Latest news with #Iranians
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
The Iranian theocratic regime is teetering at the edge of the precipice
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Today, the mullahs' theocratic regime teeters on the edge of the precipice. Their so-called 'axis of resistance' that included Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Bashar al-Assad in Syria, has collapsed. Israel and now America have joined the forensic assault on the regime's nuclear sites. Dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders and key nuclear scientists have been eliminated. The 86-year-old fundamentalist Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei must truly regret his decision to train, finance and direct the horrific 7th October 2023 terrorist Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Middle East conflict that has raged ever since and has now engulfed Iran itself. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pictured on July 5 2024 in Tehran | Getty Images Khamenei's years of sponsoring international terrorism and warmongering, while trying to persuade the West that he was only enriching uranium for peaceful, civilian energy purposes, has spectacularly imploded. The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has noted that Iran now has a stockpile of around 900 lbs of uranium enriched to near weapons' grade - 60 per cent purity. With the mullahs chanting 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel', the theocratic regime's development of nuclear bombs and ballistic missile delivery systems was never going to be tolerated. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As western leaders call for a de-escalation of tensions and warn Iran that direct retaliation against American military compounds in the Middle East would be a grave mistake, Khamenei and his puppet president Masoud Pezeshkian, continue to issue belligerent threats. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly invited the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow the mullahs' regime. Netanyahu may be pushing at an open door. There are reports that the IRGC has not been paid for weeks and many in its lower ranks are now contemplating the value of risking their lives in conflict with Israel and America, on behalf of a collapsing regime. The mullahs, enmeshed in corruption and incompetence, have squandered the nation's wealth on funding terror and proxy militias. The Iranian economy now lies in ruins, strangled by mismanagement and the burden of sanctions. Billions have been wasted on the clandestine nuclear bomb and ballistic missile programme that is now a smouldering ruin. Ninety million impoverished Iranians have lost their fear of the mullahs and their savagery. The exponential rise of MEK Resistance Units across the nation has demonstrated the courage of the opposition, daily spraying anti-regime graffiti on the walls of public buildings, firebombing IRGC and Basij compounds, displaying banners of National Council of Resistance (NCRI) leaders like Maryam Rajavi, and mounting cyberattacks on regime TV and radio communications. Western appeasers must end their wearisome calls for diplomacy and negotiation with the world's most evil regime. It is time to show the Iranian people that we back their right to overthrow the mullahs and restore peace and prosperity to Iran and the Middle East.
CNBC
an hour ago
- Business
- CNBC
Trump administration exploring $30 billion civilian nuclear deal for Iran
The Trump administration in recent days has explored possible economic incentives for Iran in return for the regime halting uranium enrichment, including releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, according to three sources familiar with the discussions. The tentative proposal would also allow Iran to receive assistance from regional countries to enable Tehran to build a civilian nuclear program, granting Tehran access to as much as $30 billion. The proposal is one of many ideas under consideration by the administration, the sources said. The details of the administration's discussions were first reported by CNN. The potential deal would mark a major reversal in policy for President Trump, who pulled the U.S. out of the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran in 2018 arguing in part that the sanctions relief and unfreezing of Iranian assets had provided a "lifeline of cash" to the Iranian regime to continue its malign activities. Still, it is not immediately clear if the financial proposal or any negotiations between the U.S. and Iran will move forward. In a Truth Social post Friday night, Trump said he "never heard of this ridiculous idea," adding that it was "just another HOAX put out by the Fake News." Earlier Friday, Trump threatened to drop any possible sanctions relief for Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared victory in the war against Israel and downplayed the significance of U.S. attacks on their nuclear sites. "Why would the so-called 'Supreme Leader,' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie?" Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social, adding. "During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery — The sanctions are BITING! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust." In a pre-recorded speech on Iranian state TV on Thursday, Khamenei said: "The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America's face." He added: "This action can be repeated in the future." But later on Friday, Trump insisted the Iranians still wanted to meet with him to discuss possible sanctions relief. "They do want to meet me, and we'll do that quickly. We're going to do it quickly," Trump told reporters during a White House meeting with the foreign ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda. "Don't you think we have sanctions on there that they can't do anything? Wouldn't you think that they want to meet me? I mean, they're not stupid people."
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Details of Iran attack still remain fuzzy from Trump and his team
President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arriving at the White House, Saturday, June 21 (PIcture: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Next Friday marks the first anniversary of Labour's landslide win in the 2024 General Election – what a difference a year makes. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Much has changed in the 51 weeks since Keir Starmer was swept to power on the back of a thumping majority. Many loyal voters have been disappointed by him in government, including 120 of his own MPs, and he faces rebellion from within the ranks on the Treasury's proposed benefit cuts. Yet there is still enough spare change down the back of the sofa to buy 12 fighter jets from the USA which will be capable of launching nuclear missiles. I'm sure that is a huge consolation to disabled people already struggling to make ends meet. At least Starmer stopped short of going into full Tony Blair mode, and the UK did not get involved in the US bombing mission to Iran, which may have broken international law. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While a year seems a long time in politics, much can change within the course of a week. Last weekend, many feared we were on the brink of World War Three, as Trump launched his raid on Iran's nuclear facilities and the Iranians responded with attacks on Qatar. By Thursday, the entire episode had descended into farce. The exact details still remain fuzzy at best. Trump claims Iran's entire nuclear capability had been obliterated and tweeted 'Bullseye!' Who knew he was such a fan of 1980s British TV game shows? By the start of this week, a leaked intelligence document suggested the impact had been limited, while the International Atomic Energy Agency said there was no leakage of radiation. To a lay person like myself, that suggests two possible scenarios. Either the mission was a failure or the underground nuclear facilities never existed in the first place. By midweek, the CIA had changed the official narrative. The nuclear site had received 'severe damage', which is a few steps down from obliteration. This was backed up by some grainy aerial photos which claimed to show what had happened, but actually proved nothing at all. This is all eerily reminiscent of 2003, with the false evidence trotted out to prove Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Kameini said the US failed to achieve anything significant and was claiming the incident to be a victory for Iran. The whole thing may have to referred to VAR for a final decision. On Thursday US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has faced allegations of alcohol abuse and anger management issues, weighed into the debate. The former Fox News presenter lambasted the press for their lack of patriotism in not believing the president. He called the mission a 'historic success' and repeated the claim that the facility had been 'obliterated' at the weekend. Or maybe he was referring to himself being 'obliterated' at the weekend. It's all very unclear. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The only thing we know with any certainty is that if Trump says he devastated Iran's nuclear capability then he definitely didn't. Judging by form, he's either rambling nonsense or deliberately lying. Although he did come up with an uncharacteristic gem of wisdom on Tuesday. He claimed neither Israel nor Iran 'knows what the f**k they are doing'. They're not the only ones, Mr President.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Iran Storing Enriched Uranium At Pickaxe Mountain? Trump Drops Another Bombshell
/ Jun 28, 2025, 11:13AM IST U.S. president Donald Trump said that Iran won't be thinking about enriched Uranium when asked if the Islamic republic was storing it on Pickaxe Mountain. Trump also said that Iranians want to meet him. Trump said that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was possible within next week. His comments came in a press conference at Oval Office after the foreign ministers of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace deal. Watch Trump's full press conference here.
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Israel weakened Iranian regime. Iran must rise up against it
But within this dangerous situation lies an unprecedented opportunity - one that the Iranian people intend to capitalize on and the international community cannot afford to miss. The regime's response will be brutal. It is a wounded animal and is already lashing out by arresting and attacking Iranians. The regime's response to Israel's strikes on nuclear facilities and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leadership reveals everything the world needs to know about those who have hijacked my beloved Iran. While claiming to defend Iranian sovereignty, they have systematically destroyed it. While promising strength, they have made Iran weaker and more isolated than ever. This was not Iran's war - it was Ali Khamenei's. It was the response of a desperate, flailing regime. Iranian people fill me with pride For more than four decades, I have advocated for nonviolent civil disobedience as the path to Iran's liberation. I have watched with immense pride as the Iranian people have risen time and again - in 1999, 2009, 2017, 2019 and most recently in 2022, after the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody of the "morality police." Each uprising has grown stronger, each protest has been more unified and each time, more voices have joined the call for fundamental change. The regime's foundation is cracking, and these recent military exchanges might have weakened it to the point of collapse. The Islamic Republic is profoundly weak. Behind the bluster and ballistic missiles lies a regime that has lost the support of its own people. Iranian protesters chant for the end of the Islamic Republic, desperately hoping for support to end this theocratic system. They know that external strikes - whether from Israel, the United States or another nation - will not achieve the fundamental transformation Iran needs. Real change must come from within. It must come from the Iranian people themselves, through coordinated nationwide strikes, sustained civil disobedience and mass demonstrations that make it impossible for this regime to function. The power to liberate Iran lies not in foreign militaries, but in the hands of Iranian workers, students, women and all those who dream of freedom. That is why the international community's support is so crucial at this pivotal moment. The world must impose maximum pressure on the regime while offering maximum support to the Iranian people. Opinion: I fled Iran as a child. Regime change will come only when the world allows it. This means comprehensive sanctions that target regime officials and their economic networks, while ensuring internet access reaches ordinary Iranians. It means amplifying the voices of Iranian civil society and providing secure communication tools that allow protesters to organize safely. It means diplomatic isolation of the regime while maintaining channels of support for the democratic opposition. The timing has never been more favorable. The regime is internally divided, economically weakened and internationally isolated. Its military commanders know that continuing this path leads to destruction. The officers and Revolutionary Guardsmen who reach out to me understand that their survival depends on abandoning Khamenei's failing leadership. Even regime insiders are beginning to consider whether their interests lie with a declining theocracy or a new, democratic Iran. Iranians are ready to take to the streets But windows of opportunity do not remain open indefinitely. The Iranian people are ready to finish what they have started in their previous rounds of protests. They are prepared to take to the streets in numbers that will dwarf previous uprisings. What they need now is the knowledge that the world stands with them - not with empty words, but with concrete actions that tip the balance decisively in their favor. The international community must understand that supporting the Iranian people's struggle for freedom is not just a moral imperative - it is a strategic necessity. Opinion: I survived war in Iran. There are millions like me whose lives are not theoretical. A democratic Iran would end the proxy wars that have destabilized the Middle East for decades. It would eliminate the nuclear threat that keeps the region on edge. It would restore Iran to its rightful place as a force for stability and progress rather than chaos and destruction. The regime leaders' decision to escalate this conflict with Israel demonstrates their complete disregard for Iranian lives and interests. They are willing to risk everything to preserve their grip on power. This recklessness should serve as a final wake-up call to anyone who still believes this regime can be reformed or reasoned with. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. Today's missiles may capture the world's attention, but tomorrow's freedom will be won in Iran's streets, factories and universities. The Iranian people have shown repeatedly that they possess the courage to confront tyranny. Now they need the international community to match their bravery with moral courage and meaningful support. The regime is weak. The people are ready. The moment is here. Let us not allow it to pass. Iran will be free, and when it is, the entire Middle East will be more peaceful and secure. The world must choose: Continue to manage this crisis, or help the Iranian people end it once and for all. Reza Pahlavi is the crown prince of Iran. He has advocated from exile for nonviolent resistance to Iran's Islamic Republic for more than four decades.
