INTERNACIONAL
Iran regime power players may eye Russia in Assad-style escape as US talks falter: expert
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The apparent collapse of high-stakes U.S.-Iran negotiations has intensified fears that senior figures inside Tehran’s leadership could flee to Russia, seeking refuge to «continue their insurgency and undermine any new regime,» an analyst warns.
The breakdown in talks comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also told CBS’ «60 Minutes» that toppling Iran’s regime could now even be a realistic outcome.
Netanyahu noted that any collapse would dismantle the «scaffolding» of Tehran’s global terror proxy network, also potentially ending Hezbollah’s influence in the region.
«The whole scaffolding of the terrorist proxy network that Iran built collapses if the regime in Iran collapses,» Netanyahu said.
HERE’S WHAT A POST-AYATOLLAH IRAN COULD LOOK LIKE IF WAR WITH ISRAEL LEADS TO REGIME’S FALL
President Donald Trump said U.S. military strikes on Iran were so effective they eliminated much of the regime’s anticipated leadership succession bench, raising questions about who will lead the Islamic Republic. (Mohsen Ganji/AP:Office of Supreme Leader of Iran)
«I think you can’t predict when that will happen. Is it possible? Yes. Is it guaranteed? No,» he warned.
With diplomatic options perhaps exhausted and the regime’s stability in question, an expert suggests the exit strategy any leadership may be eyeing might be similar to that of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who fled Syria in 2024.
«If the situation deteriorates further, some senior figures could potentially follow a path like Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle and seek refuge in Russia,» Middle East expert Saeid Golkar told Fox News Digital.
IRANIAN REGIME ELITES ALLEGEDLY MOVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OUT OF COUNTRY AMID SANCTIONS
While top commanders would possibly be Moscow-bound, lower-ranking figures would more likely head for Iraq or Afghanistan, Middle East expert Saeid Golkar told Fox News Digital. (Hamed Malekpour/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency/WANA)
Golkar, a senior adviser at United Against Nuclear Iran, noted that flight destinations would likely depend on rank.
While top commanders like Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf might head to Moscow, lower-ranking figures would more likely seek shelter in Iraq or Afghanistan, where the IRGC maintains operational connections, he clarified.
«For the most senior figures, Russia would probably be the most likely destination, again as we saw with Bashar al-Assad,» Golkar said, noting many officials have already moved wealth into «financial networks outside Iran.»
The current crisis started following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier in 2026 during the onset of Operation Epic Fury.
While his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named successor, reports continue to indicate he was severely injured in the strikes and has been absent from recent negotiations.
INSIDE IRAN’S RULING IDEOLOGY: HOW A ‘HOLY MISSION’ AND MESSIANIC DOCTRINE FUEL REGIME EXTREMISM
Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader of Iran and second son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is «either dead or in bad condition,» according to Golkar. (Hamed Jafarnejad/ISNA/WANA/Reuters)
Golkar explained that the «invisible state,» or Bayt-e Rahbari, was designed to survive decapitation, while the ideological cost of fleeing for leaders would be high.
«Inside the regime’s ideological culture, leaving the country during the collapse would look like desertion,» Golkar noted.
However, as military fractures deepen and succession remains uncertain, the «Assad model» of seeking Russian protection appears increasingly attractive to those at the top.
Mojtaba, however, is «either dead or in bad condition, that he cannot send any video or voice message,» Golkar added.
«If he had died from his injuries, there was no clear natural successor. He was the continuation of the regime.»
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«Still, the system was designed for continuity during a crisis,» Golkar said, adding that the goal is to «make sure the regime could survive even if formal institutions were damaged, leaders were killed, or civilian government stopped functioning.»
«I would describe it as a regime designed not just to govern, but always to try and survive decapitation,» Golkar added.
mojtaba khamenei, ali khamenei, iran, israel, syria
INTERNACIONAL
Tres hermanos se entregan a las autoridades dominicanas por el homicidio de un repartidor en Santiago
Tres hermanos, entre ellos un adolescente, se entregaron de manera voluntaria a las autoridades dominicanas tras una intensa persecución e investigación policial, por su presunta implicación en el homicidio de un repartidor durante una riña ocurrida en el sector Hato Mayor, en Santiago. Los detenidos, Eudis Martínez Henríquez, alias “El Pana”, de veintiún años; Anneudy Rafael Cabrera Henríquez, alias “Cocote”, de diecinueve años; y un menor de dieciséis años, eran activamente buscados desde el fin de semana, cuando se registró el incidente en un local de comida donde trabajaba la víctima, identificada como Joel Rivera Heredia, conocido como “King”, de veinticuatro años.
De acuerdo con el reporte policial, el conflicto que desencadenó el homicidio se originó por una disputa social. Durante la riña, Rivera Heredia recibió varias heridas provocadas con un arma cortopunzante, lesiones que derivaron en su muerte según el diagnóstico del médico legista.
La Policía Nacional informó que los tres imputados decidieron presentarse en la Subdirección Regional de Investigación (DICRIM) en compañía de familiares, tras la presión ejercida por la operatividad policial y la cercanía de los agentes en su búsqueda. Los detenidos quedaron a disposición del Ministerio Público para los procedimientos legales correspondientes, mientras que las investigaciones continúan para determinar posibles implicaciones de otros involucrados en el caso.
El vocero de la Policía Nacional, Diego Pesqueira, informó sobre el caso en sus redes sociales y destacó que la entrega de los hermanos se produjo gracias al despliegue de búsqueda y acciones investigativas que incluyeron la difusión de fotografías y la coordinación con las comunidades locales.
La institución reiteró que mantiene la vigilancia en Santiago y otras provincias con el objetivo de reducir los niveles de violencia y esclarecer hechos delictivos recientes.
En un caso paralelo, que reafirma la tendencia de entregas y capturas tras operativos policiales, la Policía Nacional detuvo a Deilin Medina, alias “Robín”, de treinta y cuatro años, quien admitió su participación en al menos tres robos cometidos en diferentes puntos del Distrito Nacional. La captura de Medina, residente en el sector El Caliche, Los Pinos, se concretó luego de labores de inteligencia de la División de Investigación de Delitos Contra la Propiedad, con asiento en María Auxiliadora. El sospechoso fue localizado durante un operativo de búsqueda e intentó escapar junto a otros individuos, pero fue capturado de inmediato por los agentes.
Durante el proceso investigativo, Medina confesó su vinculación con el robo de una guagua marca Fiat Fiorin, de la que sustrajo una cámara de video, extensiones eléctricas y un canasto, para posteriormente venderlos a un transeúnte. Además, admitió haber participado en el robo de una vivienda en el sector 27 de Febrero, donde se llevó RD$10.000 (USD 170) en efectivo y un televisor. El tercer caso confirmado corresponde al hurto de redes eléctricas de un local comercial en Villa María. La Policía Nacional destacó que estos hechos generaron preocupación en las comunidades afectadas, por su impacto económico y el incremento del sentimiento de inseguridad en el Distrito Nacional.
El detenido fue puesto a disposición del Ministerio Público, conforme a los procedimientos legales establecidos y en cumplimiento del Código Penal de República Dominicana, que prevé penas de prisión severas para quienes incurren en robo con violencia o reincidencia. Según la institución, la rápida intervención permitió esclarecer los hechos y recuperar parte de los bienes sustraídos, mientras que las investigaciones continúan para identificar a posibles colaboradores y esclarecer otros delitos similares reportados a comienzos de 2026.
Ambos casos reflejan la presión sostenida de las autoridades para combatir los delitos violentos y contra la propiedad, así como la importancia de la colaboración ciudadana y la labor de inteligencia policial en la prevención y resolución de crímenes recientes en República Dominicana.
esposas,justicia,policía,arresto,seguridad,ley
INTERNACIONAL
Arkansas takes home top ranking for religious freedom after Gov Sanders expands key protections
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FIRST ON FOX: Arkansas has been ranked the nation’s top state for religious liberty after Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a series of laws expanding faith protections that helped lift the state to the top.
Earning a score of 89.2%, Arkansas became one of only two states to earn the First Liberty Institute’s annual Religious Liberty in the States index’s first-ever «excellent» rating. The index evaluates states using 50 legal protections across 20 religious liberty safeguards spanning education, healthcare, family law, economic activity and other areas of daily life.
«Religious liberty is America’s First Freedom, and Arkansas is leading the nation in protecting it,» Sanders said.
«Our rights come from God, not government, and every American should be free to live according to their faith and conscience. We’ll continue defending that freedom and ensuring the Natural State remains the best place in the country to live, work and worship.»
AMERICA’S NEXT 250 YEARS DEPEND ON PASSING FAITH AND FREEDOM TO OUR CHILDREN
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders participates in the first-ever National Outdoor Recreation Executive Forum hosted by Outdoor Recreation Roundtable at Decatur House on May 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Outdoor Recreation Roundtable)
The Natural State climbed six spots from last year’s rankings after lawmakers approved several measures expanding legal protections for religious exercise and conscience rights.
Arkansas’ rise was driven largely by Act 677, legislation Sanders signed last year that bars state and local governments from penalizing people, businesses and religious organizations for acting according to their religious beliefs regarding marriage and biological sex.
APPEALS COURT REVIVES LAWSUIT BY ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANTS FIRED AFTER OPPOSING PRIDE MESSAGE
A group of people hold hands in prayer. Arkansas topped a new religious liberty index after expanding faith and conscience protections. (iStock)
The state’s religious liberty push also included the Conscience Protection Act, signed by Sanders in 2023, which expanded Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act by prohibiting state government discrimination against religious organizations based on their religious identity or status.
Kelly Shackelford, president, CEO and chief counsel at First Liberty, said other states should follow Arkansas’ lead and «strengthen religious liberty protections in their own states.»
«Religious liberty is best protected when leaders are willing to act before the rights of people of faith are threatened,» Shackelford said.
GOV SANDERS REVEALS ‘MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH’ ON EDUCATION AS RED STATE POSITIONS ITSELF AS ‘BLUEPRINT’ FOR NATION
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Dr. Mark David Hall, director of the Religious Liberty in the States project, said Arkansas demonstrates how states can protect what America’s founders called «the sacred right of conscience,» allowing people to practice their faith not just at church, but in their everyday lives.
«States have always served as laboratories of liberty, and this year’s results show why that matters,» Hall said.
Sanders also publicly defended religious freedom in December. She rejected demands from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a group that advocates for the separation of church and state, to reverse her proclamation closing state offices for Christmas.
In a response letter previously obtained by Fox News Digital, Sanders pushed back on claims it was unconstitutional, saying «only by voicing our own faith and celebrating other faiths can we make our state’s diverse religious communities feel seen and heard.»
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«With this index, citizens and legislators can see where their state is doing well, where it still has room to improve, and which existing laws could help better protect the right of conscience,» Dr. Paul D. Mueller, associate director of the Religious Liberty in the States project, said.
faith values, sarah sanders, politics, first amendment religion us, arkansas
INTERNACIONAL
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