INTERNACIONAL
Iran still wants a nuclear weapon despite ‘serious damage’ from US, Israeli strikes: expert warns
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Iran is preparing its next step in what one security expert warns remains its chief objective: developing a nuclear weapon.
«Repair, reconstitute and rebuild is going to be the modus operandi of the Islamic Republic of Iran,» Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Iran Program told Fox News Digital. «It just depends on how are they going to be doing it? While flirting with the international community? Are they going to go dark totally altogether?
«All of this remains to be seen,» he added.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the media during the voting of Parliament Elections in Tehran, Iran on May 10, 2024. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Spokesman for the regime, Fatemeh Mohajerani, confirmed this week that the Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites had been «seriously damaged» following the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program last month.
Questions remain over the extent of damage that was incurred, as well as skepticism over whether Iran was able to move any enriched uranium or centrifuges away from the heavily guarded sites prior to the strikes.
Though the Trump administration said on Wednesday that it had «obliterated» the three facilities it struck, and has fervently rejected reports suggesting that Iranian officials may have been able to transfer some elements of the regime’s coveted nuclear program, Israeli officials confirmed this week that they are continuing to monitor the situation closely.
Experts in the U.S. and Israel have said they believe Iran is still assessing the extent of the damage from the «bunker busting» bombs, and that the regime will look to recover and repair what it can — meaning it may be looking to buy time.
«No doubt, the regime will still have a diplomatic strategy designed to rope-a-dope anybody, and to find as much time as possible for this government to do that,» Ben Taleblu said.
The Iranian regime this week suggested it remained open to negotiations with the U.S. after President Donald Trump signaled that the talks could begin as soon as next week, though multiple Iranian officials said that that timeframe was overly ambitious.
«I don’t think negotiations will restart as quickly as that,» Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a CBS News interview. «The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.»
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This satellite picture by Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment site at Fordow following U.S. airstrikes targeting the facility, on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
But the regime also took steps to further hinder the UN nuclear watchdog — which is tasked with tracking all nation’s nuclear programs — and suspended all interaction with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday.
That same day, the State Department condemned the move, and spokesperson Tammy Bruce said it was «unacceptable that Iran chose to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity.»
Iran has limited IAEA access in the past and Ben Taleblu argued Tehran will likely look to do this again as it attempts to hold on to any bargaining chip it can.
«The Islamic Republic of Iran’s next step, and likely most dangerous capability right now, is its diplomatic capability,» the Iranian security expert argued. «This is the capability of the regime to either enter negotiations with a weak hand and leave with a strong hand, or try to prevent a military victory of its adversaries from becoming a political victory.
«If negotiations do take place between the U.S. and the Iranians, be they direct or indirect, the Iranians are going to be dangling IAEA access. This is already their most important weapon,» he added.
Ben Taleblu explained that using the IAEA as a bargaining chip not only enables Iran to play for time as it looks to re-establish its nuclear program, but to sow division in the U.S. by creating uncertainty.
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This photo released on Nov. 5, 2019, by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran shows centrifuge machines in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, File)
«By diminishing the monitoring and by circumscribing and even cutting IAEA access to these facilities, the regime is trying to make America have to rely on intelligence alone,» he said. «And as you see from the very politicized debates over the battle damage assessment, relying on intelligence alone without sources on the ground inspecting the sites, inspecting the facilities, documenting the fissile material, can lead to drastically different conclusions being taken by similar but not the same intelligence organizations or representatives.»
Ultimately, Iran is not going to give up on its nuclear ambitions, Ben Taleblu warned, noting that Tehran’s security apparatus completely changed during its war with Iraq in the 1980s.
«Everything that we face from the regime that is a security threat was started then — the ballistic missile program, the drone program, the maritime aggression, the transnational terrorist apparatus and the nuclear program all have their origins in the 1980s,» he said. «By resurrecting this nuclear program, the Islamic Republic was not engaging in a science fair experiment.
A big banner depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is placed next to a ballistic missile in Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran, on September 26, 2024, on the sideline of an exhibition which marks the 44th anniversary of the start of Iran-Iraq war. (Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
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«The Islamic Republic was seeking an ultimate deterrent,» Ben Taleblu continued. «It was seeking an ultimate deterrence because it had a vision for what the region and the world should look like, and it was willing to put foreign policy muscle and the resources of its state behind that vision.»
The expert on the Iranian regime warned that Iran’s 40-year «obsession» with developing its nuclear program to achieve its geopolitical aims is not going to change because of U.S. military intervention.
INTERNACIONAL
Trump administration refines EEOC approach to transgender workplace discrimination claims
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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency responsible for enforcing laws against workplace discrimination, will allow some complaints by transgender workers to proceed, a change from earlier guidance that indefinitely halted cases alleging workplace discrimination against transgender people.
An email was sent earlier this month to leaders of the EEOC in which Thomas Colclough, director of the agency’s Office of Field Programs, said if new transgender worker complaints involve «hiring, discharge or promotion, you are clear to continue processing these charges.»
Even with the change, those complaints will still face higher scrutiny than other workplace discrimination cases, requiring approval from acting EEOC chair Andrea Lucas, who was appointed by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
Lucas has said one of her priorities would be «defending the biological and binary reality of sex and related rights.»
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Acting EEOC chair Andrea Lucas has said one of her priorities would be «defending the biological and binary reality of sex and related rights.» (Getty Images)
Since Trump returned to the presidency in January, the EEOC has shifted away from its previous interpretation of civil rights law that included prohibiting workplace discrimination against people based on their gender identity.
This comes after the agency issued a landmark finding a decade ago that a transgender civilian employee of the U.S. Army had faced discrimination when her employer refused to use the worker’s preferred pronouns or allow the individual to use bathrooms based on gender identity rather than biological sex.
Under Lucas’ authority, the EEOC has dropped several lawsuits alleging discrimination against transgender workers. Lucas defended that decision during her Senate committee confirmation hearing last month, citing Trump’s executive order stating that there are only two sexes — male and female.
But she also acknowledged that the 2020 Supreme Court ruling Bostock v. Clayton County «did clearly hold that discriminating against someone on the basis of sex included firing an individual who is transgender or based on their sexual orientation.»
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Since Trump returned to the presidency in January, the EEOC has shifted away from its previous interpretation of civil rights law. (Andrew Harrer/Getty Images)
Colclough said in his email that the EEOC will consider transgender discrimination complaints that «fall squarely under» the Supreme Court’s ruling, including cases involving hiring, firing and promotion, which reversed an earlier policy that de-prioritized cases filed on behalf of transgender workers.
«Under federal law, charge inquiries and charges of discrimination made to the EEOC are confidential,» an EEOC spokesperson told The Associated Press, while declining to comment on the specifics of its updated policy.
«Pursuant to Title VII and as statutorily required, the EEOC is, has been, and will continue to accept and investigate charges on all bases protected by law, and to serve those charges to the relevant employer,» the spokesperson added.
But even the cases the EEOC will consider under the Supreme Court ruling must still be reviewed by a senior attorney advisor and sent to Lucas for final approval.
The expanded review process for transgender cases is not typical of other discrimination complaints and reflects the agency’s increased scrutiny of these cases, according to former EEOC commissioner Chai Feldblum, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.
Under current leadership, the EEOC has dropped several lawsuits alleging discrimination against transgender workers. (Getty Images)
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«It is a slight improvement because it will allow certain claims of discrimination to proceed,» Feldblum told The Associated Press. «But overall it does not fix a horrific and legally improper situation currently occurring at the EEOC.»
Colclough’s email did not clarify how long the review process might take, or whether cases that include additional claims, such as harassment or retaliation, would be eligible to proceed, and the EEOC declined to address those questions.
«This is not the EEOC being clear to either its own staff or to the public what charges are going to be processed,» Feldblum said. «This is not a panacea.»
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
Japón denunció una posible injerencia extranjera en su campaña para las elecciones parciales de la Cámara de Consejeros
El gobierno japonés está evaluando indicios de posible injerencia extranjera en la campaña electoral para los comicios parciales de la Cámara Alta que se celebrarán este domingo 20 de julio, una votación crucial para el Partido Liberal Democrático (PLD) del primer ministro Shigeru Ishiba, que actualmente gobierna en minoría.
El viceportavoz del Ejecutivo, Kazuhiko Aoki, confirmó este miércoles en conferencia de prensa que “no se descarta la posibilidad de que se haya producido una injerencia”, y aseguró que el gobierno “está trabajando para garantizar unas elecciones justas”. Las declaraciones de Aoki se produjeron tras las advertencias del ministro de Digitalización, Masaaki Taira, quien informó que se han recibido reportes sobre actividades sospechosas en redes sociales que podrían estar vinculadas a esfuerzos externos de manipulación.
“Si bien existen aspectos positivos, como la posibilidad de obtener información, también debemos considerar los negativos”, señaló Taira, al referirse al uso político de las redes sociales y su potencial para intensificar divisiones sociales y promover la radicalización. Según informó la agencia de noticias Kyodo, el gobierno se encuentra en proceso de análisis para identificar el origen y naturaleza de estos intentos de influencia.
La votación del domingo tiene un carácter decisivo para el oficialismo. Tras la derrota en la Cámara Baja en octubre pasado, el PLD busca mantener la mayoría parlamentaria junto a su socio Komeito. Sin embargo, las encuestas anticipan una posible pérdida de hegemonía, debido al crecimiento de partidos minoritarios con discursos nacionalistas, antiinmigración y antisistema, amplificados en redes en medio de un contexto económico adverso.
Las sospechas sobre injerencia se producen en un clima de tensión con China. El martes, el Ministerio de Defensa japonés publicó su informe anual de seguridad en el que advirtió que las actividades militares chinas “podrían impactar seriamente la seguridad de Japón”. El documento destaca como precedente la incursión confirmada de un avión militar chino en el espacio aéreo japonés en agosto del año pasado. Además, en septiembre, un portaviones chino y dos embarcaciones de escolta navegaron entre las islas japonesas de Okinawa y Miyako, cerca de Taiwán.
El libro blanco repite la advertencia del informe anterior: las ambiciones militares de China representan “un desafío estratégico sin precedentes y el más grave” para Japón y la comunidad internacional. En respuesta, el portavoz del Ministerio de Exteriores chino, Lin Jian, declaró que el informe “exagera la llamada amenaza china” y que Beijing “expresa una fuerte insatisfacción y oposición firme”.
En paralelo, Japón reportó que cazas chinos volaron a solo 30 metros de un avión patrulla japonés sobre el mar de China Oriental, en otro incidente que agrava las fricciones. El año pasado, buques chinos se acercaron 355 veces a las islas Senkaku, administradas por Japón y reclamadas por China. Tokio también confirmó que en junio, por primera vez, dos portaviones chinos realizaron ejercicios simultáneos en aguas económicas japonesas, hechos que Beijing calificó de “entrenamiento rutinario”.
El informe de Defensa señala además que las maniobras conjuntas de China y Rusia son “claramente una demostración de fuerza contra Japón” y reafirma que Corea del Norte sigue representando “una amenaza más grave e inminente que nunca”.
En respuesta a estos desafíos, Japón continúa incrementando su gasto en defensa y reforzando su cooperación militar con Estados Unidos y sus aliados regionales. Este fortalecimiento incluye negociaciones bilaterales para definir el rol que Tokio asumiría en caso de un conflicto entre Washington y Beijing por Taiwán.
(Con información de EFE y AFP)
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Arizona Republicans nominated contractor and small business owner Daniel Butierez in the special primary election to represent Arizona’s 7th congressional district on Tuesday night.
Because the district spans hundreds of miles along the U.S. border with Mexico, all three Republican candidates made border security a central issue in their campaigns and vowed to carry out President Donald Trump’s robust crackdown on illegal immigration.
The Republican nominee will challenge the Democrat’s Tuesday night winner, former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, in the race to replace her father, the late Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, this November.
Grijalva died of lung cancer-related complications in March. His more than two decades representing Arizona in the House of Representatives made him one of the state’s longest-serving U.S. representatives.
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Daniel Butierez, who is seeking the Republican nomination in the race to replace the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, talks to reporters while awaiting results Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Tucson, Ariz. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)
His vacancy queued up a competitive Democratic primary, including his daughter, who had endorsements from prominent Democrats, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
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Also competing in the Democratic primary was social media influencer and progressive activist Deja Foxx, who picked up an endorsement from Leaders We Deserve, David Hogg’s super PAC that stirred up intraparty fighting this year when the former DNC vice chair unveiled his plan to spend $20 million to primary older incumbent Democrats in safe blue districts.
Former Arizona representative Daniel Hernandez, progressive businessman Patrick Harris Sr. and environmental justice scholar José Malvido Jr., also vied for the Democratic endorsement.
The late Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona, speaks before the signing of a moratorium on mining in the area of the Grand Canyon in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 9, 2012. (Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In a reliably blue district along the U.S. border with Mexico, representing parts of Tuscon, Yuma and Nogales, Butierez is likely to face an uphill battle in the special election this September.
Grijalva won his re-election by 27 points in 2024, despite Trump defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris by more than five points statewide in Arizona last year.
In an aerial view, a U.S. Border Patrol agent searches for immigrant footprints while looking through the U.S.-Mexico border fence on March 9, 2024, in Yuma, Arizona. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Butierez, a contractor and small business owner, received about 37% of the vote as the Republican nominee against Grijalva in 2024. Running again in the special election this year, he has vowed to «fight to keep our border secure, slash taxes where appropriate, and crush the fentanyl crisis destroying Arizona families.»
Candidate Daniel Butierez answers a question during the Republican primary debate inside the Arizona Public Media studio in Tucson, Ariz. on June 9, 2025. (Mamta Popat/Arizona Daily Star via AP)
Also competing in the Republican primary was Jorge Rivas, a Salvadoran-born restaurant owner based in Tucson.
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., makes a closing statement at a House hearing in 2020. (Bonnie Cash-Pool/Getty Images)
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Rivas picked up national attention when Trump tweeted a photo of him wearing a «Latinos Love Trump» cowboy hat at a rally in Phoenix during the 2020 presidential election, according to KAWC. He briefly launched a gubernatorial bid in 2022.
Finally, general contractor and business owner Jimmy Rodriguez ran with a mission «to secure our borders, boost our economy, and empower families across CD7.»
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