This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
One note: Zal uses the unusual literary device of telling his own life story in the third person, referring to himself as "he" and "him" throughout. This is because, as he explained to WND, he is not the same person he was earlier in life. Looking back, however, Zal has managed to piece together a powerful and disturbingly revealing assessment of the revolution – and why and how it happened.
[Cyrus Zal] had arrived in Iran from Dubai in March of 1978 on the same day that one of the first mass demonstrations had taken place against the Shah in the city of Tabriz in northern Iran. The demonstrations and protests had started a couple of months earlier in January of 1978 in the city of Qom, the religious center of the Shi'a branch of Islam in Iran.
It was obvious to everyone that the Americans who were advising the Shah on what he should do, from the time that the demonstrations first started until the bitter end of the Revolution, had given the Shah terrible, useless and very harmful and counter-productive advice. The advice and counsel given to the Shah by the Americans was so bad and counter-productive that he ended up being driven out of his own country, and it was President Jimmy Carter and the Americans who pushed him out.
It should be noted that the Shah's chief advisors were Americans, and it was these American advisors who gave the final bad advice for the Shah to flee Iran on January 16, 1979, paving the way for Ayatollah Khomeini to leave France and to come to Iran on February 1, 1979, to take over the leadership of the country:
In fact, it was individuals in the American foreign policy establishment, led by Henry Kissinger, who had wanted the Shah deposed beginning several years before the Revolution, and with the cooperation of President Jimmy Carter, it was really President Carter and the American foreign policy establishment who deposed the Shah and forced him to leave Iran, a betrayal of the Shah that has had tragic and terrible consequences ever since for Iran, for America and for the entire world.
In betraying the Shah, President Carter (God rest his soul) traded a true friend of America for a terrorist regime that proudly and arrogantly shouts out "Death to America!" and a regime that to this day still refers to America as "the Great Satan" and to Israel as "the Little Satan." Before his death, President Carter never publicly took responsibility or accepted blame for betraying a true friend like the Shah and trading him for an insane and bloodthirsty enemy like Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (the supreme leader and first dictator of the Islamic government).
By President Carter's intentional act of losing Iran, and thus losing stability in the Middle East and elsewhere, he was responsible for unleashing the terrorist Islamic Regime on the world, with terrible consequences still occurring to this very day.
Cyrus was always an observer right in the middle of the demonstrations against America after Khomeini came to power, and he watched as the demonstrators performed on cue for the news crews who videotaped the events. Without the presence of news cameras to videotape the crowd, there was a carnival and happy atmosphere among the people pretending to be demonstrators, as they were having a big outdoor picnic and celebration, complete with food and snacks. But as soon as the news cameras would show up, these people would rush to the news cameras, affect an angry demeanor and, rhythmically beating their arms into the air to emphasize their words, they would begin shouting in Persian over and over "Death to America! Death to America!" These were ordinary people putting on a fake show for the fake news cameras and the fake news media of the day.
Anyone watching these news casts in America and around the world would undoubtedly think this was an angry mob ready to go to war against America, but they would be completely wrong. In reality, these "demonstrators" were "performers" who put on a very convincing show for the news cameras. As soon as the news cameras were gone, the people would revert to the happy and carnival atmosphere they had before the cameras showed up, and would begin enjoying the outdoor picnic again, until the next news camera crew showed up. Of course, the news reporters who accompanied the news cameras knew it was all an act and pure fake news, but why ruin a good story with actual facts? "Fake news" seemed to be the hallmark of the so-called "news media" covering Iran before, during and after the Revolution.
The most interesting conclusion reached by him about the aftermath of the Revolution was the real reason why Khomeini authorized the storming of the U.S. Embassy by "militants" and the subsequent taking of the American hostages who worked at the Embassy. To his knowledge, no other historians or analysts have reached the same conclusion because they were not eyewitnesses, and they did not have feet on the ground in Tehran like he did.
Here is the real reason for Khomeini's taking of the American Embassy and holding of the hostages:
While always referring to America as "the Great Satan," and with having people in the streets pretending to enthusiastically yell "Death to America!" for the fake news media and cameras, Khomeini and the entire Islamic government were chagrined, angry and embarrassed to see the many thousands and thousands of people who would line up day after day after day at the American Embassy in Tehran to try to obtain visas to go to America. (Many of these people waiting in line for visas to America were undoubtedly some of the very same people who were yelling "Death to America!" in the streets for the benefit of the fake news cameras.)
It was a great embarrassment and a harsh judgment on the Islamic regime, and a great embarrassment for Khomeini personally, that so many thousands of people were visibly trying to flee from Iran to live in America, the country officially declared by Khomeini to be the "Great Satan" and the Islamic regime's number one arch enemy. The people lining up every day in the thousands to go to America represented a big, intentional poke in the eye to Khomeini and the Islamic Regime. It was a highly visible, stark and public rejection of Khomeini and his Islamic Regime occurring day after day at the American Embassy, and a severe counteraction by Khomeini became necessary to demolish this peaceful, quiet, but very damaging and subversive, "counter-revolution" of people openly thumbing their nose at Khomeini and his Islamic Regime by going to America.
As of November 4, 1979, the day that the Embassy was stormed by militants and the hostages were taken, Cyrus had been employed for several months by Iran Air, the national airline of Iran, as an instructor to teach English to the cadet pilots who would one day be piloting aircraft for Iran Air. English is the universal language of air controllers in all international flights, and all pilots of all countries had to be proficient in English before they could be licensed as commercial pilots.
The Iran Air building where he taught English was only about a block and a half away from the American Embassy. He would always walk by the Embassy in the early morning when he reported to work, and again walk by it when he got off work in the afternoon to catch a taxi to his home in the northern part of Tehran. He would see the unending long lines of Iranians, with people standing 8 or 9 abreast on the broad sidewalks outside the high walls of the huge Embassy complex, patiently waiting to gain entry to the Visa Section via an outdoor entrance door which was in the back corner of the Embassy. These people were all trying to get visas to travel to America, and some of them even camped overnight to save their place in line in their desperation to get to America.
The Embassy occupied a huge square area of land, with each of its four sides consisting of several big city blocks, and the line of people trying to get visas to America were all lined up on one side of the Embassy, and the line with 8 or 9 people abreast continued for many, many blocks down the street away from the Embassy. People near the front of the line looked like they had camped out the night before to save their place in line. The line was seemingly without end, as he could never see the end of the line when he arrived in the morning to report to work at Iran Air. When he got off from work in the late afternoon, the line had not seemed to have shrunk at all, as he could still not see the end of the line, which went on for many blocks far away from the Embassy. But he did notice that the line was definitely moving forward, because the people in line he saw in the afternoon were always different folks from the people who were in line in the morning when he arrived for work.
These multitudes of people seemed to be openly mocking Khomeini and his mullahs day after day after day by voting with their feet – in effect, by conveying a very unfavorable and unmistakable visual for everyone to see, and giving the unspoken and unmistakable message that going to America (the supposed Great Satan!) was so much more preferable to living in Iran under the Islamic rule of the mullahs! That people were willing to go to such very great trouble, even camping out overnight in the streets, to give them a small chance to go to America, was a very unfavorable and damning judgment by the people of Khomeini and his Islamic Regime. Khomeini, a very prideful man, simply could not allow it to continue.
About nine months after the Revolution, and with no end in sight of people lining up to get visas for America, the situation finally became intolerable for Khomeini and the mullahs, as the optics were just terrible for Khomeini personally – thousands and thousands of Iranians lining up every day trying to flee from Iran to go to the country of the supposed enemy! No other foreign embassy in Tehran came close to generating the multitudes of people and the long lines found at the American Embassy – in fact, no other embassy in Tehran generated any crowds, or any lines at all, for Iranians wanting to obtain visas to go to that country.
Of course, none of this was ever reported by the fake Western "news" media "reporting" from Iran – for some reason, the news media had all become the public relations arm of Khomeini and his Islamic Regime, and they chose not to report any news as being seen unfavorable to the Regime. Since the fake news media had all unanimously promoted Khomeini as the "savior" of Iran before he came to Iran, they were all deeply invested in making sure Khomeini would continue to enjoy the illusion of success after he became the Supreme Leader of the country.
Khomeini and the mullahs were forced to do something drastic to end this embarrassing and intolerable situation representing a public slap in their faces administered by many thousands of ordinary Iranians publicly showing their preference for America over the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nothing significant or important was ever done at that time without Khomeini's specific approval and authorization, and Khomeini decided that it was finally time to do something about the strong rebuke and great embarrassment the Iranian people were inflicting on him by their very public, but quiet and peaceful, rejection of the Islamic Regime at the American Embassy.
Khomeini found the logical pretext for the attack on the Embassy when the deposed Shah was admitted into the United States as a humanitarian gesture for treatment of his advanced and fatal cancer. Khomeini demanded that the Shah be sent back immediately to Iran to stand trial for his supposed "atrocities," a demand Khomeini knew would never be granted by the U.S. government. (Although it was rumored that President Carter, after the taking of the American hostages and their captivity for many months, had seriously considered accepting Khomeini's proposal to trade the Shah for the Embassy hostages.)
Shortly after the U.S. rejected Khomeini's demand for the return of the Shah to Iran to stand trial, Khomeini had his perfect pretext to invade and take the Embassy. The invasion took place at his command. Thus, Khomeini was able to shrewdly hide and disguise his real reason for taking the Embassy – to get rid of the long, embarrassing lines of thousands and thousands of Iranians trying to escape Iran by seeking visas, or even worse, asylum, in hated America.
With the Embassy taken over by the Iranian "militants" (they were probably Iranian military, including special forces), there were no more long lines of Iranians outside the Embassy every day publicly thumbing their noses at Khomeini and poking him and the mullahs in the eye by showing everyone their preference to go to America instead of staying in Iran under Islamic rule. In short, there were no more harmful and embarrassing optics every day of thousands and thousands of Iranians openly rejecting Khomeini and his Islamic Republic as a place where they wanted to live. Totalitarian regimes always seek to keep their people captive in their own country by making it difficult, dangerous or impossible to leave, and now Iranians had to travel to other countries in order to obtain a visa to travel to America, something that was out of reach for many Iranians.
Of course, the Fake Western News Media to this day has never acknowledged or provided any coverage at all to these many, many thousands of Iranians lined up day after day and month after month at the Embassy who were trying to get visas to go to America. Not surprisingly, the Fake News Media never bothered to interview any of those many thousands and thousands of people in the lines, who undoubtedly had interesting and newsworthy stories to tell, and so people in the West have never been made aware of this important and newsworthy development which had gone on for many months at the American Embassy after the Revolution, from February to November of 1979.
These lines at the Embassy ran counter to the false narrative that the Fake News Media was promoting at that time – namely, that the Revolution was a huge success and a good thing for Iran and that it had the universal support of all Iranians – and so there were no "news" reports about these many thousands of Iranians who were lined desperately trying to flee the Islamic Regime. As a news person, you had to be willfully blind not to see the importance and newsworthiness of the thousands of people lined up every day in hopes of obtaining a visa for America, but the Fake News Media of that day shamelessly lived up to its name and never reported a word of any of this amazing story.
As a result of this fake news, historians and commentators to this day falsely claim that the refusal of America to return the Shah to Iran for trial was the triggering event for the invasion of the Embassy, but that is simply false and inaccurate. That was merely the pretext Khomeini used to disguise the real reason why the Embassy had to be taken – to get rid of the embarrassing long lines of Iranians eager to flee from the Islamic rule in Iran to enjoy true freedom in America.
On that fateful day of November 4, 1979, when the American Embassy was stormed by militants and taken, Cyrus got off work from Iran Air as usual in the mid-afternoon. As was his custom, he walked by the American Embassy on his way to catch a taxi home to see if anything of interest was happening there. As he got near the Embassy, he could hear some kind of commotion with loud chanting and yelling. When he arrived at the front of the Embassy, he saw that there were about one hundred or more very young school children lined up in the middle of the street, facing the main entrance of the Embassy. The Embassy had a big wall surrounding it and the children were facing the wall, which had a large and very high gate which could be opened to allow vehicles to enter the Embassy. The front gate was firmly closed and locked now.
The school children, all boys who looked to be no more than five or six years old, were raising their arms and enthusiastically yelling (in Persian) "Death to America!" The children were being led in their chants by numerous mullahs, who were prompting the children so that the yelling could be done in unison. Many of the children were even smiling and laughing as they yelled "Death to America!" The children looked like they were enjoying themselves immensely, as they got a lot of attention from the many bystanders watching the event.
He watched the scene in amusement for about half an hour, wondering if the situation would "escalate" into something more interesting for him to see. But the children just kept yelling the same death chant over and over, and other than the many spectators, he did not notice any adults who were part of the demonstration. There were the mullahs who were in charge of the children, but they were responsible for watching over the children as the kids were much too young to be left alone without supervision. He decided it was not worth his time to stay and watch, because he could not see or anticipate any further developments worth watching. So he left.
But was he ever wrong thinking that there would not be any further developments! To his everlasting regret at what he had missed, he found out later that same day that he had missed one of the most historic and important events of the entire Revolution and its aftermath – the storming of the Embassy and the taking of American hostages by the professional and elite soldiers of the Iranian military, disguised and wrongfully identified by the Western media as "students" or "militant students." The hostages who were taken were mostly Embassy staff, diplomats, attachés and other American citizens, including the Marines assigned to protect the Embassy.
Apparently, the attackers (who self-identified as "students" to perpetrate the ruse that mere students had captured the Embassy) had used the children in the street as a diversion and a decoy, to lull the Embassy security forces (consisting of U.S. Marines) into a false sense of security that nothing threatening or eventful was going to happen that day. The children were also used as a potential shield to protect the attackers, if necessary. The attackers, like professional soldiers, had suddenly come up and had stormed and climbed the Embassy wall and gate in overwhelming numbers, and even without defenseless small children in the street, it is doubtful that the Marines were ever going to fire their weapons in defense of the Embassy at "civilians."
It was obvious that mere "students" could never have arranged for the diversion provided by the school kids and the accompanying mullahs – the attack was clearly a well-planned professional operation carried out by professionals on behalf of Khomeini and his regime. None of the news stories ever mentioned the scores of small children who were chanting in the street just prior to the attack on the Embassy. Even today, if you Google "Were there children at the scene on November 4, 1979 when the U.S. embassy was taken in Iran," you will find no results with respect to the scores of children facing the Embassy and chanting "Death to America" which he had witnessed himself with his own eyes.
The Embassy was quickly overrun and taken over by the attackers, who were supposedly a group of students belonging to an organization called the "Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line," with the "Imam" being Imam Khomeini himself. He thought it was more likely that these "students" were actually highly trained commandos and special forces from Iran's military branches.
The hostages were held for exactly 444 days, from November 4, 1979 until the day and the very hour when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the president of the United States on January 20, 1981. President Reagan was a strong president as compared to the weak and pitiful Jimmy Carter, and Khomeini and the mullahs realized that if they did not immediately free the hostages, President Reagan was likely to take aggressive action against Iran and the mullahs. The hostages were released a few minutes after Reagan was sworn in as president.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump's White House on Friday celebrated a peace deal signing between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an event that is ending three decades of war between the neighbors.
Vice President JD Vance praised Trump's role, "If I think about what I know about these two countries, for 30 years, pretty much the entire time that I can remember these two countries being in the news, much of the story has been about them fighting one another, about them killing one another. And now, we can look forward to a future where my children will look at this moment as the beginning of a new story, a story of prosperity and peace."
The U.S., under Trump, brokered the agreement, described as an attempt to end bloodshed in that part of the work.
Reports noted the agreement allows the U.S. to access the DRC's gold, copper and lithium deposits for development.
Trump said, "This is a tremendous breakthrough. In a few short months, we've now achieved peace between India and Pakistan, India and Iran, and the DRC and Rwanda, and a couple of others, also."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has unleashed a response that scorched a reporter demanding to know why administration references to the pilots who bombed Iranian nuclear weapon sites did not pointedly note that some were male, and some female.
"We don't play your little games," he said. "When you spin it as because I say 'our boys in bombers' as a common phrase – I'll keep saying things like that, whether they're men or women. I'm very proud of that female pilot, just like I'm very proud of those male pilots.
"I don't care if it's a male or a female in the cockpit, and the American people don't care. But it's the obsession with race and gender in this department that's changed priorities, and we don't do that anymore."
A report from the Daily Wire characterized it as when Hegseth "laid into a reporter who asked why he hadn't specifically congratulated the female pilots who had been a part of the United States' recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities."
In the wake of the attacks, Hegseth had congratulated "the boys."
Among those complaining that Hegseth did not meet their required standard of language for inclusiveness was the New York Times, that had pointed out women were involved.
It was Times Pentagon reporter John Ismay who complained.
The Daily Wire, said, "When that topic came up during Thursday morning's briefing, Hegseth bowed his head slightly, laughing, before responding."
"See, this is the kind of thing the press does," Hegseth said. "Of course, the chairman mentioned a female bomber pilot. Fantastic. She's fantastic. She's a hero. I want more female bomber pilots. I hope the men and women of our country sign up to do such brave and audacious things."
He explained the fault lies in the media "spin."
Social media joined Hegseth in ripping the media, with, "From the folks who can't define a woman!" and "The left constantly lauds the accomplishments and reserve's accolades for specifically one race or gender. Ironic."
It wasn't Hegseth's only word on the bias in the press.
"You, and I mean specifically YOU, the press corps, because you cheer against Trump so hard, in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump., because you want him to be unsuccessful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes.
"You have to hope, maybe they weren't effective. … So let's take half-truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it, spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the minds of the public."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
If George Washington was the father of our country, is Donald Trump the daddy of the world?
"Daddy" is how NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte alluded to the U.S. president as the two talked to reporters at The Hague Wednesday as part of the alliance's meeting.
The remark came as Trump was explaining how Israel and Iran recently were allowed to fight for a while, "like two kids in a schoolyard," before being stopped.
Joked Rutte, "Daddy has to sometimes use strong language," a reference to Trump's F-bomb earlier in the week as he responded to the two nations violating a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
In a later press availability, a reporter asked Trump about the "daddy" remark, noting, "[Rutte] called you 'daddy.' Do you consider your NATO allies as kind of children?"
Trump's response clearly cracked up his defense secretary and secretary of state, who were both standing behind him.
Alexander Smith, writing for NBC News, was less than amused by the "daddy" language.
"Arguably few things better demonstrate NATO's bending over backward to please President Donald Trump than this remark by the military alliance's secretary-general, Mark Rutte. … It was exactly the kind of machismo that Trump is known to value."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
White House tells Dem operatives who worked with Biden: 'In light of unique and extraordinary nature of the matters under investigation, President Trump has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the national interest and therefore is not justified'
Joe Biden's administration repeatedly attacked the concept of executive privilege. For President Donald Trump.
Among other ways, officials then used their new standard against Trump in their fight over documents that he held from his presidency.
A report at Redstate explained, "We now know that the heavily politicized agency was just seeking to establish a predicate for the DOJ to charge Trump with a crime. That led to the infamous Mar-a-Lago raid, Trump's arrest, and years of litigation. We all know how that story ended, but it only ended that way because Trump won the presidency. If he hadn't, Biden and company would have almost certainly gotten away with their gambit."
But now that Biden standard has been applied to Democrats, from Biden's own entourage, who have been summoned to testify before Congress regarding Biden's mental capabilities, or lack thereof, and to provide details about just who was running the country during Biden's decline.
In came in a letter to Neera Tanden, one of Biden's advisers, who was scheduled to testify.
It makes clear that executive privilege claims are "not justified." And it authorizes Tanden to speak openly about the condition Biden was in.
The letter is from the White House counsel.
"In light of unique and extraordinary nature of the matters under investigation, President Trump has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the national interest and therefore is not justified, with respect to particular subjects within the purview of the House Oversight Committee. These subjects include your assessment of former President Biden's fitness for the office of the president and your knowledge of who exercised executive powers during his administration."
The letter went on, "Evidence that aides to former President Biden concealed information regarding his fitness to exercise the powers of the president – and may have unconstitutionally exercised those powers themselves to aid in their concealment – implicates both Congress' constitutional and legislative powers. The Constitution of the United States empowers Congress with the ability to remove the president under the 25th Amendment when the vice president and cabinet attempt to remove a president unable to perform the duties of the office."
The letter is from Gary Lawkowski, deputy counsel to the president.
The report explained, "This is what happens when you govern with the assumption you'll never lose power again. When Biden and his handlers started setting norms on fire, including those surrounding continuing executive privilege for past administrations, they never imagined that Trump would regain power. On the contrary, the Biden administration believed its nuking of executive privilege would not only keep Democrats in power but would also end up with Trump behind bars."
And the report noted Biden kept a "different standard" for himself. "Regarding the now-released audio of Biden being interviewed by special counsel Robert Hur, that was protected through the 2024 election by executive privilege."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari, senior advisor to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – the branch of Iran's armed forces created by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 to protect the radical theocratic regime – said on Iranian TV Monday, June 23, that Iran was "very close to annihilating Israel."
As reported by the Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI, the IRGC commander-in-chief and former commander of current Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei's security unit, said the U.S. may have joined the conflict because Iran was on the verge of destroying the Jewish state.
How to respond to America's weekend attack on Iran's nuclear facilities?
Iranians must "chop off President Trump's hand," insisted Jabbari, and "slit Netanyahu's throat," boasting that American military bases and warships in the region could be eliminated "in the blink of an eye." But most important of all, he insisted, Israel itself must be annihilated.
In the TV interview, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Core's top leader had some startling – and some obviously false – things to say. As MEMRI reported:
The program's host claimed that Iranian intelligence had intercepted internal Israeli communications indicating that, despite official reports stating there were no fatalities, over 500 Israelis were actually killed and 300 are missing following the previous day's Iranian attacks, in which several dozen were reportedly wounded. Jabbari confirmed the host's claim.
Later, Jabbari alleged that Israel had failed to intercept even a single Iranian missile. The host concluded by asserting that the world acknowledges Iran is in the right and that Iran must build a nuclear bomb.
Reporter: "Yesterday, our people conducted SIGINT operations, and they heard the [the Israelis] say that there were over 500 casualties, in our attacks yesterday. In addition, almost 300 people are missing, and they are stuck under the rubble, and about 200 people were injured. More than 200. So in our operations yesterday alone, more than 1,000 people were killed or injured, or are still missing."
Responded Jabbari: "That is correct. … Perhaps, America has joined [the war], because we were very close to annihilating Israel. It was in the closing stages." He added: "We must not lift our foot from Netanyahu's throat, and the throats of the Zionist criminals. In addition to chopping off Trump's hand, by means of the divine wisdom of our beloved Leader, who is more precious to us than our own lives, we must slit Netanyahu's throat, and send him to Hell for all eternity."
Reporter: "All of them, the young and the old, are occupiers. The Zionist idea, in general, is a Satanic ideology that needs to depart this world. Everybody who lives there, the young and the old – they are all occupiers, plunderers, and enemies. Now they are fleeing in boats. Yes, just like you came in boats, you need to flee in boats, back to where you came from."
Jabbari: "America's biggest asset in the region is not its warships and bases. These will be annihilated in the blink of an eye. America's main asset and main investment in its war against us is Israel itself, and we must annihilate it.
"They fail to intercept even a single missile of ours."
Reporter: "Today, not only does the world admit that Iran is right, they all admit that Iran needs to build a nuclear bomb. Polls in our country have shown that 90% of the people say we should do this."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In the wake of President Donald Trump's strike against Iran's nuclear sites Saturday, the former president of Russia is now warning: "A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads."
The comment comes from Dmitry Medvedev, who currently the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council.
In a series of Sunday posts on X, Medvedev did not specifically name the countries supposedly willing to provide nuclear weapons to Tehran, but asked rhetorically, "What have the Americans accomplished with their nighttime strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran?
He then provided his answers.
"Critical infrastructure of the nuclear fuel cycle appears to have been unaffected or sustained only minor damage."
"The enrichment of nuclear material – and, now we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons – will continue."
"Israel is under attack, explosions are rocking the country, and people are panicking."
"The US is now entangled in a new conflict, with prospects of a ground operation looming on the horizon.
"Donald Trump, once hailed as 'president of peace,' has now pushed the US into another war.
"The vast majority of countries around the world oppose the actions of Israel and the United States.
"At this rate, Trump can forget about the Nobel Peace Prize – not even with how rigged it has become. What a way to kick things off, Mr. President. Congratulations!"
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Sunday the U.S. will suffer "everlasting consequences" as a result of its Operation Midnight Hammer.
"The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations," Araghchi said.
"The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior."
"In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Ever since the brutal October 7 war waged by Iran-funded Hamas on Israel, the Iranian resistance has consistently warned about Iran's critical state – indeed, about its closeness to collapse. They cited the theocratic regime's deliberate instigation of the attack on Israel to prevent another major uprising against the Iranian government – an uprising that could have been its final blow.
Just as many once doubted the fall of the Syrian regime, today many fail to grasp how close Iran's regime is to collapse.
The recent conflict that began Friday, June 13 represents a pivotal turning point for the region and Iran's future. However, it is crucial to recognize that the fundamental crisis in Iran remains the struggle between the Iranian people and the religious dictatorship – a battle that has been ongoing for over four decades. Ever since Ayatollah Khomeini seized power, the regime has persistently resorted to external wars and manufactured crises to conceal domestic oppression and ensure its survival. Consequently, the only practical solution for Iran is the overthrow of the regime by the Iranian people and their organized resistance.
Neither war nor appeasement: A third option exist
The international community is not limited to the dangerous binary choice of "war" or "appeasement." There is a third, viable alternative rooted in the Iranian people's will and strength.
In 2002, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, or NCRI, first exposed the regime's secret nuclear program. Since then, the NCRI has repeatedly warned the world of the grave threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iranian regime. Moreover, the Council consistently pointed out that the regime's aggressive regional interference is far more dangerous than even its nuclear ambitions.
Unfortunately, the international community chose to persist with appeasement, leading unjustly to the NCRI and its principal organization being listed as terrorists. Meanwhile, the regime continued its nuclear development unchecked.
This policy of appeasement has emboldened the Iranian regime. Even after the 2015 "Iran nuclear deal" – the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA – which released $150 billion in frozen Iranian assets, the regime intensified its uranium enrichment beyond 60%, amassing enough fissile material for at least 10 nuclear bombs.
Concurrently, through its proxies and militias, the regime engulfed the region in war and chaos. Ultimately, appeasement has led to a direct imposition of war upon the region and the world.
The Iranian resistance: A people-powered movement for democracy
Despite enduring brutal massacres in 1981 and 1988 – when more than 30,000 political prisoners were executed – the Iranian Resistance has emerged stronger and better organized than ever. Its resilience and determination stem from widespread grassroots support across Iran. This popular backing has enabled the Resistance, even under severe repression, to establish a nationwide network of "Resistance Units" over the past decade.
Today, thousands of Resistance Units operate across Iranian cities and towns, undertaking more than 3,000 anti-regime actions and tens of thousands of awareness-raising activities within just the past year. Representing Iran's Generation Z, these courageous activists rally behind the slogans "No to compulsory rule," "No to compulsory religion," "No to compulsory hijab," embodying a strong and determined fight for freedom and democracy.
Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the Iranian Resistance, on June 18 in the European Parliament, told the present MEPs:
"There is no doubt that the just struggle of the Iranian people, led by their uprising and Resistance Units, will succeed. The day of freedom and victory of the Iranian people's democratic revolution is drawing near."
A democratic plan for the transition after the regime's fall
For over four decades, the National Council of Resistance of Iran – representing the organized and legitimate resistance of the Iranian people – has presented a clearly articulated roadmap for the peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. According to this plan, immediately following the regime's collapse, the NCRI will establish a provisional government with a limited six-month mandate. During this brief transitional period, free and democratic elections will take place to elect a Constituent Assembly responsible for drafting a new democratic constitution. After this, full executive authority will transfer to the newly elected representatives of the Iranian people.
Over recent decades, the Iranian Resistance has consistently demonstrated its unwavering commitment to democratic values, pluralism and human rights. It emphasizes civil, religious and political freedoms for all Iranian citizens and recognizes the critical leadership role of women. By explicitly rejecting all forms of dictatorship – under the strategic principle of "No to the Shah and No to the Mullahs" – the NCRI sets out a clear vision of democratic governance for Iran's future.
The final goal of the Iranian Resistance is to end over a century of dictatorship in the Middle East, paving the way for lasting peace, freedom and democracy in the region.
The road ahead: A path of hope and determination
In these critical times, the Iranian Resistance stands as a beacon of hope, embodying the determination of the Iranian people.
With unwavering commitment, this Resistance will continue moving toward the establishment of a free and democratic Iran, reaffirming once again that history ultimately belongs to those who courageously struggle for freedom and human rights.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump is calling for a special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute fraud that may be found in the 2020 presidential election results.
That was the election that installed Joe Biden in the Oval Office, after he ran a campaign from the basement of his home, and there were multiple cases of election fraud.
According to the legacy media, he beat Trump, who had installed a thriving economy in the nation, rebuilt America's image around the world and tackled a long list of other problems, like high taxes.
Besides the fraud that was discovered, there were two major undue influences, including one that a pollster discovered probably cost Trump the election.
The first influence was Mark Zuckerberg's decision to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars, through foundations, to mostly leftist local elections officials who often used the money to recruit voters in Democrat districts.
Never before had such a sum of private money been used to influence a U.S. election, and it prompted multiple states to ban that activity.
The bigger influence was the FBI's decision to interfere. It did so by advising legacy and social media outlets to suppress information contained in a laptop computer abandoned by Hunter Biden that confirmed scandalous details about the Biden family's business operations.
That advice came at a time that the FBI knew the details were accurate.
Congress later determined members essentially were running an international influence peddling scheme that netted millions of dollars.
But the laptop details were true, and that information largely was withheld from American voters.
Trump took to social media to demand action.
"Zero Border crossings for the month for TRUMP, verses 60,000 for Sleepy, Crooked Joe Biden, a man who lost the 2020 Presidential Election by a 'LANDSLIDE!' Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD! The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING. A Special Prosecutor must be appointed. This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America! Let the work begin! What this Crooked man, and his CORRUPT CRONIES, have done to our Country in 4 years, is grossly indescribable! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
A report at Just the News added, "Trump's call for a special prosecutor comes in the wake of reports from the FBI that China had conspired to mass-produce fake driver's licenses to carry out a massive fake ballot scheme in the 2020 election."
Officials told Just the News that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had captured nearly 20,000 fake driver's licenses in July 2020. Those revelations have called into question the assertions from former FBI Director Christopher Wray that he knew of no foreign interference plots ahead of the election.
They have further reignited Trump's own claims of large-scale election fraud in 2020 that he has said affected the results."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
On June 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of State issued an alarming updated travel advisory for India, urging American citizens to "exercise increased caution" due to a sharp rise in terrorism, civil unrest and violent crime there.
Designated a Level 2 alert, the advisory specifically highlights violent crime and terrorism occurring in India and notes that rape is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country. And tourists are increasingly the target, especially in major cities and transit hubs, the advisory warning that terrorists attack with little or no warning, striking crowded areas such as tourist sites, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls and government facilities.
The State Department has also placed strict warnings against travel to high-risk regions, including Jammu and Kashmir, the India-Pakistan border, central and eastern India where Maoist insurgents commonly operate, as well as the northeastern state of Manipur, which has seen a surge in ethnic violence.
A country too dangerous for Americans, but not for American investment
Despite growing security concerns flagged by the U.S. State Department, India continues to aggressively market itself as a premier global tourism and investment destination, actively promoting a broad range of investment opportunities across infrastructure, hospitality and real estate to overseas investors. During its May 2025 Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Annual Business Summit, India reaffirmed its strategic use of soft power, highlighting tourism as a key pillar of its global influence strategy.
Officials described tourism as an engine to boost economic growth, enhance India's international stature and generate domestic employment.
To support this vision, the Indian government has rolled out multi-billion-dollar programs aimed at overhauling its tourism infrastructure and amplifying foreign investor participation. Flagship schemes such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and PRASHAD focus on building religious and cultural tourism circuits, including Buddhist pilgrimage routes and Ramayana heritage trails. Meanwhile, the government's Heal in India initiative is positioning the country as a hub for affordable, high-quality medical treatment.
As Sameer Bhati, director of Star Imaging and Path Lab, notes, "Medical tourism in India can grow a lot because we offer quality healthcare at affordable prices. The Budget's focus on upgrading healthcare facilities will attract more patients."
State governments are reinforcing this national push. Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, for instance, are hosting international investor summits, implementing AI-powered hospitality platforms and targeting the Indian diaspora to channel capital into tourism-linked development. These efforts reflect a coordinated campaign to frame India as a one-stop destination for spiritual, medical and luxury travel. According to market research firm IMARC, India's medical tourism sector alone is expected to reach $68.5 billion by 2032, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 14.5% between 2024 and 2032.
Yet, beneath India's high-gloss tourism campaigns and billion-dollar investment showcases lies a far grittier and riskier reality.
For American citizens, the U.S. State Department's latest travel advisory should serve not only as a warning about personal safety, but also as a critical lens on the broader economic relationship being pushed by Indian interests. Despite New Delhi's messaging of openness and opportunity, the ground-level truth reveals a nation still plagued by terrorism, systemic violence, weak legal protections and state-enforced restrictions that directly affect foreign travelers.
For example: Tourists carrying a satellite phone or an unlicensed GPS device can face up to $200,000 in fines and three years in prison. Consular support from the U.S. is limited outside of major cities, meaning if one finds himself or herself in trouble in a rural area or conflict zone, help may not arrive. And while India positions itself as a global destination for women-centric travel, the advisory makes clear that women – especially foreigners – face an elevated risk of sexual assault and violent crime, particularly at tourist locations and transit hubs.
But the warning goes far beyond travel plans. India's global tourism ambitions are tightly woven into its larger economic strategy, one that aggressively seeks to draw in Western capital, real estate partnerships and infrastructure development, often under the premise of mutually beneficial growth. What many Americans don't realize is that this same "hospitality empire" is already deeply embedded in their own country. As of 2023, Indian Americans control an estimated 60% of all hotels in the United States, and in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, Indian hoteliers own a staggering 90% of hotels.
That level of market capture raises important questions about reciprocity, regulation and the national interest, especially as India restricts foreign ownership and enforces heavy localization policies at home.
Investing in instability: American hotel chains are flooding India, but who's really driving the expansion?
While the U.S. State Department warns Americans to "exercise increased caution" when traveling to India due to terrorism, violent crime, sexual violence and civil unrest, major U.S.-born hotel brands are aggressively expanding into that very same high-risk market. According to a March 2025 Forbes article, Marriott, Hilton, Wyndham and Hyatt are all racing to build out their footprint in India, with Marriott planning 80 new properties, Hilton launching four new brands and Wyndham aiming to double its presence. On paper, this expansion is framed as a play for India's rising middle class and modernizing infrastructure. But that narrative conceals a deeper reality.
These moves are not simply about seizing opportunity, they're the result of entrenched ownership and influence by Indian-origin investors who now dominate the U.S. hospitality sector. The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), founded in 1989 and now the largest hotel-owners group in the world, represents over 20,000 Indian-American hoteliers who control the nearly 60% of all hotels in the United States and two-thirds of so-called economy and midscale properties. That level of control gives Indian-origin stakeholders extraordinary leverage, not just over domestic hospitality policy, but in shaping how and where U.S. hotel brands expand abroad.
In this context, the expansion into India isn't simply about growth; it's about influence. As Indian-American ownership steers corporate strategy, the line between American business interests and India's national agenda begins to fade. Incoming AAHOA Chairman Kamalesh "KP" Patel openly stated, "No sector reflects our bilateral ties better than hospitality." More than symbolism, this reflects a coordinated push to embed Indian interests into U.S. policy on investment, infrastructure, workforce mobility and visas on both sides of the globe.
That strategy is already playing out. In 2024, Indian hotel giant OYO acquired the iconic American brands Motel 6 and Studio 6 in a $525 million all-cash deal, one of the largest cross-border hospitality takeovers in U.S. history. This wasn't just a business move, it was a declaration: Indian firms are no longer content participating in Western markets, they're actively reshaping them. They're exporting capital, management models and political influence directly into the U.S. economy.
Travel warnings are for citizens, but not corporations or foreign governments
At the same time, India is building new airports, relaxing visa rules and promoting high-gloss campaigns to lure Western tourists and investors. But these efforts are not just market-driven – they're diaspora-driven. The alignment of Indian-origin ownership in U.S. brands, India's tourism ambitions and the policy frameworks being shaped behind the scenes has created a self-reinforcing system of transnational control disguised as bilateral cooperation.
For Americans, the implications are serious. While Indian hospitality interests grow stronger in this nation's economy, American hotel chains are embedding themselves in a foreign market flagged by the U.S. government as dangerous for travel. And yet, U.S. brands continue to promote India as a safe, promising destination, while exposing American citizens to physical, financial and reputational risk.
The U.S. travel advisory should be seen not as a bureaucratic footnote, but as a warning. Americans should think twice before vacationing in India, investing in its tourism sector or buying into the idea that this alignment is harmless. They should register for the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), obtain evacuation-grade insurance and watch closely where their dollars and their country's interests are really going.
Because in this global hospitality "partnership," it's clear which side is winning. And it's not America.
An open door with no guardrails: How India's internal chaos is spilling into the United States
As U.S. hotel corporations aggressively expand into India, a nation flagged by the U.S. State Department, a far more concerning dynamic is unfolding at home. While American companies invest heavily in building out tourism infrastructure in India, the United States is simultaneously accepting a massive, poorly vetted influx of Indian nationals, both legally and illegally, with minimal safeguards for the American public.
According to the U.S. Embassy in India, over one million nonimmigrant visas were issued to Indian nationals in 2024 alone, the second year in a row that record numbers were reached. More than two million Indians traveled to the U.S. in the first eleven months of the year and over five million now hold active visas. Thousands more are approved daily.
So, while Americans are being told to exercise "increased caution" when visiting India, Indian citizens are entering the U.S. at historic levels, with little transparency, oversight or public debate. This isn't just a policy inconsistency; it's a direct threat to America's national security, economic stability and public safety.
India is also one of the top three sources of illegal immigration into the United States. In 2023 alone, nearly 90,000 Indian nationals were apprehended attempting to enter the country illegally. Many others arrive on temporary visas and simply overstay. At the same time, U.S. authorities have prosecuted numerous Indian nationals involved in elder fraud, multimillion-dollar financial scams, human trafficking rings and violent plots including a foiled assassination attempt in New York linked to an Indian government employee.
These are not isolated cases. They are part of a broader pattern emerging from a system that prioritizes volume and foreign interest over security and American sovereignty. As Indian-origin lobbying groups and economic networks grow more influential, particularly through their control of the U.S. hospitality sector, they are shaping not only investment decisions, but immigration and labor policy as well.
The result is a one-sided relationship: American companies are investing in a country that's too dangerous for their own citizens to visit, while India is offloading its population, labor force and political footprint into the U.S. under the banner of "partnership."
That is not mutual growth; it is a strategic imbalance.
Until U.S. policymakers address the growing disconnect between corporate interests and public safety, the consequences will continue to multiply. America is not just sending money into unstable territory, it is importing the instability itself, with real consequences for American workers, communities and national security.
The time to act is now. America must reassert control over its borders, its business interests and its future before more is lost in the name of globalization disguised as goodwill.