https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-israel-ceasefire-conflict-news?mod=hp_lead_pos7
The president pushed back on an intelligence report saying the strikes only set back Tehran’s nuclear ambitions by a few months.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Zohran Mamdani's NYC Win is a Political Revolution
https://www.newsweek.com/zohran-mamdani-nyc-political-revolution-2090477
Zohran Mamdani's win in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary is more than just a stunning political upset.
A self-described democratic socialist who ran on taxing the rich and making the city affordable, Mamdani defeated disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo, a well-funded, familiar and powerful figure backed by billionaire donors and establishment Democrats alike.
Mamdani took such a commanding lead over Cuomo on Tuesday that the former governor, who was seeking a comeback after resigning in disgrace over a sexual harassment scandal, conceded the race early. The ultimate outcome may not be known for days due to the city's ranked choice voting system.
He will now face off against incumbent mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent in November's election—and Cuomo could still reenter the race.
His platform focused on freezing rent, building affordable housing, free buses, free child care, a higher minimum wage and more, mostly paid for by new taxes on the rich.
Trump Warns Iran-Israel War 'Could Maybe Start Again Soon'
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-administration-iran-israel-middle-east-live-updates-2090459
Speaking at the NATO summit in The Hague, President Donald Trump defended his confidence in the Israel-Iran ceasefire, crediting the success to U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites. While declaring that the war is likely over, Trump conceded it might "start again soon," highlighting both the volatility of the region and his administration's central role in brokering what he has dubbed the "12-day war."
MTG suggests a link between JFK’s assassination and his opposition to Israel’s ‘nuclear program’
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/06/24/congress/mtg-on-jfk-00421426
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Tuesday appeared to suggest in a post on X that former President John F. Kennedy was assassinated over his opposition to Israel’s nuclear program.
“There was once a great President that the American people loved. He opposed Israel’s nuclear program. And then he was assassinated,” Greene posted on X as she defended her dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s weekend strike on Iran. Greene’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment asking for clarity on the remarks.
Israeli officials see "significant" damage to Iran's nuclear facilities
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/25/iran-nuclear-program-israel-damage-intelligence
Israel, which initiated the war and faces a far more direct threat from Iran than the U.S., is largely satisfied with the early results from Trump's military strike on Saturday.
"A professional battle damage assessment takes time," an Israeli official stressed, suggesting it was far too soon to draw the kinds of conclusions included in the DIA report.
"Israeli intelligence services haven't arrived at any bottom lines for now," the official added. "But we don't think there was any bug in the operation, and we have no indications the bunker-buster bombs didn't work. Nobody here is disappointed."
The classified DIA report was based on early intelligence from just one agency, and the overall picture remains muddled — especially with Iran itself still assessing the damage and weighing its next moves.
U.S. initial damage report: Iran nuclear program set back by months, not obliterated
Core components of Tehran’s nuclear effort were damaged but not destroyed by U.S. airstrikes on three key facilities, according to three people familiar with a Defense Intelligence Agency initial assessment.
Witkoff: US, Iran seeking ‘peace deal,’ strikes set Tehran’s nuke program back years
The Trump envoy said the American position is that Iran must not resume enriching uranium at all — a position that the White House vacillated on during previous talks with Iran, led by Witkoff, over the two months prior to Israel’s attack on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs that began earlier this month.
Witkoff also doubled down on the administration’s assessment that the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo completely eliminated the Islamic Republic’s ability to attain a nuclear weapon in the near future. He said the program had been set back years, and lashed out against a leaked security assessment that said the strikes did not destroy the underground sites.
“The reporting out there that in some ways suggests that we did not achieve the objective is just completely preposterous,” he said, calling it “not even conceivable” that Iran would be able to reach a nuclear weapon within months.
Concern among NY Jews: Pro-Palestinian Zohran Mamdani wins Democratic primary for mayor
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/410618
Anti-Israel candidate Zohran Mamdani shocks Andrew Cuomo in NYC Democratic mayoral primary focused on Jewish issues, arousing concern among the city's Jewish population.
Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites, sources say
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/24/politics/intel-assessment-us-strikes-iran-nuclear-sites
The US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to an early US intelligence assessment that was described by seven people briefed on it.
The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm. It is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the US strikes, one of the sources said.
American strikes only set Iran’s nuclear program back by months — US intel report
Preliminary assessment says uranium stocks not destroyed, some centrifuges still intact; former UN inspector warns Tehran still has ‘ability to break out and produce weapon-grade uranium’
White House Reacts After Intel Assessment Contradicts Trump on Iran Strikes
https://www.newsweek.com/white-house-reacts-us-pentagon-iran-strikes-assessment-2090204
The White House issued a scathing statement after CNN, The New York Times and other media outlets reported that an early assessment by U.S. intelligence said military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend failed to destroy key elements of Iran's nuclear program.
The assessment also found that the strikes only set Iran's nuclear program back by a few months, contradicting President Donald Trump's claim that the strikes "obliterated" the nuclear facilities.
Meanwhile, an early Israeli intelligence assessment determined that the U.S.'s strikes set Iran's nuclear capabilities back by "several years," according to The Times of Israel. The reported assessment came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that "we sent Iran's nuclear program down the drain."
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Amid Trump criticism: Israel limits Iran response to symbolic strike
Following sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump, Israel delivered merely a symbolic military response to Iran's Tuesday morning ceasefire violation, restricting its retaliation to a single radar strike north of Tehran after the American leader intervened to prevent a broader attack.
"Israel, don't drop those bombs," Trump declared. "If you do it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now!" The president had earlier told White House reporters that "Israel and Iran have been fighting for so long they don't know what the f*** they're doing."
Sources familiar with the situation revealed that Trump received updates throughout the night, confirming Iran had breached the ceasefire first. "Despite his harsh public criticism of Israel, the Israeli Air Force response will still proceed, with Trump containing and possibly supporting it."
Trump Says Israel Turning Jets Around: 'Friendly Plane Wave to Iran'
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-urges-israel-not-break-iran-ceasefire-do-not-drop-those-bombs-2089853
President Donald Trump said Israeli jets had turned back from their planned strikes on Iran and that a ceasefire remains in effect.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his air force struck a radar station near Tehran but, after speaking with Trump, refrained from carrying out further attacks
Trump sharply criticized Israel for preparing a heavy retaliation against a ceasefire violation by Iran that he said involved a single rocket missing its target.
"ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran," Trump posted to his Truth Social platform on Tuesday morning. "All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!"
In foul-mouthed tirade, Trump savages Israel for striking Iran, says it violated ceasefire
In a rare if not unprecedented public display of frustration with Israel by a US president, Donald Trump expressed in no uncertain terms on Tuesday that he was furious at Israel as the ceasefire he announced overnight threatened to unravel.
“I’m not happy that Israel’s going out now,” he told reporters, as Israeli jets were responding to Iranian missile strikes earlier in the day.
“There was one rocket that I guess was fired overboard [by Iran]. It was after the time limit, and it missed its target. And now Israel’s going out. These guys gotta calm down. Ridiculous…”
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