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.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR IRAN’S TERROR ARMY, THE IRGC, AFTER DEVASTATING MILITARY SETBACKS?
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.»
TRUMP COULD ARM ISRAEL WITH US B-2S AND BUNKER BUSTERS IF IRAN TRIES TO GO NUCLEAR UNDER NEW PROPOSAL
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.
GEN. KEANE: IRANIANS HAVE NOT GIVEN UP ON A NUCLEAR WEAPON
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 signs executive order overhauling mail-in voting in major election integrity push
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President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a sweeping executive order targeting mail-in voting and voter eligibility, calling the move a major step toward restoring confidence in U.S. elections.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the order is focused on «voter integrity and Mail-In ballots» and on «stopping the massive cheating that’s gone on.»
«We’re going to be signing an executive order,» Trump said. «It’s, I believe it’s foolproof… I think it’s very obvious what’s said.»
The order directs federal agencies to work with states to compile lists of eligible voters using federal citizenship and identity data, while also instructing the U.S. Postal Service to develop new safeguards for mail-in ballots, including barcode tracking and verification measures.
TRUMP REVEALS TOP ISSUES GOP SHOULD FOCUS ON TO SECURE MIDTERMS VICTORY: ‘I’VE NEVER BEEN MORE CONFIDENT’
President Donald Trump signs an executive order addressing mail-in ballots in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, in Washington, D.C. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Under the order, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) working with the Social Security Administration and other federal databases, will create and share «State Citizenship Lists» with state election officials.
The lists are intended to identify individuals confirmed to be U.S. citizens who will be at least 18 years old by the time of a federal election and who reside in that state.
Those lists are to be updated and transmitted to states ahead of federal elections, according to the order.
The order also directs the attorney general to prioritize investigations and potential prosecutions involving officials or others who issue ballots to individuals not eligible to vote in federal elections, as well as those involved in the «printing, production, shipment, or distribution of ballots» to ineligible voters.
SCOTUS CONSERVATIVES SIGNAL READINESS TO CURB LATE-ARRIVING MAIL BALLOTS
President Donald Trump addresses members of the assembled media after signing an executive order, Tuesday, in the Oval Office. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
On mail ballots, the executive order calls on the postmaster general to initiate a rule-making process within 60 days. Proposed changes include requiring ballots to be clearly marked as official election mail, including a unique Intelligent Mail barcode or similar tracking technology, and undergoing Postal Service design review.
The order also outlines a system under which states would notify USPS if they plan to use mail-in or absentee ballots and provide lists of eligible voters, allowing the Postal Service to maintain participation records tied to ballot distribution.
Trump framed the changes as a direct response to what he described as longstanding vulnerabilities in voting by mail.
NOEM BACKS SAVE AMERICA ACT, SLAMS ‘RADICAL LEFT’ OPPOSITION TO VOTER IDS AND PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, left, looks on as President Donald Trump prepares to sign an executive order addressing mail-in voting. ( Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
«The cheating on mail-in voting is legendary,» he said. «It’s horrible what’s going on.»
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the administration is pushing for a system that ties each ballot to a trackable envelope.
«If you voted by mail, you will have it on the envelope,» Lutnick said. «There’ll be a million envelopes… and you’ll be able to know exactly correctly, that citizens voted.»
Trump said additional election-related measures, including voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements, are also under consideration.
«We’d like to have voter ID, we’d like to have proof of citizenship… we’re working on that,» he said.
He also argued that opposition to such measures is politically motivated.
«The only people that don’t want to do voter ID are people that cheat,» Trump said.
Trump acknowledged the order could face legal challenges but said he believes it will withstand them.
«I don’t know how it can be challenged,» Trump said after signing the order. «You may find a rogue judge… but that’s the only way that could be changed.»
The executive order states that voting in federal elections is reserved «exclusively for citizens of the United States» and argues that additional safeguards are necessary to «maintain public confidence in election outcomes.» It also says that ballot identifiers such as barcodes can help ensure that only eligible voters receive and cast ballots.
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Within minutes of Trump signing the order, top elections officials in Oregon and Arizona pledged to sue, arguing the president was illegally encroaching on states’ authority to run elections, according to The Associated Press.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said the state’s vote-by-mail system, originally designed by Republicans, is now used by about 80% of voters.
Arizona does not need the federal government to determine voter eligibility, and federal data is not always reliable, Fontes said.
Trump cast the issue in much broader terms.
«If you don’t have honest voting,» he said, «you can’t have really a nation.»
voting, donald trump, elections, white house, politics
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More key European allies are restricting U.S. military access as the Trump administration presses ahead with its war against Iran, with both France and Spain moving to block U.S.-linked aircraft from using their airspace or bases.
France has refused overflight for planes carrying U.S. military supplies to Israel, according to President Donald Trump, marking a rare disruption to routine military coordination between Washington and key European allies.
Their refusals carry operational weight because U.S. bases in Europe are «essential» for supporting Middle East operations, acting as critical staging and transit hubs for military aircraft.
MULTIPLE ALLIES DECLINE US CALLS FOR STRAIT OF HORMUZ SUPPORT AMID RISING MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS
The move marks the latest sign of growing friction between the United States and European allies as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on NATO partners to support operations tied to the war with Iran.
President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands as they pose for a photo. (Suzanne Plunkett/Pool/Reuters)
According to a Tuesday Reuters report, Italy denied permission for U.S. military aircraft to land at the Sigonella Air Base in Sicily before heading to the Middle East, saying Washington had not sought prior authorization from Rome.
An Italian government statement pushed back on reports of a rupture, saying: «With reference to media reports regarding the use of military bases, the government reiterates that Italy acts in full compliance with existing international agreements and with the policy guidelines set out by the government to parliament.»
«Relations with the United States, in particular, are solid and based on full and loyal cooperation,» the statement added.
A senior U.S. official reinforced Italy’s claim, telling Fox News Digital, «This is false. Italy is currently supportive in providing access, basing and overflight for U.S. forces.»
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. (Darko Bandic/The Associated Press )
Spain on Monday said it had closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in strikes, going further than its earlier refusal to allow the use of jointly operated bases. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been among the most vocal critics of the U.S. and Israeli campaign.
In remarks before parliament Tuesday, Spain’s defense minister said the government had «prohibited the use of the bases of Rota and Morón» and did not grant flight authorizations «to support operations in Iran.»
The minister stressed the decision was limited specifically to operations linked to Iran and did not signal a broader break with NATO or the United States.
John Hemmings, director of the National Security Centre at the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based foreign policy think tank, told Fox News Digital the decision reflects deeper tensions.
«If one looks at Spain’s refusal to allow U.S. overflight over its airspace or U.S. bases,» Hemmings said, «one could argue it’s a U.S.-Spanish issue. The prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, a socialist, has no love lost for the MAGA movement. But Italy’s refusal comes after Poland’s refusal to allow a U.S. Patriot anti-missile battery to be redeployed and looks like the U.S. wheels are wobbling — if not coming off.»
Trump on Tuesday escalated his criticism of allies in a series of posts on Truth Social, singling out France and the United Kingdom, although the United Kingdom has continued to allow U.S. aircraft to operate from its territory, including bomber and refueling missions tied to Middle East operations.
TRUMP RATES MACRON ‘AN 8’ AS FRANCE AND US SPLIT OVER MIDDLE EAST STRATEGY
«France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!,» President Donald Trump wrote on social media. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
«The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory,» Trump wrote.
«France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!,» he added.
A source in the French presidency, the Élysée Palace, told Fox News Digital, «We are surprised by this tweet. France has not changed its position since the first day, and we confirm this decision, which is consistent with the French position since the beginning of the conflict.»
The Israeli Ministry of Defense said Tuesday it is moving to reduce defense procurement from France to zero, replacing it with domestic production or purchases from other allied countries. The ministry also said it has suspended plans for further professional engagement with the French military, including canceling meetings with France’s defense leadership.
In another post on Tuesday, Trump criticized the U.K. while urging allies to take action in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route disrupted during the conflict.
«All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you,» Trump wrote.
«Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.»
«You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!»
TRUMP’S IRAN STRATEGY SHOWCASES ‘DOCTRINE OF UNPREDICTABILITY’ AMID STRIKE THREATS AND SUDDEN PAUSE
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and his wife Victoria Starmer at Trump Turnberry golf club on July 28, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
War Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed that message during a press briefing Tuesday.
«There are countries around the world who ought to be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well,» he said. «It’s not just the United States Navy. Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well.»
NATO acknowledged the growing strain, pointing to remarks by Secretary-General Mark Rutte from a March 26 press conference.
«What I’ve been seeing is some frustration with him (Trump), about the Europeans needing to take time to react to his request, when it comes to this question of making sure that sea lanes are open,» Rutte said.
«There is a reason for that … the U.S. was not able to consult with allies because they wanted to keep the campaign secret,» he said. «But that also had the disadvantage that it takes time for the Europeans to get organized.»
Rutte added that more than 30 countries have since joined discussions on securing maritime routes, «exactly also to the request of President Trump.»
Hemmings warned the fallout could have broader strategic consequences.
«There is something deeper here, though, and that is that there is a growing transatlantic rift between right-leaning populists and left-leaning populists,» he said. «The fact is that the U.S. and many Western European countries are not only split over NATO spending and trade; they are split ideologically.»
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NATO leaders pose in this shot taken in June. (Claudia Greco/Reuters)
«This should worry planners at the Pentagon and at NATO headquarters in Brussels,» he said. «Despite recent changes in U.S. force structure in Europe, changes have been incremental and carefully broadcast. The U.S. and Europe still need each other badly for defense-industrial cooperation, for helping bring Ukraine to victory, and for deterring their mutual adversaries.»
Fox News Digital also reached out to Italy and the Pentagon but did not receive responses in time for publication.
war with iran, nato, europe, italy, spain, donald trump
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