Five months after Israel and the U.S.’s bombardment of Iran’s military and nuclear facilities, Iran claims it now has more missile capacity than even before the 12-Day War.

That buildup would have implications far beyond the Middle East: renewed Iranian production could threaten American forces stationed across the region and test Israel’s missile defense limits, potentially pulling Washington into another confrontation if Tehran resumes strikes or proxy attacks.

«Iran’s missile power today far surpasses that of the 12-Day War,» Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently declared, touting what he described as the regime’s rapid recovery from the massive U.S. and Israeli bombardment that struck dozens of military and nuclear sites in June. «The enemy in the recent 12-day war failed to achieve all its objectives and was defeated,» he said.

His comments were echoed by Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, who claimed that Iran’s defense industry has not only rebounded but expanded. «Iran’s defense production has improved both in quantity and quality compared to before the 12-day Israeli-imposed war in June,» Nasirzadeh said Monday, insisting that new missiles are rolling off production lines faster than ever.

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The June conflict — later dubbed the 12-Day War — began when Israel launched a sustained bombing campaign on Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure. The United States joined the operation days later with a series of precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Iran’s renewed emphasis on missile production is no surprise given what it learned during the June conflict.

«There’s no doubt that after the 12-Day War, Tehran understands the missiles constitute the long pole in its ability to deter and punish attacks,» Taleblu said. «Expect Tehran to therefore concentrate on building back better when it comes to its missile program, which pre-war was already the largest in the region.»

He warned that Iran’s accelerating focus on missile development could be the spark for the next regional conflict. «It’s for this reason that the next likely conflict between Israel and Iran may well be brought about by missile concerns, not nuclear,» Taleblu said.

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Firefighters and rescue personnel work at an impact site following missile attack from Iran on Israel, at Haifa, Israel, June 15, 2025.   (REUTERS/Rami Shlush)

«Moving forward, I’d pay attention to the ‘missile math’ between Israel and Iran,» he added. «Much now depends on rates of production between Israeli interceptors and Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles.»

Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said Tehran’s post-war threats reflect both internal pressure and an effort to regain leverage.

After the U.S. bombed Iran’s nuclear sites, Tehran said talks on a renewed nuclear deal were off. Washington has insisted Iran must give up all enrichment capacity, while Tehran claims it will continue enrichment for civil purposes.

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A map shows what is within range of ballistic missiles fired from Iran. (Fox News)

Kuperwasser said Iran’s hardliners are using missile rhetoric to test international resolve. «They are attempting to pressure the international community to ease sanctions and diplomatic isolation by issuing threats of escalation,» he said. «To make these threats credible, and drawing lessons from the war in June, they are working intensively to replenish their arsenal of long-range missiles.»

Kuperwasser warned that while Iran’s nuclear ambitions remain, its focus on missile production shows the regime’s priority is deterrence. «Their threats should not be dismissed,» he said. «They must be taken seriously.»

Meanwhile, Tehran has already tested several satellite launch vehicles that use the same multi-stage propulsion and guidance systems needed for an intercontinental ballistic missile. Washington has repeatedly accused Iran of using its civilian space program as cover for developing technologies that could deliver nuclear payloads at intercontinental range.

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Israeli defense officials, in turn, have been racing to expand production of interceptors across the country’s multi-layered air-defense network. The Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow systems were all pushed to their limits during the 12-Day War, when Iran launched hundreds of ballistic and cruise missiles toward Israeli cities and military installations.

Part of the Israeli response goes beyond replenishing interceptors. The country is now fielding one of the world’s first operational high-power laser air-defense systems. The Iron Beam system has completed acceptance testing and is being delivered to the Israel Air Force for operational deployment, Fox News Digital reported last month. The system is designed to intercept rockets, mortars, drones and other aerial threats «at a fraction of the cost of conventional interceptors.»

For Israel and the U.S., Iran’s latest boasts serve as a warning that the 12-Day War may not have settled much at all: both militaries are now racing to prepare for what they see as the next test of regional defenses, one measured in missile ranges and response times.

A Nigerian mission leader said President Donald Trump’s push to end the violence against Christians in his country is an «answered prayer.»

Andrew Gwaivangmin, the executive secretary of the Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association, told Fox News in an interview that Christians are «excited» Trump is prioritizing efforts to stop the killings of believers after years of bloodshed.

«We have cried out to the international community to force our government to do the right thing. This is the only time that America is focusing its attention on this violence in Nigeria. So, as a Christian, I’m excited,» he said.

«I’m happy that Trump is focusing on ensuring that this violence stops. Anybody who doesn’t support the intervention by Trump, clearly, you know that the person doesn’t understand the reality and the gravity of the violence that have occurred in the north of Nigeria over the last 10 years.»

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Trump threatened in a November Truth Social post to send U.S. troops «guns-a-blazing» into the most populous country in Africa to «completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.» The president also threatened to stop all aid and assistance if the violence continued.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu responded to Trump’s threat, writing on social media that his administration has worked with Christian and Muslim leaders to address security challenges affecting citizens across all faiths and regions.

«The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,» he wrote on X.

«Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.»

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu speaks with his aide during the 64th ECOWAS Heads of State and Government ordinary session in Abuja on Dec. 10, 2023. (Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images)

Open Doors, an international Christian organization that supports persecuted believers, said attacks are most common in the northern, Muslim-majority states of Nigeria but have started spreading into the Middle Belt and farther south.

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The organization stated that Christians are at risk from targeted attacks by Islamist militants, including Fulani fighters and Boko Haram. Women are often killed and subjected to sexual violence.

Gwaivangmin told Fox News that many of his organization’s missionaries have been attacked and killed.

«We’ve had casualties. We’ve had to bury our missionaries. Our missionaries have to directly relocate. In fact, I can tell you that today, we have hundreds of widows whose husbands have been killed in their field as missionaries,» he said.

Catholics gather for Mass at the Church of the Assumption in Lagos on April 21, 2025. (Olympia De Maismont/AFP via Getty Images)

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«It’s not easy to be a Christian in Nigeria, and sadly, our government doesn’t seem to care to hold people accountable for all the killings, the mass killings that occur in this country,» Gwaivangmin added.

The leader of the largest global missions organization for the Nigerian Christian church said he would welcome U.S. military involvement to help end the violence. He believes having American boots on the ground isn’t realistic, but hopes the United States can provide logistical support and equipment to strengthen Nigeria’s forces.

La victoria electoral de Zohran Mamdani si bien no sorprendió a nadie instalo una suerte de pánico sobre el destino de la ciudad bandera de las finanzas mundiales ante lo que muchos consideran será un periodo de acercamiento al modelo socialista. Y particularmente en los medios del chit chat conservador se pronostica una estampida de familias de altos ingresos (léase millonarias y trillonarias) hacia otros destinos de la geografía americana.

Lamentablemente estos pronósticos no parecen ampararse en las estadísticas. Porque los números nos dicen que en el único periodo donde hubo una reducción neto de hogares que ganan un millón de dólares o mas fue del 2020 al 2022 como consecuencia de la pandemia del COVID 91.

Vencida esta calamidad y restaurados los equilibrios económicos, la ciudad de New York retomo el crecimiento en materia de familias con ingresos iguales o superiores al millón de dólares.

De hecho según un estudio del Instituto de Política Fiscal, durante 2020-22 el estado de Nueva York perdió 2,400 hogares millonarios, pero ganó 17,500 hogares millonarios durante el mismo período, lo que sugiere que los hogares más ricos no estaban huyendo en cantidades netas.

Aún más, las familias ricas de New York parecen ser refractarias a la catástrofe económica.

Entre 2008 y 2016, el número de contribuyentes residentes en el estado de Nueva York que declararon a la autoridad impositiva ingresos brutos de 1 millón de dólares aumentó en aproximadamente un 28%. Y estos fueron los años en que cayó el PIB de Estados Unidos en 1.500 millones de millones de dólares como consecuencia de la crisis de las hipotecas que destruyo entre 8000 millones de millones de dólares y 10,000 millones de millones de dólares en ingresos y ahorros de la población americana.

Por tanto no es de esperar que el pronosticado éxodo Mamdani se produzca. Pero desde luego que sus políticas van a tener fuerte impacto en la dinámica de la ciudad.

El primer impacto es de estilo.

Mamdani es un milenial. Y su generación no es fanática de la cortesía como la entendemos los mayores. Para ellos la cortesía es digital. Los textos deben ser limpios; los saludos cortos y los contenidos directos. En las interacciones físicas los milenials consideran que se debe usar un lenguaje claros transparente y directo y de ninguna manera ignorar la dignidad de un ser humano cuando se escribe o cuando se habla. Pero en materia de confrontaciones ellos piensan que el estilo es el de la calle. Nada de arabescos o de grandes construcciones oratorias. Las confrontaciones deben ser directas, agudas y efectivas. Y ese fue el estilo en que envolvió su mensaje de aceptación de la victoria electoral.

Se dirigió directamente a quien codificó como su rival: el presidente de los Estados Unidos y le informo que los días de intervención de Washington en la ciudad se habían terminado. Así hará con los cambios que pretende realizar en la alcaldía de la ciudad de Nueva York cuyo personal ha crecido de manera anárquica hasta convertirse en una suerte de Hidra Lerna de mil cabezas que se atacan entre si y que tardan en responder a las aspiraciones y solicitud de servicios de la ciudadanía.

Dudo mucho que podrá cumplir con la promesa de prestar el servicio de buses de manera gratuita. Tampoco creo que va a congelar todas las rentas en la ciudad de Nueva York pero si estoy segura que va a obligar a los dueños de los apartamentos en alquiler a cumplir con las normas mínimas de mantenimiento y seguridad que hoy la mayoría incumple via el pago de prevedas ilegales a los funcionarios que supuestamente les controlan.