INTERNACIONAL
Israeli hostages freed, Iran hit, ceasefire held — 2025 shattered the idea the US was exiting the Middle East
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
For years, Washington has spoken about reducing its Middle East footprint, yet analysts told Fox News Digital that 2025 proved the opposite: American force — not retreat — reshaped the region.
Blaise Misztal, vice president for policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), said the past year confirmed a long-standing strategic lesson. «2025 underscored what Middle East watchers have long known, and U.S. policymakers never seemed to want to admit: that strength is the currency of the realm and there is no substitute for U.S. leadership,» he said.
Israeli political analyst Nadav Eyal said the shift was unmistakable. «What we have seen in 2025 is an increased role of the United States, rather than a withdrawal,» Eyal said. «It delivered a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza. It brought a certain level of stability in Syria. We see increased cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.»
«The idea that the U.S. is out of the Middle East is just out the window,» he added.
WHITE HOUSE TURNS TO EXPANDING ABRAHAM ACCORDS AFTER ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE
U.S. President Donald Trump poses with the signed agreement at a world leaders’ summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a U.S.-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool (Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters )
Gaza: The ceasefire and the hostages
During 2025, the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire that ended the two-year war in Gaza and returned all Israeli hostages except for the body of Ran Gvili, which still remains in Hamas’s hands. The deal was initially met with deep skepticism inside Israel.
President Trump traveled to both Israel — where he addressed the Knesset and Cairo to finalize the agreement, coordinating with Arab leaders and mediators in a complex process that included an exchange of Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons for hostages.
«There is absolutely no doubt that without President Trump’s intervention, this could have lasted much longer, or maybe not have ended at all, or ended in tragedy,» Eyal said, adding that the administration fundamentally changed what had been considered possible.
«He expanded the realm of possibilities,» Eyal said. «If someone had told us six months earlier that this would be the framework of the deal, and that all the living hostages would be back home within 72 hours, we would have said it’s a great idea, but Hamas would never agree.»
Israeli hostages released in the Trump-brokered ceasefire deal met with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. (The Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
According to Eyal, the breakthrough came from Israeli military pressure combined with U.S. insistence and regional coordination. «The military pressure put by Israel, enabled by the White House, together with the White House’s insistence and the enlistment of Qatar and Turkey, is what made the breakthrough,» he said.
Misztal also argued that the outcome was not the result of diplomacy alone. «The relative calm that the region is now enjoying, after two years of war, is not the result of diplomacy, which failed on its own to stop Iran’s nuclear advance or convince Hamas to return Israeli hostages,» Misztal said. «It is the result of Israeli and U.S. willingness to use force, and do so together in pursuit of common objectives.»
«Operations Rising Lion and Midnight Hammer, coupled with the Israeli strike in Doha, unlocked the path to peace,» he added.
The ceasefire remains fragile but intact, with the U.S. now deeply involved in shaping the postwar phase in Gaza.
US MILITARY TO OVERSEE NEXT PHASE OF PEACE DEAL FROM COORDINATION BASE IN ISRAEL
President Donald Trump met with seven hostages freed from Hamas captivity. 3/7/25 (Photo provided by Hostages Families Forum)
Regional shockwaves
On Dec. 8 last year, after Israel defeated Hezbollah, the Assad regime in Syria collapsed, signaling a dramatic shift in the regional balance of power.
That momentum carried into 2025. Operation Rising Lion known as the 12-day war, underscored Israel’s air superiority, with Israeli aircraft striking Iranian military infrastructure and eliminating senior IRGC commanders.
The campaign also highlighted the depth of U.S.-Israel coordination, culminating in a U.S. strike that targeted Iran’s nuclear program and curtailed Tehran’s ability to support its proxies.
Smokes raises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Be’er Sheva, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Eyal said Iran now faces a period of profound uncertainty. «Iran will, without doubt, try to rebuild its influence after its proxy system was shattered,» he said. «It was defeated in war with Israel and lost most of its nuclear program.»
Two questions now dominate. «Can Iran rebuild its alliances, its prestige and its sources of power, like the nuclear program or air defenses, and stabilize itself again as a regional power?» Eyal asked. «The deeper question,» he added, «is what happens to the regime.»
He described Iran as increasingly unstable, with a devastated economy and growing public discontent. «It seems like almost everything is ripe for a substantial change in Iran,» he said. «Whether the Islamic Republic can survive without significant reform, or whether there will be a coup or counterrevolution, will take us well into 2026.»
FIVE POSSIBLE FUTURES FOR MIDDLE EAST FROM RENAISSANCE TO ROCKETS
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows damage at the Fordow enrichment facility in Iran after U.S. strikes, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP)
«The sands of the Middle East are always shifting»: What to expect in 2026
Eyal said the past year forced a reckoning about Hamas’ future. «In 2025, Israelis, and to a certain extent countries in the Middle East, woke up from a fantasy that Hamas would cease to exist completely as a functioning body,» he said.
«Everybody understands there will be some sort of presence of Hamas, and unfortunately, they will hold some sort of armed power,» Eyal added. «The question is, to what level can you reduce it?»
WALTZ HAILS ‘NIGHT-AND-DAY’ MIDDLE EAST SHIFT AS TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN RESHAPES REGION
Palestinians continue their daily lives under harsh conditions amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza following the enforcement of a ceasefire agreement, on February 10, 2025. (Mahmoud ssa/Anadolu via Getty Images)
At the same time, he stressed the scale of Hamas’ losses. «In 2025 they suffered tremendous defeats and were wiped out as a functioning military body,» Eyal said. «This is the year in which it happened.»
«Even after losing half of Gaza, with Gaza devastated, and the hostages returned, they are still functioning as a military organization,» he added. «That means they are incredibly resistant or flexible.»
Misztal warned that the calm will not hold without sustained U.S. engagement. «The sands of the Middle East are always shifting,» he said. «Today’s calm will not last without consistent effort applied to uphold it.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Hamas terrorists stand in formation as Palestinians gather on a street to watch the handover of three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on Feb. 8, 2025. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
He warned that 2026 could see renewed pressure from multiple fronts. «Adversaries will seek to reassert themselves and find new advantages,» Misztal said. «Iran will test the boundaries of U.S. and Israeli patience and ISIS or other Sunni extremists may seek a spectacular attack to mark their comeback.»
«These will all be tests for the U.S. appetite to continue applying the ‘peace through strength’ approach,» Misztal said. «If Washington takes its eyes off the region, the progress of the last year might quickly be lost.»
israel,donald trump,national security,iran,hamas,terrorism
INTERNACIONAL
Anti-Iran regime protests grow across country as Trump admin boosts demonstrators offering support
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Protests spread across Iran on Tuesday after President Donald Trump and other administration officials voiced support for demonstrators. Speaking Monday, Trump pointed to Iran’s economic collapse and long-standing public discontent while stopping short of calling for regime change.
Inside Iran, demonstrations entered a third consecutive day, expanding beyond the capital’s commercial center. The exiled opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported widespread strikes and student protests across Tehran and multiple provincial cities, describing clashes with security forces and anti-government chants. A video obtained by the NCRI appears to show protesters pushing back security forces, forcing them to leave the scene on Tehran’s Jomhouri Street.
Iran International reported that universities emerged as major protest hubs, with rallies at Tehran University, Sharif University of Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Elm-o-Sanat University and Khajeh Nasir University. Security forces tightened entry controls at campuses and reinforced offices linked to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
IRANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HIS COUNTRY IS AT ‘TOTAL WAR’ WITH THE US, ISRAEL AND EUROPE: REPORTS
Strikes spread across Tehran’s Shoush and Molavi districts and into Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan Square, while parts of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and the gold market shut down. Mobile phone traders gathered outside major shopping centers after closing their stores. Protests turned violent in several locations, with tear gas fired in Tehran and Malard and reports of live fire in Hamadan. Nighttime demonstrations were reported from Qeshm Island in the south to Zanjan and Hamadan in the north, with videos showing chants of «death to the dictator.»
Speaking at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, Trump said he was «not going to talk about overthrow of a regime.» Instead, he focused on Iran’s deteriorating economy and the state’s violent response to protests. «They’ve got tremendous inflation. Their economy is busted, the economy is no good,» Trump said.
He said that when Iranians gather to protest, the regime responds with lethal force.
Nooses with red roses are displayed during the Anglo-Iranian community rally to support the Iranian people’s push for a new revolution. Members of the Anglo-Iranian community, along with supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), commemorated the 45th anniversary of the revolution in Iran that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime and eventually led to a theocratic Islamic republic in 1979. (Loredana Sangiuliano/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
«Every time they have a riot or somebody forms a group, little or big, they start shooting people,» Trump said. «You know, they kill people. All of a sudden people start getting shot and that group disbanded pretty quickly.»
Trump said he has watched the unrest build for years, describing Iran’s leadership as brutal.
«I’ve watched this for years — there is tremendous discontent,» he said. «I’ve watched it for years, and vicious, vicious people.» His remarks came as protests intensified following the collapse of Iran’s currency to historic lows. The rial fell to roughly 1.45 million per U.S. dollar on the open market, triggering strikes and demonstrations centered on Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and spreading to other major cities, according to Iran International’s live reporting. Videos and eyewitness accounts described heavy security deployments, clashes with demonstrators and the use of tear gas as unrest widened.
TRUMP VOWS TO ‘KNOCK THE HELL OUT OF’ IRAN IF NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS REBUILT AGAIN AFTER HIGH-STAKES MEETING
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz issued a direct message of support. «The people of Iran want freedom,» Waltz wrote on X. «We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country as they protest a radical regime that has brought them nothing but economic downturn and war.»
A parallel statement from the U.S. government’s Persian-language account, @USAbehFarsi, said Washington supports the Iranian people’s efforts «to make their voices heard,» urging the Islamic Republic to respect fundamental rights rather than suppress protests.
Iranian officials acknowledged the unrest but defended the government’s approach. Reuters reported that government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said Tehran recognizes protests and that officials would set up a mechanism to engage with protest leaders. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian directed his interior minister to address protesters’ «legitimate demands» and engage in dialogue with their representatives.
Independent analysts warned the unrest reflects deeper structural strains. The OSINT research group SpecialEurasia said in an assessment on Tuesday that Iran’s internal stability has reached a «critical threshold,» citing the convergence of currency collapse, renewed international sanctions and chronic water and energy shortages. The group noted that the participation of bazaar merchants, traditionally a pillar of regime support, signals declining confidence in the state’s economic management and raises the risk of prolonged unrest.
NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi said the protests reflect the anger of «tens of millions» driven to the breaking point by inflation, corruption and clerical rule. NCRI’s claims reflect opposition reporting and cannot be independently verified due to restrictions on access inside Iran.
Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)
Cameron Khansarinia, vice president of the National Union for Democracy in Iran, said the latest demonstrations underscore a growing shift in public sentiment. «Iranians have once again taken to the streets.» Citing President Donald Trump’s remarks this week, he added that «each time they do, the regime tries to crush it,» but argued that «Iranians’ desire to be free is increasingly becoming greater than their fear of the regime.» Khansarinia claimed that chants in support of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi have been growing in the protests, saying the protesters showed «remarkable bravery.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)
As protests continue, verification of casualties and arrests remains limited, but the scale and spread of the unrest underscore mounting pressure on Iran’s leadership amid economic free fall and growing public defiance.
iran,world protests,donald trump,wars
INTERNACIONAL
Crece la tensión en Irán: estudiantes se sumaron a los comerciantes para protestar contra la crisis económica
Estudiantes se sumaron al movimiento de protesta de comerciantes contra el elevado costo de vida y la hiperinflación que golpea a Irán, un país afectado por severas sanciones occidentales.
La República Islámica sufre desde hace años un encarecimiento de productos básicos y una irrefrenable caída de su moneda, el rial. La inflación interanual se situó en diciembre en 52%, según el Centro de Estadísticas.
Leé también: Trump aumentó la presión sobre Venezuela: sancionó a un fabricante estatal de drones vinculado con Irán
En el tercer día de protestas, el presidente iraní, Masud Pezeshkian, pidió a sus ministros escuchar “las demandas legítimas” de los manifestantes y “actuar con todas sus fuerzas para resolver los problemas”.
Irán atraviesa una grave crisis económica agravada por las sanciones internacionales, en un año en que sufrió además ataques israelíes y estadounidenses en sus plantas nucleares.
Las protestas se extienden al interior del país
Pero el llamado presidencial no aplacó las protestas. Estudiantes universitarios se sumaron a las movilizaciones en Teherán y en la ciudad de Ispahan, en el centro del país, según la agencia de prensa Ilna, cercana a los sindicatos.
Agobiados por el efecto en sus negocios, vendedores de la capital cerraron sus tiendas el lunes y marcharon contra el deterioro de la situación económica. Manifestantes recorren una avenida del centro de Teherán. (Foto: AP)
Las movilizaciones comenzaron el domingo en el mayor mercado de teléfonos celulares de Teherán. Imágenes de la agencia de noticias estatal Fars mostraron que las fuerzas de seguridad lanzaron gases lacrimógenos para dispersar las protestas.
“Pedí al ministro del Interior que escuche las demandas legítimas de los manifestantes” para que el gobierno “pueda actuar con todas sus fuerzas para resolver los problemas y hacerlo de manera responsable”, aseguró el presidente Pezeshkian en la red social X.
Aumenta la vigilancia policial
Este martes por la mañana, la mayoría de las tiendas y cafeterías estaban abiertas en la avenida Vali-asr, que atraviesa la capital de norte a sur a lo largo de 18 kilómetros.
Policías antidisturbios vigilaban las principales plazas del centro de la ciudad.
Leé también: “No quería ver morir a nadie”: el hombre que enfrentó a un terrorista en Bondi Beach rompió el silencio
Para el miércoles, las autoridades decretaron el cierre de escuelas, bancos y establecimientos públicos en Teherán y otras partes del país por el frío y para ahorrar energía, indicó la prensa estatal, que no lo vinculó a las protestas.
El presidente del Parlamento, Mohamad Bagher Ghalibaf, pidió a los diputados y políticos a tomar las “medidas necesarias para aumentar el poder adquisitivo de la población”.
Sin embargo, también alertó contra el riesgo de instrumentalización de estas protestas para sembrar “el caos”. El presidente iraní Masud Pezeshkian (Foto: REUTERS)
Moneda en caída libre
El rial iraní alcanzó el domingo un nuevo mínimo histórico frente al dólar, según el tipo de cambio informal en el mercado negro, a más de 1,4 millones de riales por dólar (frente a los 820.000 de hace un año) y 1,7 millones por euro (frente a los 855.000).
El lunes, la divisa se recuperó ligeramente.
Esta depreciación crónica llevó a una hiperinflación y a una fuerte volatilidad en Irán, donde algunos precios aumentan considerablemente de un día para otro.
Leé también: China inició maniobras militares con fuego real para simular el bloqueo de puertos de Taiwán
Esta situación paraliza las ventas de algunos productos importados. Tanto vendedores como compradores prefieren posponer cualquier transacción a la espera de que la situación se aclare.
“Ningún dirigente nos ha apoyado ni ha tratado de averiguar cómo afecta el tipo de cambio del dólar a nuestras vidas. Tuvimos que manifestar nuestro descontento”, lamentó un manifestante citado por el diario local Etemad.
La economía iraní, ya debilitada por décadas de sanciones occidentales, sufre además por el restablecimiento a finales de septiembre por parte de la ONU de las penalizaciones internacionales relacionadas con su programa nuclear, que habían sido levantadas hace diez años.
(Con información de AFP)
Irán, Protesta
INTERNACIONAL
Japón proveerá drones y tecnología a Argentina, Uruguay, Perú y Ecuador para frenar la pesca ilegal china
Japón implementará un programa de asistencia a países sudamericanos que enfrentan flotas pesqueras chinas operando ilegalmente en sus aguas, proporcionando drones de vigilancia y otro equipamiento para reforzar los patrullajes marítimos, anunció el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores nipón.
Ecuador, Perú, Argentina y Uruguay recibirán la ayuda a través de la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito, según informó este lunes Nikkei Asia. El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores japonés destinó 300 millones de yenes (1,9 millones de dólares) para la iniciativa, que incluye botes patrulleros inflables y equipos que analizan imágenes tomadas por drones. Esta tecnología permitirá identificar el registro de las embarcaciones, el tamaño de la tripulación y las rutas que siguen los buques.
Las flotas pesqueras chinas mantienen una presencia activa en las aguas alrededor de las Islas Galápagos de Ecuador. Con sus transpondedores GPS aparentemente apagados, estas flotas navegan hacia el sur frente a las costas de Perú y Chile. En el Atlántico, se ha confirmado actividad de flotas chinas en aguas cercanas a Argentina y Uruguay.
Estas flotas chinas son sospechosas de pesca ilegal, no declarada y no reglamentada, así como de actividades de recopilación de información, incluyendo el mapeo del lecho marino. .
Cuando una flota pesquera desactiva el rastreo GPS, determinar la trayectoria y el número de embarcaciones involucradas se vuelve extremadamente difícil. Tomar medidas de aplicación requiere capacidades superiores de guardacostas, de las cuales muchos países sudamericanos carecen.
Los buques pesqueros chinos también operan ilegalmente en el Banco de Yamato del Mar de Japón, y embarcaciones pesqueras japonesas han estado involucradas en incidentes frente a la costa del Pacífico del noreste de Japón. El gobierno japonés busca apoyar a países que enfrentan problemas similares.
La presencia de la flota china en aguas sudamericanas ha generado gran preocupación en la región. En Argentina, la actividad pasó de 61.727 horas por cada 500 kilómetros cuadrados en 2013 a 384.046 horas en 2023 en la zona conocida como “Milla 201”, al borde de la Zona Económica Exclusiva del país, según datos de Global Fishing Watch citados por Infobae.
La Prefectura Naval Argentina informó recientemente que reforzó el monitoreo de “más de 500 buques pesqueros extranjeros que arribarán a la Milla 201 en la próxima zafra del calamar”, de los cuales ya detectó 148 “en tránsito”. La mayoría proviene de China, Corea del Sur y Taiwán, reportó Infobae.
Investigadores locales han denunciado además actividades sospechosas de mapeo de la Plataforma Continental Argentina por parte de buques chinos. El arrastrero Lu Qing Yuan Yu 205, que en 2016 había realizado pesca ilegal dentro del Mar Argentino, fue detectado este año realizando movimientos en cuadrículas que sugieren prospección del fondo marino, según Milko Schvarzman, investigador del Círculo de Políticas Ambientales, citado por Infobae.
En Ecuador, el episodio de mayor tensión tuvo lugar en 2017, cuando las autoridades capturaron el carguero chino Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 dentro de la reserva marina de Galápagos cargado con 6.623 tiburones de diversas especies.
También se han planteado preocupaciones sobre posibles abusos a los derechos humanos de trabajadores en embarcaciones pesqueras ilegales en Sudamérica. Según reportes, estos trabajadores enfrentan largas jornadas en condiciones difíciles en barcos sin control de temperatura.
Muchos de los trabajadores son del Sudeste Asiático, según el ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores japonés. Intensificar la aplicación de medidas contra las flotas pesqueras ilegales en Sudamérica podría ayudar a proteger a esos trabajadores, según Nikkei Asia, proporcionando potencialmente una oportunidad para que Japón refuerce las relaciones con los países del Sudeste Asiático.
Anti-Iran regime protests grow across country as Trump admin boosts demonstrators offering support
El Gobierno anunció la disolución de la ANDIS tras el escándalo por las coimas en la compra de medicamentos
Luego del escándalo por el caso de supuestos sobornos, Milei disuelve la agencia de Discapacidad
Crece la tensión en Irán: estudiantes se sumaron a los comerciantes para protestar contra la crisis económica
Lo que intentó ser un buen gesto de Mbappé, terminó en un escándalo en Francia: jubilaron a un policía que recibió una donación del futbolista
Diego Peretti y su novia disfrutaron de un mediodía soñado en José Ignacio: las fotos exclusivas
Una legisladora de izquierda enfrentará un juicio oral por expresiones antisemitas
Calendario de pagos de ANSES de enero 2026: cuándo cobran jubilados, pensionados y beneficiarios de planes sociales
Patricia Bullrich destacó la aprobación del Presupuesto 2026 y la ruptura del peronismo en el Senado
Milei logra su primera ley de Presupuesto: dólar e inflación en 2026 y una herramienta para Caputo
ECONOMIA2 días agoCalendario de pagos de ANSES de enero 2026: cuándo cobran jubilados, pensionados y beneficiarios de planes sociales
- POLITICA2 días ago
Patricia Bullrich destacó la aprobación del Presupuesto 2026 y la ruptura del peronismo en el Senado
- DEPORTE2 días ago
Jana Maradona, hija de Diego: «Toda la vida estuve en juicio con mi papá»
