Two-state solution support hits all-time low as Israeli trust collapses – Pew poll - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Only 21% of Israelis believe peaceful coexistence with a Palestinian state is possible; distrust and status of Jerusalem cited as top obstacles.

 

Israeli and Palestinian flags side by side. (illustration).

(photo credit: Shutterstock/Melnikov Dmitriy) 

Public support among Israelis for a two-state solution has reached a new low, with only 21% believing that a peaceful coexistence between Israel and a future Palestinian state is possible, according to a dramatic new poll by the Pew Research Center released on Tuesday.

The survey, conducted between February 5 and March 11 – during a temporary ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas War – found a steep decline in optimism, down 14 percentage points from spring 2023 and the lowest level recorded since Pew began polling the question in 2013.

Among Jewish Israelis, the results are even more stark: only 16% believe peaceful coexistence is achievable. In contrast, Arab Israelis are significantly more hopeful, with 40% expressing belief in a possible two-state future. The findings come as the war with Hamas enters its second year and reflect a broader erosion of faith in both peace efforts and political leadership on both sides of the conflict.

A dominant theme emerging from the data is a deep and widespread mistrust between Israelis and Palestinians, which 75% of respondents identified as a “major obstacle” to lasting peace. Following closely were the status of Jerusalem – claimed by both peoples as their capital – named by 70% of respondents, and Israeli settlements in the West Bank, cited by 52%.

Despite decades of negotiation and international involvement, the survey reveals that these core issues remain unresolved in the minds of most Israelis.

Support among Israelis for a two-state solution. (illustration) (credit: Canva/Anderson Piza, PNW Production from Pexels)

While a slim majority of Israelis (56%) believe the Israeli public remains committed to working toward lasting peace, only 41% say the same of the Palestinian people. Confidence in leadership is even lower: 47% view the Israeli government as at least somewhat committed to peace, while 45% say the same about the Palestinian Authority.

Just 20% believe Hamas is in any way committed to a peaceful resolution, compared to 72% who say the Gaza-based terror group is not committed at all. Only one-third of Israelis now support the idea that Israel should govern the Gaza Strip after the war – a drop from 40% in spring 2024.

Who should govern Gaza? Israelis divided

Opinions diverge sharply along ethnic and ideological lines: 42% of Jewish Israelis support Israeli governance of Gaza, while 45% of Arab Israelis say Gaza’s residents should choose their own leaders.

Just one percent of Israelis say Hamas should rule Gaza in the future, and only 16% support a governance model based on the will of the people in Gaza. A unity government involving the PA garners little support – only 6% with President Mahmoud Abbas and 10% without him. United Nations administration was backed by a mere two percent.

Despite growing skepticism toward international bodies, the United States remains a trusted actor in Israeli public opinion. A full 81% of respondents said the US plays a helpful role in the peace process. By contrast, Iran, the United Nations, and European countries are viewed as either irrelevant or harmful.

Even so, when asked about US President Donald Trump – who began his second term in January – 51% said he favors Israel too much in his foreign policy, while 42% believe he strikes the right balance.

The poll also reveals a sharp lack of confidence in political leaders across the board. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to face low favorability ratings, with 53% of Israelis viewing him unfavorably. Opposition leaders Benny Gantz (54% unfavorable) and Yair Lapid fare no better.

On the Palestinian side, confidence is abysmal: 85% of Israelis view Mahmoud Abbas unfavorably, and 80% say the same about Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah leader imprisoned by Israel since 2002.

Religious and ideological gaps widen

Sharp divides persist across religious and ideological lines. Secular and traditional Jews (Hilonim and Masortim) are more likely to believe that Palestinians are committed to peace and to support international involvement. Religious and ultra-Orthodox Jews (Datiim and Haredim), meanwhile, are more likely to call for Israeli control over Gaza and view external actors with suspicion.

Political ideology also shapes perceptions: left-leaning Israelis are more optimistic about peace and more likely to cite settlements and Jerusalem as key obstacles, while right-wing Israelis place greater faith in the Israeli government’s intentions and see distrust as the primary hurdle.

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-856501

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Why Hamas Rejected Witkoff's Ceasefire Plan - Khaled Abu Toameh

 

by Khaled Abu Toameh

For Hamas, "the end" (eliminating Israel) justifies "the means" (sacrificing Palestinians as "martyrs" in the jihad against Israel).

 

• The leaders of the Iran-backed Hamas terror group do not seem to be in a rush to end the war with Israel: after all, they and their family members are not living in the Gaza Strip...

• Hamas's political leaders, billionaires funded by Iran's mullahs and the rulers of Qatar, live in several Arab and Islamic countries, including Qatar, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon. They and their family members lead luxurious lives in these countries and do not have to worry about lack of food or medicine.

• Hamas leaders are in no rush to accept any deal because, unlike most of the residents of the Gaza Strip, they do not have to stand in line and risk being shot by Hamas terrorists for trying to receive food from a humanitarian organization.

• Moreover, the Hamas leadership will never accept any ceasefire without prior permission from the Iranian regime. The mullahs in Tehran also appear in no rush to end the war against Israel. They want the war to continue: it distracts attention from Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.

• For [Hamas's leaders], the No. 1 priority is to make sure that Hamas remains in power the day after the war

• For Hamas, "the end" (eliminating Israel) justifies "the means" (sacrificing Palestinians as "martyrs" in the jihad against Israel).

• Hamas staying in power would be great news for the Iranian regime, jihadis, and Islamist terror groups who consider the US the "Great Satan," and are committed to killing Americans, Christians, Jews and all other "infidels."

The leaders of Hamas do not seem to be in a rush to end the war with Israel: after all, they and their family members are not living in the Gaza Strip. Hamas's political leaders, billionaires funded by Iran and Qatar, live luxurious lives in several Arab and Islamic countries, including Qatar, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon. They and their family members do not have to worry about lack of food or medicine. Pictured: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (then prime minister) poses beside Hamas leaders Khaled Mashaal (center) and the late Ismail Haniyeh, in Ankara, Turkey on June 18, 2013. (Image source: Turkish Prime Minister Press Office/Yasin Bulbul/AFP via Getty Images)

The leaders of the Iran-backed Hamas terror group do not seem to be in a rush to end the war with Israel: after all, they and their family members are not living in the Gaza Strip, which has been turned into a war zone over the past 20 months.

Hamas's political leaders, billionaires funded by Iran's mullahs and the rulers of Qatar, live in several Arab and Islamic countries, including Qatar, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon. They and their family members lead luxurious lives in these countries and do not have to worry about lack of food or medicine.

Most of Hamas's military commanders in the Gaza Strip have been hiding in tunnels since the beginning of the war, triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion of Israel. Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas's military commander, was recently killed in an Israeli airstrike, together with senior officials of the group, while he was hiding in a tunnel beneath a hospital in the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

The political and military heads of Hamas initiated a war without preparing Gaza's civilians for an Israeli response. If Hamas figures are to be believed, more than 54,000 Palestinians have died since the beginning of the war. The blood of these Palestinians is on the hands of Hamas, which chose to drag two million residents of the Gaza Strip into a violent and bloody adventure that has brought nothing but death and destruction on them. The blood of these Palestinians is also on the hands of Iran and Qatar, Hamas's largest sponsors and funders.

On October 7, Hamas leaders launched a carefully-planned invasion of Israel, using thousands of terrorists and "ordinary" Palestinians.

More than 1,200 Israelis (and foreign nationals) were murdered and thousands wounded, while another 251 were kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip. Fifty-eight hostages are still held captive by the terror group. Only 20 of them are believed to be alive.

Hamas's total disregard for the lives of its own people were clear from the words of Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior representative of the terror group, a few weeks after the beginning of the war.

In an interview with Russia Today TV, Abu Marzouk, who is based in Qatar, said that the underground tunnels built in the Gaza Strip are to protect Hamas "fighters", while the responsibility to protect Gaza's civilians is not theirs.

"We have built the tunnels because we have no other way of protecting ourselves from being targeted and killed. These tunnels are meant to protect us from the [Israeli] airplanes... and it is the responsibility of the United Nations to protect [Gazan civilians]."

Since the beginning of the war, Abu Marzouk and other Hamas officials have been whining and crying, from their sumptuous villas and five-star hotel suites, about the death of so many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Hamas leaders, in addition, did not build bomb shelters for their people. Instead, Hamas invested tens of millions of dollars in building a vast network of tunnels to hide its men and weapons. After the war began, the tunnels were used to hide Israeli hostages. The tunnels have also served to shelter Hamas's military commanders and their families.

In late May, Hamas leaders rejected another ceasefire proposal presented by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff; it did not call for a permanent end to the war with a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Hamas leaders are in no rush to accept any deal because, unlike most of the residents of the Gaza Strip, they do not have to stand in line and risk being shot by Hamas terrorists for trying to receive food from a humanitarian organization (here, here, here and here).

Moreover, the Hamas leadership will never accept any ceasefire without prior permission from the Iranian regime. The mullahs in Tehran also appear in no rush to end the war against Israel. They want the war to continue: it distracts attention from Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. The mullahs also seem afraid that an end to the war would mean an end to Hamas – one of Iran's major proxies in the Middle East.

Many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been speaking out against Hamas, especially after its leaders rejected Witkoff's latest proposal. In videos on social media, Palestinians are seen cursing Hamas and urging it to end the war.

"Our houses have been destroyed, we have lost everything, what are they [Hamas] waiting for?" said a man in Gaza. "We are civilians, we are hungry, and our children are getting killed. We have no place to go."

Such voices do not mean anything to Hamas leaders. For them, the No. 1 priority is to make sure that Hamas remains in power the day after the war – the main reason Hamas's leaders have made it clear that their group will not lay down its weapons. They know that whoever maintains a military-security presence in the Gaza Strip controls the entire coastal strip and will control any government that forms there after the war.

Hamas rejected Witkoff's proposal because it wants to continue its jihad (holy war) against Israel. As far as Hamas is concerned, October 7, 2023 was just another phase in its jihad to kill Jews and destroy Israel.

Hamas's leaders do not care if 50,000 or 100,000 Palestinians are killed as a result of their refusal to release the hostages, disarm, and relinquish control of the Gaza Strip. For Hamas, "the end" (eliminating Israel) justifies "the means" (sacrificing Palestinians as "martyrs" in the jihad against Israel).

That is why there is no alternative to a total defeat of Hamas and its removal not only from power, but also from the entire Palestinian arena.

If Hamas is allowed to stay in power after the war, it will be bad news not only for Israel, but also for Palestinians who oppose the terror group. However, Hamas staying in power would be great news for the Iranian regime, jihadis, and Islamist terror groups who consider the US the "Great Satan" and are committed to killing Americans, Christians, Jews and all other "infidels."

• Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)

Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21666/hamas-witkoff-ceasefire

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DOJ charges two Chinese nationals with smuggling 'potential agroterrorism' fungus into US - Misty Severi

 

by Misty Severi

The two researchers, identified as 33-year-old Yunqing Jian and 34-year-old Zunyong Liu, were allegedly receiving funding from the Chinese government for their research, and were allegedly citizens of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

 

The Justice Department on Tuesday charged two Chinese researchers with attempting to smuggle a fungus dubbed "Fusarium graminearum," into the U.S. which it claimed scientific research "classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon."

The two researchers, identified as 33-year-old Yunqing Jian and 34-year-old Zunyong Liu, were allegedly receiving funding from the Chinese government for their research, and were allegedly citizens of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

The pair, who were supposedly dating, allegedly lied to U.S. officials about the fungus in Detroit last year, with Liu stating he did not know how the material ended up in his luggage. He later admitted to putting it in his bag and wrapping it carefully to avoid detection because he knew it was restricted, the department said, per ABC News.

“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals -- including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party -- are of the gravest national security concerns," U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgan said in a statement. "These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into in the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme."

Jian has also been accused of lying to officials, and her electronics allegedly contained information describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. She was also researching the pathogen. 

The FBI said the fungus causes “head blight,” a disease of wheat, barley, maize and rice, and is responsible for billions of dollars in global economic losses each year.

FBI Director Kash Patel also sounded the alarm in response to the charges, claiming it demonstrated a serious national security threat to the U.S. food supply. 

"This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives," Patel told Fox News. "Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it’s a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.

 

Misty Severi

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/doj-charges-two-chinese-nationals-smuggling-potential-agroterrorism-fungus-us

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Damascus faces difficult choices in southern Syria in light of Israeli airstrikes - analysis - Seth J. Frantzman

 

by Seth J. Frantzman

Tensions flare as rockets from Syria prompt Israeli airstrikes, despite Syria’s new government seeking stability and rejecting hostile acts.

 

Members of Syrian security forces stand guard at a damaged site, after Israel carried out an air strike on the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday, as reported by Syria's state news agency, in Damascus, Syria March 13, 2025

(photo credit: REUTERS/FIRAS MAKDESI)

Syria could not confirm reports about rockets being fired from its territory toward Israel on Tuesday evening, its Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry’ media office said on Wednesday.

The IDF said that “following the projectiles launched toward Israeli territory earlier today (Tuesday), IDF fighter jets struck weapons belonging to the Syrian regime in the area of southern Syria.”

It added, “The Syrian regime is responsible for the current situation in Syria and will continue to bear the consequences as long as hostile activity continues from its territory. The IDF will operate against every threat posed to the State of Israel.”

Syria’s government is now in a complex spot.

Since the overthrow of the Assad regime on December 8, the new government of Syria has attempted to get along with Israel.

It has been clear that it does not pose a threat to Israel. Damascus has also cracked down on Palestinian terrorist groups, detaining members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and getting other groups to leave.

A view shows a damaged building in the aftermath of what Syrian state media reported was an Israeli strike in the Mezzah suburb, west of Damascus, Syria October 9, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/FIRAS MAKDESI)

Syria’s former president, Bashar al-Assad, was Iran’s and Hezbollah’s ally. His regime enabled weapons smuggling to Hezbollah.

The new government prevents smuggling. It is also a partner of Turkey and Qatar.

Israel increasingly views Ankara as a potential challenge in Syria. US President Donald Trump met with Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in May. Trump then appointed a new envoy, Tom Barrack, to reopen the Ambassador’s Residence in Syria and work to engage with Damascus.

Israel has not been as keen on Syria. The Jewish state carried out thousands of airstrikes to deter Iranian entrenchment in Syria between 2013 and 2024. This was called the Campaign Between the Wars.

When Assad fell, Israel chose to stand against the new government as well. Israeli officials have accused Sharaa of being a “jihadist.”

However, the Sharaa government has attempted to demonstrate that it poses no threat. It has given up its extremist past and it is trying to unify Syria.

Israel's demands and actions

Israel has insisted that southern Syria be demilitarized and has threatened Sharaa and the new Syrian government with force.

The IDF has carried out numerous strikes in southern Syria over the last six months. It says this is aimed at eliminating current threats, such as dangerous equipment still in existence pertaining to the Assad regime.

According to Syria’s news channel, Al-Ekhbariya, the Syrian government said, “We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilize the region to achieve their own interests.”

Further, Sharaa’s government said on Wednesday, “We also affirm that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, and that the top priority in southern Syria lies in extending state authority and ending the presence of weapons outside official institutions, thus ensuring security and stability for all citizens.”

The Syrian government condemned Israel’s airstrikes and bombardment of southern Syria that took place after the rocket attack on Tuesday. It is not clear what was struck in southern Syria.

However, it seems Israel struck Syrian government posts in response to rockets that a different group fired. The Syrian government cannot secure southern Syria because Israel wants the area demilitarized.

The result is that the area has weak security, allowing threats to infiltrate it. Israel then holds the Syrian government responsible for not stopping the threats, even though Israel also does not want the Syrian government to deploy sufficient forces in southern Syria to stop the threats.

This leaves a situation of possible chaos, similar to what happened in Gaza, the West Bank, and southern Lebanon.Damascus said on Wednesday that it “also strongly condemns the Israeli bombing that targeted villages and towns in the Daraa Governorate that resulted in massive human and material losses.

“This escalation represents a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty and increases tensions in the region at a time when we are most in need of calm and peaceful solutions,” it continued.

“We call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in halting these attacks and to support efforts aimed at restoring security and stability to Syria and the region,” the Syrian government said.

The report at Al-Ekhbariya said, “Israeli attacks resumed in southern Syria, with Israeli occupation forces shelling the Saham al-Golan area west of Daraa. This came after Israeli allegations that two rockets launched from southern Syria had fallen in the occupied Golan Heights.”

Al-Ain media in the UAE noted that “Syrian security sources told Reuters that Israel is launching a series of raids on targets in the south of the country.”

The same report said that Israel’s defense minister had said Israel holds the Syrian president responsible for any threats directed at it.

It quoted Defense Minister Israel Katz as saying, “We will respond with all decisiveness as soon as possible. We will not allow a return to the reality of October 7, 2023.”

Syria’s Foreign Ministry has said in no uncertain terms that the country does not pose a threat to Israel or others.

Al-Ain went on to note that Israeli strikes targeted areas near Izraa in the eastern Daraa countryside, Tal Shaar in the Quneitra countryside, and the Saasaa and Kanaker areas in the Damascus countryside.

The incidents in southern Syria come as Damascus tries to conduct outreach in the region. Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani met with Qatari officials.

Meanwhile, Damascus’s Defense Minister Maj.-Gen. Murhaf Abu Qasra received Syria’s French embassy’s mission chief, Jean-Baptiste Faivre, and Lt.-Col. Henri Le Masne de Chermont on Tuesday.

The Syrian Arab News Agency also discussed Syria’s outreach to Turkey on labor relations and to Pakistan on scientific exchange.

There were also talks in Qatar about energy and sports cooperation efforts. The last thing Syria’s new government wants is destabilization in southern Syria.

It is not clear what group may be behind the rocket fire. Reports online mentioned an Iranian-linked group and a pro-Palestinian group. These nefarious actors want to undermine the region and also sow chaos and conflict between Israel and Syria.

Both countries currently have common interests in confronting Iranian smuggling and Iranian-backed militias. The Syrian civil war enabled Iran to hollow out Syria and infiltrate it more than in the past.

Removing Assad presents an opportunity to stabilize this area. However, weakening the Syrian government in southern Syria could lead to armed groups entering the area and threatening Israel, much as happened in Lebanon due to a weak government.

Syria is saying it wants to go into the south and root out the weapons that are not in the hands of the state. The rocket fire could lead to a wake-up call that Israel and Syria could cooperate. The new US envoy in Damascus might help play a role.

The question now is whether the rhetoric can change and progress can be made, or if more airstrikes and chaos will ensue.

 

Seth J. Frantzman

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-856481

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Iran supreme leader rejects US nuclear proposal, vows to keep enriching uranium - Reuters

 

by Reuters

The issue of uranium enrichment has been a sticking point in negotiations between the US and Iran.

 

Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, US President Donald Trump. (illustration)

(photo credit: Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla, IIPA, Handout)

 

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Tehran will not abandon its uranium enrichment, rejecting a key US demand aimed at resolving a decades-long nuclear dispute, that he said was against the Islamic Republic’s interests.

The US proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman, which has mediated talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

After five round of talks, several hard-to-bridge issues remain, including Iran's insistence on maintaining uranium enrichment on its soil and Tehran's refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium - possible raw material for nuclear bombs.

"Uranium enrichment is the key to our nuclear programme and the enemies have focused on the enrichment," Khamenei said in a televised speech. The US proposal "contradicts our nation's belief in self-reliance and the principle of 'We Can'," he said.

"The rude and arrogant leaders of America repeatedly demand that we should not have a nuclear programme. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have an enrichment?," he added.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (credit: AFP PHOTO / HO / KHAMENEI.IR)

"No enrichment, no deal. No nuclear weapons, we have a deal." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on Twitter/X on Wednesday afternoon.

"Iran has paid dearly for these capabilities, and there is no scenario in which we will give up on the patriots who make our dream come true."

There is a reason why only a few nations master the ability to fuel nuclear reactors. Apart from significant financial resources and political vision, it requires a solid industrial base and a technological-academic complex that can produce necessary human resources and know-how.…

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 4, 2025

Iran claims it wants nuclear technology for peaceful purposes

Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

On Monday, Reuters reported Tehran was poised to reject the US proposal on the grounds that it was a "non-starter" that failed to soften Washington's stance on uranium enrichment or to address Tehran's interests.

Trump has revived his "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran since his return to the White House in January, which included tightening sanctions and threatening to bomb Iran if the negotiations yield no deal.

During his first term in 2018, Trump ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond the pact's limits.

Iran's arch-foe Israel, which sees Iran's nuclear programme as an existential threat, has repeatedly threatened to bomb the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Reuters

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-856475

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In major shift, FBI spent 1 million manpower hours catching illegal aliens since Trump took office - John Solomon

 

by John Solomon

FBI agents participated in joint operations with federal and local police partners to help arrest more than 10,000 illegal migrants since Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025. There doesn't appear to be any sign of letting up.

 

The swanky Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket communities on the Massachusetts coastline are best known for politicians like Barack Obama who flock there for summer vacation or for the Hollywood elites who filmed iconic movies like Jaws on their beaches.

But over Memorial Day week, a new class of visitors hit the island enclaves – G-men from the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement who helped round up about 40 suspected illegal aliens, including an MS-13 gang member and a child sex offender.

The details of the operation – obtained by Just the News – were included in reports that are now sent weekly to new FBI Director Kash Patel that show how and when FBI agents are assisting the Homeland Security Department and other police agencies in helping to deport millions of illegal aliens who crossed borders during the Biden era.

Gangs, drugs, human trafficking and child exploitation

The FBI’s hands-on role – and the attendant manpower investment – is one of the quieter aspects of President Donald Trump's signature border security initiative.

But it has paid some large early dividends: As of Monday, FBI agents have participated in joint operations with ICE, DEA and local police partners to help arrest more than 10,000 illegal migrants since Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20, the FBI disclosed Tuesday.

Most of the targets are aliens believed to be engaged in criminal behavior like gangs, drug and human trafficking and child exploitation, officials said.

"With over 10,000 immigration-related arrests, the Bureau under the direction of Director Patel is making it clear it’s not turning a blind eye to the border crisis," Erica Knight, an adviser to Patel, told Just the News.

"It’s targeting the violent cartels and criminal networks that are exploiting it. This is the direction Americans have been demanding, and the Bureau is delivering on the promise to put safety and sovereignty first," she added.

Documents reviewed by Just the News show Patel has shifted a significant percentage of FBI agents and other support personnel like analysts into at least part-time immigration enforcement work: about 5,448 alone as of the last week of May.

That included 555 FBI employees in Los Angeles, 195 in Philadelphia, 333 in Houston, 213 in San Antonio and 142 in Baltimore, the records show.

Some states welcome the FBI's new direction

In all, the FBI has logged 1,055,432 manpower hours since Jan. 20 dedicated to immigration enforcement with Homeland and other law enforcement partners, the records show.

On May 29, according to the operations report sent to Patel, FBI agents in Jacksonsille and Tallahassee assisted a Homeland Security investigation that targeted a Florida carpentry service. The raid ended with 74 arrests in what the FBI reported was a human smuggling operation.

A company owner was “operating a smuggling and labor scheme of Mexican citizens, smuggling the individuals into the country and forcing them to work at rates below minimum wage for his construction company,” the FBI after-action report stated.

The FBI resource commitment is welcomed in states long overrun with the related scourges of the border crisis, like fentanyl.

"I think we are making progress,” West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey told Just the News on Tuesday when asked about the FBI’s less heralded assistance on immigration matters.

Morrisey was one of the first GOP governors to commit state law enforcement to Trump’s immigration crackdown partnerships, one he says is paying dividends. “People don't fully appreciate that in West Virginia, we have severe problems with fentanyl, and a lot of the fentanyl comes through because it's smuggled either across the border, it's between the ports of entry, it's within the ports of entry," Morrisey  told the John Solomon Reports podcast.

"West Virginia sees a massive amount of death because of the border disorder that was created by Joe Biden and others,” he added. “What Trump is trying to do is absolutely correct, and so we've been working in our state to show strong support for that, and that's going to continue.” 

John Solomon

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/security/major-shift-fbi-spent-1-million-manpower-hours-catching-illegal-aliens-trump

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Iron Beam laser’s speed could mute sirens, end most runs to bomb shelters - Yonah Jeremy Bob

 

by Yonah Jeremy Bob

According to Rafael, a major advantage of its lasers is that they can shoot down enemy rockets and drones much earlier in the threat process.

 

Iron Beam, Iron Beam M, and Lite Beam.

(photo credit: RAFAEL ADVANCED DEFENSE SYSTEMS)

 

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ new family of lasers, which started to be rolled out last week and will continue to be presented to the public by the end of 2025, could eliminate the need for Israelis to run to bomb shelters during most aerial threats, the defense company revealed on Wednesday.

According to Rafael, a major advantage of its lasers – Iron Beam, Iron Beam M, and Lite Beam – is that they can shoot down enemy rockets and drones much earlier in the threat process, such that most of the time no sirens or bomb shelters would be necessary.

This is because the light energy of the laser travels much faster than any interceptor in Israel’s arsenal and would already potentially destroy the enemy aerial threat shortly after it launches, invariably while it is still in enemy territory.

Only in those rare cases where the laser system missed its target, and likely missed it multiple times – since there should be time for multiple shoot-down attempts – would a siren and running to bomb shelters be necessary.

Rafael’s presentation of the three different laser systems comes as it expects to display the lasers’ capabilities at a defense technology conference in Paris in 10 days and it is the first time that it has formally mentioned the Iron Beam M – a mobile version of the Iron Beam.

Specific details of various laser models

In addition, Rafael also discussed a variety of specific details regarding these various laser models.

The Lite Beam is the smallest and most local short-range system, which can be placed on individual ground forces vehicles and fires a 10 kW beam. Iron Beam M fires a 250 mm. 50 kW beam and can be mounted on large trucks for mobility but cannot be placed as a minor additional system on individual vehicles.

Finally, the full-size Iron Beam fires a 450 mm. 100 kW beam and is designed to remain stationary for periods of time, though it can, with advance planning, be moved around just as Iron Dome batteries, over time, can be moved around.

Although Raytheon in the US as well as England, Russia, China, Germany, and Japan are all at various stages of developing laser defense systems, Rafael said that it is the only company that has moved beyond test firings to actual use in the field.

Last week, the Defense Ministry revealed that a version of Lite Beam had been used close to 40 times to shoot down Hezbollah drones during the course of the war, and especially in fall 2024.

Questioned about potential future applications, Rafael sources said that it would take a significant amount of time to adapt lasers for use by Israeli aircraft. There are many challenges with using lasers relating to turbulence, dust, clouds, and smoke, which are a partial issue even when the end target is in the sky but are a larger issue when the starting point is also in the sky.

Also, if laser systems firing at enemy aerial threats must consider somewhat additional objects that could get hit by the laser after it continues through the object it hits, those considerations are much more complex for any aircraft firing on ground targets.

For this reason and due to other considerations, the impression was that the IDF has not even made it a priority to achieve such laser aircraft capabilities for the foreseeable future; however, this could all change once the IDF sees more laser defense systems in action at the end of 2025.

It was unclear how quickly Rafael could roll out a larger volume of lasers, something that took years with the Iron Dome, even after the initial defense batteries were produced and deployed.

While laser systems are a big improvement over the Iron Dome for reducing the cost of each shootdown attempt – the Iron Dome costs around $40,000 per interceptor, and each laser shot should cost around $3 – building each laser defense battery is still very expensive.

Another major advantage of laser systems over the Iron Dome, according to Rafael, is that there are far fewer logistics.

Iron Dome interceptors are not just a cost; they are a huge separate logistical operation to move around and store.

In contrast, laser defense systems do not need additional physical storage space for their “interceptor” because it is just made up of light energy created when the system fires.

Rafael Chairman Dr. Yuval Steinitz said, “Israel is the first country in the world to transform high-power laser technology into a fully operational system – and to execute actual combat interceptions. We are extremely proud of Rafael’s achievement in leading this operational and technological breakthrough. Based on its unique development of adaptive optics, Rafael’s Iron Beam system will undoubtedly be a game-changer with an unprecedented impact on the modern battlefield.”

In addition, Rafael sources said that the laser breakthrough was larger than that of the Iron Dome because it is a multidisciplinary scientific human breakthrough with wide applications in many fields. In other words, lasers have been used for some decades for very short-range functions, like eye surgery at a range of a matter of centimeters.

But now that Israel has shown that lasers can be used at a much farther distance, there will be many other military and non-military applications.

Rafael CEO Yoav Tourgeman stated, “Rafael is leading the energy weapon revolution, with operational laser systems among the most advanced of their kind worldwide. The ingenuity and boldness of Rafael’s top scientists and the company’s massive investment in R&D (research and development) have resulted in a monumental operational and technological accomplishment.

“Later this year, we will deliver the first Iron Beam system from Rafael’s production lines to the IMOD (Israel’s Ministry of Defense). This system will fundamentally change the defense equation by enabling fast, precise, cost-effective interceptions, unmatched by any existing system,” continued Tourgeman.

Yonah Jeremy Bob

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-856554

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Trump's 50% steel tariffs begin, tariffs on UK remain 25% - Natalie Mittelstadt

 

by Natalie Mittelstadt

The UK, which sends 7% of its total steel exports to the U.S. that is worth $500 million, is keeping the 25% tariff as a U.S.-UK trade deal is being worked out.

 

President Trump's 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum take effect Wednesday, with tariffs on imports from the United Kingdom remaining at 25%.

On Tuesday, Trump signed the order doubling the tariffs from 25% to 50% on all metals imports to the U.S., CNBC reported.

The biggest exporters of steel to the U.S. are Canada and Mexico, with Brazil and South Korea being other major sources.

The UK, which sends 7% of its total steel exports to the U.S. that is worth $500 million, is keeping the 25% tariff as a U.S.-UK trade deal is being worked out. 

Ultimately, as part of the deal, the 25% tariff will be removed. However, if the White House “determines that the United Kingdom has not complied with relevant aspects of the [Economic Prosperity Deal],” then it could increase the tariff on the UK to 50% “on or after July 9,” according to the White House.

UK Steel Director-General Gareth Stace said Tuesday that the country's exemption from the 50% tariff was “a welcome pause,” but urged the U.S.-UK deal to be finalized to completely remove the tariffs.

“Continued 25% tariffs will benefit shipments already on the water that we were concerned would fall under a tax hike,” Stace said in a statement.

“However, uncertainty remains over timings and final tariff rates, and now U.S. customers will be dubious over whether they should even risk making U.K. orders,” he added, warning that the tariffs come at “an already crushing time for our steel industry, with global oversupply and weak demand.”

 

Natalie Mittelstadt

Source: https://justthenews.com/nation/economy/trumps-50-steel-tariffs-begin-tariffs-uk-remain-25

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Rift deepens: Shas expected to leave gov't as Netanyahu, Edelstein conclude bill discussion - Eliav Breuer, Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Eliav Breuer, Jerusalem Post Staff

Because of the government's lack of progress on the haredi draft bill, some coalition parties are expected to leave the government.

 

Shas MK Yinon Azoulay seen in the Knesset plenum, in Jerusalem, July 22, 2024

(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

 

Shas is expected to support a motion to dissolve the Knesset, Israeli media reported on Wednesday. 

This came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded a meeting with Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein on Wednesday evening, during which the two discussed advancing the draft exemption bill, which has largely stalled, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Netanyahu will lead a meeting Thursday afternoon, which Edelstein will also attend, in addition to Shas MK Ariel Attias and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fox, the PMO confirmed.

This comes after several haredi rabbis have reportedly instructed parties in the coalition to leave the government, The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday. 

Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, pictured in 2014. (credit: WIKIMEDIA/Bentzionbb)

Edelstein addressed the developments in a post to X/Twitter, noting that he did not support dissolving the Knesset and that he seeks to find a solution to the issue.  

"I am not in favor of disbanding the coalition or dissolving the government, and I do not share in the hatred of our haredi brothers," Edelstein wrote in the post on Wednesday evening. 

אין חדש תחת השמש.

מתווה חוק הגיוס אותו הצגתי אמש בפגישה, הוא אותו המתווה עליו אנחנו דנים כבר למעלה משנה. חוק ללא סנקציות אישיות אפקטיביות, יעדי גיוס גבוהים ובקצב עלייה גבוה - איננו גיוס אלא השתמטות, ולכך התנגדתי לכל אורך הדרך.

בזמן שחיילי צה״ל ומפקדיו נמצאים בעיצומם של מאמצי… pic.twitter.com/hwb5jYErib

— Yuli Edelstein 🇮🇱 יולי אדלשטיין (@YuliEdelstein) June 4, 2025

Haredi parties consider leaving government 

Some haredi parties are considering leaving the government over the government's failure to pass a law that would exempt a majority of eligible haredi men from IDF service.

Edelstein failed to reach an agreement during a meeting with haredi representatives last night, angering the haredi faction Degel Hatorah, and prompting rabbis to issue a directive to escalate threats against the government and coalition.

Haredi Lithuanian Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch said in a statement that he would ‘likely’ instruct the Degel Hatorah faction to leave the coalition in the near future. 

Eliav Breuer, Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-856542

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Trump administration moves to deport family of Boulder firebomb attacker - Israel National News

 

by Israel National News

Wife and children of Mohammed Suliman, the terrorist behind the Boulder Molotov cocktail attack, detained by ICE. US officials seek their immediate deportation as investigators probe their possible connection to the attack.

 

Site of terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado                                      REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

 

The wife and five children of Mohammed Sabri Suleiman, the terrorist accused of carrying out the firebomb attack in Boulder, Colorado, have been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly seeking to deport the family immediately under a fast-track administrative process that permits the removal of foreign nationals without a court hearing or legal representation.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the family's visas had been revoked. Officials estimate that the deportation could take place as early as today. Authorities are also reviewing the possible involvement or prior knowledge of the family members regarding Suleiman's intentions, even though Soliman told detectives after he was arrested that “no one” knew about his attack plans and that “he never talked to his wife or family about it,” as stated in the affidavit for his arrest filed Sunday.

According to reports, Suleiman's wife cooperated with investigators and handed over his cellphone, which contained messages linked to the attack.

Suleiman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, had been residing in Colorado Springs since 2022 after entering the US on a tourist visa, which expired in 2023. He applied for political asylum that same year and had received a legal work permit, working as an Uber driver.

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Soliman told authorities that only one thing delayed his attack: waiting for his daughter to graduate high school and three days after his daughter’s graduation, he headed to Boulder, leaving an iPhone with messages to his family hidden in a desk drawer, according to the federal complaint.

On Sunday morning (local time), Suleiman arrived at the "Run For Their Lives" march in support of the hostages, disguised as a gardener and wearing an orange vest. He carried a backpack, a fuel-filled garden sprayer, and a bag of flowers that concealed improvised Molotov cocktails.

Near the courthouse in Boulder, he pulled out the firebombs and hurled them at the marchers while shouting “Free Palestine” and “You are murderers.” One bottle struck a group directly, while the second ignited on the ground.

Twelve people were injured in the attack, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. Eight victims suffered varying degrees of burns; two remain hospitalized, one in serious but stable condition. An additional four victims sought medical treatment in the two days following the attack, all with light injuries.

Israel National News

Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/409418

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Harvard Cries Foul Over $3 Billion Grant Cut—But Guess Who Funded It in the First Place? - Maureen Steele

 

by Maureen Steele

Harvard’s suing to keep $3B in taxpayer cash—despite a $51B endowment, race-based admissions, and morgue scandals—because trade schools threaten their DEI empire.

 

Poor Harvard. The Ivy League crown jewel of moral relativism and $50 billion endowments is suddenly clutching its pearls over a potential $3 billion cut in federal funding courtesy of President Trump’s bold new proposal to reroute taxpayer dollars away from DEI indoctrination hubs and toward American trade schools.

That $3 billion? It’s your money. Mine too. All of ours. The universities like Harvard didn’t conjure it out of thin air with their magical diplomas. It came from taxpayer-funded agencies like the NIH, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense—funds meant for national research, development, and defense, not social justice alchemy and racially discriminatory admissions schemes.

Now, Harvard—with its gleaming halls, $51 billion endowment, and history of selling body parts out of the campus morgue (yes, this really happened)—is suing Trump, claiming this proposal is “retaliatory” and a “threat to academic freedom.” Spare us, Crimson. You want to lecture the country on ethics while your staff is peddling human heads like it’s a yard sale?

Let’s clarify the legal terrain here, because someone has to.

Federal research grants are issued through discretionary spending programs. Congress appropriates funds through its power of the purse under Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution. Agencies like the NIH and DoD then issue grants based on merit, relevance, and strategic importance.

But here’s the kicker: there’s no constitutional right for Harvard to receive these funds. They’re not entitled to them like a Social Security check. These are conditional awards, and the government retains the authority to redirect, reprioritize, or terminate them based on public policy goals. Don’t like it? That’s federalism, sweetheart.

And let’s be honest—Harvard’s “research” agenda over the past few years looks more like a DEI fever dream than national defense. When schools start allocating grant funds to enforce race-based admissions policies—which the Supreme Court already ruled unconstitutional in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard—they should lose their public funding. Period. That’s not retaliation. That’s the restoration of Constitutional order.

Let’s talk about the “morality” of Harvard’s outrage. This is the same institution that admitted it racially discriminates against Asian-Americans with stronger academic scores and was caught selling cadaver parts—literal human heads—for profit. Lastly, Harvard has an endowment large enough to self-fund for a century, yet still begs for taxpayer cash like a panhandling aristocrat.

Now they’re upset that a populist president wants to reinvest $3 billion in blue-collar, working-class Americans via trade schools? Cry harder.

This is the ethical crisis of our age: institutions that believe they’re above reproach because they wear the costume of academia. But when you strip away the Latin mottos and marble pillars, what you have is a racket—funded by the American people, turning around to indoctrinate their children, censor their values, and call them bigots for wanting accountability.

Trump’s proposal isn’t just a jab at elitist institutions. It’s a course correction. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the most in-demand and well-paying jobs in the coming decade are in skilled trades—not gender theory. Plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, mechanics, and welders. Real work. Real value. Real Americans.

Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs fame) said it best: “We’re lending money we don’t have to kids who can’t pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist.” And we’re doing it while handing $3 billion to Harvard, where the biggest breakthrough last year was identifying “toxic masculinity” in the math department.

Harvard has more money than most nations. If they need funds, they can dig into their $51 billion endowment—generously gifted by alumni who, ironically, earned their fortunes in capitalist America, not communist faculty lounges.

So here’s a thought: If Harvard is so committed to ethics, inclusivity, and social justice, maybe they can start by opening admissions to all Americans based on merit, not melanin. Maybe they can stop accepting government money altogether and stand on their own feet, like any private institution claiming moral superiority. Until then?

They can, respectfully, pound sand.

Because here’s the truth: Taxpayer money isn’t a trust fund for tenured radicals. And America doesn’t need more gender studies dissertations—we need welders, mechanics, builders, farmers, and freedom-loving citizens. Redirecting that $3 billion isn’t retaliation.

It’s redemption.

Maureen Steele

Source: https://amgreatness.com/2025/06/04/harvard-cries-foul-over-3-billion-grant-cut-but-guess-who-funded-it-in-the-first-place/

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Trump: No uranium enrichment under any Iran deal - JNS Staff

 

by JNS Staff

The U.S. president's statement contradicted earlier media reports claiming the administration would tolerate limited, low-level enrichment.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump listens as Ohio State Head coach Ryan Day speaks as he welcomes the 2025 College Football National Champions from Ohio State University to the White House during a ceremony on the south lawn on April 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday stated unequivocally that the nuclear deal currently being discussed with Iran will not allow any uranium enrichment, contradicting earlier media reports.

“Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” Trump posted on social media.

The AUTOPEN should have stopped Iran a long time ago from "enriching." Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!

— Trump Posts on 𝕏 (@trump_repost) June 2, 2025

The statement came shortly after Israeli news outlet Walla, citing two sources familiar with the deal, reported on Monday that Washington was open to permitting Iran limited, low-level uranium enrichment for an unspecified duration.

That report conflicted with earlier reassurances from senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who is leading the U.S.-Iran talks, that no uranium enrichment would be permitted.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said Iran would reject any deal that didn’t recognize the Islamic Republic’s right to enrich uranium, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

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Speaking at a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo, Aragchi said Iran would soon respond to the U.S. proposal.

The proposal was submitted to Iranian authorities via Oman’s foreign minister, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, during a brief visit to Tehran over the weekend. Oman remains a key intermediary in the negotiations.

JNS Staff

Source: https://www.jns.org/trump-no-uranium-enrichment-under-any-iran-deal/

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How can the US nuclear deal stop secret Iranian enrichment? - Explainer - Reuters

 

by Reuters

While the IAEA sees the roughly 20,000 centrifuges installed at Iran's enrichment facilities, it does not know how many more have been produced in recent years and are now elsewhere.

 

A book with a cover design of the Iran-US negotiations is seen in Tehran, Iran, April 26, 2025.

(photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

UN inspectors monitoring Iran's Fordow nuclear site confronted a major gap in their knowledge last year as they watched trucks carrying advanced uranium-enriching centrifuges roll into the facility dug into a mountain south of Tehran.

While Iran had notified the International Atomic Energy Agency that hundreds of extra IR-6 centrifuges would be installed at Fordow, the inspectors had no idea where the sophisticated machines had come from, an official familiar with the UN monitoring work told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The episode encapsulated how the UN nuclear watchdog has lost track of some critical elements of Iran's nuclear activities since US President Donald Trump ditched a 2015 deal that imposed strict restrictions and close IAEA supervision.

Key blind spots include not knowing how many centrifuges Iran possesses or where the machines and their parts are produced and stored, quarterly IAEA reports show. The agency has also lost the ability to carry out snap inspections at locations not declared by Iran.

The US has started new talks with Iran, aiming to impose fresh nuclear restrictions on Tehran. For any deal to succeed, though, those IAEA blind spots will need to be closed, according to more than a dozen people familiar with Iran's atomic activities, including officials, diplomats and analysts.

An Iranian woman walks past an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, April 26, 2025; illustrative (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

"There are gaps in our knowledge of Iran's nuclear program that must be addressed in order to have a baseline understanding of its current scale and scope," said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group think-tank.

"That may take months to piece together but it's critical if the IAEA and parties to the negotiations are to have confidence in the non-proliferation benefits of an agreement."

The IAEA, which answers to 180 member states, declined to comment for this article. The Iranian foreign ministry and Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation didn't respond to queries.

Iran has long held that it was entitled to scrap its commitments to enhanced IAEA supervision under the 2015 deal after the US unilaterally withdrew. It rejects Western accusations that it is at least keeping the option of building a nuclear weapon open, saying its aims are purely peaceful.

The Islamic Republic has nonetheless made big strides in uranium enrichment in recent years.

When the US and world powers struck the nuclear deal with Iran in 2015, they sought to limit Tehran's "breakout time" - how long it would need to produce enough fissile material for a single atom bomb - to at least a year by capping the purity to which it could enrich uranium at below 4%.

Now that breakout time has all but evaporated. Iran has installed ever more advanced centrifuges and is enriching to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% of weapons grade.

According to a confidential report by the IAEA at the weekend, Iran has enough uranium enriched to that level for nine nuclear weapons if refined further, by an agency yardstick.

No other country has enriched uranium to such a high level without producing weapons, the watchdog added. Nuclear power plants often use fuel enriched to between 3% and 5%.

A European official who follows Iran's nuclear program told Reuters the enrichment program was now so advanced that, even if it was shut down entirely, the Iranians could restart and rebuild it in the space of a few months.

After five rounds of discussions between Iranian and US negotiators, several obstacles remain. Among them are Iran's rejection of an American demand that it commit to scrapping enrichment and its refusal to ship its existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium abroad.

Given the window has closed to restore as long a breakout time as in 2015, any new deal would instead have to bolster IAEA supervision of the nuclear program, said the official who also requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Roughly three years ago Iran ordered the removal of all the surveillance and monitoring equipment added by the 2015 deal, including surveillance cameras at the workshops that make centrifuge parts. At that point the IAEA had already not had access to those cameras' footage for more than a year.

While the IAEA sees the roughly 20,000 centrifuges installed at Iran's enrichment facilities, it does not know how many more have been produced in recent years and are now elsewhere.

A US State Department spokesperson said IAEA monitoring was critical for the international community to understand the full extent of Iran's nuclear program, though adding it was not in America's interest to "negotiate these issues publicly."

Iran rejects US enrichment demands

The 2015, Obama-era deal capped the purity to which Iran could enrich uranium at 3.67%, well below the 20% it had already reached then, and restricted the number and type of centrifuges Iran could use and where. Enrichment was not allowed at Fordow.

Iran, meanwhile, agreed to the snap inspections and an expansion of the IAEA's oversight to include areas like centrifuge production and its stock of so-called yellowcake uranium that has not been enriched.

IAEA reports showed Iran adhered to limits on key elements of its nuclear program, including enrichment, until more than a year after Trump abandoned the pact in 2018, during his first term. The US president decried a "horrible one-sided deal" that did not address other issues such as Iran's ballistic missile program or its role in regional conflicts.

His withdrawal prompted Tehran to retaliate, both by eventually pushing far beyond those enrichment and centrifuge limits and by scrapping the extra IAEA supervision put in place after the 2015 deal.

Iran is still, however, providing IAEA inspectors with regular access to its facilities as part of longer-standing obligations as a party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, under which there is no cap on enrichment levels but nuclear technology must be used for peaceful purposes.

US and Iranian negotiators started their new nuclear talks in April, with Trump having threatened military action if no pact is struck.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in Washington in April that it is important Iran accept "indispensable" restrictions to enable his agency to reassure the world about Iran's intentions, without specifying the curbs. He has also said last week any new deal should provide for "very robust inspection by the IAEA".

The IAEA says it cannot currently "provide assurance that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful."

Completing the puzzle

Diplomats have for years expected that any new deal will task the IAEA with creating a so-called baseline, a complete picture of where all areas of Iran's nuclear program stand, filling in gaps in the agency's knowledge as much as it can.

Establishing a baseline will be particularly challenging since some blind spots have lasted so long they cannot fully be filled in; the IAEA has said in quarterly reports to member states it has lost "continuity of knowledge" and will not be able to restore it on production and inventory of centrifuges, certain centrifuge parts and yellowcake.

"Assembling that puzzle will be an essential part of any deal. We know establishing that new baseline will be hard," said Eric Brewer, a former US intelligence analyst now at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a non-governmental organization focused on security and based in Washington.

"It will depend in part on how cooperative Iran is."

Even then, there is a significant risk the IAEA would lack a complete picture of Tehran's activities, he added.

"Is that uncertainty acceptable to the United States?" Brewer said. "Important question." 

Reuters

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-856396

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