Thursday, March 26, 2026

03/25 Links Pt1: The War Is Going Better than You Think; Israeli Ambassador Sounds Red Alert Siren at UN; Iran Does Not Accept A Ceasefire; Hezbollah chief rejects Israel talks as ‘surrender’

From Ian:

WSJ Editorial: More Evidence that U.S. Was Right to Act before Iranian Missile Threat Grew
The rulers in Iran are hoping to move the war to a theater more favorable to their side: the negotiating table. But one of Iran's nonstarter demands is an unconstrained missile program - days after the regime fired at the American and British military base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

The launch is "the furthest ever attempted Iranian missile strike," the Institute for the Study of War notes. "The attack demonstrated that Iranian missiles can reach beyond the 2,000-km. limit that the regime has long claimed to have self-imposed." Diego Garcia is about double that distance from Iran.

For all the derision about "a war of choice," Mr. Trump was correct to act before Iranian missiles grow in number, range and accuracy. The reach underscores that the missile program isn't merely Israel's problem. The Iranians clearly aspire to put European cities in play, and eventually the U.S. homeland too. The shots fired at Diego Garcia are a moment of clarity about America's enemies.
Bret Stephens: The War Is Going Better than You Think
In March 2012, the price of Brent crude closed at $123 a barrel - $175 a barrel in today's dollars.

As of Tuesday, despite Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its attacks on its neighbors' energy facilities, the price is hovering around $100.

That ought to provide some perspective on the panic over the price of oil.

During the 1991 Operation Desert Storm against Iraq's Saddam Hussein, a campaign widely considered a brilliant military success, the U.S.-led coalition lost 75 aircraft, 42 of them in combat.

In the conflict with Iran, four manned aircraft have been destroyed, three to friendly fire and one in an accident. Not a single manned plane has yet been lost over Iran.

In 1991, Iraq fired 39 missiles toward Israel. Hardly any were intercepted despite the deployment of Patriot batteries there. In this war, Israel is registering an interception rate of 92% against more than 400 missiles.

One of the worst mistakes of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was the attempt by the U.S. to remake societies in both countries.

In this war, we hope the Iranian people use the opportunity of their leadership's weakness to seize their own destiny. But we won't do it for them.

If past generations could see how well this war has gone compared with the ones they were compelled to fight at a frightening cost, they would marvel at their posterity's comparative good fortune.
Why the Iran War Should Not Cause Higher Gas Prices in the U.S.
America does not depend on oil sent through the Strait of Hormuz and its closure does not provide any good reason for U.S. consumers to face big increases in gas prices.

The U.S. produces more oil than it needs and is a net exporter of oil. Problems in the Strait need not change the amount of oil produced in the U.S., nor the cost of pumping oil in the U.S., nor the amount of gasoline produced and used in the U.S.

When prices recently increased for oil internationally, U.S. oil companies also raised prices stateside, but this makes no sense.

The net result is that U.S. consumers pay more for gasoline, while American oil companies' production costs are the same, providing a huge profit windfall.

There are differences in types of oil in the U.S., but that does not alter the logic. Most of the oil produced in the U.S. is "light." But some U.S. refineries use "heavy" oil.

That means that the U.S. trades about 30% percent of its light oil for heavy oil, predominantly from Canada and Mexico.

Under a long-term understanding between America and its oil companies, the companies are given many privileges, including on public lands, and they are supposed to provide reliable production for America's needs, at fair and reasonably stable prices.

There is no legitimate basis for U.S. oil and gasoline companies to set prices in America any higher than they were last month.

Once gas prices decline in the U.S., perhaps the IRGC will realize that keeping the Strait closed would harm China, India and Japan, not America - and they might reopen the Strait.


Clifford D. May: The Alternative to Wars of Choice Is Wars with Our Backs Against the Wall
America's military campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran is being condemned as "a war of choice, not a war of necessity." I'm here to make the case for wars of choice. My argument is simple: Delaying wars does not ensure lasting peace. On the contrary, delaying wars has often led to wars more costly in blood and treasure.

A war of choice is a conflict we decide to wage to achieve vital goals before our enemies push our backs up against the wall. If your enemy picks up a pistol, does that constitute an imminent threat? Or must you wait until you see his finger on the trigger - by which time it may too late for you to defend yourself?

The 2002 U.S. National Security Strategy that followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, explicitly endorsed preemptive action against gathering threats. CIA Director John Ratcliffe last week told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Iran posed a "constant threat to the United States...and posed an immediate threat" before the war began.

For decades, we have allowed the threat from the self-proclaimed jihadis in Tehran to metastasize. They've been building nuclear weapons facilities under mountains. They've been funding, arming, and instructing terrorist militias beyond their borders. They've plotted assassinations and kidnappings in America and Europe. They've been amassing thousands of drones and missiles.

President John F. Kennedy observed: "There are risks and costs to action, but they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction."
An Unpersuadable Nation By Abe Greenwald
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If Americans can look at the stunning success of the war so far and proclaim it a failure, we’re not, at this moment, a people who can be convinced of the necessity of war (without a direct attack on the homeland). We no longer believe the evidence of our senses, let alone the pleadings of Donald Trump. America currently suffers from a set of stubborn comorbidities that make persuasion on military affairs a nonstarter. Our Vietnam Syndrome was compounded by Iraq and Afghanistan Syndrome and further complicated by Trump Derangement Syndrome.

On the left, the anti-colonialists view every U.S. military action as a prima facie war crime. Meanwhile, over the course of decades, they’ve conquered and colonized the liberal mainstream. On the right, patriotism has been eaten up by nationalism, which considers only the narrowest interpretation of the country’s national interests.

What about all those independents out there in the middle? Well, Trump has already turned his independent supporters into his largest group of detractors before the war began. He wasn’t going to get them back with a case for bombing Iran.

The whole thing reminds me of the argument that Israel failed to make an effective public case for its actions after October 7. As if Hamas itself hadn’t made the definitive case on that day. Sympathy for Israel, already in decline by that point, leveled off for a few days before the bottom fell out altogether. And that was well before the claims of genocide, starvation, and so on.

As I wrote in an earlier newsletter:
The vital information that Israel needed to disseminate … was this: We will not perish. We are fiercer in battle than you could ever imagine, more accomplished in intelligence and operational execution than any nation in history, peerless in the art of war, and unapologetic in our commitment to survival. We don’t bend to public opinion; we stop at nothing to defend our existence.

There’s a lot of talk about how Israel and the U.S. are different countries with different concerns that don’t always overlap. And it’s true. But in this case, what applies to Israel applies, mutatis mutandis, to America. The vital information we need to disseminate is that Iran, and other adversaries, cannot indefinitely threaten us or our allies with the world’s most dangerous weapons. They cannot blackmail or deter us from destroying them before they have an opportunity to destroy us. Or as Trump put it, “I don’t care about polling. I have to do the right thing. I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago.”

And when it’s done—successfully, God willing—it might reopen a space for persuadability in our doubtful and dug-in culture. Victory is Trump’s strongest argument.
Jake Wallis Simons: The Saudis know there can be no peace until Iran is neutralised
Certainly, the Saudis and their Gulf neighbours are feeling acute economic pain. As the conflict drags on, the risk grows of ever-more debilitating attacks on their oil production facilities and the prospect of a lengthy and difficult campaign to reopen Hormuz moves the light at the end of the tunnel farther away. Massive disruptions have already hit the oil market, and with barrels of crude rising above $100, the threat of a full-blown crisis is growing.

Behind closed doors, however, MBS has reportedly been arguing that the United States should deploy ground forces to seize energy infrastructure and topple the Iranian regime from the ground. From his point of view, a half-finished war is the worst possible outcome. Iran would be left wounded, vengeful and emboldened by its control of Hormuz. A precedent would have been set for attacking its neighbours; and the United States would be unlikely to return to hostilities to defend its Gulf allies in the event of future Iranian attacks. All of this would amount to a recipe for continued harassment, brinkmanship and bullying by Tehran.

Against this backdrop, although a failed state within Iran’s borders would pose a serious threat to Gulf stability, with emerging militias potentially targeting its neighbours and their oil infrastructure, an ambitious MBS cannot ignore the opportunity to humble the Ayatollah and increase his influence in the region. To this end, the New York Times reported, the Saudi leader has been trying to persuade Trump to view the current economic damage as a temporary bump on the road to a historic victory.

Indeed, at the beginning of the conflict, the Washington Post revealed that although MBS had been arguing against hostilities in public, behind closed doors he had been urging Trump to go to war. All of this confirms the old Middle Eastern adage: what you say publicly, what you say privately and what you really think are three different things. It isn’t just the Americans and Israelis who want to see the end of the Iranian regime. It’s a good portion of the Muslim world, too.
Ending the Iran war without regime change will lead to slaughter
As the war in Iran continues, uncertainty remains about how long President Donald Trump will continue it, notwithstanding his March 21, 2026, ultimatum to Iran’s remaining leadership to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or lose its power plants. Trump, after all, does not let his own rhetoric constrain him. He ended his bombing campaign against the Houthis by declaring victory, leaving the group in place and its capabilities unscathed. If Trump claims Iran’s nuclear program has been destroyed, he may declare mission accomplished and go home. Alternatively, if he finds a regime patsy to sign an interim agreement as an Iranian corollary to the Venezuela model, the clerical regime will survive.

Herein lies the danger: The Iranian regime already used ideology to justify the slaughter of perhaps 30,000 dissenters, just as Pol Pot once did on a larger scale.

If Trump walks away, the regime might calculate that not only can it get away with an atrocity on the scale of Cambodia, but it might also get progressives to blame the United States. The AFSC already condemns the U.S. and defends Iran. Porter attended a 9/11 “Truther” conference in Tehran alongside Holocaust deniers. Academics, meanwhile, hold teach-ins to rationalize Iranian actions as a reaction to slights rather than acknowledge the regime’s free will.

Human rights activists might hate Trump, but they should have no illusion: Ending the war short of regime change may mean a slaughter in Iran unseen since the Mongols.
Low chance for US-Iran deal, but Trump 'can always surprise us,' Israeli officials tell 'Post'
While Israeli officials assess that a deal between Iran and the United States is unlikely, they are concerned that US President Donald Trump could announce a temporary ceasefire to demonstrate his commitment to reaching an agreement.

“At present, the positions of Tehran and Washington make the likelihood of an agreement somewhere between slim and nonexistent. Still, Trump could surprise us,” an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post.

Israel has no indication that Trump intends to declare a ceasefire, but it is preparing for that possibility. On Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with senior security officials and a small group of ministers. A Security Cabinet session is expected to follow.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States is close to achieving its core war objectives and is ahead of schedule.

“Iran has not rejected the American proposal. The talks are productive and ongoing. There is some truth to the reports, but some of the stories I’ve read are not entirely accurate,” she said.

“The last time Iran misjudged the situation, it cost them their senior leadership as well as their air and naval forces.”

The US administration is working to coordinate a meeting between senior American and Iranian officials later this week in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. Iranian media have described a 15-point document presented by Trump to Tehran as “unacceptable.”
‘Iran Does Not Accept A Ceasefire’: Islamic Republic Rejects Trump’s Peace Offer
Iranian leaders rejected President Donald Trump's 15-point peace plan to end the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military effort against the regime, saying Wednesday that neither a ceasefire nor negotiations toward one are on the table.

"Iran does not accept a ceasefire," an unnamed senior Islamic Republic leader told the Fars news agency. "Basically, it is not logical to enter into such a process with those who violate the agreement." A second Iranian official, speaking to state-run Press TV, said, "Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met."

Trump's proposal is similar to the conditions he set for negotiations before launching Operation Epic Fury. Tehran would have to dismantle its nuclear facilities in Natanz, Esfahan, and Fordow, as well as abandon its support for terrorist proxy groups across the region. The terms also reportedly mandate that Iran relinquish its ability to enrich uranium, ensure safe passage for commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and significantly scale back its ballistic missile program.

The United States transmitted the deal to the Islamic Republic's remaining leadership through Pakistan, which has offered to mediate ceasefire talks. The Iranian regime rejected the proposal immediately, signaling that Tehran has not softened its stance since the U.S.-Israeli military campaign began. On Monday, Trump announced that he would postpone strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, saying Middle East envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held "very strong talks" with Iranian negotiators. The Islamic Republic, though, continues to claim no talks have taken place.

"Tehran and Washington aren't in talks nor have they held discussions since the onset of the war in late February," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei was quoted as saying in an interview with India Today.

"We made it clear yesterday there is no talks or negotiations between Iran and the U.S.," Baghaei said. "We've had a very catastrophic experience, I should say, of the U.S. diplomacy. We were attacked two times within a span of nine months when we were in the middle of a negotiating process to resolve the nuclear issue. So this was a betrayal of diplomacy."
Hezbollah chief rejects Israel talks as ‘surrender’ amid continued IDF strikes
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem purportedly said Wednesday that negotiating with Israel under fire would amount to “surrender” for Lebanon, and urged the government to reverse its ban on the party’s military activities.

“When negotiations with the Israeli enemy are proposed under fire, this is an imposition of surrender,” Qassem said in a televised speech read on his behalf, rejecting the Lebanese president’s initiative to start direct negotiations “with an enemy that occupies our land and carries out daily attacks.”

Qassem called on the Lebanese people to embrace “national unity,” saying this could be achieved by the government reversing its decision to ban Hezbollah’s military activities.

The March 2 Beirut decision came hours after Hezbollah started launching rocket attacks at Israel for the first time since the November 2024 Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal, triggering massive Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.

The statement, read out on a Hezbollah-affiliated television station, said Hezbollah fighters were prepared to continue “without limits.”

Hezbollah continued launching rockets and drones at Israel on Wednesday, repeatedly triggering sirens in northern communities, including two barrages of 10 rockets at Haifa Bay area.
How Is the Iran War Impacting Gaza?
The eruption of the Iran war on Feb. 28 forced Israel to divert its primary air force, infantry and intelligence units toward the Iranian and Lebanese theaters. It compensated for its reduced footprint in Gaza by initiating a spike in targeted attacks on Hamas commanders throughout the strip.

At the same time, Hamas forces have significantly ramped up operations to secure control of the civilian population and to destroy rivals. The U.S. State Department recently verified footage documenting "masked Sahm [internal security] operatives physically tearing down the tents and stalls of displaced Gazans in Khan Yunis who refused to pay taxes, illustrating a brutal campaign to suppress internal dissent."

The core architecture of Hamas's financial solvency relied heavily on smuggling networks managed and directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, noted that Iran was still giving significant aid to Hamas.

"Hamas understands that if this [Iranian] regime collapses or is weakened to the degree that it will not be able to continue supporting Hamas, they are in big trouble," he said. Multiple IRGC commanders responsible for collaboration with Palestinian terror groups were neutralized in the early days of the campaign.

The Iran war has had a deep financial impact on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, potentially dealing a blow to Gaza's long-term reconstruction prospects. Iran has systematically struck critical energy and civilian infrastructure across all six GCC states, leading to a 50% cut in its projected GDP growth rate for 2026.

Faced with direct physical damage to their territory and the existential economic threat of a prolonged regional war of attrition, the billions of Gulf dollars which were considered critical for the Gaza rebuilding plan are increasingly unlikely to materialize.


Pro-Hitler banners threatening anti-regime protesters reported to appear across Iran
Large banners featuring an image of Adolf Hitler that target anti-regime protesters have reportedly appeared in cities across Iran.

Several of the banners apparently spotted by Iranians and posted on social media display a made-up saying attributed to the Nazi leader.

“A homeland is like a mother… anyone who is pleased by an assault on their country is like someone who rejoices in the violation of their own mother,” one fake Hitler quote read.

On another banner, Hitler’s image appears alongside Mojtaba Khamenei, now the regime’s supreme leader and the son of Ali Khamenei, accompanied by the slogan: “If the father is gone, his rifle still remains.”

Reports indicate that these banners have appeared in cities including Tonekabon and Babolsar in the north and Kermanshah in the west.

Given the communications blackout, it is likely that more examples will surface as access is gradually restored, pointing to a broader, centrally directed propaganda effort.

The use of Hitler’s image together with the slogan, particularly in the context of the ongoing war with Israel, fit squarely within the regime’s longstanding antisemitic and anti-Israel narrative, and signal the kind of posture it seeks to project toward the Jewish community.

Iranian state radio and television have echoed similar themes, framing global developments as evidence of rising hostility towards Jews and the West.


Military Options for Reopening the Strait of Hormuz
Iran has established a selective passage regime through the Strait of Hormuz, exporting its own oil and natural gas while permitting safe passage to countries that "pay a toll" and denying transit to all others. Although Iran's military has been greatly weakened, it appears to retain significant residual capabilities, including large numbers of small boats, anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles, coastal artillery and rocket units, and numerous attack drones. Many of these drones could be launched from over 1,000 miles inland.

While convoy operations and intensified attacks on Iran's military capabilities might temporarily relieve some pressure, they could come at a significant cost and take significant time, and they are not guaranteed to safeguard navigation. Achieving more durable success will require a complementary approach that involves applying further pressure on Iran's economy.

The U.S. and Israel need to turn the regime's strategy against it by applying countervailing pressure on Iran's ability to use the Strait of Hormuz, making clear that if other states cannot use the strait, neither can Iran. Tehran exports 90% of its oil through the loading terminals on Kharg Island, making it the Achilles' heel of the Iranian economy. Some have hinted that Marine forces might be tasked with seizing the island, but any U.S. ground elements involved would be vulnerable to prolonged bombardment from the mainland. The U.S. could respond with a distant blockade of Iran's oil exports, diverting Iranian "shadow tankers," then impounding and selling their cargo as was done in the past with tankers from Venezuela's "shadow fleet." Washington should also consider impounding Iranian "shadow fleet" tankers located largely in Asia that serve as floating storage, holding nearly 140 million barrels of oil.

About 80% of Iran's imports pass through Hormuz. Another option for the U.S. is a selective blockade, allowing ships largely carrying foodstuffs to Iran to pass while diverting those carrying raw materials, equipment, and industrial goods.

Tehran has threatened global energy security and taken the global economy hostage. Allowing Iranian threats to persist indefinitely is unacceptable. Washington and its partners need to counter Iran's attacks in order to deter perpetual threats. At the same time, they must design a follow-on campaign to ensure freedom of navigation through the strait against a wounded but still dangerous and aggrieved regime.
Cappy Army: How US Forces are Trying to Open Iran's Strait of Hormuz
Today we break down the fight for the Strait of Hormuz and why it matters to the entire world. The U.S. is trying to reopen a waterway that carries 20% of global oil, while Iran uses drones, mines, and coastal strikes to keep it shut. We analyze the tactics, weapons, and strategy on both sides, and explain why this battle could trigger a global economic crisis if it isn’t resolved quickly.




Russian-Iranian arms smuggling route said cut off by Israel’s Caspian Sea strikes
Recent Israeli airstrikes off the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea targeted a key shipping route used by Iran and Russia for the exporting and importing of weapons, including those used by Moscow in its war on Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the report, one of the key aims of the port strikes was to limit Russia’s weapons-smuggling abilities, although Israel has not publicly acknowledged this, likely due to its desire to maintain cordial ties with Moscow.

The Israeli Air Force, last Wednesday, carried out a wave of airstrikes against Iranian Navy vessels at the port city of Bandar Anzali, on the coast of the Caspian Sea. According to the IDF, the strikes destroyed an Iranian Navy corvette, four missile boats, and several auxiliary ships and guard boats, along with a command center and a shipyard.

It said at the time that it targeted the missile boats to cause a blow to the Iranian military, despite the fact that they did not pose a direct threat to Israel from the Caspian Sea.

According to The Wall Street Journal, though, the sting of the strikes was likely felt not just by Iran but by Russia, too, which has its own port on the Caspian Sea, some 600 miles from Iran’s.

Russia and Iran have long enjoyed close ties, and in January 2025, they signed a strategic partnership agreement to further improve cooperation, including military and defense partnerships.

The two countries, both heavily sanctioned by the West, maintain a shipping route on the inland sea, the Journal said, using it to transfer weapons — from Iran to Russia — and food supplies — from Russia to Iran.


IDF captures Lebanese Resistance Brigades commander
Israeli troops apprehended a cell commander of the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese Resistance Brigades overnight on Tuesday during an operation near Mount Dov on the northern border, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday.

The arrest followed prolonged intelligence surveillance, according to the military. The suspect was taken to Israel for interrogation.

“IDF troops are deployed in the area in order to thwart any threat posed to Israeli civilians and residents of northern Israel in particular,” the military said.

The IDF also said on Wednesday that troops operating overnight in Southern Lebanon killed several Hezbollah gunmen who fired an anti-tank missile at them during a ground raid.


IDF strikes Hamas Nukhba Force terrorists in central Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces eliminated several armed operatives of Hamas’s Nukhba Force in an overnight strike in central Gaza, the Israeli military said on Wednesday.

“The terrorists had recently conducted several military training sessions in the area and posed a threat to IDF soldiers and to the State of Israel,” according to the IDF.

It added that troops remain deployed in the Strip in accordance with the U.S.-brokered Oct. 10, 2025, ceasefire deal and “will continue to operate to remove any threat.”

The Nukhba Force led the charge during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attacks in Israel’s western Negev, in which some 1,200 people, primarily Jewish civilians, were massacred, thousands were wounded and 251 were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, the Israeli Air Force struck an SUV in central Gaza, eliminating a terrorist cell.


14-year-old boy indicted for spying for Iran in exchange for money
Prosecutors charged a 14-year-old boy with espionage on Wednesday after he allegedly carried out missions on Iran’s behalf, including filming the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Over the past two years, dozens of Israelis have been charged with spying for Iran. In many of the cases, Iranian agents recruited Israelis via social media, specifically through Telegram.

The minor, a resident of central Israel, was charged in the Tel Aviv Juvenile Court with maintaining contact with a foreign agent and passing intelligence to the enemy, among other offenses.

According to the State Attorney’s Office, the teenager contacted the Iranian agent via a Telegram account in April 2025 in response to a message about a job he was interested in. The minor agreed to carry out the tasks for payment in cryptocurrencies that would be transferred to a digital wallet.

The minor opened four digital wallets, to which the agent transferred a total of over $1,170.

According to the charge sheet, the defendant took videos near Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center-Ichilov and in Ramat Gan, where an elderly couple was recently killed in an Iranian missile strike.

Additionally, he captured the location of the Kirya military headquarters in a video depicting Tel Aviv’s skyline.

The minor is also accused of posting graffiti messages across Tel Aviv, including one that read, “We are committed to the covenant.”
Israeli brothers allegedly sold AI-generated fake files to Iranian agent
Two Israeli brothers have been charged with spying for Iran after being accused of selling supposedly classified information, at least some of which was faked using AI.

According to an indictment filed by the State Attorney’s Office in Jerusalem, the two suspects, both in their 20s, had been in touch with an agent of the Islamic Republic believed to be seeking military secrets.

The brothers were allegedly paid in total the equivalent of around £24,000 in cryptocurrency after one of them had first been contacted by the spy in August 2025 with an offer of money in exchange for information.

It is said the suspects used a false name and responded as if they were one person, saying they were due to enlist in the IDF Intelligence Directorate's Unit 8200, which is responsible for Signal Intelligence.

The indictment alleges that, to win the Iranian agent’s trust, they said a friend was already in the unit and created a Telegram group on which they could all communicate.

It is alleged that the friend was in fact a fictitious creation which the brothers authenticated using AI to create both a photo image and apparently official documents as evidence of his employment in the unit.

The suspects are accused of using AI for research on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) locations in Iran to create fake military plans outlining Israel’s intended targets.

It is also alleged that they responded to the agent asking whether Israel was involved in the helicopter crash in 2024 in which President Ebrahim Raisi died, using AI to fabricate a military document apparently confirming that was the case.

As reported by the Jerusalem Post, the brothers’ lawyer said: “The indictment is outrageous.

“As seen in the indictment materials, these are two patriotic Zionist brothers who sought to trick the Iranians.

“The Jewish mind is known for inventing patents, and as loyal sons of the start-up nation, they sold fabricated information to the Iranians using ChatGPT in exchange for money.

“Their intention was to harm and deceive the Iranian enemy, and they succeeded in doing so. Instead of filing an indictment in this unnecessary case, the state should award them the Israel Prize for their contribution to the nation's security.”
No injuries reported after Iranian missile barrages hit in central Israel
Several waves of Iranian missile attacks damaged at least seven sites across central Israel and the Sharon coastal plain on Wednesday morning, with no injuries reported.

Rescue forces were dispatched to several impact sites in the Sharon region, including a reported impact in the Caesarea area. Smoke was also seen rising near Hadera.

“At this stage, no reports of casualties have been received,” the Magen David Adom medical emergency response group stated.

“MDA teams have gone out to treat several people who were injured on their way to shelters, as well as those suffering from anxiety,” it added. “Updates as required.”

The Israel Electric Corporation clarified that no damage was caused to its infrastructure, writing on X, “in light of the many inquiries” it received, in response to unverified reports.

Following the barrages, Jerusalem temporarily closed its airspace, Channel 12 News reported. Aircraft en route to land at Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv were ordered to turn back over the sea, and an Arkia flight reportedly made three unsuccessful landing attempts.


Ask Haviv Anything: 101: Will Trump finish the job in Iran? With Prof. Dan Schueftan
Trump says a deal may be coming to end the Iran war. Netanyahu says it could protect Israel’s interests. Iran’s regime says little that can be trusted. So what is really happening? Prof. Dan Schueftan returns to the podcast to help us step back from the daily headlines to ask the much bigger question: If this war ends now, who actually wins? And what’s at stake? From the Strait of Hormuz to the ideology of martyrdom, we ask whether free societies still have the nerve to confront movements built on destruction.


UKLFI: Natasha Hausdorff on Iran's use of cluster munitions and strikes by Israel on oil and gas sites
What does international law say about the use of weapons like cluster munitions in an armed conflict like the US and Israel's military action in Iran?

How should the targeting of energy infrastructure be assessed?

In this interview, Natasha Hausdorff, Legal Director of the UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust, speaks about these two issues.

The discussion explores Iran’s use of cluster munitions in attacks affecting Israeli population centres, as well as the legal framework governing the targeting of oil and gas infrastructure in the context of military operations and wider regional tensions, including disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Hausdorff explains the key principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction, proportionality and military necessity and how they are applied when assessing different types of weapons and targets.

The conversation also considers historical state practice and the concept of “war-sustaining” capabilities in evaluating whether certain infrastructure may constitute a lawful military objective.

This interview is provided for educational purposes as part of the UKLFI Charitable Trust’s work advancing legal education on issues relating to international law, Israel and antisemitism.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction – Legal questions in the current conflict
00:45 Cluster munitions: legal framework and key principles
01:28 How cluster munitions function and their wide-area effects
03:01 Historical use and international concerns
03:55 The Convention on Cluster Munitions explained 05:22 Application of distinction and proportionality
05:52 Assessing alleged use in populated areas 06:42 What makes a “legitimate military objective”?
07:40 Legal definitions under international law
08:10 The concept of “war-sustaining” capabilities
09:00 Dual-use infrastructure and legal analysis
09:35 Historical examples of targeting economic infrastructure
11:32 State practice and customary international law
14:00 Proportionality and case-by-case assessments
15:00 Media coverage and legal narratives


Iranian strikes pose ‘existential threat,’ Gulf states tell UN rights council
Gulf Arab states told the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday they face an existential threat from Iranian attacks on their infrastructure, which the UN rights chief said might constitute war crimes.

The nearly monthlong US-Israeli war on Iran has sparked large-scale Iranian retaliation in the form of drone and missile strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure in Gulf countries, killing civilians and driving up oil prices.

The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Jordan called the session at the UN’s top rights body, focused exclusively on Iran’s strikes on countries across the Gulf region and their impact on civilians.

“We are seeing an existential threat to international and regional security. This aggressive approach is undermining international law and sovereignty,” Kuwait’s ambassador Naser Abdullah H. M. Alhayen told the Geneva-based council.

Other Gulf states said Iran’s actions were designed to spread terror, with the UAE ambassador Jamal Jama al Musharakh denouncing Iran’s “attempt to destabilize the international order through reckless adventures of expansionism.”

The 47-member council was considering a draft resolution that “condemns in the strongest terms the egregious attacks” by Iran, condemns Tehran’s actions aimed at closing the Strait of Hormuz and voices “grave concerns at the Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure.”

Iran defended its actions, alleging that more than 1,500 civilians had been killed in the US-Israeli strikes so far. “We fight on behalf of all of you against an enemy that, if not restrained today, will be beyond containment tomorrow,” said Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva Ali Bahreini, referring to Israel.

Israel has said its goals in the war are to cripple a regime bent on its destruction, destroy its missile and nuclear capabilities and create the conditions for possible regime change.
Gulf states slam Arab League countries for tepid response to Iranian aggression
The United Arab Emirates has been publicly expressing its disappointment in Arab League countries like Egypt for not showing or expressing very little support for Gulf states under attack from Iran, a dynamic playing out more quietly in other Gulf states, as well.

In a post on X on Sunday that received significant attention, Anwar Gargash, an advisor to the UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed, said that “Iran’s brutal aggression against the Arab Gulf carries profound geopolitical repercussions … and the result is to bolster our national capabilities and the joint security, as well as to solidify our security partnerships with Washington.”

When French former diplomat Gérard Araud criticized Gargash’s approach, writing on X that “it means deepening your dependence on a country that has led yours into a disastrous conflict without caring about your interests,” Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed backed up Gargash, responding: “We will never be blackmailed by terrorists.”

In subsequent posts, Gargash not only said that Iran’s attacks are bringing his country closer to the U.S., but criticized other Arab countries for not aligning themselves with the Gulf.

“Where are the joint Arab and Islamic institutions, chief among them the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, while our countries and peoples are subjected to this treacherous Iranian aggression? And where are the ‘major’ Arab and regional countries? … The Arab Gulf states were a support and partner to all in times of prosperity… So where are you today in times of hardship?” Gargash wrote.


Israeli Ambassador Sounds Red Alert Siren at UN
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon activated a Red Alert rocket warning siren during a UN Security Council session on Tuesday and set a 15-second timer to illustrate the reality faced by Israeli civilians under missile fire.

"This is the time some civilians in Israel have to reach a protected space," Danon said.

"Fifteen seconds to decide which child to take first, whether to go back for the others, and whether you can help an elderly parent. Sometimes, those 15 seconds run out before you reach safety."

"Every time we were asked to stop and give diplomacy a chance, terrorism used the time to rearm."

"Israel will not return to solutions that guarantee the next war. This time we will remove the threat at its root."


Australia to ban Iranian visa holders, citing ‘national interest’
Iranians on temporarily visas will be restricted from re-entering Australia under controversial new powers.

The Albanese government will from Thursday restrict anyone with a visitor visa (subclass 600) linked to an Iranian passport and who is outside of Australia from re-entering the country, more than four weeks after the United States’ and Israel’s surprise attack on Iran.

Visa-holders are typically allowed to remain in Australia for up to 12 months, usually for tourism, business, or to visit family.

However, under the new rules, which will remain in effect for six months, only spouses, de facto partners, or a dependent child of an Australia citizen or permanent visa holder, or a parent of a child under 18 already in Australia, will be allowed entry.

The government claims the changes will bolster the integrity of Australia’s migration system and in the national interest.

It warned the war against Iran increased the risk temporary visa holders may be unlikely or unable to depart Australia when their visa expired, and that the new measures would afford government time to assess cases, while still allowing “flexibility in limited cases”.

“There are many visitor visas which were issued before the conflict in Iran which may not have been issued if they were applied for now,” Home Affairs Minister Tony burke said.
Former Labour Home Secretary: Government could ban part of IRGC now under current laws
Britain should immediately ban Quds Force, the external terror wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, under existing terror legislation, former home secretary David Blunkett has said.

In a foreword to a new report published by Labour Friends of Israel he argues: “Despite the continuing war, the regime intends to survive, and its new leadership are as odious and hard-line as their predecessors.” Lord Blunkett cited Canada as an example of a country which had moved to proscribe Quds Force first before ultimately proscribing the IRGC in its entirety. He also called for the British government to “accelerate the implementation of recommendations set out by Jonathan Hall KC last year, which will allow the UK to proscribe the entirety of the IRGC.”

LFI’s new policy paper: Unleashing hell: Time to ban Tehran’s terror army, details the Islamic Republic’s brutal repression of its own people and calls for the proscription of the IRGC, recognition of the regime’s crimes against humanity and to protect Britons from this threat.

Blunkett described how “the new head of the IRGC, Ahmad Vahidi, is an internationally wanted terrorist who has been implicated in the murderous 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, in which 85 people were killed.

“As interior minister, Vahidi presided over the brutal crackdown on the Women, Life, Freedom protests in 2022. His record symbolises the pernicious, dual-nature of the IRGC as an instrument of terror overseas and on the streets of Iran.”




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