Iran

Some readers will recall that in this space last week I opposed those calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and de-escalation in the Iran-Israel war because that would only lead to renewed terrorist activity in Gaza against Israel and the deployment of nuclear weapons by Iran, whose government has pledged to destroy the Jewish people. To paraphrase Japanese Emperor Hirohito after the detonation of two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945, in the light of this week’s events, it is time for the “unthinkable.” (The Japanese emperor acknowledged that the war had not gone “entirely as we had hoped.”) As predicted here and elsewhere, the United States Air Force and Navy successfully penetrated and destroyed the underground Iranian nuclear development sites. Those who immediately predicted a drastic escalation of hostilities and were soiling themselves in lamentations of imminent world war were placated, and in many cases doubtless disappointed, at the ceasefire that followed 24 hours later. Incorrigibly anti-American and particularly Trump-hating outlets such as the BBC, the CBC, the Guardian, Al-Jazeera, CNN and MSNBC attached themselves like limpets to the instant conjuration that the damage done by the American attacks had only been superficial and would easily be repaired. In the only known honest words that the criminally diseased regime in Tehran has uttered in its 47 years, the Iranian Islamic government acknowledged that official American reports of the success of the raids were accurate. U.S. President Donald Trump’s opponents dismissed this as disinformation. The more vocal political suicide cases among the American congressional Democrats, who had been calling for Trump’s impeachment for plunging the nation into war without authority, were struck mercifully dumb.

Arn Anderson’s real name isn’t Arn Anderson. It’s Martin Anthony Lunde. But because he kinda-sorta looked like fellow pro wrestler Ole Anderson, he “became” an Anderson in the weird, wacky world of wrestling. (Of course, Ole Anderson wasn’t really an Anderson either: In the 1960s, Alan Robert Rogowski “became” Ole Anderson, when he was teamed with “brothers” Gene Anderson and Lars Anderson… a.k.a. Larry Heiniemi.) Out of the four Andersons, only one was authentic.

A leaked intelligence assessment claiming Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran did not destroy Tehran’s nuclear program is ‘flat-out wrong’, the White House has claimed.

The report, conducted by the Defense Intelligence Agency and leaked by CNN, claims Saturday’s airstrike on three Iranian nuclear sites only set the country’s program back by months instead of completely destroying it.

Trump claimed the strikes ‘completely and totally obliterated’, a statement echoed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt who dismissed the assessment as a ‘clear attempt to demean President Trump’.

This CNN story was written by the same “reporter” who wrote the very first FAKE NEWS story claiming the Hunter Biden laptop was disinformation.

How did that work out for you, @NatashaBertrand? pic.twitter.com/x2CVhlhB1b

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) June 24, 2025

US strikes on Iran nuke facilities caused more damage than first thought — as watchdog reveals possible contamination

Israel: Campaign against Iran not over

Israel’s war with Iran is “not over”, its military chief has warned, despite the newly-announced ceasefire.

The fragile truce between the two countries was announced on Tuesday morning following Israel’s intense 12-day bombing campaign that targeted Tehran’s nuclear facilities, military commanders and atomic scientists.

Eyal Zamir, Israel’s military chief of staff, said that Israel had set back Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme “by years”, concluding a “significant chapter”.

1. What are we to make of Saturday night’s destruction of the three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan?

Trump and the U.S. military took a great risk and succeeded in astounding fashion. Operationally, the destruction of the nuclear sites seems to have gone perfectly, in contrast to a long history of America’s Middle East debacles from the failed 1980 Carter rescue mission to the 2021 flight from Kabul.