PrairiePundit

Spencer Guard: ... From the outset of Operation Rising Lion, Israel’s political objective was clear. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on day one that Israel would no longer accept the threat of a near-term nuclear-armed Iran. Within the first 72 hours, Israel conducted one of the most sophisticated preemptive strike campaigns in modern history. Over 300 guided munitions were launched in five synchronized waves. Israel struck dozens of critical Iranian targets including nuclear facilities, air bases, missile launchers, drone hubs, and leadership compounds. This was done while Israel was simultaneously conducting a major ground operation in Gaza, deterring Hezbollah and defending its own civilians from daily missile attacks. Israel did more than strike deep. It dominated Iranian skies. The Israeli Air Force operated freely over Iranian territory. No Israeli aircraft were shot down. Not a single pilot was forced to eject or be rescued. Iran’s air defenses, including Russian-buil...

  DC Daily Journal: ... Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with Fox News’ Brett Baier, pointed the finger at Iran for masterminding two failed assassination attempts on President Trump during his 2024 campaign. Framing Iran as a global menace, Netanyahu argued the regime’s actions were driven by Trump’s staunch opposition to their nuclear ambitions, delivering a stark warning about the stakes of inaction. “These people who chant, ‘Death to America,’ tried to assassinate President Trump twice,” Netanyahu declared, pressing his case for retaliatory strikes against Iran following a weekend of missile exchanges between the two nations. He painted a chilling picture, asking, “Do you want these people to have nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to your cities?” before answering his own question: “Of course not. So we’re defending ourselves, but we’re also defending the world.” ... The current Iranian government is a hostile power out to destroy both Isra...

  Newsweek: For decades, Iran pursued nuclear weapons while remaining the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world—two realities that posed a serious threat to the free world. President Donald Trump was clear when he called for the complete and permanent suspension of Iran's nuclear program, giving them 60 days to take action toward lasting peace. Iran not only ignored America's good-faith diplomatic efforts, but accelerated their weapons program instead. When intelligence revealed Iran was weeks away from completing a nuclear weapon, our commander in chief acted decisively, and he called upon airpower to deliver strategic results. Operation Midnight Hammer decimated Iran's nuclear facilities, eliminating this imminent threat and sending an unmistakable message: America will secure peace through strength. As a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with over two decades of service in our nation's military, I've flown combat missions against the very terroris...

 Blaze: Rubio warns Iran against 'suicidal' closing of Strait of Hormuz; Vance says retaliation will be met with 'overwhelming force'  Both denied that the US was seeking regime change but said instead the US only sought to end Iran's nuclear capabilities. Iran is still in the grasp of Islamic religious bigots, and that is unlikely to change unless regime change is imposed on the country.  See also: Iran Says It Will Block Strait of Hormuz, Stop Oil Shipments

  Newsmax: Democrat lawmakers are lining up to call for President Donald Trump's impeachment after his decision to launch the Operation Midnight Hammer trio of attacks on Iran's top nuclear facilities, claiming his actions were "unconstitutional." "The President's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., declared on social media shortly after Trump announced the attack Saturday night. "He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment." Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., also called Trump's bombing of the Iranian nuclear sites without the approval of Congress an "unambiguous impeachable offense." "This is not about the merits of Iran's nuclear program," he said on X . "No president has the authority to bomb another c...

Trending Politics: Wartime is often good for the political fortunes of those in office, and that’s proving to be true for President Donald Trump as well. Despite the unpopularity of any future foreign wars, U.S. voters are strongly supportive of Trump’s belief that Iran must be prevented from developing a nuclear bomb at all costs. Voters were asked by Insider Advantage if they believe President Trump should take “all necessary” steps to halt Iran’s military nuclear program, and the results were a resounding 74.4% who agreed. Just 22.9% disagreed while another 2.7% were undecided or had no opinion. The poll comes as a slew of others show how war-weary America has become more than two decades after former President George W. Bush first launched the War on Terror, careening the U.S. into Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, Americans oppose war with Iran by a 20-point margin, 45% to 25%, while 30% told the Washington Post they are unsure. However, self-described MAGA voters are unequivocally ...

Newsmax:  Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, killing at least five people, while Israel claimed it had achieved air superiority over Tehran and could fly over the Iranian capital without facing major threats. On the fourth day of the conflict, the Israeli military said it had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran’s total. It also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centers in Tehran belonging to Iran’s Quds Force, an elite arm of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran. “At this time, we can say that we have achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran’s skies,” said military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin. Israeli strikes “amount to a deep and comprehensive blow to the Iranian threat.” Iran, meanwhile, announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear in...

 Federalist Wire: A new Austrian intelligence report has raised alarms by asserting that Iran is actively advancing its nuclear weapons program, directly challenging U.S. assessments and highlighting Tehran’s dangerous pursuit of regional dominance. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Austria’s equivalent of the FBI, stated, “In order to assert and enforce its regional political power ambitions, the Islamic Republic of Iran is striving for comprehensive rearmament, with nuclear weapons to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond.” This revelation, coupled with the report’s claim that “The Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances,” paints a troubling picture of Iran’s unchecked aggression, undermining hopes for diplomatic resolutions. Contrasting U.S. Intelli...

AP: A massive explosion and fire rocked a port Saturday in southern Iran purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant, killing 25 people and injuring around 800 others. Helicopters and aircraft dumped water from the air on the raging fire through the night into Sunday morning at the Shahid Rajaei port. The explosion occurred just as Iran and the United States met Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. No one in Iran outright suggested that the explosion came from an attack. However, even Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the talks, on Wednesday acknowledged that “our security services are on high alert given past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a legitimate response.” State media offered the casualty figures, saying authorities identified only 10 of the dead, including two women. ... Private security firm Ambrey say...

Newsmax: President Donald Trump said on Monday he believes Iran is intentionally delaying a nuclear deal with the United States and that it must abandon any drive for a nuclear weapon or face a possible military strike on Tehran's atomic facilities. "I think they're tapping us along," Trump told reporters after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met in Oman on Saturday with a senior Iranian official. Both Iran and the United States said on Saturday that they held "positive" and "constructive" talks in Oman. A second round is scheduled for Saturday, and a source briefed on the planning said the meeting was likely to be held in Rome. The source, speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said the discussions are aimed at exploring what is possible, including a broad framework of what a potential deal would look like. "Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. They cannot have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. Asked if U.S. ...

 Newsmax: President Donald Trump is betting that a beleaguered Iran is so vulnerable following a tumultuous 18 months in the Middle East that it might finally be ready to abandon its nuclear program. The renewed push to solve one of the most delicate foreign policy issues facing the White House and the Mideast will begin in earnest Saturday when Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gather in Oman. Trump says he prefers a diplomatic solution, even as he warns that Iran will face “great danger” if talks don't go well. But Iran's nuclear advances since Trump scrapped an Obama-era agreement during his first term make finding a pathway to a deal difficult, and experts warn that the prospects of U.S. military action on Iranian nuclear facilities appear higher than they have been in years. “His ultimate goal and the ultimate objective is to ensure that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon,” White House press secretary Karoline Lea...

  Daily Mail: ... On Monday, Trump announced with typical grandiloquence: 'If they [Iran] don't make a deal, there will be bombing… it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.' Some observers believed this was just more hyperbolic rhetoric. But the Israeli source was clear. 'It's not just a crazy insistence. It's extremely important for the stability of Israel and the world.' Threats of military action against Iran's nuclear weapons programme have been made before. But there's now clear evidence that, this time, both the US and Israel intend to do more than just rattle their sabres. A week ago the US deployed a trio of B2 'Spirit' stealth bombers, accompanied by long-range refuelling assets, to its Chagos Islands base on Diego Garcia, bringing the total strength of the bomber force there to seven. This was significant because it's rare to see such a major concentration of these sophisticated – and expensive – assets...

 The Federalist Wire: ... President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly exploring a range of aggressive strategies, including military action, to confront and eliminate Iran’s escalating nuclear threat. According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump’s team is now giving serious consideration to military strikes against key Iranian nuclear facilities. The urgency couldn’t be clearer: Iran has been brazenly amassing enriched uranium, now possessing enough nuclear material to produce multiple bombs. Adding to the instability is Iran’s relentless sponsorship of terrorism, Israel’s ongoing dismantling of Hamas and Hezbollah, the swift collapse of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, and Tehran’s repeated, shocking attempts to assassinate Trump. Trump has allegedly assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he intends to address the problem but is determined to avoid sparking an all-out war. Sources reveal Trump’s incoming national security team is crafting a “maximum pressure 2.0” cam...

 Reuters: Iran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, six sources told Reuters, deepening the military cooperation between the two U.S.-sanctioned countries. Iran's provision of around 400 missiles includes many from the Fateh-110 family of short-range ballistic weapons, such as the Zolfaghar, three Iranian sources said. This road-mobile missile is capable of striking targets at a distance of between 300 and 700 km (186 and 435 miles), experts say. Iran's defence ministry and the Revolutionary Guards - an elite force that oversees Iran's ballistic missile programme - declined to comment. Russia's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The shipments began in early January after a deal was finalised in meetings late last year between Iranian and Russian military and security officials that took place in Tehran and Moscow, one of the Iranian sources said. ... While the US continues to have ...

 Washington Free Beacon: The Biden administration’s lax enforcement of sanctions on Iran’s illicit oil trade has allowed the hardline regime to infuse more than $15 billion into its military and terrorist proxies during the past two years, according to analysis by a watchdog group. Iranian military spending significantly jumped in 2022 as the regime got more access to cash through its multibillion-dollar trade in illicit oil—cash that made its way to the regime as a result of the Biden administration’s decision not to enforce U.S. sanctions, according to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a watchdog group that tracks the regime’s oil sales and military spending. Iran, according to a report by UANI and an open source military spending database, has allocated $10.5 billion this year for its military and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a paramilitary fighting force that backs terrorist groups across the region. That number, which jumped from $4.5 billion in 2021, comes af...

 Washington Free Beacon: ... The Treasury Department on Oct. 8 removed sanctions on Mammut Industrial Group and affiliated entities that were designated by the Trump administration as "key producers and suppliers of military-grade, dual-use goods for Iran’s missile programs." Iran’s ballistic missile program, which is the largest in the Middle East and capable of carrying a nuclear payload, has long been a source of international concern. It was heavily sanctioned prior to the 2015 nuclear agreement and again after former president Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018. The Republican lawmakers—led by Reps. Bryan Steil (R., Wis.), Jim Banks (R., Ind.), and Joe Wilson (R., S.C.)—are demanding the Treasury and State Departments prove that Mammut and its affiliated networks are no longer engaged in sanctionable activity that could aid Iran’s missile development. "We are committed to investigating all sanctions relief provided to Iran and its allies and working to thw...

 Legal Insurrection: Barely two weeks into the ceasefire between the Israeli military and Islamist Hamas, the Gaza-based terrorist group has started rebuilding its rocket arsenal with the backing of the Iranian regime, the Jerusalem Post  reported  on Monday, citing Iranian media outlets. Since Arab countries reduced their funding and support for the Palestinian terrorist groups, Iran has emerged as their biggest sponsor. Besides massive financial and military  support , the Mullah regime has  provided  Hamas with long-range rockets to hit deep into Israel. The revelation comes as President Joe Biden  promised  $38.5 million in aid to “rebuild” Gaza after eleven days of fighting. During that time, Hamas fired around 4,500 rockets at Israeli towns and cities. The Israel Defense Forces, in response,  destroyed  Hamas rocket launch sites, operational bases, and several miles of terror tunnels running beneath Gaza. The Jerusalem Post  r...

  Ed Morrissey: Netanyahu: This intercepted drone shows Iran the real enemy in this war Do not doubt that Iran would put nuclear weapons on those drones if they could.  They will do so after Biden goes back to Obama's terrible deal.  And Israel will not be the only target.  Every country in the region will be under the same threat from the Iranian religious bigots. 

 Washington Free Beacon: Just days before Palestinian terror groups began bombarding Israel with rocket attacks, a leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said the group's funding and weapons are provided by Iran. Ramez al-Halabi, a PIJ official, disclosed his group's deep ties to the Islamic regime in a May 7 interview on Iraqi television just prior to the bombardment of Israel, part of a deepening conflict that threatens to throw the region into larger war. "The mujahideen [terrorists] in Gaza and in Lebanon use Iranian weapons to strike the Zionists. We buy our weapons with Iranian money. An important part of our activity is under the supervision of Iranian experts," al-Halabi said. "The contours of the victories in Palestine as of late were outlined with the blood of [former Iranian military leader] Qassem Soleimani, Iranian blood." His remarks were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute, which tracks jihadist activity. While much focus...

 Daily Mail: Navy seizes THOUSANDS of Chinese and Russian assault weapons, sniper rifles and anti-tank missiles hidden on ship 'sailing from Iran to Yemen' in the Arabian Sea   The U.S. Fifth Fleet discovered the weapons aboard a ship in the Arabian Sea off Oman and Pakistan   The Navy found nearly 3,000 Chinese Type 56 assault rifles, a variant of the Kalashnikov, hundreds of other heavy machine guns and sniper rifles, and dozens of advanced, Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles   The weapons appeared to be bound for Yemen to support the country's Houthi rebels, Navy officials say   Navy's initial investigation found the vessel came from Iran. Tehran has previously denied providing rebels with weapons This recent seizure appeared to be among the biggest in recent years amid the long- running war in Yemen There are several photos of the weapons cache displayed on a ship.  The Biden administration seems to be unaware of the strategic plot by Iran to thr...