INTERNACIONAL
Trump says US sank 10 ships in Iran strike, ‘last, best chance’ to act
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President Donald Trump Monday said the United States and Israel’s joint military operation against Iran was «our last, best chance to strike» to «eliminate the intolerable threats» posed by Tehran.
The United States and Israel launched the operation against Iran Saturday known as «Operation Epic Fury.»
The attacks left major Iranian leaders dead, including its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The operation is expected to carry on for days, as the U.S. military continues to target military targets and ballistic missile sites that pose an «imminent threat.»
President Donald Trump speaks about Iran before a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House, March 2, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press )
Trump warned against Iran retaliation, saying that if Iran were to «hit very hard,» it would be met with «a force that has never been seen before.»
During a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House Monday, the president touted his success in combating the threats posed by Iran —during both his second administration, and his first.
«I was very proud to have knocked out the Iran nuclear deal by President Barack Hussein Obama,» Trump said. «That was a horrible, horrible, dangerous document. They would have had nuclear weapons three years ago.»
The president said that Iran, «for almost 47 years» has been «attacking the United States and killing Americans.»
«Every time you see someone with missing arms and legs or a face that’s been absolutely shattered violently — it was almost certainly caused by an Iran roadside bomb,» Trump said. «They were put there by General Soleimani, who was the father of the roadside bomb … But I terminated him in my first term.»
HEGSETH LAYS OUT ‘CLEAR’ 3-PART MISSION AGAINST IRAN, SAYS WAR ‘IS NOT ENDLESS’
Trump was referring to Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Trump ordered the January 2020 strike that killed Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport
Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more, according to the State Department.
Soleimani was the long-running leader of the elite intelligence wing called Quds Force — which itself has been a designated terror group since 2007 and is estimated to be 20,000 strong. Considered one of the most powerful men in Iran, he routinely was referred to as its «shadow commander» or «spymaster.»
A screen grab of President Donald Trump giving an update on the ongoing Operation Epic Fury. (Truth Social)
«This was our last, best chance to strike what we’re doing right now and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime,» the president said Monday. «And they are indeed sick and sinister.»
Trump declared that the United States’ «objectives are clear.»
«First, we’re destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, and you see that happening on an hourly basis and their capacity to produce brand new ones and pretty good ones they make,» the president said. «Second, we’re annihilating their Navy. We’ve knocked out already ten ships. They’re at the bottom of the sea.»
«Third, we’re ensuring that the world’s number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon,» he said. «They are never going to have a nuclear weapon. I said that from the beginning. They’re never going to have a nuclear weapon. They were on the road to getting one legitimately through a deal that was signed foolishly by our country.»
A U.S. Navy ship launches Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles in support of Operation Epic Fury. (U.S. Central Command Public Affairs)
FLASHBACK: TRUMP SAYS SOLEIMANI SHOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED ‘YEARS AGO,’ WAS ‘HATED’ WITHIN IRAN
Finally, the president said, the United States is «ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.»
«And we thought we had a deal, but then they backed out and and they came back and we thought we had a deal and they backed out,» Trump said. «I said, you can’t deal with these people. You got to do it the right way.»
The Pentagon confirmed that the United States deployed B-2 stealth bombers armed with 2,000-pound bombs as part of the Operation Epic Fury campaign.
The U.S. will continue the operation with «ferocious, unyielding resolve,» Trump said, adding that the U.S. has already sunk 10 of Iran’s naval vessels in addition to eliminating 49 of its top leaders.
The president Monday also honored the lives of four «heroic» American service members.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pictured sitting next to senior military official in Iran. (Getty Images)
IRAN’S NEAR HALF CENTURY WAR ON AMERICANS
«Today we grieve for the four heroic American service members who have been killed in action and send our love and support to their families,» the president said. «In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people and a threat, indeed it is.»
The president said the United States has «the strongest and most powerful by far military in the world, and we will easily prevail.»
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«We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections, but whatever the time is, it’s okay. Whatever it takes, we will always, and we have, right from the beginning, we projected 4 to 5 weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that,» Trump continued. «We’ll do it.»
He added: «Please join me in thanking every American service member who bravely is standing in harm’s way. They really are incredible.»
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INTERNACIONAL
DHS remains unfunded as Iran sleeper cell fears spike nationwide amid security warnings
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Concerns about potential Iran-linked sleeper cells are rising as the Department of Homeland Security remains unfunded and Tehran and its proxies threaten retaliation over U.S.-Israeli strikes that American officials say killed nearly 50 top Iranian leaders.
The sleeper cell concerns came into full focus over the weekend when authorities say a Senegalese man opened fire at patrons of an Austin, Texas, bar while wearing a sweatshirt that read «Property of Allah.»
Ndiaga Diagne, 53, of Pflugerville, who was also found with an undershirt featuring the Iranian flag, reportedly entered the U.S. during the Clinton administration on a B-2 tourist visa. He became a naturalized citizen during the Obama administration.
Federal agents comb the scene of a potential terrorist attack shooting in Austin, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Getty Images)
A San Antonio FBI official said the incident is being investigated for a «potential nexus to terrorism.»
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News Digital on Monday that she is in «direct coordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners as we continue to closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to the homeland,» when asked about any increased threat from sleeper cells in the U.S.
Fox News also learned Monday that a DHS memo was sent out over the weekend to various law enforcement agencies nationwide warning of potential cyberattacks and lone wolf physical attacks as a result of the U.S.-Israel bombing in Iran.
The memo offered no specific knowledge of individual attacks but warned of lower-level cyberattacks or other violence.
DHS, meanwhile, remains largely unfunded due to an approximately month-long shutdown brought on by Democratic lawmakers’ refusal to approve new agency funding over the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, most notably in Minneapolis.
FROM HOSTAGE CRISIS TO ASSASSINATION PLOTS: IRAN’S NEAR HALF-CENTURY WAR ON AMERICANS
«It is outrageous that they continue to stall on this because their political ideologies disagree with keeping Americans safe,» said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., warned that if there is «some type of attack within America, it is going to be on the Democrats,» pointing to the otherwise porous Mexican border under previous administrations.
The head of cyberdefense agency Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — which falls under DHS — recently warned that a majority of its workforce would be furloughed as the shutdown drags on.
«When the government shuts down, cyberthreats do not,» CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala told lawmakers in February, according to NextGov.
Gottumukkala, who served as South Dakota State Chief Information Officer under then-Gov. Noem, said the agency would only be able to focus on «anything that is an immediate need and an imminent threat,» versus investigating or searching for new potential issues.
CHASING THE APOCALYPSE: RADICAL SHIITE CLERICS ON AMERICAN SOIL PREACH PROPHETIC SHOWDOWN WITH US
Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas where the first potential sleeper attack occurred, told Fox News on Monday that he has been in touch with FBI Director Kash Patel and Austin Democratic Mayor Kirk Watson about the incident.
«They’re still investigating this, but it appears on the face of it to be terrorism,» he said.
«The threats of terrorism are higher right now. Our forces are on alert because we are actively taking out the Iranian leadership in the Ayatollah,» Cruz added, calling it «shocking» that Democrats continue to hold-up DHS funding at such a perilous time.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., added on «America’s Newsroom» that previous administrations set the groundwork for sleeper cell vulnerabilities.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said previous presidential administrations set the groundwork for sleeper cell vulnerabilities in the U.S. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
«Unfortunately, we had a wide-open border for four years under Joe Biden. We have no idea who may have gotten into the country during those four years. I don’t want to comment specifically on what happened in Austin until all the facts are known, but I did speak with Kash Patel yesterday, and I can tell you that the FBI is taking every potential threat around the nation very seriously,» Cotton said.
«This is by the way another very compelling reason that we need to fund the Department of Homeland Security immediately,» he said, noting the shutdown is dragging on into a «war against the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism.»
OVERSIGHT DEMANDS DOJ ANSWERS ON FOREIGN FUNDING OF AGITATOR GROUPS AS IRAN, ANTI-ICE PROTESTS CONTINUE
One top Democrat did appear to reference Iran’s role as such.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman called the U.S.-Israeli offensive a «noble pursuit» – while Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., claimed «both the U.S. and genocidal Israel do[n’t] care about the laws.»
The House is reportedly set to attempt a vote on DHS funding sometime this week.
European and American security officials speaking on anonymity in the days leading up to the Feb. 28 strike told the New York Times no specific sleeper plots had been uncovered but that there has been an increase in «chatter» among intercepted communications.
Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that a strike on Iran would risk igniting a wider war, endangering U.S. forces and destabilizing global markets.
«Before any military action is considered, President Trump must come before the American people, explain why any conflict would be necessary, be honest about the risks and costs and present a clear strategy with a defined endgame,» Reed said.
Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Fox Business that sleeper cell threats need to be taken seriously after the Austin attack.
And in New York City, home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel, the NYPD announced «enhanced high-visibility patrols» following the Iran strikes.
NYPD’s top counterterrorism deputy Rebecca Weiner told ABC-7 the department is «looking really carefully at any threats and following up on leads and making sure that we’re staying ahead of any threat that might materialize here in our city.»
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A student group at Columbia University in Morningside Heights reportedly posted «death to America» after news of Iranian dictator Ali Hosseini Khamenei’s death, while Iranian-Americans celebrated in the streets over the 86-year-old ayatollah’s demise.
Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.
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The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Monday urged Americans in Iraq to shelter in place until further notice, citing heightened security threats across the country.
In an alert, the embassy advised U.S. citizens to exercise increased caution, avoid crowds and keep a low profile amid ongoing riots and demonstrations against the United States following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It said protests, particularly near the July 14th Bridge in Baghdad, have turned violent, prompting Iraqi authorities to close the International Zone in central Baghdad with limited exceptions.
The U.S. Mission in Iraq also directed all staff to shelter in place and suspended consular operations, including routine services.
Protesters walk through tear gas during clashes with Iraqi security forces near a bridge leading to the Green Zone in Baghdad on March 1, 2026. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/ via Getty Images)
Iraqi airspace is currently closed, officials said, and travelers were advised to contact airlines directly for updates.
The State Department maintains a Level 4 «Do Not Travel» advisory for Iraq, urging Americans not to travel to the country for any reason and advising those already there to review personal security plans and consider departing when conditions allow.
TRUMP TELLS IRANIANS THE ‘HOUR OF YOUR FREEDOM IS AT HAND’ AS US-ISRAEL LAUNCH STRIKES AGAINST IRAN
A group of demonstrators gather in front of the Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy is located, in Baghdad, Iraq, to protest the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 1, 2026. (Murtadha Al-Sudani / Anadolu via Getty Images)
«Iran-aligned terrorist militias continue to pose a significant threat to public safety,» the U.S. embassy said in a post on X. «Reports of missiles, drones, and rockets in Iraqi airspace continue.»
The U.S. military presence in Iraq has shifted in recent years, with Iraqi officials announcing in January the formal handover of Al-Asad Air Base from U.S. forces to Iraqi control.
US JOINS ISRAEL IN PREEMPTIVE STRIKE ON IRAN AS TRUMP CONFIRMS ‘MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS’
Protesters gather in Najaf, Iraq, on March 1, 2026, to denounce the killing of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. (Karar Essa/Anadolu/Getty Images)
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The country’s defense ministry described the move as part of a broader transition toward long-term security cooperation with the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Spain and other countries, focused on training and advisory support.
Iraqi officials said international coalition forces are scheduled to withdraw from their headquarters in Erbil by the end of September 2026 under agreed-upon timelines.
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