Despite New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s repeated attempts to shield his wife from public scrutiny by labeling her a &#8220;private person,&#8221; a series of bombshell revelations has exposed first lady Rama Duwaji as being involved in a radical Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) campaign.
Duwaji, a professional illustrator, is <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/22/us-news/nyc-first-lady-rama-duwaji-created-artwork-for-dsas-anti-israel-campaign/">under fire</a> for providing the creative backdrop for the DSA’s &#8220;Palestine on the Ballot&#8221; initiative — a project that used Duwaji&#8217;s animations to mobilize voters against candidates backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and promote legislation targeting Jewish charities.
The campaign also highlighted the &#8220;Not on Our Dime Act,&#8221; a controversial bill originally sponsored by Mamdani during his time in the New York State Assembly, which would target certain nonprofits accused of supporting Israeli settlements.
Critics argue Duwaji’s &#8220;behind-the-scenes&#8221; role is a facade.
&#8220;Does anybody believe she’s a private citizen?&#8221; asked Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism. Hikind characterized the first lady as even more radical than the mayor, calling the couple &#8220;two peas in a pod&#8221; united by &#8220;vile hatred&#8221; for Israel.
The DSA collaboration is only the latest in a mounting pile of evidence regarding Duwaji’s radical leanings. Reports have surfaced showing that she used her social media accounts to endorse extreme, anti-Semitic rhetoric, including content that framed terrorist violence in supportive terms.
Duwaji <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2026/03/zohran-mamdani-wife-rama-duwaji-social-media-oct-7/">reportedly &#8220;liked&#8221;</a> Instagram posts on the day of the Hamas massacre that featured live-streamed footage of terrorists breaching the Gaza border and commandeering Israel Defense Forces vehicles. One post she approved of hailed the attack as &#8220;breaking the walls of apartheid.&#8221;
More recently, Duwaji <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/nyc-first-lady-liked-post-oct-7-rape-hoax">liked a post</a> that dismissed the documented mass rapes of Israeli women during the October 7 attacks as a &#8220;mass hoax&#8221; fabricated by the media.
Duwaji has also been credited with <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/13/us-news/nyc-first-lady-rama-duwaji-illustrated-essay-for-anti-israel-activist-who-raged-about-jewish-supremacist-vampires/">providing lead graphics</a> for an essay by Susan Abulhawa, an activist who has described Jewish people as &#8220;vampires,&#8221; &#8220;demons,&#8221; and &#8220;rootless ghouls.&#8221;
The revelation of Duwaji’s involvement with the DSA belies Mayor Mamdani’s efforts to present a more moderate front. While Mamdani’s office issued a standard statement condemning Hamas as a terrorist organization, his wife’s digital trail suggests a much darker affinity for the &#8220;resistance&#8221; that her husband publicly critiques.

NYC Mayor Mamdani Holds News Conference

Mamdani’s ‘Private’ Wife Played Role In Radical DSA Anti-Israel Campaign

Israel

wife

Zohran Mamdani

Iran said on Sunday it would strike the energy and water systems of its Gulf neighbours in retaliation if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through with a threat to hit Iran&#8217;s electricity grid in 48 hours, escalating the three-week-old war.
The prospect of tit-for-tat strikes on civilian infrastructure could deepen the regional crisis and further rattle global markets when they reopen on Monday morning.
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel from the early hours of Sunday, warning of incoming missiles from Iran, after scores of people were hurt overnight in two separate attacks in the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona.
The Israeli military said hours later that it was striking Tehran in response.
Trump threatened overnight to &#8220;obliterate&#8221; Iran&#8217;s power plants if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, barely a day after he talked about &#8220;winding down&#8221; the war. He made the new threat as U.S. Marines and heavy landing craft are heading to the region.
But while attacks on electricity could hurt Iran, they would be potentially catastrophic for its Gulf neighbors, which consume around five times as much power per capita. Electricity makes their gleaming desert cities habitable, and most of them produce nearly all of their drinking water by purifying it from the sea.
Iran&#8217;s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf wrote on X that critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the Middle East could be &#8220;irreversibly destroyed&#8221; should Iranian power plants be attacked.
Iran&#8217;s Revolutionary Guards said it would also mean the shipping lane where a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally transits along Iran&#8217;s southern coast would remain shut.
&#8220;The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed and will not be opened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt,&#8221; the Guards said in a statement.
More than 2,000 people have been killed during the war the U.S. and Israel launched on February 28, which has upended markets, spiked fuel costs, fuelled global inflation fears and convulsed the postwar Western alliance.
&#8220;President Trump&#8217;s threat has now placed a 48-hour ticking time bomb of elevated uncertainty over markets,&#8221; said IG market analyst Tony Sycamore, who expects stock markets to fall when they reopen on Monday.
Oil prices jumped on Friday, ending the day at their highest in nearly four years.
Markets already under severe strain from blockaded shipping were further rattled last week when Israel attacked a major gas field in Iran, and Tehran responded with strikes on neighbors Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, raising the prospect of damage hindering energy output even if tankers resume sailing.
Iranian attacks have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, causing the worst oil crisis since the 1970s. Its near-closure sent European gas prices surging as much as 35% last week.
&#8220;If Iran doesn&#8217;t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!&#8221; Trump posted on social media around 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT) on Saturday.
Iranian media quoted the country&#8217;s representative to the International Maritime Organisation as saying the strait remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to &#8220;Iran&#8217;s enemies.&#8221;
Ali Mousavi said passage through the waterway was possible by coordinating security and safety arrangements with Tehran.
Ship-tracking data shows some vessels, such as Indian-flagged ships and a Pakistani oil tanker, have negotiated safe passage through the strait. But the vast majority of ships have remained holed up inside.
Iran&#8217;s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters said on Sunday if the U.S. hit Iran&#8217;s fuel and energy infrastructure, Iran would attack all U.S. energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure in the region.
Striking major Iranian power plants could trigger blackouts, crippling everything from pumps and refineries to export terminals and military command centers.
The United States and Israel say they have seriously degraded Iran&#8217;s ability to project force beyond its borders with their three weeks of intensive air strikes.
But Tehran fired its first known long-range ballistic missiles with a range of 4,000 km (2,500 miles) on Friday towards a U.S.-British Indian Ocean ‌military base, expanding the risk of attacks beyond the Middle East.
An Iranian strike also landed near Israel&#8217;s secretive nuclear reactor about 13 km (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
The war has been taking place alongside a confrontation on a separate front between Israel and Lebanon&#8217;s Hezbollah, backed by Iran, with Israel saying on Sunday its troops had raided a number of the armed group&#8217;s sites in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said it had attacked several border areas in northern Israel. Israeli emergency services said one person was killed in a kibbutz near the border. Israel later said it was checking whether the death was caused by Israeli fire.
Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at Israel since it entered the regional war on March 2, prompting an Israeli offensive that has killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon.
Israel said it had instructed the military to accelerate the demolition of Lebanese homes in &#8220;frontline villages&#8221; to end threats to Israelis, and to destroy all bridges over Lebanon&#8217;s Litani River which it said were used for &#8220;terrorist activity.&#8221;
Pope Leo appealed for an end to the conflict. &#8220;The death and suffering caused by this war are a scandal to the whole human family,&#8221; he said.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali in Washington, Andrew Mills in Doha, Timour Azhari in Riyadh, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Alexander Cornwell in Tel Aviv; Additional reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Lisa Shumaker, Michael Perry, William Maclean; Editing by Alexander Smith, Peter Graff and Jon Boyle)

Missile

Iran Issues New Threat As Trump’s 48-Hour Ultimatum Hits Halfway Mark

Donald Trump

Global Politics

Iran

World

Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter discussed Iran’s attempted ballistic missile strike Saturday targeting Diego Garcia, the joint U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean more than 2,000 miles from Iran.
Appearing Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash, Leiter was first asked about the missile strikes in Israel on Saturday evening that caused significant damage.
“Israel&#8217;s emergency response service declared a mass casualty event, as I mentioned. Can you give an update on the ground there? And also, what kind of response do we expect from Israel?” Bash asked.
Leiter said there were “a number of fatalities” and that more than 150 people were injured in the attacks on Arad and Dimona.
“The response is going to be to continue with this campaign until we bring this regime to its knees,” Leiter stated. “We cannot live anymore with a country that is malign, that has intent on destroying us, that declares it&#8217;s going to destroy us all the time, and is now firing ballistic missiles into all of its neighbors. This has to stop.”
Bash then pressed Leiter on the ICBMs that were fired at Diego Garcia: “Doesn&#8217;t that fly in the face of the claim by the president and the prime minister that the missiles that the Iranians have have been obliterated?”
Leiter hit back, saying that the missile launch reinforces the point that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump have made, which is that Iran lies.
“The Iranian regime lie. These are murderers who lie. It shouldn&#8217;t surprise us — and they said they don&#8217;t have intercontinental ballistic missiles. Well, now they prove that they do have them. Not only do they have them; they&#8217;re willing to shoot them,” the ambassador said. “They claimed, until now, there was no such thing as an ICBM in Iran. They didn&#8217;t develop them.”
Leiter then painted a frightening scenario, asking Bash to imagine that the ICBMs Iran lied about having don’t simply travel 2,000 miles, but 4,000 miles or more, which would allow them to strike a major city in the United States.
“That&#8217;s what they&#8217;re planning to do. Now, imagine that those ICBMs are tipped with nuclear warheads, which they were planning to do as well. So, we have to face a very difficult situation,” he said before noting that while gas prices are temporarily higher as a result of the war, they will return to normal.
“But this malign government is intent on taking lives. Lives don&#8217;t come back, okay? It’s a temporary issue we have to face economically in order to protect lives and save lives from malign regime interested in taking lives.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Israeli Ambassador to US Michael Leiter says the war in Iran will continue &#8220;until we bring this regime to its knees&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/z24YbIaCYZ">pic.twitter.com/z24YbIaCYZ</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2035721927210225772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Israeli Ambassador Reacts To Iran Strike With Message That Raises Stakes

A missile rips through the night sky — then a blinding fireball engulfs the scene as the strike hits, all caught on video.
The strike left around 75 people injured in Arad, including 10 who were seriously hurt and rushed to a hospital in Beersheba, according to <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-890719">The Jerusalem Post</a>.
Arad Mayor Yair Ma’ayan said that no one who was in a shelter was injured.
Another missile struck the city of Dimona earlier on Saturday, injuring 33 people, according to first responders. Dimona is the location of the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center. Children were among the injured in the attacks.
Attempted interceptions, according to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/21/iran-hits-israeli-town-housing-nuclear-facility-in-retaliation-for-natanz-strike">Israeli military</a>, failed to stop the missiles.
Videos circulating on social media appear to show the missiles making impact and the significant damage they caused.
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🚨🎥WATCH:
Dramatic footage shows an Iranian medium-range ballistic missile striking near Dimona in Israel’s Negev Desert.
A building has collapsed, with reports of multiple injuries.
Stay connected, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/MOSSADil?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MOSSADil</a>. <a href="https://t.co/lPqeDhKnWD">pic.twitter.com/lPqeDhKnWD</a>
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) <a href="https://twitter.com/MOSSADil/status/2035491000676696487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The IDF confirms a 450 kg Iranian missile hit Arad after two failed interceptions, leaving at least 70 injured and four unconscious. <a href="https://t.co/wQppxDf622">pic.twitter.com/wQppxDf622</a>
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) <a href="https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/2035469580248748290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Overhead drone footage from United Hatzalah shows the level of destruction caused to several residential buildings in the Southern Israeli city of Arad, following the direct impact earlier of a medium-range ballistic missile launched by Iran. <a href="https://t.co/GfB2B0gomG">pic.twitter.com/GfB2B0gomG</a>
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) <a href="https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/2035480000355307638?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a <a href="https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2035473053703168504">statement</a> on Saturday evening following the attacks.
“This is a very difficult evening in the battle for our future. A short time ago, I spoke with the mayor of Arad, Yair Maayan, and asked him to convey, on behalf of all the citizens of Israel, our prayers for the peace of the wounded. I instructed the Director General of my ministry to provide all necessary assistance, along with all government ministries,” Netanyahu said. “I am strengthening the emergency and rescue forces currently operating in the field and I call on everyone to obey the Home Front Command&#8217;s instructions.”
“We are determined to continue to strike our enemies on all fronts,” the prime minister concluded.
Israel&#8217;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement calling the Iranian attack a &#8220;blatant war crime.&#8221;
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The Iranian regime devastated Arad and Dimona by deliberately striking civilians with missiles. Over 100 people were injured, including children. A blatant war crime. Pure terrorism. <a href="https://t.co/e0kpFpdZ6n">pic.twitter.com/e0kpFpdZ6n</a>
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraelMFA/status/2035478814445224149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The missile attacks come as U.S.-Israeli strikes continue to decimate military targets and eliminate political and military leaders in Iran. As the war drags on, the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil transits, has emerged as a major flashpoint as Iran threatens passing vessels.
Hours before the strikes, the IDF said it had targeted a key Iranian military research facility tied to the regime’s ballistic missile program and efforts to develop nuclear weapon components — underscoring the growing stakes on both sides.

VIDEO: Iranian Missile Screams Over Israel, Explosion Injures Dozens, Including Children

Benjamin Netanyahu

Trump Administration

Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld forcefully pushed back against claims that President Trump’s stance on Iran is driven by Israel, arguing that the record shows decades of consistent rhetoric from Trump himself. Reacting on “The Five,” Gutfeld insisted critics are ignoring a long history of statements in which Trump outlined a hardline approach to Iran dating back to the 1980s.
Fox News’ Dana Perino noted, “One of the big things that’s been emerging is this criticism that started early on in the war, which is that ‘Israel made Trump do it.’ The president’s rejected that, Karoline Leavitt, they’ve all rejected that, except for that there is a strain that wants that to be the issue.”
People from the horseshoe Right, such as Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, to hard-Left figures such as Ilhan Omar, among others, have bandied about the scurrilous claim that President Trump is doing Israel’s bidding in attacking Iran.
“But that has been disproven by history!” Gutfeld exclaimed. “You have 40 years of Trump talking about Iran. He said what he was going to do to Iran in the 1980s! He actually telegraphed what he was gonna do to the island of Kharg.&#8221;
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🚨 Greg Gutfeld SHREDS the claim that Israel ‘made’ Trump attack Iran: “That has been disproven by history!”
“You have 40 years of Trump talking about Iran. He said what he was going to do to Iran in the 1980s!”
“He telegraphed what he was going to do to the island of Kharg,”… <a href="https://t.co/OU6IOf6Z11">pic.twitter.com/OU6IOf6Z11</a>
&mdash; TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TVNewsNow/status/2034382564174016865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
In 1980, 46 years ago, Donald Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnVMuVxOPhU&amp;t=53s">told</a> interviewer Rona Barrett this after Iran seized and held American hostages: “When you get the respect of the other countries, then the other countries tend to do a little bit as you do, and you can create the right attitudes. The Iranian situation is a case in point. That they hold our hostages is just absolutely and totally ridiculous. That this country sits back and allows a country such as Iran to hold our hostages, to my way of thinking, is a horror. And I don&#8217;t think they&#8217;d do it with other countries. I honestly don&#8217;t think they&#8217;d do it with other countries.&#8221;
“Obviously, you&#8217;re advocating that we should have gone in there with troops, etc., and brought our boys out,” Barrett pressed.
“I absolutely feel that, yes. I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s any question, and there&#8217;s no question in my mind,&#8221; Trump replied.
In 1987, Trump told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/12/polly-toynbee-1988-interview-donald-trump?utm_source=chatgpt.com">The Guardian</a>, “I’d be harsh on Iran. They’ve been beating us psychologically, making us look a bunch of fools. One bullet shot at one of our men or ships and I’d do a number on Kharg Island. I’d go in and take it. Iran can’t even beat Iraq, yet they push the United States around. It’d be good for the world to take them on.&#8221;

Greg Gutfeld In Concert – Cedar Park, TX

WATCH: Gutfeld Shreds Claims That Israel Runs Trump’s Iran Policy With 40 Years Of History

Greg Gutfeld

The war with Iran talk is very black &amp; white in a grey world.
October 7th b/c happened [sic] Biden/Harris <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1843402393461182550">gave Iran</a> access to over 100 billion. Trump used diplomacy to build the Abraham accords, cut off Iran’s funding &amp; killed key terrorists. America &amp; our allies were safe &amp; there was less war.
I personally think we should have crushed their ballistic and nuke capes, but Trump has a plan, he has definitely earned the confidence of any clear-eyed observer. President Trump, we should not sit and wait for the next attack, wipe Iran&#8217;s ballistic capability out and get our troops out of Iraq &#8211; they are only targets now.
<a href="https://x.com/IsabellaMDeLuca/status/2034303672981541374">Most Americans aren&#8217;t aware</a> of it, our troops in Iraq and Syria have been attacked 150+ times by Iranian proxies. Iran has been after Trump since January of 2020 after he ordered the targeted killing of the terrorist Qasem Soleimani. This isn’t a new threat.
Israel&#8217;s dismantling of Hezbollah would have been <a href="https://x.com/SteveGuest/status/2033947809758548390">much more challenging</a>, if not impossible had Trump not taken out Iran&#8217;s terror mastermind Qasem Soleimani.
One of the best things that President Trump did for the security of the United States and of Israel was terminating President Obama&#8217;s Iran Deal. I support working with Israel to apply maximum pressure against Iran&#8217;s government and its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, and to prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon.
<a href="https://x.com/AlanCigarKing/status/2034409856938262564">I am intimately familiar</a> with the help that Israel has provided the United States. During my military service in the Middle East, my fellow soldiers and I often relied on intelligence provided by the IDF and their intelligence agencies to help us accomplish our mission and keep us alive.
The United States and Israel share common enemies in the Middle East, from terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah to the totalitarian government of Iran.
No more neocons, no appeasement, Trump ‘24.

House Homeland 12/11/25

JOE KENT: Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran

Joe Kent

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini was killed in an overnight strike, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday. 
Naini, who was the IRGC&#8217;s spokesman and head of public relations, was &#8220;eliminated,&#8221; according to the IDF. Iranian state television also reported his death. 
“Naini served in several propaganda and public relations roles. In his role as the IRGC&#8217;s main propagandist for the past 2 years, he disseminated the regime&#8217;s terrorist propaganda to its proxies across the Middle East in order to influence and advance terror attacks against Israel,” the IDF said Friday morning. 
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🔴ELIMINATED: Ali Mohammad Naini, the Spokesperson and Head of the Public Relations Array of the IRGC.
Naini served in several propaganda and public relations roles. In his role as the IRGC&#8217;s main propagandist for the past 2 years, he disseminated the regime&#8217;s terrorist… <a href="https://t.co/e29Elb16FS">pic.twitter.com/e29Elb16FS</a>
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/2034921621543113155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Naini&#8217;s death comes shortly after he claimed that Iran continued producing ballistic missiles and suggested public support for prolonging the war.
“These people expect the war to continue until the enemy is completely exhausted,” he <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/the-latest-tehran-still-building-missiles-war-will-go-on/4078890/">said</a>.  “This war must end when the shadow of war is lifted from the country.”
He also said that Iran&#8217;s missile production remained strong. 
“Our missile industry score is 20 and there is no concern in this regard because we are producing missiles even during war conditions, which is amazing, and there is no particular problem in stockpiling,” he said. 
U.S. officials have disputed such claims. The Pentagon has said recent strikes significantly damaged Iran’s defense industrial base and crippled its missile production capabilities. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Thursday that Iran is firing roughly 90% fewer missiles than at the start of the war on February 28.
Naini is the latest in a string of high-ranking Iranian officials reportedly killed by Israel this week.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-takes-out-irans-effective-leader-in-overnight-strike?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=9&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Israel+Takes+Out+Iran’s+‘Effective+Leader’+In+Overnight+Strike">Among</a> them is Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, whom the IDF described as a senior regime figure and close associate of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“During the most recent wave of protests against the Iranian terror regime, Larijani personally oversaw the massacre that was carried out against Iranian protestors,” the IDF <a href="https://x.com/IDF/status/2033861461596930479">said</a> in a social media post. 
Also reported killed were Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary unit under Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Iranian Intelligence Minister <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/iranian-intelligence-chief-eliminated-in-overnight-israeli-strike?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Iranian+Intelligence+Chief+‘Eliminated’+In+Overnight+Israeli+Strike">Esmaeil Khatib</a>.

Armed Military Personnel And Jerusalem Day In Tehran, Iran

Iran Keeps Losing Its Inner Circle As Another Top Voice Is Silenced. Why It Hits Differently

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps

Operation Epic Fury

Pete Hegseth

WASHINGTON—The mood at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast was reverent, polished, and familiar: suits and ties, rosaries tucked into jacket pockets, speeches invoking faith and public life. But just beneath the surface, a different conversation was unfolding.
As bleary-eyed folks chatted at tables before the early-morning event, a growing divide within the conservative Catholic movement came into focus, one shaped by generational change, foreign policy, and competing visions of what the faith demands in public life.
“When I post apologetics on Instagram, I get one of two camps,” Jessica Newell, a Gen Z pro-life operative, told The Daily Wire. “One group who’s skeptical of Israel and brings it to that or the other that is very curious.” Newell described what many younger Catholics at the event see as a widening divide.
“There’s the Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens side of the conservative Catholics and the Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles side,” she said. “And it boils down to transient politics versus eternal values and value judgments.”
At the Prayer Breakfast, the divisions were not visible from the podium. The language there remained unified around faith, life, service, and country.
Daily Wire host Michael Knowles, who delivered the keynote address, took the event as an historic fulfillment. Speaking ahead of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Knowles traced the arc of Catholicism in America from marginalization to prominence.
He noted that early American Catholics faced legal discrimination in several states and hostility from movements like the Know-Nothing Party, yet argued that the American system ultimately proved uniquely suited for the faith to take root and flourish. “Here we find ourselves, a quarter millennium later, a people and a place so improbably and perfectly suited for each other that not only can a Catholic become president, but an American can even be the pope,” Knowles said.
Highlighting the increasing presence of Catholics in public life, he pointed to the growing number of Catholic figures in Congress, the judiciary, and the executive branch. “If you count vice presidents and first ladies, we have now had baptized Catholics in the White House for 17 consecutive years,” he added.
In a letter delivered to attendees, Pope Leo XIV offered his “cordial greetings and good wishes,” emphasizing the longstanding Christian tradition of praying for one’s nation. Citing St. Paul, the Holy Father&#8217;s message underscored the power of intercession, reminding attendees that prayer for political leaders is both a biblical mandate and a continuing responsibility. “You have gathered for fellowship as well as to pray for the United States,” the message read, adding that such prayer, “united to that of Christ,” remains “powerful and effective.”
A message from President Donald Trump, read by White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley, struck a similarly affirming tone. The president reiterated his administration’s commitment to religious liberty, writing in a letter to the attendees at the event, “My administration remains firmly committed to defending the right of every Catholic to worship God freely and without fear,” while also marking the celebration of the feast of St. Joseph.
Other speakers reinforced the centrality of faith in both personal and national life. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) reflected on surviving the 2017 congressional baseball shooting, describing how prayer sustained him in the face of possible death. “Prayer is such a powerful thing because it’s a direct conversation with God, and God is listening,” he said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) defended the role of religion in the public square, pushing back on modern interpretations of “separation of church and state.” Referencing Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists, Johnson argued the founders intended to protect religious practice from government interference, not to exclude faith from public life altogether. “A free society and a healthy republic depend upon religious and moral virtue,” he said.
Other moments throughout the event pointed to the global and cultural reach of the Catholic community. Claire Lai, daughter of imprisoned Hong Kong publisher and free speech advocate Jimmy Lai, appealed for continued American support for her father’s release. Actor Jonathan Roumie spoke about portraying Christ in &#8220;The Chosen&#8221; as a deeply spiritual responsibility. And the founders of the Hallow app were honored for their work in expanding digital evangelization.
Taken together, the official program projected unity: a vision of Catholicism as deeply embedded in the American experiment, increasingly influential, and sustained by prayer.
But on the ground, among the next generation of activists, the fault lines are already clear. As the debate sharpens and the coalition pulls apart and collides, the question facing conservative Catholics is no longer whether a divide exists, but what will come of it.
Surveys from <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/02/younger-americans-stand-out-in-their-views-of-the-israel-hamas-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pew Research Center</a> show younger conservatives diverging from older Republicans on foreign policy, particularly on questions of intervention and international alliances. Nowhere is that divide more visible than on Israel.
“We definitely see a lot more people willing to be anti-Israel because the pro-life movement is a bit edgier, more anti-establishment,” said Kristin Dorsey, another Gen Z pro-life advocate.
That shift comes in the wake of frustration following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women&#8217;s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. While the ruling was a major victory for pro-life activists, many younger organizers say Republican politicians failed to seize the moment.
Coverage from <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/15/abortion-opponents-revamp-their-midterms-plans-as-rift-with-trump-widens-00729224" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a> and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/27/politics/trump-asks-court-pause-lawsuit-abortion-pill-access#:~:text=Pro%2Dlife%20Americans%20are%20growing%20increasingly,general%20counsel%20for%20AUL%2C%20said." target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> has documented similar frustrations among pro-life leaders, who argue the movement has received little in the way of sustained legislative follow-through.
At the same time, Catholic teaching itself does not mandate political support for any nation-state, including Israel. The Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes just war principles, the preservation of human dignity, and prudence in foreign policy. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has consistently called for <a href="https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/middle-east/archbishop-coakley-calls-for-restraint-diplomacy-and-peace-as-hostilities-escalate-in-middle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">peace and restraint in Middle East conflicts</a>.
That tension has increasingly spilled into conservative politics. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/ted-cruz-catholic-church-evangelical-christians/2026/03/16/id/1249691/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently criticized</a> for what was described as an attack on Catholics for not embracing Christian Zionism — which, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-ted-cruz-is-wrong-about-christian-zionism?author=Matt+Fradd&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Why+Ted+Cruz+Is+Wrong+About+Christian+Zionism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Fradd recently explained</a>, is contrary to Catholic doctrine. Younger attendees at the breakfast expressed skepticism about the country&#8217;s latest foreign entanglement.
“I think it was misguided. I think we lost a lot of steam,” one Zoomer attendee said of U.S. involvement in Iran, declining to give his name but identifying himself as a convert to Catholicism. Reporting from <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-maga-media-trump-carlson-megyn-kelly-cb283ae306f172cea02f25ddc44dd56f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Associated Press</a> has noted similar debates within conservative circles following escalations involving Iran and Israel.
“I feel like we’re at an inflection point,” said Jack, another Gen Z attendee. “Young men are tired of being put last &#8230; and we’re willing to speak out about it, loudly if we have to.”
Despite sharp disagreements on foreign policy and political strategy, there was one issue where attendees showed notable alignment: immigration. “Look, this is a Christian nation,” said Gregory, a millennial convert. “We are going to be just and merciful, but we’re going to enforce our laws.”
While some differed on the scale and method of deportations, none of the attendees interviewed rejected strong border enforcement outright. That consensus exists in tension with broader Church teaching, which emphasizes the dignity of migrants while also recognizing the right of nations to enforce their laws — a balance highlighted in a November 2025 statement from the <a href="https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/us-bishops-issue-special-message-immigration-plenary-assembly-baltimore" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United States Conference of Catholic Bishops</a>.
For older Catholics, the rising intensity among younger activists is both encouraging and concerning. “They’re going to learn that what they want isn’t as simple as they say it is,” said Pat, a longtime pro-life advocate. “Having principles and being loud is really good — that’s what youth is for. But sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.” Pat also dismissed the centrality of Israel in the debate: “I think they obsess over Israel. I think it’s a non-issue. They’re an allied nation like any other.”
Even among clergy, there is recognition that something is shifting. “The youth and the converts are the future,” one priest said, requesting anonymity. “They’re on fire. I think it’d be wise for the clergy to realize that and try to guide them and help them,” he added.
“They’re the ones who are going to be getting the big political wins when it comes to abortion, same-sex marriage, and everything else going into the future.”

Vice President JD Vance Speaks At The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

‘Transient Politics Versus Eternal Values’: Inside The Catholic Civil War

Catholicism

MAGA

U.S.

Last week, my home state of Michigan witnessed something truly terrifying: a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-respond-to-reports-of-active-shooter-as-michigan-synagogue-goes-up-in-smoke">terrorist attack</a> at a house of worship. The attacker drove a vehicle filled with explosives into a synagogue in West Bloomfield, a suburb of Detroit, just a few hours outside of my district.
Thankfully, on-site security personnel quickly intervened — stopping the terrorist and preventing any injury to the innocent children or staff inside. I am grateful to these guardians for responding quickly to safeguard those innocent lives, and I pray for the recovery of those injured in stopping this despicable attack.
This attack, however, isn’t an isolated incident. It is part of a broader and deeply troubling rise in antisemitism that has spread across our country since the October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel.
Nowhere is that rise more evident than on our college campuses.
Students have been whipped into an activist frenzy targeting Israel and the Jewish people.
Rather than stamping out the antisemitic fervor, faculty are fanning the flames. Many campus leaders seem completely unwilling to do anything about it.
<div id="attachment_1062451" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1062451" class="size-large wp-image-1062451" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2154554442-864x576.jpg" alt="TOPSHOT - Pro-Palestinian protesters, some wearing cap and gown, hold signs and chant at a rally in front of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 28, 2024. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2154554442-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2154554442-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2154554442-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2154554442.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images</div>
On campuses across the nation — regardless of size or location — student groups are organizing to harass and intimidate Jewish students. Groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) are the ringleaders, often with the backing of similar faculty organizations.
At Columbia University, antisemitic demonstrators stormed a library, disrupted students, and chanted slogans like “from the river to the sea.” Eden Yadegar, my guest to President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress last year, described it as “disrupting one of the most basic functions of the university.”
All too often, this chaos leads to violence. The House Committee on Education and Workforce — of which I am the <a href="https://edworkforce.house.gov/">chairman</a> — heard from Michael Kaminsky, a student at DePaul University and a first-generation American who was assaulted by masked attackers for his efforts to promote dialogue about Israel and the Jewish faith. He was left with a fractured wrist, and his friend was knocked unconscious.
This is not what college should be. Students should be focused on learning and growing — not fearing harassment or assault because of their identities.
These actions are not happening in a vacuum. They are being encouraged — sometimes openly — by faculty.
At Haverford College, Tarik Aougab — a member of Haverford Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) — labeled pro-Israel students as “racist genocidaires” while praising the October 7 attacks as “a historic moment.”
At the University of California, Berkeley, a professor posted that he “could have been one of those who broke the siege.”
At MIT, former linguistics professor Michel DeGraff accused a student of having a Zionist “mind infection.”
<div id="attachment_1062465" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1062465" class="size-large wp-image-1062465" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2205276310-864x576.jpg" alt="Michel DeGraff a former professor of linguistics and now faculty at large of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) attends a protest at city hall in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 9, 2024. The protest calls for the city to intervene and take action against MIT for its role in the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and for MIT to loose its non profit status. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2205276310-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2205276310-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2205276310-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2205276310.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images</div>
This kind of rhetoric has consequences.
Let’s be clear: for many Jewish Americans, Israel is central to their identity. When students are targeted under the guise of “anti-Zionism,” the line between activism and antisemitism is not just crossed — it’s erased.
And yet, too many university leaders have failed to meet this moment.
Time and again, university presidents have come before this Committee and refused to take responsibility. They hedge, they equivocate, and they fail to enforce even their own rules.
The result is what we see today: antisemitism that is spreading, intensifying, and, in some cases, turning violent.
My Committee has released a report documenting just how serious this problem has become.
The findings are clear: weak leadership, radical faculty, and emboldened student groups have created an environment where antisemitism festers — and Jewish students are paying the price.
This cannot continue.
* * *
Tim Walberg represents Michigan’s 5th Congressional District and is serving his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He currently chairs the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Protesters Gather Outside Pro-Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil’s Court Conference In New York

The Profs Aren’t Alright: How Radical Faculty Fuel The Rise Of Campus Antisemitism

The Profs Aren't Alright: How Radical Faculty Fuel The Rise Of Campus Antisemitism

American Universities

antisemitism

College

Columbia University

Education

Hamas

Jews

October 7

Protestors

Radical Islam

U.S. House of Representatives

The war with Iran is putting the Abraham Accords to the test, but experts say the conflict could ultimately pave the way for new normalization agreements.
The U.S.-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states faced strain during Israel’s recent war with Hamas, triggering widespread anger across the Arab world and putting governments such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco under pressure to distance themselves from Israel.
But Iran’s expanding campaign of missile and drone attacks on its neighbors has shifted the strategic picture, potentially pushing several Arab states closer to the United States and Israel, experts say.
Existing Abraham Accords members are already seeing the practical benefits of that cooperation as they work to defend themselves from Iranian attacks on both civilian and military sites within their countries.
Nir Boms, the director of the Tel Aviv University Workshop on Israel and the Middle East, said the conflict has effectively become a real-world stress test for the Abraham Accords.
“The Iranian strategy was to cause damage — economic damage, damage to even civilian infrastructure — in order to increase the pressure by the regional countries to work against Israel and work against the United States,” Boms said.
Instead, he said, the war has highlighted the benefits of regional cooperation.
“We’ve actually had more channels where Israel could be of assistance when it comes to civilian defense, when it comes to some of the systems that the Gulf countries now have to adopt very quickly,” he said.
Israeli defense technology, including the Barak missile system, is being used by the United Arab Emirates as part of its air defense network. Israeli experts have also reportedly advised regional partners on strengthening civilian warning systems and defenses.
Defense sales have also increased between Israel and Abraham Accords partners. Israel’s defense exports reached a record $14.8 billion in 2024, with countries that signed the accords accounting for about 12% of those exports — up from just 3% in 2023, according to <a href="https://www.inss.org.il/publication/abraham-accords-5-years/">a report</a> from the Institute for National Security Studies. Sales to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were among the fastest-growing.
Rawan Osman, a research and diplomacy fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said the war is clarifying a strategic reality that many governments in the region already understood privately.
“Paradoxically, the war with Iran is likely strengthening Israel’s ties with the countries that signed the Abraham Accords,” Osman said. “Moments of crisis often clarify political realities.”
Iran’s decision to fire missiles not only at Israel but also at Gulf states such as the UAE is making it “difficult to maintain the old narrative that Israel is the primary enemy,” Osman said.
At the same time, Osman said Iran views the Abraham Accords themselves as a direct challenge to its regional ambitions.
“By attacking neighbors that have aligned themselves with Israel, Iran is trying to send a message: cooperation with Israel carries a cost.”
But Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, said the strategy could ultimately backfire.
“Iran has aimed for years to encircle Israel in a ring of fire,” Brodsky said. “But with its missile and drone strikes against Gulf countries and other neighbors, it’s actually risking encircling itself in a ring of fire.”
Brodsky added that the attacks could do long-term damage to Tehran’s relationships across the region and create new opportunities for Israel and the United States to deepen cooperation with regional partners. 
“To externalize the costs economically, politically, and militarily, Iran sought to expand the geography of the conflict to deter the U.S.,” Brodsky said, and instead made its missile program “the center of international attention.”
Asher Fredman, executive director of the Misgav Institute for National Security and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, who specializes in Abraham ties, said cooperation has continued even during periods of conflict.
“If you look at the numbers, trade between Israel and Morocco, the UAE, Bahrain — even Egypt and Jordan — is up across the board,” Fredman said.
Since the Abraham Accords were signed in 2020, trade between Israel and its Abraham Accords partners has continued to rise despite the war with Hamas and pressure from anti-Israel voices. In January 2026, trade with Bahrain reached $3.6 million, up from virtually zero a year earlier; trade with Morocco totaled $21.8 million, a 7% increase; and trade with the United Arab Emirates reached $301.9 million, up 22% from January 2025, according to data compiled by the Heritage Foundation.
Relations between the UAE and Israel have been the quickest to grow. Over one million Israelis have <a href="https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-830541">visited</a> the United Arab Emirates, more than <a href="https://chabad.ae/kosher/">nine</a> kosher restaurants have opened, and bilateral trade reached $3 billion in 2024, <a href="https://www.inss.org.il/publication/abraham-accords-5-years/">according to</a> Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
According to Fredman, Iran’s attempts to disrupt global shipping by threatening traffic through the Strait of Hormuz could end up strengthening economic cooperation between Israel and its regional partners.
Fredman said instability has renewed interest in the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a proposed overland trade route connecting India to Europe through Gulf states, Jordan, and Israel.
“There’s growing interest in the IMEC overland trade route because the Strait of Hormuz is once again being disrupted,” Fredman said. “As maritime insurance goes up and uncertainty grows, the economic case for this overland route grows as well.”
The rising regional security threat is also contributing to a growing sense of shared interests among Israel and its Arab partners.
“There is a growing sense of, ‘we’re in this together,’” Fredman said.
<div id="attachment_1060379" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1060379" class="size-large wp-image-1060379" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-16-at-12.38.19-PM-1024x570.png" alt="" width="1024" height="570" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-16-at-12.38.19-PM-1024x570.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-16-at-12.38.19-PM-300x167.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-16-at-12.38.19-PM-768x427.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-16-at-12.38.19-PM-1536x855.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-16-at-12.38.19-PM.png 1934w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />(Heritage Foundation)</div>
The economic momentum has also reached Israel’s neighboring countries, which did not sign the Abraham Accords. Trade with Egypt totaled $51.8 million in January 2026, while trade with Jordan reached $55.7 million. In December, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/historic-moment-netanyahu-announces-record-natural-gas-deal-with-egypt/">announced</a> that Israel had signed a $34.7 billion natural gas deal with Egypt, the largest energy agreement in the country’s history.
Some analysts believe the war could eventually expand the accords if Iran emerges weakened.
Elie Pieprz, director of international relations at the Israel Defense and Security Forum, said the conflict is demonstrating the strategic value of Israel’s growing regional alliances.
“This war is demonstrating the effectiveness of the alliance,” Pieprz said. “Israel is emerging as the regional superpower that no one wants to mess with.”
If countries like the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain continue to benefit from their cooperation with Israel, Pieprz said, other governments may become more willing to pursue normalization agreements.
Saudi Arabia remains the most significant potential addition to the accords, though political disputes have continued to delay diplomatic talks. 
The war is also reshaping political conversations inside countries that have historically opposed normalization. Osman noted that even in Lebanon — where Hezbollah has long dominated the political landscape — recent public discussions about normalization with Israel have begun to emerge.
“The conflict is exposing the real source of instability in the region,” Osman said. “For many Sunni states, Iran’s revolutionary project and its network of militias pose the far greater long-term danger.”
Ultimately, experts say the future of the Abraham Accords will depend on how the war with Iran ends.
If Tehran’s regional influence weakens or the Islamic regime is overthrown, the conflict could accelerate a broader realignment in the Middle East, bringing more countries into cooperation with Israel.

US-ISRAEL-UAE-DIPLOMACY-POLITICS

Iran Tried To Drive Wedge Between Israel, Muslim World — It May Be Doing The Exact Opposite

Abraham Accords

Bahrain

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The Israeli military said Wednesday that Iranian intelligence chief Esmaeil Khatib was killed in a targeted overnight strike in Tehran. 
Khatib was appointed Iran’s Minister of Intelligence in 2021 by the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after holding several roles in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Khatib would be the latest senior Iranian official to be eliminated in an Israeli strike. 
“Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, including the arrest &amp; killing of protestors and led terrorist activities against Israelis &amp; Americans around the world,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. “Similarly, he operated against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini protests (2022–2023).”
“The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence possesses advanced intelligence capabilities, overseeing surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations worldwide, particularly against Israeli and Iranian citizens,” the IDF added. 
Khatib’s death, which has not been confirmed by Iranian officials, was first reported by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said that attacks on Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon would continue to be escalated. 
“On this day, significant surprises are expected across all arenas that will escalate the war we are conducting against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” he said, <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/katz-says-irans-intelligence-minister-khatib-killed-in-strike-promises-surprises/">according</a> to the Times of Israel. “The intensity of the strikes in Iran is increasing. The Iranian intelligence minister Khatib was also eliminated overnight.”
The State Department offered a $10 million <a href="https://rewardsforjustice.net/rewards/islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-irgc-key-leaders/">reward</a> for information on Khatib. 
The announcement of Khatib’s killing comes just one day after the IDF eliminated Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian official and secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. 
“Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership, and was a close associate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,” the IDF <a href="https://x.com/IDF/status/2033861461596930479">said</a> in a social media post. “During the most recent wave of protests against the Iranian terror regime, Larijani personally oversaw the massacre that was carried out against Iranian protestors.”
Larijani’s death was confirmed by Iranian officials who referred to him as a servant of God and a “martyr.” 
He was taken out after issuing threats directed at President Donald Trump and American troops in the Middle East.

IRAN-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT

Iranian Intelligence Chief ‘Eliminated’ In Overnight Israeli Strike

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Don&#8217;t fall for the propaganda: Iran is losing. They are getting scorched. 
One by one, the leaders of the Islamic Republic are being eliminated. Generals, security chiefs, regime powerbrokers. All gone. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, was dead on day one.
No biggie, right? The regime had a backup plan. They proclaimed his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, an impotent, likely gay, half-idiot mullah, as his successor. Even his daddy didn&#8217;t want that to happen.
The problem is, he has not been seen in weeks, and he may be in a coma.
Meanwhile, Iran&#8217;s command structure is shattered. The missile capacity has been slashed by 90%. Whatever is left of the regime is throwing a temper tantrum like a toddler.
So the real question isn&#8217;t why Iran is losing. The real question is why so many people in the West are pretending they aren&#8217;t.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2389-breaking-iran-s-next-leader-killed?elementPosition=0&amp;row=6&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, was poised to step in as the new leader. He was walking around Tehran just a couple of days ago.
Last night, Larijani, who you might remember from such banger tweets as “Our leaders have been, and still are, among the people. But your leaders? On Epstein&#8217;s island!”, is no longer among the people, among any people.
Because he&#8217;s dead.
He was killed last night in an Israeli airstrike. In addition, Reza Soleimani, the head of the Basij — the internal Iranian force dedicated to murdering protesters and quashing dissent — was killed by Israel last night, along with other top members of the Basij.
And now, individual Basij checkpoints in Tehran are being struck with Israeli drones. In fact, according to the IDF intelligence head, Major General Shlomi Binder, “Their command structure is shattered; their capability stripped down to the bone. What you&#8217;re seeing launch now is whatever scraps they can still push out. That&#8217;s their ceiling.”
The United States has so severely degraded Iran&#8217;s missile capabilities that the government has been firing off, in rather desultory fashion, individual missiles, like a kid whose tantrum is ending but is still kind of sporadically kicking as he tires himself out and goes down for a nap.
On day one of this war, Iran launched 350 missiles. Today, they are down to barely double digits. Their ballistic missile capacity has been reduced by upward of 90%. How about drone launches? Same story: 800 drone launches day one, down to 75 on day 15, and even fewer yesterday. Their ballistic missile factories have been destroyed, their drone factories have been destroyed, and their nuclear facilities have been destroyed or heavily damaged.
Don&#8217;t believe me? Ask Muhanad Seloom, writing for — wait for it — Al Jazeera.
Yup. There&#8217;s a gigantic piece in Al Jazeera, Qatar&#8217;s propaganda outlet, titled “<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/3/16/the-us-israeli-strategy-against-iran-is-working-here-is-why?utm_source=chatgpt.com">The US-Israeli strategy against Iran is working. Here is why</a>,” accurately explaining the toll this war has now taken on Iran. Remember, Qatar is a half-ally to Iran. That alone should tell you just where things stand for the Iranians. 
The Qataris, who play both sides, are now pretty clearly taking America&#8217;s side.
The article points out:
<blockquote>The picture is not one of US failure. It is one of systematic, phased degradation of a threat the previous administrations allowed to grow for four decades. &#8230; The campaign has moved through two distinct phases. The first suppressed Iran&#8217;s air defenses, decapitated its command and control, integrated its missile and drone launch infrastructure.
By March 2, US Central Command announced local air superiority over western Iran and Tehran, achieved without the confirmed loss of a single American or Israeli combat aircraft. The second phase, now underway, targets Iran&#8217;s defense industrial base, missile production facilities, dual use research centers, and the underground complexes where remaining stockpiles are stored. This is not an aimless bombing. It is a methodical campaign to ensure that what has been destroyed cannot be rebuilt.</blockquote>
What about the Strait of Hormuz? We keep hearing about that.
The chances of President Trump allowing the Strait to remain permanently closed are zero. That is not going to happen. And leaving Iran in total control of the Strait, just because Iran has a few drones and the capacity to fire them from the shoreline, is, shall we say, a short-term problem.
Soon, the Iranian government will have much larger problems, because it feels as though all of this is a prelude to action by the Iranian people themselves. President Trump noted that Iranians will soon head out into the streets when they feel more secure.
He said yesterday, “So the women had 250,000, even 500,000 people protesting a year ago, and they shot women right through the middle of the forehead with snipers. And they didn&#8217;t have to do many. About ten went down, bleeding profusely and 250 to 500,000 women went running in the other direction because they can be brave. But they’re not stupid and they have no guns. And they have snipers in buildings specifically for this reason. So a woman goes down, falling, bleeding from the head, and it doesn&#8217;t take long for that to spread. And when that spreads, that crowd dispenses. And nobody else has been able to do that to the extent that these people. These people are violent. They killed a minimum, two weeks ago, 32,000 people. And they put out a notice two days ago, ‘If you protest, if you protest, you will be shot and killed.’”
Something is going to change. The time is coming. Chief rivals to the Iranian people are being individually eliminated. Right now, the Iranian people have the Americans and the Israelis actually flying air cover for them. Yes, of course, they&#8217;re going to have to brave death to take on the regime. They’ve done it before.
But last time they did it, no help was on the way. Then, President Trump said help is on the way.
And then President Trump acted.
What happens next will be in the Iranian people’s hands.

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