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)
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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)
IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER SAYS NUCLEAR TALKS WITH TRUMP ADMIN WOULD NOT BE ‘WISE’
«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
New report uncovers education groups’ DEI push to shape how artificial intelligence is used in classrooms
Randi Weingarten launches into wild political rant at teachers union convention
‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ hosts and Kayleigh McEnany criticize the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) for politicizing education. They highlight the union’s focus on politics during its convention rather than addressing declining national report card scores in reading and math. McEnany praises states like Mississippi and Alabama for innovative, student-focused educational approaches, contrasting them with the AFT’s alleged political agenda.
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FIRST ON FOX: The nation’s top teacher unions and education groups are allegedly embedding diversity, equity and inclusion principles into AI guidance for classrooms as schools increasingly adopt the technology, according to a sweeping report.
The report by Defending Education, an education watchdog, examines AI guidance, model policies and training materials from the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and other education groups, arguing they promote AI policies in the classroom centered on «equity» and «algorithmic bias.»
«Teachers unions and associations like the NEA and AFT at this point are nothing more than left-wing political operations funneling millions of dollars into promoting divisive DEI and gender ideologies in classrooms,» Defending Education Investigative Reporter Casey Ryan told Fox News Digital.
Ryan said the education groups are seeking «to use AI as their next frontier to reach school children in an effort to promote their worldview onto America’s next generation,» adding that they want to shape AI before it becomes widely used in classrooms.
FAR-LEFT ACTIVIST CONFERENCE AT TEACHERS UNION HQ RAISES CLASSROOM CONCERNS
A new report alleges major teacher unions and education groups are promoting diversity, equity and inclusion principles in guidance for how artificial intelligence is used in K-12 classrooms. (iStock)
«We cannot allow that to happen,» he said. «It is imperative that concerned parents and families speak up now to ensure that the integration of AI into our schools benefits all students, rather than serve as another tool to enforce a problematic agenda.»
According to the report, «algorithmic bias» is the belief that AI reflects the views of its creators, often «white or Asian men,» prompting education groups to promote «equity» in AI used in classrooms to «ensure that students receive politicized answers and receive a politicized education.»
«The integration of AI into education is not a matter of if but when,» the report said.
Researchers found the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which represents more than 1.8 million members, launched the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative with Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic that the report said is designed to establish AI «guardrails» for educators.
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Presidents of the nation’s two largest teachers unions pictured above, Becky Pringle (LEFT) of the National Education Association (NEA), and Randi Weingarten (RIGHT) of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for March For Our Lives)
«These are three of the largest corporations building AI that are used on a global scale and are the AI programs already used by many school districts,» the report said.
According to the report, a 2025 AFT resolution warned that AI «has the potential to help personalize instruction, reduce administrative burden and make learning more engaging, but without proper guardrails it can perpetuate bias, invade privacy, and undermine educational equity, job security and the professional judgment of educators.»
«This program is imbued with the idea from AFT’s resolution that ‘bias’ and ‘equity’ are issues within AI in schools,» the report said.
Researchers examined the NEA’s AI in Education Hub, which the union says is «grounded in equity, ethics, and educator voice,» along with a model policy requiring AI vendors to meet standards for «transparency, equity, and ethical decision-making» and undergo audits for «algorithmic bias.»
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University of Louisville students held a rally in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on their campus in March 2024. (Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The report highlights the California Teachers Association’s (CTA) role in developing state AI guidance for K-12 schools that recommends educators «approach AI with an equity lens» while addressing concerns about «equity, bias, and access,» and describes AI education as a way to address «systemic bias.»
The report also cites articles published by the American Association of School Administrators discussing AI’s ties to «white males» and the «New Jim Code.»
The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) published an article encouraging schools to ask AI vendors how they address «algorithmic biases,» while the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) said AI tools should «advance and do not undermine equity,» according to the report.
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«The goal of these organizations is to embed DEI into AI tools to ensure that students receive politicized answers and receive a politicized education in the nation’s classrooms,» the report said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the AFT, NEA, CTA, AASA, NAESP and NASSP for comment.
education, teachers, dei, artificial intelligence newsletter, politics
INTERNACIONAL
Marco Rubio afirmó que EEUU está dispuesto a negociar con Irán, pero advirtió que “no se toman en serio las conversaciones”
Marco Rubio, secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, afirmó este miércoles que la administración de Donald Trump mantiene su compromiso con la diplomacia y está dispuesta a negociar con Irán, aunque acusó a Teherán de incumplir los compromisos asumidos y de no tomar en serio las conversaciones. Además, advirtió que permitir a la República Islámica controlar el estrecho de Ormuz establecería un precedente “muy peligroso” para la libertad de navegación y el comercio internacional.
Las declaraciones de Rubio tuvieron lugar durante una reunión con ministros de Exteriores de la Asociación de Naciones del Sudeste Asiático (ASEAN) en Manila, en un contexto marcado por un nuevo recrudecimiento de las hostilidades entre Washington y Teherán, mientras el Comando Central de Estados Unidos bombardeó Irán por undécima noche consecutiva.
“Quiero reiterar una vez más que Estados Unidos siempre está comprometido con la diplomacia. Somos de mente abierta y siempre estamos dispuestos a negociar soluciones a las diferencias. Y esto sigue siendo cierto en el caso de Irán», expresó Rubio ante los cancilleres del bloque regional.
El secretario de Estado sostuvo que Irán mantuvo contactos con Washington para abrir un diálogo, aunque aseguró que las autoridades iraníes incumplieron el acuerdo preliminar alcanzado en junio. “Aunque Irán se ha comunicado con Estados Unidos tanto directa como indirectamente para entablar conversaciones, no han cumplido sus compromisos“, señaló.
Rubio también cuestionó la actitud de Teherán frente a las negociaciones. “El problema que tenemos ahora es que no se toman en serio las conversaciones. Si se lo toman en serio, nosotros también. Si no, haremos lo necesario para proteger nuestros intereses y los de nuestros aliados“, advirtió.
Gran parte de su intervención estuvo centrada en el estrecho de Ormuz, paso marítimo estratégico para el transporte mundial de petróleo y combustible, cuya situación genera preocupación entre los países del Sudeste Asiático por su fuerte dependencia de las importaciones energéticas procedentes de Medio Oriente.
“Irán reivindica el estrecho, del cual no dispone en virtud de ningún mecanismo jurídico existente, de controlar el tránsito por el estrecho de Ormuz”, afirmó Rubio.
El jefe de la diplomacia estadounidense sostuvo que el conflicto trasciende la disputa entre ambos países y afecta un principio básico del derecho internacional. “Existe un principio fundamental en materia de libre navegación, y este se ve amenazado. Creo que la economía mundial está amenazada, al igual que las normas que han regido el comercio internacional desde hace 150 años, y no podemos permitir que eso ocurra”, manifestó.
Rubio también alertó sobre las consecuencias que tendría aceptar que un Estado controle una vía marítima internacional. “Si creamos un precedente en Medio Oriente en el que una nación pueda decidir controlar una vía marítima internacional, cobrar un peaje y destruir sus barcos si no pagan, habremos creado un precedente muy peligroso que se repetiría en otras partes del mundo”, sostuvo.
En la misma línea, afirmó que el control de Ormuz por parte de Irán pondría en riesgo una parte significativa del suministro energético mundial. “Si estas consecuencias no existieran, hoy viviríamos en un mundo donde un porcentaje significativo del suministro energético de esta región, y el 20% del suministro energético mundial, estaría en manos de un Estado, de un régimen autoritario que pretende apropiarse de él”, declaró.
Las palabras de Rubio llegaron después de varios días de enfrentamientos entre Estados Unidos e Irán, incluidos ataques iraníes contra buques mercantes que transitaban por el estrecho de Ormuz, un escenario que volvió a encender las alarmas en los países del Sudeste Asiático.
Durante la reunión ministerial, la ASEAN también manifestó su preocupación por la escalada del conflicto y renovó su llamado a una salida diplomática. “Nos preocupa enormemente que estos acontecimientos socaven gravemente los esfuerzos de los principales mediadores y reduzcan las perspectivas de una solución pacífica mediante el diálogo y la diplomacia”, señalaron los ministros de Exteriores en un comunicado conjunto.
El bloque regional también pidió moderación a todas las partes y reclamó preservar la seguridad marítima y el funcionamiento de las rutas comerciales. “Expresamos nuestra profunda preocupación por cualquier medida discriminatoria o unilateral que pueda impedir u obstruir el paso de buques por el estrecho de Ormuz”, indicaron los cancilleres.
La crisis energética derivada del bloqueo de Ormuz afectó con fuerza al Sudeste Asiático. En ese contexto, Filipinas, que ejerce este año la presidencia rotatoria de la ASEAN, declaró en marzo el estado de “emergencia energética” por un año para facilitar acuerdos de compra de combustible, incluidos pactos con Rusia.
(Con información de AFP y EFE)
International,Relations,Asia / Pacific,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy
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JOHANNESBURG: A Nigerian Pastor highlighted by President Trump on social media, says that nine members of his family have been killed. The minister is an outspoken critic of the killing of Christians by radicalized Muslim members of the Fulani militia.
Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo now says that the same militia has issued a death threat against him. Dachomo, is the regional leader of the Church of Christ in Nations, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
The State Department and a leading U.S. non-profit Christian organization have demanded the Nigerian government take more action to stop what the State Department described to Fox News Digital as «a shocking level of violence against Christians».
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Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, regional leader of the Church of Christ in Nations, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, preaching at a funeral of murdered Christians. (Truth Nigeria/ Masara Kim)
Multiple sources reported nine of his extended family were killed in an attack on their family compound in the Riyom district of Plateau State on July 12. A two-month-old baby is said to be among those killed. The attackers were allegedly looking for Dachomo, reportedly asking as they arrived «where is the father of this house?» adding, «Today, you will learn a hard lesson», before opening fire indiscriminately.
This past week, he posted on X «A few days ago, Fulani herdsmen sent a threatening letter to me and to members of my church. It’s message was terrifying. They vowed to attack me and kill me soon, just as they killed nine of my relatives.»
The pastor continued, «I know what it means to stand before grieving families whose only crime was refusing to deny Jesus Christ.»
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People praying over the coffins of murdered Christians in Nigeria. (Truth Nigeria/ Masara Kim)
«Now they say I will be next. But I ask the world, what is my crime?» he posted. «Is my crime that I tell the stories of persecuted Christians in Nigeria, so the world will not forget them?»
«The Islamist Fulani ethnic militia hate Pastor Ezekiel and targeted him because he is waking up Christians to the reality of what they are facing,» Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted, a nonprofit, told Fox News Digital. Saul’s organization works to end religious persecution in Nigeria, specifically aiming to end radical Islamist violence against Christians.
By the end of 2025, Dachomo said he had to conduct over 70 mass burials of Christians. The burials have continued this year, with the post highlighted by President Trump showing the Pastor presiding over the funeral of some 20 believers.
CHRISTIAN FARMING COMMUNITIES UNDER SIEGE AS US REPORT NAMES FULANI MILITANTS NIGERIA’S DEADLIEST THREAT
Saul believes the killing will continue, saying «Equipping the Persecuted have documented overwhelming evidence that the Islamist Fulani ethnic militia are responsible for the vast majority of killings of Christians in Nigeria. Within the last week alone, over 40 Christians have been killed, and we have been warning that there are major attacks about to occur within the next few days.»
Islamic Fulani militias are by far the deadliest persecutors of Christians in Nigeria, according to a six-year study conducted by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) just published. The study found that the network of Fulani militias is responsible for four times more civilian deaths than the two prominent Islamic terror organizations, Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) combined. Boko Haram was previously allied to Al Qaeda, and ISWAP is currently linked to ISIS.
Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted with Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo. (Judd Saul/Equipping the Persecuted)
The ORFA report shows that terror-related violence killed 79,323 people from 2019 to September 2025 in Nigeria. This equates to 36 people a day. Islamic Fulani accounted for 44% of the deaths — far more than the 12% that Boko Haram and ISWAP killed combined.
Referring to the killings of Dachomo’s family, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «We have seen reports of the killing of nine Christians in Plateau State in Nigeria. There remains a shocking level of violence against Christians in the Middle Belt committed by Fulani Ethnic Militia.»
«The United States offers its sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of those who lost their lives,» the spokesperson continued, «We unequivocally condemn this heinous act. We urge the Nigerian authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable and take specific steps that will improve security for Christians.»
The spokesperson added, «During meetings with Nigerian officials in Abuja July 13–15, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, and the accompanying U.S. delegation stressed the United States’ grave concern regarding the violence Christians face in Nigeria and the need for concrete action. As President Trump has made clear, the United States will continue to work with the Government of Nigeria to protect Christians and advance religious freedom in Nigeria.»
Funerals for some 27 Christians who were reportedly killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen in the village of Bindi Ta-hoss, Nigeria on July, 28, 2025 (Courtesy: Christian Solidarity International (CSI))
The Trump administration has carried out a series of air strikes in Nigeria, aimed at stopping the killing of Christians. However, these have all been in the north of the country, and specifically against Boko Haram, and ISWAP Islamists. There has been no reported targeting of Fulani groups operating in the coutry’s Middle Belt.
On this, Equipping the Persecuted’s Saul added, «We want the Trump Administration to put laser focus on the Middle Belt of Nigeria, and the Fulani ethnic militia.»
Dachomo told Fox News Digital, «We ask President Trump to stop the Fulani terrorists from killing our people in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and surrounding regions. These attacks against Christian communities have been going on for years and must be stopped. We need the United States to stand with us.»
In an X post, the Pastor pleaded to the President of Nigeria: «Tinubu, I am begging you in the name of Jesus, stop Islamic agenda. Muslim(s), they want to finish us. Christian(s) wake up, open your eyes.»
Quoting from the Bible Psalm 118:6, he added, «The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do unto me?»
He concluded, «They may threaten my life, but they cannot silence the truth. They may kill the messenger, but they cannot kill the message.»
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Contacted by Fox News Digital, Rabiu Ibrahim, spokesperson at the Nigerian Ministry of Information and National Orientation, offered condolences to the Rev. Dachomo but responded to the pastor’s accusations by saying, «The Government rejects attempts to portray the nation’s security crisis as a conflict between faiths. Such narratives oversimplify a complicated situation and risk serving the interests of criminal groups who seek to exploit existing fault lines, create fear and undermine national cohesion.»
Ibrahim continued, «The unfortunate incident involving Rev. Dachomo’s family is being treated with the seriousness that every loss of Nigerian life deserves. However, allegations regarding the identity, motivation and affiliation of perpetrators must be subjected to proper investigation and established through credible security findings. Nigeria’s security agencies remain committed to thoroughly investigating all attacks and bringing perpetrators to justice, regardless of their identity or background.»
christianity religion, terrorism, persecutions, religion us, africa
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