Iran’s nuclear program was a threat to the United States, US Senator Cynthia Lummis told Iran International, adding that last month's US attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities were further justified by Tehran's avowed hostility.
“The Iran nuclear program was a threat to the United States because Iran voices ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel.’ And It was a direct threat to us," Lummis said.
"It was the right thing to do to take it out on a very targeted basis and then hope that the Iranian people, who are not our enemies, can reclaim their government and participate in a global economy that is robust and that is good for the Iranian people.”
The administration of US President Donald Trump has counted the attacks on the Natanz, Fordo and Isfahan nuclear sites dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer as a historic victory.
Trump had mooted killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the early days of the US-backed 12-day Israeli war and had broached regime change but swiftly called for a ceasefire after the US attacks which continues to hold.
Trump asserted Iran's nuclear program was “obliterated”. However, subsequent US intelligence assessments have varied.
An initial assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said the attacks may have set Iran's nuclear program back by only months. A subsequent Pentagon report concluded the strikes hindered Iran’s nuclear progress by up to two years.
The Central Intelligence Agency and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also said the Islamic Republic's nuclear infrastructure had been severely damaged and set back by years.
Iran nuclear program was 'direct' threat to US, Republican senator says | Iran International
The appearance of Iranian football referee Alireza Faghani beside US President Donald Trump during the Club World Cup medal ceremony over the weekend in which they both gave a thumbs up has sparked anger among the Islamic Republic's supporters.
The championship match of the Club World Cup in which Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 was held on Saturday evening in the United States.
Faghani, one of the most prominent referees in the world, officiated the match and participated in the tournament representing Australia after migrating there in 2019 due to disagreements with Iran's Football Federation.
The Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Fars News Agency ripped the appearance on its Telegram channel on Saturday.
“Just days after the Israeli and American attack on Iranian soil and the martyrdom of over a thousand Iranians, Alireza Faghani warmly greeted Trump after receiving his award and mimicked his pose in the commemorative photo.”
Faghani later posted a series of photos on Instagram showing his work at the tournament and his pose alongside Trump, writing: "Grateful for the opportunity to once again be part of football history."
Pro-government social media users criticized the appearance as a national betrayal.
“Alireza Faghani completed all his academic degrees (bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD) in Iran," a user celled Third Generation Khomeini Revolution wrote on X.
"But in the end, he took a commemorative photo with the invader of his homeland and the killer of Iranian women and children.”
Alireza Dabir, president of the Iranian Wrestling Federation, said Faghani should have killed Trump. "If there were any honor, he would have torn out the killer’s throat instead of shaking his hand."
Ali Akbar Raefipour, an Islamic Republic propagandist, shared an AI-generated image of hoped-for physical altercation and said Faghani should have emulated an Iraqi journalist who launched his shoes at US President Bush in 2008.
Popular among religious youth, Raefipour is a hardline Iranian speaker and founder of the Revolutionary Guards-linked Masaf Institute which promotes anti-Western narratives and conspiracy theories.
Make Iran Great Again (MIGA)
In contrast, many Iranians opposed to Tehran defended Faghani, calling his presence at such a major event a source of pride for Iran.
A hashtag for a phrase promoted by Trump during the conflict, #MIGA — Make Iran Great Again — spread among the Islamic Republic's detractors.
Prominent Iranian activist Masih Alinejad praised Faghani, saying: “You don’t have to like it. But you can’t ignore it. This isn’t about loving war. It’s about recognizing who the real warmonger is: the Islamic Republic.”
A user named Sina criticized those threatening Faghani, saying: “They’re threatening Alireza Faghani for shaking hands with Trump at a football match — a completely non-political event. Well then, what should be done with those who beg to negotiate with him?”
State-run Iranian TV did not air the Club World Cup award ceremony — a decision that also drew widespread reaction from users on social media.
Canadian-Iranian politician Golsa Ghamari reacted to the post, saying: “Iranians and Americans were once great allies, and will once again be great allies when the terrorist Islamic Republic is overthrown.”
Another user praised Faghani, saying: “He received his medal from none other than Donald Trump — the man who turned Qassem Soleimani into 'kotlet.'”
“Kotlet,” an Iranian meat patty, became a meme symbolizing the assassination of senior Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020 during the first Trump administration.
Another user named Shayan Amiri shared the handshake moment between Faghani and Trump, tagging Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on X and writing: “Perhaps it’s time to take a lesson in diplomacy and class — from Alireza Faghani.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Iranians abroad in an open letter on Monday that Tehran was determined to mend fences abroad through diplomacy and fix its economy, weeks after a punishing conflict with Israel and the United States.
The missive from the relative moderate president appeared aimed at projecting a conciliatory tone abroad as Iran's diplomatic and economic isolation has deepened.
“We still believe the window of diplomacy is open, and we are seriously pursuing this peaceful path by mobilizing all political capacities,” Pezeshkian wrote.
Many diaspora Iranians fled the country and are deeply skeptical of official policy, especially as the value of the Iranian currency has cratered and costs of living soar.
In his letter, Pezeshkian vowed to address domestic woes as a priority.
“All executive agencies and government servants are paying special attention to this issue, and public satisfaction is the main criterion for our planning and actions," he said. "We are doing our utmost to ensure that people face no difficulty in livelihood or healthcare."
While Pezeshkian has repeatedly signaled willingness to resume diplomacy, hardline voices within the Islamic Republic maintained pre-war red lines.
“Uranium enrichment is one of our red lines,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “If negotiations are to be contingent on halting enrichment, they will definitely not take place,” he told Pakistan’s interior minister during a meeting in Tehran.
In his letter, Pezeshkian said Tehran enjoyed support from the Iranian diaspora during the war and cited unity among “critics and non-critics" but cited Iran's might in arms.
"Our national security is guaranteed both by military strength and by the unity of hearts and social cohesion. Now is the time to look forward and step toward a more prosperous Iran, backed by our nation’s vast social capital."
A senior Iranian lawmaker on Monday suggested Iran might use its military to seal the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway as tensions continue over stalled nuclear talks following a 12-day conflict with Israel and the United States.
Esmail Kowsari told Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen TV that no decision on closing the Strait had been made but military preparations to do so were ready.
“Military measures concerning the Strait of Hormuz have been completed, but no decision has yet been made regarding its (closure) and the matter is still under review,” said Kowsari, a member of the parliament's national security committee.
The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway bordered by Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Around a fifth of global oil and gas shipments pass through the strategic chokepoint, which was a site of conflict in the Iran-Iraq in the 1980s but was spared in the Mideast combat last month.
Tehran, Kowsari added, has not walked away from negotiations but US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites violated Iran's sovereignty and hurt diplomatic efforts.
Conditions for resuming talks do not currently exist, Kowsari said.
Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to close the strait as tensions with Israel and the United States have flared in recent years.
Last month, Kowsari told state media that the Iranian parliament had approved a measure to close it but that the measure was not binding, and the final decision rests with Iran’s top decision-making body, the Supreme National Security Council.
A closure would likely upend global energy markets and risk triggering broader conflict.
A joint American-Israeli plan to collapse Iran’s leadership within days of a surprise Israeli attack last month failed and only alienated the public, Iranian presidential aide Ali Rabiei said.
“According to the plan drawn by Israel and the United States, the regime was supposed to fall by the ninth or tenth day of the war,” Rabiei, a veteran of the intelligence ministry and a former cabinet minister, told local media.
“When Trump told the people of Tehran to leave the city, it was clear something was meant to happen—but it failed.”
The 12-day campaign assassinated Iranian military commanders and pounded military targets but killed hundreds of civilians. A US attack on Iranian nuclear sites capped off the conflict. Iranian missiles killed 27 Israelis.
Both US President Donald and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mooted regime change and killing Iran's Supreme Leader during the conflict.
Netanyahu said the conflict reversed Iran’s nuclear progress and set the stage for internal political collapse.
“We hit them right on the nose, in the groin,” he told US network Newsmax in an interview on Thursday. “It creates a possibility inside Iran, because the people who are being tyrannized now say they have hope.”
But Rabiei said Iran’s population had only grown more embittered.
“The day Evin prison was bombed—a surreal scene in which women prisoners, medics and soldiers were killed—they expected protests,” he said, referring to an Israeli air strike on a notorious prison which killed dozens of people. “Instead, people were consumed with hatred for Israel.”
“No country is better off after regime change following a war. Israel does not care what happens to Iran afterward—it just wants Iran not to be strong,” he added.
A fragile ceasefire remains in place between Iran and Israel after Trump said US attacks had “obliterated" Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran’s communications ministry confirmed deliberate GPS jamming affecting millions of people in the wake of a war with Israel and said it is considering adopting China’s BeiDou in order to thwart drone and missile attacks.
“Some of the disruptions to the GPS system originate from within the country for military and security purposes,” Ehsan Chitsaz, Deputy Communications Minister, told the Ham-Mihan newspaper on Monday, acknowledging the government's role.
He added that “political priorities following the ceasefire between the Islamic Republic and Israel may have led to shifting satellite allocations.”
The main purpose of the jamming is to misdirect drones or guided missiles, preventing them from striking their intended targets.
While most modern military drones and missiles use encrypted GPS signals for military use only, some reconnaissance drones and guided bombs or missiles still rely on unencrypted, open GPS signals, making them vulnerable to interference.
Tehran has felt the disruptions more than most regions in recent days. Domestic navigation apps such as Balad and Neshan, as well as international ones like Waze, have been displaying incorrect maps or placing users in locations such as Europe, Canada, or Africa while signals are scrambled.
Chitsaz also confirmed Iran was now exploring alternative systems, pointing to its ally China’s BeiDou navigation constellation.
“The Islamic Republic is set to pursue alternative options such as China’s BeiDou system, which has been raised as one of the main axes of the long-time joint agreement during ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Beijing," he said.
The Global Positioning System consists of 24 advanced satellites owned by the US Department of Defense that orbit the Earth and use mathematical data to help GPS receivers determine location and even time. The number of satellites has now risen to over 30, increasing the system’s accuracy.
A smartphone or any device equipped with a GPS receiver determines its physical location by receiving signals from satellites and calculating based on the time the signals were sent and the satellites' positions.
If the clocks on these satellites are off by even a thousandth of a second, users can be placed 200 or 300 kilometers away from the correct location, as many in Iran have experienced.
Navigation outages tied to internal security clampdown
Chitsaz’s remarks follow mounting public complaints of GPS disruptions across Iranian cities. Users reported navigation apps displaying incorrect locations, with one example cited by Ham-Mihan involving a driver in Shahr-e-Rey, southern Tehran, being shown in Shiraz.
During the 12-day war, internet and mobile blackouts were announced as necessary for national security, seeing many Iranians without the internet for several days in a row.
Hossein Meysami, director of new technologies at the communications ministry, acknowledged difficulties faced by the likes of taxi drivers and couriers who depend on GPS services for business.
“We must accept that an event occurred in our country, and it was reasonable for certain agencies that are sensitive in this area to impose restrictions until conditions normalize,” Meysami said on Monday, referring to the lingering after-effects of the 12-day war with Israel.
He also warned that senior military and government personnel should under no circumstances use WhatsApp, citing security concerns.
In Tehran, GPS disruptions have been reported near military and security sites such as the Ministry of Defense and sensitive locations such as around the residences of the Supreme Leader.
In these restricted zones, residents have been unable to locate themselves for days or even longer, with their phones showing them in distant places like Mehrabad Airport, or even in another country.
Damage to digital businesses acknowledged
The deputy minister also admitted that government-imposed internet restrictions have hurt the private sector, affecting as many as 10 million internet-dependent businesses.
“Filtering and systemic disruption have not only destroyed some businesses but also created social despair and mistrust,” Chitsaz admitted.
During the war, rights group HRANA said over 1,100 Iranians had been killed by Israel, including military personnel and nuclear scientists targeted, with senior figures eliminated in a wave of precision strikes.
Iran says 13 top nuclear scientists were killed with a further 20 commanders, including the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also eliminated.
On Saturday, IRGC-affiliated Fars News said that the country's president was among several injured when an Israeli strike targeted a National Security Council meeting.
