On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister bluntly stated that whether the despotic regime in Iran makes a nuclear deal with the United States or not, Iran will continue enriching uranium.
Seyed Abbas Araghchi <a href="https://x.com/araghchi/status/1924143188341653975?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1924143188341653975%7Ctwgr%5Edc42ba01d925128c26ebf7241cb4cb02c171b908%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fworld%2Firan-foreign-minister-vows-nuclear-enrichment-continue-with-without-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a>, “Special Interest groups; malign actors which set the agendas of at least previous Administrations,” should be ignored before adding, “we are ready for a serious conversation to achieve a solution that will forever ensure that outcome. Enrichment in Iran, however, will continue with or without a deal.”
In January 2024, the Arms Control Association <a href="https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2024-02/news/iran-accelerates-highly-enriched-uranium-production" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that Iran had accelerated its production of uranium enriched to near-weapons grade levels, pointing out that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had estimated Iran was producing approximately nine kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent uranium-235 per month. “Accelerating the production of uranium enriched to 60 percent U-235 is concerning because the material can be quickly enriched to weapons-grade levels or 90 percent,” the Arms Control Association reported.
“Once you&#8217;re at 60, you&#8217;re 90% of the way there. You are, in essence, a threshold nuclear weapons state, which is what Iran basically has become,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-foreign-minister-vows-nuclear-enrichment-continue-with-without-deal?intcmp=tw_fnc&amp;taid=682aa729f8868200012f443a&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> said</a> on Thursday.
Uranium enrichment involves increasing the concentration of the Uranium-235 (U-235) isotope in uranium, from its normal 0.7% to 3.5% for use in nuclear reactors or going further, over 20%, at which point it can be used for nuclear weapons.
“Because Iran has reduced its cooperation with the Agency, the IAEA is no longer able to precisely verify Iran&#8217;s stockpile of enriched uranium at any one time,” Iran Watch<a href="https://www.iranwatch.org/our-publications/articles-reports/irans-nuclear-timetable-weapon-potential" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> noted</a> in late March of this year in a comprehensive article about Iran’s nuclear weapons program, adding, “Iran’s nuclear program has reached the point at which Iran might be able to enrich enough uranium for five fission weapons within about one week and enough for eight weapons in less than two weeks.”
The danger of Iran further enriching uranium was explicated thus: “Iran&#8217;s centrifuges have not produced uranium usually defined as weapon-grade, which is uranium enriched to 90% or higher in the isotope U-235. All of Iran’s production has been at lower grades. Thus, the lower-grade uranium would have to be enriched further to reach at least 90%.”
In April 2024, Iran <a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/as-iran-threatens-israel-the-danger-of-tehrans-long-vaunted-missile-program-remains-in-question/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> a reported 30 cruise and 120 ballistic missiles targeting Israel; the U.S. Director of National Intelligence stated, “Iran has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the region and continues to emphasize improving the accuracy, lethality and reliability of these systems.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei verbally attacked President Donald Trump in front of a crowd chanting “death to America” in recent comments; Khamenei accused Trump of “lying.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Trump Is Lying and His Statements Are Not Worth a Response; Israel Will Be Dismantled; Crowd Chants “Death to America” Multiple Times <a href="https://t.co/STqgNBsSP5">pic.twitter.com/STqgNBsSP5</a>
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) <a href="https://twitter.com/MEMRIReports/status/1924053709585043708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

IRAN-TEHRAN-FM-RUSSIA-FM-PRESS CONFERENCE

Iran Foreign Minister Taunts U.S.: Deal Or No Deal, We Will Enrich Uranium

Global Politics

Iran

Iran Nuclear

Iran Nuclear Deal

Nuclear Weapons

Politics

Uranium

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei slammed President Donald Trump in front of a crowd chanting “death to America” in recent comments as the United States tries to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran.
Khamenei accused Trump of lying about attempts to bring peace to the Middle East and said that the United States should leave the region. The supreme leader also referred to Israel as a “cancerous tumor” that needs to be “uprooted,&#8221; according to a translation of his comments by the Washington D.C.-based Middle East Media Research Institute.
“Some of the things the U.S. president said in his recent visit to the region are not even worthy of a response,” the supreme leader said Saturday in a video published and translated by the institute. “Trump said that he wanted to use power for peace. He is lying.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Trump Is Lying and His Statements Are Not Worth a Response; Israel Will Be Dismantled; Crowd Chants “Death to America” Multiple Times <a href="https://t.co/STqgNBsSP5">pic.twitter.com/STqgNBsSP5</a>
&mdash; MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) <a href="https://twitter.com/MEMRIReports/status/1924053709585043708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In reaction to Khamenei’s comments throughout the roughly four-minute clip, the crowd of supporters alternately chant “death to America,” “death to England,” and “death to Israel.” The crowd also calls for “death to those who oppose the rule of the Jurisprudent,” a <a href="https://institute.global/insights/geopolitics-and-security/what-velayat-e-faqih" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reference</a> to the Islamic law that the Iranian regime is based on.
“[Trump] and other senior officials in the American administration have used power to perpetrate a massacre in Gaza, to stir up war wherever they could, and in order to support their mercenaries,” the supreme leader said. “When have they ever used power for peace?”
Khamenei then said that Iran intends to “increase our power.”
“Indeed, one can use power for peace and security. This is why we will increase our power and the power of our country every day whether the enemies like it or not, inshallah,” he said, according to the institute translation.
The Iranian supreme leader’s comments come after Trump completed a tour of Middle East countries, announcing agreements and commitments that will <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/while-trump-pulls-in-investments-in-middle-east-trip-white-house-touts-investments-on-home-front" target="_blank" rel="noopener">generate</a> roughly $2 trillion in trade and investment. At the same time, the United States is attempting to strike a new deal with Iran to keep the regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that the Trump administration has drawn a “red line” at nuclear enrichment capabilities in its negotiations with Iran.
“We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability,” said Witkoff on ABC’s This Week. “We cannot have [enrichment] because enrichment enables weaponization, and we will not allow a bomb to get here.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
On negotiations with Iran for a new nuclear deal, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff tells <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> that uranium enrichment is the Trump administration’s “one very, very clear red line.”
“We cannot have that. Because enrichment enables weaponization.” <a href="https://t.co/eXpYGKlkRR">https://t.co/eXpYGKlkRR</a> <a href="https://t.co/WmauqQuAEV">pic.twitter.com/WmauqQuAEV</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1924100073819943307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Iran’s Supreme Leader Accuses Trump Of ‘Lying’ While Crowd Chants ‘Death To America’

Donald Trump

Israel

United States

The 27-year-old New Jersey man who was convicted in February of stabbing and partially blinding famed novelist Salman Rushdie was hit with the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison on Friday.
Hadi Matar was convicted of second-degree attempted murder for the August 2022 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-famed-author-salman-rushdie-target-of-iran-death-sentence-stabbed-on-stage-in-new-york?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=BREAKING%3A+Famed+Author+Salman+Rushdie%2C+Target+Of+Iran+Death+Sentence%2C+Stabbed+On+Stage+In+New+York" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stabbing attack</a> that also injured the event&#8217;s moderator, Henry Reese, the co-founder of Pittsburgh&#8217;s City of Asylum, which helps exiled writers, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/assailant-who-stabbed-author-salman-rushdie-sentenced-25-years-2025-05-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Rushdie — who sparked the ire of the Iranian regime with his 1988 novel, &#8220;The Satanic Verses&#8221; — was stabbed by Matar between 10 and 15 times in the head, neck, torso, and left hand at a New York arts institute. After the book was published, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, calling for Rushdie&#8217;s assassination.
Video captured Matar rushing the stage where Rushdie spoke during a writers&#8217; event focused on protecting exiled writers. During the trial, a trauma surgeon testified that without immediate medical intervention, Rushdie would have died, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/salman-rushdie-stabbing-sentencing-attempted-murder-hadi-matar/story?id=121844226" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The jury took just two hours to reach a verdict. Matar was also sentenced to seven years for second-degree assault in the stabbing of Reese, but that sentence will run concurrently with the longer one.
Before the trial began in Chautauqua County Court, Matar rejected a plea deal. Shortly after the jury reached its verdict, his defense attorney, Nathaniel Barone, said Matar plans to appeal the conviction. Matar has also been charged by the federal government with an act of terrorism. He will face those charges at a separate trial in Buffalo, according to Reuters.
Rushdie was born into a non-practicing Muslim family in British India, and now identifies as an atheist. “The Satanic Verses,&#8221; which was labeled as blasphemous by hardline Islamists, refers to verses of the Quran that Rushdie claimed had been removed. Rushdie said that his book is not blasphemous against Islam, adding, “I doubt very much Khomeini or anyone else in Iran has read this book or anything more than selected extracts taken out of context.”
After the sentencing hearing, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said that the stabbing attack still haunts the 77-year-old author.
&#8220;He&#8217;s traumatized. He has nightmares about what he experienced,&#8221; Schmidt said. &#8220;Obviously this is a major setback for an individual that was starting to emerge in his very later years of life into society after going into hiding after the fatwa.&#8221;

Hadi Matar

Sentence Is In For American Who Stabbed Novelist Salman Rushdie

attack

Crime

New Jersey

New York

Prison

Salman Rushdie

Stabbing

This week, every GOP senator except one and 177 out of 220 GOP members of the House signed a <a href="https://www.ricketts.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Document_250514_125039.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to President Donald Trump supporting his past statements and urging that Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium be permanently eliminated.
The effort was spearheaded by Nebraska Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts and House Republican Study Committee Chair Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX). Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican senator who would not sign the letter.
The signatories acknowledged Trump’s “strong support&#8221; for &#8220;efforts to secure a deal with Iran that dismantles its nuclear program, and to reinforce the explicit warnings that you and officials in your administration have issued that the regime must permanently give up any capacity for enrichment.”
After noting Trump’s first-term withdrawal from the “deeply broken” Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and his imposition of maximum pressure on the regime, the signatories pointed out that the Obama JCPOA deal “allowed Iran to sell oil, provided waivers allowing third countries to help Iran build out its nuclear program, and included the termination of United Nations sanctions on the regime.&#8221;
They noted that Trump’s maximum pressure campaign had deterred Iran from making substantial nuclear progress. “Tragically, the Biden administration systematically undid that pressure, functionally re-implementing the nuclear deal. They immediately rescinded your decision to reimpose U.N. sanctions, allowed Iran to sell oil at JCPOA-levels, and even re-issued waivers allowing Iran to build out its nuclear program,” they continued.
“As you predicted, those policies indeed allowed Iran to reach the brink of nuclear breakout, which is where they are today,” they asserted. “The scope and breadth of Iran’s nuclear buildout have made it impossible to verify any new deal that allows Iran to continue enriching uranium. In its most recent report, published on February 26, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that because of Iran’s activities over the last four years, ‘the Agency has lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the production and current inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and UOC, which it will not be possible to restore.’”
They quoted Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum that stated, “Iran’s nuclear program, including its enrichment- and reprocessing-related capabilities and nuclear-capable missiles, poses an existential danger to the United States and the entire civilized world,” then additionally quoted him saying recently that only “full dismantlement” of those capabilities would be acceptable.
“We cannot afford another agreement that enables Iran to play for time, as the JCPOA did. The Iranian regime should know that the administration has Congressional backing to ensure their ability to enrich uranium is permanently eliminated,” they concluded.

MixCollage-16-May-2025-10-53-AM-8010

Nearly Every Congressional Republican Wants Trump To Show No Mercy With Iran Deal

Congress

Executive

House Republicans

U.S. Senate

During his Middle East trip, President Donald Trump says he might be close to making a deal with Iran on nuclear weapons, the Supreme Court hears arguments on Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship, and football coaching legend Nick Saban has been tapped to bring order to big-money college sports.
It’s Friday, May 16, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>U.S.-Iran Nuclear Deal</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-921029" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_33_14.Still001-3.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_33_14.Still001-3.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_00_33_14.Still001-3-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: President Trump says the United States is close to a nuclear deal with Iran.
After months of tense negotiations, President Trump says America is on the verge of signing a historic nuclear deal with Iran. Iran has been working for decades to build nuclear weapons. Iranian leaders refer to America as “the great Satan,” and its government spends billions of dollars annually sponsoring terror groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
Over the last four years, President Joe Biden attempted to revive the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran, waiving sanctions as a show of goodwill, but the Iranians refused to meet for formal negotiations, and no agreement was ever reached. But now, after four rounds of formal talks between the White House and Iran, President Trump says they’re ready to cut a deal.
The general idea is that Iran will agree to never produce nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions — and peace. A top adviser to the country’s Supreme Leader told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/iran-enriched-uranium-nuclear-deal-trump-rcna206833">NBC</a> they would commit to never making nuclear weapons, hand over their existing stockpiles of enriched uranium, only enrich uranium to low levels consistent with civilian use, and allow third-party inspectors to supervise the entire process. In exchange, they want the United States to lift all economic sanctions, which have hobbled the country’s economy for years. President Trump has said he also wants to see them cut funding to the terror groups they support — it remains to be seen if that part will be included in the final deal.
Critics say there’s no way to ensure Iran will hand over its existing nuclear materials and allow inspectors to see the full scope of their operation. Fifty-two GOP Senators and 178 GOP House members signed a letter to President Trump saying the &#8220;scope and breadth of Iran&#8217;s nuclear buildout have made it impossible to verify any new deal that allows Iran to continue enriching uranium.&#8221; Many Republicans want a deal, but not one that allows Iran to enrich any uranium, even low levels for civilian use.
<h2>SCOTUS Hears Arguments On Birthright Citizenship, National Injunctions</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-921031" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_39_00.Still002.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_39_00.Still002.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_01_39_00.Still002-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: The Supreme Court hears oral arguments challenging birthright citizenship.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday in a case challenging President Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship. The pivotal case calls into question whether the lower courts have the power to block executive branch actions.
The case hinges on three lower courts issuing nationwide injunctions blocking Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship. Trump’s EO interprets the 14th Amendment to deny automatic citizenship to children who are born in the U.S. if their mother was unlawfully in the country and if the father isn’t a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident. That order is currently on hold while the Supreme Court considers it.
“ Since January 20th, district courts have now issued 40 universal injunctions against the federal government, including 35 from the same five judicial districts,” U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer <a href="https://x.com/GuntherEagleman/status/1923020348624187655">told</a> the court. “This is a bipartisan problem that has now spanned the last five presidential administrations. Universal injunctions exceed the judicial power granted in Article 3, which exists only to address the injury to the complaining party.”
The liberal justices appeared to disagree with the Trump administration’s arguments – they believe Trump’s order is at odds with many years of Supreme Court precedent.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/05/15/nx-s1-5398025/supreme-court-birthright-citizenship">said</a> that the Trump administration seemed to turn the justice system into “a kind of catch me if you can regime … where everybody has to have a lawyer and file a lawsuit in order for the government to stop violating people&#8217;s rights … I don&#8217;t understand how that is remotely consistent with the rule of law.”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Justice Sonia Sotomayor <a href="https://x.com/BehizyTweets/status/1923031636301709591">argued</a> that the Trump administration was violating precedent and the “plain meaning of the 14th Amendment.”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Meanwhile, Justice Elena Kagan pointed out that <a href="https://x.com/Tyler2ONeil/status/1923038011966562374">many</a> lower courts are ruling against Trump’s executive order. &#8220;This is not a hypothetical. This is happening. Every court ruled against you.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
Most of the conservative justices also seemed skeptical of the Trump administration’s stance, but Justice Clarence Thomas pointed out that the United States “survived until the 1960s” without nationwide injunctions.
<h2>Trump Drafts Nick Saban To Save College Sports</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-921035" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_33_26.Still003-2.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_33_26.Still003-2.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_33_26.Still003-2-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: Trump drafts college football coaching legend Nick Saban to bring some order to big-dollar collegiate athletics.
President Trump plans to create a commission to study “ailing issues” in college athletics, with the possibility of signing an executive order. Collegiate sports have been experiencing a bit of turmoil the last few years, with the schools adjusting to a new climate now that student-athletes have name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and are on the road to receiving direct compensation from their respective universities.
The president announced that he was creating a commission to “deeply examine the unwieldy landscape of college sports, including the frequency of player movement in the <a href="https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/">transfer portal</a>, the unregulated booster compensation paid to athletes, the debate of college athlete employment, the application of Title IX with regards to revenue sharing and, even, conference membership makeup and conference television contracts.”
Trump has named Nick Saban, who won seven national titles as a college football coach, as co-chair of the commission, with the other co-chair being Cody Campbell – the chairman of Texas Tech’s Board of Regents and NIL collective founder. Many people believe Saban is the best person to lead this initiative, given the on-field success, but there have also been accusations of hypocrisy given how much money Saban himself made from college athletics.
Hanging over all of this is the pending settlement of House vs. NCAA, a class-action, antitrust lawsuit that would allow collegiate athletes to participate in revenue sharing from TV rights deals once a settlement is complete. That settlement is expected within the coming weeks, or even days. The plaintiffs&#8217; attorney, Steve Berman, blasted Saban and Trump’s discussions, accusing them of “meddling.”
“College athletes are spearheading historic changes and benefitting massively from NIL deals,” Berman said. “They don’t need this unmerited interference from a coach only seeking to protect the system that made him tens of millions.”

MorningWire-0428_V1

Morning Brief: SCOTUS Hears Birthright Citizenship Case & Trump Drafts Legendary Football Coach

birthright citizenship

General

Media

Middle East

Morning Wire

Nick Saban

Sports

Supreme Court

An Iranian regime insider who once operated at the heart of Tehran’s global assassination network is now collecting a paycheck at Princeton and walking freely on American soil.
His name is <a href="https://www.nysun.com/article/move-to-deport-terror-supporting-professors-ignites-fresh-scrutiny-of-former-iranian-diplomat-accused-of-advancing-terror-whos-still-at-princeton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hossein Mousavian</a> — and his presence is a direct insult to every American and Israeli who has lost a loved one to Iranian terror. His past affiliations and statements pose direct threats to national security and the moral consistency of American immigration policy.
Today, Mousavian is a Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist at the Princeton Program on Science and Global Security. But from 1990 to 1997, <a href="https://www.meforum.org/german-think-tank-under-fire-for-hosting-former" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mousavian</a> served as Iran’s ambassador to Germany.
During this period, the infamous 1992 <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/1079258.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mykonos</a> restaurant assassinations occurred in Berlin, where four Iranian dissidents were murdered. A German court later concluded that the killings were ordered by Iran&#8217;s Special Affairs Committee, implicating the highest levels of the Iranian government.
While Mousavian was not formally charged, the court found that the Iranian embassy in Bonn, which Mousavian led at the time, was identified by the court as a hub for intelligence operations. Testimony from former Iranian intelligence operative <a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202403076212" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Abolghasem Mesbahi</a> asserted that Mousavian was allegedly involved in “most of the crimes that took place in Europe” during his tenure.
More recently, <a href="https://jcpa.org/iranian-official-reveals-how-we-eliminated-regime-opponents-in-europe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mohsen Rafighdoost</a> — a founding figure of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — stated in an interview that the regime was directly involved in the Mykonos killings and suggested Mousavian likely had knowledge of, or was possibly connected to, the broader Iranian assassination program in Europe.
These public confessions don’t just implicate Mousavian in past crimes: they raise alarms about who American institutions are empowering today. The question is no longer what he did, but why he still has access to American students, media platforms, and policy circles.
Rafighdoost also <a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202503113972" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> in a separate video interview that the Iranian regime orchestrated assassinations of dissidents across Europe in the 1980s and 1990s. He detailed how the IRGC operated dedicated hit squads and even collaborated with external groups like the Basque separatist movement ETA to carry out these killings. His candid confession sheds light on the Iranian government&#8217;s systematic elimination of opposition figures overseas — a program that overlapped with Mousavian’s diplomatic tenure in Europe.
But Mousavian’s troubling record extends beyond history books. In recent <a href="https://x.com/hmousavian/status/1841131157829636119" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Persian-language remarks</a>, he has labeled critics of the Islamic Republic as ‘traitors’ — a term the regime has long used to justify execution, torture, or imprisonment.
Particularly disturbing is his public <a href="https://fararu.com/fa/news/782445/%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B8%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%AF%D9%88-%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%BE%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%B4%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%AE%D8%B5%D9%88%D9%85%D8%AA-%DB%B4%DB%B4-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%80-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%BE%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%86-%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attack</a> on religious minorities. Following a controversial 2024 speech at <a href="https://mes.dartmouth.edu/news/2024/09/israel-and-iran-future-middle-east" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dartmouth College</a>, he <a href="https://x.com/hmousavian/status/1841131157829636119" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blamed</a> a “Zionist journalist,” the “Israeli lobby,” and “traitorous Iranians, including Baha’is,” for protesting his presence. The <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/01/iran-persecution-bahais" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Baha’i faith</a> is brutally persecuted by the regime — its members are routinely jailed, tortured, or executed simply for practicing their beliefs. By lumping them in with “traitors,” Mousavian echoed the exact language the Islamic Republic uses before unleashing crackdowns. Imagine a former Nazi official labeling Jews as enemies from an American podium. That’s the level of moral offense here.
When Mousavian spoke at Dartmouth, <a href="https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2024/10/dickey-center-hosts-talk-on-israel-and-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local police</a> were deployed to secure the venue. This resulted in American taxpayer dollars being used to secure a public event featuring a former senior official from a regime known not only for targeting dissidents in Europe but also for threatening American lives and interests.
Rather than addressing these legitimate <a href="https://www.change.org/p/petition-cancel-seyed-hossein-mousavian-s-talk-at-dartmouth-college" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerns</a>, Dartmouth officials defended Mousavian&#8217;s participation. <a href="https://www.meforum.org/fwi/fwi-news/anti-regime-activists-challenge-former-high-ranking-iranian-official-at-dartmouth-college" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iranian-American</a> <a href="https://x.com/Aidin_FreeIran/status/1840894243612545401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1840894243612545401%7Ctwgr%5Eac590ccb23d20aa96ee7e499237a4c7247e0f290%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.meforum.org%2Ffwi%2Ffwi-news%2Fanti-regime-activists-challenge-former-high-ranking-iranian-official-at-dartmouth-college" target="_blank" rel="noopener">activists</a> raised direct questions about his complicity in the regime’s crimes, but they were shut down. Event moderator Victoria Holt redirected the discussion, while Professor Ezzedine Fishere, another former diplomat, dismissed concerns by saying, “I am in the business of training students, not convincing you.”
The elite’s eagerness to protect regime operatives while dismissing victims of Iran’s terror machine reveals a dangerous rot. For Iranian dissidents, the Jewish community, and anyone who values liberty and truth, the message is clear: your trauma takes a back seat to regime diplomacy
This moment demands action. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/cruz-urges-princeton-take-action-over-professor-accused-pro-iran-allegiances-citing-risk-students" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senator Ted Cruz</a> (R-TX) recently called for Mousavian’s deportation on national security grounds, echoing broader bipartisan concerns about regime affiliates residing in the United States. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have recently enacted policies aimed precisely at individuals like <a href="https://www.hstoday.us/featured/perspective-the-u-s-must-investigate-iranian-regime-networks-inside-the-homeland/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mousavian</a> — foreign nationals supportive of terrorism or espousing hateful rhetoric.
Mousavian checks both boxes. He has publicly downplayed or defended groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and frequently attributes criticism directed at him to “Zionist lobbies” and “traitors.” Even if Mousavian holds a permanent resident status, historical precedent exists for revoking permanent residency or deporting individuals linked to hostile regimes or involved in activities detrimental to national security.
For example, in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/25/us/national-briefing-midwest-ohio-imam-loses-citizenship-over-terrorist.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2004</a>, the United States government deported Imam Fawaz Damra, a longtime Cleveland-area imam, stripping him of his permanent residency after it was revealed he concealed his ties and support for terrorist groups when obtaining residency. Damra’s deportation sets a clear precedent: permanent residency is not an unconditional shield against accountability when national security concerns are at stake.
Mousavian’s presence demands immediate investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and revocation of any visa or green card under anti-terrorism provisions. The Trump administration has the tools — and the moral duty — to act. The safety of Americans and the integrity of our immigration system depend on it.
Hossein Mousavian’s continued residence and academic appointment in the United States stand in direct contradiction to the country’s values and security interests. Given his history, statements, and the regime’s confirmed record of extraterritorial assassinations, his presence is indefensible. This is not about academic freedom or political dissent. It’s about protecting America from the enablers of terrorism.
The time has come to ask not only why he is here — but why he was ever allowed to stay.
Dr. Aidin Panahi is an Iranian-American research professor, energy expert, and political activist. He is the cofounder of the “From Boston to Iran” initiative and his analyses on security and policy issues have appeared in outlets including The Jerusalem Post, Washington Times, the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, Middle East Forum, Homeland Security Today, and Visegrád24. X: @Aidin_FreeIran
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Head of the Iranian delegation, Hossein

This Princeton Scholar Was Once A High-Ranking Iranian Official. Why Is He Still Here?

Anti-Semitism

IRGC

Princeton University

President Donald Trump travels to the Middle East, where he inks massive arms and investment deals, Sean Combs’ sex trafficking trial brings shocking testimony, and the Left is outraged as Trump welcomes Afrikaner refugees.
It’s Wednesday, May 14, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>Trump Secures Massive Saudi Investment</h2>
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Topline: President Trump secures a $600 billion investment in the U.S. from Saudi Arabia.
President Trump and an entourage of his top officials were in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, where the president secured a $600 billion investment in the United States and the largest arms deal in history. Trump arrived in Qatar on Wednesday morning and plans to visit the United Arab Emirates while negotiating economic deals and signaling a new approach to American foreign policy in the Middle East.
“Far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it&#8217;s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins,” Trump said. “It is God&#8217;s job to sit in judgment — my job to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity, and peace.&#8221;
Trump also celebrated a recent ceasefire with the Houthis, who agreed to suspend attacks on American shipping in the Red Sea after months of intense aerial bombardment by U.S. military forces. The president announced the cessation of sanctions on Syria, to give the new government, which ousted the Russian- and Iranian-backed Bashar al-Assad last December, “a chance at greatness.&#8221; Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is a former Al-Qaeda fighter who fought against American forces in Iraq. He has been Syria&#8217;s president since January and has attempted to rebrand himself as a moderate figure focused more on Syrian interests than jihad.
“In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace. That’s what we want to see,” Trump said.
However, Trump’s rhetoric was not entirely dovish – he issued a stern warning to Iran, a longtime regional adversary of the United States that has come perilously close to developing nuclear weapons. “Iran CAN have a much brighter future — but we will NEVER allow them to threaten America and our allies with terrorism or a nuclear attack. The choice is theirs to make.”
<h2>Did Diddy Do It?</h2>
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Topline: Eight months after his arrest, the federal trial of music mogul Sean &#8220;Diddy&#8221; Combs kicked off this week in Manhattan. The charges Combs faces — including sex trafficking, coercion, and racketeering — have sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry.
The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs began on Monday. Prosecutors painted a dark picture, alleging that Combs used his fame, wealth, and multimedia empire to orchestrate a decades-long scheme involving sex trafficking and violence. They claim he lured women with promises of romance or career opportunities, only to force them into “freak offs” — drug-fueled sexual performances involving male prostitutes, some recorded to blackmail victims into silence. They also claim it was particularly during these “freak offs” where women, including his former girlfriend, R&amp;B singer Cassie Ventura, were abused and manipulated.
Combs has been charged with five felony counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and two counts of transportation for prostitution. If convicted, he could face life in prison, with a minimum of 15 years for the sex trafficking charges alone.
On Tuesday, Ventura took the stand and said Combs “too frequently… mashed in [her] head, dragged [her] along the floor, kicked [her], stomped on [her] head.&#8221; She also said he characterized these drug and alcohol-fueled “freak-offs” as part of her “job” and that they increased in frequency over the course of their relationship. She said that in the final years she was with Combs, these sex sessions became “all-consuming” and she spent most of her time engaging in the freak-offs or recovering from them while enduring abuse from Combs.
The jury also heard from Daniel Phillip, a former male escort. He gave graphic testimony about being paid to have sex with Ventura at the Gramercy Park Hotel in 2012 while Combs watched from the corner, masturbating and directing the encounters. He also recounted a disturbing incident where Combs allegedly forced him to urinate into Ventura’s mouth. Phillip also said he witnessed Combs’ physical abuse when he threw a liquor bottle at Ventura, dragged her into a bedroom, and slapped her as she screamed, “I’m sorry!” Phillip said he was “terrified” to intervene, citing Combs’ power and nearby bodyguards.
Combs’ defense admitted their client is a “complicated man” with flaws, including a history of drug use and domestic violence, but stressed that domestic abuse is not a federal crime and insisted this isn’t a racketeering or trafficking case. Teny Geragos, one of Combs’ attorneys who is the daughter of celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos, told jurors, “This is about Sean Combs’ private sex life,” emphasizing that the women involved, including Ventura, were “strong, capable, and in love with him,” making consensual choices.
<h2>Afrikaner Refugees Arrive In The United States</h2>
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Topline: The first group of white Afrikaners who were granted refugee status by the Trump administration arrived in the United States this week, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/12/trump-afrikaners-refugees-immigration-00342029?utm_source=chatgpt.com">sparking outrage</a> on the Left.
Afrikaners are a South African ethnic group. Fifty-nine Afrikaner men, women, and children arrived in America this week, many of them farmers. They were vetted and granted refugee status very quickly, within a matter of months – the refugee vetting process ordinarily takes years. President Trump, who has been outspokenly opposed to the treatment of white South Africans by their government, signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/addressing-egregious-actions-of-the-republic-of-south-africa/">executive order</a> in February to end aid to South Africa over its discriminatory racial policies, specifically pertaining to white farmers. The order notes that South Africa has taken “aggressive positions” toward the U.S. and her allies, including Israel, and also notes the recently enacted Expropriation Act, which the order said enables the South African government “to seize” Afrikaners&#8217; agricultural property without compensation.”
The State Department said Afrikaners face unjust racial discrimination in South Africa, and added that no one should be subject to “violent attacks because of their ethnicity.” One refugee said that she was attacked on her farm four different times. She said that Afrikaners are being blamed and targeted for the past apartheid in South Africa. Hundreds of people have been killed on farms in just the last four years or so. Not all of those people were white, but many were.
“What’s happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said. “This is persecution based on a protected characteristic, in this case, race. This is race-based persecution. The refugee program is not intended as a solution for global poverty.”
The Left has argued that Trump is favoring these refugees because they’re white – they’ve cited the president’s moves to halt most of the refugee programs established under Joe Biden from nations like Afghanistan, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Trump argues that those programs did not vet refugees properly, especially from those nations that are considered high-risk.

MorningWire-0428 V2

Morning Brief: Trump Lands Huge Saudi Investment & Diddy Faces The Music

Courts

Refugees

Saudi Arabia

Sean 'Diddy' Combs

South Africa

World

Speaking from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued a firm warning to foreign leaders: his priority is defending the United States of America, and he will do so using &#8220;overwhelming strength&#8221; and &#8220;devastating force&#8221; if necessary.
&#8220;In recent years, far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it&#8217;s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins,&#8221; Trump said during the U.S.-Saudi investment forum in Riyadh. &#8220;They loved using our very powerful military. And now it&#8217;s really the most powerful it&#8217;s ever been &#8230; we&#8217;re getting the greatest missiles, the greatest weapons.&#8221;
Trump emphasized that the United States believes in peace through strength, arguing that &#8220;bad things could happen&#8221; if the United States was not powerful and in a position to defend itself.
&#8220;It is God&#8217;s job to sit in judgment, my job to defend America, and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity, and peace,&#8221; he said Tuesday. &#8220;That&#8217;s what I really want to do.&#8221;
Trump also announced plans to lift sanctions on Syria, sharing that he made the decision after he discussed the matter with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmampz0yb000a3b6r62d85ei0@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-article-gutter="true">“Syria, they’ve had their share of travesty, war, killing in many years,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That’s why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade.&#8221;
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmampz0yb000a3b6r62d85ei0@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-article-gutter="true">Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Syria&#8217;s foreign minister in Turkey this week, Trump noted, sharing: “The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important — really an important function — nevertheless, at the time. But now it’s their time to shine.&#8221;
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmampz0yb000a3b6r62d85ei0@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-article-gutter="true">He added: &#8220;So I say, ‘Good luck, Syria.’ Show us something very special.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;After discussing the situation in Syria with the Crown Prince and also with President Erdogan of Turkey&#8230; among others in the Middle East, I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria, in order to give them a chance at greatness.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/JG3gx3Nn6D">pic.twitter.com/JG3gx3Nn6D</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922327334863946039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmamq2wvn000c3b6rc8aqrbs2@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-article-gutter="true">During his remarks, the president outlined his vision for the future of the Middle East and how he seeks to create a more stable region and peaceful world. He contrasted the path taken by Gulf nations to the path taken by the Iranian regime, offering Iran a different path to a brighter future.
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmamq2wvn000c3b6rc8aqrbs2@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-article-gutter="true">&#8220;I am here today not merely to condemn the past choices of Iran’s leaders, but to offer them a new and a better path toward a much more hopeful future,&#8221; Trump argued, adding, &#8220;As I have shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be profound.&#8221;
The president also praised some Middle Eastern leaders and touted &#8220;the transformation that has occurred under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed&#8221; in Saudi Arabia, calling it &#8220;truly extraordinary.&#8221;
According to the White House, Trump secured a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia for investments in the United States, including a defense partnership worth about $142 billion.
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmamq2wvn000c3b6rc8aqrbs2@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-article-gutter="true">&#8220;If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and focus on the interests that unite you,&#8221; the president said, &#8220;then all of humanity will soon be amazed at what they will see right here in the geographic center of the world &#8230;  and the spiritual heart of its greatest faiths.&#8221;

SAUDI-US-DIPLOMACY-ECONOMY-FORUM

From The Middle East, Trump Vows To Defend America With ‘Devastating Force’

Syria

President Donald Trump plans to announce that the United States government will begin referring to the “Persian Gulf” as the “Arabian Gulf,” according to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-persian-gulf-saudi-arabia-ce30874c27bc01426d93ad3c65a18844" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an Associated Press report</a> citing two unnamed United States officials.
Trump is expected to announce the change next week during a visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-visit-saudi-arabia-qatar-and-uae-in-first-middle-east-trip-this-term?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=10&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+To+Visit+Saudi+Arabia%2C+Qatar%2C+And+UAE+In+First+Middle+East+Trip+This+Term" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second foreign trip</a> of his second term.
The Persian Gulf, located north of the Arabian Sea, borders Gulf states such as Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Iraq also shares a short coastline of about 36 miles. Many Gulf States already refer to the area as the Gulf of Arabia and have pushed for other states to do so as well, in a bid to assert regional influence.
Iran has long opposed renaming the body of water, and its foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, accused Trump&#8217;s supposed change of being “politically motivated.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trump-and-rubio-put-america-first-in-100-days?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Trump+And+Rubio+Put+America+First+In+100+Days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HOW TRUMP AND RUBIO PUT AMERICA FIRST IN 100 DAYS</a>
Iran, which was historically known as Persia, has the longest stretch of coastline along the Persian Gulf — a name that has been widely used since the 16th century.
“Politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned,” Abbas Araghchi <a href="https://x.com/araghchi/status/1920037767888740443" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted to X</a>. “Such biased actions are an affront to all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence.”
Araghchi added that Iran has not opposed other bodies of water in the Middle East from being named after other countries.
“The use of these names does not imply ownership by any particular nation, but rather reflects a shared respect for the collective heritage of humanity,” he wrote.
Araghchi added that the change will “bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the U.S. and across the world.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-world-stop-buying-iranian-oil-or-else?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+To+World%3A+Stop+Buying+Iranian+Oil+%E2%80%94+Or+Else" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRUMP TO WORLD: STOP BUYING IRANIAN OIL — OR ELSE</a>
The spat comes as the Trump administration is expected to head into its third round of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-saturdays-nuclear-talks-between-the-u-s-and-iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">negotiations with Iran</a> this weekend in an effort to prevent the regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
During Trump’s first term in 2017, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Trump should “study geography” after the president used the term Arabian Gulf.
“Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/total-dismantlement-thats-all-id-accept-trump-on-irans-nuclear-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iranian Foreign Minister</a> Mohammad Javad Zarif <a href="https://x.com/JZarif/status/918952519879004161" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted at the time</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-will-pay-the-consequence-pete-hegseth-warns-iran-over-lethal-support-to-houthis?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=9&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘You+Will+Pay+The+Consequence’%3A+Pete+Hegseth+Warns+Iran+Over+Lethal+Support+To+Houthis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘YOU WILL PAY THE CONSEQUENCE’: PETE HEGSETH WARNS IRAN OVER LETHAL SUPPORT TO HOUTHS</a>
In 2012, Iran threatened to sue Google over not labeling the Persian Gulf on its maps, according to the AP. Currently, Google Maps shows the gulf referred to as “Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf).”
The change would mark the second time Trump has directed the United States government to adopt a new name for a body of water, following his earlier decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the &#8220;Gulf of America.&#8221;

iran trump

Trump Will ‘Bring The Wrath Of All Iranians’ Over Renaming Body Of Water, Says Iranian Official

Oman

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

On Tuesday, Senate Republicans, echoing statements made by President Trump, issued two social media posts bluntly calling for Iran’s nuclear program to be totally dismantled.
The first post on X simply stated, “Iran’s nuclear program must be totally dismantled.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://t.co/2qNxrzJW09">pic.twitter.com/2qNxrzJW09</a>
&mdash; Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenateGOP/status/1919782388835537205?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The second, posted one hour later, declared, “Obama and Biden policies allowed Iran to come closer than ever to a nuclear weapon. Senate Republicans are working with @POTUS  to completely dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Obama and Biden policies allowed Iran to come closer than ever to a nuclear weapon.
Senate Republicans are working with <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> to completely dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.
&mdash; Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenateGOP/status/1919798238783123813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On Sunday, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/read-full-transcript-president-donald-trump-interviewed-meet-press-mod-rcna203514" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speaking</a> on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” President Trump reiterated his perspective that he will only settle for the total dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program.
NBC News’ Kristin Welker asked, “Your administration has had conversations with Iran. Is the goal of these talks limiting Iran’s nuclear program or total dismantlement?”
“Total dismantlement,” Trump said bluntly.
“That’s all you’ll accept?” Welker persisted.
“Yeah, that’s all I’d accept,” Trump replied, later adding, “The Iranian people are incredible. I just don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon because the world will be destroyed.”
As the Hoover Institution <a href="https://www.hoover.org/research/obamas-disastrous-iran-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> of Barack Obama’s disastrous 2015 Iran nuclear deal at the time it was approved, “By providing Iran with billions of dollars of immediate cash, this agreement will help Iran fund wars and terrorist attacks that could take thousands of lives. &#8230; Right off the bat, Iran’s nuclear program has gone from illegal to legal. The new agreement lets Iran keep 6,000 centrifuges and it allows the country to continue to do its own weapons research.”
Texas Senator Ted Cruz <a href="https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/01/09/sen-cruz-catastrophic-obama-iran-nuclear-deal-helped-fund-missiles-that-attacked-our-service-members" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in January 2020, “Under Barack Obama, under the catastrophic Obama-Iran nuclear deal, the United States allowed between $100 million &#8212; $100 billion rather, and $150 billion to flow directly into Iran. The Obama administration sent $1.7 billion in cash in unmarked bills on pallets in the dead of night in a plane flown into Iran late at night. That money is fungible. And when you flood the Ayatollah, who is chanting ‘Death to America,&#8217; with over $100 billion, in a very real sense that money that the Obama administration allowed to flow into Iran is what helped fund those missiles that were attacking our servicemen and women.”
In November 2023, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, recalled, “About two months ago, President Biden agreed to hand over $6 BILLION as a part of a hostage deal with Tehran. Shortly after, Hamas, which receives hundreds of millions of dollars from Iran annually, launched an unprecedented and horrific attack on Israel on October 7th.”
“But instead of admitting this mistake and finding a way to claw back the money, the Biden Administration doubled down and minced words, saying that the money was not going to Iran,” he continued. “The lesson here should’ve been that handing over billions of dollars to our enemy will only strengthen them and put our allies in harm&#8217;s way. But President Biden, instead, allowed Iran to access an additional $10 BILLION.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/total-dismantlement-thats-all-id-accept-trump-on-irans-nuclear-program">‘Total Dismantlement … That’s All I’d Accept’: Trump On Iran’s Nuclear Program</a>

Senate Republicans Hold Leadership Elections On Capitol Hill

Senate Republicans Echo Trump: ‘Iran’s Nuclear Program Must Be Totally Dismantled’

Senate Republicans

President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the United States will halt its airstrike campaign “effective immediately” against the Houthis in Yemen after the terror group said they will stop attacking ships.
&#8220;They&#8217;ve said &#8216;please don&#8217;t bomb us anymore, and we&#8217;re not going to attack your ships,&#8217;” Trump said in the Oval Office.
Trump added that the terror group “capitulated” and that his administration will “take their word.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
REPORTER: Can you tell us a bit more about the deal that you&#8217;ve reached with the Houthis?<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;They&#8217;ve said &#8216;please don&#8217;t bomb us anymore and we&#8217;re not going to attack your ships.'&#8221;
REPORTER: And where did you hear about that?<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;A very good source&#8230; would you say,… <a href="https://t.co/FbSYvAmR6R" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/FbSYvAmR6R</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1919792536450674862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
“They just don&#8217;t want to fight anymore,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We will honor that and we will stop the bombings.&#8221;
Trump declined to say where he heard the Houthis&#8217; message, but said he was given the news by a “very good source” last night.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi Political Council, said the terror group&#8217;s attacks &#8220;will not stop regardless of the consequences until the end of the aggression on Gaza and blockade on its people,&#8221;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-06/trump-says-houthis-to-end-ship-attacks-us-will-cease-bombing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg News </a><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-06/trump-says-houthis-to-end-ship-attacks-us-will-cease-bombing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Al-Bukhaiti reportedly suggested that the Houthis would be willing to stop attacking U.S. military ships if the airstrikes stop, &#8220;but we will definitely continue our operations in support to Gaza,&#8221; he insisted.
Trump said the purpose of the airstrikes was to stop the terror group, which has attacked more than 100 international cargo ships, tankers, and naval vessels following Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel. Since March, over 800 Houthi targets have been hit, resulting in the elimination of hundreds of fighters and leaders.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-visit-saudi-arabia-qatar-and-uae-in-first-middle-east-trip-this-term?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+To+Visit+Saudi+Arabia%2C+Qatar%2C+And+UAE+In+First+Middle+East+Trip+This+Term" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRUMP TO VISIT SAUDI ARABIA, QATAR, AND UAE IN FIRST MIDDLE EAST TRIP THIS TERM</a>
“They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore and that’s what the purpose of what we were doing,” the president said. “I think that is very positive. They were knocking out a lot of ships sailing beautifully down the various seas. It wasn’t just the [Suez] Canal, it was a lot of other places.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-re-designates-the-houthis-as-a-terrorist-organization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump re-designated</a> the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization upon taking office in January, reversing President Joe Biden’s earlier decision to remove them from the list.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the goal of getting the terrorist group to stop attacking ships was achieved, so the strikes will stop.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trump-and-rubio-put-america-first-in-100-days?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Trump+And+Rubio+Put+America+First+In+100+Days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HOW TRUMP AND RUBIO PUT AMERICA FIRST IN 100 DAYS</a>
&#8220;This was always a freedom of navigation issue,” Rubio said. “These are a band of individuals with advanced weaponry that were threatening global shipping, and the job was to get that to stop — and, if it&#8217;s going to stop, then we can stop.”
Earlier on Tuesday, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-bombs-yemens-capital-airport-fully-disabling-houthi-terrorist-base?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Israel+Bombs+Yemen%E2%80%99s+Capital+Airport%2C+%E2%80%98Fully+Disabling%E2%80%99+Houthi+Terrorist+Base" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an Israeli airstrike</a> left the main airport in Yemen’s capital, which serves as “a central hub for the Houthi terrorist regime,” fully disabled, according to the Israeli Defense Forces. Flight runways, aircraft, and airport infrastructure were struck in the attack.
The strike was part of a wider <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-coordinates-us-counterstrike-houthis-following-airport-attack?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Israel+Coordinates+With+United+States+To+Counterstrike+Houthis+Following+Airport+Attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-day attack</a> which also targeted civilian infrastructure that the Houthis have used for terror activity, including the Hudaydah Port, concrete plants, and several central power plants in the Sana’a area.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-world-stop-buying-iranian-oil-or-else?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+To+World%3A+Stop+Buying+Iranian+Oil+%E2%80%94+Or+Else" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRUMP TO WORLD: STOP BUYING IRANIAN OIL — OR ELSE</a>
The IDF said the strike on Sana’a Airport was a direct response to a missile fired by the Houthis that landed near Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport, injuring six people and temporarily halting flights. The IDF said the missile was not intercepted due to a technical malfunction, noting that its systems typically maintain a 95% success rate against missiles launched from Yemen.
<div id="attachment_916385" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-916385" class="size-large wp-image-916385" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-1024x536.png" alt="IDF map showing Houthi targets of air strike" width="1024" height="536" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-1024x536.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-300x157.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-768x402.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The IDF struck Houthi infrastructure in Yemen on Monday, May 5, including at the Hudaydah Port as well as the “Bajil” Concrete Plant. (IDF)</div>
Following the strike, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the Iranian will “bear direct responsibility for any attack by the Houthi tentacle against the State of Israel.”
<div class="ad-wrapper" data-testid="ad-wrapper">In March, Trump declared that “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN.” He added that Iran would be held responsible and “suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire.”</div>
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<div class="ad-wrapper" data-testid="ad-wrapper">Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-will-pay-the-consequence-pete-hegseth-warns-iran-over-lethal-support-to-houthis?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98You+Will+Pay+The+Consequence%E2%80%99%3A+Pete+Hegseth+Warns+Iran+Over+Lethal+Support+To+Houthis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> last week that Iran would “pay the consequence” for providing “lethal support” to the Houthis.</div>

Houthis and Trump photo illustration

Trump Says He Will Stop Airstrikes On Houthis After Terror Group ‘Capitulated’

Houthi

Yemen

Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders took a big step toward protecting her state from the Chinese Communist Party and other nefarious foreign agents.
She signed a bill demanding representatives acting on behalf of hostile foreign adversaries such as the People&#8217;s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea register publicly, disclose who bankrolls them, and spell out exactly what they are doing in Arkansas politics.
Although this foreign-agent registration is the first statute of its kind in the country, other legislatures should explore similar laws as a defense against hostile foreign actors and their agents covertly swaying policy or political activities at the state level.
Our country is facing a new kind of warfare waged through manipulation, money, and misinformation. Our adversaries are well-funded and coordinated, working relentlessly to sow division and destabilize our society. They’re attacking at the state and local level more and more, hiding behind layers of nonprofits and advocacy groups.
Take Students for Justice in Palestine, for example – a shadowy group that played a prominent role in riling up violent mobs on college campuses last year. This group and others like it (Within Our Lifetime, Jewish Voice for Peace, Palestinian Youth Movement, etc.) routinely accept secret money, raising concerns about potential support from hostile foreign actors.
Some of these organizations are not even registered as nonprofits, and alarmingly, many pro-Hamas groups have established local chapters on college campuses and receive funding from student activity fees.
The CCP perfected this playbook long ago. There are Confucius Institutes embedded on college campuses masquerading as language centers while disseminating the Party’s propaganda. Other groups such as Code Pink echo CCP talking points, attacking American energy policy and championing topics that align with China’s geopolitical objectives.
Research has shown that the CCP’s influence stretches far beyond college campuses. It targets state pension funds, critical infrastructure, farmland near military bases, and even municipal procurement of drones and surveillance tech. Every contract, endowment, or protest it bankrolls is another opportunity to steal American intellectual property, map supply chains, and erode public trust.
It’s no surprise the Federal Bureau of Investigation has labeled the Chinese Communist government a “grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States,” and national security agencies from some of our top allies have warned the CCP is engaging in the most “sophisticated theft of intellectual property and expertise in human history.&#8221;
Arkansas has taken the first step in combating this foreign interference. The law will shine a spotlight on every foreign‑funded front group operating in the state. Agents who fail to register face stiff penalties; those tied to hostile nations risk even higher fines.
<div id="attachment_916433" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-916433" class="size-large wp-image-916433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-865x576.jpg" alt="DustyPixel. Getty Images." width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />DustyPixel. Getty Images.</div>
The new law also strengthens campaign finance disclosure laws, exposing individuals and organizations seeking to undermine democratic values through covert influence operations. The law is singularly focused on hostile foreign actors; international businesses and lobbyists representing allied nations are unaffected.
It is encouraging that this effort is also a part of a larger “Communist China Defense” suite of bills from Governor Sanders, with proposals to divest state resources from China and ban land purchases near critical infrastructure.
These measures are a timely reminder that safeguarding our communities begins in the statehouse, not just in Washington. Other legislatures should move quickly to adopt similar protections and fortify America’s democracy and sovereignty against those determined to erode them.
 * * *
Joe Gebbia is the CEO and Founder of State Shield, an organization dedicated to educating state leaders and uniting state and federal efforts to combat the growing threat the Chinese Communist Party poses to America’s security, supply chains, and core values.
The views in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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