither man could see the other, and Pezeshkian was not permitted to shake the supposed Khamenei’s hand, according to the report. After only a few minutes, he was instructed to leave. The outlet reported that afterward the president questioned whether the person sitting beside him was actually Mojtaba Khamenei, as he had only heard a voice in the darkness.

Mojtaba Khamenei, Son Of Irans Supreme Leader

Iran Releases ‘New’ Video Of Supreme Leader, Immediately Gets Fact-Checked

Ali Khameini

Mojtaba Khamenei

Many people have begun to worry about the state of American politics. They feel President Trump’s approval ratings have now dropped to 37% of the number of people in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, while the Democrat Party is being taken over by communists so that the country is careening helplessly into a fatal catastrophe that will leave us eating our pets for breakfast before we wage a Civil War that reduces the continent to a pool of blood and ashes. And, of course, all that’s true. But it’s no reason to panic. Well, it’s kind of a reason to panic. But if you just take a breath and then zoom in for a really close look at the situation, I think you’ll see a reason to panic really close, which hopefully will make it look like something else.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/andrew-klavan-show-ep-1290?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-974735 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1024x171.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Klavan-watch-now.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
On the Republican side, the problem is the unpopular war in Iran. President Trump says he is holding off on hurling deadly missiles at Iran because he has managed to negotiate a peace deal with Iran’s supreme leader even though the leader is a Jew-hating Islamist whose slogan is &#8220;Death to America.&#8221; Iran’s supreme leader, however, says he hasn’t been negotiating with anyone, and the confused Trump is actually negotiating with a Democrat candidate for Congress, who is also a Jew-hating Islamist whose slogan is &#8220;Death to America,&#8221; so the mistake is understandable. Overall, the Iranians have sworn to continue to resist Trump’s attacks until the arrival of the apocalyptic Twelfth Imam, who is also a Democrat candidate for Congress. This means that Trump will have to continue hurling deadly missiles, except that we’re running out of deadly missiles so he may have to hurl something else deadly like Kamala Harris’s memoir or lettuce.
But while our munitions are running low, our military is trying to reform. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was administering testosterone tests to the warriors until one of them lost his temper, beat the tester senseless, opened fire on his fellow soldiers with a machine gun, then sexually assaulted a female lieutenant while singing &#8220;God Bless the USA&#8221; at the top of his lungs, which fortunately, turned out to be the correct answer on the testosterone test.
With Trump distracted by the war, he hasn’t had a lot of free time in which to pressure Senate Majority Leader John Thune to, like, make a law or something, so Thune has been forced to find other ways to pass the time. To entertain himself, Thune has invented a new version of Charades in which the answer is always “A potted plant.” The way the game is played, Senate Majority Leader John Thune just stands there like a potted plant, and the other senators keep guessing that he’s Senate Majority Leader John Thune, until Thune reveals that, no, he’s actually a potted plant, whereupon everyone has a good laugh and goes on summer break.
With the Republicans in disarray, the Democrats have felt free to nominate congressional candidates who believe in socialism. The candidates are careful to explain that socialism is not the same as communism because in communism, millions of people starve to death while a leader with a bushy mustache shoots all his colleagues in the back of the head, whereas in socialism, there’s generally no bushy mustache.
The new Democrat candidates say their real platform is economic equality and hating Jews, and they’re all out of economic equality.
The new Democrats have found some common cause with former Right-wing figures like Tucker Carlson. Carlson has been subtly supporting the communists by interviewing such popular pro-communist celebrities as Satan. Tucker says that many Americans don’t realize that Satan actually loves Christians, especially with a little mustard and a smattering of relish, and he says Satan should not be silenced just because certain Zionist influencers are calling him Prince of Darkness, or because Prince of Darkness happens to be his official title. Tucker then let out that creepy high-pitched laugh of his, burst into flames and fell through the floor in a cloud of sulfurous smoke, increasing his audience by several million.
So I think it&#8217;s clear we can all avoid panicking about the state of American politics, if we just zoom in too close to see it properly, and then take heroin.

Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Holds Rally In Detroit With Sen. Bernie Sanders And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Hammer, Sickle, And Jihad: The Future Of The Democrat Party

Abdul El-Sayed

Andrew Klavan

Communism

Democrats

John Thune

Republicans

satanic

Socialism

Tucker Carlson

A Belgian lawmaker who escaped the clutches of Tehran’s ruthless ayatollahs warned Americans on Thursday of the same threat on U.S. soil.
Darya Safai, a member of Belgium’s Chamber of Representatives and leader of its NATO Parliamentary delegation, issued a chilling warning to the United States after shocking images surfaced from Dearborn, Michigan — a city she cautions is becoming a dangerous flashpoint just 25 years after 9/11.
&#8220;This is Dearborn, Michigan, America, only 25 years after 9/11,&#8221; Safai <a href="https://x.com/SafaiDarya/status/2085277701896540444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2085277701896540444%7Ctwgr%5Ecf5193739e52c052f3364b9d7ee9b6ce5486ec0b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.dailywire.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1153011action%3Dedit">warned</a> in a blistering social media post that showed video clips of the Muslim Arbaeen procession in Dearborn earlier this week. &#8220;As an Iranian who suffered imprisonment under the ayatollahs occupying my beautiful country, I fight against this ideology not only to free Iran but also to preserve Western civilization.&#8221;
The procession drew thousands of Muslims, including women and children in black full-body garments, who marched over one mile through Dearborn, The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2026/08/02/thousands-walk-for-arbaeen-in-dearborn-to-honor-freedom-and-kindness/91083975007/">reported</a>.
&#8220;We do this every year,&#8221; said one Muslim man who owns a Pizza shop in the city. &#8220;This is about honoring freedom and kindness. Our prophet taught us to be kind to everyone, no matter who they are.&#8221;
Safai&#8217;s warning came two days after Dearborn voters helped elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-secures-far-lefts-biggest-victory-yet-over-dem-establishment">Abdul El-Sayed</a> in the Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate. El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers in the general election, and he would become the first Muslim senator in U.S. history with a victory in November.
Safai, 51, knows the horrors of Islamic fundamentalism firsthand. Arrested during the 1999 student uprisings at Tehran University, she languished in a regime prison before fleeing into exile. Re-establishing herself as a dental surgeon in Belgium, she <a href="https://genevasummit.org/speaker/darya-safaei/#:~:text=While%20her%20participation%20in%20the%201999%20Iran,holding%20up%20a%20banner%20for%20the%20cause.">transformed her pain</a> into a crusade, launching the global &#8220;Let Iranian Women Enter Their Stadiums&#8221; campaign and making headlines at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2022, she famously cut her hair in solidarity with dissidents fighting back after the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini.
Now, she says the very ideology that destroyed her homeland is knocking on America&#8217;s door, accusing radical displays in Michigan of mirroring the tactics used to crush ancient Persia.
&#8220;Our country, Persia, was conquered by this ideology,&#8221; Safai wrote, noting that after the conquest, Persians lost the right to practice their ancestral culture and Zoroastrian religion. &#8220;We know their tactics of intimidation through displays of power. &#8230; Know that the regime of the ayatollahs will fight America not only in the Persian Gulf but also through its Shia army inside the country.&#8221;
The outspoken MP also slammed the political establishment for turning a blind eye to radical infiltration, warning that Michigan is on the brink of electing the nation&#8217;s first Muslim senator while &#8220;dark-red communists&#8221; act as useful idiots for extremists.
&#8220;They are infiltrating politics everywhere in the world with the help of Muslims and also dark-red communists who believe they can change the system through so-called socialist politicians,&#8221; Safai blasted. &#8220;It is naïve, because under an Islamic system everyone loses the most basic human rights. Do you really think this crowd believes in equality between men and women?&#8221;
Recalling her own childhood, where at 6 years old she was forced into a dark veil and at 9, was shamed simply for laughing out loud, Safai warned that Westerners are dangerously oblivious to the slow-motion surrender of their hard-won freedoms.
Safai has also addressed the Geneva Summit for Human Rights on the systemic oppression of women under Sharia law, and her message to the American public is as urgent as it is direct: wake up before it’s too late.
&#8220;As a Persian, I have warned many times about how our beloved Iran has suffered under this dangerous ideology,&#8221; Safai pleaded. &#8220;We are trying to save Iran from the ayatollahs. Please don’t let them change the Western countries.&#8221;

Muslim Procession in Dearborn

Iranian Refugee Issues Chilling Warning After Video From U.S. City

Belgium

Dearborn

Islam

Michigan

U.S.

Warning

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was reportedly taken to a secret location in Tehran and allowed only a brief meeting in complete darkness with a man he was told was Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to <a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202608045708">Iran International.</a>
Citing sources familiar with the meeting, the outlet reported that Pezeshkian was transported by his own security detail to an undisclosed location before being removed from his vehicle and placed into the back seat of a commercial vehicle with heavily tinted windows. The man identified to him as Khamenei was already inside the vehicle.
The interior was reportedly kept so dark that neither man could see the other, and Pezeshkian was not permitted to shake the supposed Khamenei’s hand. After only a few minutes, Pezeshkian was instructed to leave. 
The outlet reported that afterward, the president questioned whether the person sitting beside him was actually Mojtaba Khamenei, as he had only heard a voice in the darkness.
The unusual account comes amid persistent questions about Mojtaba Khamenei&#8217;s physical condition, as the 56-year-old has not been seen publicly since assuming power following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and was notably absent from his father&#8217;s funeral, with only written statements attributed to him that were released by state media. 
According to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/burned-and-disfigured-irans-nepo-supreme-leader-needs-plastic-surgery">The New York Times</a>, citing senior Iranian officials, Khamenei suffered serious injuries in the strike that killed his father, including significant damage to one leg and one hand requiring multiple surgeries, as well as severe facial burns that have limited his ability to speak and will likely require reconstructive surgery. The injuries have reportedly left him largely isolated as the regime works to conceal his whereabouts from the United States and Israel.
The meeting broke from the Iranian regime’s traditional protocol, under which presidents are typically received at the supreme leader&#8217;s official residence for formal consultations.
According to Iran International, Pezeshkian was angered by the encounter, viewing it as humiliating. The outlet reported that the president had repeatedly threatened to resign unless he was granted a meeting with the new supreme leader.
The account also appears to conflict with Pezeshkian&#8217;s own public remarks. Speaking to a gathering of trade association representatives, the president said he had spent two and a half hours with Khamenei &#8220;in a cordial atmosphere,” reported Iran International.
Pezeshkian also acknowledged publicly Wednesday that communicating with Khamenei has become increasingly difficult since the new supreme leader assumed power.
&#8220;It is very difficult to communicate with him at the moment, but in any case, his presence is a very great source of strength for us so that we can continue,&#8221; Pezeshkian said, according to AFP.
The president nevertheless defended Khamenei, saying he had held productive meetings with him and had been met with &#8220;kindness and very sound logic.&#8221;
&#8220;Unfortunately, the current situation allows some malicious people to describe him differently and to present a different image of him,&#8221; Pezeshkian said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a July interview that he has not seen Khamenei and that “only a limited number of people have met with him,” according to Iran International. 
Iranian officials have reportedly taken extraordinary measures to conceal Khamenei&#8217;s location from the United States and Israel, relying on handwritten messages delivered through a network of trusted couriers traveling by car and motorcycle rather than electronic communications.
Mojtaba Khamenei assumed power after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on the opening day of the United States and Israel&#8217;s military campaign against Iran. Unlike his father—who ruled the Islamic Republic for more than three decades and exercised near-total control over the country&#8217;s political, religious, and military institutions—Mojtaba lacks the same religious authority and political stature and has reportedly become increasingly reliant on hardline military commanders as he recovers from his injuries.
Born into Iran&#8217;s ruling elite, Khamenei followed a path that combined religious study with military service. As a teenager, he joined an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps brigade during the Iran-Iraq War before later completing his theological education.
Despite his behind-the-scenes influence, he never held elected office or a formal senior government position. He was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2019 and has also been accused of helping direct the regime&#8217;s crackdown on the 2009 Green Movement protests.
In March, The New York Post reported that U.S. intelligence believed the supreme leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-amplifies-claim-irans-nepo-leader-is-gay-trumps-priceless-reaction">may be gay</a>, citing sources familiar with a classified White House briefing. According to the report, President Donald Trump laughed after hearing the assessment, while other officials in the room reportedly reacted similarly. 
The report drew particular attention because Iran&#8217;s Islamic Republic criminalizes homosexuality and same-sex relations can carry the death penalty.
His succession brought questions about whether the Islamic Republic is drifting toward a hereditary system of leadership. Ali Khamenei himself became supreme leader in 1989 after succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, who led the 1979 revolution that toppled Iran&#8217;s shah. 
Iran International also reported that Mohammad-Bagher Kharrazi, a senior cleric whose sister is married to Khamenei&#8217;s brother, claimed in a video released Monday that Pezeshkian had threatened to resign 28 times.
According to Kharrazi, Khamenei responded by warning that the president&#8217;s next resignation would be accepted. 
&#8220;If he resigns one more time, I will approve it. I will write &#8216;approved&#8217; underneath it, and that will be the end of it,&#8221; Kharrazi quoted Khamenei as saying.
Pezeshkian&#8217;s office rejected the allegation.
Mehdi Tabatabaei, deputy for communications and information in the president&#8217;s office, called the claims &#8220;baseless and an outright lie&#8221; in a post on X.
&#8220;A sinister alliance of deceitful agitators and proponents of extremism and incompetence has targeted sacred unity and national cohesion,&#8221; Tabatabaei <a href="https://x.com/tabaei1356/status/2084374155101954233">wrote</a>.

Mojtaba

Iran’s President Met New Supreme Leader In Total Darkness, Wondered If It Was Really Him

Operation Epic Fury

The U.S. military is weighing new restrictions on cellphone use for some American troops serving in the Middle East amid concerns that Iran is using publicly available social media posts to evaluate the effectiveness of its missile and drone strikes.
Some U.S. service members deployed in Jordan have been told they could be <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/iran-mines-us-troops-social-media-military-considers-seizing-cellphones">required</a> to surrender their phones in the coming days.
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-commander-warns-troops-their-videos-help-iran-sources-say-2026-07-29/">Reuters</a> reported that two sources familiar with the matter said some troops had been told their phones would be confiscated, while a third source said military officials are also considering broader cellphone restrictions across the region because of operational security concerns. Those wider restrictions have not been confirmed.
The discussions emerged as fighting between the United States and Iran has escalated. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/iran-mines-us-troops-social-media-military-considers-seizing-cellphones">vowed</a> an intentional response after Iran launched strikes targeting U.S. troops in Jordan, saying the United States would &#8220;beat the f*cking sh*t out of&#8221; Iran.
U.S. Central Command confirmed that CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper recently sent an internal message to service members emphasizing operational security. CENTCOM declined to release the message publicly.
&#8220;The message is a general reminder to our service members on the importance of maintaining operational security,&#8221; CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins stated. &#8220;This is one of many opportunities Admiral Cooper has used to convey operational priorities.&#8221;
A Defense Department official also declined to comment to Fox News whether troops had been ordered to surrender their phones or whether additional restrictions were under consideration, saying CENTCOM does not discuss force protection tactics or techniques for operational security reasons.
Cooper warned that publicly available information, including social media posts, news reports,, and audio/ video footage, can help Iran determine where its missiles and drones landed.
&#8220;The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members,&#8221; Cooper reportedly wrote.
Cooper reportedly cited footage uploaded online after Iran&#8217;s July 17 attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. The attack killed Pvt. Isabella Gonzales and fatally wounded 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan. Sgt. Angel Rampersad is also believed to have been killed.
One video, recorded through a service member&#8217;s Meta smart glasses, showed troops rushing to shelter and documented the route the individual took while evacuating. According to Fox News, Cooper warned that publicly available footage can help reveal whether Iranian strikes hit populated facilities, struck empty areas, or missed altogether.
Rules mitigating personal cellphone usage already differ across the military. Personal devices are prohibited during sensitive missions and inside classified facilities, while many service members stationed at established overseas bases are still permitted to keep and use their phones.
Cooper&#8217;s warning is separate from concerns brought in June about commercially available cellular location data. CENTCOM previously told lawmakers it had received &#8220;multiple threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercial location data to target or surveil U.S. personnel in theater.&#8221;
A bipartisan group led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), later urged the Pentagon to strengthen protections against that threat, warning that commercially available location data could be used to identify military installations, monitor troop movements, or track individual service members.

Menu