INTERNACIONAL
Hegseth, military brass describe ‘incredible and overwhelming success’ of US strikes on Iran
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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan «Razin» Caine held a press conference from the Pentagon early Sunday morning to relay details on the U.S. military’s successful strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
«Last night, on President Trump’s orders, U.S. Central Command conducted a precision strike in the middle of the night against three nuclear facilities in Iran Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan in order to destroy or severely degrade Iran’s nuclear program,» Hegseth said Sunday morning from the Pentagon.
«It was an incredible and overwhelming success,» Hegseth continued. «The order we received from our commander in chief was focused. It was powerful, and it was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program. But it’s worth noting the operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people for the entirety of his time in office.»
The press conference was held following President Donald Trump addressing the nation at 10 p.m. Saturday evening, just hours after he announced the successful strikes on a trio of Iranian nuclear facilities.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (left) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (right) arrive for a news conference at the Pentagon on June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«The mission demonstrated to the world the level of joint and allied integration that speak to the strength of our alliance and our joint forces,» Hegseth continued. «As President Trump has stated, the United States does not seek war, but let me be clear: We will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened. Iran should listen to the United States and know that he means it.»
Caine addressed the media and explained the strikes, dubbed «Operation Midnight Hammer,» included the use of submarines, dozens of Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, and the «longest B-2 spirit bomber mission since 2001.»
«At approximately 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time last night and just prior to the strike package entering Iran, a U.S. submarine in the Central Command area of responsibility launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets as often as the Operation Midnight Hammer strike package entered Iranian airspace,» Caine said. «The U.S. employed several deception tactics.»
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, right, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. (Getty Images)
«This was a highly classified mission with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of this plan,» he continued. «I’ll refer you to the graphic on the side as I walk you through some of the operational details. At midnight Friday into Saturday morning, a large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States as part of the plan to maintain tactical surprise. Part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy. A deception effort, known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders here in Washington and in Tampa.»
TRUMP ADDRESSES NATION ON ‘SPECTACULAR MILITARY SUCCESS’ OF US STRIKES ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press conference at the Pentagon on June 22, 2025. (Fox News / The Will Cain Show)
Trump announced the U.S. had struck a trio of nuclear facilities in Iran via a Saturday evening Truth Social post, which was not preceded by any media leaks of prior indication such strikes were imminent.
The president ordered U.S. B-2 stealth bombers to carry out the strikes against Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities.
Five to six bunker-buster bombs struck the Fordow nuclear site, Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity shortly after announcing the Saturday night strikes.
Trump later addressed the nation from the White House while flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where he announced Iran’s nuclear facilities had been «obliterated» and that the country has been backed into a corner and «must now make peace.»
TRUMP DECLARES ‘VERY SUCCESSFUL ATTACK’ ON IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM AS US FORCES STRIKE 3 KEY SITES
«Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,» Trump said. «And Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.»
Vice President JD Vance, from left, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during an address to the nation in the East Room of the White House in Washington, June 21, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump had repeatedly urged Iran to make a deal on its nuclear program before striking its nuclear facilities, but the country pulled out of ongoing talks with the U.S. scheduled for June 15 in Oman and refused to return to the table in the days following. Israel pre-emptively ordered strikes on Iran June 12 as Israeli intelligence indicated Iran’s nuclear program was rapidly progressing.
«A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan,» Trump said during his address. «Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity, and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.»
TRUMP PROMISES TO RESPOND WITH ‘FULL STRENGTH AND MIGHT’ OF US MILITARY IF IRAN ATTACKS AMERICA
«For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America. Death to Israel.’ They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs,» Trump continued. «That was their specialty. We lost over a thousand people, and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate in particular.»
The president said that the U.S. worked like a team with Israel in the lead-up to the strikes.
«I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu,» he said. «We worked as a team, like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they’ve done. And most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades.»
Caine told the media that the strikes Saturday evening were U.S.-led, while lauding Israel for its initial operations «degrading Iranian capabilities.»
«Israel had an incredible military success, especially at the beginning and ongoing in degrading Iranian capabilities, degrading Iranian launchers,» reusable ballistic missiles, Caine said. «It’s been incredible to watch what our ally Israel has been able to do.»
«But as it pertains to this strike, this was U.S.-operated and U.S.-led,» he added. «We took advantage of some of the preparatory work that’s been done over the past week and a half.»
Hegseth underscored that Trump is focused on securing peace in the Middle East following the strikes.
«As the president put put out last night, he wants peace,» Hegseth said. «There needs to be a negotiated settlement here. We ultimately demonstrated that Iran cannot have a nuclear capability. That is a very clear mission set on this operation.»
President Donald J. Trump in The Situation Room, June 21, 2025. (The White House via X)
Israel launched pre-emptive strikes on Iran on June 12 after months of attempted and stalled nuclear negotiations and subsequent heightened concern that Iran was advancing its nuclear program. Netanyahu declared soon afterward that the strikes were necessary to «roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.»
The strikes were unexpected on Saturday evening, as Trump on Thursday said he would make a decision on Iran within the next two weeks, suggesting that such a strike would not unfold over the weekend. While six B-2 bombers that were spotted heading west from Missouri toward Guam on Saturday afternoon were decoys and part of the «misleading tidbits put out there to suggest that maybe President Trump had put off the decision,» Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin said during an appearance Saturday evening as news broke of the strikes.
«Those six B-2 bombers that were heading west toward Guam, they would not have made it to Iran in time to take part in this strike,» she said while speaking with Fox News’ Bret Baier Saturday evening. «So, that suggests to me that there was an additional B-1 package that perhaps flew eastward from Whiteman Air Force Base. Again, this was all part of the deception. There was a great deal of sort of misleading tidbits put out there to suggest that maybe President Trump had put off the decision and that this would happen two weeks from now.»
Trump earned bipartisan praise from Congressional lawmakers for taking action to prevent Iran, the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism, from achieving nuclear capabilities.
Other members of Congress, however, simultaneously criticized Trump for not asking for Congressional approval ahead of the military strikes and raised concerns of the risk of war.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has yet to comment on the strikes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, said that diplomacy is an unlikely option in the wake of the U.S. strikes.
Iranian flags fly as fire and smoke from an Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot rise, following Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2025. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
«Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy,» Araghchi wrote on X. «What conclusion would you draw?»
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Araghchi said he’ll travel to Moscow later Sunday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Iran enjoys «a strategic partnership.»
Hegseth said on Sunday during the press conference that correspondence with Iran is being conducted both publicly and privately to pursue a deal for peace.
«I can only confirm that there are both public and private messages being directly delivered to the Iranians in multiple channels, giving them every opportunity to come to the table. They understand precisely what the American position is. Precisely, what steps they can take to allow for peace,» the secretary of defense said. «And we hope they do so.»
INTERNACIONAL
Más preocupación por Nahuel Gallo en Venezuela: denuncian una trampa en la Ley de Amnistía con las fechas y hay malestar entre los familiares
Organismos de derechos humanos y familiares de presos políticos denuncian que la Ley de Amnistía aprobada por la dictadura de Venezuela tiene un recorte arbitrario con las fechas, dentro del período de 28 años que abarca. Sostiene que deja excluidos a 400 detenidos, entre los que figura el gendarme argentino Nahuel Gallo.
Este jueves, la Asamblea Nacional controlada por el chavismo aprobó la Ley de Amnistía, 20 días después de que la anunciara la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez
Si bien Delcy Rodríguez, quien juró en el cargo dos días después de la captura del dictador Nicolás Maduro, había anticipado que la amnistía abarcaría desde 1999 hasta 2026, el texto especifica solo 12 dentro de esos 27 años, por lo que deja por fuera a cientos de detenidos.
Los organismos de derechos humanos remarcan que en la letra chica de la ley, por cómo fueron elegidos los meses, hay 15 años entero de los 28 que quedaron afuera. «Es una selección indebida y bastante arbitraria de momentos y de meses en específico», cuestionó Gonzalo Himiob, vice de Foro Penal, una de las organizaciones civiles más prestigiosas del país y que monitorea la situación de los presos en Venezuela.
En la conferencia de prensa de la ONG en Caracas, donde también estaban familiares de los detenidos, Alfredo Romero, presidente del Foro Penal, aseguró que Nahuel Gallo «en ningún lado de la amnistía está incluido» y destacó la presencial de la suegra del gendarme en la conferencia.
«La amnistía es un instrumento muy pequeño, con muchas restricciones, pero es un logro», destacó Romero, quien igualmente enfatizó que no se podrá alcanzar la reconciliación y la reunificación del país, «sin que como condición previa se liberen todos los presos políticos».
Gallo fue detenido el 8 de diciembre de 2024, y el artículo 6 de la ley determina para ese año la amnistía sólo para «los hechos de violencia por motivos políticos acaecidos en el marco de las elecciones presidenciales de julio de 2024».
Según cifras de la ONG, en Venezuela «hay más de 11.000 personas con medidas restrictivas a su libertad que estuvieron encarceladas» y son numerosos los mayores de 70 años presos, pese a que la legislación contempla medidas sustitutivas de libertad basadas en el principio humanitario.
Los grupos humanitarios también pidieron en una rueda de prensa que se desmantele “el sistema represivo” que dio pie a las encarcelaciones. Y, por otro lado, advirtieron también que el futuro de muchos de los potenciales beneficiarios de la amnistía esta «todavía amenazado por la persecución política» como consecuencia que la ley está sujeta a «una excesiva discrecionalidad».
Consideraron además un despropósito que sean “los mismos jueces y fiscales que han acusado a personas injustamente, arbitrariamente”, los encargados de “interpretar la ley para otorgar beneficios”, en lugar de designar “jueces ad hoc” para ese fin.
«Hasta que esto no cambie, vamos a tener todavía la amenaza en un futuro de que incluso aquellos que van a ser amnistiados puedan ser nuevamente encarcelados», insistió Romero.
En tanto, la ONG Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón (JEP) expresó en un comunicado que todas sus “preocupaciones y advertencias respecto al proyecto de ley de amnistía se confirman ante un texto que, tal como señalamos oportunamente, resulta revictimizante, excluyente y, en lo absoluto, garantiza la liberación plena de todos los presos políticos».
«Hemos sostenido y reiteramos que la liberación de todas las personas detenidas por razones políticas depende de una genuina y verdadera voluntad política, que debe verificarse en la aplicación efectiva de la Constitución y las leyes nacionales, sin interpretaciones restrictivas ni decisiones discrecionales», enfatizó JEP.
El gobierno de Rodríguez anunció el 8 de enero que liberaría a un número significativo de prisioneros. Voceros del gobierno han dicho que han sido liberados casi 900 reclusos desde diciembre, aunque el Foro Penal hasta el miércoles registraba la liberación de 448 personas por motivos políticos.
Con información de la Agencia AP
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FIRST ON FOX: The State Department has finalized a new privacy-preserving app intended to give users worldwide access to what officials describe as the same uncensored internet available to Americans, even in countries with strict online repression such as China and Iran and as Europe enacts tighter content oversight.
The platform, Freedom.gov, will roll out «in the coming weeks,» Fox News Digital has learned.
It will operate as a one-click desktop and mobile application compatible with iOS and Android devices.
MARCO RUBIO VOICES CONCERN THAT AMERICANS MAY SOMEDAY BE ARRESTED FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS WHEN VISITING EUROPE
The app is open-source and includes built-in anonymity protections.
The initiative comes as governments worldwide tighten control over digital speech, from China’s «Great Firewall» to sweeping internet shutdowns in Iran and new regulatory regimes in Europe. U.S. officials say Freedom.gov is designed to offer a technological counterweight — exporting what they describe as America’s open internet model to users living under censorship.
«In the interest of total transparency, we made Freedom.gov completely open-source. But we also made it completely anonymous,» a State Department official said. «Anyone can see how it works. No one, including us, can track or identify you.»
The State Department, led by Sec. Marco Rubio, has finalized a new privacy-preserving app intended to give users worldwide access to what officials describe as the same uncensored internet available to Americans. ( Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
According to the official, the application does not log IP addresses, session data, browsing activity, DNS queries or device identifiers that could be used to personally identify users.
Specific details about the app’s underlying technical structure were not disclosed.
Governments with sophisticated censorship systems historically have moved quickly to block or criminalize circumvention tools. Authorities can restrict app downloads, block domains, throttle traffic or impose penalties on users.
Whether Freedom.gov maintains accessibility in heavily restricted environments may depend on its technical architecture and its ability to adapt to countermeasures.
Iran protests death toll rises as Rubina Aminian joins hundreds allegedly killed by government forces. (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images))
The rollout comes amid intensifying global battles over internet governance, as governments across Europe and beyond move to assert greater control over online content. (Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images/LightRocket)
The initiative is being led by Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, who oversees the State Department’s Digital Freedom office.
«Freedom.gov is the latest in a long line of efforts by the State Department to protect and promote fundamental freedoms, both online and offline,» Rogers said. «The project will be global in its scope, but distinctly American in its mission: commemorating our commitment to free expression as we approach our 250th birthday.»
Reuters previously reported that the State Department was developing the Freedom.gov platform.
The rollout comes amid intensifying global battles over internet governance, as governments across Europe and beyond move to assert greater control over online content.
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In Europe, regulators have tightened oversight under new laws aimed at policing digital platforms. The European Union’s Digital Services Act expands government authority over major platforms and requires removal of illegal content, including hate speech and extremist material, with regulators empowered to impose steep fines for violations.
In the United Kingdom, the Online Safety Act imposes new obligations on platforms to address harmful and illegal content and includes age-verification requirements for certain services. Critics warn the measures risk incentivizing aggressive content removal and expanding government influence over lawful speech online.
Elsewhere, restrictions have been more direct. Russia recently moved to ban WhatsApp, further consolidating state control over digital communications.
China maintains the world’s most sophisticated online censorship system, widely known as the «Great Firewall,» blocking foreign news outlets and social media platforms while promoting a state-controlled digital ecosystem.
Iran repeatedly has imposed sweeping internet shutdowns during periods of unrest. During protests, government blackouts have cut citizens off from global communications.
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The Wall Street Journal previously reported that thousands of Starlink satellite internet terminals were covertly brought into the country following a blackout, in an effort backed by the United States to help dissidents bypass censorship.
Iranian authorities have attempted to jam satellite signals and criminalized possession of such equipment. Satellite connectivity — which does not rely on domestic telecommunications infrastructure — has emerged as one of the few viable lifelines during shutdowns.
state department,china,iran,russia
INTERNACIONAL
La vieja gurú de las inversiones de Uruguay, acusada de estafar a sus clientes, busca llegar a un acuerdo para evitar la cárcel
Sara Goldring fue la primera mujer en entrar a la Bolsa de Valores de Montevideo (BVM), ubicada en el casco histórico de la capital de Uruguay. Viajaba dos veces por año para formarse en Estados Unidos y se convirtió en una gurú de las finanzas, que sabía todos los secretos del mundo de los negocios. A muchos de los que confiaban sus ahorros en ella les hizo ganar fortunas, de acuerdo a un perfil de esta empresaria publicado por El Observador.
Goldring sabía que, por ejemplo, cuando los operadores bursátiles de Wall Street se iban a almorzar era el momento de comprar. Ella estaba horas monitoreando en su mesa seis pantallas de Bloomberg con los precios de las principales acciones. Almorzaba en su escritorio. No quería perderse el minuto a minuto.
Desde ese lugar Goldring también vio cómo se derrumbó.
Goldring pasó de ser la “diosa” –en sus propias palabras– a ser una diabla que ahora enfrenta una pena de prisión de cuatro años acusada de estafar a sus clientes, de acuerdo al pedido del fiscal Enrique Rodríguez. Y también busca llegar a un acuerdo con ellos.
La corredora de bolsa uruguaya –que estaba al frente de Custodia Valores Mobiliarios (CVM)– vio cómo el saldo en las cuentas de sus clientes se desplomaba y decidió esconder esa información. Fue en 2022 que la empresa informó que enfrentaba pérdidas millonarias y una investigación reveló que utilizaba fondos de algunos inversores para compensar las pérdidas de otros.
De acuerdo a su versión, la desvalorización estaba explicada por la debacle que tuvieron durante la pandemia las acciones de empresas que cotizaban en Nasdaq. Y el ocultamiento de esta información llevaron a que Goldring esté imputada por apropiación indebida y ahora deba enfrentar la máxima pena para este delito.
Para el fiscal que sigue el caso, la corredora se apropió de forma indebida de USD 21 millones que pertenecían a los ahorristas.
¿Cómo fue la maniobra? La corredora se amparó en el mandato de libre administración que le habían dado los clientes para vender opciones de put para la cartera de clientes que tenían un perfil agresivo. En los bancos del exterior operaba a través de la modalidad de “cuenta ómnibus” –de varios clientes–, una práctica habitual en el mercado.
La venta de puts es una operación que implica que el comprador adquiere el derecho pero no la obligación de vender un activo, que en este caso eran acciones de empresas que cotizan en bolsas de Estados Unidos. Se trata de una operación que implica un riesgo alto porque, si bien pueden generar importantes beneficios, si el precio de las acciones baja más allá del valor acordado previamente pueden haber grandes pérdidas.
Según el relato del fiscal, los clientes que tenían posiciones en la cuenta ómnibus y que no habían invertido en operaciones put, vieron afectados sus valores porque fueron utilizados “en forma indebida e inconsulta por la acusada para solventar las pérdidas sufridas por los clientes”.
CVM tenía unos 479 clientes, de los cuales unos 120 tenían un perfil inversor moderado y otros cinco un perfil conservador, informó El Observador. Había uno que no había definido su perfil y otros 353 que tenían un perfil agresivo. Algunos pocos clientes tenían fondo de USD 1 millón a USD 2 millones en su cuentas y había otros pocos con USD 50 mil. Pero la media estaba entre los USD 100.000 y los USD 300.000.
Tras la acusación del fiscal Rodríguez, la ahora ex corredora de bolsa busca dar por cerrado el tema e intenta acordar con los damnificados para devolverles un 60% del total de los activos que les pertenecían.
La propuesta cuenta con el visto bueno de la Liga de Defensa Comercial –la interventora de la empresa–, al tiempo que algunos de los damnificados ya han adherido al acuerdo. Otro grupo de inversores se niega por completo. Los plazos originales que había establecido la interventora vencieron, pero aún se está a tiempo de cerrar un acuerdo porque se desconoce cuándo empezará el juicio oral.
Hasta ahora se ha alcanzado el 60% de las firmas y se requiere una mayoría del 75% de los créditos reconocidos para dar por cerrado el acuerdo. Con esto, el juicio penal se cerraría.
De acuerdo a la versión del medio uruguayo, los inversores que se oponen al acuerdo entienden que esta propuesta solo beneficia a Goldring, que tiene un patrimonio millonario. Pero los cercanos a la vieja corredora señalan que tiene 76 años y que su reputación ya fue dañada.
Los allegados a Goldring estiman que se llegará a cubrir unos USD 13 millones de los USD 21,8 millones de deuda estimada total.
El acuerdo propuesto señala: “Se ofrece asimismo el efectivo propiedad de CVM que resulte una vez cubiertos los pasivos y pagos pendientes (despidos, honorarios, etc), los saldos positivos que surjan concluidos los juicios y abonado el pasivo de United Brokers SA, la otra sociedad propiedad de Goldring, que operaba en zona franca, así como la venta de bienes”.
Pero hay un grupo de damnificados que asegura que se les debe unos USD 100 millones y tienen la esperanza de que en Estados Unidos haya cuentas con más dinero.
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