Only Nuclear War can Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions, IAEA Chief says

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The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Sunday warned that military strikes alone cannot eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, saying only extreme and unthinkable destruction would fully dismantle Tehran’s capabilities.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi, speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, said nuclear war is the only way to erase Iran’s nuclear program, just one day after Iran said its Natanz Nuclear Facility was hit in an airstrike.

“Anywhere, unless it was nuclear war and you go for destruction in an unfathomable way, which we hope, of course, will not be the case,” Grossi said when asked whether the war could end Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

On Saturday, following the airstrike on Natanz, Grossi called for military restraint to avoid a nuclear accident. Recent assessments have indicated damage, though no widespread radiation leaks have been reported.

Despite those attacks, Grossi stressed that Iran retains critical knowledge and technical capacity that cannot be eliminated through conventional military means. (Read more from “Only Nuclear War can Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions, IAEA Chief says” HERE)

Houthi Join the Fight, Threaten to Close Red Sea Straits

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Yemen’s Houthi movement has announced it is entering the escalating regional conflict on the side of Iran, warning it plans to target US naval assets in the Red Sea.

In a statement released by a representative of the group, the Iran-aligned movement said: “We will strike American ships in the Red Sea. This war is a fight for the entire Ummah.”

The declaration marks a further widening of tensions across the Middle East, as Iran’s network of regional allies signals a greater willingness to engage directly amid ongoing hostilities involving Israel, the US and Gulf states.

Tehran is keeping the threat of ordering Houthis to take up arms in reserve, say analysts, as they could close the access to the Red Sea and cut off all oil and gas produced in the Gulf from reaching international markets. Iranian officials told Tasnim News: if the US launches a military attack on Iran’s main export terminal on Kharg island, Iran will activate the Houthis to shut down the Bab al-Mandab Strait and block access to the Red Sea. Bab al-Mandab Strait — handles 10% of all global trade.

The US spent $1bn trying to stop Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping in 2024. and failed. Ships were forced to reroute around Africa and shippign costs went up 400% at that time. (Read more from “Houthi Join the Fight, Threaten to Close Red Sea Straits” HERE)

Mass Cattle Cull in Russia Feared to be From Bioweapons Research Plant ‘Leak’

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Tens of thousands of cattle have been culled in Russia, with fears that the animals were infected by a leak from a bioweapons research plant.

Thousands of animals have been killed amid furious protests from farmers in Siberia, with authorities giving differing accounts as to the reason why.

Some have cited an outbreak of ‘pasteurellosis’, which can normally be treated with antibiotics.

Disease control specialists have told farmers there was also an outbreak of ‘incurable rabies’, without citing evidence.

Farmers haven’t been shown the order from the Kremlin’s agriculture ministry, and are now claiming the organization is trying to conceal the true cause. (Read more from “Mass Cattle Cull in Russia Feared to be From Bioweapons Research Plant ‘Leak’” HERE)

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Illegal Migrant Accused of Executing Loyola Student Sheridan Gorman was Cut Loose Twice under Biden: DHS

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An illegal Venezuelan migrant accused of executing a Loyola University Chicago freshman from New York entered the US under the Biden administration, and was released under Chicago’s sanctuary city laws before the killing, the Department of Homeland Security said Sunday.

Jose Medina-Medina, 25, allegedly murdered 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman early Thursday morning while she walked along the Chicago lakefront with her friends, according to a DHS release obtained by Fox News.

The illegal alien was caught and released at the border under President Joe Biden’s administration in May 2023, according to the DHS.

Medina-Medina was also previously released from local custody in Chicago— a sanctuary city — just a month later after he was arrested for shoplifting from Macy’s.

The gunman approached Gorman, a freshman from Yorktown, New York, while wearing a mask at around 1:30 a.m., according to cops. (Read more from “Illegal Migrant Accused of Executing Loyola Student Sheridan Gorman was Cut Loose Twice under Biden: DHS” HERE)

Netanyahu’s Jesus Remark Sparks Outrage: ‘One of the Most Disgusting Anti-Christian Comments I’ve Heard From a World Leader’

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (March 19) delivered a press conference amid the war between the US-Israel and Iran. Even as he spoke about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, a comment he made about Jesus Christ and Genghis Khan sparked a row, with many accusing Netanyahu of being “anti-Christian.”

In his address, Netanyahu said: “Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan. If you are strong enough, ruthless enough, and powerful enough, evil will overcome good.” His comments seemed to come in reference to a 2019 interview where he summarized historian Will Durant’s book “The Lessons of History.”

The clip of Netanyahu’s remark went viral, with many interpreting the comments as anti-Christian.

“This is one of the most disgusting anti-Christian comments I’ve heard from a world leader. Just another example of Netanyahu exposing his anti-Christian beliefs. And many Christians will again choose to ignore it,” one user said. . .

“Is there any more proof this guy is pure evil and anti Christian?” wrote another.

(Read more from “Netanyahu’s Anti-Christian Jesus Remark Sparks Outrage” HERE)

Father of Killed US Military Member Disputes Hegseth’s Claim He Said to ‘Finish’ the Job in Iran

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By The Guardian. The father of a US military member killed in the Iran war has contradicted Pete Hegseth’s claim that bereaved families urged him to “finish” the job in the Middle East.

Hegseth, the defense secretary and a former weekend Fox News host, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday that he had spoken with relatives of all six service members killed in last week’s refueling tanker crash during a “dignified transfer” of their remains at Delaware’s Dover air force station the night before.

“What I heard through tears, through hugs, through strength and through unbreakable resolve, was the same from family after family. They said, ‘Finish this. Honor their sacrifice. Do not waver. Do not stop until the job is done,’” Hegseth said.

However, on Thursday night, Charles Simmons, the father of Tech Sgt Tyler Simmons, 28, from Ohio, said he had no such conversation.

“I can’t speak for the other families. When he spoke to me, that was not something we talked about,” he told NBC News. (Read more from “Father of Killed US Military Member Disputes Hegseth’s Claim He Said to ‘Finish’ the Job in Iran” HERE)

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Father of dead serviceman says he never told Hegseth to ‘finish the job’ in Iran: report

By The Independent. The father of a dead U.S. serviceman has denied claims by Pete Hegseth that he told the Defense Secretary to “not stop until the job is done” – referring to the war in Iran.

“No, I didn’t say anything along those lines,” Charles Simmons told NBC News in an interview Thursday, recalling his encounter with Hegseth at the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. “I can’t speak for the other families. When he spoke to me, that was not something we talked about.” . . .

Simmons told NBC that he had spoken to Hegseth and President Donald Trump, and that both men had treated him warmly. He had mostly spoken about his son’s impressive service record, he said.

The 60-year-old, from Columbus, Ohio, added he has “questions” about the conflict, which has now killed at least 13 American service members, and cannot draw “definitive conclusions when I don’t have all the data.”

Simmons said he told Hegseth: “I understand there’s a lot of peril that goes into making decisions like this, and I just certainly hope the decisions being made are necessary,” according to NBC. (Read more from “Father of dead serviceman says he never told Hegseth to ‘finish the job’ in Iran: report” HERE)

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Russian Hackers Targeting US Officials and Journalists on Signal — Have Accessed ‘Thousands’ of Accounts, FBI Warns

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Russian hackers are targeting US officials and other “high intelligence value” individuals on the encrypted messaging app Signal and “thousands” of accounts have already been compromised, FBI Director Kash Patel warned Friday.

“The [FBI] has identified cyber actors associated with Russian Intelligence Services targeting users of commercial messaging applications, including Signal,” Patel wrote on X.

“The campaign targets individuals of high intelligence value, including current and former U.S. government officials, military personnel, political figures, and journalists,” the FBI director explained. “Globally, this effort has resulted in unauthorized access to thousands of individual accounts.”

The Russian actors are able to view messages and contact lists, send messages as the victim and conduct phishing attacks from the victim’s account after gaining access, Patel warned.

A public service announcement detailing the threat noted that “actors specifically target Signal accounts but can apply similar methods against other” commercial messaging apps. (Read more from “Russian Hackers Targeting US Officials and Journalists on Signal — Have Accessed ‘Thousands’ of Accounts, FBI Warns” HERE)

TSA Callouts Threaten to Shut Airports Down Completely as Dem Shutdown Persists

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Airports all across the country are on the brink of closure as TSA agents continue to ride a jet stream of resignations and callouts, warned TSA’s acting deputy administrator Adam Stahl.

“It’s not hyperbole to suggest that we may have to quite literally shut down airports, particularly smaller ones, if call-out rates go up,” Stahl told CNN.

About 50,000 TSA workers have been working without pay since the Department of Homeland Security shutdown on Feb. 14.

More than 350 agents nationwide have flat-out quit the force, the DHS reported.

Thousands of others are calling out sick every day. (Read more from “TSA Callouts Threaten to Shut Airports Down Completely as Dem Shutdown Persists” HERE)

Trump Vows No Cease-Fire With Iran, Predicts Strait of Hormuz May ‘Open Itself’

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President Trump said Friday that he’s not interested in a potential cease-fire with Iran — and that he thinks the Strait of Hormuz could “open itself.”

“I don’t want to do a cease-fire. You know, you don’t do a cease-fire when you’re literally obliterating the other side,” Trump said while leaving the White House, responding to a question about Pope Leo XIV calling for a cease-fire.

“From a military standpoint, all they’re doing is clogging up the strait. But from a military standpoint, they’re finished,” Trump said.

Iran’s closure of the strait for three weeks has caused a surge in oil prices — with Tehran vowing to use it as a strategic point of pressure against the US and Israel.

Trump told reporters that opening the strait would require a “simple military maneuver” before saying no action at all may be needed. (Read more from “Trump Vows No Cease-Fire With Iran, Predicts Strait of Hormuz May ‘Open Itself’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Defiant Iran Declares the World Is Now a Target

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Recreational and tourist sites worldwide will now be a target for Iran’s aggression and what remains of the Islamic state’s leadership further added Friday it is still building missiles.

The show of defiance singling out non-combatant civilian targets anywhere on the globe comes three weeks into U.S.-Israeli strikes that have eliminated a slew of Tehran’s top leaders and hammered its weapons and energy industries, AP reports.

The outlet detailed:

Iran’s top military spokesman warned Friday that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide won’t be safe for Tehran’s enemies.

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi made the threat as Iran continues to be hit by American and Israeli airstrikes. It renewed concerns that Iran may revert to using militant attacks beyond the Middle East as a pressure tactic in the war.

U.S. and Israeli leaders maintain weeks of strikes have decimated Iran’s military. (Read more from “Defiant Iran Declares the World Is Now a Target” HERE)