INTERNACIONAL
Iran’s good cop, bad cop game implodes as experts warn regime views US as ‘evil’
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Days after Iran’s leadership projected a unified front, undermining the long-cited moderate-vs.-hardliner divide, President Donald Trump canceled planned talks with Tehran in Islamabad, Pakistan, citing «infighting and confusion» inside the regime.
Iranian-American experts argue that social media posts from Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian and other key officials reveal that the «good cop, bad cop» tactic that the regime exploited to deceive adversaries and secure generous concessions in nuclear negotiations has collapsed.
In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump announced he canceled the trip, citing «too much time wasted on traveling» and «too much work!»
«Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership,’» the president added, noting «nobody knows who is in charge, including them.»
President Donald Trump speaks from the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2026, updating the nation on the war in Iran. (Getty Images)
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«Also, we have all the cards, they have none!» Trump wrote. «If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!»
The implosion of the hardline-moderate dichotomy within the regime could have profound consequences for Trump’s approach to the atomic talks in Islamabad, experts said. Trump appeared to allude to a blurry divide between factions within Iran last week.
«Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know! The infighting is between the ‘Hardliners,’ who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the ‘Moderates,’ who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), and it is CRAZY!» Trump wrote in an X post Thursday.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader of Iran and second son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran. (Hamed Jafarnejad/ISNA/WANA/Reuters)
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei quickly fired back, claiming «due to the strange unity created among compatriots, a fracture has occurred in the enemy.»
«With practical gratitude for this blessing, cohesion has become even greater and more steel-like, and the enemies will become more wretched and diminished,» Khamenei wrote in a reply. «The enemy’s media operations, by targeting the minds and psyches of the people, intend to undermine national unity and security; may our negligence not allow this sinister intent to come to fruition.»
Mariam Memarsadeghi, a senior fellow at The Macdonald-Laurier Institute and founder and director of the Cyrus Forum for Iran’s Future, told Fox News Digital the Islamic Republic has, for decades, fooled Western policymakers by sending moderates to negotiations as a «window dressing for its terror and subjugation.»
A poster of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is pasted on a motorcycle windshield as government supporters gather in Tehran on April 9, 2026, marking the 40th day since the killing of his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Vahid Salemi/AP)
KHAMENEI’S DEATH OPENS UNCERTAIN CHAPTER FOR IRAN’S ENTRENCHED THEOCRACY
The officials would then tell their counterparts that they are under pressure from hardliners, implying that the West must make concessions to strengthen them internally.
«Because of the war, the Trump administration is in a remarkably advantageous situation vis-à-vis the imperial terror state, one never before attempted, much less achieved,» Memarsadeghi said. «But every time Trump says regime change has already happened, he denies America the opportunity to finally, truly be rid of the world’s top sponsor of terror and the existential threat it poses not just to the people of Iran but to all the world.»
Navid Mohebbi, who worked as a Persian media analyst for the State Department’s Public Affairs Bureau, cautioned that while rivalries and factions do exist within the Islamic Republic, they are united on the regime’s core principles.
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«Their disagreements are primarily over tactics, not fundamental direction,» Mohebbi told Fox News Digital, stressing that real decision-making power in Iran has always rested with the supreme leader and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
«So-called moderates have never had the final say on key strategic issues and are often used to soften the regime’s image abroad,» he said. «From the perspective of the Iranian people, there has been little difference. Across administrations labeled ‘moderate’ or ‘hardline,’ the system has consistently relied on repression.»
Mohebbi cited the example of Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani, who presented himself as a moderate, but whose security forces violently killed 1,500 protesters during the November 2019 uprising.
Members of security forces watch over the crowd during a funeral procession for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri and other senior naval commanders killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes in late March in Tehran, Iran, on April 1, 2026. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
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«The same pattern has continued under Masoud Pezeshkian in the January 2026 protest massacre, reinforcing the reality that these labels have not translated into meaningful change on the ground,» he said.
A regional official, however, insisted there are clashes between moderates and hardliners in Iran. The official told Fox News Digital that Pezeshkian is a moderate, but he «could not even make good on his campaign promise regarding internet freedom. To be honest, he’s not even been able to do s—.»
«The joint reaction by the heads of the three branches of power was in response to Trump’s reference to the issue of rift, and also to the fact that there are indeed hardliners and moderates,» the official added. «Look, whenever Iran wants to make concessions, they throw moderates under the bus so that the moderates make a deal, and then, the hardliners blame them for the same concessions all of them had agreed to make.»
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Lawdan Bazargan, who was imprisoned by the Islamic Republic in the 1980s for her political dissident activities, told Fox News Digital that what officials are seeing now is not the disappearance of the divide, but the exposure of what that divide actually was.
«In reality, all of these figures — Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf [speaker of Iran’s parliament], Saeed Jalili [member of the Expediency Discernment Council], Pezeshkian, Ahmad Vahidi [head of the IRGC], Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei [head of Iran’s judiciary] — operate within the same ideological framework,» Bazargan said. «They are all committed to the preservation of the system, the projection of power in the region, and confrontation with what they define as ‘the forces of evil,’ namely the United States and Israel.»
mojtaba khamenei, middle east foreign policy, donald trump, war with iran, iran
INTERNACIONAL
South Korea’s proposed platform law could cost US states $525B over the next decade, model estimates
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A new model shows devastating economic losses for U.S. companies if South Korea adopts controversial legislation that would regulate transactions with some American firms, and lawmakers warn that the country’s leadership is now «closely aligned with China.»
The Online Platform Fairness Act, which is spearheaded by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), has gained steam in the Asian nation and is backed by far-left South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
A Competere Foundation model estimates a $525 billion loss in economic activity in U.S. states over the next decade, including a $123 billion loss for California, a $48.7 billion loss for Texas, a $33.9 billion loss for New York and a $27.4 billion loss for Washington.
«South Korea is an American ally and an economic success story, which is why its recent and continuing actions restricting American companies — like its 20-year ban on Google Maps — are so troubling,» Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. «I remain concerned that its current trade commission resembles the worst of Lina Khan’s FTC, not the free market tradition that has helped to bring Seoul and Washington together.»
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hea Kyung arrive at Seoul airport to depart for China on Jan. 4, 2026. (Lee Jin-man/AP Photo)
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Issa told Fox News Digital in April that South Korean leadership and the nature of the Democratic majority in the country is «closely aligned with China.»
Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative from the People Power Party, was elected president of South Korea in 2022 but was impeached in December 2024. His decision to impose martial law was a key factor in his ouster.
Lee narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election but won the presidency in 2025. The Democratic Party in South Korea already holds a substantial majority in the National Assembly. The country is now operating at a full Democratic majority.
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Trump is expected to press Xi on China’s economic and strategic support for both Iran and Russia, including oil revenue, dual-use components and potential weapons transfers, according to senior administration officials. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The Democratic Party is the main liberal force party in the country and favors progressive domestic policies as opposed to the conservative beliefs that have previously reduced political engagement with North Korea and promoted relations with the U.S.
The proposed bill, which remains pending in South Korea’s assembly, would broaden the power of the KFTC, the same agency members of Congress are criticizing for unfairly treating U.S. companies.
Shanker Singham, international trade and competition economist and CEO of the Competere Foundation, said, «Korea is already an increasingly unfriendly place for U.S. companies to do business,» adding the «looming regulations will make that environment even worse.»
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Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally outside the Seoul High Court in Seoul on April 29, 2026. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)
Former Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart also warned of South Korea’s posture to increase regulatory burdens for U.S. companies, telling Fox News Digital it could be devastating for more than just tech companies.
«South Korea’s campaign against American companies isn’t just a trade issue. It’s a strategic mistake that benefits China,» Stewart said. «Every time Korean regulators make it harder for U.S. innovators like Coupang, Google or Meta to compete, they create more room for Chinese companies to gain market share and influence in one of the world’s most important digital economies.»
Stewart noted that the cost would affect more than just Silicon Valley, tying the economic losses to a Chinese win, since Beijing would likely take up lost market share in South Korea if American companies were to reduce investment.
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In early June, foreign policy experts Nicholas Eberstadt and Lawrence Peck published an editorial in the Wall Street Journal titled, «South Korea Takes a Hard Left Turn Against America,» which alleged that South Korean officials «stormed» U.S. air force bases as part of a domestic investigation.
Logos of internet company Coupang and security company SentinelOne are displayed on their shared headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2018. (Smith Collection/Gado/Sipa USA)
The investigation focused on Coupang, a U.S. tech company similar to Amazon. In early June, South Korea fined Coupang roughly $410 million for a data breach, the largest fine the country has ever issued for a similar charge.
South Korea’s science ministry said a Chinese national and former Coupang employee stole data and customer information from the American company, including information about South Korean citizens.
WILL SOUTH KOREA EXPEL THE US?
«The investigation into the case of Coupang is proportionate to the nature of the data breach and consistent with those applied to Korean companies in comparable cases,» South Korean embassy spokesperson Minseong Seo told Semafor.
In April, 50 members of the House of Representatives expressed their concern in a letter to Republic of Korea (ROK) Ambassador to the United States Kyung-wha Kang over what they deemed to be «discriminatory» business practices.
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally outside the Seoul High Court in Seoul, South Korea, on April 29, 2026. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)
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The letter referenced a previous report from Competere that also addressed economic losses in the U.S. as a result of tighter regulations from South Korea.
«Many American tech companies have faced a range of regulatory actions that seek to punish them while shielding Korean domestic competition,» the letter reads. «Recent research by think tank Competere shows such regulatory actions by the ROK government will cost $1 trillion in combined economic damage to the U.S. and Korean economies over the next 10 years, with the U.S. economy losing $525 billion and American households losing nearly $4,000 each.»
congress, competition, south korea, trade, regulation
INTERNACIONAL
American rescue teams pull infant alive from rubble in Venezuela days after devastating twin earthquakes
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American search-and-rescue teams pulled an infant alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela days after the country’s devastating earthquakes, the U.S. Department of State said Saturday.
The State Department shared video on social media showing U.S. personnel pulling the infant from the rubble as rescue crews continued searching for survivors more than 72 hours after two powerful earthquakes struck the South American country.
The rescue came as emergency crews raced against time to locate survivors before the critical rescue window closes.
«Against impossible odds, hope endures,» the State Department posted on X.
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American search-and-rescue teams rescued an infant trapped beneath the rubble following this week’s deadly earthquakes in Venezuela, according to the State Department. (Department of State)
«American search and rescue teams rescued an infant from beneath the rubble following the earthquake in Venezuela,» the post continued. «Every life saved is a victory.»
The White House also shared the video, calling it «America at its best.»
«Thank you to the American search and rescue teams providing assistance in Venezuela,» the White House wrote.
PLAYERS, FANS FLEE STADIUM AS POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES STRIKE DURING VENEZUELA BASEBALL GAME
Rescue workers search through the rubble three days after earthquakes struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Round-the-clock rescue efforts have continued since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast Wednesday.
As of Saturday evening, officials said the death toll from the twin earthquakes had reached 1,430.
Earlier Saturday, officials reported that 243 people had been rescued.
FORMER METS PITCHER NARROWLY ESCAPES DEATH IN VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES THANKS TO ELEVATOR MALFUNCTION
Rescue personnel with a rescue dog assist in rescue efforts after earthquakes hit the country, in La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday. (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
According to The Associated Press, more than 68,000 people remain missing across the country.
Aid groups consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster to be the most critical window for finding survivors, though access to food and water can extend that period.
Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue personnel had arrived Saturday to assist with search-and-rescue efforts.
US RESCUE TEAMS TO DESCEND ON HARD-HIT CARIBBEAN AFTER CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE MELISSA’S IMPACT
Members of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department’s international urban search and rescue team (USA-2) prepare to leave for Venezuela, in Pacoima, Calif., on Thursday. (Blake Fagan/AFP via Getty Images)
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday to help search collapsed buildings.
According to the State Department, the three USAR teams include 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, including firefighters, physicians, structural engineers and canine search specialists. The teams also deployed more than 200,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment.
The Los Angeles County team includes 73 members equipped with concrete-breaking equipment and specialized listening devices used to detect survivors trapped beneath debris.
COLORADO AVALANCHE VICTIM RESCUED IN DRAMATIC VIDEO
Responders search for victims in a demolished building in Caracas, Venezuela, after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and a 7.5 aftershock struck the region. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
Rescuers have fanned out across La Guaira, where the worst destruction occurred, and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and victims from the rubble.
The United States has pledged $150 million in emergency assistance and support for international relief organizations responding to the disaster.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for additional information on the rescue.
Fox News Digital’s James Cirrone, and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
aftermath disasters, aftermath, disaster response disasters, missing persons, virginia, earthquakes, world
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