Joshua Klein - Page 3

“The Iranian regime is engaged in a ritual of economic self-immolation,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday, as the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on Iran’s oil-export “shadow fleet” amid a widening crackdown on protesters and mounting U.S. pressure across the region.

CPAC Hungary’s organizers are framing the fifth Budapest gathering as a one-day “capital of conservatism” showdown against a “far more dangerous” Europe — and a Brussels establishment they say is plotting to “destroy us once and for all” as “the age of Patriots” arrives.

Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi warned that the Islamic Republic’s escalating violence against protesters has exposed a regime under strain — but not one on the verge of collapse — arguing that Tehran will not fall through foreign military intervention or external pressure alone, but only through an organized, nationwide resistance capable of dismantling its repressive core.

Iran’s judiciary declared it will “pursue” and “punish” President Donald Trump and leaders of the “Zionist regime” for “crimes” linked to fomenting protests, according to the Islamic Republic’s judiciary chief who accused Washington and Jerusalem of backing “terrorists.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the United States for Iran’s crises, accusing Washington of imposing “inhumane” sanctions while warning that any challenge to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would amount to an “all-out war” against the Iranian nation.

“The Iranian nation defeated the U.S.,” declared Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, insisting the U.S. must “be held accountable.”

President Donald Trump, responding to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s attempt to blame him for recent protester deaths, slammed the Iranian Supreme Leader as a “sick man” and called for “new leadership,” declaring: “His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.”

President Donald Trump is weighing imminent military action against Iran that could come “in the next 24 hours,” according to a Reuters report citing European officials, as the Pentagon begins pulling personnel from key U.S. bases across the Middle East and Tehran warns it would retaliate if Washington strikes.

The death toll from Iran’s crackdown on anti-regime protests has reached staggering levels, with families searching through body bags and over 10,000 arrested, while President Donald Trump told protesters that “help is on its way,” and the U.S. urged Americans to leave the country.

Iran will teach “delusional” and “arrogant” President Donald Trump a “lesson that will never be forgotten,” warned Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who vowed U.S. forces would be “burned by the fire of Iran’s defenders” while insisting “we are your opponent.”

British author J.K. Rowling accused self-proclaimed human rights defenders of hypocrisy for ignoring Iranian protesters while loudly backing popular activist trends, saying they have “revealed” themselves and “don’t give a damn” about real oppression.

A senior Iranian regime official publicly called President Donald Trump an “impure, savage yellow dog” who “must pay the price” and be captured “like Maduro,” all while declaring that violent attacks inside the United States would be legally and religiously justified.

“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” President Donald Trump wrote Saturday as he escalated his public backing of Iran’s protesters — and sharpened warnings to the regime in Tehran.

A young Iranian law student protesting in the streets of Tehran and speaking from inside the capital says life under the Islamic Republic has become “unbearable,” fueling nationwide protests she calls “the final battle,” as she expressed hope President Trump will “keep his promise” and the West will “arm the youth” or strike the regime’s forces before an “unprecedented threat” of exported extremism and a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic “destabilizes the world.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared that Jews are safer in Budapest than anywhere else in Europe, pointing to strict immigration controls and zero tolerance for antisemitism as the foundation of what a modern European capital “ought to be.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton joined a legal push against Hamas-linked groups in the U.S., citing the need to “decimate and dismantle” radical Islamic terrorist organizations and their “domestic supporting branches.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar declared it a “great privilege” to conduct Israel’s first official diplomatic visit to Somaliland, using the historic trip to underscore that Jerusalem alone will decide “whom it recognizes and with whom it maintains diplomatic relations.”

A forceful message from President Donald Trump, warning adversaries in Tehran not to “play games” and underscoring that he “is a man of action,” comes on the heels of recent U.S. action against socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, sharpening pressure on Iran’s leadership as anti-regime protests spread.

Pro-Palestinian activist organizations are fuming after Washington announced military action in Venezuela and the capture of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, framing the operation as “imperialist aggression,” denouncing what they term a “genocidal US-Israel axis,” and urging resistance, protests, and “direct action” in the United States and abroad.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing intense backlash after condemning the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, a reaction critics say put him at odds with Venezuelan-Americans, U.S. law enforcement priorities, and national security interests.

President Donald Trump’s warning that the United States would intervene if Iran’s regime violently suppresses protesters drew swift backing from Republican senators, former U.S. officials, and security voices — with supporters invoking “actions and consequences,” praising Trump’s long-absent moral clarity, and drawing pointed contrasts with Barack Obama’s refusal to back Iranian protesters during the regime’s violent 2009 crackdown.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told evangelical Christian leaders in Florida that Israel is waging a new front against Islamist persecution of Christians worldwide, praising Christian Zionist support for the Jewish state while framing the effort as a “common Judeo-Christian battle.”

Iran’s clerical regime closed out 2025 with what an Iranian opposition coalition described as an unprecedented surge of state killings.

As anti-government protests in Iran enter a third consecutive day, journalists, activists, and commentators are questioning why the pro-Gaza protest movement that dominated Western streets and campuses has remained largely silent as Iranians confront an Islamist dictatorship at home.

Hamas instructed its spokesmen to conceal the group’s true ideology from Western audiences, according to an intelligence analysis based on internal Arabic-only documents recovered during the Gaza war.

Israel has begun field deployment of its “game-changing” Iron Beam laser air defense system, according to the country’s Defense Ministry, which confirmed the technology is now operating as part of the country’s layered missile defense network, with its combat performance expected to inform U.S. missile defense planning.

Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on Friday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the move “historic” and saying it reflects a shared commitment to stability, peace, and regional cooperation “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that Israel will invest roughly $110 billion over the next decade to build an independent domestic arms industry, declaring that the Jewish state must “reduce the dependency on any party, including allies,” after repeated weapons restrictions imposed during wartime.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a Christmas Eve message from Jerusalem stressing that Israel is “the only country in the Middle East where the Christian community is thriving” and pledged that the Jewish state “will always stand” with Christians worldwide.

A Hungarian technology firm is making what its chairman called a “giant leap” for bilateral cooperation after committing $100 million to a leading U.S. commercial space company, marking the first time a Hungarian enterprise has taken an ownership stake in a major American space player.

Ilhan Omar “should be expelled from the United States” and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “should be in jail,” according to Florida Rep. Randy Fine, who confirmed he is preparing a House resolution targeting the Somalia-born congresswoman amid ongoing investigations and allegations surrounding billions of dollars in welfare and pandemic-era fraud in Minnesota.

Sen. Lindsey Graham urged a formal U.S.–Israel defense pact, arguing that U.S. aid delivers “tenfold” returns in intelligence, counterterrorism, and advanced technology.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s Hanukkah video featuring radical leftist actor Mandy Patinkin and his family sparked backlash online, with critics slamming the appearance as a “staged performance” and accusing the Democratic Socialist of cynically co-opting the holiday for political cover amid deep concerns over his antisemitic rhetoric and anti-Israel record.

Catherine Almonte Da Costa, a senior appointee to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration, resigned Thursday after resurfaced social media posts showed her mocking Jews and attacking law enforcement.

New York City is witnessing a surge in violent, targeted assaults on Jewish individuals during the Hanukkah holiday, part of a broader pattern of rising antisemitism and heightened holiday‑season security concerns.

America deserves mass punishment from Allah but has been spared only out of “honor” for devout Muslims living in the U.S., according to a Florida Islamic cleric — who went on to denounce President Donald Trump as “human garbage,” claim Somalis’ feet are cleaner than the American president’s face, and mock Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “gay,” declaring that the mere prospect of a caliphate gives him nightmares.