Trump Admits ‘We Shouldn’t Have Been in Iran’

from Common Dreams

President Donald Trump said Saturday during an interview with his daughter-in-law that the US should not have waged war on Iran, while making contradictory claims about destroying Iran’s military and leaving it alone.

“You look at what happened with Iraq. We did so bad. It was such a foolish thing what we did. We shouldn’t have been there in the first place, by the way,” Trump told Lara Trump, who hosts Fox News’ “My View.” 

“We shouldn’t have been in Iran, but Iran has the capability,” he said, referring to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. 

Former US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last year that “Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and [the late] Supreme Leader Khamanei had not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.” US intelligence agencies have repeatedly come to the same conclusion since the George W. Bush administration.

Trump claimed that without US bombing, Iran “would have a nuclear weapon right now and will be a whole different story.”

“If we didn’t hit them with B-2 bombers, nine months ago, they would have a nuclear weapon right now,” he said.

“Their military, we’ve sort of left it alone because we think that their military is somewhat moderate,” Trump said right after saying that “their navy is gone, 100%,” and “their air force is gone, 100%.”

The president also claimed that he will negotiate a “great” end to the war with Iran, or “we’ll just go back and finish it off militarily.”

“We’re close to a very good deal,” he said...

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Hasan and Cenk: Much Ado About Nothing?

by Scott Creighton

 

Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker have apparently been banned in the UK for calling out a genocidal regime for their murderous actions.

Specifically, Cenk has stated that his notification, while it said nothing of antisemitism, did say they were banning him from entering the United Kingdom due to his assertion that their government was subservient to Israeli demands.

So to prove him wrong, they banned him... on behalf of Israel.

ಠ_ಠ

‘Every choice has a price’: Speaker Qalibaf warns US, Israel over naval blocakde, Lebanon carnage

from PressTV

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has warned that the US naval blockade of Iran’s ports and Israel’s growing war crimes in Lebanon will come at a price for Washington and Tel Aviv.

In a post on his X account on Monday, Qalibaf said the US naval blockade imposed on Iranian ships and ports and the escalation of war crimes by the "genocidal Zionist regime" in Lebanon clearly show the US's lack of compliance with the ceasefire.

“The naval blockade and escalation of war crimes in Lebanon by the genocidal Zionist regime are clear evidence of US noncompliance with the ceasefire,” he wrote.

The top Iranian negotiator in indirect talks with the US further warned against the consequences of continued violent acts, which would ultimately come at a cost.

"Every choice has a price, and the bill comes due," Qalibaf said, adding, "It will all fall into place."

The top Iranian parliamentarian’s warning comes amid Israel’s continued violations of the ceasefire agreement, including repeated incursions north of the Litani River, deadly strikes on civilian areas, and displacement orders targeting southern Lebanese communities...

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IRGC retaliates with airbase strike after US attack on Sirik Island

from al Mayadeen English

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced early on Monday that its fighter jets targeted the airbase from which an attack on a communications tower on Sirik Island in Hormozgan province was launched.

According to the statement, the operation was carried out in response to the hostile aggression on the island, which originated from the airbase that was later targeted in retaliation. The IRGC warned that if such actions are repeated, its air force's response "will be completely different."

In its statement, the IRGC held the "hostile, child-killing American regime" that continues to violate the ceasefire responsible, sparking further escalation in the region, with Iranian military officials indicating readiness to respond more forcefully to any future attacks. 

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) had announced earlier that it struck "targets" in Iran over the weekend, in the latest escalation testing a fragile ceasefire between Tehran and Washington... 

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Ukrainian Strike on ZNPP Dangerous Precedent of Targeted Attack - Rosatom CEO

from Sputnik News

The Ukrainian strike on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) may not be so dangerous in itself, but is a precedent of a targeted attack on a nuclear power facility important, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said on Monday. 

 

"The strike on the ZNPP may not be so dangerous in itself, but two points are important. The first is the precedent itself, the precedent of a targeted strike on a nuclear power facility," Likhachev told Russian media. 

 

Ukrainian forces carry out 50-60 drone and shell strikes on the territory of the ZNPP and Energodar every day, Likhachev added. 

 

The territories of Ukraine and neighboring Western states will be at a serious risk if the Ukrainian armed forces attack fuel at the ZNPP, the CEO added...

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Will Trump sideline Israel in order to make a deal with Iran?

 (Nowhere in this article does the writer mention the blackmail Israel holds over Trump's head. A noteworthy omission as we continue to hear less and less about the Epstein files.)

from Mondoweiss

According to available reports, the purported agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran to entrench the current ceasefire was ready to be signed and presented to the public, and Trump was going to retire to his “situation room” to confer with his people and announce it. 

If that seemed too good to be true, it turns out it was, at least for the moment. 

Eventually, Trump is going to have to decide whether to accept an MOU that will be harshly attacked by Israel and Iran hawks or resume the fighting. Choosing the former is out of character for the beleaguered president, but resuming the fighting will bury him deeper in this quagmire and will intensify the global economic crisis. 

It’s important to recognize that all this MOU would do is formalize and expand the existing ceasefire. In practice, ending the war can only happen if the negotiations stipulated in the MOU come to a successful conclusion. 

There’s no guarantee of that, from either side. The mistrust, especially from Iran in the wake of the United States and Israel twice attacking it at moments when diplomacy was making real progress, is a gulf between the two parties. And the political complications Trump faces in making the sort of deal he needs to make are going to be difficult for him to navigate. 

This mistrust is why Iran wants this MOU rather than a comprehensive deal. They want to move slowly, confirming American sincerity with actions, not words, every step of the way. 

Trump, on the other hand, is struggling to decide what to do amid conflicting, powerful political pressures. His team has, apparently, negotiated the terms of the MOU, but he is indecisive about implementing it. These are the consequences of a weak, unqualified person in the White House. 

This political quicksand that Trump continues to sink into is another in the long list of reasons why other presidents have refused to let Israel draw them into a war with Iran. Now that Iran has the upper hand, it is dictating the framework of ending the war...

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US Says It Fired Hellfire Missile at Cargo Ship Attempting To Reach Iran

from AntiWar

US Central Command said on Saturday that its forces fired a Hellfire missile at a Gambia-flagged commercial vessel to prevent it from reaching an Iranian port as the US continues to attack civilian ships in its enforcement of a blockade on Iran.

“US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces observed M/V Lian Star transiting international waters toward an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman and issued more than 20 warnings while informing the vessel it was in violation of the US blockade,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

“A US aircraft disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room after Lian Star’s crew failed to comply. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran,” the command added. Hellfire missiles are typically launched from US military drones, such as the MQ-9 Reaper, and helicopters, including the MH-60 Seahawk and the AH-64 Apache.

CENTCOM said that its forces have “disabled five commercial vessels and redirected 116 to fully enforce the blockade as a ceasefire with Iran remains in effect.”

The command said the attack occurred on Friday, May 29, the same day President Trump suggested in a post on Truth Social that he may lift the blockade on Iran, but US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that the blockade is still “very much in place.”...

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IOF troops 'shoot to kill' in Gaza, celebrate after: AP testimonies

from al Mayadeen English

The ceasefire in Gaza has been marred by daily Israeli attacks across the entire territory, but more so near the so-called "Yellow Line", where Israeli occupation forces are concentrated. 

In new horrifying testimonies to the Associated Press, Israeli occupation soldiers admitted that Palestinian civilians are directly targeted near the "Yellow Line" amid orders to open fire on anyone approaching or crossing the area, which keeps expanding as "Israel" seeks to occupy Gaza. 

In many instances, Israeli soldiers celebrated the killing of Palestinians. One reservist recalled fellow troops cheering and congratulating one another after an Israeli attack on a car killed everyone inside. 

"It was a jungle," the soldier told AP. "After the ceasefire, the order was: If someone crosses the line, you shoot them."

Since the ceasefire was reached in October 2025, "Israel" has killed over 900 Palestinians, including women and children, and wounded thousands of others. "To call it a ceasefire is a joke," one soldier told AP...

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Why does Erdogan want a new constitution?

from RT

Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used a ceremony marking the 158th anniversary of the Council of State and Administrative Justice Day to renew his call for a new constitution.

At the heart of Erdogan’s speech was a simple but powerful claim: Türkiye’s last two constitutions – the 1961 and 1982 charters – were not the product of free popular will. Instead, they were imposed by military regimes that came to power through coups. As a result, Erdogan argued, neither constitution truly reflected the will of the people or rested on a genuinely democratic foundation.

The president went so far as to describe this legacy as a “democratic disgrace,” insisting that correcting this historical injustice is not merely a political preference but an obligation owed by the current leadership to Turkish society. In doing so, Erdogan elevated the constitutional debate from the realm of ordinary political proposals to what he framed as an urgent national imperative.

He drew a sharp distinction between two fundamentally different approaches to constitution making. The first is a top-down process in which a constitution is drafted and imposed by military rulers, political elites, or narrow interest groups. The second is a bottom-up process in which it emerges from the values, expectations, and aspirations of society.

Erdogan has positioned himself firmly in the second camp, arguing that Türkiye needs a constitution that is “inclusive, liberal, and civilian” – written by the people and for the people. In his view, the authority to create a constitution belongs exclusively to the nation, and no state institution or political faction has the right to appropriate that power...

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UN slams Israel over plan to occupy 70% of Gaza

from Daily Sabah

The United Nations on Friday criticized Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to take control of 70% of Gaza, saying the Palestinian territory must remain for Palestinians and reaffirming support for international law and Palestinian self-determination.

"One hundred percent of Gaza should be for the Palestinian people," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at the U.N.'s New York headquarters. "That's what we want to see, and we've been calling on Israel to pull back from its occupation from the so-called yellow line, and that will continue to be our position."

Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel currently controls 60% of the Gaza Strip and signaled plans to expand it further to 70%. He did not elaborate on how such plans would be implemented.

The Israeli army announced in October last year that it controlled 53% of the Gaza Strip after redeploying to the so-called "yellow line” under the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza...

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