INTERNACIONAL
Iran nuclear deal hinges on IAEA access to long-blocked atomic weapon sites, experts say
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Having crushed Iran’s nuclear capabilities during two wars in joint attacks with the Israelis, the latest and most significant chapter of whether there will be peace is whether the regime will allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to its nuclear weapons facilities.
Conflicting statements and reports from President Trump and Iran’s Foreign Ministry suggest the U.N.’s IAEA will face the same recalcitrant policy from Tehran it has experienced for two decades in blocking its inspectors from conducting robust verification of the clerical regime’s vast nuclear facilities, including underground compounds. The IAEA sticking point might be a deal-breaker for President Trump.
David Albright, who is widely viewed as one of the world’s leading experts on Iran’s nuclear weapons program, told Fox News Digital the «IAEA comes up short» in its efforts to secure information and verification about Iran’s nuclear weapons program because «Iran has not cooperated for twenty years.»
THE RACE AGAINST TIME TO DESTROY IRAN’S ILLICIT NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM HEATS UP AMID FRESH STRIKES
Unidentified International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors at the nuclear research center of Natanz on Jan. 20, 2014. (Kazem Ghane /IRNA/AFP via Getty Images)
Albright, a physicist and president of the Institute for Science and International Security said, «Iran loves to generate plans of action that can be extended» and the process becomes a «pointless exercise.»
For Iran experts like Albright, Iran’s skill in the art of procrastination has allowed it to stretch out talks over the decades while working to advance its work on a nuclear weapons device and a missile system to deliver it.
As a result, Albright said «it colors my view of the MOU [Memorandum of Understanding]» agreed to between the U.S. and Iran that codifies IAEA inspections of Iran’s atomic weapons program.
Albright sees the IAEA as a key test for the success of U.S.-Iran talks. «The way Iran treats the IAEA will tell us if the negotiations are meaningful,» adding that Tehran’s regime has treated the IAEA terribly in the past.
OBAMA-ERA INSPECTION FLAWS IN IRAN COULD PERSIST AS EXPERTS WARN OF NUCLEAR BLIND SPOTS
President Donald Trump (C) gestures as he addresses the media alongside United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (L), U.S. Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick (2L), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2R) and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent (R) during a closing press conference at the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France. (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)
The website of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared in a statement that «Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, speaking to reporters, denied reports published by certain media outlets claiming that the Islamic Republic of Iran has invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear facilities.»
A headline in the Islamic Republic News Agency Wednesday stated, «No plan for access to Iran’s attacked nuclear facilities without final deal, says deputy FM.» The regime-controlled outlet noted that Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on his X account that no meeting was held with Grossi in Switzerland, despite the IAEA head requesting that Iran meet with him. «There is no plan for access to the facilities that were attacked or to the nuclear materials,» Gharibabadi wrote.
On Friday in Japan, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi told reporters, «This agreement expressly indicates that the nuclear part will be supervised, monitored, by the IAEA.» He added that «a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was subscribed by the two presidents, by President Donald Trump and President Pezeshkian from Iran, and this agreement expressly indicates that the nuclear part will be supervised, monitored, by the IAEA.»
He noted that «initial conversations» have started about inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites. «We hope to be there soon,» he said. It is unclear if Grossi’s team will examine all Iranian nuclear weapons facilities and suspected nuclear sites.
The IAEA declined to answer a detailed Fox News Digital press query on why previous IAEA oversight efforts failed; what would be different this time; whether inspectors can access meaningful sites or only symbolic locations; and would the IAEA focus on access to the Pickaxe Mountain facility versus sites already damaged or buried.
IRAN EXPANDS WEAPONIZATION CAPABILITIES CRITICAL FOR EMPLOYING NUCLEAR BOMB
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi meets with Iran’s then Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, Iran, on May 6, 2024. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA)
Albright said Israel’s government has identified ten or more sites where Iran is suspected of being involved in nuclear weapons. The IAEA spokesman declined to comment on whether their inspectors will demand to visit those sites.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital that «Iran should be made to come clean and allow inspections not only at declared nuclear sites — especially the ones damaged during Operation Midnight Hammer — but also at universities, military bases and other state organizations that have been used to engage in dual-use research which is applicable to the development of a nuclear weapon should there be a leadership decision to do so. Inspections on Iran’s nuclear weaponization program were not part of the original 2015 JCPOA, which was one of its weaknesses.»
The JCPOA, whose formal name is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was negotiated by former President Obama’s administration in 2015. Albright, a sharp critic of the JCPOA, said the Obama deal accepted that Iran did not cooperate and «swept it under the rug.» Albright warned that «It is really important that the U.S. [Trump administration] not do a JCPOA.»
TRUMP’S NEW IRAN DEAL FACES NUCLEAR BLIND SPOT OVER URANIUM STOCKPILE, EXPERTS WARN
Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018. He said at the time the JCPOA was a «horrible one-sided deal that should never ever have been made.»
Brodsky stressed that «Any new agreement should include more robust inspection powers. Iran’s denial of inspections at the damaged nuclear facilities since June 2025 violates its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.»
When asked about the IAEA’s impotence with respect to intrusive sanctions on Iran’s nuclear facilities, a White House spokeswoman referred Fox News Digital to Vice President JD Vance and Grossi’s comments.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks to members of the media after the U.S. and Iran held high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict at the Lake Lucerne Summit, near Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 22, 2026. (Photo by Nathan Howard / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
«The Iranians have agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into their country. That is a major milestone for the American people, and the first step in permanently denuclearize, easing or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran,» Vance said on Monday. He added, «And that’s exactly what we wanted to do. That’s exactly what we asked to happen.»
President Trump wrote on Truth Social: «Despite their protestations and false statements to the contrary, coupled with the drumbeat of the Fake News, which is doing everything possible to make the U.S. Victory as small and insignificant as possible, Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!). This will insure ‘Nuclear Honesty.’ If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations! «
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The Islamic Republic’s spokesman to the U.N. did not respond to a Fox News Digital press query.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment.
war with iran, nuclear proliferation, united nations, iran, sanctions, donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Newsom begs Californians to vote ‘no’ on billionaire’s tax in face of mass exodus, pitches nationwide tax hike
CA billionaire tax faces legal challenge, Newsom opposes it
FOX Business Host Cheryl Casone reports on California’s controversial billionaire tax, a one-time 5% levy on residents worth over $1 billion. This measure, which would retroactively apply from January 1, 2026, is opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Critics question its legality and potential for billionaires to exit the state.
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California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing another blow after a massive wealth tax he warned could cause a wealth and business exodus from the state was officially added to the November ballot.
Despite his opposition, the measure’s sponsor, Billionaire Tax Now, announced Thursday that it was officially being added to the state’s ballot. The measure, called the California Billionaire Tax Act, would impose a one-time, «emergency» 5% tax on Californians with assets exceeding $1 billion. The tax has been endorsed by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who called it «reasonable and necessary» «at a time of unprecedented and growing wealth consolidation and income inequality.»
However, Newsom, a rumored frontrunner for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, has come out strongly against the tax, citing fears that billionaires will simply up and leave to states like Texas or Florida.
In a lengthy Substack post on the tax, Newsom wrote, «Last night, it became certain that a wealth tax would be placed on the November ballot in California. I’m voting no.»
SOCIALISM VS CAPITALISM: HOUSE DEMS CLASH OVER WHAT NY ELECTION RESULTS MEAN FOR PARTY
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has come out strongly against a proposed state billionaire tax while pushing a similar national tax. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
«You may not be able to pick up and move to Texas or Florida to shelter your income from taxation, but I promise you that billionaires can, and do,» he wrote, adding, «Wealth is movable, and it shops for the state with the lowest taxes.»
In a state that has already lost prominent business figures such as Elon Musk, Google co-founder Larry Page and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, Newsom is not the only one warning that the billionaire tax could worsen California’s ongoing exodus.
Earlier this year, Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur Allison Huynh predicted in an interview with Fox News Digital that the tax would cause a «mass migration,» starting with «not just the billionaires, but the people who are investing in new ideas, in new infrastructure, whether it’s AI, healthcare, tech, robotics.»
Huynh likened the proposed tax hike to a restaurant about to go out of business.
«Instead of lowering the price, they increase the price,» she said. «And then you go into the restaurant, and it’s like $50 for a bowl of really bad dumplings.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Billionaire Tax Now for comment.
BLUE STATE’S BILLIONAIRE EXODUS ABOUT TO GET MUCH WORSE IN 2026, INSIDER WARNS
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., endorsed the California billionaire tax. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
After news of the measure being added to the ballot broke, Newsom called on the U.S. to institute a national billionaire tax and what he referred to as «a new social contract.»
In an X post, Newsom wrote that «the system is fundamentally broken. The federal tax code, a corporate code, and an inheritance code were written for a different set of Americans. It’s time for an economic reset.»
In his Substack post, he argued «the fight to make the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes is not one we should be fighting state by state.» Instead, he wrote, «The fight belongs at the federal level, where this broken system was created in the first place.»
In January, Newsom said he felt vindicated in opposing the proposed wealth tax after reports showed some of California’s wealthiest residents moving money and businesses out of the state, warning the measure would damage the economy and drive away investment.
«This is my fear,» Newsom said in a Politico interview on Monday. «It’s just what I warned against. It’s happening.»
«The evidence is in. The impacts are very real — not just substantive economic impacts in terms of the revenue, but start-ups, the indirect impacts of … people questioning long-term commitments, medium-term commitments,» he continued. «That’s not what we need right now, at a time of so much uncertainty. Quite the contrary.»
Despite Newsom’s opposition, the group behind the tax effort — Billionaire Tax Now, sponsored by the Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West — proceeded to add it to the ballot.
The union posits that the tax will «prevent the collapse of California healthcare and help fund California public K-14 education and state food assistance programs.»
BERNIE SANDERS, DSA REVEAL DEMANDS FOR DEM PARTY AFTER SOCIALISTS SWEEP NEW YORK ELECTIONS
California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivers his final state budget plan at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on May 14, 2026. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Billionaire Tax Now is confident the measure will pass, posting on X that «while a few controversial billionaires and their buddies in Sacramento want to see California’s hospitals close and tax breaks for billionaires protected – popular support is on our side.»
Meanwhile, some of Newsom’s detractors claim that his opposition to the measure is driven by a desire to appeal to potential presidential donors.
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Billionaire Tax Now reposted an X post by David Sirota, founder of the progressive investigative news outlet The Lever, in which he asserted that «Gavin Newsom is trying to protect 250 prospective 2028 presidential donors, even if that means 3 million of his constituents are medically bankrupted.»
Reached for comment, Newsom’s office directed Fox News Digital to his Substack and video.
gavin newsom, governors, taxes, california, bernie sanders, democratic party
INTERNACIONAL
Ukraine launches what appears to be one of its largest drone attacks against Russia: report
Secretary Rubio clarifies US stance on Russia, Ukraine conflict
Secretary Rubio clarifies the US stance on alleged agreements with Russia over Ukraine from Manama, Bahrain. He states there was only a proposal, not a full agreement, and that the US remains committed to playing a constructive role in ending the bloody war. Rubio notes the high casualties, particularly among Russian soldiers, highlighting the conflict’s devastating impact.
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As the brutal war between the two nations continues to rage, Ukraine conducted a significant nighttime assault against a dozen Russian regions, Russian-held Crimea as well as the surrounding seas, Russia’s Ministry of Defense indicated on Friday, according to The Associated Press, which reported that the effort appeared to be one Ukraine’s largest drone attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion several years ago.
The ministry reported that the country’s air defenses intercepted a whopping 660 Ukrainian drones, according to the outlet, which noted that the prior largest Ukrainian assault during the past year included 556 drones last month on May 17.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin indicated that 47 Ukrainian drones were taken out as they headed for the capital city, according to the report.
‘PURE HELL’ IN MOSCOW AS UKRAINIAN DRONES STRIKE MAJOR REFINERY SUPPLYING CAPITAL’S FUEL MARKET
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures during his meeting with Britain’s Prime Minister on the sideline of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 16, 2026. (Isabel Infantes / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
The AP reported that Ukraine’s air force indicated that the nation’s defenses stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight, though four out of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles breached air defenses and hit various places.
But even as the years-long war between the two countries drags on, the bitter enemies engaged in a prisoner swap, according to the AP, which reported that officials said 160 individuals from each side were going home on Friday.
RUSSIA PREPARING HYBRID ATTACKS ON NATO’S EASTERN FLANK, INTELLIGENCE WARNS
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videolink in Moscow on June 25, 2026. (Pavel Byrkin / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted in a Friday post on X, «We continue bringing Ukrainians home from Russian captivity. Today, 160 servicemembers were released from captivity. All of them had been held captive since 2022.»
«Among those released today are servicemembers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, National Guard warriors, and border guards. They defended Ukraine in Mariupol and at Azovstal, as well as in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy sectors,» he continued.
FUNERALS, BEAUTY QUEENS AND BOMBS: THE UKRAINIAN CITY THAT WON’T LET PUTIN WIN
Trucks are engulfed by smoke from a fire at a parking lot in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on June 25, 2026. (Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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«I thank our entire team, which works every day to bring our people back. Special gratitude to all our units on the frontline who replenish Ukraine’s ‘exchange fund’ and, through their courage, make it possible for us to bring people home. We remember everyone who remains in captivity. We are checking every name. We must bring everyone back – both military personnel and civilians,» Zelenskyy added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
wars, drones, world, russia, ukraine
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