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Why Trump is suddenly threatening Iran's last untouched nuclear site

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Satellite image Pickaxe Mountain Vantor / Handout via Reuters President Donald Trump is threatening to strike  Iran’s deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain  nuclear facility — a site the United States previously left untouched while bombing the country’s other major nuclear sites, raising new questions about what may have changed. Estimated to lie beneath at least 100 meters of rock near  Iran's  damaged Natanz nuclear enrichment complex, Pickaxe was designed to replace an above-ground plant capable of assembling roughly 6,000 advanced centrifuges each year before it was destroyed in 2020. Iran said the replacement would be larger, more modern and built "in the heart of the mountain." Analysts believe the tunnels could eventually hold a centrifuge assembly line, an enrichment plant or equipment used in certain nuclear weaponization activities. Yet the administration has not said whether it has confirmed that centrifuges were moved inside — or why a site left untouched durin...

Tehran calls Zelenskyy a 'clown' as Iran-Ukraine tensions escalate over Caspian Sea strike

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Zelenskyy / Getty Images An Iranian lawmaker on Monday called Ukrainian President  Volodymyr Zelenskyy  a "clown" and urged Tehran to recognize Russian control over occupied Ukrainian territories, as tensions between Iran and Ukraine escalated. The remarks by Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, came after  Iranian  Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, calling the alleged strike a violation of the U.N. Charter. Ukraine has said it targeted a  Russian  warship and vessels that Kyiv alleges were transporting Iranian-linked military cargo across the Caspian Sea. "For years, diplomats have tried to prove that Iran has been neutral in the Ukraine-Russia war, but now the Ukrainian clown has responded by attacking an Iranian ship," Rezaei wrote in a post on X. "While seriously punishing Zelenskyy's supporters, it is time...

18 Gaza health workers later identified as Hamas, Islamic Jihad operatives: report

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Hamas / Majdi Fathi / NurPhoto via Getty Images At least 18 Gaza health care workers previously identified as doctors, nurses, paramedics or hospital staff have since been identified by  Hamas  and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as members of their armed wings,  The Times of Israel  reported Monday. The findings, the outlet said, were based on obituaries published following the Gaza war. Among those named was Mohammed Akram al-Kafarna, who was mourned by international nursing organizations after being killed in an Israeli strike in September 2025. Hamas later identified al-Kafarna as a fighter in its Northern Gaza Brigade and published a photo of him in military uniform carrying a rifle, according to the report. Israel has long accused Hamas of embedding fighters in hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, the outlet said.

Trump declares US has upper hand against Iran, vows 'lunatics' won't get nuclear weapon

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Donald Trump / Yuri Gripas / Abaca / Bloomberg via Getty Images President  Donald Trump  on Monday defended Washington's approach to  Iran , saying the U.S. is "winning big time" against the Islamic Republic and insisting Tehran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. "We're making this country safe because we're not going to let lunatics have a nuclear weapon," Trump said at a General Motors event in Milford, Michigan. "We're winning big time with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we're ensuring that they never have a nuclear weapon," he added. Trump said the rationale behind his policy was "simple." "When somebody comes up and says, 'Why are we doing this?' Just say, 'Because we cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.' It's very simple. It's all you have to say." He added, "If you understood the power of nuclear weapons, you'd understand exactly what I was saying."

Zelenskyy says Iran is already at war with Ukraine, warns against opening 'new front'

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Zelenskyy / Antonio Masiello / Getty Image Ukrainian President  Volodymyr Zelenskyy  said Monday that Iran has already attacked Ukraine by supplying Russia with military assets as tensions between Kyiv and Tehran escalated following an alleged Ukrainian strike in the Caspian Sea. Speaking during a visit to the United Kingdom, Zelenskyy argued that Tehran had became directly involved in the war early on by providing drones, technology and production licenses to Russia. "Iran, from the first year of the war, gave a new base, new technology to Russia," Zelenskyy told  Sky News Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay . "It was Shahed drones. They gave thousands of these drones in the first year of the war. Then they gave licenses." Zelenskyy also said  Iran  had already entered the conflict by arming Moscow. "What did they do? Did they attack us? I think yes. So they already did it. The war was already underway. Effectively, they are attacking you," he said. "W...

Bahrain to hold joint military exercise with Gulf states

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Gulf / Iranian Army via AP, File Bahrain announced Monday that it would hold a joint military exercise with armed forces from other  Gulf Cooperation Council  (GCC) states from Tuesday to Thursday. According to  Iran International , the Bahrain Defense Force said the drills, called the "Bahrain Shield" exercise, would "improve combat performance levels" and strengthen "the cooperation framework and joint military coordination to face various challenges." Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are members of the GCC, but the military did not specify which countries would attend

Pentagon lists four US troops killed during Iran ceasefire as separate casualties from Epic Fury

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The Pentagon logo is seen behind the podium in the briefing room at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, US, January 8, 2020. (photo credit: AL DRAGO/REUTERS) The Pentagon designated four soldiers killed in Jordan and Iraq in July as "Overseas Operations Casualties" on Sunday, separate from the other 14 casualties of Operation Epic Fury listed on its website. Last week,  The New York Times  had reported that the number of soldiers the Pentagon had confirmed were killed during the war had been reduced, with the four soldiers having been removed from the website.  The Jerusalem Post   confirmed at the time  that the numbers online did not mention the four servicemembers killed - including Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, and Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, who were killed during an Iranian strike in Jordan - or those who had been wounded since July 1, despite the site having been updated on July 20. The four soldiers were designated "Overseas Operations Casualties,...